Chapter 1: The cold winds of Northrend will consume your souls

"Kill him!!!"

The Silver Knight strode forward, the blade in his hand flashing like a crescent moon as he slashed towards Fang Zheng. He was certain that his strike would not miss; in just a moment, he would decapitate this young man before him.

But...

"Clang!!!"

With the crisp clash of metal, the longsword in the Silver Knight's hand halted in mid-air. He stared in shock, watching as the young man before him raised his right hand. In Fang Zheng's grasp, an icy chill gradually coalesced into a beautiful yet terrifying longsword.

A pitch-black hilt like the night, adorned with a sinister skull that stared back at him. The blade, as pale as bone and snow, exuded a cold that pierced the soul. An ethereal blue glow emanated from the grooves in the blade, clearly marking it as no ordinary weapon.

"What is that?"

"It must be the secret treasure!!"

Seeing the suddenly appearing longsword in Fang Zheng's hand, the other Silver Knights cried out in alarm. Meanwhile, the Black Robe stared intently at the scene, sensing that something was amiss...

"Wait, something's wrong, be careful---!!"

Before the Black Robe could finish, Fang Zheng, who had been kneeling on the ground moments ago, suddenly leaped up. Gripping the longsword with both hands, he swung it forward with all his might. The next moment, the blade pierced through the body of the Silver Knight before him without hesitation.

"Aaaah---!!"

With a scream, the Silver Knight shrieked as the blade impaled him. His body rapidly withered, the light of his soul shining through, and a vague human figure seemed to be pulled from his body, spinning as it was sucked into the blade.

"Boom---!!"

In that instant, a roaring wind exploded around Fang Zheng, the freezing air swirling and knocking away the other advancing Silver Knights. The Black Robe quickly retreated several meters, barely withstanding the blast of cold. When the storm subsided, he looked ahead again, his mouth agape in shock.

"This, this is..."

Before them, Fang Zheng no longer looked destitute and miserable. The freezing air spread from his body, forming a silvery-white armor. Above his head, a gigantic apparition appeared out of thin air. It was a crowned figure with its face hidden in shadow, seated on a throne of eternal ice, coldly watching his enemies. Even his gaze seemed to freeze one's soul.

Perhaps it wasn't just an illusion.

At that moment, the ground around Fang Zheng was gradually covered in frost, plants withering as if all life was ending.

"What terrifying power of death!!"

Seeing this, the Black Robe's face turned pale as he hurriedly backed away, pulling a rune from his robes. But before he could make another move, Fang Zheng seemed to sense his presence, turning to look at him. He pointed the longsword at the Black Robe.

"Crash!"

In an instant, the Black Robe was suddenly encased in ice, frozen in the act of holding the rune, as if time had stopped. Soon, a wailing human form emerged from his body, screaming as it was sucked into Fang Zheng's sword.

"Evil undead creature, how dare you desecrate souls!!"

Seeing this, the remaining Silver Knights were both shocked and furious, exchanging glances and raising their swords.

"Holy blessing!"

With their shouts, soft light emanated from their bodies, illuminating the dark wilderness. However, this seemed to have no effect on Fang Zheng.

"The cold winds of Northrend will devour your souls!"

He turned to face the knights, muttering lowly. As he spoke, the surrounding winds intensified, forming an invisible wall that enclosed the Silver Knights. The ground cracked open, revealing skeletons rising from the earth. They might have been warriors who once fought here or simply buried peasants, but the blue flames in their eye sockets clearly indicated their identity.

"Fight with him! All together! The Goddess is with us!!"

Facing the growing number of undead creatures, the Silver Knights were pale with fear, feeling the overwhelming power of death. They knew they stood no chance, but they had no choice but to fight to the death!

"He can't use the power of that treasure indefinitely, everyone attack together!"

With a collective roar, the remaining Silver Knights charged at Fang Zheng, their weapons glowing brightly. Their longswords transformed into beams of light, and they swung them down at Fang Zheng with force!

"Boom!!!"

Pure white light converged, forming a unique and mysterious rune. The light dissipated, revealing a gigantic, nearly ten-meter-long greatsword hurtling down towards Fang Zheng. At that moment, the massive apparition above Fang Zheng finally moved!

"Just... like this!"

Murmuring softly, the apparition stood up, drawing a sword from its waist and rising to meet the descending greatsword of light. The apparition's sword clashed with the greatsword.

"Crack---!"

With a soft sound, the greatsword of light shattered like a matchstick, breaking into fragments and vanishing. The knights' gleaming blades also shattered, causing them to cough up blood and collapse.

"This, this can't be..."

Stunned, the Silver Knights watched the Sword of Light disappear. They couldn't believe their greatest hope was so easily shattered!

What was that thing?!

But they received no answer. The freezing cold enveloped their bodies, stopping their blood and slowing their hearts. They could only watch in despair as the shadow of death closed in and silently devoured their souls.

"Bang!!"

With the last glimmer of soul light gone, Fang Zheng finally collapsed to his knees. His armor dissipated, and the mysterious, fearsome sword in his hand turned back into the cold wind and vanished. Above him, the giant apparition watched him before merging with the dark night and disappearing.

"Hah... hah..."

Breathing heavily on the icy ground, Fang Zheng stared at the dark night sky, his mind in turmoil.

To be honest, even now, Fang Zheng didn't know what had happened to him or why. But one thing was clear—he had survived!

Though he didn't understand everything, he was alive!

He had to leave quickly, as soon as possible...

After a moment, catching his breath, Fang Zheng stood up again, looking around. Corpses were everywhere; his companions who had protected him were dead, and so were the knights sent to kill him. The chill in the air was dissipating, and he could hear faint wolf howls in the distance.

Feeling a shiver, Fang Zheng knew he had to leave. He didn't know who these people were, but if their comrades realized they were missing, they would come looking. He had to escape before it was too late!

He had to leave now!

Determined, despite his pain and exhaustion, Fang Zheng bit down, stumbling into the depths of the wilderness.