Northrend's Cold Wind Will Devour Your Souls

"Kill him!!!"

The Silver Knight strode forward, the sharp blade in his hand drawing a crescent flash as it slashed down at Fang Zheng. He was certain that his strike had not deviated in the slightest. In an instant, he would sever the young man's head.

But...

"Clang!!!"

With a crisp clash of metal, the Silver Knight's longsword stopped in midair. He widened his eyes in shock as he watched the young man raise his right hand—within it, frigid air overflowed and gradually condensed into a beautiful yet terrifying sword.

Upon the pitch-black hilt, a grotesque Skull stared fixedly at him. The blade, white as bone and ice, radiated a chill that pierced deep into the soul. An eerie blue glow emerged from the grooves in its blade. Even a single glance was enough to tell that this sword was no ordinary weapon.

"What is that?"

"That must be the Secret Treasure!!"

Seeing the sword that had suddenly appeared in Fang Zheng's hand, the nearby Silver Knights immediately cried out. The black-robed man, however, stared at the scene before him and suddenly felt that something was wrong...

"Wait, something's wrong. Watch out—!!"

Before the black-robed man could finish, Fang Zheng, who had been half-kneeling on the ground, suddenly leaped up. Gripping the sword tightly with both hands, he raised it high and swung it forward with all his strength. The next moment, the blade plunged straight into the Silver Knight before him without any flourish.

"Aaaahhh—!!"

A scream rang out. The Silver Knight pierced by the sword trembled and shrieked as his body rapidly withered. The radiance of his soul shone from within him, and then a vague human figure seemed to be dragged out of the Silver Knight's body before spiraling into the blade.

"Boom—!!"

At that instant, a roaring wind erupted around Fang Zheng. The whirling, howling frigid air sent all the other Silver Knights charging forward flying away. The black-robed man hurriedly retreated several meters before barely managing to withstand the blast. When the storm subsided, he looked ahead again and stood there with his mouth agape.

"Th-this is..."

Before everyone, Fang Zheng no longer looked as ragged and miserable as before. Icy air spread across his body, forming silver-white armor. Above his head, a massive phantom appeared out of nowhere. It was a figure wearing a Crown, its face concealed in shadow. It sat upon a Throne that seemed to have been formed from ten thousand years of ice, coldly watching the enemies before it. Even meeting its gaze gave one the illusion that their very soul had frozen.

Perhaps it was not an illusion.

At that moment, with Fang Zheng at the center, the surrounding ground was gradually being covered in frost. Flowers, grass, and trees began to wither, as though all life was about to end.

"What terrifying Death Force!!"

Seeing this, the black-robed man's expression changed drastically. He hurriedly backed away and pulled a Rune from his robes, gripping it in his hand. But before he could make his next move, Fang Zheng seemed to have noticed him and turned to look at the black-robed man. Then he raised his sword and pointed it at him.

"Crack!"

In an instant, the black-robed man was completely frozen by ice that appeared out of nowhere. His posture remained fixed at the moment he gripped the Rune, as though time itself had stopped. But soon, a wailing, blurry human form flew out from his body and screamed as it was sucked into the blade in Fang Zheng's hand.

"Evil Undead creatures, how dare you defile souls!!"

Taking in the scene before them, the remaining Silver Knights were both shocked and enraged. They exchanged glances and raised their longswords.

"Divine Blessing!"

With the Knights' furious roar, streams of gentle light emerged from their bodies, illuminating the once dark and gloomy wilderness. Yet it seemed to be of no use against Fang Zheng.

"Northrend's cold wind will devour your souls!"

He turned his head toward the Knights before him and muttered softly. As Fang Zheng spoke, the howling cold wind around them suddenly intensified again, forming an invisible wall that enclosed the Silver Knights within. At the same time, the earth cracked open, and skeletons crawled out one after another. Perhaps they had once been warriors who fought on this land, or perhaps they were merely commoners buried in the wild. But the cold blue flames burning in their eye sockets now revealed their identity.

"Fight him!! All of us, attack!! The Goddess is with us!!"

As they watched more and more Undead creatures appear before them, the Silver Knights turned pale as death. They could feel the Death Force rushing toward them and knew they were no match for such overwhelming power. But now, they had nowhere left to retreat—so they could only fight to the death!

"He can't use the Secret Treasure's power without limit! Everyone, attack together!"

With a furious roar, the remaining Silver Knights immediately raised their longswords and charged at Fang Zheng. Roaring, they lifted their weapons as dazzling brilliance erupted across the blades. The swords in their hands seemed to transform into pillars of light. Then, the Silver Knights shouted in unison and swung down at Fang Zheng with all their strength!

"Boom!!!"

Pure white radiance condensed at that moment, forming a unique and mysterious Rune. Then the light gradually faded, and a massive Greatsword nearly ten meters long descended from the sky, howling as it stabbed down at Fang Zheng below. At that moment, the enormous phantom above Fang Zheng finally moved!

"Nothing... more than this!"

The phantom muttered softly, then suddenly rose from its Throne and drew a sword from its waist, charging directly at the Giant Sword of Light descending from the heavens! The next instant, the sword in its hand collided with the Sword of Light.

"Crack—!"

With only a soft sound, the Giant Sword of Light snapped apart like a matchstick, shattered, and turned into fragments that vanished into the air. At the same time, the glowing blades in the Knights' hands broke apart as well. They all spat out blood and were flung backward, collapsing onto the ground.

"Th-this is impossible..."

Watching the Lightsaber gradually vanish from the sky, the Silver Knights stood dumbfounded. They had never imagined that their greatest reliance would prove so utterly fragile?!

What the hell was that thing?!

But their question received no answer, because endless freezing cold had already enveloped their bodies. They could feel the blood in their veins stop flowing and their hearts gradually slow. Then they could only watch in despair as the shadow of death descended upon them—silently devouring their souls.

"Thud!!"

Only after the last trace of soul light disappeared did Fang Zheng fall to his knees. The armor on his body gradually dissipated, and the mysterious, terrifying sword in his hand once again turned into a cold wind and vanished into the air. Above him, the enormous phantom stared motionlessly at him before merging with the dark night sky and disappearing without a trace.

"Hah... hah..."

On the icy ground, Fang Zheng panted heavily. He stared at the black, star-filled sky before him, his mind in complete chaos.

To be honest, even now, Fang Zheng had no idea what had happened to him or why things had turned out this way. But there was one thing he knew clearly—he had survived!

Although he still did not understand what any of this was about, he had survived after all!

I need to leave here. Quickly...

After a while, once he had caught his breath, Fang Zheng slowly rose to his feet and looked around. Corpses lay everywhere. The attendants who had protected him were dead, and the Knights who had come to kill him were dead as well. The chill in the air was fading, and in the distance, he could even hear several faint wolf howls.

Feeling all this, Fang Zheng could not help but shudder. He did not know who these people were, but one thing was certain: if the Knights' companions discovered that they had vanished, they would definitely come here to search for them. If he did not leave now, he might never get away!

I have to leave here!

With that thought, Fang Zheng ignored the soreness and exhaustion throughout his body. Gritting his teeth, he staggered toward the depths of the wilderness.