Child of Chaos

"Boom!!!"

The stone coffin began to tremble once more. This time, even the undead creatures seemed to sense some danger; they abandoned their entanglement with Fang Zheng and the others, turning instead to stare fixedly at the coffin. If the Lich Lord were still present, perhaps these undead would have obeyed its commands, but now that it had mysteriously "disappeared," they were acting on instinct. Clearly, in their eyes, the thing inside that coffin posed a far greater "threat" than Malte's group.

"What do we do, Mentor?"

Seizing the opportunity, Fang Zheng quickly regrouped with the other Holy Knights and the two Grand Knights. Yet their expressions remained grim, showing no sign of relief despite the Lich Lord's silent departure. Hearing Fang Zheng's question, Stone furrowed his brow, staring intently at the stone coffin without a word.

"Boom!!!"

At that moment, the coffin within the Magic Circle suddenly lurched upward. The chains binding it finally gave way, snapping with sharp cracks. Then, with a thunderous crash, the heavy lid flew into the air before slamming heavily to the ground. At the same time, Fang Zheng sensed a very peculiar aura emerging from within. As this aura spread, Malte and Stone's faces changed in unison.

"Not good!"

"It's the Child of Chaos—run!"

But before their words could fade, the coffin trembled again. Fang Zheng felt a faint ripple brush past him, spreading rapidly outward. Before he could even process what was happening, he saw Stone drop to one knee with a heavy thud. Drenched in sweat, teeth clenched, the paladin gripped his Greatsword with both hands. The once-mighty Holy Knight now seemed like a frail old man, struggling even to move.

Malte and the other Holy Knights fared little better. Two of the more severely injured ones collapsed without a sound, falling unconscious. The undead creatures that had been attacking them fared even worse: the Undead Giant toppled over, motionless, while the Deathbringer that had been wreaking havoc and the Flesh Golem that had given Fang Zheng so much trouble simply crumbled into a heap of broken bones and rotting flesh.

"Uh... what's going on here?"

Gripping the Skycleaver Sword, Fang Zheng stared in bewilderment at the scene before him. He had no idea what was happening. Why had everyone else suddenly collapsed? Should he put on a show too?

"C-careful, kid... it's... the Child of Chaos..."

Just as Fang Zheng was considering whether to play along with the performance, Stone spoke up beside him. The once-vigorous warrior now seemed to struggle even to speak. His hands clenched his Greatsword as he tried to stand, but his legs felt as heavy as lead.

"That's the most terrifying existence in the... Twilight Borderlands, the enemy of order... It can create an area that isolates all Power of Order..."

So that's why you all turned into this?

Hearing Stone's words, Fang Zheng suddenly understood. He knew that the people of this world mostly relied on the power of order. To put it in gaming terms, all their skills consumed MP, and the Child of Chaos was like a built-in anti-magic field that sealed that MP away... Wait, no way!

Thinking this, Fang Zheng's expression shifted. He quickly glanced at his status bar and was shocked to find that all his skills had turned gray and unusable—even the activation ability of his Soul Stone!

Damn! No wonder that Lich Lord ran!

Now Fang Zheng finally understood why the Duke of Bones had turned tail without a second thought. Based on what he'd learned from the Holy Temple, both magic and other powers belonged to the Power of Order, and the undead creatures created by the Duke of Bones also relied on necromancy, which was itself a form of order. Compared to the living, these undead were even more vulnerable to the Child of Chaos, as they only continued to exist in this world through the power of order. Once that power was nullified or sealed, they were finished.

The Duke of Bones was likely the same. Though he was one of the most powerful members of the Council of the Undying, he was still an undead creature. It was highly probable that the Child of Chaos's "anti-magic field" affected him too, which was why the old bastard had fled so quickly!

What a load of crap!

Gripping the Skycleaver Sword, Fang Zheng felt his scalp tingle. He stared fixedly at the stone coffin, not daring to breathe. Under his gaze, a tall, dark figure slowly rose from within the coffin.

It was a knight.

In appearance, it seemed little different from an ordinary human—except that this "human" was two or three meters tall. Its body was clad in rusted armor, and faint red light flickered through the gaps in its helmet. In its hand, it held a massive, razor-sharp blade. It stood up slowly, silently surveying its surroundings.

"Mentor, what's this thing's deal?"

Without turning his head, Fang Zheng gripped the Skycleaver Sword and asked.

"Like, what skills does it have? What abilities?"

"None."

"Huh? What do you mean, none?"

Hearing Stone's answer, Fang Zheng was baffled. Wasn't this a boss? Since when did a boss not have a big move? What was the point?

"Th-the Child of Chaos is a monster born from chaos..."

By now, Malte had also caught his breath and spoke in a low voice.

"All skills and magic come from the blessing of order. They can never learn to use such power. But even so, they are still enemies not to be underestimated. These chaotic monsters, relying solely on their physical bodies, can pose a terrible threat. Be careful—legends say they possess immense strength and incredible speed..."

"I see... Huh?"

Fang Zheng nodded at this, then suddenly paused.

This scene felt strangely familiar.

A giant enemy, unable to use the Soul Stone or skills... Isn't this just Dark Souls?

Well then, let's see if you're tougher than Gundyr.

With that thought, a faint smile curled at the corner of Fang Zheng's mouth. He reached down and drew a short sword from his waist.

Then, he stepped forward, closing the distance to the monster. His right hand held the Skycleaver Sword, pointing it straight ahead at the Child of Chaos. He raised his left hand, which held the short sword in a reverse grip, and placed it horizontally across his chest. Finally, he gave a slight nod to the creature before him.

"Huh?"

Seeing Fang Zheng's gesture, everyone was taken aback. Malte turned to Stone in surprise.

"Stone, what is he doing? And... why isn't he affected by the Chaos Field?"

To those in the world of order, the Child of Chaos was terrifying because its Chaos Field cut off their Power of Order. This held true for paladins like Malte and Stone as well. Their seemingly superhuman strength was all thanks to Star Spirit Energy. It was like in those Wuxia novels where a scrawny man could send a burly Strong Man flying dozens of meters—not because of physical strength, but because of profound Internal Force.

Inside the Chaos Field, the Holy Knights were like martial arts masters who had lost all their internal energy—practically useless.

"This kid is special... Hmm, but that stance... could it be?"

In response to Malte's question, Stone gave a vague answer. Holy Spirit Protection was a top-secret matter. Though he and Malte were friends, this was not something he could casually reveal. However, upon seeing Fang Zheng's stance, Stone's eyes lit up. He had often discussed the "dream world" with Fang Zheng, and from those conversations, he had learned of a group of warriors called the Farron Undead Legion—fighters who battled the Abyss in the darkness. But in the end, they too were consumed by the Abyss, becoming the very enemies they had sworn to destroy.

Stone had felt a deep resonance with the Farron Undead Legion. It reminded him of the Order Legion stationed at the Twilight Borderlands. Like the Farron Undead Legion, they fought at the edge of civilization to protect order and culture, battling chaos. From time to time, some of them would be corrupted by chaos and transformed into monsters. Stone had once been a member of that legion, and when he first heard about the Farron Undead Legion from Fang Zheng, he immediately thought of the Order Legion.

And now...

"That stance... could it be..."

"ROAR!!"

The Child of Chaos clearly had no idea what Fang Zheng was doing, and its chaotic nature meant it wouldn't care anyway. With a furious roar, it raised its greatsword, leaped into the air, and brought the blade crashing down toward Fang Zheng!

Just as the Child of Chaos's greatsword descended, Fang Zheng abruptly rolled to the side, narrowly dodging the whistling blade. Gripping the Skycleaver Sword, he swung it forward with force, slamming it heavily into the Child of Chaos's waist. With a metallic clang, sparks flew in all directions. The Child of Chaos's body swayed slightly, then it swiftly swept its greatsword in a half-circle on the ground, attacking Fang Zheng once more. But this time, instead of retreating from the assault, Fang Zheng advanced. He rolled forward, closing the distance between himself and the Child of Chaos, then raised his longsword and slashed across its body again. The Child of Chaos quickly stepped back, simultaneously yanking its greatsword back and aiming a direct strike at Fang Zheng's neck!

Yet Fang Zheng seemed to have eyes in the back of his head. The moment the Child of Chaos pulled back its sword, he bent down as if tethered by an invisible thread, letting the greatsword sweep over his head. Then he lunged forward again, and the Skycleaver Sword in his hand burst into a blinding, radiant holy light!

"SHWISH!!"

Fang Zheng raised his right hand, and the longsword arced upward from below in a sweeping slash, leaving a gruesome gash across the Child of Chaos's chest. The blow froze the creature mid-motion, but before it could react, Fang Zheng's already raised blade came crashing down again, sending the Child of Chaos reeling backward. Then he leaped into the air, spinning his entire body and sword in a full circle. The Skycleaver Sword's edge traced a crescent moon through the void, descending from above to strike the Child of Chaos directly!

Under this three-hit combo from Fang Zheng, the Child of Chaos could no longer hold its ground. It flew backward like a stone launched from a catapult, crashing into the stone wall behind it with a thunderous boom.

Dust scattered in all directions.

Fang Zheng lowered his longsword and let out a long breath.

Behind him, Stone and Malte were staring with eyes nearly bulging out of their sockets.