Chapter 29: Reversal of the Situation

Chapter 29: Reversal of the Situation

"Da-da-da... da-da-da...!"

The urgent sound of galloping hooves rang out as Alex, riding his holy white warhorse, charged like a storm straight towards the undead army.

Hearing the hoofbeats, the undead instinctively turned their heads to look behind them. But it was too late, as Alex was already upon them!

"Hah!"

Without hesitation, Alex swung his longsword, unleashing a golden wave of sword energy that struck the necromancer directly in front of him.

The necromancer shuddered under the powerful blow, then collapsed into a pile of broken bones, scattering everywhere.

The staff it held fell to the ground, its dark glow fading significantly. Meanwhile, several nearby skeletal archers quickly positioned themselves in front of the necromancer, raising their bows to aim at Alex.

"Whoosh!!"

At that moment, Alex's holy white warhorse vanished. He rolled to the ground, dodging the first volley of arrows, and then sprang up, sword in hand, swinging it forward.

Crusader Strike!

"Boom—!"

Several cross-shaped symbols exploded, enveloping the skeletal archers in a cloud of dust and debris, tearing a gap in the encirclement.

Surprised by the sudden attack, the undead quickly turned to defend against the outer assault.

"Maintain the barrier, focus!"

With one of the three necromancers downed by Alex, the previously stable weakening barrier began to falter.

Sensing the unstable magic, the necromancer controlling the barrier core growled lowly, raising his staff towards Alex and starting to chant.

But before he could complete his spell, Alex pointed his sword at him from a distance.

What is he doing?

The necromancer was puzzled, thinking there were still several undead giants and skeletal soldiers between him and Alex.

Did Alex really intend to attack him from here? But before the necromancer could finish his thought, he felt as if his soul had been hammered. His vision went black, and he slumped, lifeless.

Got him!

Seeing the second necromancer standing motionless like a puppet, Alex rolled to the side, dodging an attack from a skeletal soldier.

The skill he had just used was "Repentance," a paladin skill from the free world that paralyzed undead, demon and forces leaning towards evil. Fortunately, this place was teeming with such creatures!

"Yah!!"

At that moment, Knight Conan charged in from the other side. Though not as strong as Alex, his extensive battle experience proved invaluable. With Alex distracting the undead, Conan quickly engaged the remaining necromancer.

With the core necromancer paralyzed and the other two unable to focus, the weakening barrier completely shattered like a bursting bubble.

"Everyone, now! Break out!"

Freed from the barrier's suppression, the surrounded temple knights rallied and began their desperate breakout attempt.

Alex, having successfully struck, wasn't about to let this opportunity slip by. Holy energy gathered around him, and as he swung his sword, a golden, sacred force erupted like a whirlwind.

Dozens of swords formed from holy light scattered in all directions, piercing the surrounding undead. The undead screamed and disintegrated into ashes under the holy flames.

When Alex lowered his sword, the only things around him were the burning white flames and the swirling bone ash. The light swords hovered and gradually faded, disappearing into the air.

Such terrifying power!

Witnessing this, both the undead and the temple knights, including Knight Conan, were astounded.

These were not ordinary undead; they were the most loyal warriors under the lich, each powerful enough to challenge regular soldiers.

This was why even the elite temple knights were trapped. But they hadn't expected this sudden reinforcement to be so formidable, eliminating the undead in mere moments.

They didn't know that this result wasn't just due to Alex's own strength but a combination of factors: the Royal Cross Swordsmanship he chose naturally countered undead, his sword, Skybreaker, boosted holy damage by 100%, and his soul stone from [Arthur] increased damage to undead by 50%. Additionally, his title [Holy Guardian] provided a 100% damage boost against evil.

Altogether, Alex's attacks inflicted over 250% damage to undead, making him a force of overwhelming destruction against them.

The undead quickly changed their tactics. A giant undead strode towards Alex, roaring angrily as it raised its massive club and swung it down with great force.

"Boom!"

In the nick of time, Alex rolled backward, narrowly dodging the descending club that smashed into the ground where he had been. But before the undead giant could raise its club again, Alex lunged forward.

Skybreaker, his sword, gleamed with radiant holy light as he slashed in a crescent arc.

In a flash of silver light, the undead giant's movements halted, and its head slid from its neck with a sickening thud, its massive body collapsing to the ground.

"Excellent swordsmanship!"

A middle-aged knight leading the group narrowed his eyes at the sight. He had seen Alex's previous sword techniques, but they hadn't particularly impressed him.

In this world, many sword styles existed, some passed down through generations, some discovered through fortuitous encounters, and others invented by individuals.

To an ordinary person, Alex's earlier attacks might have seemed terrifying, but to seasoned warriors, they were simply powerful.

However, the clean, decisive strike Alex had just delivered, after dodging the giant's attack, showcased his true swordsmanship skills.

It was efficient and without unnecessary flourish. As the saying goes, amateurs watch the fun, experts watch the technique.

While flashy moves might look good, true battlefield combat is brutal and straightforward, not as glamorous as depicted in movies or novels. And though swordsmanship is crucial, real strength is judged by fundamental skills.

But this was no time for admiration. With Alex's ruthless entry, the battlefield's dynamics shifted.

A third of the undead had already been eliminated, including the primary threats of necromancers and undead giants.

Without the weakening barrier, the temple knights could finally fight at full strength.

The roles of hunter and prey reversed in an instant. The undead, who had earlier overwhelmed the knights, were now being hunted themselves.

Deprived of their necromancer's support and the undead giants' intimidating presence, the remaining undead were quickly cut down by the knights.

"Thank you for your assistance!"

With the immediate danger gone, the middle-aged knight approached Alex and nodded in friendly acknowledgment.

"It's rare to find an ally here. I'm Commander Malt of the Thirteenth Squad, directly under the Bishop's command. And you are...?"

"My name is Alex."

Alex smiled slightly at the knight in front of him.

"I'm an apprentice guardian knight from the Holy Temple in Star Moon City. I came here with Grand Knight Stone for a rescue mission, but unfortunately..."

Alex glanced around and shrugged helplessly.

"We got separated. Luckily, I encountered Knight Conan..."

"Indeed, very fortunate."

Malt nodded. He had already questioned Knight Conan and had some understanding of Alex's identity.

Knowing that this young man was merely an apprentice guardian knight surprised Malt. The last strike Alex had delivered was of high caliber—clean and precise.

Such a skillful move was typically seen from seasoned warriors, not someone so young. Seeing Alex's youthful appearance left Malt astonished.

After all, while Alex's earlier swordsmanship might be explained by inherited knowledge, a young man not even twenty understanding the sword so deeply was incomprehensible.

Even someone who started practicing from birth wouldn't achieve such mastery.

Of course, Malt had no idea that Alex's proficiency came from countless near-death experiences.

"Sir, the battlefield has been cleared."

As they conversed, a knight responsible for clearing the battlefield approached, saluted, and handed over several dark, crystal-like objects.

"Mid-level soul crystals?"

Malt furrowed his brow as he examined the thumb-sized black crystals—soul cores left by undead creatures upon death.

On this continent, all beings possessed similar cores. Magical beasts and undead, influenced by magic, left soul cores upon death, whereas humans and animals required special methods to extract and condense their souls into crystals.

These methods were dangerous, cruel, and banned, typically used only by necromancers to harvest power.

Soul cores were valuable, used as energy sources for alchemical constructs or to power magic arrays and teleportation circles. Given their quality, these crystals could fetch a good price at alchemy shops or mage guilds.

"These are your spoils, Mr. Alex."

Malt handed the soul cores to Alex, who weighed them in his hand. Just as he was about to speak, a system notification chimed in his ear.

[Detected valuable items that can be converted. Proceed with conversion and recharge?]

What? Alex was stunned by the system prompt.

Recharge?

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