Chapter 37: Battle at the Quarry (Part 2)

  "Rumble, rumble, rumble—!"

  The azure sword energy soared forward like an eagle spreading its wings, engulfing everything in its path in a violent storm. The skeletal soldiers had no time to raise their swords before the green eagle swooped overhead. The ensuing whirlwind swept them up like driftwood, hurling them backward until they shattered against the stactite-covered walls.

  "Let's go!"

  "Yes…"

  Alex sighed as he followed the spirited Stoo the depths of the tuo be ho, he eone's swordsmanship.

  The grand knight's abilities were indeed remarkable, especially his AOE attacks, which were simply masterful.

  Although Alex had learned Arthas's Royal Cross Sword teique, which was equally powerful, he always felt a bit awkward using it.

  For some reason, this feeling had intensified after his grueling training in the free world of Dark Souls. Alex initially thought his disfort stemmed from unfamiliarity with the sword itself, but after enduring the releraining of Dark Souls, the awkwardness only grew stronger.

  Watg Stone fight only highlighted this disparity. Stone's Storm Sword teique was fluid and graceful, almost like a dance. In trast, Alex felt his own Royal Cross Sword teique was stiff and awkward, as if the gears weren't properly lubricated—funal, but not smooth.

  He o discuss this with Stoer the battle.

  Now wasn't the time to address it, so Alex stayed silent, following Stone closely. Miss M didn't apany them, as it was safer for her to stay above, especially since ie needed care. Alex had no fondness for the crazy girl, so he left her to Miss M.

  What really worried Alex was Stone's straightforward approach—charging in and sshing everything in sight. Alex hadn't even had a ce to act; Stone had already dismantled most of the approag skeletons.

  Alex could only shrug helplessly, uanding Stone's o vent. Clearly, Stone knew Malt and his team were likely on a one-way trip. Alex didn't know the specifics of Stone and Malt's retionship, but it was clear they were close. Stone wouldn't have e looking for them otherwise. Watg his rades head into a deadly trap undoubtedly upset Stone.

  As a seasoned grand knight, Stone wasn't about to do something foolish like "we all die together." He eled his frustration into smashing undead soldiers.

  Thus, Alex wisely refrained fring up his swordsmanship issues. Stone, even with a better disposition, wouldn't have the patience for it now. Alex knew from their time together that Stoemper wasly the best.

  The undead stood no ce against Stohe skeletal soldiers were shattered before they could show their strength. After several failed attempts, they stopped iher scared off by Stone or because the lich had lost i.

  If it was the tter, that wasn't a good sign.

  Stone and Alex quied their pace. The quarry, though abandoned, had sturdy tunnels, so they didn't worry about sudden colpses. But the deeper they went, the darker their expressions became, not just because the air grew heavier with death but also because the lich remained eerily silent.

  This pn wasn't going as smoothly as they hoped.

  "There, look!"

  As the two turned a er iuhey immediately saw a rge chamber not far ahead. The moment Stone saw the se inside, his face darkened. Even Alex frowned deeply.

  In the ter of the chamber y over a dozen bodies temple knight armor. However, their appearances were ghastly—their muscles seemed to have pletely melted away, leaving only skin draped over bohey looked horrifying. Beh them, the blood flowed so vividly that it was almost blinding.

  Alex couldn't fathom what they had gohrough, but their expressions ih indicated immense suffering.

  "You bastard!!"

  Stone roared at the lich floating in the ter of the chamber. He raised his greatsword and sshed forward with all his might.

  An enormous azure eagle, evehan before, materialized from the air currents, its wings spreading wide as it charged at the lich with a pierg cry. The figure floating in the air merely tilted its head and raised a staff, resembling a withered branch, pointing it at the oning eagle.

  In the moment, Alex saw a bck beam shoot from the staff, striking the storm eagle. To his astonishment, the storm eagle, made entirely of astral energy and wind elements, began tle and scream as if it were a living creature.

  It fpped its wings weakly before crashing to the ground and disiing into dust. Stone himself was affected; when the beam struck the eagle, he felt a cold hand grasp his heart.

  Fortunately, his robust physique withstood the attack. Otherwise, he would have colpsed alongside the eagle. Even so, Stone's face torted with pain as he gritted his teeth, resisting the deathly energy invading his body.

  What terrified Stone more was the lich's ability to destroy his storm sword teique so effortlessly. This indicated that the lich's mastery of power was far superior to his own, allowing it to exhibit overwhelming dominance.

  "This is the power of the Death Domain... You're the Bone Duke Frank of the cil of Ten Thousahs? It's really you?!"

  What the hell!

  Hearing Stone's excmation, Alex was equally shocked. During his time with the temple and Stone, Alex had learned about their ehe temple had three major foes: the Church of Doom, to which Alex's inal body belohe cil of Ten Thousahs, and the Twilight Legion. The Twilight Legion aimed to destroy all symbols of order and civilization, while the cil of Ten Thousahs believed that the essence of all life was death. They saw death as the ultimate theme of the world, transding both chaos and order.

  In simple terms, if the Twilight Legion and the Church of Doom could find a on goal to ally, the cil of Ten Thousahs was the enemy of everyohey didn't care if you were aligned with order or chaos; they just wao introduce you to the "truth of death," whieither knights nor cultists were eager to experience.

  Moreover, the cil's teags were deeply hated. They procimed that the Goddess of Order would fall and that the twilight of chaos was immi, thus offending both sides equally.

  Worse still, the cil sisted entirely of undead creatures. All the undead across the ti gathered here, including liches, bone dragons, ah emissaries. This overwhelming strength was why both order and chaos were wary of attag the cil—it was simply too powerful, and a misstep could lead to their owru.

  Additionally, the cil was notorious for its "persuasive education." Many heroic figures had attempted to eradicate these undead fanatics, only to disappear and ter reappear as undead sves.

  The Bone Duke Frank was one of the five high-ranking members of the cil, overseeing the Death Domain, sed only to the cil leader. Stone had anticipated a tough battle, but he hadn't expected such a formidable oppo.

  This is bad!

  Alex frow the floating lich. He realized that Stone's inal pn was now useless.

  (End of Chapter)

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