Volume 1, Chapter 90 – Get Down Here!

The battlefield at the Northern Fortress had fallen into utter chaos.

Because of the sudden assault by the Undead Dread Knights, combined with the corpses piling up and the unexpected betrayal of the players who had just switched factions, the Stronghold and Kingdom soldiers temporarily stopped attacking each other and joined forces to fight the Undead.

But even so, the Undead had already torn dozens of massive gaps through their defensive lines.

Though individual Undead weren’t particularly strong, especially those who had just been resurrected, even so, their numbers did not dwindle as the battle went on.

On the contrary, they were only increasing.

The Undead feared neither death nor pain, and their hatred toward all living things burned endlessly.

One Undead might not be a match for a trained soldier. But what about two? Three? Four?

It turned out that when their numbers reached a certain point, even the most elite soldiers could no longer hold them back.

The commander leading the defense of the Stronghold had already been eliminated by the Headless Knight and her Dread Knights, who had cut through from the rear. Without their leader, the orcs of the Stronghold were quickly overwhelmed, falling back step by step under the flood-like advance of the Undead army.

Meanwhile, above the battlefield, countless runes of Dragon Language Magic had stopped spinning, and the sky itself was darkening rapidly.

If Karl’s guess was right, the Frost Dragon’s Dragon Language Magic was about to be unleashed.

And as the centuries-old Captain of the Holy Hand Knights, Karl knew better than anyone what that meant.

A dragon, especially a Throne-ranked dragon, once it began casting Dragon Language Magic, no one could withstand its might.

“Haa…”

He took a deep breath, his power gathering. His long-prepared strike was finally ready to be released.

The radiant Holy Light shone brilliantly. In an instant, the longsword in his hand was wrapped in light, transforming into a massive sword of pure radiance that appeared in the air.

Before it was even fully formed, Karl swung it with all his might toward the Frost Dragon above.

As an Undead, and as a dragon, ordinary skills or spells could do little against the Frost Dragon. Not only was it innately immune to magic, its scales and defenses far exceeded those of any normal being.

Which meant, no matter how many attacks there were, nothing could stop the Frost Dragon’s spell, which it had been preparing for so long.

But at the very last moment, just before the Frost Dragon released its spell, a dazzling sword of light suddenly appeared before everyone’s eyes.

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Then… It slashed down across the Frost Dragon’s massive body!

“Roooooaaaaarrrr—!”

The Frost Dragon let out a deafening scream. Though it was an Undead, that strike brought unimaginable, indescribable agony.

There was no doubt, the Holy Light was the natural nemesis of the Undead.

The Undead did not fear death or pain, but they feared the Holy Light of the Paladins. Under its brilliance, they would feel their souls ignite as though set ablaze by invisible fire.

If one had to describe it, it was like their very essence being burned alive in divine flame.

“Wait, what just happened?”

“Holy crap! A huge sword of light just appeared in the sky and cut the dragon, stopping its spell!”

The NPC soldiers hadn’t even noticed what had just happened, but the players did.

Especially those closer to Karl, they had seen with their own eyes the dreamlike sight of him wielding that colossal sword of light.

“Guys! There’s a seriously powerful NPC over here!”

But Karl had no time to pay attention to the players’ shouts.

Because now, the Frost Dragon in the sky, its skeletal wings spreading wide, turned its burning blue eyes toward him.

Because the instant those eyes met his, Karl felt a killing intent so cold and sharp it nearly froze him in place.

Danger!

“Human! How dare you interrupt my noble Dragon Language Magic!”

The Frost Dragon stared straight at Karl, its roar shaking the heavens. Even the roar alone sent waves of frost sweeping across the battlefield, instantly dropping the temperature throughout the Northern Fortress by several degrees.

“Those who offend me will be torn to shreds! Prepare to face my wrath!”

With another deafening roar, the Frost Dragon flapped its enormous skeletal wings. This time, it dove toward Karl.

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Boom!

A thunderous sonic boom burst through the air as it moved, followed by a massive blade of wind, tangible, icy, carrying snow and storm, hurtling straight toward Karl.

“As expected of a Throne-ranked dragon… even its casual attacks are terrifying…”

Seeing such overwhelming force, Karl’s scalp prickled.

The wind blade’s speed was incredible, but he could have dodged it if he wanted to.

The problem was… he couldn’t.

Behind him were countless Kingdom soldiers, mages, and Paladins still fighting the Undead. If he dodged, the dragon’s attack would tear through them all.

“So that’s your plan, huh? You knew I wouldn’t dodge… that I’d take it head-on.”

Karl muttered bitterly.

“But… if it’s just this level of attack…”

In the next second, his knight’s sword resonated with his will, ringing with a clear, determined hum.

Then…

“Holy Light, be with me!”

His deep shout rang out, and in the next instant, radiant light enveloped his entire body, blazing like holy fire.

It was a familiar sight.

If Tianyin were here, she would have recognized it immediately, this was the same skill Lancelot had once used.

【Stage of Light】

When a Paladin entered the Stage of Light, their combat power surged dramatically. Under this amplification, even Karl himself didn’t know where his limits lay.

Unlike Lancelot, Karl’s strength as a Paladin was several times greater.

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“Holy Light Impact!”

With a sharp cry, as the wind blade neared, Karl’s sword erupted in a burst of brilliant light.

【Holy Light Impact】, the Paladin’s signature skill, known for its powerful effects. In Karl’s hands, it shone with its true potential.

Rumble—!

A sound like thunder rolled through the air. In an instant, Karl’s counterstrike collided with the Frost Dragon’s attack, releasing a shockwave that spread in all directions.

The NPCs and players nearby clutched their ears as a deafening roar filled their heads.

And that… was just Karl blocking what had seemed like a casual strike from the dragon.

“Kh…!”

Even with the boost from the Stage of Light, Karl felt the weight of a Throne’s attack pressing down on him. It wasn’t easy to withstand.

“As expected of a Throne… but I’m not going down that easily…!”

The difference between NPC template ranks was immense. Even one tier below a Throne, giving it his all only allowed Karl to block a single casual blow.

Boom!

Once again, the Frost Dragon flapped its wings.

But this time, not just once.

It beat its wings ten times in a row!

“Kh… I’ve become its target practice…”

He knew he was being targeted, yet there was nothing he could do.

Because behind him were lives, soldiers depending on him.

As a Paladin, he could never turn away.

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“Holy Light Impact…”

“Holy Light Judgment…”

“Absolute Defense… Wall of Sighs!”

After enduring several waves of attacks with 【Holy Light Impact】 and 【Holy Light Judgment】, Karl finally had no choice but to use the Paladin’s ultimate defensive skill, 【Wall of Sighs】.

Unlike Mengyao, who had only deflected the Frost Dragon’s attack, Karl’s Wall of Sighs completely absorbed it.

Yes, he absorbed it.

The massive, tangible wind blades, hundreds of meters long, infused with blizzard and frost, were swallowed entirely by the glowing shield of light less than ten meters wide that Karl had conjured.

“Heh… how about you try to feel that attack towards yourself?!”

Muttering softly, Karl’s eyes gleamed sharply as the Frost Dragon’s last strike was absorbed into his shield.

Then, the shining wall before him transformed into a massive blade of light and shot straight toward the Frost Dragon.

That was the greatest strength of the Paladin’s 【Wall of Sighs】, it not only blocked every attack but also absorbed all their power, then unleashed it the next moment as a counterstrike in the form of a divine sword.

And the sword’s strength was double the total power of all the absorbed attacks.

“At the very least… I’ll use this to drag you…”

“Down from the sky!”

Watching the sword of light soar upward, his body trembling from exhaustion, Karl couldn’t help but smile faintly.

“This one blow… will…”

“Bring you down!”