"Kill him!!!"

The Silver Paladin strode forward, his blade slicing through the air like a crescent moon, aiming at Alex. He was certain his strike would hit its mark; in just a moment, he would behead the young man before him.

But...

"Clang!!!"

With a crisp metallic clash, the Silver Paladin's longsword halted mid-air. He stared wide-eyed as the young man before him raised his right hand. In his hand, the cold air gradually condensed into a beautiful and terrifying longsword.

From the pitch-black hilt adorned with a sinister skull, to the bone-white blade emanating an icy coldness that pierced the soul, the sword radiated a ghostly blue light. Even a glimpse revealed that this sword was no ordinary weapon.

"What is that?"

"That must be a secret treasure!!"

Seeing the longsword suddenly appear in Alex's hand, the other Silver Paladins exclaimed. In contrast, the robed figure observing everything sensed something was amiss...

"Wait, something's wrong, be careful———!!"

Before the robed figure could finish, Alex, who had been half-kneeling on the ground, suddenly leapt up. Gripping the sword with both hands, he swung it forward forcefully. In the next moment, the sword pierced the Silver Paladin's body without any resistance.

"Ahhhh———!!"

With a scream, the Silver Paladin, impaled by the sword, trembled and screamed. His body began to wither rapidly, the light of his soul shining through. A vague human silhouette seemed to be pulled from the Silver Paladin's body, swirling before being absorbed into the sword.

"Boom———!!"

In an instant, a roaring wind erupted around Alex, sending the other Silver Paladins flying. The robed figure also retreated several meters, barely withstanding the blast of cold. When the storm subsided, he looked forward again, mouth agape in shock.

"This, this is..."

In front of everyone, Alex no longer appeared desolate and miserable. The cold air spread from his body, forming a silver-white armor. Above his head, a gigantic phantom appeared, a crowned figure shrouded in shadows.

Seated on a throne seemingly made of eternal ice, it gazed coldly at the enemies. Even being looked at by it gave the illusion that one's soul was freezing.

Perhaps, it wasn't just an illusion.

At that moment, ice began to spread from Alex, covering the ground. Plants and trees withered, as if all life was ending.

"What terrifying power of death!!"

Seeing this, the robed figure's face changed dramatically. He retreated, pulling out a rune from his robes. But before he could act, Alex seemed to notice his presence and turned to look at him. Raising his sword, he pointed at the robed figure.

Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.

"Clatter!"

In an instant, the robed figure was frozen solid by the sudden ice, his action halted as he held the rune, as if time itself had stopped. Soon, a wailing, vague human shape emerged from the robed figure, screaming as it was absorbed into Alex's sword.

"Evil undead, how dare you desecrate souls!!"

Witnessing this, the remaining Silver Paladins were both shocked and enraged. They exchanged glances and raised their swords.

"Holy Blessing!"

Accompanied by the paladins' roars, soft lights emerged from their bodies, illuminating the previously dark and desolate wilderness. However, this seemed to be of no use to Alex.

"The cold winds of Northrend will devour your souls!" he muttered, turning his gaze toward the paladins. With Alex's words, the howling winds around them intensified, forming an invisible wall that enveloped the Silver Paladins.

Simultaneously, the ground cracked open, and skeletons crawled out. They might have been warriors who once fought on this land, or perhaps mere civilians buried in the wild. Now, however, blue flames burned in their eye sockets, marking their identity.

"Fight him to the death!! All together!! The Goddess is with us!!"

Seeing the increasing number of undead creatures, the Silver Paladins were ashen-faced. They felt the overwhelming force of death and knew they were no match for this powerful force. But now, they had no way out—only a fight to the death remained.

"He can't use the power of that secret treasure indefinitely. Everyone, attack together!"

With roars, the remaining Silver Paladins raised their longswords and charged at Alex. They shouted as they lifted their weapons, bright light exploding from their blades. Their swords seemed to transform into beams of light, and the paladins cried out in unison, swinging their weapons at Alex with all their might.

"Boom!!!"

In that instant, the pure white light condensed into a unique and mysterious rune. The light gradually dissipated, followed by the descent of a giant sword, nearly ten meters long, whistling through the air toward Alex. At that moment, the enormous phantom above Alex finally moved!

"Just…this much!"

The phantom murmured, then suddenly stood up, drawing a longsword from its waist to meet the descending sword of light. As the two swords collided, there was a crisp sound.

"Crack———!"

With just a soft sound, the giant sword of light snapped like a matchstick, shattering into fragments that disappeared into the air. Simultaneously, the shining blades in the paladins' hands broke, causing them to spit blood and be thrown backward, collapsing to the ground.

"This, this can't be…"

Seeing the disappearing sword of light in the sky, the Silver Paladins were stunned. They never imagined that their greatest reliance would be so easily defeated.

What on earth was that thing?!

Their question remained unanswered because, at that moment, boundless cold had already enveloped their bodies. They felt their blood stop flowing, their hearts slowing. They could only watch in despair as the shadow of death descended upon them, silently devouring their souls.

"Bang!!"

Until the last trace of soul light vanished, Alex finally collapsed to the ground. His armor gradually dissipated, and the mysterious and terrifying longsword in his hand turned back into cold wind, disappearing into the air.

Above him, the giant phantom watched him silently before merging with the dark night and vanishing.

"Ha…ha…"

Lying on the icy ground, Alex gasped for breath, staring at the dark starry sky, his mind in turmoil.

To be honest, up to this point, Alex didn't know what had happened or why things turned out this way. But one thing he knew for sure was that he had survived!

Though he didn't understand what was going on, he had survived! He needed to leave here quickly…

After catching his breath for a moment, Alex stood up again and looked around. Corpses were everywhere—the followers who had protected him were dead, and so were the paladins who had come to kill him.

The cold in the air was dissipating, and in the distance, he could hear faint howls of wolves.

Feeling all this, Alex shivered. He didn't know who these people were, but he was certain that if the paladins' companions found them missing, they would come looking. If he didn't leave now, he might never be able to.

He had to leave from here!

With this thought, Alex ignored the soreness and fatigue in his body, gritted his teeth, and stumbled into the depths of the wilderness.