The sky gradually darkened, and the last remnants of sunlight slowly disappeared beyond the horizon. Without the warmth of the sun, the kingdom of Arus, perched atop the snowy mountains, found itself in the coldest moment of the day. On ordinary nights, the streets of Arus would be empty, its people having sought refuge indoors, gathering around their hearths for warmth.
But now, the once-peaceful kingdom of Arus had been transformed. In the wake of Pix's death, the impoverished masses had risen in revolt. Even in the biting cold of the evening, those involved in the uprising persisted, protesting in the streets, defying the harsh weather.
Meanwhile, within the royal palace of Arus, Will, Jin, and Lisa were engaged in a fierce battle with Merlin and the undead he had summoned.
"Damn it, do these undead have no weaknesses?" Will muttered in frustration, narrowly dodging the relentless attacks of an undead warrior. The warrior, like a beast gone mad, swung its massive greatsword at Will with ferocity. The undead's movements were sluggish, burdened by heavy armor and the weight of its weapon. To Will, the warrior's speed was almost laughable—like that of a child.
At that moment, the undead warrior raised its greatsword high, preparing to strike down on Will. Agile as ever, Will stepped back with ease, dodging the blow. The force of the attack was so great that the sword became lodged in the stone beneath it, unable to be pulled free.
"Perfect opportunity!" Will shouted, leaping forward. Gripping his holy sword, Durandal, he struck swiftly at the undead warrior's head. The sword cut through the air with divine precision, easily cleaving through the marble-like material of the helmet.
"Ha, that should do it," Will said confidently, watching the helmet tumble to the ground.
But things were not as simple as Will had imagined. The undead warrior, now headless, did not collapse. Instead, its body continued to move, seemingly unaffected. It dropped its greatsword and turned to engage Will with its bare fists.
"A street brawl? I like the sound of that!" Will grinned, dropping his sword and raising his fists, preparing to fight.
The undead warrior took a step forward, then swung a heavy punch at Will. Due to its slow movements, Will easily ducked under the blow.
"There's my chance!" Will raised his head, his eyes locked onto the undead warrior's chest. Without hesitation, he tightened his fist and delivered a powerful punch to the warrior's chest. The blow knocked the undead back, forcing it to stumble two steps.
At that moment, a faint golden glow emanated from the spot where Will had struck. It started small—only the size of Will's fist—but gradually expanded, spreading across the undead warrior's armor. The heat from the glow seemed to melt the metal, as if the very substance of the warrior's body was being eroded by the power.
"What is this?" Will marveled, glancing down at his fist, now glowing faintly with golden energy.
Before he could contemplate further, the undead warrior advanced again, charging at him with renewed aggression. It took another step and swung its fist once more.
Will remained still, his eyes fixed on the warrior's incoming attack. This time, he did not move to dodge. Instead, he clenched his fist, gathering all his strength to meet the blow head-on.
'Let me see how much power this golden energy really has,' Will thought to himself.
"Boom!" The sound of a tremendous impact echoed as their fists collided. The force was so great that both fighters staggered backward, taking two steps each.
"Ugh! Such strength," Will grumbled, popping his knuckles with a look of disdain, staring down the undead warrior. The golden mark on the warrior's fist was expanding, causing the armor to melt away.
"Ah, that must hurt," Will taunted, a satisfied grin on his face.
'I see now. This golden energy can melt away this creature's body. This will be simpler than I thought,' Will reflected, his confidence growing as he recognized the power he possessed.
"I don't have time to play around. Once I deal with you, I'll turn my attention to Merlin." Will's expression shifted, becoming more serious. He withdrew Durandal from his waist, preparing to end the undead warrior's threat in one decisive blow.
Suddenly, Will charged at the undead warrior, his eyes locking onto the weakened arm of the foe. In an instant, he reached the warrior and swung his sword at its arm without hesitation.
The sound of a dull thud rang out as the undead warrior's arm was severed.
"Well, that was easy," Will muttered with a rare smile, then swiftly aimed for the warrior's right leg. He gripped Durandal tightly with both hands, bringing the blade down with all his strength.
Lacking both its right arm and leg, the undead warrior lost its balance and collapsed, unable to rise again. Will walked slowly to the fallen creature's side, gazing at its broken form. Everywhere he had struck the undead warrior, small golden marks now appeared, slowly spreading across its body like living veins of light.
"Time to finish this," Will said grimly, kneeling down and driving his sword deep into the undead warrior's broken form.
As he rose, he glanced toward Jin, who was still engaged in combat with the undead mage. Jin was easily dodging the mage's spells, his movements light and fluid. The mage's attacks seemed feeble in comparison to Jin's speed and reflexes.
"Jin, this golden energy of mine can deal with them! Do you want me to help?" Will shouted.
"Huh? Your energy? Keep it to yourself," Jin responded dismissively.
"Do you have a better way of handling them? Lisa said they have no weaknesses!" Will retorted impatiently.
"Just watch," Jin said with a smirk. In the blink of an eye, he moved with incredible speed, reaching the undead mage and swiftly kicking the mage's staff in two.
"Will, let me show you the secret technique of the Raging Torrent clan! Raging Torrent Piercing Palm!" Jin shouted, his voice filled with fury.