Chương 28: The Miracle of Lifeline

Ch 28 - The Miracle of Lifeline Zeph shot up to Level 14 all at once after returning to the battle, after everything Lena had done to him. That sudden jump in level also granted him a temporary boost that pushed his abilities far beyond their normal limits. The boost allowed Zeph to summon the Night Cavalry in its complete armor, and even his sword had become far more solid and durable than before. It was several times stronger than anything he had ever experienced. He felt faster. Stronger. Freer.

Time seemed to come to a slow halt as Zeph slammed down with his sword, gripping the hilt tightly with both hands as he swung from the side. A whole line of undead charged toward him at the same time. But he was faster. His blade cut through the air in a single swing. It was so fast that the sword seemed to move on its own before he had even finished the motion. A violent shockwave burst outward in every direction, sending the undead flying through the air before they crashed to the ground in broken pieces.

Heavy impacts echoed from the other side of the battlefield as Madou rushed forward, throwing punches, kicks, and crushing stomps into the horde. He fought like a completely different person. Madou even seemed faster than Zeph. Then again, that was hardly surprising. Unlike Zeph, he did not have to wield a massive sword. The battle continued as Zeph dashed across the battlefield, cutting down another undead with a single slash. Its skull shattered into fine dust the moment the blade struck.

He lunged again, smashing into the ground before cutting through another group, then another. Before long, Zeph began to feel that using this sword against a single undead was simply overkill. Meanwhile, on the other side of the battlefield, the Undead Knight continued its steady advance. They had to wipe out the lesser undead first before they could face the final boss. Zeph and Madou moved even faster, chasing down the scattered undead.

They dashed across the battlefield, striking one after another without giving the monsters a single chance to regroup. One by one, the undead fell beneath their relentless assault. The Undead Knight quickened its pace.

"Madou!" Zeph shouted the instant he sensed it. The Undead Knight lunged forward with long strides. It closed the distance in moments. Within seconds, the towering monster was already between them, raising its massive axe high above its head. The air itself seemed to split apart as the enormous weapon came crashing down. Madou instantly shot backward just before the axe slammed into the ground.

The impact unleashed a violent shockwave that blasted rocks and chunks of earth in every direction, even sending the nearby undead flying through the air as the ground cracked beneath the tremendous force.

"I'll keep its attention! Take the chance to attack!" Zeph shouted before charging straight toward the monster. At the same time, Madou sprinted around from the opposite side, circling wide to flank it. A thunderous roar echoed across the battlefield as the Undead Knight lifted its massive axe once more. Its hollow gaze shifted between Zeph in front of it and Madou circling around its side, tracking both of them as they prepared to strike.

"The lower part is protected by armor, Zeph!" Madou shouted from a distance.

"Looks like we'll have to aim for its exposed skull!" Zeph shouted back. The Undead Knight let out another deafening roar before launching another attack with its massive weapon.

"I'll do it."

"I'll create an opening for you!" The monster was enormous, and surprisingly fast for its size. Even so, its attacks were still slower than Zeph and Madou, who could barely avoid each devastating swing. But if even one attack landed... The result would be fatal. The sheer strength behind every strike was overwhelming. If Zeph took a direct hit, he would simply be crushed to pieces. The Undead Knight swung its massive axe again, sweeping it violently from the right. Damn. It was faster than before.

Zeph burst into motion at the last possible moment, slipping away just as the enormous blade nearly tore through his body. Instead of trying to dodge completely, he brought up his greatsword to intercept the attack. A deafening crash erupted the instant the weapons collided. This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. The impact hurled Zeph backward with terrifying force.

His boots carved long trenches through the ground as he desperately held onto his sword, using it to absorb as much of the monstrous power as he could while fighting to keep himself from being thrown completely off his feet. Even then, the force rattled his entire body, leaving his arms numb from the overwhelming blow.

"This has to end now!" Zeph knew deep down that the surge of power flowing through him would not last forever. The temporary boost was already ticking away, and once it disappeared, so would their only chance of defeating this monster. If they could not finish it now, there would be no hope of making it out alive. Zeph continued drawing the Undead Knight's attention while Madou finished off the remaining undead scattered around the battlefield, making sure nothing could interfere with their final attack.

The Undead Knight moved even faster. It raised its massive axe high above its head in one smooth motion. The attack came so quickly that before Zeph could fully react, the enormous weapon was already crashing down toward him. Zeph raised his sword with both hands to meet the attack. His right hand gripped the hilt while his left pressed firmly against the flat of the blade, using his entire body to brace for the impact. The instant the two weapons collided, a violent burst of energy exploded outward.

The shockwave slammed into the ground, sending dust and shattered stone flying in every direction as the impact rippled through Zeph's entire body. Every bone seemed to shake beneath the crushing force.

"Argh!" An unbearable wave of pain shot through him, as though every nerve in his body had been struck at once. Even so, Zeph refused to move. His feet dug deep into the shattered ground as he struggled to hold the massive axe back, but the overwhelming weight continued forcing him lower and lower.

"Madou, now!" Zeph shouted at the top of his lungs. This was the opening they had been waiting for. The chance for Madou to deliver the finishing blow. Meanwhile, Madou shot forward at incredible speed, leaping through the air and using the undead bodies themselves as stepping stones. In the blink of an eye, he was already above them, hovering right in front of the Undead Knight's face. Madou lunged forward, driving his fist into the exposed skull. He didn't stop.

Punch after punch hammered into the same spot, each strike landing harder than the last as fractures spread across the bone. This had to work. But at the very last moment, the Undead Knight released its left hand from the axe's handle. With frightening speed, it shot forward and grabbed Madou by the head.

"No way!"

"Madou!" The Undead Knight lifted Madou into the air with nothing but its grip on his head. Madou struggled desperately, clawing at the knight's arm and throwing punches at it, trying to break free from the crushing hold. If this continued, his body would be crushed apart!

"Can't this undead be defeated?!" Zeph shouted at the top of his lungs as he struggled against the massive axe pinning him down. The moment he tried to dash out, the axe's blade would swing straight into his body before he could even escape its range. If Zeph died now, Madou would be dead long before he had the chance to revive again. Madou was still struggling, desperately throwing punch after punch into the Undead Knight's arm and face, but nothing seemed to weaken its grip. That grip was unbelievably powerful.

Madou could die! Then, a moment later, Madou's body suddenly stopped moving. He hung there completely limp in the Undead Knight's grasp, without even the slightest twitch.

"Madou! NO!" Zeph roared as he forced himself against the enormous blade, trying with everything he had to break free. A second later, the Undead Knight hurled Madou's body violently toward the ground. Madou's body slammed into the earth, bounced once, and rolled across the ground before coming to a stop. He lay there motionless, his body completely limp, looking as though every trace of life had already left him.

"MADOU!" Zeph shouted hoarsely as he shoved the blade forward with everything he had left, forcing the axe back with every bit of strength he could still gather. Zeph managed to slip free. But just before he could dash forward again, the undead knight drove a brutal kick straight into him with terrifying speed. He had no time to block it. The crushing impact hurled Zeph violently backward. It all happened so fast that he did not even realize he had been thrown until his body slammed through the rocks.

Zeph lay there in silence, unable to move anymore. He turned his head toward Madou, who was lying stiff on the other side. His neck looked twisted as if it had snapped, and his arm and shoulder were completely crushed.

"No way he survived that." The undead knight charged again in an instant, raising the massive axe high above its head. Zeph knew the same attack was coming, but his body refused to move. He could not force himself to react. The monster was simply too strong. This undead knight should have been Tier 2! The massive axe came crashing straight toward Zeph's body. There was no way he could block it or dodge it anymore. ** A deafening crash echoed through the cave as its interior was torn apart once again.

Even in that moment, Lena remained tightly wrapped in layers of cloth, while the two people beside her did everything they could to shield her.

"That undead is too strong. We have to get over there and help them."

"Are you kidding, Koka? I'm out of mana. If I get caught in the shockwave from one of that monster's attacks, I'm dead."

"I think... we're going to die here."

"We're not standing our ground because we're fearless. We're fighting because we have to. At least we won't end up becoming another burden for Zeph and Madou."

"... But do you really think they'll survive, Brann?" At that moment, both of them suddenly fell silent as they noticed something floating in the air.

"What is that?" Koka asked. It looked like thin golden threads, flowing in from somewhere outside and drifting deeper into the cave.

"Golden threads?" The strands of golden energy slowly made their way toward Lena's motionless body.

"Open it. Unwrap Lena," Koka said quickly as he removed the protective covering wrapped around her. There lay the young girl, weak and deathly pale, her body completely still. The golden threads of energy drifted toward her chest one after another.

"What is happening?"

"I don't know. I've never seen anything like this before." Lena's body gave a single sharp twitch, startling both of them.

"Her body moved! Is she still alive?"

"I'm not sure what's happening to that poor girl. But no one should be able to survive after being in such terrible condition." Then the golden energy poured into her body. A faint golden glow spread across her, gently wrapping around her entire figure until she was bathed in soft light. What happened next left both of them completely speechless. The lifeless color slowly faded from her skin. The dark, rotten patches covering her body began to disappear. It was not an illusion.

The change was real, happening right before their eyes.

"No way... This can't be happening, can it?" Koka whispered. Both of them dropped onto the ground, unable to believe what they were witnessing.

"Is she healing herself? But... how? She doesn't have anything left."

"It has to be a miracle."