## Chapter 166: The Pitiful Alexander
"Oh oh..."
Lady Yeris, pieced together like building blocks, was the first to let out a long howl after her resurrection. Her eyes glowed intensely red, devoid of any emotion. That recent death had likely completely wiped away her consciousness. At this moment, she was a thorough Undead creature, filled with hostility towards all living beings.
"Swoosh..."
I alertly stepped aside, then pushed off the ground with my feet. Unfortunately, my figure was still in mid-air. Lady Yeris... no, it should be called Foul Crow now, its figure had already abruptly closed in. Its hands, held in a loose grip, were raised high, smashing towards my chest like thousand-pound hammers.
Having undergone Kashya's devilish training, I quickly reacted from my surprise. Subconsciously, seizing the opportunity as it raised its fist, leaving its chest wide open, my tightly clenched right claw shot towards the opponent with a fierce whistling sound. Our attacks landed on each other's bodies almost simultaneously. From a third-person perspective, one would only see two blurry shadows rapidly meeting in mid-air, then abruptly separating.
Damn it...!
Needless to say, I, whose strength was at an absolute disadvantage, was the one who suffered. After the Foul Crow landed, it merely shuffled back a few steps. As for pitiful me, I scraped along the ground, my claws digging tightly into the earth, only stabilizing after sliding several meters and leaving deep claw marks on the ground. My chest also felt a wave of nausea.
Dodging was indeed useless. The Paladin's Charge not only had terrifying burst speed but also a tracking effect. Unless my speed was even faster than its, I couldn't think of any method to escape its attack range. Was there truly no solution?
The Foul Crow did not continue to pursue me. The Ghost Wolf and Poison Creeper that had followed quickly engaged it. Without Lady Yeris's consciousness controlling it, it naturally wouldn't relentlessly pursue me. Facing their provocation, its attention was quickly attracted. Both sides clashed with surging presence, the scene filled with flying sand and stones, incredibly fierce. On the surface, Light Snow and the Poison Creeper held the absolute advantage, but if the Foul Crow's cheating tactics of constant resurrection weren't resolved, running away would only be a matter of time.
When the Foul Crow was on the verge of collapsing, I had a sudden idea. I immediately ordered them to pause their attack, switched to my scepter, and a Level 3 Holy Bolt once again turned into a white meteor and shot towards the Foul Crow. As soon as the milky-white orb of light touched the opponent, it emitted a dazzling glow. The blackened skeleton crackled and hissed, as if boiling water had been poured onto red-hot steel. Waves of intensely evil dark aura emanated from its body, stubbornly clashing with the milky-white Holy Light. Finally, the two dissipated with a "pop," and the Foul Crow's body exploded once again.
Haha... that should have worked this time...
Before I could finish celebrating, the crushed bones on the ground began to writhe again. A slightly fainter dark aura than before reassembled these disgusting crushed bones.
"..."
It seemed the Holy Bolt hadn't completely purified the Foul Crow either, merely weakening it slightly. At this rate, how many times would it take to kill it completely? I sighed gloomily.
"Boom boom boom boom boom boom boom..."
Just as I was feeling troubled, deafening continuous explosions suddenly came from behind me. The entire Underground Hall shook violently. It felt like standing on a high-speed vibrating engine; I couldn't even stand upright. The floor seemed to be forcibly torn apart by some power, rapidly cracking into huge ravines. Countless stone fragments of all sizes, mixed with choking dust, fell from the ceiling. The entire Great Hall was filled with flying dust and chaos, looking like the End of Days.
After a while, the shaking gradually stopped. The Great Hall was still filled with blinding dust. The next moment, like the prelude to an eruption, the air suddenly solidified, as if even time had been frozen. A presence so intense it was suffocating erupted from behind me – from the very center of the Great Hall. Killing intent that could only be forged by slaying ten thousand, battle intent honed through a thousand battles, and the unique authority belonging to a Superior, all mixed together, forming the most immense and terrifying aura I had ever felt. Even on Kashya, I had never seen such a powerful presence.
A Skull's figure appeared in the center of the Great Hall where the dust had settled. In its black eye sockets were embedded two points of eerie green glow. The emerald green skeleton emitted a cold and sinister aura. That endless presence was emanating from its body.
Alexander Erqitun, Legion Commander of the Holy Light Crusade's Second Legion, a legendary Warrior. In his lifetime, he experienced over a thousand battles, personally destroying eleven nations of varying sizes. The sharp sword in his hand was stained with the blood of countless people. From a mere Civilian, he became a Legion Commander, second only to one and above ten thousand, a Civilian Hero praised and emulated by many passionate youths. Those who hated him called him the "Blood-Stained Executioner," the "Church's Butcher Knife," while those who worshipped him titled him the "God's Punisher." But whether liked or hated, no one ever doubted his strength, for countless blood-soaked facts could prove this point.
And now, the legendary Hero from thousands of years ago stood not far from me in a different form. Even after thousands of years of imprisonment, his presence had not been worn down – that aura like the Death God himself.
In the face of the powerful pressure, the others nearby were also in a sorry state, their pace even slowing down considerably. They had completely given up on attacking, merely struggling to dodge the Foul Crow's attacks. The Foul Crow, on the other hand, after Alexander broke free from his bondage, let out a long howl as if it had taken an aphrodisiac, and its attacks became even more ferocious. Could Lady Yeris's subconscious still be influencing its actions? What a terrifying obsession!
After sweeping his gaze across the entire Great Hall, Alexander's eyes flickered, the eerie green glow changing, sometimes large, sometimes small, sometimes bright, sometimes dim. Then, he took slow and steady paces, walking slowly towards this side.
"Gulp..." I swallowed hard. Cold sweat dripped from my forehead. The scraping sound of bone against the ground, "crackle—crackle," was gradually approaching my ears. Every step made my heart pound, as if a thousand pounds of force were pressing down on it. I was facing one of the most powerful Warriors on the entire Sanctuary from thousands of years ago. Even those I had always looked up to, like Kashya and Fara, would probably be no different from ants in front of him. Thinking of this, a wave of despair surged in my heart. Curiosity killed the cat. If I had known, I would have just run away quickly. Why did I get involved?
My lips trembled. The will to survive made my brain race at an unprecedented speed. First, I pulled out a Town Portal Scroll from my inventory and held it, but found there was no time to use it...
If I had the time, I truly wished I could use my scepter to fiercely knock my own useless, slow brain.
Then, I remembered Light Snow not far away and immediately called to it, telling it to slowly draw the battlefield with the Foul Crow closer, at a speed that would attract Alexander's attention as little as possible, preparing to run at any moment. Having been in bondage for thousands of years, Alexander's strength should be far from recovered. Otherwise, the moment he broke free, Light Snow and I might have already been instantly killed.
As long as I wasn't hit by a One-hit Kill, as long as his speed was even slightly slower, we could still fight for a sliver of hope. At worst, there was only...
After preparing myself, I endured Alexander's mountain-like oppressive presence, trying my best to muster courage and confront him. However, the Town Portal Scroll clutched tightly in my hand somewhat lacked confidence. At this moment, he was less than five meters away from me. The presence emanating from the giant skeleton came in waves, one after another. Poor me was like a small snail clinging tightly to the stone wall at the bottom of a cliff, in danger of being swept away by a huge wave at any moment.
Light Snow was now about ten meters behind me. Of course, I had also considered immediately turning around and jumping onto Light Snow 's back to escape. But doing so would expose my entire back to Alexander, truly leaving myself wide open. With such a large weakness, Alexander's experience would definitely not miss it. It would be better to take a gamble and exchange a blow with him. If I were lucky enough to survive, I could use his force to leap backward (this was just a nicer way of saying it; the fact was I'd likely be sent flying). Light Snow behind me could catch me in mid-air, and then we could immediately gather the other pets and run.
As Alexander's green skeleton gradually approached, the cold aura emanating from his jade-like, crystalline bones was almost freezing my blood. I raised my head and casually took a closer look at him.
Bone Ash: Undead, Magic Resistance, Extra Strong, Cold Enchanted, Cold Immunity.
A Monster with four stats, and every single stat is so abnormal. Could this be the legendary Demon Lord of the same level as Andariel, or even a Demon God Level creature comparable to Diablo? Increasingly unsettling thoughts churned rapidly in my mind.
Bone Ash... Huh!?? Seeing this name, something flashed through my mind. Such a familiar name. Isn't this the Minor Boss in the Cathedral in the game?
Minor Boss Level!?
Before my brain could even process it, Alexander's figure had already closed in, enveloping me in his enormous shadow. Even in Werewolf form, I was still half a head shorter than him. One could imagine how tall and imposing Alexander's heroic stature must have been in life.
Alexander, looking down like a towering mountain, revealed a hint of disdain in his eerie green eye sockets. He gently clenched his hand bone and raised it high, as if to show me clearly how he would strike down me, this weak and overconfident enemy.
Subconsciously, I quickly raised my hands to block in front of me. This way, I could at least avoid the high probability of stiffness and stun caused by being hit directly in the brain and chest.
"Thump—"
The fist rose, the fist fell.
In that instant, I felt as if the arm I used to block had been hit by an oncoming truck. With an incredulous expression, my mind went blank for a moment. The figures of Sarah, Velas, and the others flashed through my mind one by one. Fear, unwillingness, longing... Was this the feeling of life vanishing in an instant?
"Step step step..."
I stumbled back several steps, steadied myself, and came back to my senses. I was stunned in surprise for a moment, then quickly checked myself. It seemed nothing was wrong. Looking at my Life, it had only decreased by ten points. Even being completely knocked away, which I had expected, turned out to be just staggering back a few meters.
What's going on? Such weak strength, even that Foul Crow just now was slightly stronger. Is this the strength of a top-tier expert from Sanctuary thousands of years ago? You must be joking!!
Alexander opposite me was clearly more surprised than I was. The two clusters of eerie green flames in his eye sockets flickered constantly as he stared in shock at the fist he had just used to attack.
Why, why have I become like this? Are these bony skeleton hands truly the arms that once slew countless experts?
Why, why is my strength so weak? My body feels as if it's rusted. I can't even exert one ten-thousandth, not even one ten-thousandth of my former strength.
Why, why is my memory so blurry? Besides the faint figures flashing through my mind, I can't remember anything else, not even my own name. Who am I? That's right, my name is Alexander. And then? Why am I here...?
Scene after scene from the past flashed through Alexander's mind after thousands of years of bondage, like watching flowers on horseback. Countless questions and answers. He suddenly knelt down in fear, his trembling skeleton clutching his skull, shouting hoarsely in a heartbreakingly mournful tone, shouting continuously. The unwillingness, sorrow, fear, and despair from the depths of his heart echoed for a long time throughout the empty Great Hall. If he could shed tears, he would likely be weeping profusely by now.
I looked with pity at Alexander, kneeling on the ground and weeping uncontrollably. Was this still the glorious Legion Commander of the Holy Light Crusade's Second Legion that I had read about in biographies? No, perhaps it was precisely because he was that person that he suffered so much pain – an expert who had shaken the Continent, reduced to this point after enduring thousands of years of bondage and torment. Just thinking about it, a wave of empathetic fear and despair quickly occupied my heart – in Sanctuary, where strength reigned supreme, this was such a cruel thing. The more powerful the Warrior, the harder it was to face.
The reason he became like this was probably the same as Griswold in Tristram. As a High-Level Paladin of the same rank as Kashya and the others, under the erosion and weakening of Dark Power, Griswold was ultimately defeated by me, who was just a little Druid in his early tens at the time. Even as the victorious party, I felt sorrow for him, my heart feeling as if it was suppressed by a heavy stone, unable to feel any joy of victory.
Alexander's current situation was also like this. However, it might be due to the Magic Array binding him, or perhaps his mind was more resolute than Griswold's (after all, Alexander's strength was much more powerful than Griswold's), which is why he hadn't lost his sanity yet. This was also the reason his immense presence, completely disproportionate to his current strength, could be preserved. Although darkness had eroded his strength, it could not take away his will and dignity.