The light inside the church was oppressively dim.
A few slivers of pale moonlight streamed through the shattered stained-glass windows, creating beams of light where dust motes danced like the breaths of departed souls.
The air hung heavy with the intertwined scents of decay and chilling cold, mingled with an indescribable majesty belonging to the ancient dead.
Bang!
The thunderous slam of the heavy wooden doors echoed through the vast church, momentarily silencing the roars from outside but awakening a far more terrifying presence deep within the sanctuary.
"Sis, are you feeling any better?" Lin Xiyue asked urgently, steadying Lin Qingyue as she quickly pressed a compressed biscuit into her hand.
"Hurry, eat something to recover!"
The gesture reminded Lin Qingyue of the treasures she had in her System Store.
With a thought, a golden, crispy hash brown materialized in her hand.
[Mondstadt Hash Brown (System Special Edition)] [Effect: Continuously restores a total of 30% Stamina and Mental Energy over 30 seconds after consumption. Excellent taste, certified by a certain Anemo Archon!]
Lin Qingyue was in no mood to savor it. She devoured the hash brown in just a few bites.
A warm current instantly erupted from her stomach, surging through her limbs and body.
The overwhelming weakness from being completely drained rapidly faded, and she regained control of her body.
Her head stopped spinning, her vision cleared, and her legs no longer felt like jelly.
Although it would be a long, long time before she could use a Character Card again, at least she could fight now.
"I'm alive..." she sighed in relief.
Just then, the familiar System notification chimed in her mind:
[Ding! Detected Host's first use of the [Venti Trial Card] to cast the Ultimate Skill 'Wind's Grand Ode' (albeit at minimum power). By showcasing a sliver of the Anemo Archon's grace, your Affinity with the Wind Element has increased. Permanent Base Agility +20!]
Oh? A blessing in disguise?
Just as a flicker of delight sparked in Lin Qingyue's heart, the next notification nearly made her explode on the spot.
[Ding! Detected Host's current behavior (leading the charge, turning the tide) severely contradicts the core traits of the Character Card "Venti": "Slacking Off" and "Goofing Around." No additional reward evaluation will be granted for this performance.]
[The Host is encouraged to persevere and deeply comprehend the essence of "Slacking Off." Strive to embody the true spirit of "Freedom" (i.e., Lying Flat) next time!]
Lin Qingyue: "???"
She was so furious she almost spat out the hash brown she'd just eaten, roaring silently in her mind:
"Slacking off? Are you kidding me?! If I hadn't led the charge, we'd be undead afternoon tea by now! I almost forgot that this damn useless [Melody Beyond the Strings] skill came from you, you damn bard! No wonder it's so unreliable! And what's the deal with that ridiculous PV animation?!"
[Ding! Friendly Reminder: All Character Cards with Ultimate PVs will display the corresponding PV above the user's head upon activation, spreading beauty and love to the world!]
"Beauty and love my ass!"
"Sis? Why do you look even worse than before? Haven't you recovered yet?" Lin Xiyue asked with concern, noticing her sister's expression twist in an instant.
"I'm fine..." Lin Qingyue squeezed the words through gritted teeth. "Just got pissed off by some useless slacker."
While she was fuming at the System, the others inside the church gasped in unison. Their gazes were riveted to the scene at the far end of the hall.
There, at the foot of a broken statue, lay a massive coffin forged from pure black metal.
A towering figure clad in heavy armor knelt on one knee before it, back turned to them, as if performing some ancient ritual.
A Death Knight!
Their forceful entry had finally disturbed it.
The tall figure slowly rose, its joints emitting a teeth-grinding screech of metal.
It turned around.
Through the T-shaped slit of its helm, two ghastly white Soul Fires flared to life, instantly locking onto every living creature at the church entrance.
Vwoom—!
An icy killing intent, a hundred times more concentrated than what they had felt outside, surged forward like a bursting dam, transforming into tangible blades that scraped against everyone's skin.
The temperature inside the church plummeted, and a visible layer of white frost formed on the walls.
Gulp.
Someone swallowed hard in the dead silence.
Even more suffocating, the shadows beside the Death Knight writhed, and its towering Undead Warhorse materialized without a sound.
Eerie blue ghost flames burned in its hollow eye sockets. It stepped forward with an unsettling grace, each hoof-fall leaving an icy scar on the hard stone tiles—a haunting echo of its former elegance as a noble steed.
[Death Knight Lord · Lv. ???] [Undead Warhorse · Elite · Lv. 30]
"A Level 30 Elite... and a BOSS whose level we can't even see..." Zhao Shihao's voice was hoarse. "How the hell are we supposed to fight this?"
"How? With our lives!"
With a furious roar, Wang Lei raised his shield. "Front line, hold firm! Back line, find an opening!"
Before his words had even faded, the Death Knight moved!
No charge, no roar. It merely took a single step forward, its figure appearing before the party as if teleporting. The greatsword in its hand, burning with eerie blue runes, shrieked as it tore through the air, sweeping horizontally toward Wang Lei and Lin Xiyue at the forefront.
"Immovable as a Mountain!"
"Holy Light Protection!"
Earthen-yellow light and brilliant Holy Light erupted simultaneously from the two shields!
CLANG—!!!
The deafening crash echoed throughout the church!
Wang Lei and Lin Xiyue grunted in pain. The stone tiles beneath their feet shattered, but they gritted their teeth and barely held their ground against the devastating blow!
"We blocked it!" Lin Xiyue cried out in surprise. Though her arms were numb from the impact, she had actually withstood the attack!
"Don't get distracted!" Wang Lei bellowed. "This thing's strength is insane! We can't hold out for long!"
While the two tanks pinned down the Death Knight, Zhao Shihao and Jiang Xue immediately began chanting.
"Take this!" Zhao Shihao roared, swinging his staff. A hyper-compressed Explosive Fireball screamed through the air.
However, the Death Knight didn't even turn around. It merely raised its left hand casually.
A green energy shield materialized out of thin air. The fireball slammed into it but vanished without a trace, like a clay ox sinking into the sea, failing to create even the slightest ripple.
Jiang Xue's Frost Ray followed immediately, only to dissipate harmlessly against the same shield.
The Order Mage's Slow spell was also swallowed by the green barrier.
"Damn it! It's an Anti-Magic Shield!" Zhao Shihao cursed. "Magic is useless against it!"
"Switch targets! Focus fire on the horse!" Wang Lei yelled, struggling to parry the Death Knight's relentless attacks.
The moment the three mages shifted their aim, the Undead Warhorse suddenly moved!
Its hooves ignited with eerie blue flames as it sidestepped with ghostly agility, precisely dodging Zhao Shihao's fireball. Jiang Xue's Ice Cone grazed its ribs, leaving only a trail of frost in the air.
The Order Mage's Slow spell, being an area-of-effect ability, managed to clip the warhorse, slightly reducing its attack speed.
"This horse... it knows how to position itself?" Zhao Shihao stared, dumbfounded.
Even more astonishingly, as the Undead Warhorse dodged, it suddenly accelerated into a charge, lunging straight for Jiang Xue in the back row!
"Watch out!" Mo Chen shouted, swinging his door-sized greatsword to block.
Clang!
The greatsword collided with the warhorse's hooves. Mo Chen was forced back half a step, while the warhorse used the impact to leap backward, landing gracefully beside the Death Knight.
The two Assassins tried to seize the opportunity for a sneak attack, but the warhorse, as if it had eyes in the back of its head, spun elegantly and lashed out with its hind legs, forcing them to retreat.
"Damn it, this horse is smarter than a person!" the female Assassin gritted her teeth.
The battle descended into a desperate stalemate.
The Death Knight's attacks were relentless, like an unending tide, each parry leaving Lin Xiyue's and Wang Lei's arms numb.
Meanwhile, the Undead Warhorse displayed incredible mobility, weaving across the battlefield. It would feint to draw fire, then suddenly strike the back row, its perfect coordination wearing the party down.
Zhao Shihao's and Jiang Xue's spells repeatedly missed their mark. The two Assassins' sneak attacks were always foiled. Mo Chen's greatsword and the Berserker's great axe couldn't even graze the warhorse's hide.
"It's no use! This horse is too agile!" Zhao Shihao shouted, panting. "We can't hit it at all!"
Lin Xiyue and Wang Lei were faring even worse. The Death Knight's greatsword fell with crushing force each time, steadily draining their health. Their Power of Holy Light was being consumed far faster than it could be restored.
"Think of something, quick!" Wang Lei roared through gritted teeth. "We can't hold out much longer!"
Lin Qingyue tightened her grip on her pink staff, her expression grave.
This... is real trouble.