# Chapter 2: What Just Happened?
Between the mountains and hills shrouded in darkness and thin mist, countless long-decayed bones and remains were buried beneath fallen leaves in the dust. Bloodstained stones and broken weapon fragments were scattered across every corner of the forest. Damaged armor, countless notched blades, and spears without heads stood upright in the cold wind, as if telling the stories of what had once happened here.
It was already evening. The dim sun was gradually sinking westward, and the night wind grew colder by the moment, as if it could penetrate bone marrow and freeze blood.
But suddenly, a faint light flickered within the mist.
This light was weak and dim, yet incomparably firm and solid. Under its radiance, the mist dispersed and darkness retreated. As the light advanced, a carriage convoy could be seen hastily traveling along the mountain forest path, as if fleeing from something terrifying.
"Faster! A little faster!"
A middle-aged woman riding a tall horse at the front barked orders at the carriages and riders behind her in a rough voice that didn't match her gender at all. Her face was covered in scattered knife scars, and her throat bore many wounds—this was apparently the reason for her coarse voice. Hearing their leader's urging, all the carriages and riders immediately accelerated, rushing toward their destination.
This convoy consisted of nearly thirty people, most of them mounted riders. The remaining five carriages seemed to be loaded with supplies, moving quickly along the rugged forest path as the horses pulled them with difficulty. The riders carried longswords and flails, and wore finely crafted chainmail. Their equipment was excellent, no less than that of most countries' regular armies.
Yet even so, this group of riders seemed to be fleeing from something, desperately rushing forward.
And the heart of their leader, Davian, sank like a stone in the deep sea.
—The sun had set. Night was approaching.
Somewhat irritated, she drew her sword from her waist and, with a clean air-splitting slash, cut a large tree blocking the path in half and sent it flying. This female knight displayed considerable strength, yet she muttered fearfully to herself: "No good, we can't make it back to the village. Those monsters are about to appear..."
"If it comes to it, we'll fight them to the death!"
Following closely behind the female knight, a rider wearing a thick helmet spoke in an angry male voice: "Sister Davian, when the time comes, you take the carriages back to the village. I'll lead the others to hold them off for you!"
"Idiot, do you think a bunch of unranked trash like you could stop the 'Death Shadows'?" Davian mercilessly cursed him back, but she couldn't think of a solution either, so she could only grit her teeth and continue: "Damn it, forget about everything else—full speed ahead!"
"Yes!" The riders responded in unison.
Death Shadows—as the name suggested, they were the shadows of the dead.
Ever since the Great Cataclysm twenty-seven years ago, the world had changed. Any place where life had once died would see Death Shadows appear when the sun set and night fell. These monsters, possessing a fraction of the dead's former power, were like dark shadows—strange and terrifying. They craved the flesh and blood of the living, attacking all life indiscriminately.
How many lives had died in this world? Probably dozens or even hundreds of times the number of the living. Almost every corner of the world had been trodden upon, so the footsteps of Death Shadows were everywhere, impossible to avoid.
"I can only hope the Death Shadows we encounter this time are weak enough for us to break through and escape."
Many thoughts flashed quickly through Davian's mind. This wasn't her first time leading a team outside and fighting Death Shadows. After all, out in the world, many reasons could delay one's return to the village. Judging by her scars, this female rider was battle-hardened.
Her thinking was indeed correct. Death Shadows varied in strength. If the deceased had merely been ordinary civilians or beasts, then the Death Shadows they became were fragile monsters that the wind could scatter. Though numerous, they weren't impossible to break through. But the Autumn Water Forest where the carriage convoy now was had been an ancient battlefield several hundred years ago. Beneath this forest lay the bones of countless elite warriors from two former empires.
If they encountered those imperial elites...
Davian didn't continue that thought.
Because night had already fallen.
The sun's radiance had completely vanished from this world. Dark mist began to shroud the forest. Even though the convoy lit torches that flickered with warm light, their field of vision shrank to just a dozen meters ahead. The convoy's speed immediately dropped.
"Don't slow down!" Davian roared. "Better to fall to our deaths than be devoured by those monsters! Sons of the Astorea family, draw your weapons!"
Facing the infinite blurry shadows already taking shape in the dark mist, this female rider spoke in a hoarse yet unwavering voice: "Blade's light, glory eternal!"
And all the riders shouted in unison: "Eternal!"
"Charge!"
Faint specks of light appeared on all the riders. These lights varied in color, but all had the same effect—under their influence, the wind's flow accelerated. The exhausted warhorses one by one regained their spirit, neighing as they galloped forward. The convoy's speed increased by more than a notch, as if they had truly transformed into the wind through the mountains.
And the shadows in the darkness fully solidified.
They were dark humanoid figures covering every corner of the forest—weary warriors and knights clad in tattered armor, wielding broken blades. Warhorses with ripped-open bellies, severed heads, or broken legs faded in and out of the mist. These long-dead souls, unwilling to rest, awakened in the darkness, opening their crimson eyes. They watched the rapidly departing carriage convoy and let out silent roars.
Whoosh—A tattered banner rose among the ranks of the dead. A mournful horn call echoed through the night sky with the cold wind. Following the banner's guidance and the horn's command, they too began their charge.
Crossing hundreds of years of time and the chasm between life and death.
At the rear of the carriage convoy, a silent, sturdy rider noticed the army of the dead charging behind them at a speed incomprehensible to humans. The man spat, then raised a greatsword from his horse's side. His solid, powerful arm muscles bulged as he turned his horse and charged like a gale wind toward the enemy.
Clang—
Steel clashed against steel with a long ring. The rider charged alone into the enemy formation. Pale blue light surged all over his body, clearly visible even in the dark mist. With the power this light brought, he killed several leading Death Shadows in one strike. Blades flying, he killed over a dozen more.
But how numerous were the Death Shadows? Within seconds, the rider's form was completely overwhelmed. Though the pale blue light could still be seen flickering, it quickly faded, accompanied by the sound of flesh being torn.
Even so, the army of the dead was delayed for several seconds, falling far behind the convoy.
Davian noticed this. The female knight's heart was as cold as iron, undisturbed. She only felt some hatred for her own helplessness, nothing more.
Death Shadows also appeared ahead of the convoy, but these were merely civilians or scattered adventurer souls. Davian drew her sword. The blade's wind howled, and the monsters blocking the path were instantly engulfed by crisscrossing air blades.
"We're almost to the village's protection range!"
Having completely driven away the Death Shadows ahead, she shouted loudly: "Don't let Handel's sacrifice be in vain!"
The carriage convoy remained silent, but their speed increased by another notch.
But another mournful horn sounded.
Ahead of the convoy, a tattered banner rose. Faintly, the angry howling of wolves could be heard.
Three hundred and eighty-two years ago, the armies of Steel-Cutter Bohar and Wolf-Herder Su'en had met in the Autumn Water Forest. Two evenly matched commanders led evenly matched armies into an endless battle. The result was that Steel-Cutter's blade shattered, Wolf-Herder's wolves were all killed, and neither army had any survivors—all died here.
Now, three hundred and eighty-two years later, in the dark mist, the Death Shadows awakened. A general whose flesh had been gnawed away and a headless knight faced each other from the center of their respective armies. Their armies stared at each other, their crimson glow illuminating the forest.
No words were needed. In the next second, the war between the dead began once more.
And caught in the middle was the bewildered carriage convoy.
—We're doomed!
Even a heroine like Davian felt her heart grow cold. The situation before her was an abyss of despair that no one could climb out of. Under the charge of two ancient commanders' armies from hundreds of years ago, no one present had any chance of escape. They would only have their heads severed by blades, then be devoured by wolves.
After the Great Cataclysm, Death Shadows descended upon the world. Ancient heroes and champions transformed into ominous monsters, rampaging through the darkness. They wielded legendary divine weapons of the past, used crude yet powerful spells, and step by step pushed the world of the living into corners.
Heroic spirits had fallen; demon souls had awakened. The master of this continent called Grandia was no longer the glorious human civilization, but the dead awakening from their own bones.
The clang of steel echoed through the forest. The riders used the carriages as a barrier, simultaneously resisting the impact of both armies. Sparks flew from clashing blades, illuminating the dark forest.
Davian stood on the ground, swinging her sword. Deep blue light flowed along her arms. Before the female knight stretched an endless army of Death Shadows, yet they could not break through her blade. With a flash of silver light and crisscrossing air blades, over a dozen Death Shadows were sent flying, then vanished in midair.
Beside her, the other knights also fought with roars. Their strength wasn't as great as their leader's, but dealing with these weak dead wasn't difficult. After grouping together and holding their ground, they actually withstood several waves of the army's assault.
But this was only temporary. Davian understood that the current situation existed because these two newly awakened armies of the dead were fighting each other, continuing the war from their lifetimes, with no time to spare for this group of living beings beside them. However, even the residual effects were more than their mere thirty people could bear. In a few tens of minutes, when everyone's strength was exhausted, the knights would have no power left to resist.
Then they would be devoured alive by these Death Shadows.
Davian couldn't think of a solution, so her heart was gradually swallowed by despair. But precisely because of this, a rage called "to hell with everything" rose in this sturdy female knight's heart. Like her companions, she began roaring and swinging her sword energy, reaping these shadows in droves. This scene even attracted the attention of the two leading undead at the center of both armies.
Since there was no solution, stop thinking!
Since death was inevitable, then fight!
Kill as many enemies as possible before dying. The Astorea family had no cowards who surrendered without a fight!
Just as this female knight made up her mind, suddenly, a thunderclap exploded in the sky.
Boom!!!
A deep, low rumble suddenly rang out in the high heavens. Accompanied by visible waves of air, a deep blue light instantly enveloped the entire sky and earth.
Davian's heart jolted. She looked up at the sky.
Above her head, above the Autumn Water Forest, thick layers of dark clouds parted. The dim light of the blue moon was completely overshadowed. Only a faint crack that had suddenly appeared in the sky remained. This crack flickered uncertainly, and within it, something massive seemed to be moving, causing the sky to ripple like flowing water.
Strange—runes never before seen on the continent of Grandia layered around each other, folding and undulating between the blue light. A humming sound like gears meshing and turning rang out, unsettling everyone present.
"This... what in the world is this..."
Not just the female knight, but everyone present, including the revived undead, stared dumbfounded at the strange phenomenon appearing in the sky—a vast and mighty tide of magical power tearing through time and space. Such a scene was magnificent! Coupled with the terrifying aura faintly emanating from the crack, even many riders who had remained expressionless in the face of Death Shadows showed fear on their faces.
"Could it be... that some great hero is buried here?!"
Davian's heart was shocked beyond measure. She couldn't help but speculate: "Is a heroic spirit about to awaken, causing the sky to tremble?!"
This was hardly something to laugh about. Though she thought this, the female knight still wore a bitter smile. A heroic spirit this powerful awakening from its eternal rest, then transforming into a demon soul capable of destroying everything—this would be an unbelievably bad news for this already shattered world, let alone for their small group of riders.
But what happened next surprised everyone.
A person stepped out from the crack.
The deep blue light instantly dissipated. In its place was a crimson light as dazzling as the sun.
This light was so blinding that no one could look directly at it. A terrifyingly extreme life energy radiation spread in all directions. The endless Death Shadows on the ground, merely swept by it, dissolved into nothingness like frost under the morning sun.
Davian stared with incredulous eyes—before her, the infinite army of the dead was completely destroyed in an instant, leaving not a trace of ash. The black mist dissipated like dew under the noonday sun, finally fading from sight. Yet they, the exhausted riders, suffered no harm and instead felt their strength somewhat restored.
At the center of the army, the elite knights and the two commanders lasted a little longer—but only a little longer. Under the continuous powerful life radiation, these souls from past history returned to eternal rest, purified and disappearing inch by inch.
"This... what exactly is going on?!" Everyone looked bewildered.
What had just happened?
And Joshua van Radcliffe descended amid everyone's confusion, arriving in this unknown foreign world.
Descending from high altitude with Ying and Lin to the ground, the warrior didn't even notice what his energy radiation had done. He merely slightly restrained the body-encompassing force he had instinctively raised during the space-time passage, then seriously examined the power within his body.
As an Ultimate warrior who controlled everything about himself to the finest detail, Joshua naturally could detect all the anomalies happening to him.
Clenching his fist as a matter of course, producing a sonic boom, he frowned and muttered softly: "My power is being suppressed."
This was actually quite normal. The worlds surrounding the Mycroft World were somewhat similar in their fundamental essence—otherwise, natural space-time passages wouldn't open. But in this distant foreign world, the nature of Steel Force was slightly different. The warrior keenly noticed this.
"Yes, Master."
The silver-haired girl behind him nodded in agreement, also noticing this. Ying looked at her somewhat ethereal form and said discontentedly: "My psionic body can't fully manifest..."
Lin beside her also touched his chest and nodded: "That's right, Master. The energy flow in this world differs greatly from the Mycroft Continent. My sister's and my psionic bodies are being suppressed."
"Understood. Transform back into weapon form for now." Joshua nodded and said this. The Divine Mechanism siblings promptly transformed into a greatsword and a great axe, floating behind the warrior.
At this moment, Joshua was looking at the system constantly refreshing with information. He seized upon the most important pieces.
[You have arrived at the foreign world: Grandia]
[Because the fundamental structure of Steel Force differs, your power will be suppressed]
[Current power release level: 32%]
So it really was being suppressed. The warrior thought so.
But this was also an opportunity.
Joshua understood that his power being bound meant his path was still incomplete. In his conception, a body perfectly bearing Steel Force and life energy that had already transformed into Steel Force shouldn't be suppressed by a foreign world's different energy essence—because that was the original, most fundamental power.
But now, through this foreign world's suppression, he had found his incomplete power. As long as he broke through this barrier, achieving one hundred percent power release...
Then that would be the moment the warrior ascended to Legendary.