A New Knight of Order!

The wooden club beneath Daliwenluo's feet levitated. He reached out, and the instant his fingers closed around it, the shifting sands beneath and around him turned to lush green turf, bursting with vitality. Life could manifest and leave its trace in many forms, but the most direct of all was that vigorous, surging vitality. Therefore, Karen did not deliberately stall for time to lay down any magical formations, nor did he hurriedly cast any defensive spells on himself. At times, having more cards in hand was not necessarily better. In fact, having too many could become a burden, leaving one flustered and indecisive at a crucial moment. Sorcerers of the caliber of Mr. Hoffen or Instructor Piro could raise an advanced temporary formation with a wave of their hands, but the current Karen could not yet achieve that. As for Order-affiliated armor defensive spells, they would offer little meaningful protection right now. Experience told Karen that the combat style of this being—who referred to himself as a bastard—would afford him neither the luxury of time nor room for error. Events unfolded precisely as Karen had deduced. Daliwenluo moved. He was fast, free of any superfluous motion, coming straight for Karen along a single line. He swung the wooden club with one hand and brought it crashing down. Karen reflexively backed away, opening up distance. *Boom!* A massive crater was blasted into the ground where Karen had just stood. Within the crater, grass seeds sprouted. The force behind this blow could only be described as terrifying, and it delivered blunt-force trauma. That meant even if one wore armor or erected defensive spells, taking a hit from this club would likely leave the body pulverized into mush, even if the armor remained completely intact. Having missed his mark, Daliwenluo showed neither discouragement nor disappointment. He even wore a smile as he looked at Karen. The contrast between their personal journeys had bred envious yearning; the intimacy of having communicated as "pen pals"; and now, serving different masters, standing on opposing sides of a fight to the death. He relished this feeling. Clashing with Karen and displaying himself before Karen brought him immense satisfaction and joy. Of course, if he knew his pen pal was actually someone named Richard—no, that a bug had ghostwritten the letters—his mood would certainly not be so delightful. Gently cracking his neck, Daliwenluo launched another attack. It was just like before, but faster. Karen still chose not to meet it head-on. Holding his sword across his chest with his right hand, he waved his left hand forward in an instant-cast spell: [Order—Shadow Tracking]. Beneath Karen's feet, a mass of dark shadow appeared, granting him a surge of speed. *Boom!* Daliwenluo slammed out another giant crater, which likewise brimmed with life. Meanwhile, in the previous crater, the green had already faded away. *Hoo... hoo... hoo...* A rhythmic pattern of breathing, like a warm-up. Karen could keep dodging, while Daliwenluo was stacking momentum and accumulating power. His speed and strength would continue to scale upward. In the end, Karen would either have to overpower him with absolute strength, or flee. Yet Daliwenluo believed Karen would not choose the latter, for Daliwenluo had been standing still when Karen actively came seeking him out. Daliwenluo believed that anyone who took pride in conducting themselves with dignity in all things was bound to be proud and self-assured deep down. "They won't come to help, don't worry," Daliwenluo said with a smile. "That guy from the Church of Samsara carrying the dual sabers, Lango—he isn't a hothead who gets swept up in the moment." Karen said, "Inside his body dwells a soul that came out of the Gate of Samsara." Daliwenluo had an epiphany. "Oh, so that's it. No wonder his body is so young, yet his soul gives me a sensation of decrepitude. I despise such forced extensions of life. It insults the true essence of life." "What essence?" "To grow like a flower, bloom like a flower, and wither like a flower." Daliwenluo raised the wooden club in his hand once more. "Accept its beginning, accept its progress, accept its end, and accept its... completeness." "I agree," Karen nodded. "Yet sometimes, grafting is another way life continues." "I know your words make sense, but I dislike it, so I do not acknowledge it." Green veins began to spread across the club in Daliwenluo's grip. "You may dodge one more blow." With that, Daliwenluo vanished from the spot, reappearing directly above Karen. The club crashed down with tremendous violence! A four-sided matrix formed beneath Karen's feet and sank downward. Karen's body sank along with it, dropping beneath the sand's surface. *Boom!* A deafening roar erupted as an even larger crater appeared. Inside it grew not only green grass, but vibrant flowers, while the wooden club in Daliwenluo's hand was sprouting roots and branches. Now, it looked more like he was fighting with a sapling. *Hum!* Karen's figure emerged from the sand not far away. He made no effort to conceal himself, his face showing a trace of discomfort. Though he had escaped the strike's epicenter in time, the shockwave had still transmitted to his body. Right now, a numbing sensation coursed through every part of him. This fellow's raw strength, as well as his mastery and application of it, could only be called frightening. He was different from Muri. Because of his family heritage, Muri walked a path balancing offense and defense, making him a natural guard and protector. Daliwenluo was different; every one of his attacks surged forward without a backward glance, utterly devoid of concern for his own defense. During the previous three attacks, Karen could indeed have launched a counterattack, and it certainly would have wounded him, but Karen had refrained. Neo was also fond of this fighting style—letting loose completely, deliberately leaving glaring openings to bait you into attacking, and even playing dead after you stabbed his heart, all to deliver a massive surprise in the end. Vigorous vitality often meant frightening regenerative ability and exceptional resilience against damage. You could attack him, and he was more than willing to let you attack, but he only needed to seize a single opportunity to end the fight. "Are you going to keep dodging?" Daliwenluo asked. "Next, it will only become harder and harder for you to evade." Karen shook his head and earnestly gripped his hilt with both hands. At the same time, over a dozen Chains of Order emerged, centering on him and coiling around his body. Fortunately, a freakish opponent as troublesome as Neo was a rarity among rarities—not only formidable in close combat, but equally adept at wielding spells, and capable of toying with his prey like a seasoned hound. Compared to Neo, the man before him seemed rather straightforward. Daliwenluo tilted his head and asked, "Are you sure?" Clearly, seeing Karen adopt a stance to meet him head-on after witnessing his three strikes took him by surprise. Karen replied, "We can try." "Very well." Daliwenluo moved. Karen noticed that his field of vision toward Daliwenluo warped, and immediately after, the club came sweeping down. By this point, the stacked speed had reached a near-absurd level. As for what lay beyond absurd, Karen truly had witnessed it before: when Rasma had kicked Lady Augie the frost dragon around like a ball in front of him, what had been displayed was near the pinnacle of speed and power that mortals could withstand. Having seen far mightier means and far more formidable adversaries, one had no need to panic when facing lesser situations. Examine the problem first, then find the breakthrough; Karen had always believed that fighting required using one's brain. Now, he had finally deduced the approach to solving it. Four Chains of Order beneath Karen's feet drove forcefully into the ground, nailing him there like stakes. Four Chains of Order on either side extended outward. Though there were no anchor points, they bound the empty air as if anchoring into the void, maintaining balance and force. The four Chains of Order above did the same. With nothing overhead to latch onto, they seemed embedded directly into the air. A total of twelve Chains of Order secured Karen's body in place. Karen raised his greatsword and, for the first time, slashed back in a direct, frontal clash! *Hum—!* The wooden club and the greatsword collided. The twelve Chains of Order began snapping, but the moment a link fractured, a new, complete one instantly reconnected. In a dynamic cycle, all twelve Chains of Order remained intact. As long as these twelve chains held, the terrifying force Daliwenluo exerted could be dispersed outward by Karen, effectively "taking hostage" the surrounding environment to share the burden. *Thud!* A final, terrifying dull impact rang out. The resulting shockwave and tremors instantly leveled the surrounding sand into a flat, mirror-like sheet. Daliwenluo, whose momentum had just been unstoppable, flew backward. Upon landing, he drove the wooden club into the sand to anchor himself, yet still skidded a considerable distance. Once he stabilized completely, he looked up at Karen ahead of him. "Heavens... you can do that?" "As you see." Karen had not actually felt much pressure from the previous clash. Now, holding his sword, he began closing in proactively, seeking an opening for a second exchange. Offense and defense had reversed. A low roar rumbled from Daliwenluo's throat. The wooden club in his grasp grew longer and larger, its emerald leaves flourishing. When he leapt into the air, it looked as if he had uprooted a massive tree from the desert. His eyes burned crimson, his physical functions surging to their absolute limits as the great tree in his hands bloomed and bore fruit midair. Finally, this club—or rather, this tree—slammed down! Yet, when their weapons clashed once more, a flicker of horror surfaced in Daliwenluo's crimson eyes. At this moment, he saw that the original twelve Chains of Order around Karen had doubled—no, tripled. A total of thirty-six Chains of Order stretched out densely in all directions, enveloping Karen. Daliwenluo felt like a moth charging with full momentum, only to plunge headlong into a spider's web. *Boom!* The weapons collided once more. The thirty-six Chains of Order began collapsing rapidly again, their repair speed visibly struggling to keep up. Even so, over twenty remained steadily intact at any given second, with the rest continuously breaking and instantly repairing. After a brief stalemate... *Thud!* Another terrifying dull crash resounded. The blast of displaced air carved away nearly a full meter of sand from the surroundings, gouging out a sunken basin. *Sizzle...* Blood began to seep continuously from every pore across Daliwenluo's body. It not only drenched him crimson, but also formed an exaggerated mist of blood that almost completely enveloped the immediate area. Seeing this, Karen could not help but sigh inwardly: *What terrifying hematopoiesis.* The blood of ten oxen probably amounted to about this much, yet Daliwenluo was still spurting more. Daliwenluo flew backward, crashing violently into the sand. The tree fell beside him; not a single one of the fresh, vibrant green leaves that once coated it remained. Massive blood loss meant his body's capacity to endure had been overloaded. If raising the club earlier had pushed his physical state to an absolute peak, then against an opponent even tougher than himself, the moment Karen held his ground, Daliwenluo would instantly suffer several or even dozens of times the terrifying backlash of force. Striking a ball of cotton with all one's might was an entirely different experience from striking a thick stone wall. *Phew...* Karen began to catch his breath. His lips were slightly dry, and fine beads of sweat dotted his forehead. Using spells at such high intensity and expending vast amounts of spiritual energy in a short burst left him weary as well. Fortunately, he did not need to worry about running low on spiritual reserves. Though that small puddle had sloshed violently earlier, sending ripples surging in rapid succession, the water had not run dry, and plenty still remained. Why had he prepared so thoroughly for his second purification into a servant? Why had he pursued his objective with everything on the line? For this very moment! This was the foundation that allowed him to walk this path anew. By guiding a complex problem toward his area of greatest strength, the problem naturally became simple. The Eye of Order opened for him, the rules of Order wrapped around him, and divine artifacts provided him with vast seas of holy aura... An advantage like this effectively blocked the road for everyone walking behind him. As long as one's realm, techniques, and artifacts did not vastly exceed Karen's, then no matter what ingenious ideas or flashy tricks one brought to the fight, one would feel only despair before him. Because Karen was simply too steady. So steady that he could reduce what should have been a dazzling duel into a dull, methodical formality. *Cough, cough... cough...* Daliwenluo propped himself up with both hands, struggling to rise as he coughed up clumps of crimson tissue. He looked up again at Karen, who was closing in step by step. Even with a mouth full of blood, he smiled once more. "It hurts so much... so suffocating, so painful..." Continuing to advance, Karen said, "You can choose to flee right now. You should have secret arts that can temporarily restore your state." He was capable of running. His physical constitution and healing factor meant he would not be an easy quarry to chase down. Moreover, Karen was currently in a state of being hunted; he could not chase him all over the place, dragging things out for days to bleed him dry. "Yes, I do," Daliwenluo nodded. "But I don't intend to use them to run. Haha, those two clashes just now were a rare, exhilarating thrill." "Mm." Karen did not plan on wasting words. Especially when holding an absolute advantage, he tended to be rather taciturn. He raised his sword, the Chains of Order around him tightening once more as they gathered power. "Do you know? I once believed my Lord was the supreme existence in this world—until an opportunity led me to see certain records within the Church of Principles. It turns out that, in my perception, the shared drinks and merry banter between my Lord and the God of Order were a lie. "Just as fake and heavily embellished as the story currently circulating within my church about my birth. "My Lord—no, both of my Lords—could not defeat your God of Order. "Are you surprised?" Karen shook his head and countered, "Isn't that only natural?" Believers of Order had long grown accustomed to mythological accounts depicting their God of Order's supreme might. He was universally recognized across the religious circle as the hegemon of the late previous era. A hegemon meant striking down every troublemaker until not even the principal gods dared defy his will! Even Karen, through fragmented glimpses of memory and the descriptions of that golden retriever of his, had to admit that his predecessor had truly been invincible back then. Hearing this, Daliwenluo looked choked for words. Spitting out another mouthful of minced flesh, he said helplessly, "This trait of you Order people is the hardest to stomach." "That isn't our problem, it's yours," Karen consoled him. "Haven't you gotten used to it yet?" "Haha." Daliwenluo laughed again. This man, who had rarely smiled since childhood and had felt not the slightest tremor of emotion when strangling his own mother, had smiled more before Karen than in the past ten years combined. "I truly envy you, Karen." "I can tell." "Yet I do not believe that my two Lords' failure to defeat your God of Order means the laws of Life fall short of the laws of Order. I believe that when my two Lords hid inside the Tree of Life to evade your God of Order... "They had already betrayed the true essence of life! "What I can accept least of all is that the two Lords I have worshipped since childhood could actually fear the end of life. "At the end of life's true essence, having mastered the authority to interpret life itself, they were actually unable to face the end of life with equanimity. They could not even appreciate the aesthetic beauty of life's final withering. "So, am I the one who is wrong, or are they? "I often can't help thinking about that..." Karen pressed his lips together and replied, "Your thoughts are very dangerous." "Hehehehe... Are you afraid too? Even though I am questioning the God of Life whom I worship, you feel fear all the same, because someone actually dares to question the status of the gods?" Karen nodded and replied, "I'm scared to death." "I don't know whether I'm wrong or they are, but I am willing to bear responsibility for the life in my heart. Either do not strike, or accept that being defeated by a powerful opponent is perfectly natural. "Yet facing you, I refuse to run away. I refuse to flee into the Tree of Life the way my two Lords hid from the God of Order back then." "Because in your eyes, I am not powerful enough?" Daliwenluo shook his head. "Because I feel that fleeing before you in a pathetic, panicked scramble would look utterly indecent." "What kind of foolish logic is that?" "Is it foolish?" "If you're trying to emulate me, I'm sorry to say that I would run." "Then why did you willingly enter that tainted sinkhole earlier?" "That was different." "No, it's the same. You did it to practice the Order in your heart, while I do this to practice the Life in mine." Daliwenluo reached out and grasped the great tree beside him. The leaves that had fallen completely sprouted anew, only to wither in rapid succession as the tree turned decaying and rotten. Wasting away alongside it was Daliwenluo's body. Wrinkles formed on his scalp, and creases began creeping across his face. "Karen, prepare yourself to take my final blow. I will show you the end of life." Karen nodded with great solemnity. "I look forward to it." Daliwenluo stood up. Raising the withered wood, he walked toward Karen. His pace was slow, yet within the unseen, an intensely terrifying rhythm seemed to thrum. Karen's thoughts ground to a halt. By the time he snapped awake, the withered wood had already swept before him. Karen immediately raised his greatsword to parry. *Crack!* It was no longer a dull crash, but a crisp, sharp snap. The bark on the withered wood began peeling off in large swathes. Shedding alongside it were the Chains of Order around Karen; in virtually an instant, they shattered collectively! This meant Karen was suddenly stripped of all defensive support, laid almost entirely bare to the threat of this strike. The greatsword was knocked flying, and the withered wood came crashing toward Karen's chest. During this process, the withered wood dissolved rapidly. Karen hurriedly cast a defensive spell over himself on the fly—the very effort he had deemed useless earlier was finally put to use. It was only a fleeting instant, yet it felt agonizingly prolonged, for at this moment, Karen genuinely felt the brush of death. However, the withered wood was dissolving too fast. The power within it was steadily waning, and by the time it was about to touch Karen, he exhaled a long breath of relief inwardly. The terrifying force had mostly dissolved away. Even if this blow landed, it would cause him relatively severe injuries at most, but nothing life-threatening. Seeing this, Daliwenluo let out a sigh of lament. "Alas, life is simply too fleeting after all." Karen opened his palm, and the Sword of Diamans that had been knocked away flew back, piercing Daliwenluo's back from behind, the blade bursting out through his chest. Trading an injury of his own for the opponent's death was still a worthy bargain. Yet Karen, who had braced himself to be sent flying, never felt the blow land. Daliwenluo, already dealt a mortal wound, had deliberately pulled aside the wooden club, which had dissolved down to a mere wooden splinter. Immediately after, that final splinter vanished into nothingness as well. *Cough...* Daliwenluo leaned forward, propped up only by the blade that had pierced through him, its tip resting against the ground. Karen asked, "Why?" Why stay your hand? I dealt you a fatal wound, yet you gave up the final strike to harm me. Daliwenluo shook his head. "The remaining force wouldn't have killed you anyway." "Why?" Karen asked again. Daliwenluo smiled somewhat bashfully, finally speaking the truth in his heart: "Since it couldn't kill you, I didn't want to pierce your skin. Such a handsome hide would be a pity to puncture." The reason sounded absurd, but Daliwenluo had never come for a headhunt in the first place; what he prized was Karen's veneer of decency. "If you had used this final move from the very start, you might truly have killed me." Daliwenluo shook his head. "Impossible. Just as young children playing in a garden cannot understand an old man sitting on a bench watching the sunset; "Before I lost, I could never have conceived of the final end. And by the time I comprehended that final end... I was already withered, broken, wounded, aged—willing in spirit, but powerless in body. "What a pity, and what a regret. But that is life, isn't it? "So I never could have truly killed you, Karen. I admit it, I cannot defeat you." Looking at Daliwenluo, whose life was slipping away rapidly as death approached, Karen hesitated for a moment before asking: "Then what if you were given a chance at a second life?" "What, you want to use that spell of your Church of Order to awaken me? What kind of second life is that? It only lets you hop around for three days—nothing more than tossing chewed bones back into the pot to boil another broth, wringing out the last dregs." "I mean a complete second life." "I'm dying. Can't you talk about something a bit more profound or heartwarming instead of teasing me? You know, I wrote with my own hand in that letter that I somewhat admired you." "I'm not joking with you. You're impatient? I'm even more impatient. Who told you to be bald? I can't even find any hair to tie your head with." Daliwenluo smiled and asked, "So, is there really a chance at a second life?" "Yes." "Then who could give it to me? Which great figure? It couldn't possibly be... you, could it?" "It's me." Daliwenluo still thought it was a joke, but since Karen wanted to play along, he would indulge him. He said: "Fine. You know I have no father and no family name, though I don't consider that a regret." "I know." "So, if you can give me a chance at a second life..." "What will you do?" "Hahaha!" Daliwenluo summoned his last ounce of strength and let out a laugh. Then, as his life drained away completely, his arms and head slumping downward, he spoke his final answer: "Heh... then I'll take your surname."