The stillness of the citadel was a dangerous silence, like the calm before a storm.
Alex, Alice, and Aurelia advanced cautiously, their movements shadowed by Alex’s ethereal fox summons.
The glowing forms of the summoned creatures flanked their master, their elemental auras casting flickering lights and shadows on the citadel walls.
It had been a few hours since they entered the citadel and began exploring it.
Since Alex was participating in his [Advancement Task], his level and experience were locked.
He did extract several attributes and some items though.
Not anything of importance.
He still sought the items needed for the [Dragon Bloodline Trial] by the way, yet he found none of them.
On the other hand, the girls gained several levels.
Until eventually…
“Found it.”
Inside of a giant room, the [Citadel of Dusk Exit Pillar] was there.
“Now we can go to the 9th floor,” he grinned, “Easier to grind, and we’ll also be closer to completing my advancement task.”
“Let’s go!”
The three advanced forward.
But then out of nowhere, from the corner of Alex’s vision, a subtle distortion in the air caught his attention.
His instincts screamed a warning.
“Get ready,” he growled, his eyes narrowing.
A flicker of shadow flashed before them, and then the [Assassin of Dusk] revealed itself.
Emerging from the void like a phantom, the figure dashed at them, swinging its daggers.
“Aurelia!”
“On it!”
The assassin girl threw her [Shadow Control Daggers], controlling them in a way so that the [Assassin of Dusk] is forced to back away.
“You never learn, do you,” a low voice came from under the hood of the assassin, who span his daggers in his hands, “This time, I’ll break your soul.”
‘A monster that can talk…’ Alex mumbled, “Be careful, he’s smarter than most monsters.”
Cloaked in swirling darkness, the assassin’s piercing white eyes burned with malice.
Two massive daggers, black as night and dripping with a faint, ethereal mist, gleamed in its hands.
Its form was lithe and agile, a predator perfectly adapted to kill in silence.
Shadows seemed to ripple unnaturally around it, as if the darkness itself obeyed its commands.
The boss’s voice echoed, low and malevolent.
“You trespass in the realm of dusk. Your arrogance will be your undoing.”
[Assassin of Dusk – Floor 8 Boss]
[HP: 600,000,000]
[Skills: Shadow Meld, Dagger Dance, Silent Execution, Shroud of Night, Phantom Step, Void Strike, Pierce of Despair, Shadow Chains, Lethal Instinct, Dark Surge]
The assassin struck first, vanishing into a veil of darkness.
The air grew colder, and Alex’s senses sharpened.
“Spread out!” Alex commanded.
His fox summons immediately darted into action, forming a protective perimeter.
The attack came like a lightning bolt.
The assassin reappeared behind Aurelia, its dagger slicing through the air toward her neck.
Before it could connect, a blinding flash of light erupted, a light-element fox intervened, its radiance disorienting the assassin just enough for Aurelia to dodge and counter with her daggers.
“Free Control: Dagger Flurry!” Aurelia shouted, her blades whirling in a deadly dance.
The assassin twisted impossibly in mid-air, narrowly avoiding the assault.
“Huh, since when did you learn to do that,” Alex asked.
“A lot can happen in a month,” Aurelia grinned.
The battle erupted into chaos.
The fox summons joined the fray.
The fire-element foxes lunged first, releasing torrents of flame that forced the assassin to retreat, only for the water-element foxes to follow up with high-pressure water jets.
Each element countered the other’s cooldowns, working seamlessly together.
“Bleeding Claws!” Alex roared, his hands morphing into crimson, serrated claws that glowed with destructive energy.
He lunged at the assassin, his speed enhanced by his agility and the [All Elements Fox Summons] passive aura.
The assassin met Alex head-on, its twin daggers clashing with his claws.
Sparks flew as they exchanged rapid blows, Alex’s raw power matching the boss’s terrifying speed.
“Void Strike!” The assassin’s voice hissed.
One of its daggers elongated unnaturally, aiming for Alex’s chest.
The attack landed, sending Alex flying into a wall.
But his increased attributes tanked most of the damage.
Alice retaliated.
“Space Arrows!” she called, her bow glowing with spatial energy.
An arrow warped reality as it flew, piercing the assassin’s shoulder and distorting the air around it.
-24,747,894!
The boss staggered but vanished again into shadows.
“Keep your eyes open!” Alex growled, recovering from the blow.
His fox summons reoriented, the electric-element foxes letting loose bursts of electricity that lit up the shadows.
The assassin reappeared above Alice, its daggers poised for a lethal strike.
But before it could land, Aurelia’s daggers shot out like bullets, deflecting the weapons mid-strike.
“Dual Fang!”
“Dude, what?” now Alex was just confused.
The assassin hissed, retreating to the ground, only to be bombarded by the foxes.
The darkness foxes surrounded it, their auras siphoning its energy and reducing its speed.
The assassin lashed out, slicing through four of the foxes, but Alex seized the opening.
Demonic Spear! Arc of Divinity!
Both attacks hit the assassin straight on, staggering him for a second.
That second was all Alex needed as he dashed forward.
His claws tore into the assassin’s torso, leaving deep, glowing wounds that bled a dark, inky mist.
“Game over,” Alex smiled.
Now that he had the assassin within range, and each of his strikes dealt more than 60,000,000 damage, it was already over!
Slash! Slash! Slash! Experience exclusive tales on empire
-68,362,900! -68,362,900! -68,362,900!
“What the…” The assassin writhed, its white eyes dimming, “HOW?!”
It attempted one last attack.
“Dark Surge!” Shadows erupted from its form in a violent wave, knocking back the fox summons and the group.
Alex staggered but held his ground.
“Enough!” He lunged forward, his claws glowing brighter than ever.
With a final, feral strike, he tore through the assassin’s chest, shattering its core.
The boss let out a haunting screech before its form dissolved into shadows.
Victory Notifications
[Ding! You have slain the “Assassin of Dusk” and gained 5,000,000,000 experience points!]
[You have extracted the “Dagger of Eternal Dusk” (Divine+)]
The fox summons gathered around Alex, their ethereal forms flickering as their cooldown approached.
Alice and Aurelia joined him, both exhausted but victorious.
“That thing was fast,” Aurelia muttered, wiping blood off her daggers.
Alice nodded, her bow dissipating.
“Too fast, but we handled it.”
Alex glanced at the notifications. “Floor 8 boss down. One step closer to the top.”
[2 Floor Bosses remain.]
He turned toward the massive gates leading to the next floor, determination etched on his face.
“Time to conquer the Tower of Destiny.”