This incoming attack was full power of this phase 2 boss, as stealing his Strength had no impact on it. ‘I’ll steal his Mana.’
Almond’s visor-helm and armor faintly glowed as he activated his final two toggle-type item skills.
—Aurelion Halo: Surrounds the user’s head with a glowing, radiant halo, increasing all allies’ Focus and Perception by +20 within a 30-meter radius. Cost: 1% Mana per second.
And,
—Radiant Fortress: For 10 seconds, absorb a certain amount of damage depending on incoming attacks’ potency and turn it into destructive-type damage spear projectiles back at the enemies. Cost: 20% of max mana.
The tsunami struck the multiple barriers, and that was when Almond felt the terrible impact. ‘Fuck.’
Marcus and Maya’s defensive skills were destroyed instantly.
Almond’s defensive skills absorbed the damage of powerful waves while releasing spears at the black-ink sharks that attacked his barriers constantly, but the rebound spears released from the Radiant Fortress barrier also constantly killed the sharks.
“This is crazy,” Marcus was dumbfounded.
Everyone knew they’d died without Almond’s defenses.
This heroic challenge turned out to be way out of their league! They at least needed the same level of item set as Almond’s to even participate in the battle properly!
This unceasing tsunami attack against Almond’s defensive effects drained a lot of his Mana, almost dropping below 90%, but Almond also shifted his Divine Divider’s Harvest, putting in more willpower this time as he roared, diving Kizalor’s Mana and absorbing it!
“One attack each,” Almond spoke. “We finish him.”
“Let’s go,” Lily whispered, crimson-black cracks gleaming all over her body.
The wave attack was over as Kizalor roared and jumped, wrapped in a fiery dark blue aura with wild ink lashes around his body and swords.
Almond met him head-on with his dual heavy swords, injecting a Spirit Syringe into himself and Lily.
‘Sacrifice more of your blood, Lily. Kizalor’s defense is tougher now. We need both of our full-powered attacks, as powerful as possible.’
Almond conversed with Lily using Magic Whisper.
‘We only have one chance. If we fail, we could lose some lives.’
‘I’ll be ready, darling.’
Lily was dashing at high speed as Almond and Kizalor were 60 meters away, empowering her attack more as she sacrificed the recovered Vitality.
*Crack…*
The high-quality, rare-grade dagger in her hand cracked as she had used 80% of her Mana + 80% another after she recovered just now.
Seeing Almond and Kizalor clashing at insane speed, with Almond using Lightning to the fullest to get an advantage on the clashes, Lily circled around the two, building her pace and waiting for the opportunity, her eyes pupils stilled as she entered a highly concentrated state.
Experience more tales on empire
Kizalor was even faster and stronger in phase 2, but Almond was using his high Lightning mastery and sword attacks to shave Kizalor’s vitality slowly and remain on par in the clashes. Shock and Paralyse effects were drastically reduced, but it still worked enough to give him an advantage over the clashes despite his slightly slower speed and senses.
Kizalor suddenly moved back at a sonic speed, acquiring 50 meters of distance to use a skill, but Almond was precisely waiting for this moment!
Espada Ad Grimveil!
Rift Displacement!—Severe a space and displace it.
As Kizalor raised both of his swords, about to unleash the skill, Almond arrived behind him and used another technique.
Absolute Severing!— Sunder everything you can perceive.
*Slash!*
Kizalor’s arms flew, disarmed and armless!
Lily arrived right below him, her single dagger filled with cracks glinting brightly as she zoomed upward as if a black star were shooting up, stabbing it into Kizalor.
All four of her Dreadspire Elements enveloped Kizalor while a devastating corroding attack thrust into him. Crimson-black cracks formed around his back belly where the dagger struck as Lily’s third specialized class skill impacted.
Voidless Sunderer: Deals devastating darkness-attribute and blood-attribute damage with rapid corrosion and break effect. Cost: 10% of maximum vitality + ??% of Vitality as a sacrifice to increase the skill’s overall potency.
*BOOOM!*
Kizalor’s back cracked into nothingness, devoured by darkness.
-22% vitality!
Kizalor roared, completely immobilized, but his will undaunted as his aura flared, unleashing orbs to chaotically attack them.
But Almond wasn’t about to back down as his new full-powered attack was prepared!
Almond’s speed drastically increased as he rotated his body at high speed, turning into a lightning tornado of a wingless dragon shape.
Everyone was slack-jawed.
‘Do it,’ Lily’s eyes sparkled, surging with the thrill of witnessing that attack again, in a new glory.
‘Fuck, that’s way bigger than what he showed us two days ago!’ Natalia was tongue-tied.
‘Wings,’ Maya’s eyes widened. ‘The addition of wings upgraded that battle art technique.’
It happened in a second.
Kizalor was trying to regain his bearing and wildly unleashing projectiles to buy time, but the Rising Dragon made of lightning, now with the addition of wind attribute turning into a fearsome storm dragon thanks to his wings, was like a golden terror of sky.
In addition, Almond had also used his fourth Spirit Syringe to recover Mana and used 80% of it to entirely empower Rising Dragon with Golden Haze Lightning.
This Rising Dragon, created by his magic control and body movement, was a living skill formation executed live by using all usable skills, item effects, and physical prowess to manifest an art of one’s combat—known as one’s Battle Art technique.
And this was Almond’s offense-type Battle Art Technique—Rising Dragon’s Roar!
*Crackle! Booom!*
The giant dragon struck Kizalor, and upon impact, the dragon shrank drastically at insane speed while enveloping Kizalor in a hellish golden storm.
Kizalor’s body burned and turned plasma before vanishing as the entirety of the attack impacted him.
Almond fell on the floor, his entire body battered and broken, his consciousness also flickering.
‘I pushed too much…’
His last spirit syringe wobbly manifested and twerked towards him before stabbing him.
“Almond!” Lily rushed towards him and quickly took out potions.
“We won…” Marcus muttered.
“Only because of Almond,” Maya composed her breathing, still feeling rattled. “This is clearly not for random Silver rank adventurers. We need superior gear like him, skills, and stats to even get a chance to fight.”
“Yeah, who the hell put such tough challenges on the second floor?” Natalia lay on the floor, feeling relief. “I seriously saw death during that tsunami. Thanks, Almond. You destroyed my death flag.”
Almond got up and wearily smiled, feeling heavily exhausted. He exerted himself beyond his limit three times, and even though he recovered fully because it was his willing self-destruction to execute those skills, the exhaustion still settled inside.
Memories also flooded his mind or rather unsealed. He didn’t pay heed to it for now since he was in mental strain.
“And here it comes,” Lily said as the magic circle vanished and a portal manifested in its place.
[Congratulations! You have achieved a tremendous feat by defeating a Heroic Challenge Floor Boss of the second floor—Ruined Lord Kizalor of Meltizaar!]
[Along with the challenge completion reward, an additional reward is in the process of generating based on the performance.]
[You have defeated this Ruined Lord Kizalor within 1 minute and 3 seconds. Your party has placed 4th rank in the Grimworld Heroic Challenge Leaderboard – Heroic Spirit Floor 2 Section. Please name your party.]
Marcus blinked and uttered, “Holy shit.”
“We are going to be so rich…in power!” Natalia exclaimed. “Let’s fucking go.”
“Let’s decide the party time now. The reward’s not here yet,” Maya said, appearing eager and excited. “I suggest Heroic Adventurers.”
“…”
“…”
“…”
“That…was unexpected coming from you,” Almond smiled.