Ch. 281: Chapter 281-290
Chapter 281 Standoff Against A Juggernaut
"I think I finally understand that feeling of tension that everyone was exuding before we entered the Hidden Domain," Keane said as he ran beside Lux and with the rest of the members of the Rowan Tribe.
"Yes," Lux replied. "They knew that the moment they entered the portal, their lives would be in great danger. This is probably why all the Guilds banded together at the very beginning in order to advance as a single unit.
"If we had all headed towards the Sacred Dungeon by ourselves, we would have been easily killed off one by one by the Monsters that lurk within this forest."
Cai didn't say anything and simply carried the members of the Rowan Tribe who were injured on her back. This was the first time she had entered the Hidden Domain, but everytime her grandfather sent an expedition to challenge the Sacred Dungeon, more than half of the teenagers he sent didn't return.
This was also why going to the Hidden Dungeon wasn't a compulsory order. Everyone had the right to reject him. Even so, more than twenty people answered his call, and accompanied Cai to one of the most dangerous places in Elysium, which had already claimed countless lives.
Out of the thirty members of the Rowan Tribe Faction, five had died, and four more were injured during their retreat.
The other guilds had also suffered several casualties, but now was now the time to assess how many members they had remaining. What mattered was reaching the Sacred Dungeon as soon as possible.
As soon as they were able to enter it, even if they died inside the dungeon, they would just be teleported outside the Gates of the Hidden Domain, allowing them to live another day.
Countless roars, growls, and shrieks could be heard behind them, but no Beasts followed their retreat.
They were busy devouring the corpses of the Mosquitoes, as well as their Beast Cores, like opportunistic hyenas enjoying the hardship of others.
Half an hour later, the long march ended as they all entered a spacious cave.
A collective sigh of relief was heard from around them because they had finally entered the path towards the Sacred Dungeon.
But this relief was fleeting once they saw the ten-meter-tall creature that was barring their way.
"An Adamantite Golem," Henrietta said with a grim look on her face. "This is bad. The pigmentation on its body shows that it is nearing the Deimos Rank."
For some reason, an Adamantite Golem stood at the path that would lead them to the Sacred Dungeon.
This Golem was incredibly sturdy and has a very high resistance against physical and magical attacks. Usually, it would take a thousand-men team to defeat a Golem of this rank, which was considered a Rank 5 World Boss.
—---
< Adamantite Golem >
– Ancient Construct
– Pseudo-Deimos Ranked World Boss
Health: 6,000,000 / 6,000,000
Mana: 100,000 / 100,000
Strength: 4,500
Intelligence: 200
Vitality: 4,000
Agility: 400
Dexterity: 400
Active Skills: Smash, Body Slam, Earthshaker, Gaia Smash, Rock Throw, Piledriver, Stone Edge, Jack Hammer.
Passive Skills: Enhanced Fortitude, Guts, Adamantium Body
Title: Unstoppable Juggernaut
—--
< Unstoppable Juggernaut >
– During battle, the Adamantite's Golem attack and defense would increase by 10% every time its health was reduced by 10%.
– When it initiates a charging attack, anything that gets hit by it would be instantly stunned, and knocked back without fail.
—--
None of the members of the various guild dared to step forward and even utter a sound. They were afraid that the Adamantite Golem would take their movements as a sign of aggression and immediately initiate an attack.
If in the past, they would welcome such a Boss Monster as an opponent, now it was different. Many of their comrades were injured, and they still had to challenge the Sacred Dungeon.
They couldn't afford to have any more casualties, so they didn't do anything that might provoke the towering Giant that was staring at them from a distance.
The standoff lasted for exactly ten minutes before the Adamantite Golem walked away. Only when it had disappeared from their sight did everyone manage to regain their composure.
Not all monsters inside the Hidden Domain were aggressive. Some, like the Golems, preferred solidarity. Since the teenagers didn't do anything to provoke it, the giant construct didn't label them as its enemies, and left the cave to look for another place to rest.
"Damn, I almost peed when the Golem looked at me," Cai said with shaky legs. "I don't think I'd survive if I got punched by that thing directly."
Lux and Keane nodded their heads in agreement. A Pseudo-Deimos Ranked World Boss was definitely bad news, so not engaging it in battle was the best option they had.
"Let's go," Einar said as he led his guild members to march forward. His guild served as the Vanguard, so he and his men walked at the front of the formation.
Everyone followed suit. Finally after half an hour of walking, they finally reached a place that looked like a Mausoleum for the dead.
It looked very creepy, but at its center was a red portal that glowed faintly amidst the dim light that surrounded it.
"We will rest here for an hour before we set out to fulfill our own missions," Enlil said. "From here onwards, everyone is on their own."
The heads of each guild, and factions all nodded their heads in understanding. All of them had been ordered by their respective kingdoms, and factions to gather resources in the Sacred Dungeon.
As to what level of difficulty they would choose, only the high-ranking members of their guilds and teams knew.
During that hour-long break. The guilds that had healing classes like Clerics, Priests, and Life Mages, tended to the injured.
This included the injured members of the other guilds who had accompanied them along the way. This was the agreement that everyone continued to agree to anytime the Hidden Domain was challenged.
This was done to ensure that the next time the Hidden Domain opened, all the next participants would still perform their duties, in order to ensure the success of the missions that were entrusted to them.
Chapter 282 Just What Is Nero Scheming Now?
"Lux, are you okay?" Iris asked in a worried tone as he lightly patted Lux's body to look for any injuries that he might have received during their battles on the way to the Sacred Dungeon.
"I'm fine," Lux replied. "My summons and Eiko protected me."
"Pa!"
"Good job, Eiko."
"Ma!"
The baby Slime smiled happily as Iris patted her head. Astra, who was standing beside Iris, snorted at the baby Slime who was once again being pampered by his Master.
Eiko, on the other hand, ignored the Unicorn. She still hadn't won against Astra during their last rematch, and still treated the unicorn as its rival.
"How many people did the Academy lose?" Lux asked.
"Fifteen," Iris replied sadly. "Ten more are injured, but they are now being treated. Out of the forty members of our Guild, almost half of them died along the way. I pity our Guildmaster, Henrietta. She will have to write letters about the deaths of our Guild Members and send them to their parents. I'm sure that she will fall into a depression again once we return to the Academy."
Lux could only sigh in his heart after hearing Iris' words. Although he had just become the temporary leader of the members of the Rowan Tribe for this expedition, there had been people who died under his watch.
Cai said that he didn't need to worry about what happened because she would be the one to personally tell the news to her Grandfather.
The Boar's only regret was that she wasn't able to bring their bodies back to the Rowan Tribe, so that they would be given a proper burial.
"What level of difficulty will you and your group challenge later?" Lux whispered in Iris' ear.
"Hell Mode," Iris whispered back. "However, we will have to wait for Henrietta's decision as to whether we will continue according to what we discussed beforehand or not. Three of our five healers were killed, so the difficulty of conquering the Dungeon has increased."
Lux nodded his head in understanding.
"How about we combine our forces and challenge the Hell-Mode difficulty together?" Lux proposed. "When it comes to command, your Guildmaster can just focus on commanding your members, while I command the members of the Rowan Tribe. Do you think that will work?"
Iris pondered Lux's suggestion for a bit before glancing at her Guild Master. She didn't know if Henrietta would agree to Lux's suggestion, but she thought that it wouldn't hurt to ask if she would agree to this proposal or not.
"I'll ask her first," Iris replied. "However, I can't promise you that she will agree."
Lux nodded. "I understand. I'll wait for her reply."
Iris smiled before walking in the direction of her Guildmaster to pass on Lux's proposal to work together.
While this was happening, several guilds were also talking about collaborating with each other. The only problem was on how the resources of the Dungeon would be divided among them.
Ten minutes later, Henrietta approached Lux's group, alongside Iris and her other officers.
"Iris mentioned that you want to collaborate with our guild," Henrietta said with her arms crossed over her chest. "I saw how you fought in the Lionheart Tournament, so having you around, in addition to other members of the Elite Four, is very reassuring.
"However, be that as it may, having two teams will definitely mess up the chain of command. How about you and the members of the Rowan Tribe follow my commands instead? That way, we will be one unified unit, and will be able to clear this Dungeon smoothly."
Before Lux could even reply, Cai snorted as she looked at the purple-haired beauty who was looking at them with a smile.
"You wish!" Cai replied. "The Rowan Tribe will only follow My Daddy. Although our two factions have a very wonderful friendship, in regards to this matter, we will not yield."
The other members of the Rowan Tribe, including Xander, nodded their heads to agree with Cai's words. They only recognized the strong, and Lux had proven to them that he was strong during their sparring matches.
"Is that so?" Henrietta arched an eyebrow. "Then in that case we should just…"
"Wait a moment," Lux interjected before Henrietta could finish her words. "If the information that has been passed to me is correct, you will be asked to choose one of four paths once you reach the middle-point of the Dungeon in Hell Mode. Is this true?"
Henrietta nodded. "It is true."
"Then how about we compete?" Lux proposed. "Each of our teams will choose one of the four paths at the beginning. Whoever clears their chosen route first will become the temporary leader of both teams. How does that sound?"
Henrietta pondered for a bit before nodding her head. "I can agree to this condition. Whoever manages to clear one of the paths first will definitely have the capability to lead our combined forces. Very well, let's do this."
The purple-haired beauty then extended her hand for a handshake in order to close the deal.
"This competition sounds fun. Can I also join it?"
Just as Lux was about to shake hands with Henrietta, a confident voice sounded from their side, making the two of them glance towards where the voice had come from at the same time.
Nero walked towards Lux and Henrietta with a smile as he decided to join their competition in order to conquer the Hell Mode of the Sacred Dungeon.
"I overheard your discussion and thought that it is not a bad idea," Nero stated. "We only brought twenty five members on this expedition, and we lost six of them. Because of this, I am thinking of merging with Serenity for the duration of this mission and giving the role of temporary leader to Lady Henrietta.
"All I ask is that the resources be divided equally between our two guilds. As long as you can promise me that, we will gladly obey your orders. I think this is a better option than having two groups with separate leaders. This will only break the chain of command, and prevent our merged units from performing to the best of their abilities."
Henrieta nodded her head in satisfaction before glancing in Lux's direction.
"It seems that we do not need to compete any longer," Henrietta said before facing Nero. "As the Guild Master of Serenity, I happily welcome the Storm Dragons to join our team for this Dungeon exploration. Let's talk about how the shares will be divided in our temporary camp. Is that fine with you?"
"Of course," Nero replied with a smile. "I believe in Lady Henrietta's leadership, and I know that me and my members will be in good hands. As long as you don't betray our trust, we will be able to agree on many things."
"Very well. Let's negotiate over there."
"Ladies first."
Lux watched as the two Guild Masters moved to the corner of the cave and started to negotiate with each other.
The Half-Elf frowned but didn't say anything because it was Henrietta's choice whether to accept his offer or not.
However, for some reason, he had a nagging feeling at the back of his head as he looked at the brown-haired boy, whom he had defeated in the tournament not too long ago.
"Pa!"
"You feel it too, Eiko?"
"Pa!"
Lux rubbed his chin as he tried to understand this uncomfortable feeling that he was getting from Nero. He didn't know why his love rival suddenly decided to surrender the control of his guild members to Henrietta and join Serenity on their Dungeon expedition.
All he knew was that it didn't feel right, so he decided to let Eiko stay with Iris as Serenity challenged the Hell Mode of the dungeon.
Although not having the Baby Slime around would decrease his combat potential, he still decided to let Eiko accompany Iris in order to ensure that no harm would come to her.
'Just what is Nero scheming now?' Lux thought as he eyed the brown-haired boy. 'Whatever it is, I don't like it.'
As if sensing his gaze, Nero glanced in his direction and gave him a smirk. For a brief moment, a look of ridicule flashed through his eyes.
Nero had gotten over his loss to Lux after a week had passed. All that was in his head right now was to show everyone how competent he was, and prove that a single loss was not enough to tarnish the reputation he had built over the years through the hardships that he had encountered in Elysium.
Chapter 283 Entering The Sacred Dungeon
After the break, several of the Guilds that had lost a lot of members decided to temporarily merge with each other in order to challenge the Sacred Dungeon.
Since Henrietta and Nero had already agreed on merging their guilds together, she politely declined Lux's offer and led Serenity towards the entrance of the Sacred Dungeon.
Eiko was currently perched on top of Iris' head. Lux had a nagging feeling in his guts and felt like something might happen during the blue-haired beauty's dungeon expedition.
So in order to add another layer of protection, he asked the baby Slime to go and protect her Mama from the unforeseen dangers that she might encounter inside the Sacred Dungeon.
"Be careful, okay?" Lux whispered in Iris' ears. "Be extra careful around Nero, too. I feel something off about him."
"Okay," Iris replied before planting a kiss on Lux's cheeks. "Take care as well. I'll see you later."
Lux nodded before sending Iris back to her guild members.
Just as he was about to gather the members of the Rowan Tribe, so they could start challenging the Dungeon, two young men, whom Lux had fought in the competition, approached him.
"What level of difficulty are you planning to challenge?" Einar Mordosk, the Barbarian Prince whom Lux had fought during the Qualifier Matches, asked.
"Hell Mode," Lux replied.
"What a coincidence, we are also challenging Hell Mode," Vall, the Spider Boy, commented. "Do you want to join forces?"
Lux arched an eyebrow as he gazed at the two teenagers that were part of the Four Kings and Five Overlords. He had no doubt that both of them were strong because he had already experienced their strength.
However, he didn't understand why both of them were asking him to collaborate with them in challenging the Hell Mode of the Sacred Dungeon.
"May I ask why the two of you decided to team up with me?" Lux asked. "There are Guilds that have more members than the Rowan Faction. Wouldn't it be better to join them instead?"
"I only recognize strong people," Einar answered. "Since you have already proven your strength, having you watch my back will give me some peace of mind."
"He's right. I also feel the same way," Vall commented. "As long as we can agree to the division of the spoils, I'm sure that we will be able to loot more gains than any of the other factions aiming to challenge the Sacred Dungeon."
Lux glanced at Cai in askance, but the latter simply shrugged. Their main goal was to get the Sacred White Lotus inside the dungeon. If Einar and Vall agreed that their faction would be the one getting the flower, there would be room for cooperation.
"We came here for the Sacred White Lotus," Lux stated. "You can have the majority of the resources we'll gain inside the Dungeon, but this flower must be handed over to us."
"Ah. The Flower that is said to cure the Purple Plague? Sure. I don't mind," Einar casually waved his hand. "It doesn't matter who gets it. The cure will be shared with everyone within the Six Kingdoms after it is made after all."
Vall nodded his head in agreement. "I also don't have a problem with this arrangement. How about this? You get the flower, as well as 20% of the overall spoils in the dungeon. Einar and I will have 40% each. How does that sound?"
"I agree to this condition," Lux replied and extended his hand for a handshake. "Pleasure working with the two of you."
Einar and Vall smiled as they shook the Half-Elf's hand one after the other. No one had been able to clear the Hell Mode of the Dungeon.
In fact, no one fully understood how this mode worked because most challengers were wiped out after just a few minutes of entering it.
They had only heard that the weakest monsters that were inside the dungeon were at least Rank 3, and it was suspected that the Boss Monsters in Hell Mode were either Pseudo-Deimos Ranked or Argonaut Ranked, but either way, they were extremely hard to kill.
Since no one had seen these bosses for themselves, only speculations of their rank served as basis.
However, the teenagers wanted to believe that the one that they would be fighting against was similar to the Adamantite Golem that they had met along the way to the Sacred Dungeon.
Even so, the thought of fighting such a monster was something they wanted to avoid as much as possible.
The Half-Elf glanced at Diablo, who was seated on Nightmare. Right now, Diablo's attack and defense stats had returned to normal because there were no dead monsters nearby.
It seemed that the boost on attack and defense given by the Blood Fervor Skill would disappear after an hour of staying idle or lack of corpses around the Skeleton Rider.
Even so, Lux wasn't worried. If Einar and Vall would indeed work alongside him to challenge the Dungeon, the chances of getting the flower was higher.
After finalizing the division of spoils, the three factions agreed that each of them would be commanding their own troops in battle.
Although this had a con of not being a cohesive unit as a whole, its advantage was flexibility. Each team could execute their attacks and defense, without worrying about the other guild that they were allied with.
—---
< You have Chosen Hell Mode >
—--
The mechanical voice sounded inside Lux's head before his group, as well as the guilds that had joined his party, disappeared from where they stood in front of the entrance of the Dungeon.
By the time they opened their eyes, they found themselves in a spacious hallway, enough for ten of Lux's Rock golems to walk side by side.
Those who had challenged the Hell Dungeon in the past reported that they were teleported in this very same hallway, before facing groups of Rank 4 Monsters that numbered in the dozens, led by an Alpha Monster of the same rank.
This was the reason why most of those who challenged this dungeon hadn't been able to go far. Monsters with that quantity and quality were simply hard to fight with less than thirty members in a party.
The maximum number of people that could enter the Instance Dungeon was a hundred.
Instance Dungeons were special areas, typically a Dungeon that could generate a new copy of the same location for each group, or for a certain number of players that entered the area.
Even if all the members of the expedition were to challenge the Sacred Dungeon at the same time, they would still be sent to different copies of the dungeon, unless they were in the same party.
"Everyone, raise your guard," Einar shouted. "We don't know what lies before us, so make sure to always keep your attention on your surroundings."
Just like their set up on the way to the Dungeon, Einar's group took the lead as the Vanguard, Vall's team served as scouts, while Lux's team served as reinforcements that guarded all sides.
After walking two hundred steps, the ground under their feet trembled.
Lux, who had experienced something similar in the Bronze Crypt, immediately issued commands to his teammates.
"Monsters might come out of the ground," Lux announced. "Everyone, brace yourselves!"
Cai immediately transformed into her Second Form and glanced at the ground under her feet.
As if waiting for that cue, several bony hands rose up to hold onto her hooves, but the Boar was one step ahead of them, and used her tusks to shatter the hands that dared to try to bind her in place.
The other members of the Rowan tribe did the same, but they were still surprised when they found themselves surrounded by hundreds of High-Level Undead that rose up from the ground underneath their feet.
"Do not panic!" Vall ordered his guild members, who had almost broken their formation. "Stand your ground! Protect the healers!"
Not far from them, the Barbarians handled the Skeletons calmly as they smashed their war axes into their bodies, cleaving their body parts.
The Undead were actually very weak, at most Rank 2 Monsters, but instead of being relieved, a frown appeared on Lux's, Vall's, and Einar's faces.
The information they received told them that the weakest monsters in the Hell Mode of the Dungeon were Rank 4 Monsters, so they couldn't help but wonder where these weak monsters were coming from.
As soon as they finished decimating the Undead around them, they heard a hollowed cackling sound, as if someone found their act very funny.
Half a minute later, the bones lying on the ground rose up in the air and combined together, forming a dozen Black Bone Golems.
"Rank 4 Grim Terror Bone Golems," Einar muttered as he held the War Axe firmly in his hand.
Lux, who had a strong connection with the Undead was still feeling wary of the cackling sound he'd heard earlier.
Although the dozen Rank 4 Bone Golems were quite difficult to handle, he was sure that whoever laughed at them earlier, posed a much higher threat than the monsters that were currently towering above their heads.
Chapter 284 Show Him The Power Of The Real King
The Rank 4 Grim Terror Bone Golems were no ordinary Rank 4 Monsters.
They were Rank 4 Alpha Monsters.
Even as a group with less than a hundred members, fighting against a dozen Rank 4 Alpha Monster was doable. But what concerned Lux, Einar, and Vall, the respective leaders of the three factions that had allied together to challenge the Sacred Dungeon, was not these high-level monsters, but the monster who was pulling the strings from the shadows.
"We'll take down four each," Lux shouted. "The first one to finish their targets would assist the other two groups."
"Sounds like a plan," Einar commented.
Vall smiled without saying anything. Instead, he once again transformed into the Elegant Golden Jumping Spider, whose strength was just slightly stronger than one of the Grim Terror Bone Golems that they were fighting right now.
Immediately, a battle erupted as the teenagers divided the monster into three groups.
Lux had summoned his minions, letting Diablo, Ishtar, Pazuzu, and Orion deal with two of the Bone Golems, while Cai, Keane, and the rest of the other teenagers of the Rowan Tribe dealt with the other two.
Naturally, Lux fought with the assistance of his summons in order to speed up the process. Although the battle was fierce, all the teenagers were able to kill their opponents one by one.
The first one to finish their enemies was none other than Lux's group. After that, they immediately helped Vall's team, and lastly, Einar's.
When the last of the Giant Bone Golems collapsed on the ground, their whole group cheered for having won a hard battle. However, there were four people who weren't smiling, and simply glanced at the shattered bones around them.
Lux, Einar, Vall, and Keane, didn't let their guard down.
It was as if they already knew what was going to happen next, and all of them were preparing to unleash their strongest attack at a moment's notice.
Suddenly, another cackling laughter echoed within the hallways.
A moment later, the bones that were lying on the ground, floated in the air and converged together, as if forming into something. The teenagers that had watched this scene felt a shiver run down their spine.
In just a minute, a giant Skeleton with obsidian bones, wearing a black crown on its head, roared in front of them.
Lux narrowed his eyes as the information of their new opponent appeared before him.
-----
< Red-Eyed Obsidian Skeleton King >
: Skeleton King
: Rank 5 Field Boss Monster
Health: 3,750,000 / 3,750,000
Mana: 250,000 / 250,000
Strength: 1500
Intelligence: 500
Vitality: 2500
Agility: 600
Dexterity: 600
----
As soon as the Red-Eyed Obsidian Skeleton King took a fighting stance, the unholy cackling spread in the hallways, as if mocking the teenager's futile struggle for survival.
"Let me handle this," Cai stepped forward as it glared at the Field Boss Monster in front of it. "Third Gear..."
However, before it could even activate it's Trump Card that it wasn't able to use in the tournament, Lux raised his hand sideways in order to stop the Boar from continuing its next transformation.
"Leave it to me," Lux replied. "None of you interfere."
As a Necromancer, he felt as if the one laughing somewhere in the dungeon was mocking him. This was something that he couldn't stand and he decided to make it choke on its laughter by activating his latest Trump Card.
After the tournament ended, Alexander had passed to him a golden ring where the rewards for the Champion were stored. When Lux received the ring, he wasn't able to believe what he saw because the rewards were simply too good to be true.
Six Argonaut Ranked Beast Cores
Twelve Deimos Ranked Beast Cores.
A hundred Rank 5 Beast Cores
A thousand Rank 4 Beast Cores
Two thousand Rank 3 Beast Cores
Three thousand Rank 2 Beast Cores
Five thousand Rank 1 Beast Cores.
A million gold coins.
There were also several weapons, armors, and artifacts, which Lux planned to use during the dungeon expedition.
Lux had used all of his Rank 1 Beast Cores and nearly exhausted his Rank 2 Beast Cores in order to unlock another ally that would make his Undead Legion's strength increase drastically.
------
"Asmodeus, shut his trap," Lux ordered. "Show him the power of the real King."
Immediately, a magic circle appeared beside Lux, and his newest Named Creature made his presence known to all.
------
< Asmodeus >
"I stopped fighting my inner demons. We are on the same side now."
: Named Skeleton Mage
: Lich Lord
: Rating: A
: Progress ( 0 / 40,000)
Health: 10,000 / 10,000
Mana: 140,000 / 140,000
Strength: 105
Intelligence: 700
Vitality: 200
Agility: 105
Dexterity: 105
Active Skills: Tame Undead, Bone Prison, Death Coil, Life Drain, Summon Deathscythe, Poison Dagger, Summon Flame Skulls, All of Lux's Active Skills.
Passive Skills: Mana Regeneration, Health Regeneration, All of Lux's Passive Skills.
Title: Lord's Equal
-----
: Asmodeus is your fifth Named Creature and has been bestowed the title of Lord's Equal.
: This Named Creature has gained the ability to evolve.
< Lord's Equal >
: Regardless of what happens in the future, this Named Creature will be forever loyal to you.
: As his Lord's Equal, Asmodeus would be able to summon the exact same number of minions that his Master can summon, with the exceptions of Named Creatures.
: As his Lord's Equal, Asmodeus would be able to use all the Necromantic Spells that his Master currently has.
: As his Lord's Equal, Asmodeus will gain access to all of his Master's skills, with the exception of Blood-line abilities.
: When fighting alongside his Master, all of Asmodeus Stats will increase by 50%
Note: The devil is and always will be a gentleman.
-----
< Tame Undead >
: You will be able to tame any undead creatures that are two ranks higher than you.
: Maximum number of Tamed Creatures is one.
: If you tame another Undead Creature while you own another, the first Undead Creature will disappear and be replaced by the new one.
------
A lich, who wore kingly robes and a bejeweled golden crown on his head, appeared beside Lux and looked up at the Red-Eyed Obsidian Skeleton King.
"This hallway isn't big enough for two kings," Asmodeus said with a trace of amusement in its cold voice. "But I'll make an exception if you become my servant."
As if feeling that its dignity had just been challenged, the Skeleton King glared at the Lich Lord, who dared to think of making it his servant, and raised its obsidian sword in preparation to strike the lich down.
"So the answer is no?" Asmodeus raised his finger and pointed it at the Skeleton King's head. "What you think doesn't really matter. The one who gets to decide your fate is me, not you."
The Skeleton King had enough of the Lich's bullsh*t and decided to erase its existence from the world.
"Tame Undead."
The Giant Obsidian Sword stopped a foot away from Asmodeus' head. Cai, Keane, Einar, and Vall had already distanced themselves away from the Giant Skeleton King, thinking that it would instantly annihilate Lux's newest Named Creature and attack them all afterwards.
However, the scene they were expecting didn't happen. Instead, their eyes widened in shock at the unexpected turn of events that happened in front of them.
The Giant Obsidian Skeleton King raised its sword once again and knelt like a knight in front of Asmodeus, swearing its fealty to its new lord.
Suddenly, a roar of anger reverberated within the hallway. Clearly, it wasn't pleased with what had happened to its servant.
"What's wrong?" Lux sneered at the end of the hallway. "No longer laughing?"
A wrath-filled roar followed suit, but after that, the entire hallway suddenly became quiet.
The only thing that could be heard was the ragged breathing of everyone, who was still in disbelief of what just happened in front of them.
"D-Did he just tame a Rank 5 Field Boss Monster?" Cai stuttered in disbelief.
"Yes," Keane, who was standing not far from her, replied.
Einar and Vall both had their lips tightly shut as they glanced at Lux who had his arms crossed over his chest. They thought that they had already seen the extent of his power during the tournament. However, what they saw now was simply unbelievable. If they didn't witness it personally, they wouldn't believe it even if it was said to them by someone they trusted.
Just before everyone could come to terms with what just transpired, the Giant Skeleton King reached out its palm towards Asmodeus.
A second later, the Giant Skeleton King placed the Lich Lord on its shoulders before standing up.
With a wave of his hand, Asmodeus summoned thirty-five Skeleton fighters, thirty skeleton Grand Archers, and two Rock Golems.
Having the Title, Lord's Equal, he had the exact same skills as Lux had, with the exception of his Dragon War Arts that could only be used by the power of the Dragon Bloodline.
This was also the reason why Lux didn't bat an eye when he asked Eiko to look after Iris. Asmodeus had the exact same powers as him, making him a true powerhouse among Lux's Named Creatures.
"Let's go," Lux ordered. "Asmodeus, lead the way."
"As you wish," Asmodeus gave Lux a respectful nod while seated on the shoulder of the Giant Obsidian Skeleton King.
He then led the way, while Lux and his skeletons followed behind. It took half a minute for the others to snap out of their daze and follow behind the Half-Elf, who made them realize that the Champion of the Tournament was more formidable than what they had seen during the tournament. they thought he would be.
Chapter 285 Into The Valley Of Death [Part 1]
"Um, is that Rank 5 Field Monster now a pet of yours?" Cai asked as it walked beside Lux.
"Not my pet," Lux answered. "It's Asmodeus' pet."
"But isn't that the same thing?"
"Well, in a way, yes."
For an Apostle, having a Rank 5 Field Boss Monster as a pet was something unthinkable. As far as Cai knew, only the powerful high-ranking nobles and the nobility in Elysium had the luxury of having one as their bodyguard, but for Solaians, having a Rank 5 Field Monster at their beck and call was truly unbelievable.
In fact, Lux should be the only Apostle-Grade teenager within the Six Kingdoms that had such a powerful "Pawn" by his side, which made them feel that clearing the Sacred Dungeon had now become a lot easier.
But, contrary to what everyone thought, Lux didn't feel the same way. If a Rank 5 Field Boss Monster was present at the very starting point of the Dungeon, it only meant that the one manipulating it earlier was a creature that far surpassed the Rank 5 threshold.
'Either Pseudo-Deimos or Deimos-Ranked,' Lux thought as he walked towards the end of the hallway. 'The worst case scenario is that the bosses in this Dungeon are Argonaut-Ranked.'
Although Lux had the Golden Dragon Token, which allowed him to summon Keoza, he was very reluctant to use it unless necessary. It was one of his life-saving Trump Cards, and it could only be used two more times.
He was prepared to use one of those opportunities when he entered the Sacred Dungeon because of the things he had heard about it. Even so, he only planned to use it as a last resort.
'I'll cross the bridge when I get there," Lux thought. 'If my life is in danger, I will not hesitate to use the token.'
Although dying inside the Dungeon would only reduce his stat points, this was something that Lux didn't want to happen. Even with the Beast Cores in his possession that could propel him to the Initiate Rank, he deemed that it was best to just use them to improve the quality of his Skeleton Summons first by staying in the areas that were exclusive for Apostles.
Also, he still hadn't met with Colette, Matty, and the others. The Half-Elf personally wanted to give them an apology for not telling them about the plan he had made in order to hoodwink Twilight Rain.
He had thought that the less people that knew about the plan, the safer they would be. Lux had gotten in the way of the Secret Organization many times, and they had even dispatched Initiates to deal with him.
If they found out that he had close ties with Colette and the others, the chances of them being targeted as well was high. This was why Lux decided to "die" as soon as possible. He hoped that the animosity of Twilight Rain would end with his death, and they would no longer target the people that were important to him in the Kingdom of Gweliven.
'I wonder if they are still mad at me…' Lux could only sigh in his heart as he neared the end of the Hallway. He knew that right now, he needed to focus on the task at hand, so he decided to set aside the topic of their reunion.
After exiting the hallway, they found themselves staring at a spacious hall with five closed gates with different colors.
Lux frowned as he walked at the golden gate that stood at the very center of the hallway and read the letters that glistened on its surface out loud for everyone to hear.
—-----
"Four horsemen of the Apocalypse,
Conquest, War, Famine, and Death.
These four laughed at the folly of humanity,
and watch mankind take its final breath."
– The First Rider feeds desperate places,
His white coat brings false hope.
For him, peace has two faces,
Strife that ends hanging on a bloody rope.
– The Second Rider brings carnage like a mad hound,
His red eyes filled with burning desire,
Dire screams fill the air when the trumpets sound,
War that ends deep in a sinister mire.
– The Third Rider never felt any reason to mourn,
His black soul laughs when others slowly decay.
People wish that they were never born,
Famine that ends in an uncontrolled dismay.
– The Fourth Rider is poisoned with wrath,
His pale skin breaks every heart filling it with fear.
Corpses laying on his traveled path,
Death that ends in a timeless tear.
– He who seeks to release these Devils upon the world.
Do you know what monsters you plan to let loose of your own accord?
Someone who's weak-willed must never even try,
For the consequences of their actions will make many people die.
—----
(A/N: The author of the poem is named Niels. I just added a few things, but the poem belongs to him. There's no other information I can get aside from the fact that he is 31 years old and lives in the Netherlands. All credit belongs to him.)
—----
After reading the words written on the golden gate, Lux glanced at the four other gates located on his left and right sides.
On each of the colored gates, the words Conquest, War, Famine, and Death were written respectively. According to what limited information they had, the Sacred White Lotus was seen on the gate that represented Death.
"So, which gate are we taking?" Einar, the Barbarian Prince asked.
Lux pointed at the Black Gate. "We're going to the Gate that represents Death."
"Sounds ominous," Vall commented from the side. "But, since we're already here, why not?"
Both Einar and Vall knew that Lux had come for the Sacred White Lotus. In fact, it was not only them. The majority of those that entered the Hidden Dungeon this time all changed their goals from challenging the Normal Mode into Hell Mode.
The reason for this was simple.
The Purple Plague was starting to become active again along the borders of the Six Kingdoms. Although proper steps were being taken to "freeze" all of those who were infected by the disease, they understood that this was merely a stop-gap measure, and not a cure for the problem at hand.
Because of this, the Six Kingdoms had ordered their elite candidates to acquire the Sacred White Lotus no matter the cost. Even if they had to ally themselves with other guilds to do it.
The Six Kingdoms, Barbatos Academy, and the Rowan Tribe had an unwritten agreement that whoever gets the Sacred White Lotus, its benefits would be shared to all of them.
—--
Welcome to the Valley of Death.
—--
The monotonous voice spread in the surroundings, as if confirming that they had really entered the Gate of Death.
Lux and the rest scanned their surroundings first to check for any hidden dangers that might be present in it.
Just like the name suggested, they had appeared in a valley, where countless bones littered the ground.
Several banners fluttered in the breeze, and each of them represented the armies that had fought to the death, covering the valley with the air of death and destruction.
Lux paid close attention to Diablo's stats to see if the dead bodies in the surroundings were boosting his Blood Fervor passive skill. Unfortunately, nothing changed. This meant that the dead bodies that littered the ground didn't trigger the passive skill's effects, and were merely there as props or for something sinister that they would have to face later on.
"Everyone, be careful," Einar shouted. "You already know what happened earlier. Stick together and do not wander around aimlessly. Also, don't touch anythi—"
Einar wasn't able to finish his sentence because Cai had already gone to the battlefield, picking up the swords that littered the ground.
"Hahaha! So many swords!" Cai said as it happily tossed the swords inside its storage bag. "Grandpa will be very pleased after I bring these back to him. Oh… this one is of high quality, not bad."
The corner of Einar's lips twitched. He shifted his attention to Lux and gave him the "Bro, can't you even take care of your own subordinates?" look.
Before Lux could even shout and tell Cai to return, the Boar suddenly shouted and uttered a curse.
As it was picking up a sword that it fancied, the hand that was holding the sword held it firmly, not wanting to let go.
"Damn, you're already dead and you still don't want to let go of this sword?" Cai cursed as it stomped on the Skeleton's arm with the intention of breaking it to pieces. "Let go!"
However, no matter how hard it stomped on the bony hand that held the ornate sword in a firm grip, it didn't shatter.
Just as Cai was about to unleash a barrage of stomps to show the Skeleton who was the boss, the ground under their feet trembled.
The Skeleton's other bony hand rose up to catch Cai's hoof and stopped it from descending on its sword arm, making the Boar squeal in shock.
A moment later, it propped itself up from the ground and pushed Cai's hoof with a force that sent the latter flying away like a cannonball.
Suddenly, the sounds of countless rattling bones reverberated in the surroundings. The noise was so loud that Lux was forced to cover his ears because he had very sensitive hearing.
"I knew it," Vall said in a helpless tone.
Everyone stood in shock as countless Skeletons rose up from where they lay, and raised their weapons towards the sky.
Lux immediately activated his appraisal skill and the information he saw made him understand that staying on the battlefield was an option that they couldn't afford to take.
"Run!" Lux shouted, as he ran straight towards the South East, with the intention of scaling the side of the mountains in order to escape the vast Skeleton army. Every single Skeleton within it were all Rank 4, making it impossible for any of them to stand up against them.
The only option was to escape and hope that the Skeletons would slow down on the uphill climb.
As everyone was running for their lives, Cai, who had been busy cursing at the Skeleton earlier, was running away from a chariot that was being manned by several Undead Warriors, which seemed to be keen on hunting her down.
In an attempt to escape its pursuers, it immediately transformed into its Second Form, Hildivisni, and charged like a madlad towards the Southeast in order to put as much distance as possible between her and her pursuers.
Everyone knew that if any of them were caught up by the Skeleton Legion, only death awaited them. This was why they ran with everything they had towards their destination because their lives depended on it.
Chapter 286 Into The Valley Of Death [Part 2]
When the teenagers scaled the cliffs beside the valley, the Skeleton Legion stopped pursuing them.
Instead they all returned to the battlefield and once again laid on the ground, as if nothing had happened.
Lux, Einar, and Vall gathered together to have a meeting as to what their next course of action would be.
"There is no information that we can use in exploring this Dungeon," Einar said. "From here on out, we just need to keep a close eye on our surroundings. We don't want to find ourselves surrounded by that massive Undead Army. There's simply no way out of that thing."
Lux and Vall nodded their heads. They were of the same opinion.
"I have a feeling that this Dungeon floor is just one big area with the Undead Army at its core," Vall commented. "It is possible that we need to reach its center in order to clear it. But, that is clearly suicide.
"Unless we really understand how this Dungeon works, it is best that we spend some time scouting the place. It will take a lot of time, but it will be safer to check the outskirts first than fight that Undead Army head-on."
Lux rubbed his chin as he pondered his next move. In truth, after they had run away from the Undead Army, he received a quest notification that explained how the Death Valley came to be.
—---
< The Flower of Death >
Mission Rating: S
– In the distant past, two warring kingdoms fought for supremacy within the Valley of Death. The battle was so fierce, that countless lives were lost during the conflict.
– However, just before the battle was about to reach a conclusion, a third party arrived and decimated the bulk of the two armies, forcing them to make a hasty retreat from the battlefield.
– Since then, no one has dared to enter the valley in fear that the countless people that died inside it would drag all of them to join them in the afterlife. Your Mission is to eliminate the third party that hides within the Valley of Death, and ensure that their tyranny ends once and for all.
< Quest Objective >
– Kill the Monstrous Terror Death Tyrant.
< Quest Rewards >
+10 to Skeleton Summoning Skills
+10 to Skeleton Archer Summoning Skills
+2 to Golem Summoning Skills
+2 to Skeleton Mage Summoning Skills
+5,000 Body Cultivation Points
– 500,000 Gold Coins
– Beholder's Legacy
– The Flower of Death
—--
The quest rewards were pretty straight forward with the exception of the Beholder's Legacy, as well as the Flower of Death.
The Half-Elf didn't know if the Flower of Death and the Sacred White Lotus were one and the same, but he had a feeling that it was no ordinary flower.
His only concern was how to inform his allies about the scary opponent that they would face, and how he managed to stumble upon such important information when this was his first time entering the Sacred Dungeon.
Perhaps, noticing his silence, Cai, who had always done everything at its own pace, poked his back with its hoof.
"What's wrong?" Cai asked. "Don't tell me those Skeletons scared you. You're supposed to be a Necromancer, right? Why don't you just let your Undead units fight them head-on. Also, you have the Obsidian Skeleton King as a lackey. Although it would only survive for ten minutes fighting that Undead Army, it will still be able to hold them off for a period of time."
Lux gave the Boar a side-long glance before shifting his gaze towards Einar, and Vall, who were waiting for his opinion about the problem that they were facing.
"Before I left the Academy, someone sent me an anonymous letter about the monster that we would be facing if we challenged the gate that had the word 'Death' written on it," Lux said with a calm expression on his face. "Included in the letter was the name of the enemy that we would have to face if we chose to enter this route."
The Half-Elf was trying to bullsh*t his way through this problem by using an anonymous letter as a base. Although it sounded suspicious, it was still a good alternative to prevent others from becoming overly suspicious about what he was about to say.
"An anonymous letter?" Cai asked. "What did it say?"
"It said, if you were to challenge the Gate of Death where the Sacred White Lotus can be found, be careful of the Monstrous Terror Death Tyrant that commands the Undead. It will be your greatest foe, and few have survived its deathly gaze and lived to tell the tale.
"W-What did you say?!" Einar couldn't believe what he had just heard and grabbed Lux's robes and lifted him in the air. "Oi. tell me that you're joking. You're telling us that the monster we are about to face is a Monstrous Terror Death Tyrant?! Do you have any idea what that is?!"
Even Vall, who was usually the most composed person in their group paled after hearing that the enemy they would be facing was a Monstrous Terror Death Tyrant.
This monster was often seen in High-Level Undead Dungeons, with a challenge Rating of A and above.
Simply put, the Monstrous Terror Death Tyrant was a Pseudo-Deimos-Ranked World Boss, which was similar to the Adamantite Golem that they saw on the way to the Sacred Dungeon. It was not an easy opponent to face and all recovery, and healing abilities didn't work under its gaze.
The worst part was that anyone that died would be raised up as an Undead, and would become its slave for life. The only way to free them from this unholy servitude was to kill the Monstrous Terror Death Tyrant.
Death Tyrants, in general, were former Beholders. These were giant, sphere-like monsters with tentacle-like protrusions (sometimes called eye-stalks) on their bodies that contained eyes, and one giant central eye at the center of its main body.
They were truly horrifying existences, and no one wanted to face such creatures whenever they explored labyrinths, or any other ancient ruins, because of how nefarious they were.
It was almost impossible to ambush a beholder because its many eyes could see in every angle. Also, all of them contained an ability of their own. A Beholder's eyes could petrify, charm, instill fear, slow, paralyze, blind, and instantly kill their enemies.
There were occasions when all of these abilities were used all at once, in order to finish off their enemies in one fell swoop. They were also very resistant to magic because the central eye emitted an Anti-Magic Field, preventing anyone from harming it with magic.
A Death Tyrant was a Beholder who had dreamt itself to exist beyond death, or something or someone had been turned into one due to outside interference. Either way, it had retained its intelligence, and gained a few other abilities that would put all living creatures under its mercy.
"Now, I fully understand why no one was able to conquer the Hell Dungeon," Xander, one of the Five Overlords and member of the Rowan Tribe, commented.
"If the four gates that represent Conquest, War, Famine, and Death, each have a Pseudo-Deimos Monster as its boss, it could only mean that the Golden Gate at its center—which I believe would open once the four gate had been conquered—would have a Deimos-Ranked Monster, or possibly even a Pseudo-Argonaut Monster inside it."
Those who heard Xander's words shuddered at the nearly impossible mission that they were facing.
For some reason, the Sacred Dungeon could only hold five-hundred people at any given time. This included those who were challenging the dungeon separately from the rest. Because of this, the Six Kingdoms, the Barbatos Academy, and Rowan Tribe, could only send a limited number of individuals each time the Hidden Domain opened.
Because of greed, and their own pursuit for power, they had never considered forming a five-hundred man team to challenge the Dungeon as a group, and instead settled for smaller parties, in the hope that the gains they would get would outweigh the dangers that their limited numbers would be facing.
Lux, who was still being raised high up in the air by Einar, lightly tapped the Barbarian's wrist with his hand.
"Regardless of what we are facing, we have no choice but to face it," Lux replied. "You came here knowing the dangers that we are going to face. You, me, and everyone here, all of us have no choice but to continue moving forward. Or are you saying that you are giving up? If you are then feel free to leave this place in a manner of your choosing."
Einar snorted but he lowered Lux and allowed him to stand on his two feet once again. He didn't have any intention of hurting the Half-Elf. It was just that his body moved on its own and before he knew it, he was already holding the Half-Elf in his hands.
Just like the Half-Elf had said, he came here knowing the dangers he would face. He was just surprised that the opponent they would be facing right off the bat would be something so sinister that he wanted to confirm if the information Lux was sharing with them was true.
"Let's rest here for an hour," the Half-Elf said as he glanced at the distant battlefield in the center of the valley. "After that, we will split into teams and scout the surrounding areas. If we really don't find anything else, prepare yourselves for an uphill battle. We will definitely have a tough time from this moment onwards."
Chapter 287 Staring Into The Eyes Of Death [Part 1]
The Valley of Death's terrain was much more complicated than Lux had originally expected. It had marshlands, forests, and uneven terrains, which made it difficult to navigate.
Since they already had an idea about what they were going to face, the three factions that were led by Lux, Einar, and Vall scoured the surrounding areas to check its every nook and cranny.
Several hours later, they met at the make-shift camp they had set up and told each other their findings.
"Just as we expected, there are no animals or any other forms of life aside from the flora in the surroundings," Einar said as he used a branch to draw on the ground. "In the Northeast, there is a marshland. Some of the areas are relatively deep, but at most, it would only reach up to our chests."
Vall, who also held a branch in his hand, drew something on the Southwest corner of the map.
"I traveled to the outskirts of the Valley of Death to check if I would incite any reactions from the Undead," Vall stated. "However, the Skeleton Army didn't make a move to intercept me, and simply stayed where they were. Thanks to that, I was able to travel to the other side and see what lay beyond that point."
"Unfortunately, just as Einar said earlier, I only saw a forest, a marshland, and uneven terrain. I didn't see any living creatures. Even the buzzing of insects was non-existent."
Lux sighed in his heart. Since there was nothing that could be found along the outskirts of the Dungeon, it meant that they had no choice but to head towards the center, which was protected by hordes of Undead whose weakest Monster was Rank 4.
Einar and Vall both had frowns on their faces. They just couldn't think of a way to deal with the vast hordes of Undead to get to the center of the Valley of Death, where they believed the Monstrous Terror Death Tyrant was hiding.
"So, what's the plan?" Einar asked.
"Should you even be asking that?" Vall snorted. "Since there is no other way but to go forward, we will have no choice but to go forward."
Lux, who was still staring at the map drawn on the ground, remained calm, which surprised the two teenagers who were with him.
"Actually, this isn't as bad as you think it is," Lux said after a few minutes of silence. "Although it will take us a long time to achieve it, I believe that we will be able to overcome the Hordes of Monsters. However, in order for that to happen, I will need both of your full cooperation."
Einar arched an eyebrow as he gazed at the Half-Elf, who seemed to have formulated a plan in his head.
"You have my attention," Vall commented. "As for my cooperation, let me hear you out first."
Einar nodded his head in agreement. Although he didn't mind charging into a horde of Undead to directly smash them to pieces, he needed to know if his effort would pay off in the end.
"Trust me," Lux said. "Even if it takes a day, or two, as long as we reach a certain milestone, even if we faced the Monstrous Terror Death Tyrant, I have the confidence to kill it."
Einar and Vall glanced at Lux. The Half-Elf's words sounded quite confident that they were persuaded to feel like he might be able to make it a reality.
The appearance of Asmodeus, who had managed to tame a Rank 5 Field Monster, made everyone view the red-headed teenager in a new light.
Since they had already come this far, they decided that they would first see if Lux could back up his words. Naturally, the Half-Elf knew what Einar and Vall were thinking.
He decided not to say anything and let his actions do the talking for him.
"Okay, now, let us start our strategy meeting for clearing this dungeon floor," Lux said with a serious expression on his face.
A few hours later.
The Valley of Death trembled as countless Undead rose up from their slumber and attacked Orion, as well as four Rock Golems that were supporting it.
The Red-Eyed Obsidian Skeleton King had also joined the fray, decimating any Undead that was withing its Obsidian Sword's range.
Diablo, Ishtar, Asmodeus, the Skeleton Fighters, and Skeleton Grand Archers fought with everything they had, which contrasted against Lux, who was cooking stew on the cliff, as he overlooked the battle.
The Barbarians led by Einar, and the warriors led by Vall, also joined the battle.
Cai and Keane led the members of the Rowan Tribe to join the fight.
Their strategy was like this: the Rock Golems would lure the Monsters to the outskirts of the battlefield, where they would be gangbanged by everyone. Lux's role was to stay at the highest vantage point of the battlefield, so he could immediately warn everyone if the Monstrous Terror Death Tyrant appeared.
Lux didn't divulge the secret of Diablo's skills to anyone. He had tested it out earlier, and he was pleased to learn that, when the Rank 4 Skeletons died, the passive skill in Diablo's armor activated and increased his attack and defense by five.
The Half-Elf planned a long and gruesome battle, allowing Diablo's attack to reach a level where even a Pseudo-Deimos Ranked Monster would feel a sh*t load of pain every time it received even a single blow from his Named Creature.
Diablo's attacks had the Ethereal Element, which meant that it would deal true damage to anything it hit, regardless of how high its defense was. Back then, Lux thought that this was a pretty nice thing because he didn't fully understand how this skill worked.
However, after fighting strong Bosses, he finally realized how deadly Diablo's attacks were because they ignored all kinds of defenses and allowed him to deal a severe blow to his enemies once his attack and defense reached a certain threshold.
If Diablo's attack reached six digits, even an opponent with Millions of HP would not be able to brush off the Skeleton Rider's attacks, which was one of Lux's trump cards in battle.
'I'm sure that they will also realize it later,' Lux thought. 'But as long as I don't say anything, Einar's and Vall's suspicions will just remain as suspicions.'
Blood Fervor was a broken ability, so Lux didn't plan to tell anyone that his Skeleton Rider possessed it. As long as he kept mum, even if someone asked, they would just leave with more questions instead of less.
Just as the Half-Elf expected, the Undead ultimately overwhelmed the defenders, forcing them to retreat. Orion and the Rock Golems covered the retreat of the teenagers before shattering into rubble.
The Skeleton Fighters also died in battle, and only Diablo remained on the battlefield with half of its Health Points still intact. Its lifesteal ability wasn't working, so it was unable to regain its Health Points in a prolonged battle.
This proved that the Death Tyrant was monitoring the battle as well. This monster had the power to negate any healing and recovery abilities, which made it a very tough opponent to fight during expeditions.
Lux had already expected this outcome, so he wasn't worried. He just ordered Diablo to retreat to the farthest place in the map, near the Forest. The moment his Health Points started regenerating, it meant that he had gotten out of the range of the Death Tyrant's abilities.
Whenever Diablo's health fully recovered, the Half-Elf would once again summon his minions for another round of battle.
An hour passed…
Two hours passed…
More hours passed…
Einar had been hacking their enemies non-stop and his shoulders had started to turn numb. The War Axe in his hand also became very heavy, making him exert more effort with every strike.
Even Vall had taken on his human form because he couldn't keep up his transformation for long periods of time. They had already been fighting for several hours, and they were nearing their limit.
Fighting a Rank 4 Monster wasn't an easy thing. Although the Rock Golems were only luring dozens at a time, it still took a toll on their bodies.
In the end, the teenagers left the battlefield completely, to let all of them rest and recover their strength. Only the Undead remained, and they continued to attack their enemies one by one, further increasing Diablo's attack power.
Suddenly, Lux saw something red flash at the center of the Valley of Death.
"So, you finally aren't able to keep still, huh?" Lux sneered at the Giant Skull whose deadly eyes were now gazing in his direction.
Although the Monstrous Terror Death Tyrant had made its appearance, it didn't move from where it hovered. Instead, it kept on summoning more Undead Soldiers to fight for it, making the sneer on the Half-Elf's face widen.
Lux knew that if the Death Tyrant didn't make a move soon, Diablo's strength would finally reach six digits, making him a formidable foe to both the living and the dead.
Chapter 288 Staring Into The Eyes Of Death [Part 2]
288 Staring Into The Eyes Of Death [Part 2]
If given enough time, Lux was confident that Diablo's damage would reach a staggering level.
Right now, the Skeleton Rider's bonus damage and defense had already surpassed ten thousand, which was considered immensely powerful.
Rank 4 Monsters weren't easy opponents, so even after many hours in battle, they only managed to kill a little more than two thousand of them.
If Diablo had only been fighting Rank 1 and 2 Monsters, perhaps his damage might have already surpassed over fifty thousand by now.
The Half-Elf already expected that this would be a long and drawn out battle. Their strategy was luring dozens of skeletons by batches because fighting over a hundred Rank 4 Monsters with their ranks would be too dangerous.
Healing abilities didn't work because the Death Tyrant was actively using its ability that prevented any restorative and healing skills from taking effect. Because of this, the Clerics and other Jobs, who were tasked to heal their allies, felt frustrated.
In the end, Lux couldn't do anything but let the injured pull back from the battlefield and towards the very rear of their temporary camp, so that the healers could tend to them.
Just as the Half-Elf thought that the Boss Monster wouldn't move from its location, it started to head towards their direction. However, for some reason, Lux thought that something was very off with the opponent that he was about to face.
When looking at it with his appraisal skill, the stats of the Monstrous Terror Death Tyrant wouldn't show. Even its name was made up of weird characters, and only its health was visible. But even then, something still felt off, yet he still couldn't put his finger on what was wrong with it.
—-
< %#%@&#^% >
Health: 1,238,987 / 1,238,987
Mana: ?????
Strength: ????
Intelligence: ????
Vitality: ????
Agility: ????
Dexterity: ????
—-----
'Is this some kind of bug?' Lux wondered.
There had been several times when the compendium wasn't able to determine the strength of the enemy, and only had question marks for the stats of the monster. However, this time it was different.
This time, even the name of the monster couldn't be accessed, which perplexed the Half-Elf.
"So the boss has decided to enter the fray," Einar said as he gazed at the approaching monster with a solemn look on his face. "What do we do now?"
"We retreat," Lux said decisively. "We are still unable to beat that thing. We need more time."
Vall frowned but didn't say anything. The skeletons that they had killed didn't drop any Beast Cores. However, that was not the main issue.
The problem was the shattered skeleton bones that could reattach themselves after half an hour, making the teenagers fighting them feel helpless.
Lux had told them that they would need to spend at least a few days in order to beat the Boss Monster, so they already expected that the battle wouldn't be ending soon. But knowing that they had to retreat once the Boss Monster personally made a move on the battlefield still frustrated them.
"Everyone pull back!" Cai ordered as it ran back to the area where the three leaders were located. "I may not be good at fighting, but I am very good at running away! Come after me if you dare, you overgrown eyeball!"
The Death Tyrant suddenly stopped hovering and aimed all of its eyes at the Boar who had taunted it. A few seconds later, all of its eyes emitted death rays, which were aimed at the Boar's direction, making Cai squeal in panic and run like there's no tomorrow.
The ground that the dark rays hit instantly turned completely black, making the other teenagers feel the hairs at the back of their necks stand on end.
All of them ran with all of their might, only leaving Lux's undead minions to cover their retreat.
The Red-Eyed Obsidian Skeleton King raised its Bone Shield and blocked the Death Tyrant's second barrage of Death Rays, shielding the teenagers completely from this deadly attack.
'Strange, if I remember correctly, each of the Beholder's eyes have a different ability,' Lux thought as he backed away just like everyone else. 'But all of the Death Tyrant's eyes can shoot Death Rays. Is this some kind of mutated species? Is that the reason why its name can't be read?'
Lux didn't know the answer to these questions right now because the Death Tyrant was still emitting Death Rays, which were being blocked by the Giant Skeleton King, who was quite resistant to it.
These ray attacks were especially deadly to living creatures, but it wouldn't deal much damage against the Undead. The Skeleton King would receive greater damage against the Skeleton Army, than fighting against the Death Tyrant, who seemed to only know how to use Death Rays.
"Orion, do it!" Lux ordered.
The Rock Golem roared as it charged towards the Death Tyrant with the intention of smashing its giant eye with its rocky fist.
Just as Orion was nearing its target, the Death Tyrant's giant eye flashed once, instantly making Orion's running speed come to a complete crawl.
After Orion's speed drastically slowed down, it was swarmed by the Undead Legion, and it was forced to defend itself by bashing and punching its enemies left and right.
The Death Tyrant wasn't being idle and once again shot Death Rays towards Orion. Unlike the Skeleton King, who was very resistant to the attack, Orion, although not instantly killed, received a lot of damage.
Little by little, its health dropped until it shattered into rubble.
Lux summoned his Soulbook and immediately checked Orion's Page. The first thing he looked at was the Rock Golem's revenge list and true enough, the gibberish name appeared on it.
—--
< Revenge List >
1. < %#%@&#^% >
Number of Deaths: 1
—---
Lux suddenly had an idea as he retreated to a safe place. Five minutes later, he once again summoned Orion, allowing the Rock Golem to attack the Death Tyrant for the second time.
Orion was a Revenger
When Orion is killed by an enemy, he will add the name of that creature in his Revenge List. The next time he faced the same enemy, all of his stats will increase by 200%.
Everytime he was killed by the same creature a 10% stacking bonus would be added to his increased stats.
Simply put, Orion could fight the enemy over and over again, until it reached a point where its stats would overwhelm its enemy, making them unable to kill it anymore.
In truth, this was Lux's Plan B.
If Diablo's increased attack and defense didn't reach the six digits before the Boss Monster's arrival, he would send Orion to confront it repeatedly.
By doing so, Orion would gain a massive increase in its stats after its repeated deaths, allowing it to get his revenge on the Monster that was making things difficult for them.
Even though Einar and Vall didn't know what Lux's summons were capable of doing, they weren't dumb.
They understood that the Half-Elf had a reason for repeatedly sending his Rock Golem to die against the Death Tyrant, who had been lured away from the horde of Skeletons that had stopped their pursuit and returned to the center of the Valley.
Over and over, Orion died. However, each time he was re-summoned, he would survive a little longer than before.
In the end, as if getting tired of fighting against the Rock Golem, the Death Tyrant blinked away several times until it had returned at the center of the plains, where the army of the dead protected it.
'Only 260%.' Lux sighed in his heart. 'This will be a long battle indeed.'
The Half-Elf then glanced at the members of the Rowan Tribe, the Barbarians, as well as Vall's guild, who were all currently resting.
All of them had done their best, and Lux had no complaints whatsoever. In the end, only his tireless Undead Army was left fighting. They used Ishtar's long range attack to attract a few skeletons towards them.
Although this was a pitiful attempt to raise Diablo's bonuses, Lux decided to leave the rest to his subordinates and take a rest as well.
Although he simply observed the battlefield, he felt drained because he kept on summoning the Skeletons, as well as the Rock Golems that were continuously dying.
In the end, he let Asmodeus take his place, as he went to sleep with the others. Since the Lich Lord could summon the same number of Skeletons that he could, there was no problem in keeping the battle going even if he wasn't monitoring the battlefield.
The teenagers had assigned watchers to keep a look out for any changes in the battlefield. Lux heavily emphasized that if the Death Tyrant appeared again, they should wake him up as soon as possible.
He planned to make Diablo and Orion his hard hitters during this battle, and he would make sure that their pesky enemy would finally be blown away by the counterattack that would happen once the Skeleton Rider and the Rock Golem gain enough power to conquer the Valley of Death, once and for all.
Chapter 289 The Start Of A Nightmare
289 The Start Of A Nightmare
Lux woke up to the sound of fighting.
It was still dark, and most of the people were still sleeping. However, the sound of weapons clashing could be heard in the distance.
The Half-Elf wasn't too worried because his subordinates didn't personally come to wake him up to let him know that they were in danger. He had given them the orders that if something was wrong, they should wake him up as soon as possible.
Since he was able to sleep without being disturbed it just means that there had been no situation when his life was in immediate danger.
After stifling a yawn, Lux glanced in the direction where his Skeletons were still fighting with their own kind. Diablo and the others were fighting only around six Rank 4 Skeletons at once, and killing them repeatedly as soon as they rebuilt themselves.
After looking at Diablo's damage, he discovered that only around two thousand points had been added to his Named Creature's attack and defense.
It wasn't an explosive increase, but it was a decent one. Lux already understood that he couldn't take his opponents lightly, so he prepared himself for a very long campaign.
After checking the conditions of the teenagers around him, he noticed that they were still feeling exhausted, so he didn't force them to fight at this point in time.
The enemy they were facing had the ability to prevent health, stamina, and any forms of recovery. So the teenagers feeling sluggish was a given since they couldn't recover naturally.
Only Einar, and Vall, seemed to be better than the rest, but he could tell that both of them were quite exhausted as well.
This battlefield gave the Undead an enormous advantage. Fortunately, Lux was also a Necromancer so he could allow his minions to fight non-stop, which allowed Diablo to increase his damage consistently.
"Are you sure we can really kill that thing?" Einar asked as he pointed at something that was glowing red in the distance.
"Yes," Lux replied. "But we need several days in order to do it. However, believe me when I say that once we reach that point, we will be able to deal with it without any problems, or without sacrificing anyone from this group."
"That's good to hear," Vall commented. "I don't have any intention of using my guild members as your cannon fodders."
Lux could only smile at Vall's comment because the latter's sarcasm was quite obvious for anyone to see.
"But, can you give me an estimate as to how long we need to stay in this dungeon before we can get the Sacred White Lotus?" Vall asked.
"The soonest will be in three days," Lux replied. "A week at the longest."
"I see." Vall rubbed his chin. "A week at the longest…"
Those who had gone to the Sacred Dungeon knew that the longer they stayed inside the dungeon, the more progress that they would gain from it. However, it was more of a matter of survival.
They were able to stay inside the dungeon for a long time due to the fact that they were afraid of charging into a head-on confrontation against a Boss Monster that was way beyond their capabilities.
Usually, fighting against Pseudo-Deimos Monsters required at least two-hundred up to five-hundred men teams to fight. It couldn't be won by a rag-tag group who had been grouped together just for the sake of adding 1+1+1 = 3.
A guild is more organized because only one person takes the helm to command everyone, allowing them to fight as a united front.
Although having three leaders like Lux, Einar, and Vall was more flexible, in the bigger picture, their efficiency wasn't that great in large-scale battles.
If not for the fact that Lux was a Necromancer that allowed him to have over a hundred minions, they would have no way of dealing with the countless Undead that was guarding the center of the Valley of Death.
—--
Second Day…
"Damn! Why do you always target meeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee?!" Cai squealed as it ran away with all of its might.
Everytime the Boar entered the outskirts of the valley, the Death Tyrant would appear and attack it with Death Rays.
This discovery allowed Lux to let Orion fight against the Boss Monster with the intention of increasing its Vengeance Stats everytime they faced each other.
Because of this, Lux would send the Boar out everytime the Death Tyrant returned to the center of the valley in order to lure it out again.
This happened several times and when the day was over, Orion's Vengeance meter had reached 700%, which made Lux extremely happy.
Each time the Rock Golem fought against the Death Tyrant, their battle would last a little longer than the one before that, allowing Lux to gauge how strong the Death Tyrant was.
When he saw that everyone was exhausted to the point that they couldn't even lift their finger anymore, he would order the skeletons to carry them back to the camp.
Diablo has already grown to the point that Ishtar could lure a few Skeletons over and the Skeleton Rider could dispose of them all by himself.
It meant that the teenagers no longer had to fight because Diablo had reached a stage where he could finish off the Rank 4 Skeletons with greater ease.
"Forty Thousand Bonus Attack," Lux muttered. "Not bad."
Diablo just needed to use his skill five times in order to destroy a Rank 4 Skeletons. When it ran out of Mana, it would just slash its enemies at least a dozen times before they died.
With the other Skeletons aiding him, Diablo was constantly getting stronger.
Orion was also not that far behind. Being able to increase his stats while dealing with the Death Tyrant allowed Lux to feel more confident that they would be able to overcome the Boss they were fighting, but even so, he couldn't shake off the nagging feeling at the back of his mind.
He felt as if something was terribly wrong, but he couldn't put his finger on it.
This feeling continued until they reached the fourth day.
Loud cheering erupted in the surroundings as Orion and Diablo worked together to attack the Death Tyrant on both sides. They had reached a staggering amount of attack power that the Death Tyrant's screams were like music to their ears.
The moment Orion dealt the finishing blow to the Death Tyrant, the teenagers around him all glowed, showing that they had all leveled up after the Boss Monster had died.
Lux didn't gain experience from killing monsters. He could only gain additional stat points from absorbing the Beast Core that the monster dropped.
The Half-Elf's uneasy feeling flared up the moment the Death Tyrant fell on the ground, and dispersed like a cloud of ashes.or
It didn't leave anything behind, including a Beast Core, which made everyone who was looking forward to seeing the Pseudo-Deimos Ranked Beast Core scratch their heads in confusion.
However, their confusion didn't last long. Cai, who was paying close attention at the center of the Valley of Death froze, its entire body shaking in fear and panic.
Keane, who was standing beside Cai, noticed the strangeness of the Boar's behavior so he followed its gaze, and what he saw made him draw his sword fully from its scabbard.
Lux, Einar, and Vall finally realized that something was terribly wrong and immediately glanced in the direction where Cai and Keane were looking.
A second after that, Lux immediately shouted, catching everyone's attention.
"Run!" Lux shouted, and everyone ran as fast as they could in order to escape the nightmare that was materializing right behind them.
Over a dozen Death Tyrants appeared out of nowhere, and at the very center was a truly Monstrous Terror Death Tyrant, that was at least four times larger than the other Death Tyrant's that surrounded it.
"Orion, Asmodeus, block them!" Lux ordered as he retreated alongside the teenagers who were literally being carried or dragged by the Skeleton soldiers, because they no longer had the strength to flee.
The Rock Golem as well as the Obsidian Skeleton King immediately stood behind the young teenagers and used their bodies to block the attacks that were aimed in their direction.
Hundreds of ray attacks of different colors descended upon the two giants, whose sole purpose was to tank the damage that would otherwise hit the fleeing teenagers that they were protecting.
Orion only lasted for half a minute before exploding in shower of rubble. The Obsidian Skeleton King's Health Points was shaved a third after taking the full brunt of the next wave of ray attacks after Orion was destroyed.
Lux gave the Monstrous Terror Death Tyrant, that was bigger than the others, an appraising glance and gritted his teeth.
—---
< Monstrous Terror Death Tyrant >
– Sphere of Death
– Pseudo-Deimos Ranked World Boss
Health: 6,300,000 / 6,300,000
Mana: 2,000,000 / 2,000,000
Strength: ?????
Intelligence: ????
Vitality: ????
Agility: ????
Dexterity: ????
—----
This time, Lux was seeing the name and other information of the Boss Monster, which told him that this was the real deal.
The monster that they had killed earlier was nothing more than a bug. A Monster that was a much weaker version of the Boss Monster that had finally made its appearance.
In front of thirteen Death Tyrants, Lux knew that this had gone beyond what he could handle. The only thing they could do was make a strategic retreat against so many Death Tyrants, that could wipe all of them with one glare from the hundreds of eyes that showed extreme hostility towards the people who had killed one of their brethren.
Chapter 290 Return Of The Kings
290 Return Of The Kings
"Sh*t!" Lux muttered as he ran alongside the teenagers that had gone to the forest in order to hide from the Death Tyrants.
The horrifying monsters had chased them off from the Valley of Death, and followed them even in their hiding place. The Red-Eyed Obsidian Skeleton King had only managed to buy them a few minutes before it disintegrated from the combined attacks of thirteen Death Tyrants.
Even though it was quite resistant to the Death Rays, getting hit by a constant barrage of them was not something he could tank for an extended period of time.
After that, the Monstrous Terror Death Tyrant, led the other smaller Death Tyrant's in hunting them down.
Just as Lux was about to summon Keoza, which was his last resort to deal with this hopeless situation, a rain of arrows descended upon the Death Tyrants coming from the North East, making the floating Spheres of Death to shift their attention elsewhere.
At that exact moment, Lux received a notification from his Soul Book that a new quest had activated. He wasn't expecting something like this would happen, so he hastily read the new batch of information that appeared, while holding the Golden Dragon Token tightly in his hand.
—------
< Return of the Kings >
Mission Rating: S
– After their defeat at the Valley of Death and the death of their Kings, vassals, and soldiers, the Crown Prince of both Kingdoms decided to drop the old grudge they had with each other and strived for peace.
– A decade passed and both Kingdoms prospered, but recent sightings of the Death Tyrants awakening from their slumber had made them feel wary.
In order to put an end to the sleeping threats in their borders, as well as avenge those that had fallen in battle, they decided to make a joint expedition and fight against the horrors that might destroy the peace that they had built with so much hardship.
– Rally your own forces and fight alongside the Two Kings and destroy the enemy before you!
< Quest Objective >
– Kill the true Monstrous Terror Death Tyrant
– Quest Duration 24 hours.
– Quest will automatically end in failure if you as well as your entire faction died in battle.
– Quest will automatically end in failure if you fail to kill your target within 24 hours.
< Rewards >
– Rewards for the mission will depend on your performance in battle.
– The greater role you play, the greater the rewards.
—-----
As soon as Lux finished reading the information that had appeared in his Soul Book, two people, who were riding black and white horses respectively, appeared before him with their elite retinue not far behind them.
"I am Tarquin, Son of Harlequin, and King of the Kingdom of Gedge. I greet you warriors of unknown origin, and I wish to ask for your help to slay these monsters who threaten our lands."
"I am Terence, Son of Norris, and King of the Kingdom of Lockridge. Great rewards will befall upon all of you if you are to help us slay these abominations and put an end to this nightmare once and for all."
"Will you help us?" Tarquin asked.
"We won't force you," Terence stated. "However, you must decide now whether you will fight or flee from these monsters before you!"
—--
< Do you wish to aid the two Kings in battle? Choose swiftly! >
< Yes / No >
—--
The answer to this question was a no-brainer. They came here to get the Sacred White Lotus, and they would be damned if they didn't take this opportunity to mount a counterattack!
"We will help you," Lux answered. "But, what exactly must we do in this battle?"
Tarquin and Terence exchanged glances with each other before shifting their gaze back to the Half-Elf, who seemed to be the leader of the group of teenagers whom they found in the forest.
Einar and Vall didn't say anything because they didn't think it was necessary. They couldn't care less whether the Kings talked to Lux or the two of them.
They only wanted to know how to get out of this mess and emerge victorious against the Death Tyrants, who had made their lives miserable.
"We have brought with us all the warriors we can muster from both of our kingdoms, but the most we can do is fight the Monstrous Terror Death Tyrant's minions," Tarquinn stated.
"Although it is shameless for us to ask you of this, we need you to deal with the biggest one among the Death Tyrants," Terence commented. "Only by defeating it will this crusade end. We can only rely on you, young men and women, to be the sword that will pierce through the darkness."
Tarquinn then raised his sword towards the heavens.
"I, Tarquinn, King of Gedge, will promise with my life, as well as the lives of my men, that we will not allow any of the Death Tyrant's minions to get in the way of your battle against it."
Terence did the same and made his pledge as well.
"I, Terence, King of Lockridge, make a pledge today that even if I lose my life, I, and my people will protect you from outside interference. Let the heavens be witness to my oath!"
—--
< You have accepted the S-Ranked Mission, Return of the Kings. >
< Quest Duration: 23:59:59 >
—--
Lux took a deep breath as he gazed at the Death Tyrants who were being besieged on all sides by the combined armies of the two kingdoms.
However, the Death Tyrants weren't simple monsters and could summon zombies on a large scale. Unlike Necromancers, which could summon Undeads in the hundreds and perhaps even thousands until their Mana runs out, a Death Tyrant could summon as many as it pleased.
In short, Death Tyrants could summon an infinite number of Zombies to fight for its side, as well as raise those who had died in battle while fighting against them. They might not be Undead Liches, but Death Tyrants were truly monsters that were capable of making even experienced warriors want to flee due to how unreasonable they were.
Being unable to use healing magic and recover from their injuries meant that they had no choice but to flee or die fighting in the battlefield when facing these monsters.
Looking at the teenagers, who were already at their limits, Lux knew that they couldn't count on them.
'Should I use the Token and end this battle once and for all?' Lux thought as he gripped the golden token in his hand.
If not for the appearance of the two kings, he might have already summoned Keoza to fight against the monsters, but even if an Argonaut Crystal Dragon was strong, he was still wary of the Death Tyrants' eyes that might affect it in battle, making it difficult for Keoza to fight against thirteen Death Tyrants at once.
While Lux was pondering on what to do, he felt a bony hand rest on his shoulder.
Glancing to his right, he saw Diablo whose glowing eye sockets looked at him with determination.
"Can you do it?" Lux asked.
"Alone, no," Diablo replied. "But, I am never alone."
Suddenly, large rocky hands wrapped around Lux's body before lifting him high up in the air. A moment later, he found himself sitting on the shoulder of the Rock Golem, Orion, and overlooking the battlefield through the eyes of a giant.
Scanning his surroundings, he saw Ishtar, Pazuzu, Asmodeus, his skeletons, as well as Einar, and Vall, who was exhausted, but still had a determined look on their faces.
Even the other teenagers who were reaching their limits, forced themselves to stand up. Clearly, they didn't plan on just sitting on the sidelines and watching as their comrades die in battle.
"I'm sorry, I forgot that I don't need to fight this battle alone," Lux said. "You can now put me down, Orion. I know what to do."
The Rock Golem followed Lux's orders and waited for his Master's orders.
"Vall, I know you are already exhausted, but can you still transform?" Lux asked.
"Yes," Vall replied. "At most, I can stay in my Spider Form for an hour. After that, I'd be too exhausted to even lift a finger."
Lux nodded. "Einar, how do you feel about suicide missions?"
Einar laughed out loud after hearing Lux's words.
"Suicide Missions? Are you kidding me?" Einar replied. "Barbarians love suicide missions."
Lux chuckled at Einar's bold words. The Barbarians who were also standing behind their leader were also smiling. From the very start since they entered the Hidden Domain, the Barbarians were at the forefront of the formation.
This meant that they had already been risking their lives from the start, so this wasn't a big deal for them.
"Vall, I know that this is shameless for me to ask, but we need you to become my and Einar's mount during this battle," Lux said with a solemn expression on his face. He knew that Vall was a prideful individual, and it was close to impossible for him to let anyone use him in a degrading manner.
"Me? A mount?" Vall gave Lux a deadly smile filled with killing intent. "You sure are pushing your limit, Half-Elf. I've never been insulted like this in my life."
"Will you do it?" Lux asked as he gazed straight into Vall's eyes, making the other party understand that he was serious.
Vall was silent for half a minute, as if fighting an internal battle against himself. He had never thought that a day would come when he would be used in such a degrading manner, and to be perfectly honest, he would rather die than have someone ride on his back.
This humiliation would hunt him for the rest of his life, and it might even make him develop some inner demons, which might stunt his growth in Elysium.
"Very well, but I have a condition," Vall said after careful consideration. "You were given Argonaut Beast Cores when you won the Championship. I want one of them, and I will be given free reign to choose any of it."
"Very well I agree," Lux answered in a heartbeat, which made Vall, and Einar, change their opinion of Lux for the third time.
They didn't expect that Lux would agree to Vall's condition so easily, making them feel as if he didn't care about some Argonaut Beast Core, which was a prized item even in Silver and Gold-Ranked Guilds.
"It won't be fair if only Vall's get one Argonaut Beast Core," Einar suddenly interjected as he rested his entire shoulder into Lux's neck. "Give me one too."
"Okay." Lux nodded. "One Argonaut Beast Core for each of you."
"Great!" Einar chuckled. "I'm starting to like you."
Five minutes later, Lux had finished informing everyone about the strategy that they would be using against their enemy. Although this wasn't a very detailed strategy, everyone had agreed to it because it was very simple.
All they were told to do was go all out and do whatever they could to attack the Boss Monster to the best of their abilities!
Lux, Vall, and Einar would lead the charge, like a sword cutting through the enemy's ranks, while the other teenagers would ride on horses that were given to them by the Two Kings, and follow behind them.
Ishtar, Pazuzu, and Asmodeus were now mounted on Wargs that Lux had decided to use in the battle against the Death Tyrant. Their role was to offer support and ensure that they would be able to react to whatever incident would arise in battle.
Diablo, Orion, as well as the other skeletons and Rock Golem's roles, would be protecting the teenagers from both sides, shielding them from the zombies that were blocking the way.
Vall transformed into an Alpha-Ranked Elegant Golden Jumping Spider. A moment later, Lux, and Einar jumped on his back, and grabbed the spidery silk that Vall had made for them, in order to not fall off his back when he moved at full speed.
"Let's go," Lux declared. "Let's bring this Death Tyrant down and go home."
"Hahaha! I'll make sure to take a souvenir back home, so I can brag at my Dad for accomplishing something he wasn't able to do."
Vall gave a shriek, as if agreeing to the two of them. This was his last chance to use his transformation, so he would make it count and go all out.
Three of the most powerful members of the Young Generation, as well as their guild membership and subordinates, had teamed up to take down a foe that was several times stronger than them.
Everyone's blood boiled with determination as they faced the countless enemies before them. Instead of being afraid, they were feeling raring to go to battle.
Although they were exhausted, they could feel their blood warming every fiber of their being, giving them strength for the last hurrah that could end their lives at any moment.
For the first time since they had entered the Sacred Dungeon, the Barbarians, Vall's Guild members, as well as the members of the Rowan Tribe, felt as if their ragtag group of warriors were finally about to fight as one!