Chapter Eleven: The Boss Battle and Farewell

Chapter Eleven: The Boss Battle and Farewell

After their parting, the two made their way to the Castle of Fate, observing the dead ends and magical barriers along the way. Shuster turned to Nero and said, “Brother Nero, toss me up there.” He pointed at the chandelier overhead.

“Oh, alright.” Nero didn’t understand why, but after years of partnership, he agreed without question.

Standing atop the chandelier, facing the portrait of the Pope on the opposite wall, Shuster let out a quiet laugh. He drew the Blood Dance Crescent Moon. With a swift motion, he sliced through the chain behind him. The chandelier, now freed, swung on its remaining chain and crashed into the Pope’s portrait.

With a thunderous boom, the Pope’s presence was erased from history. The shattered wall revealed a path leading directly to the heart of the castle.

They entered the grand hall. A frigid gale swept in, carrying shards of snow. Within the storm danced the second boss in the storyline, its tentacles adorned with two blue, transparent female decoys. Yet the nauseating stench in the wind dispelled any hint of allure.

“Ding! C-rank main quest discovered: Slay the Ice Plains Overlord. Reward upon completion: Soul Crystal x8000.”

“One each,” Shuster declared, charging forward.

“Hey! You’re jumping the gun!” Nero dashed to the right.

Gunfire rang out as Shuster sprinted ahead. The tentacles darted through the air, but he evaded them easily. By the time they finished dodging, Shuster was already at their side. With a shout, he unleashed the Lightning Blade, stunning his foe. Lightning Eagle soared, Lightning Dragon roared, gathering power...

Nero’s assault was even more ferocious. Flames surged with his charge, sweeping across the enemy. The range of his attack left no room for escape; every blow landed in a relentless, furious barrage.

A massive shadow lunged at them. Both were ready; each interrupted their current skill and dodged. Shuster executed a graceful flip, carving a beautiful arc through the air, landing with elegant poise. The Round Table Dancer, true to his name, relied on an electric jolt to his leg muscles, unleashing explosive agility to evade the attack.

Nero, with his formidable strength, leapt clear. The shallow pit left in the ground attested to the reality of the looming black shadow.

With a crash, a gigantic toad landed on the ground, its two tentacles still attached to the earlier decoys.

“So this is your true form,” Nero remarked, eyeing the monstrous toad.

“It’s nothing but a giant toad. Only fools would be lured by those decoys. Clearly, your intelligence is pitifully low,” Shuster replied, reclining with his hands behind his head.

“You two look much tougher than the last batch, and you’ve got a slick tongue to match,” the toad retorted, spewing foul breath as it spoke. The scene was both disgusting and absurd.

“Oh, come on! I have absolutely zero interest in giant toads,” Nero said, waving a hand in front of his nose.

“Roar, fools!” the toad bellowed, puffing up its belly. “Do you really think I care about your words?” It wobbled its enormous body, belching foul, sticky mucus.

Shuster had already slipped behind Nero when the toad began inflating. Poor Nero took the brunt of the stench.

“If we don’t hurry up, I think I’ll be traumatized for life,” Nero sighed, brushing snow from his shoulders.

“Watch me crush you—” His words enraged the toad, who roared even louder.

This time, even Shuster, lurking behind Nero, couldn’t escape the foul attack.

“Ugh, this is revolting. Nero, finish it off, or I’ll be scarred for life!” Shuster spat, drew the Blood Dance Crescent Moon, and charged.

“What a troublesome thing,” Nero muttered, following suit.

“Thunder God Strangle!” Shuster didn’t bother coordinating with Nero, venting his fury instead. The toad’s massive body slowed it down, and being of the ice element, the bullets greatly prolonged its paralysis. Shuster pressed his advantage: Lightning Slash, Lightning Blade, Lightning Dragon’s Roar, Lightning Eagle Soars, Thunder God Descends. With every move, Shuster shouted, “This is for disgust!” Nero, halfway through his charge, stared dumbfounded at Shuster’s wild rampage, unaware that Shuster had an obsessive cleanliness in his previous life.

“Final Chapter: Wrath of the Thunder God!” In his rage, Shuster unleashed his ultimate finishing move.

A mysterious magic circle appeared beneath his feet. If his magic tutor had seen it, he would have cried, “You’re stealing spells, boy! That’s the Seventh-Level Annihilation Lightning!” Massive bolts surged through Shuster’s body, making one wonder whether his slight frame would survive. With a shout, Shuster struck the paralyzed toad: one slash, two slashes... nine, ten. Each strike unleashed a bolt of devastating lightning, blasting the toad. After ten, Shuster lunged, stabbing into its body. In the next moment, lightning surged through the Blood Dance Crescent Moon into the toad. The powerful current jerked it out of its stunned state, but trapped it in a prison of lightning. In desperation, it lashed out with a tentacle at Shuster...

Bang! Roar! Nero, watching from the sidelines, fired a shot that severed the tentacle aiming for Shuster. The intense pain forced the toad to break free from the lightning prison.

The broken tentacle landed on Shuster, paralyzed from imperfect control of his finishing move. He was unable to move, and though severed, the tentacle still had enough force to pin him down.

“Ding! High-energy crystal detected. Absorb?”

“Uh… absorb,” Shuster replied, momentarily dazed.

The tentacle dissolved into green light and entered Shuster’s body.

A warm sensation, soothing and comfortable, as if returning to his mother’s embrace.

“Ding! Absorption complete. Please check personal information for details.”

“Ding! Host has reached Tier 6, causing current space to destabilize. System will forcibly transfer host to the main plane in half an hour.”

“This pure demonic energy actually let me ascend!” Shuster thought as he stood.

A roar drew his attention; Nero was grabbing the toad’s last tentacle, spinning it around...

With a crash, the toad’s body slammed into the ground. Nero took a deep breath, then, like throwing a hammer, hurled the beast. With a crack, the last tentacle snapped, sending the toad crashing into a corner of the castle before bouncing back, belly up, for one final struggle.

“Roar, do you think… this… is enough to defeat me? Never! You little—” The toad, barely clinging to life, was still stubborn.

“That’s exactly what I think…” Nero replied, having absorbed the tentacle himself, and leaped onto the beast.

“My brothers… are coming! They—” The toad’s eyes widened suddenly, following their gaze. Nero’s right hand grew into a massive shadow, he leapt, and struck a deadly blow square between the toad’s eyes...

With a shout and a bang, the toad finally met its end.

“Ding! Objective complete. Soul Crystal x8000 awarded. C-rank main storyline x1 received.”

“Ugh… that was revolting,” Nero muttered, shaking his right hand, suddenly remembering Shuster.

“Are you alright, Shuster?” “I’m fine, Nero. Go after him now. I’ll help the remaining temple knights clear the Castle of Fate.” Shuster didn’t look at Nero, his tone calm.

“Uh… are you sure you’re okay?” Nero asked, concerned.

“I’m fine. Go on.” “Tch… kid, be careful. I’m leaving.” Nero waved his hand irritably and left.

“I’m sorry. This is the first time I’ve deceived you, and it will be the last,” Shuster murmured, watching the distant figure fade away.

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

PS: It seems the protagonist’s personality is too cold. I, Blackie, have decided to make him more sunny in the next volume.