In that instant when the Amethyst Orc and Poochie teamed up to knock down the Undead Sovereign, the trio of Judge, Black Rock, and Fateless realized that the fight would only end when one side had fallen!
This would be their last fight in the fifth level of the Graveyard of the Gods!
Victory or defeat—it would be decided at that moment!
As the three of them led the way, everyone in the six-man party echoed their absolute resolve. No matter what, they would get the Undead Sovereign’s treasure!
***
Everything was going exactly as Qin Ruo had planned!
The Tier 6 Undead Sovereign, failing to account for Poochie’s presence, was stifled long enough for the Amethyst Orc to rush in from behind and attack. In concert with Poochie, the tactic was supremely effective. The Amethyst Orc kept pace with its opponent as it furiously rained Successive Strikes upon it so that the Undead Sovereign would continue to be forced farther and farther away—straight towards Judge’s position.
Judge was a burly man, over two meters tall. Clad from head to toe in Dark Gold armor, he raised his shield and rushed in fearlessly to stand before the Undead Sovereign. He was like a miniature citadel of metal, obstructing the way back to the Mountain Shelter. He acted as the second line of defense after the Amethyst Orc!
That was when the Undead Sovereign finally managed to regain its footing and began to fight back against their combined assault!
Ultimately, the Amethyst Orc was only a Tier 5 Miniboss. Its combat ability roughly equaled an average Tier 5 Supreme Champion. Asking a Tier 5 Supreme Champion to go solo against a Tier 6 Megaboss was basically like asking a Tier 4 player to take on a Tier 5 Megaboss—no matter how skilled your gameplay may be, you would not be able to deal any real damage to the Boss monster.
Between a Tier 5 Miniboss and a Tier 6 Megaboss, there was no way to bridge the gap in their abilities!
It was only via a cunning trick or two that Qin Ruo had managed to grant the Amethyst Orc a close-range advantage, a small opportunity. However, when the Undead Sovereign retaliated, the situation was overturned completely!
Before the Amethyst Orc could flesh a fourth skill out, a sinister black miasma erupted from the Undead Sovereign’s body, engulfing the Amethyst Orc’s mighty attack.
Bang!
The Amethyst Orc landed its blow, but it was like pounding against cotton. What would previously have been over 100 damage had now fallen to a mere 40 or so.
The attack dealt none of its secondary effects as well.
Now, the Undead Sovereign straightened up and raised the staff it had been clutching the whole time!
Rather than the Amethyst Orc, it instead aimed at Poochie, which was already using its Shadow Dash to charge in and deal a Shadow Strike to its enemy.
A shadow spread across the ground!
The earth was suddenly covered in a vile black ooze, and when Poochie took a single step across it, the sticky goo immediately caught its foot and constrained it.
Holding the first as well as second defensive lines, the Amethyst Orc and Judge were also caught in the humiliating circumstance. Both feet stuck in place, the two warriors large and larger were rooted to the spot by the mysterious fluid. It took a monumental effort even to raise one leg for a short while.
They anxiously yelled, “Black Rock!”
Black Rock had noticed their dilemma, and he was already on the attack!
“Terra Shockwave!” With a great shout, Black Rock slammed both palms to the ground.
A powerful wave of magic surged up from beneath where the Amethyst Orc, Judge, and Poochie were caught!
Having retreated to about twenty meters away, Qin Ruo was even faster in his response. A fully-formed Compressed Frost Bullet was sent whistling towards the same location.
As the Frost Bullet passed through the area, the black goo froze solid in its wake, losing much of its stickiness. The Terra Shockwave hit next, sending gobs of the goo flying in every direction. The captive monsters and human were all freed!
However, in their brief moment of working to set Judge, the Amethyst Orc, and Poochie free, the Undead Sovereign noticed that of the six low-level human adventurers, one of them had just slipped into its Mountain Shelter!
To think that they would dare lay their hands on the Tier 6 Boss’ treasure hoard… The Undead Sovereign had now become truly enraged by these puny ants arrayed before him, and it unleashed a howl of fury into the sky, shaking the whole of Death Mountain!
Instantly, innumerable Undead Specters flowed out from its sleeves, robe, and cloak… With an unholy wailing of the wind, they filled the sky and blotted out the sun.
“Curses, what fell sorcery is this?” Just beyond the battlefield, Subjugator and Snowleaf watched the scene with pale faces.
The Amethyst Orc and Judge were the first to suffer the Undead Sovereign’s retribution as countless Specters rained down upon them from above, piercing straight through their bodies.
Amethyst Orc has been attacked by Ravenous Undead, took 100 damage!
Amethyst Orc has been attacked by Ravenous Undead, took 100 damage!
Judge has been attacked by Ravenous Undead, took 100 damage!
Judge has been attacked by Ravenous Undead, took 100 damage!
Dozens of Specters, crisscrossing the battlefield, slashed both man and beast at an inhuman velocity, tearing away 100 HP with each pass.
Heaven forbid… It was an unblockable, consecutive area-attack spell!
Even the Amethyst Orc, with its 100,000 HP, could scarcely withstand that rate of damage, what more Judge?
“Get lost!” Judge roared, and his shield flared with dark golden light. As a result, the Specters diving in from all directions were held at bay, unable to approach him.
The Amethyst Orc was not so fortunate. Helpless beneath the Specters’ unceasing onslaught, all it could do was cry in agony.
Poochie had escaped while it could, returning speedily to the safety of Qin Ruo’s shoulder. It now stood there, shaking its little fists and squeaking angrily at the enemy, as though accusing the Undead Sovereign of unsportsmanlike behavior.
Qin Ruo, meanwhile, was in a grim mood.
Even as the Amethyst Orc and Judge were being pinned down by its fearsome consecutive area-effect attack spell, the Undead Sovereign looked like it was about to return to its Mountain Shelter.
Fateless had just entered the cave, and probably had not even begun picking the lock yet.
Just three seconds… No matter what, they had to delay the Undead Sovereign for another three seconds at least!
However, right then, Judge was in his Defensive Stance, and he would not be able to move for three seconds (or else he would face certain death!). The Amethyst Orc seemed paralyzed by the endless attacks, and it was not responding to Qin Ruo’s commands.
Qin Ruo’s face was dark. “Snowleaf!” he hollered in desperation—it was time to play his last card!
At his command, eleven Frostramparts were immediately delivered into his grasp. Without hesitation, Qin Ruo accepted the Elemental Control Transfer from Snowleaf. Then, together with his one pre-existing Frostrampart, he instantly enacted the Twelve Frostramparts Formation!
Foom!
The air was filled with a biting chill as the twelve Frostramparts rushed forth towards the Undead Sovereign.
The Undead Sovereign’s cold eyes narrowed. Without slowing its movement back to the Mountain Shelter, it waved its staff, sending out a great curved blade of dark energy. It came flying in to intercept the approaching Twelve Frostramparts Formation.
Qin Ruo had been expecting that.
Whoosh! Riding on the Frostrampart, Poochie leaped forth.
Shadow Break! The Undead Sovereign’s spell faded away into nothing. The Twelve Frostramparts Formation continued on unhindered until it reached the Amethyst Orc and Judge.
The Undead Specters that the Undead Sovereign had summoned were essentially just pure elemental beings. When they were exposed to the wintry blast coming off of the massed Frostramparts, they instantly disintegrated into shreds, dissipating like fog beneath a noon-day sun.
The moment the Amethyst Orc and Judge were free, they rushed towards the Undead Sovereign at maximum speed.
At last, the Undead Sovereign halted—not because of its two pursuers, but because two Earthramparts had risen suddenly to obstruct its way.
Seemingly without the need for any spellcasting, five skulls appeared, ferocious and terrifying. They hurtled towards the human and monster that were closing in fast behind the Undead Sovereign.
This time, Judge was favored for receiving the most attention. Four of the gigantic black skulls, their horrible mouths agape, collided into his shield, shoulder, belly, and back.
Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud!
With one look, the Undead Sovereign had accurately assessed Judge’s remaining health and formed its attacks with calculated precision: four spell strikes, each one worth over 400 Magic Attack. He had less than 3,000 HP remaining, and it was instantly reduced to zero.
(Translator’s Note: Maybe the author meant less than 2,000 HP remaining.)
Party member, Judge has fallen!
As the cold tone of the System Notification rang through the silence, the Amethyst Orc was staggered by the last spell strike. In the meantime, the Undead Sovereign turned its merciless gaze to Black Rock, who was more than 20 m away.
It raised its skeletal chin disdainfully, and a massive blade of pure dark energy appeared over Black Rock’s head. Then, it fell!
As though stabbing into soft tofu, the black blade cut right through the Barrier and impaled a wordless Black Rock.
Party member, Black Rock has fallen!
The Earthramparts, which had been impeding the Undead Sovereign’s progress, immediately crumbled into dust.
As three people gasped for startled breath, a series of Combat Feedback messages rang in their heads.
Party member, Fateless has been attacked by enemy Faction player for 728 damage!
Fateless has been Poisoned! Taking 200 damage per second; duration, 15 seconds!
Party member, Fateless has attacked enemy Faction player!
Qin Ruo’s entire party was shocked.
“What in the blazes?”
“There’s another Bandit in the Undead Sovereign’s Mountain Shelter!”
But… who could hide from Fateless and sneak along in his shadow?
In that instant when the Amethyst Orc and Poochie teamed up to knock down the Undead Sovereign, the trio of Judge, Black Rock, and Fateless realized that the fight would only end when one side had fallen!
This would be their last fight in the fifth level of the Graveyard of the Gods!
Victory or defeat—it would be decided at that moment!
As the three of them led the way, everyone in the six-man party echoed their absolute resolve. No matter what, they would get the Undead Sovereign’s treasure!
***
Everything was going exactly as Qin Ruo had planned!
The Tier 6 Undead Sovereign, failing to account for Poochie’s presence, was stifled long enough for the Amethyst Orc to rush in from behind and attack. In concert with Poochie, the tactic was supremely effective. The Amethyst Orc kept pace with its opponent as it furiously rained Successive Strikes upon it so that the Undead Sovereign would continue to be forced farther and farther away—straight towards Judge’s position.
Judge was a burly man, over two meters tall. Clad from head to toe in Dark Gold armor, he raised his shield and rushed in fearlessly to stand before the Undead Sovereign. He was like a miniature citadel of metal, obstructing the way back to the Mountain Shelter. He acted as the second line of defense after the Amethyst Orc!
That was when the Undead Sovereign finally managed to regain its footing and began to fight back against their combined assault!
Ultimately, the Amethyst Orc was only a Tier 5 Miniboss. Its combat ability roughly equaled an average Tier 5 Supreme Champion. Asking a Tier 5 Supreme Champion to go solo against a Tier 6 Megaboss was basically like asking a Tier 4 player to take on a Tier 5 Megaboss—no matter how skilled your gameplay may be, you would not be able to deal any real damage to the Boss monster.
Between a Tier 5 Miniboss and a Tier 6 Megaboss, there was no way to bridge the gap in their abilities!
It was only via a cunning trick or two that Qin Ruo had managed to grant the Amethyst Orc a close-range advantage, a small opportunity. However, when the Undead Sovereign retaliated, the situation was overturned completely!
Before the Amethyst Orc could flesh a fourth skill out, a sinister black miasma erupted from the Undead Sovereign’s body, engulfing the Amethyst Orc’s mighty attack.
Bang!
The Amethyst Orc landed its blow, but it was like pounding against cotton. What would previously have been over 100 damage had now fallen to a mere 40 or so.
The attack dealt none of its secondary effects as well.
Now, the Undead Sovereign straightened up and raised the staff it had been clutching the whole time!
Rather than the Amethyst Orc, it instead aimed at Poochie, which was already using its Shadow Dash to charge in and deal a Shadow Strike to its enemy.
A shadow spread across the ground!
The earth was suddenly covered in a vile black ooze, and when Poochie took a single step across it, the sticky goo immediately caught its foot and constrained it.
Holding the first as well as second defensive lines, the Amethyst Orc and Judge were also caught in the humiliating circumstance. Both feet stuck in place, the two warriors large and larger were rooted to the spot by the mysterious fluid. It took a monumental effort even to raise one leg for a short while.
They anxiously yelled, “Black Rock!”
Black Rock had noticed their dilemma, and he was already on the attack!
“Terra Shockwave!” With a great shout, Black Rock slammed both palms to the ground.
A powerful wave of magic surged up from beneath where the Amethyst Orc, Judge, and Poochie were caught!
Having retreated to about twenty meters away, Qin Ruo was even faster in his response. A fully-formed Compressed Frost Bullet was sent whistling towards the same location.
As the Frost Bullet passed through the area, the black goo froze solid in its wake, losing much of its stickiness. The Terra Shockwave hit next, sending gobs of the goo flying in every direction. The captive monsters and human were all freed!
However, in their brief moment of working to set Judge, the Amethyst Orc, and Poochie free, the Undead Sovereign noticed that of the six low-level human adventurers, one of them had just slipped into its Mountain Shelter!
To think that they would dare lay their hands on the Tier 6 Boss’ treasure hoard… The Undead Sovereign had now become truly enraged by these puny ants arrayed before him, and it unleashed a howl of fury into the sky, shaking the whole of Death Mountain!
Instantly, innumerable Undead Specters flowed out from its sleeves, robe, and cloak… With an unholy wailing of the wind, they filled the sky and blotted out the sun.
“Curses, what fell sorcery is this?” Just beyond the battlefield, Subjugator and Snowleaf watched the scene with pale faces.
The Amethyst Orc and Judge were the first to suffer the Undead Sovereign’s retribution as countless Specters rained down upon them from above, piercing straight through their bodies.
Amethyst Orc has been attacked by Ravenous Undead, took 100 damage!
Amethyst Orc has been attacked by Ravenous Undead, took 100 damage!
Judge has been attacked by Ravenous Undead, took 100 damage!
Judge has been attacked by Ravenous Undead, took 100 damage!
Dozens of Specters, crisscrossing the battlefield, slashed both man and beast at an inhuman velocity, tearing away 100 HP with each pass.
Heaven forbid… It was an unblockable, consecutive area-attack spell!
Even the Amethyst Orc, with its 100,000 HP, could scarcely withstand that rate of damage, what more Judge?
“Get lost!” Judge roared, and his shield flared with dark golden light. As a result, the Specters diving in from all directions were held at bay, unable to approach him.
The Amethyst Orc was not so fortunate. Helpless beneath the Specters’ unceasing onslaught, all it could do was cry in agony.
Poochie had escaped while it could, returning speedily to the safety of Qin Ruo’s shoulder. It now stood there, shaking its little fists and squeaking angrily at the enemy, as though accusing the Undead Sovereign of unsportsmanlike behavior.
Qin Ruo, meanwhile, was in a grim mood.
Even as the Amethyst Orc and Judge were being pinned down by its fearsome consecutive area-effect attack spell, the Undead Sovereign looked like it was about to return to its Mountain Shelter.
Fateless had just entered the cave, and probably had not even begun picking the lock yet.
Just three seconds… No matter what, they had to delay the Undead Sovereign for another three seconds at least!
However, right then, Judge was in his Defensive Stance, and he would not be able to move for three seconds (or else he would face certain death!). The Amethyst Orc seemed paralyzed by the endless attacks, and it was not responding to Qin Ruo’s commands.
Qin Ruo’s face was dark. “Snowleaf!” he hollered in desperation—it was time to play his last card!
At his command, eleven Frostramparts were immediately delivered into his grasp. Without hesitation, Qin Ruo accepted the Elemental Control Transfer from Snowleaf. Then, together with his one pre-existing Frostrampart, he instantly enacted the Twelve Frostramparts Formation!
Foom!
The air was filled with a biting chill as the twelve Frostramparts rushed forth towards the Undead Sovereign.
The Undead Sovereign’s cold eyes narrowed. Without slowing its movement back to the Mountain Shelter, it waved its staff, sending out a great curved blade of dark energy. It came flying in to intercept the approaching Twelve Frostramparts Formation.
Qin Ruo had been expecting that.
Whoosh! Riding on the Frostrampart, Poochie leaped forth.
Shadow Break! The Undead Sovereign’s spell faded away into nothing. The Twelve Frostramparts Formation continued on unhindered until it reached the Amethyst Orc and Judge.
The Undead Specters that the Undead Sovereign had summoned were essentially just pure elemental beings. When they were exposed to the wintry blast coming off of the massed Frostramparts, they instantly disintegrated into shreds, dissipating like fog beneath a noon-day sun.
The moment the Amethyst Orc and Judge were free, they rushed towards the Undead Sovereign at maximum speed.
At last, the Undead Sovereign halted—not because of its two pursuers, but because two Earthramparts had risen suddenly to obstruct its way.
Seemingly without the need for any spellcasting, five skulls appeared, ferocious and terrifying. They hurtled towards the human and monster that were closing in fast behind the Undead Sovereign.
This time, Judge was favored for receiving the most attention. Four of the gigantic black skulls, their horrible mouths agape, collided into his shield, shoulder, belly, and back.
Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud!
With one look, the Undead Sovereign had accurately assessed Judge’s remaining health and formed its attacks with calculated precision: four spell strikes, each one worth over 400 Magic Attack. He had less than 3,000 HP remaining, and it was instantly reduced to zero.
(Translator’s Note: Maybe the author meant less than 2,000 HP remaining.)
Party member, Judge has fallen!
As the cold tone of the System Notification rang through the silence, the Amethyst Orc was staggered by the last spell strike. In the meantime, the Undead Sovereign turned its merciless gaze to Black Rock, who was more than 20 m away.
It raised its skeletal chin disdainfully, and a massive blade of pure dark energy appeared over Black Rock’s head. Then, it fell!
As though stabbing into soft tofu, the black blade cut right through the Barrier and impaled a wordless Black Rock.
Party member, Black Rock has fallen!
The Earthramparts, which had been impeding the Undead Sovereign’s progress, immediately crumbled into dust.
As three people gasped for startled breath, a series of Combat Feedback messages rang in their heads.
Party member, Fateless has been attacked by enemy Faction player for 728 damage!
Fateless has been Poisoned! Taking 200 damage per second; duration, 15 seconds!
Party member, Fateless has attacked enemy Faction player!
Qin Ruo’s entire party was shocked.
“What in the blazes?”
“There’s another Bandit in the Undead Sovereign’s Mountain Shelter!”
But… who could hide from Fateless and sneak along in his shadow?
