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Before everyone’s eyes, and as Argentia battled Zergeous and seemed evenly matched, something else emerged.
A Second Raid Boss!
What Vlad had believed to be a counter regarding how each Raid Boss was from a different Raid was wrong.
“Iron Blood Emperor! You will pay for what you’ve done to our King and our people! We shall bathe in the blood of your descendants!”
CRAAASH!
Their hope was quickly shattered as yet another titan emerged from the ground, even closer to the city walls themselves.
It resembled a massive centipede with hundreds of sharp legs and half the body of a woman on top of its head, showing her silver skin and red eyes, only partially covered on her armor.
Ding!
[The {Raid Boss: 2/3}: [Leferteti, The Giant Abyssal Centipede Queen (Tier 5)] has emerged from underground!]
[Her presence alone raises the Defenses of all nearby Neburians by 20%!]
And right from within the hole she created, hundreds of smaller armored centipedes emerged, hissing, rushing towards the walls. These enormous centipedes, roughly ten meters long each, rapidly started biting and tearing apart the plants; they moved much faster than the other Neburians and had tougher exoskeletons too!
“You’re kidding me…”
Vlad quickly realized that the counter meant that each raid actually had three separate Raid Bosses! This also meant that…
“There’s a third coming any time from now?!”
Zergeous was already a sizable challenge that would take all of Argentia to defeat, and then there was Leferteti, which seemed perhaps even stronger.
What could possibly a third Raid Boss do?
This event, without a doubt, was not designed to be overcome by Elderbridge!
“I understand now… All along.”
Vlad smiled cynically. Paul finally understood what Elderbridge truly was within the game. Yes, it wasn’t just a “starting city.” The reason why it was being constantly attacked was because within the Main Story of Fantasy Story Online within Obscuritas, this city had to fall.
It was like one of the many events at the beginning of RPGs, where the starting village gets destroyed by the forces of the Demon King or whatever. Elderbridge was most likely programmed to be destroyed, a steppingstone for this Raid to advance further and invade the rest of the Iron Blood Empire.
“So this city is destined to be destroyed by the game’s Story Progression…” he sighed, feeling rather exhausted from using so much Arcana. “Don’t fuck with me… That’s really unfair, you shitty devs…”
He quickly, once more, realized just how unlucky he was to get this character as his avatar! From the very beginning, Vlad and his hometown were destined for damnation.
Destined!
Anything he tried would always end up in even more chaos.
The smarter choice would be to simply escape this city and somehow do something different, to abandon his position as a prince even, and go to faraway lands.
Or perhaps another Realm entirely…
“No, if I were to do that, I would regret it with every ounce of my heart…”
Paul smiled through Vlad as the two minds became one, the Player.
“Teressa, Camilla, Chris, and the rest of the people of this damn place… I’ve begun to get attached to them.”
Paul was always someone who got too attached to game characters, or even book characters. He was someone who was immersed a lot in video games, movies, anime, and literature.
When he saw a character dying or suffering, a character he liked, he would also feel pain as if they were a real person.
Maybe he was insane; maybe some people would even insult him and laugh at him if they knew his mind worked this way, but…
That’s how he was.
He often played games or read books with bad endings that could never be changed.
But this time it was different; this game still granted him opportunities to defy the Story, to defy Destiny within this fictional world.
He was no longer just a detached Player going along how the video game wanted him to go or a reader reading an already written and finished book.
He could change this world, and he could change this Story.
He could interact with everything; it wasn’t like any game that ever came before.
Even those that had very interactive features had little to no story, like Minecraft.
Characters weren’t as deep as book characters, making them feel like real people.
Fantasy Story Online main slogan was “Create your own Story”, and he would definitely do that.
“I will forge a new path, and I will change this city and these characters’ destinies!”
Suddenly, his Arcana surged from his body as he unequipped ten rings and equipped ten more from his inventory; so huge was his Arcana Aura that it weighed him down, making him fall to his knees.
“Now, Camilla, it’s your time to shine!”
“Brother?”
“Let’s protect this city together!”
“O-Okay!”
Camilla just knew instinctively what her brother meant; touching his shoulder, her Telekinesis powers surged like an invisible Aura.
Her Psychic Powers melded with Vlad’s own Arcana, as they became one, which then spread across the ground beneath and the plants.
As the army of giant centipedes started destroying the city’s last line of defense…
Vlad once more did something ridiculous!
Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
By using Camilla’s Telekinesis, the Demonic Martial Plants beneath, the soil, the spirits, and the ground itself…
He imagined it, and it was born, shaped out of his own will and his incredibly high-level Alchemy Skill and amazing talent over Magic Manipulation.
Not only Geomancy, but Skills such as Spirit Mediator were also used…
Until finally…
“{Spiritual Geomancy}: {Dark Spirit Forest Guardian}!”
RUMBLE!
A giant emerged from the soil, all the dead plants merged with the spirits around and the soil, and also Camilla’s Telekinesis further empowered it.
Humanoid in shape and lacking legs, only an enormous toros made of stone, plants, and soil, covered on an armor of black wood.
“GRUUUOOOOHHH!!!”
With over twenty meters of height, the Guardian roared mightily, swinging his arms against the centipedes and crushing them with his massive punches.
BAAAM! BAAAM! BAAAM! BAAAM!
The centipedes were crushed to death instantly, splattering into pieces and leaving behind their flesh and broken armor.
“My children!”
Leferteti, who was already rushing there, opened her eyes widely in utter disbelief and anger, showing her sharp mandibles. She roared furiously.
“HOW DARE YOU MERCILESSLY SLAUGHTER THESE CHILDREN?! YOU MONSTER!”
Her enormous claws swung against the city walls, releasing enormous cutting waves of purple and black-colored Aura, made entirely out of her Arcana and Lifeforce.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
The attacks sliced and blew through the guardian’s enormous body, rapidly making it collapse piece by piece. Vlad and Camilla panicked!
“It’s not enough?! Dammit, we have to somehow. Come on…!”
He quickly thought of an idea, the guardian; he had to modify it using Geomancy. To make it count as an element of its own.
Yes, he knew what to do.
“Blazing Doppelgangers!”
He commanded the blazing doppelgangers, as several of them ran towards the guardian, encompassing it on flames.
“Brother! What are you doing?!”
“Trust me, Camilla! Now, let’s do it once more!”
Their powers combined together as the Guardian started to suddenly evolve; it absorbed the flames instead of being burned by them, rapidly growing even larger than before.
The army of Elderbridge gasped in disbelief as they fought, realizing the immense magical prowess of their prince!
“The crippled dhampir prince, that was always mocked, to think he had such an amazing magic talent!”
“This is incredible!”
“Prince Vlad… You can do this!”
“Princess Camilla is also helping him!”
“Fight! We have to at least do something on our own!”
As the soldiers roared and kept battling the armored monstrosities, the blazing guardian finished its transformation barely in time, as Leferteti emerged before him, swinging her enormous claws and aiming to destroy it entirely before reaching the walls.
“{Spiritual Geomancy}: {Infernal Burning Forest Spirit Guardian}!”
FLUOSH!
The guardian’s entire body emerged from the ground once more, plants made of fire resembling vines wrapped around the centipede queen’s body, suddenly stopping her movements while constantly burning her, melting her metallic armor.
“Uuaagh?!”
Leferteti gritted her mandibles as she quickly conjured dozens of magic circles out of thin air, quickly making Vlad and Camilla realize she was actually a magician!
“{Dark Thunderstorm}!”
Each magic circle unified into a single spell as black clouds wrapped around the guardian, releasing black thunder over its entire body.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
The titanic elemental resisted barely, however, swinging its enormous fists and punching Leferteti in the face several times, making her bleed as her armor started falling apart.
BAAM!
“Ugh!”
BAAM!
“Agh!”
BAAM!
“Y-You beast! Stop!”
BAAM!
“Aarrgh, my face!”
With each punch, her screams echoed across the entire army of Neburians, lowering their morale; even her little centipede children started cowering! The other plants that remained alive quickly took this opportunity to retaliate.
Enormous trees fired acidic fruits, while other plants resembling several vines wrapped together launched explosive seeds, piercing through their bodies and leaving holes across their armor, killing dozens within seconds.
“AAARRGHH! YOU DAMN… YOU’RE NOTHING BUT AN ELEMENTAL CONSTRUCT!”
With a furious roar, Leferteti broke through the guardian at long last. After having lost an arm and several of her legs, while a third of her body had been burned, she destroyed the elemental, tearing it to shreds.
BOOOM!
She smiled viciously, glaring at the undefended walls of Elderbridge, summoning a huge sword made of darkness with her magic.
“Elderbridge shall fall tonight!”
She rushed forward, swinging her massive sword as Vlad and Camilla glanced in disbelief.
But Vlad smiled confidently.
“I’ve weakened her enough; it’s all yours, mother.”
FLASH!
An azure light surged from the skies as Leferteti felt a chilling wind cover her body. For a moment she felt relieved; her burning wounds finally cooled down, but the second later.
“Aaah!”
Her eyes widened in horror as she screamed, her arm suddenly completely frozen, gaining countless cracks before…
Crack, crack…!
CRASH!
It was shattered into pieces by the cold winds wrapped around her frozen arm as if they were a force of their own.
“Who is it… WHO DARES?!”
The giant Centipede Queen glared into the skies, noticing a beautiful Vampiress flying in the skies, her aura of frost emanating everywhere, making snow fall from the skies.
“Thank you, my children… Mom will take care of the monster now.”
Vlad’s whole intention this entire time wasn’t to defeat a Raid Boss using his magic, but to weaken Leferteti enough for his mother to be able to finish her off with her overwhelming power, helping Teressa save as much energy as possible.
“RAAAHHH!”
With a furious roar, Leferteti grew desperate, quickly unleashing her magic at once and summoning dozens of deep black magic circles, unleashing yet another Dark Thunderstorm.
Black clouds materialized, wrapping around Teressa as thunderbolts reached her from all angles at once! She quickly recalled having gone through a similar challenge before.
When she battled Helena, who could unleash lightning everywhere, she fell against her lethal attacks and ended up almost dying.
However, she learned through that battle how to properly reflect lightning attacks much better than before!
“{Ice Thunder Rod}”
FLUOSH!
Suddenly, above the skies, a huge rod made of ice emerged, with Arcana suddenly inscribing runes on it. Teressa smiled as all the black thunderbolts destroying her ice armor instantly reached the thunder rod instead, being attracted by its runic arrangement and form.
“What?!”
Leaving Leferteti’s magic completely useless, Teressa reached the giant centipede, materializing a dozen icicle spears and firing them at her.
The centipede immediately wrapped her entire body with her long lower body, trying to use that as a last ditch of defense as she attempted to conjure more magic.
However, that was her greatest mistake.
CLASH! CLASH! CLASH! CLASH!
Her lower body was not able to defend, as Teressa abused how her body armor was arranged, piercing in between the many crevices and openings of the exoskeleton.
“Aaagggh!”
Leferteti screamed in agony as ice started freezing her insides, rapidly spreading through her lower body, where most of her vital organs were.
Her intestines, stomach, and everything in between rapidly started freezing instantly, making her feel completely sick.
“Y-Youuu! YOU DAMN… VAMPIRESSSS!”
Already giving up on living, Leferteti attempted a last-ditch effort, gathering all the Arcana within her and suddenly attempting to blow herself up and destroy the wall alongside her own body.
FLASH!
Black thunder emerged from her body, rapidly beginning to gather, strengthening itself using her own lifeforce and soul!
“She’s gonna blow herself up!” Chris cried. “Someone, stop her!”
As he was busy helping Argentia fight the tough and slow Zergeous, Chris attempted to call for help.
However, there was no need.
“No need for that!”
Teressa waved her hands as the frost growing within Leferteti’s body spread further and faster, freezing not only her dying body but even her soul and… even her magic.
After going through a near-death experience and gaining the divine protection of the three moon goddesses, Teressa was no longer the same as before.
As the moons shone above the skies, her freezing magic strengthened and intensified to completely new levels!
“{Eternal Soul-Freezing Coffin}”
FLASH!
The only thing left of Leferteti was her completely frozen body, before it shattered into pieces, falling over the smaller centipedes and crushing them to death.
Crack, crack…!
CRASH!
“Amazing… Mom’s amazing!” Camilla celebrated as she saw her mother defeat a mighty Raid Boss on her own.
“That must have drained a lot of Arcana though,” sighed Vlad. “But this isn’t over yet; Zergeous is tougher than we imagined; Argentia might not be enough, and there might be a third Raid Boss at any moment if we don’t-”
RUMBLE!
As if answering his words, suddenly, the skies darkened even more, as something enormous surged from within, with a serpentine, armored body, and encompassed on black and purple flames.
“I am Judgement… Prepare yourselves, vampires. This is but the first step for our revenge! Death to the Iron Blood Empire!”
An enormous being of over thirty meters of height roared, resembling an armored serpentine dragon, and flew directly towards Elderbridge, ignoring the city walls!
Accompanying him, several armored wyverns flocked around his enormous body, gathering Arcana in their jaws before firing a rain of black and purple flames.
Ding!
[The {Raid Boss: 3/3}: [Judgement, The Great Abyssal Flame Snake (Tier 5)] has emerged from amidst the dark skies!]
[If you can’t stop him in time, Elderbridge will be destroyed completely.]
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