4 Hours Later,

29th Mazem, 1092.

"Uaak!" The last desperate cry of man was buried beneath the even louder songs and war cries of those engaged in the battle for the dungeon floor. Locked in position, Lunette's party fought to protect the remaining bodies still logged out. Their adversaries comprised soldiers backed up by the buffs from songs by priests at their back.

Syel and Shoko led the defense at either end of the dungeon, destroying their enemies at the entrances. Luckily, the only entries were sets of staircases at either end, which meant they only had to face a handful at a time. Shadow assisted Shoko in dispatching any stray warrior that managed to squirm through. Neither of the three warriors knew how to fight defensive battles, so they had resorted to 'attacking to a certain point' (a strategy which entailed pre-emptively dispatching anything that came into view, but never leaving the dungeon floor itself.

After fighting for four hours straight, not only should their mana have run out, but they should have exhausted all of their stamina. However, thanks to Lunette, the triplets, and some of the orchestra members who had returned, there were sufficient musical buffs to keep them energized.

Lunette had also proposed that the support group alternate, allowing time to regenerate mana for the songs. With this system, the warriors always had songs not only backing them up but also protecting them against ailments/debuffs from the enemies' songs.

The battle had revealed a few denominations of the Chaos Order . They seemed to use a ranking system similar to those used by religious organizations . The lowest-ranked -and most numerous- members were grunts, lead by slightly more powerful deacons . So far, the party had only encountered a handful of priests, and they were significantly stronger than both Deacons and Laites combined. There were sure to be higher denominations, but they had yet to encounter any.

Suddenly, b eside Lunette, Lufer's body twitched, signaling his return. Moments later, he got to his feet, baton at the ready. "Thank you for protecting my body, Ms. Falsetto."

Lunette signaled for someone else to take her place. She rested against the wall, breathing heavily as she waited for her mana and stamina to rise. "You should thank them," she said, pointing at the warriors. "They're the ones who have been fighting nonstop for hours. It's a wonder they haven't collapsed."

"They owe that to your invigorating songs, no doubt," Lufer observed the rotational system she had put into play. "Impressive strategy. Most would have wanted to use the full force of the orchestra and burnt out within an hour."

Lunette shook her head with a wry smile. "I just learned from watching two of the most brilliant strategists I have ever met."

Lufer smiled. "I would like to meet these strategists sometime." A loud cheer from the orchestra drew his attention. "It would seem all our members have been gathered. " He took out his baton and chanted something under his breath. His baton glowed bright blue, then released waves of light that encompassed the entirety of the dungeon. He looked to Lunette. "Have you ever been led by a conductor before?"

Lunette shook her head. Confused, she asked, "Conductor? There's a class like that?"

"Not exactly." With a wave of his baton, the orchestra entered formation. "I created the class myself."

"Wha-"

"Now, Ms. Falsetto, would you do us the honor of taking the lead? I assume Iggy taught you most of our songs already?"

"Well, yes he did, but-"

"Do not fret. You will do fine. You're about to be part of power like you've never seen before."

Lunette decided to surrender. It looked like it would be fun.

Lufer nodded his appreciation. "Now then, we'll go with Rite of the Third March. Iggy, Diggs, and Zeig, you're the only one with instruments, so I'll need you to use [ Amplify ] and [ Layer ] as much as possible. ” [Amplify], as the name suggested, increased the volume of a bard’s singing or instrument. Skilled bards could amplify their voice to fill up a whole stadium without the use of any external tool. [Layer], on the other hand, was a mana skill that recorded and then played back pieces of music. This skill could turn a single bard into a whole orchestra with the right amount of expertise. “ The rest of you will back up Ms. Falsetto. Is everyone ready?"

Unanimous nods answered him.

"Alright then, Let our counterattack begin." He raised his baton high, then dropped it with commanding force.

A burst of wind blew past everybody present, accompanied by the explosive blows of Diegel's drums and Zeigfried's trumpet. Syel, Shadow, and Shoko each felt a sudden surge of power pound its way into their very veins. Iggy brought order to the chaos as his violin granted control over the power they had gained. But not until Lunette started their song did they truly know the meaning of overwhelming force.

Mana Regeneration Rate increased by 150%

Stamina Regeneration Rate increased by 130%

Resistance to sound-related m agic increased by 79%

Haste: Party Agility increased by 98%

Syel let out a bloodcurdling laugh at the buff alert. "Well, now, ain't this a sight." H is eyes met those of the numerous grunts and p riests. "Good news, boys and girls," Flame and Ice danced around his frame as he took a step out of the dungeon. "No more waiting, we can all have fun together!" He punched two soldiers out of his way and took their place at the bottom of the stairs. He looked up and saw several grunts , p riests, and ordinary s oldiers, making their way down towards him. "Could you make this any easier?"

Syel raised a slab to block the entrance, then proceeded to punch the earth. Flames spread from his hand along the ground to the corners of the circular landing. He started a chant but was interrupted by one of the soldiers he had punched earlier.

The man bore down on him spear aimed at his throat. Syel blocked with his palm, and the spearhead shattered on impact. Before the warrior could process what had happened, the elf's fist was in his chest. Ice spread from within the man's chest, freezing him from the inside out.

Syel saw the reflection of the second warrior attacking from behind him on the sculpture. He deftly sidestepped the blow and watched in amusement as the warrior shattered his partner to pieces. He snatched one of the broken pieces midairs and stabbed the second warrior in the neck.

The warrior yelled in agony, but the halben wasn't done. He tore down the soldier's spinal cord with the jagged ice. The soldier's cry died in his throat as he fell to the floor. Syel manipulate d the dead warrior's blood such that it exploded, splattering blood all over the stairs above him and on a mandala that had been formed from his earlier flames. "[ Hell's Pillar ]," h e muttered as he encased himself in the earth.

The flaming mandala sparked as blood came into contact with flame. It grew excited and began to grow as if fanned by the gods of flames themselves. The flames spun in place like a tornado, increasing in height, velocity, and intensity with each passing second.

Within the span of a few seconds, the entirety of the staircase was consumed by never-ending flames, the cries of the damned giving way to the crackling of burning flesh. The fire died down as quickly as they had begun, and Syel checked his MP. While the skill required half his MP, the buffs made sure his mana was already at 60%. Two minutes later and they would be full again.

Syel disengaged his earth armor - and the slab he had used to shield the dungeon from his skill - as he scanned the stairs for survivors. A few priests had survived. He prepared a skill but stopped as a shadow flitted past his vision. Within the blink of an eye, the priests fell with their hands clasped around their necks . "Not bad."

Shadow stopped next to him as the priests rained down around them, blood spurting from their severed jugulars. "I must admit you would pose a formidable foe."

Syel laughed. "Why foe? You could have said 'powerful ally.'"

"Sure, why not?" Shadow sheathed his blades. "After the damage you've done, taking these stairs would be suicide. Come, Shoko's already cleared her side."

"Seriously?" Syel shook his head in amused bewilderment. Whenever he thought he had surpassed her, she managed to pull off something like this. "Honestly, who do you think is scarier?"

Shadow paused. "You are scarier, but I would rather face you than her anytime."

Syel shivered as Goosebumps ran up his skin. "Don't you get embarrassed answering so honestly. It's creepy."

"I'll take that into consideration." Shadow resumed his walk, signaling the end of the conversation.

At the other end, Shoko sheathed her sword as she returned to the orchestra. "Our last attack seems to have given them pause. They are retreating for now."

Lunette stepped forward, eyes filled with the purest admiration. "You're strong. I must admit we could not have done this without your partner and you. You have my thanks."

Shoko shook her head with a hint of a smile. "I can tell from the few moments without your songs to back us up. Without your protection and buffs, we would have been easy prey for their debilitating effects. At most, we would have lasted half an hour, and that's being generous." She held out her hand. "You are quite strong, Lunette-san."

The bard took her hand with a smile. "Please, call me Lune or Lunette. No need for honorifics."

"In that case, I'll have you do the same. Your brother already dumped the honorifics."

Lunette chuckled as her brother walked up to them.

Shadow looked from one laughing girl to another. He could ask, but what was the point. "I'll scout ahead. You guys rest and regain your stamina."

"Be careful."

"I always am." The next second he was gone from their sights like he was never there.

"That's a neat skill," Shoko muttered with a slight frown at the vacant spot where he'd stood a second ago.

"I know right," Syel called as he joined them. "Almost makes me want to be a ninja too."

Lufer and the triplets walked up to the group. "We've been trapped here for weeks. Can we ever repay you for saving us?"

Syel smirked. "Why yes, of course. We need you guys to follow us to the boss's ro- Ouch!"

Shoko grabbed the back of his head and forced him to bow. "My partner apologizes for his rudeness. What he meant to say was, we would be glad if you offered your assistance. From what we've seen, we'll need all the help we can get to beat the boss."

"That's right, Coach," Iggy said. "They risked their lives to save us. I think it only fair we offer the same graciousness we have received."

"That's right, Coach," Zeigfried seconded. He had quite the charmer's voice: silky, yet not so much that it seemed fake. "We would be remiss to let such beautiful ladies risk their lives for us, then leave them to fend for themselves against such savages."

Syel coughed.

"Oh yes," Zeigfried muttered in a clearly irritated voice. "Their maids are here too."

Syel's arm caught fire as a vein popped on his forehead. "Maid you s- ouch!" The flames died out as Shoko once again struck his stomach .

Lufer smiled. "We would gladly help. Nothing like a good fight to relieve the rage built up over the past weeks. Though you guys will be doing all the fighting. Haha."

"Thanks for your help," Lunette said with a polite bow.

"It's only returning the favor. So what is your plan?"

Lunette nodded. "First we need to get you some instruments and some new clothes. The durability of your current ones should be quite low."

Shoko picked a set of priest armaments from the floor. "These should suffice."

Priest's Robe (Uncommon)

Weight: 80

Durability: (65/65)

Armor Type: Cloth

DEF: 20 ~ 25

MDEF: 50 ~ 55

Robe belonging to Priests of the Unsung Chaos

Increases Mana by 10%

Effects of Musical abilities raised by 20%.

Magical Defence: +55

Effects Requirement: 80 WIS

Priest's R i ng (Uncommon)

Weight: 80

Durability: (25/25)

Armor Type: Cloth

MDEF: 10~15

A r i ng belonging to Priests of the Unsung Chaos

Reduces Mana Consumption from Music abilities by 10%

Effects Requirement: 80 WIS

"Thank you," Lufer said as he accepted the clothes. The orchestra members climbed the stairs and equipped the fallen cultist's clothes and accessories.

"I gat a bone ta pick wi' da GM's," Diegel complained as he pulled down his hood. "Why in da hell do warriors gi' all da badass clothes and we're left wi' these."

"I know, right?" Syel said. "I say the exact same thing all the time."

Iggy frowned. "You're not wearing a robe, though."

Iggy was right. Syel was dressed in a blood-red jacket on a black shirt and dark red pants. The jacket even had those unnecessary buckles that looked cool in anime but made absolutely no sense in reality. Which, of course, meant it was badass in the game.

"Oh, these?" Syel waved them off. "I had these made as a reward when I was still around level 40. H ave been using them since. Can't find a decent replacement that isn't a robe yet." His eyes rested on Lunette. "Wait a minute. You're a bard too, aren't you? Your clothes are pretty cool. How's that?"

"Our Guildmaster's pretty skilled with a needle and thread," Shadow answered.

"Holy Fuck!" Syel yelped in fright. "Will you stop doing that?"

"Sorry," Shadow apologized. He turned to Lufer. "I located the storage room where your instruments are kept. I also followed the retreating cultists to what I believe to be the boss' room. I saw about a hundred of them, but I'm sure there are more waiting there. Whatever they kept there is quite important to them."

"Thanks, Shadow," Lunette said as she gave her brother a quick, tight hug.

"Anything for you, sis."

"Well now, I think our path is clear," Lufer said.

Lunette nodded. "We'll wait until everyone's mana has refilled, then follow Shadow."

Zeigfried joined his brothers as part of Lunette's party, bringing their number to a total of seven. The maximum numb er of people an ordinary party could have was ten. Individuals with extremely high Leadership stats could extend this number, but unfortunately, none among those gathered had improved that stat.

Thankfully, groups called companies could be formed by joining two or more parties. They functioned similarly to regular parties, allowing members to share certain buffs or debuffs.

The orchestra used a similar approach to their party organization. Because they were forty-three in number, they couldn't all fit into one party. So they divided themselves into smaller units with similar instruments per party. The coalition of all these individual units formed the full orchestra.

A couple of minutes later, the last orchestra member raised her hand to signify she was ready.

Shadow led the company up the flight of stairs and into a hallway. A few doors led to different parts of the underground building, but he ignored them all, stopping only when he reached a particular entry. He took out a key from his pocket and fitted it into the lock. It unlocked, and he swung the door open.

The orchestra members beamed with joy as they rushed at their respective instruments. Upon further inspection, they noticed the durability of their tools had dropped considerably, most likely due to the terrible conditions they had been kept in for so long.

Once Lunette was sure every member of the orchestra had regained possession of their instruments, she signaled to her brother to continue his lead.

A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

Shadow led the company through a network of hallways until they reached a massive door made from a material no one could place. A mural of robed men bowing before the double suns was carved onto the face of the door.

Shadow put his hand on the door.

The door opened of its own accord as if inviting them in. It opened to a circular shaft about a hundred meters in diameter , and about a thousand meters high. A spell was cast on the ceiling so it was translucent, allowing the light of the yellow suns to shine down into the shaft.

Beyond the doorway was a platform suspended in midair. Shadow jumped onto the platform and motioned for the others to follow suit. They did so, and the platform descended about fifty meters to the floor.

"So this is where they ran," Syel said as he jumped off the platform. He referred to the hundreds of robed figures around them, heads bowed as they recited a rather ominous chant.

Shoko grasped her sword’s hilt as she walked towards an altar at the center of the room. Holograms of the twin suns hovered over the altar with some inscriptions hanging around them. She made to touch it, but suddenly the ground slid open beneath the alter, swallowed it, then slid shut. "A safety mechanism."

"Any ideas on how we bypass that?" Syel asked.

"Kill them all?" she proposed.

"Works for me," Syel agreed, grinning madly as he fashioned blades out of his own blood.

"Back us up," Shadow said as he too drew his blades.

"That's our cue," Lufer said as he raised his baton. "' No Amnesty,' Diegel and Ms. Falsetto. This song will heavily tax the both of you. Can you handle it?"

"You kidding?" Diegel said as several drums of different sizes appeared in a semicircle around him. "I love dis song."

"I'm ready," assured Lunette.

As Lufer raised his baton, the cultists' chants reached a crescendo as if trying to drown out all sound. However, the second the baton dropped , a scene unbelievable exploded in the room as Diegel and Lunette , with the force of a thousand choristers , swallowed all sound.

By the time the orchestra joined , the duo had already arrested and seized the attention of everybody in the room, enemies included.

Mana Regeneration Rate increased by 200%

Stamina Regeneration Rate increased by 190%

Resistance to Sound related Magic increased by 130%

Haste: Party Agility increased by 148%

"Hahahaha," Syel laughed maniacally. "She's stronger than I thought." He turned to the cultists as he got into a crouching start. "Now, I wonder what their response will be." He kicked off, and sped towards them, sparks all over his body.

"Do not falter!" A voice rallied from within the cultists' ranks. "They are but a few. Rise, brothers of Chaos, and destroy these heretics!"

Whoever he was, this man’s voice electrified the cultists. Hundred and fifty members dashed to face the onrushing trio, swords, pikes, and spears at the ready. Behind them, three hundred of their members were left in charge of musical back-up. Hundred and fifty versus three and three hundred singers versus forty-three orchestra members and one singer. So the battle for the mines of Lib Tahos began, the odds heavily stacked in the cultists' favor.

However, numbers are never everything.

Grinning madly, Syel jumped high above the cultists. Many stopped as they glared at his frame above them. "Taser" He fashioned a destructive ball of electricity and fired it down at his admirers. They raised mana shields, but it completely bypassed them like they weren't there. The ball smashed against the earth and exploded within a radius of ten meters, momentarily paralyzing everything for three seconds.

More than enough for a certain assassin. A mass of black zipped through the paralyzed cultists at improbable speeds. Shadow stepped out of the ten-meter radius after three seconds had passed. A Laite laughed as he raised his sword to slice the assassin. Shadow ignored him as he sheathed his blade.

The Laite screamed bloody murder as blood spewed from several cuts on his body. He and everybody in the ten-meter radius fell to the floor, never knowing what it was that killed them.

"Jump!" Shadow heard Syel scream.

Both men jumped high as sharpened wind tore through the crowd, separating torsos from legs. Those it did not kill, it severely injured or maimed. Shadow landed on the shoulders of two Laites, marveling at Shoko's sword skill. His mounts, clearly displeased with his use of their shoulders, had their partners thrust at his legs.

Shadow hopped and stomped his feet against the blunt end of the blade. The sharp end dug into their shoulders. They cried out for mercy, but the assassin had disappeared along with their heads.

Shoko, Syel, and Shadow tore through the enemies ’ ranks like crazed monsters, ripping, tearing, and slicing everything to shreds. Their incredible strength came from the quality of music back up they had. Despite the poor durability of the orchestra instruments, the fervor, will, and drive in Lunette's voice outshone the enemies' three hundred voices.

"Mages, aim at the orchestra!" The enemy commander ordered.

Twenty of the three hundred stopped singing and fired several different elemental spells across the room to the orchestra.

Syel made to interfere but was interrupted by a group of priests who had a decent mastery of magic arts.

"Do not worry!" Lufer assured. "Keep it up!"

The spells crashed against the orchestra and exploded. However, quite notably, the song never stopped.

"Impossible!" The enemy commander screamed.

The smoke cleared to reveal the orchestra unscathed, a translucent blue mana shield protecting them.

"A conductor's job is not only to instruct the orchestra," Lufer said. "He must also protect them from slander from an ungrateful audience. I call this skill, [ The Show Must Go On ]. Don't worry about us, fight to your heart's content."

"That I will," Syel declared with a huge grin. He controlled the blood of the fallen and solidified them into rotating discs around him. He released them, and they tore through the enemy alongside him.

At the other end, enemies backed away from the female swordsman whose blade brought with it a tempest of death. While retreating, they failed to notice an extra body that was not one of theirs. Shadow's blades danced as he sped through them, his presence hidden as his dagger sliced through jugulars.

At this point, the enemy commander identified himself. He stepped forward and dropped his hood. His HP bar identified him as a Monig. He was a priest higher than priests. A boss of priests, one might say. His eyes held contempt for their party, though a tinge of amusement played on his lips.

"You heretics dare to defile this holy land with your presence." Though filled with rage, his words were oddly calm. "You shall pay for your audacious stupidity. Unleash, Belrug!"

There was a sudden chill in the room at his orders. Experience told Shoko she could not let this go through. "Syel, Shadow, forget the small fry and stop that man!"

"We would if we could!" Syel cursed. Whatever order that man gave ignited a fire deep within the pits of the cultists. They no longer fought to survive or to kill, but to hold them all back as long as possible.

The cultists changed their song. The ferocity and vileness of their voices broke through the trio's protection and began hitting them with debilitating effects.

Lunette, however, refused to give up. She also raised the force and intensity, putting her all in her voice to counteract the effects. It worked, but it was all she could do to hold the debilitating effects back. Most of the extra buffs the songs had been given them reduced drastically as a result.

Syel looked up and could not believe his eyes. One of the twin suns grew dark like it was being swallowed by something or someone.

"Watch out!" Shoko screamed as she dashed past Syel, carrying him roughly along.

Shadow joined her side as they escaped a giant mandala.

The devoured sun rose from within the mandala, though it no longer retained its scorching heat. Everyone watched, transfixed as the sun cracked like an egg. The cracks ran along the entirety of the sun before it exploded in a wave of very dense mana. From within emerged, what looked like a Chimera, curled in a fetus position. But as it unfurled and stretched, they realized it was far worse.

The beast they faced was about fifteen feet tall with a massive, muscular frame. It had the head of a lion with massive ram horns and a majestic black mane that stretched down its back. Its torso and arms were like that of a homo-sapien. Though its fingers ended in huge pointed claws and its arms sported the dark fur. Rather than a snake, its tail ended in a monstrous mouth that had six pincer teeth for latching onto its targets. Its legs, though, were like the hind legs of a dog, though the size and muscular strength allowed it to stand on them.

Belrug : Lv 124

Belrug dropped to the earth and let out a bloodcur d ling roar that paralyzed everybody in the room. It whipped around and made to punch the Monig that had summoned it, but its blow slammed against a barrier that repelled its attack with an angry shock.

The cultists retreated behind the barrier, so the monster's rampage would destroy only the heretics. They would seal it up once again once it had taken care of the intruders. Until then, they would focus on defense alone.

Syel frowned as he absorbed some blood. "This will not be easy."

Shoko dashed forward, hand on the hilt of her sword.

Belrug noticed her attack. Its tail curled like a snake and struck. The swordswoman danced around its mouth, then jumped onto the tail. She continued her dash, then jumped to its chest.

"Watch out!"

Shoko barely noticed its claws in time. She drew her sword and released a shockwave that blasted the hand away. However, the skill froze her for a split second. She had no time to dodge the follow-up. Belrug’s left hand smacked her so hard , she smashed into an opposite wall and was suspended there for a second. Its tail moved to swallow her, but Syel's manipulated the wall around his partner.

Spikes jutted around Shoko , and the snake retreated if only for a second.

Meanwhile, Shadow appeared at the nape of its neck and struck with all his might. His blade broke against the superior strength of Belrug's skin.

Belrug shrugged, and Shadow was tossed off with nothing to hold for support. It slapped the assassin, and he slammed against the floor with the force of a bullet. He coughed up blood as he fought to keep consciousness. It raised its head high as something welled in its throat, then roared down at the assassin.

Syel stomped against the earth, and a crack ran alongside it to the assassin. The ground flipped and tossed Shadow roughly away from the blast radius. Compressed air from Belrug's lungs crushed the floor then exploded, creating a massive dent in the earth.

"Buy me some time!" Syel shouted.

Shoko and Shadow recovered from their respective blows and dashed towards the beast.

Belrug roared as it jumped high into the air and latched against the wall. It ran along and then jumped from one end of the wall to another with surprising agility for its size. It picked its moment and shot down towards them like a rocket. Its force caused the earth to quake madly, but both warriors had timed their jump perfectly.

Shadow equipped his spare blades and dashed towards the beast, keeping his speed just at the level that Belrug could see him. Its tailed coiled and repeatedly struck at the assassin, but he quickly dodged the blows . He attempted to slice its legs, but still, his blades refused to sink into its flesh. It's not like there was no damage at all.

There were tiny scratches, but dealin g 12 damage t o a monster who had 656000 HP was stupid and futile. It would take almost eight hours of constant nonstop hits to bring it down. Before then, if the monster didn't kill him, lack of stamina or mana, the orchestra's mana finishing or even a slip-up would render them dead.

Shadow had to find its weak point and fast.

Shadow ran up its body slicing away, but the beast showed no sign of being overly disturbed.

Belrug roared again, this time expelling force from all around its body. It blasted Shadow away, but Shoko soon took his place.

The swordswoman dashed forward , her sword held backward over her shoulder. Blue light enveloped the sword as her speed doubled. Belrug's tail charged at her as the beast itself got on all fours to crush her with more ease. The tail and hands attacked Shokō with reckless abandon, but she somersaulted over the snakehead, releasing her shockwave as she did so. Since precision did not work, she decided to rely on brute force.

The shockwave slammed against Belrug’s exposed chest, forcing it onto its hind legs, but she wasn't done. Using the momentum from the first, she released another shockwave, then another, and another in a series of wicked nonstop volleys.

Belrug cried out as he was pushed against the wall, unable to retaliate against the successive blows.

Shoko's barrage ceased, and she fell to the floor, paralyzed b y exhaustion.

Syel nodded his appreciation as he ran past her. He prepared the largest [ Elemental Judgment ] he had ever created. The elemental spears of death crashed against the beast and exploded, enveloping it in smoke.

Syel wobbled to his feet, exhausted by the continued use of his blood. "Did we get him?"

Shadow zipped past and hoisted him out of the way as Belrug's tail crashed where the elf had just been. The assassin helped the blood mage to his feet as he stared at the clearing smoke with trepidation. He understood the meaning of fear as Belrug emerged from the smoke barely scratched.

HP: 600000

The orchestra stopped playing as they had run out of mana after nearly thirty minutes of nonstop playing.

Everybody present doubled over as debilitating effects hit assaulted them endlessly.

The Monig's laughter echoed throughout the hall. "It's over. Finish them."

Belrug stood tall as it welled up massive amounts of concentrated air in its throat. It stomped against the earth for improved balance, then roared at the immobilized trio.

"Shit," Syel could only curse as the compressed ball of death tore towards them.

"NO!"

Compressed air fashioned like spears burst through the onrushing ball, and they exploded, knocking everybody aside.

"What the hell ! ?" Syel voiced aloud the thought in everybody's mind as he whirled around.

There, floating in midair above the orchestra, stood Lunette, shrouded in a blinding glow.

"Lune, what are you doing?" Shadow asked as he too could not comprehend the sight in front of him.

"Ya decided, huh?" Diegel whispered to himself as he readied his drumsticks.

Shadow s crossed the faces of the orchestra members as they readied their instruments.

Lufer raised his baton. "Be prepared. You have to defeat him within the next hundred seconds." His tone was grave, his voice low and hard.

"How?" Shoko asked. "None of our attacks work."

"They will," Zeigfried said as he placed his trumpets to his lips.

Lufer whipped the orchestra into a frenzy. Zeigfried, Iggy, and Lunette led the charge with a tune so desperate, the warrior trio felt the very cells in their bodies kick into overdrive.

As if sensing the danger, the Monig marshaled his brethren into a fever of their own.

However, afterimages of Lunette began to appear in several places along the walls of the dungeon as [ Projection ] and [ Amplify ] was temporarily maxed out. Her song not only drowned out the enemy but became physical weapons of compressed air that assaulted Belrug without mercy and also bypassed the enemy's shields to directly attack them.

Shadow, Shoko, and Syel watched as their MP's filled in a second.

You are under the effects of a Forbidden Song:

For the Duration of the Song, MP is infinite.

ATK increased 500%

DFC Decreased by 80%

Shoko charged immediately, sword at the ready.

Belrug's tail snaked towards her but slammed a block of reinforced earth that burst out of the ground. The debris rotated in place till the sharpened wind was visible around them. They drilled into the tail, finally breaking past the tough skin.

Belrug roared at the pain, but it was far from over. Shokō zipped next to Belrug in the blink of an eye and t hen t hrust her sword into its heels. She swung high and released as shockwave directly into its leg. The monster cried out as it lost its footing and landed on all fours. She jumped and unleashed wave after waves of attacks against it exposed mid-riff.

The shockwaves blasted the monster high into the air and kept it there as she mercilessly continued her assault.

Shadow appeared on the beast's back and dug his blade into its spinal cord. It screamed in agony as the assassin ran across its back, slicing away. Shadow jumped onto the end of its neck and hacked away, ignoring the constant critical hit messages he got.

While the two warriors ravaged the helpless beast, Syel started the longest incantation he had ever done. The skill he wanted to perform was beyond his current level, but thanks to the infinite MP, he could do it. Runes appeared and hovered him, entering his right arm as he chanted. After a point, he ceased his chant dashed towards the center of the room.

Shadow and Shoko saw his charge and stopped their assaults. Shadow jumped off the beast and stabbed his blade into the wall. Shoko meanwhile charged her most potent attack in her sheath then drew it sharply. The shockwave knocked the beast even higher into the air, then she retreated quickly.

Syel stopped at the center of the room and punched the floor. Rune markings appeared and hovered around his right arm. Like a drill, they spun around his hand and sunk into the earth. A giant mandala encompassed the battleground and glowed blood red, as the cavern trembled under the enormous magical pressure.

All the remaining blood splattered across the battlefield lifted off of the ground and hovered menacingly midair.

Belrug recovered from its blows and dove headfirst at the blood mage.

Syel stood tall, drew back his arm, and punched the air with so much force it cracked. From that crack, unleashed a torrent of wind that knocked the beast back against the wall. The maelstrom gathered velocity and size, forming a tornado that spun Belrug until it was dizzy and sick.

The storm vomited the beast and dissipated, leaving Belrug suspended midair.

Syel clapped, summoning spikes that jutted out from the walls and then dug through the beast. The spikes retracted, and Belrug fell a long way towards the earth. The blood that had been hovering coagulated into huge funnels with pointed ends. They dug into the opened wounds then drilled their way into the beast's bloodstream.

[ Elemental Judgement ] followed soon after, sealing the wounds and making sure no blood spilled out.

With a maniacal cry, Syèl clenched his fists.

BOOOM!

The foreign blood exploded inside the beast, the elemental spears ’ chain reactions exponentially increasing the damage. The explosion rocked the surrounding walls, and they crumbled over Belrug , burying it as it hit the ground.

"Fuck," Syel cursed as he fell to a knee. He had felt it. The beast wasn't dead.

Belrug burst out from the rubble, roaring madly. Its eyes, mad with rage, glared at the blood mage.

HP: 100000

Syel tried to summon some mana, but time was up.

Lunette's afterimages dissipated as the song came to an end. The glow around her morphed into a purple fog that enveloped her. Moments later, the fog constricted around the songstress’ throat an d then beg a n to choke the life out of her. Her HP rapidly dropped as she struggled futilely against the invading smoke. Tears streaked down her cheeks as she whimpered. "I don't want to die."

"I won't let you!" a familiar voice cried.

Lunette looked up at the mass of black falling towards her. "I'm sorry."

Her vision turned black as the game showed the prompt:

GAME OVER!

YOU ARE DEAD!