Overconfidence was the downfall of many who thought themselves geniuses and darlings of the multiverse. Rapid progress could lead to feelings of absolute power like there was nothing in the world that could stop you. This was more often than not seen with people from worlds that had little interaction with the rest of the multiverse, and in this particular case, the main cause had been the powerup from Nevermore.
Leaving for only a few years in Realtime, only to return with more than sixty levels under your belt, so easily led to this phenomenon. Especially when the planet itself didn’t progress as much during this time. The wildlife remained as strong – or weak - as before, with many of the dangerous beast lords none dared to engage before now viewed as nothing but easy prey.
This was the folly the World Leader, Olliandra, had fallen for. Despite having agreed to enter the Prima Guardian Alliance and the fact that everyone during the final World Congress had been on the same page that facing the Guardian alone would be stupid, her thoughts changed after her return from Nevermore.
As a party of five, they had gone there and done way better than expected. They had gained so many levels and with the rapid progress one experienced after hitting a new grade, all got stronger incredibly fast. It was so fast, and they got so strong that when they returned from Nevermore and after hunting down all the so-called ”unbeatable” beasts, how couldn’t they believe the Prima Guardian would also be easily overcome?
Why would they possibly need some stupid alliance?
Well… Olliandra and her party, as well as all the other elite parties, soon learned they most definitely did need this alliance.
She had entered the Prima Vessel shortly after it landed on her planet to activate the boss and just get the event over with. When she also considered how they had barely killed any Primas during the first part of this Prima Event, with only her and one other having gone to the Seat of the Eternal Prima, she believed the system wouldn’t throw too hard of a challenge at them. At least not one they couldn’t handle post-Nevermore with all their newfound power.
Olliandra had been so wrong. It didn’t take her more than a few moments to realize just how badly she had fucked up after freeing the Prima Guardian. It had chased her out of the Prima Vessel, and in the ensuing battle, thirty-four of the fifty-seven people who had gone to fight the Guardian died. No… they were slaughtered.
Without any hesitation, she had done the only thing she could… and ran. Her one surviving party member helped her, a space mage, who managed to teleport them some distance away. However, that’s when she realized that there was no escape. As the World Leader, she was the living objective of the Prima Guardian. No matter what she did, it would keep chasing her, and to make matters worse, she discovered she couldn’t activate the teleporter to take her to another planet that was part of the Prima Guardian Alliance. At least not while the Prima Guardian of her world still lived and roamed free.
Wracking her brain, Olliandra tried to send a distress signal to other members of the Prima Guardian Alliance but got no response. So, she decided to try the absolutely desperate strategy of just opening up the teleporter to anyone who wanted to come. The chances of anyone capable of offering assistance actually choosing to help were incredibly slim, but it was all she could do before she took off and ran once more. With Prima Guardian on her heels and nearly a thousand Primas ravaging the planet, the defenses they had prepared were far from enough… but what choice did she have but to flee?
Over the next many hours, all she could do was run desperately. Her space mage companion tried to teleport them over and over again to make distance from the far faster monster, but it began to adapt. It, too, began to use space magic to follow them through the ripples of space, giving them less and less leeway between every teleport.
They were running out of time… and Olliandra knew it was all down to her own stupidity. In the end, she chose to stop running, knowing they would eventually just be caught, as she sought out the Northern Keep. It was the most isolated of the defensive bases they possessed and the place where she would make her final stand.
Olliandra had already sent messages to the mages there to prepare for her arrival, and the second she arrived, they put up the full defensive barrier.
”My Queen, you shouldn’t stay,” the mage said in a worried tone after they had a moment. ”If I and the others try and delay it here, and you try once more, surely the Celestial Child will hear our pleas and-”
”The alliance has abandoned us, and only I am to blame,” Olliandra sighed as a magic circle appeared beneath her, and she began to use enhancement magic on herself. Due to the space mage standing for all the travel, she had nearly fully recovered and was ready to fight again. She just hoped the Guardian was also at least a little tired now.
”It isn’t all you… we agreed to face the Guardian. We believed we could,” the space mage sighed.
”The responsibility still falls with me,” Olliandra sighed, continuing her buffing routine.
As she prepared herself, the final help also arrived. All of those who had fought – and survived - the Prima Guardian the first time arrived teleported in, now having recovered somewhat for a second round. Their faces didn’t look good, and Olliandra felt much guilt seeing how none had chosen to abandon her or their world.
With resolve, Olliandra lifted her spear as her aura grew, and she addressed the crowd. ”This may be our final battle together, our downfall caused by my own hubris… but do me this final honor, and help me at the very least take down this monster. Let our ends pave a future for our world. And know that even in death, I shall hold no regret, having died alongside the most valiant of warriors.”
She barely believed her own words, as she, deep inside, wanted to just run… but she didn’t have a choice. She would make her last stand and stay true to her word by at least trying to kill the monster.
”It’s here,” the space mage said, his face haggard from his low resources and spent mental energy.
On cue, space rippled as the Prima Guardian appeared. It was a creature about four meters tall, with a hunched-over humanoid form, its entire body seemingly made of bone, even if it wasn’t undead. On its hands, it had long claws that could extend and retract, while on its back, several spikes poked out, and from the prior fight, they knew these could be released as devastating projectiles at any point. The breath of cold flames it released also wasn’t to be trifled with and had been the death of many brave warriors.
At least the damage they did during their first encounter hadn’t healed, and several cracks still marred its body, along with dozens of small holes here and there, most of them left by fighters making their final desperate attacks, trading their lives for a small nick. Overall, though…
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It doesn’t look tired at all, Olliandra sighed internally while outwardly displaying courage by pointing her spear toward the Guardian.
”Hold nothing back!”
A dozen spells lit up the air as they all attacked the Prima Guardian at once. The creature easily avoided most of them, but a few explosions managed to scratch it. If it did any damage, there was no way to tell, but the Guardian quickly counterattacked as it released its breath upon the barrier protecting the keep.
The inferno of white flames seemed to consume the entire fort as the mages struggled to keep the barrier intact, many of them falling to their knees, blood dripping from their eyes and ears. Gritting her teeth, Olliandra commanded them all to release another barrage of attacks, hoping to at least do a bit of damage before they had to engage the Guardian in melee.
This continued for a few more times, with the Prima Guardian slowly tearing down the barrier while taking a few ranged attacks in return. Clearly, the Guardian wasn’t in a hurry either and was happy with its prey trapped. Perhaps Olliandra’s hope that it was at least a little tired was even true… though she doubted it.
Minutes passed, but soon, the barrier began to show cracks. Looking up at the Prima Guardian, Olliandra prepared herself as she used Identify one final time. The response in no way helped ease her mind.
[Honored Prima Guardian – lvl 319]
With the barrier just about to fall, Olliandra pushed her boosting skill beyond full power, further improved by all her enhancement spells, not caring that the backlash, should she somehow survive, would be devastating. She felt the toll on her body but didn’t let it show as her body began glowing with power.
”Brave warriors… charge!”
As one, they all took to the air, and flew through the barrier protecting the fort just before it shattered entirely, many of the mages below already dead.
Twenty-three fighters faced off against the Prima Guardian for a second time, Olliandra at the front wielding a spear wrapped in deep red flames. The boss regarded them with no fear as it met their charge with its indestructible claws.
No one held back in the slightest, and even the space mage, who’d been exhausted, did his best to assist. Less than ten seconds into the battle, the first person fell as the Guardian cut him into six pieces with a swipe of its claws. A second fighter fell another eight seconds later, her body shattering to pieces after a breath of white icy flames.
Olliandra’s attacks became more and more desperate as her comrades fell one by one. Her spear repeatedly stabbed into the body of the Guardian, leaving small holes but failing to truly penetrate. Many others also managed to land their own blows, but they could only do so much. Their opponent was simply too durable and powerful for them to handle.
More and more died, and soon, they were down to only ten people, with the Prima Guardian not that much worse off than when the fight began. Desperation was building, but soon, they all had to accept that none of them were leaving this battle alive. One person, the one closest to her of everyone there, also realized this.
”My Queen…” the voice of the space mage echoed in Olliandra’s head.
She understood immediately and sent a telepathic nod and a smile his way. He also gave her a smile before his body erupted with more power than he could handle.
The Prima Guardian looked surprised for a moment and couldn’t react in time as dozens of rings made of pure space energy encircled it and held it still. Every surviving member of the group attacked, and Olliandra also pushed herself to release her most powerful attack.
Wings that seemed to be made up of patches of fire appeared on her back as she pointed her spear toward the Prima Guardian and spoke the Words of Power.
”Trail of Undying Embers.”
She flew forward, propelled by an unseen force. Her spear, wrapped in deep red embers, struck the Prima Guardian in the chest… and for the first time, it struck true.
Her spear penetrated deep into the Prima Guardian, piercing out the other side of the large creature and leaving a large burning hole. For a moment, Olliandra smiled, but it was quickly wiped away when the Prima Guardian simply looked down on her.
She tried to retreat, but it was too late. Even after she let go of her spear and tried to shoot back, the claw caught her forearm, forcing Olliandra to take swift and decisive action. Without any hesitation, her arm exploded, releasing a rain of embers on the boss and launching her back. While flying back, she saw the space mage falling toward the ground, unconscious and bleeding from every orifice. Spikes had also shot out of the boss, killing another two of her comrades during their assault.
Olliandra looked at the boss with listless eyes as the smoke cleared, revealing the Prima Guardian still alive and well. It pulled out her spear, the hole in its body healing with visible speed… showing the only reason it hadn’t healed the wounds they had caused prior was that they hadn’t mattered enough for it to bother to. She saw its almost taunting gaze look back at her, Olliandra barely able to lift her one remaining arm. The Prima Guardian knew it had won, and tha-
The Prima Guardian disappeared from her vision, replaced with a trail of energy that seemed to tear apart space itself.
Then, the shockwave hit her.
Olliandra was sent flying back, as her vision was filled with an odd pinkish-purple hue from a massive explosion. She didn’t know what was happening… but she knew something had struck the Prima Guardian from above. Something neither she nor it had seen before it was too late.
Directly below where the Prima Guardian had been, a giant impact crater had formed in an instant, soil and rock still filling the air as it was disintegrated in real-time by the odd destructive energies dominating the area from the explosion. She couldn’t help but stare at the crater, unable to collect her thoughts for long enough to do anything else.
For a moment, she caught a glimpse of the Prima Guardian amongst the destructive energies in the midst of the crater. Its entire left side was torn apart, its arm nowhere to be seen. It tried to stand up… and then another attack fell.
This time, she saw what it was. It looked like an arrow, wrapped and trailed by powerful energies Olliandra couldn’t even begin to understand.
This second attack struck the Prima Guardian, releasing a second blastwave, as Olliandra and everyone else who’d survived thus far were pushed even further back. Before she had a chance to see anything else, a third strike fell, followed by a fourth soon after.
It was as if the gods themselves had chosen to deliver death upon the Prima Guardian. None dared to even try and do anything, and no one even spoke using telepathy. They simply stood frozen as the attacks kept striking down like heavenly tribulation, and the aura of the Prima Guardian kept weakening with every explosion of pure destruction.
Then… a final flash of light, and all became still, as a notification appeared before Olliandra and everyone else who’d participated in the battle.
You have slain [Honored Prima Guardian – lvl 319]– Bonus experience earned for killing an enemy above your level
--
Jake, floating dozens of kilometers above the newly formed crater, had another arrow nocked, and Arcane Powershot charging but stopped as he dispelled the arrow and stopped the attack.
Pretty durable… but not super fast without its space magic. Good idea to make the first arrow disrupt the space mana, Jake quickly nodded to himself as he saw the kill notification as well as the level gained.
’DING!’ Class: [Arcane Hunter of Horizon’s Edge] has reached level 293 - Stat points allocated, +50 Free Points
Looking down at the battlefield, he confirmed the survivors. He knew quite a few had died because he didn’t attack earlier, but honestly… he’d wanted to see what they were capable of. Jake had wanted to respect their final stand, and only when the result was absolutely clear he attacked. Well, alright, he had only really delayed his attack half a minute, as he had arrived a bit late and had to do all his prep work, but he could have struck earlier, saving a few of them.
Seeing the World Leader fight so valiantly against the Prima Guardian, along with all her allies, was honestly… underwhelming. It wasn’t even as if her level was that low. In fact, she nearly matched Jake himself, being only three levels lower.
[Human – lvl 282]
Jake was thrown out of his thoughts when he felt a few gazes on him, the people below having spotted him. Seeing no reason not to at least introduce himself to another World Leader – and because he knew Miranda wanted him to play nice with galactic politics - he began floating down, descending using the remnants of the trails left by his Arcane Powershots.