I had fought for a time but had taken the last hour of the raid to sit and rest in meditation. Blood pounded in my ears as a dark wrath built inside me as I awaited the arrival of the next World Boss. The horn sounded out at last, and my eyes snapped open.
The World Boss Conqueror has spawned
Conqueror is the World Boss of this raid and represents the Kataktheon. As long as the boss is alive every one of its minions on the field will be stronger and will spawn in greater numbers, kill the boss to reduce the difficulty of this wave.
My hands opened blood dripping out where my nails had dug in a black mist rising up from my skin obscuring me in a dark shroud. I slid my helmet on the only features visible, the scarlet glow of the blood vessels in my eyes from Magma Hearts. I shot into the air and scanned the area. A deep hum filled the air. I rose higher and higher looking to the plains to the east and west, the forest to the sound and the ocean to the north. My eyes went back to the water as it swelled like the arrival of a tsunami.
A massive, scaled head broke the surface as a serpentine neck rose into the air. It rose higher and higher, the end of its tail finally emerging from the water as it hung suspended in the air. It was at least two thousand feet in length, each of its scales as big as a shield.
Conqueror, Gifted- Dragon/Leviathan (World Boss), Exarch, Rank: 1000
Rifts appeared in the sky as creatures fell from it. They here humanoid in shape but thick as oaks and nearly as tall. They grouped up and began to march in formation splitting into squads based on their type from what I could see.
“Ares your going to need to handle these giants,” I said as I examined a group of them with blue skin and white and light blue armor made of ice.
Frost Giant, Raid Monster- humanoid/giant (Frost), Hero, Rank: 800
They carried thick shields and moved in tight marching order blocking the arrows and ranged attacks of my vassals. Behind them were loosely grouped red skinned giants with flaming hair, they gathered balls of fire in their hands and flung them at the fortress walls.
Fire Giant, Raid Monster- humanoid/giant (Fire), Hero, Rank: 800
The giants aerial force was wreathed in lightning like me flinging bolts of it from the air as they spun around the fortress.
Storm Giant, Raid Monster- humanoid/giant (Storm), Hero, Rank: 800
The Leviathan rose and turned towards me. I waited for it to make its move but it did not make its way to face me and or my forces instead it turned its eye on the city.
“What’s it doing?” I asked. “None of its targets are in there.”
“Each of these forces will act according to the nature of the pantheon they represent, the Kataktheon is the pantheon of Conquerors, killing your army will be one of its goals yes but so will taking your territory and subjects from you.”
“Not if I can help it,” I said dropping from the air. My feet landed on the metal corpse of the iron golem as I extended my power through it. “Hell-dragon’s Armory.”
The rare metal that made up the golem flowed like water as I shaped it lifting the spearheads into the air. Each was the length of a bus and as thick as a man. Hurling them like missiles I launched them at the leviathan as I made more and more. My boots touched mud as the metal was all used up. I shot off into the air again straight towards the World Boss.
Stopping in midair I gripped the spearheads which were losing speed and altitude and shot them towards the Leviathan. It twisted in the air avoiding the projectiles, but they arced through the air under my guidance like homing missiles. Sparks flew as the spearheads connected with its scales and they resisted the piercing tips. The Leviathan turned towards me opening its mouth and unleashing a hurricane towards me. I flew into the rushing gale as it tried to peel my skin off, but my speed and strength were enough to push through the wind.
My boots connected with its hide as I ran down its spine slashing down with Clarent cutting through its scales and opening up weak points. My left hand gestured as I stabbed into the weak points I had created. The rushing of wings announced Exar’kun’s arrival to the fight he flew past me Jeriah and Tobias dropping off his back landing on the Leviathan.
Conqueror bucked beneath us I landed back down but Jeriah and Tobias hand remained on its back using some ability to keep their footing. A spearhead plunged into a gap I had created but it only managed to get a quarter of the way through before being stopped by the creature’s bones.
“What’s the plan?” Jeriah asked swaying as the World Boss twisted under our feet.
“Kill it fast before it reaches the city,” I said.
“Look out!” Tobias said jumping forward to tackle me out of the way.
My foresight told me exactly what would happen and gripped him midair tossing him backwards as the Leviathan’s jaws closed around me. Acid burned into my skin peeling it off my flesh as I fell back into the World Boss’ maw. It tongued knocked me down its throat. My arms and legs felt tired and slow as my muscle began burning away my lungs began to heave for air as I sucked in the poisonous gases inside the monster.
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My weapons spun around me, Clarent the only source of light. Slashing down blood sprayed in geyser over me burning away more of my flesh even as the damage I dealt partially healed me. Again and again, I cut, burying myself in blood and gore that burned away every part of me. I couldn’t see but only felt the rush of wind as I burst out the side of Conqueror’s neck. My regeneration began repairing the ravages to my body as light hit my new retinas.
You have completed a hidden objective and earned a title. Objective, survive lethal Extreme Acid damage and come back from multiple mortal wounds. Your body has adapted to the caustic effects it was subjected to and is becoming more resilient with each battle.
Reward: Acid Resistance III
*Acid Resistance III: You now take three less stages of damage from acid attacks, spells and abilities.
I teleported up above as the leviathan tried to swallow me again. I pushed forward with my will driving the spearheads I’d stuck into its body even deeper. It roared in agony, and I blasted towards its face hitting the eye on its left side blinding it in a spray of green ichor. It roared in pain again, twisting to snap at me, I barely got to the side in time as it moved quick as a viper. We were losing altitude fast as I continued to drive more spearheads into the World Boss.
Jeriah and Tobias were ripping off scales opening up more weak points. The ground came up faster and faster and it hit a cloud of dirt rising into the air.
“Have the army push forward to meet us here,” I told Ares. “Leave only enough to defend the fortress.”
Conqueror slithered into a coil its scales glowing and a poisonous miasma spreading out from it. I raised my hand and blanketed it in bolts of lightning. It hissed and snapped at me. Teleporting under its head I stabbed up with Clarent as I pushed down on the spearheads in its body shoving them through into the ground below.
“Hell-dragon’s Armory,” I said merging the earth with the spearheads.
The Leviathan tried to twist around but it was suddenly caught by the dozens of spears all along its body pinning it to the ground like tent stakes. It began thrashing but I wouldn’t let it break free in peace. Exar’kun landed on its neck just behind its head and began breathing his fire out over it his talons digging into and ripping off scales.
I closed my eyes grabbing Conqueror around the neck and pinning him down. His will strained against my mine but Karnen, Voidra and Ares added their efforts to mine. The shadow stilled within my soul as I pushed my will against the World Boss.
“Dominion,” I growled.
Error, subject is immune to domination effects.
“Dominion,” I growled again pushing Ethereal energy through the link.
The World Boss thrashing stopped as a brand of chains appeared around its neck. The brand sparked then shattered than reappeared before sparking and shattering again continuing the loop. I held it in place blood dripping from my eyes from the strain of holding it. The heavy tread of boots reached me as well as the clash of weapons and screams of the dying reached me.
I risked a quick look and saw my vassals pushing through the giants climbing and marching over their bodies as they fought their way to our position. Euphrates led the charge, his body a flashing blur as his fangs dug in deep and left giants behind him gasping on the ground as the poison took them.
My right hand pointed behind me the tip of Clarent aimed at the giants holding my vassals back. Red lighting jumped from target to target opening a path. They marched up and began clambering over the leviathan as they set to work of butchering it.
The spears and sword of over a thousand men drained the leviathan serpent of its blood. I strained in place as I gripped it with telekinesis as it tried to wriggle free of my grasp desperate to live just as we were desperate to kill it. Its scales each the size of shields were peeled off and blood sprayed out the burns it caused quickly healed by Blood Renewal as we continued to slay the colossal beast. Its death was imminent, and victory was soon at hand.
A portal opened behind me, and a sword rammed through my chest. I couldn’t move or the leviathan would break free. More and more portals opened everywhere robbed men stepped out their hands aglow with arcane spells. I activated Void Asura and Karnen and Voidra blocked the next attack on my rear. They were barely holding off the attack, but I only needed to do so for a little longer. Spells shot out as my army was engaged with a second army while still dealing with the continuously spawning giants. The only saving grace was that the two armies weren’t allied and were fighting each other as well as us but we were still the main target of both.
Exar’kun finally got his jaws around the base of Conqueror’s spine, flames licked out between his teeth as he shook his head like a dog and finally the World Boss died.
400 rank points gained.
Ability Gained, Jotun Slayer (Rank 1): The slayer of giants becomes the giant. Upon activation your size increases by 1’ and your weight by 20lbs. Increases your physical attributes by 2.5% while active.
Cost:
6 stamina per second.
Upgrade this ability to increase the size, weight and your attribute percentage gain. Each upgrade increases your Might, Speed, Toughness and Endurance by 1.
You have defeated the World Boss, Conqueror, reducing the number of spawns for the rest of this wave.
I whirled around blocking the next sword strike and stabbing forward with my spear. My attack was blocked easily. Scarlet lighting arced from my fingers hitting the target burning away their robes to reveal silver plate and mail beneath intricately engraved with thousands of interlocking enchantments all glowing with a pulsing violet light. Unlike almost everyone on the field this fighter did have a description.
Silas, the Silver Magi, Gifted- humanoid/human, Exarch, Rank: 1242
“I just can’t catch a break,” I said looking at his rank.
“This isn’t anything against you personally,” Silas said blocking my attacks with ease with a skill from decades of fighting and complete mastery of his craft.
“It never is,” I said blocking his own sword strike by reflex more than tracking his blade.
“We cannot allow any champion to grow in power so quickly before we’re ready,” Silas said with a shrug.
Silver light exploded out from Silas knocking me a dozen yards back. I rolled to the side as his sword came down to skewer me to the blood-soaked earth. Shooting to my feet I let loose a howl unleashing Helheim’s Scream and Voice of the Chasm. Silas slid back only a few feet but the debuffs from Helheim’s Scream spread out over the other magi.
“I made a deal with your order,” I said stepping forward Void Asura letting me block and attack simultaneously. “You could do whatever you wanted as long as you didn’t interfere with me, it appears we need to revisit those terms.”