Thankfully enough though, it seemed like the clone actively thought for itself and subconsciously did what Stark wanted it to do.
Which was why it also used [Aura Smash] when he did, copying him.
Both Stark and the clone's right hands began glowing with that ominous aura, and after a few seconds…
Stark punched the air in the Mayor's direction, sending a crimson fist of aura toward him.
"-3712!" a powerful blow to the boss, who was forced to back away because of the sheer damage.
But that wasn't all…
Stark immediately ordered the clone to repeat what he just did, sending another Aura Smash attack towards the Mayor.
The clone, without hesitation, mirrored Stark's movements perfectly, launching a second crimson fist at Malakar.
"-1727!" it was less powerful than the original, but still fairly good for a copy.
And also…
[Enemy stunned]
'OH MY GOD,' Stark was bewildered, he didn't believe that the clone could also cause status effects, but oh boy was he wrong.
The boss fell to his knees, unable to get up or move any of his limbs, and also unable to use his magic since it required him to move his hands.
'What the?' Lana thought as she saw both Starks suddenly run toward the boss without caring about anything, she wasn't even aiming with her bow anymore, instead just enjoying the spectacle before her eyes.
Stark ordered his clone to dash toward the boss as it was the perfect moment to cause a huge amount of damage, and so they both did just that.
The clone lunged at the stunned Mayor with a fierce battle cry, its aura-infused fist ready to strike. Stark followed closely behind, channeling all his energy into his next move.
As they closed in on Malakar, the clone unleashed a devastating blow, hitting the boss with unparalleled force.
"-2319!"
The clone backed away after this attack as Stark followed through with a kick to the jaw.
"-4312!"
Then Stark also moved to the right for the clone to punch Malakar in the face.
"-2129!"
Using the clone's back as a jumping pad, Stark then grabbed both its shoulders to jump in the air and smash the Mayor's head.
"-6462!"
They had just comboed the boss, and dealt almost 15K points of damage in a matter of seconds.
[Dealt damage to BOSS ENNEMY, regaining 158HP!]
[HP: 343/1200]
After receiving all these attacks, Malakar was finally able to move, and immediately used [Hat Trick], sending his hat toward the real Stark.
Taken aback, Stark asked his clone to place itself in front of him.
And so it did.
"-1728!"
'My god, the damage is insane, is something wrong with that boss…?' Stark would have definitely died if he had been hit, even if he deflected it or used his aura around his body.
The clone after being hit by this attack immediately vanished, and the crimson aura that formed it went back to Stark.
'You did well,' he smiled, almost feeling like he lost someone close to him, but instantly going back to serious mode as he needed to focus.
…
[Boss HP: 11917/45000]
[The boss is ENRAGED, be careful]
This panel appeared in front of them both.
It seemed like that in this world, when bosses reach their halfway point (or when their HP gets reduced enough), they go into some sort of second phase/frenzy.
And Malakar was no different.
"THE MAYOR'S DOMAIN!" he got up, lifting both his arms sideways as his eyes began glowing, and even his black sun mask was emanating a dark aura.
"-462!" but even mid power-up, Lana still shot an arrow at the boss.
'…' Stark turned to look at her, "Aren't we supposed to let him finish his transformation before attacking?"
"I think killing him while he is powering up is more efficient…" she replied, somehow during the fifteen minutes they had been fightning, she found it in herself to trust Stark.
"Fair enough, but I still wanna see what he does!" Stark smiled and waited.
As the Mayor continued his transformation, a dark energy began swirling around him, creating an ominous aura that sent shivers down Stark's spine.
He couldn't help but feel a sense of foreboding as he witnessed the dark power radiating from the Mayor's form.
Lana, sensing the imminent danger, notched another arrow on her bowstring, ready to strike at any moment. The tension in the air was palpable as they all waited to see what Malakar's new form would bring to the battlefield.
And then…
~CRASH~
From all the nearby buildings, the mansion, and even the ground, monsters began to come out.
"Hey, that's not a transformation, he looks the same," Stark complained, although he couldn't deny the aura around the boss was more sinister, and its figure felt more imposing.
[Name: City Inhabitant lv8]
[Name: Businessman lv12]
[Name: Cursed Dog lv6]
All the different monsters they had met in the dungeon appeared all of a sudden: all under the control of the Mayor as they followed his every command.
Lana shot a monster, killing it, then armed her bow again, sweat pouring from her forehead as she knew the sheer number of monsters was too much for her to take currently.
"Survive, i'll go kill that bastard," Stark looked at her with his determined eyes, and all she could do was nod.
"Be quick… please…" she mumbled, low enough for him to not hear her.
With a nod of understanding, Stark focused his attention on the Mayor and his horde of creatures.
The monsters moved with unnatural coordination, their eyes filled with a malevolent gleam as they closed in on Stark.
But Stark wasn't interested in any of them, and so he began running toward the Mayor: his arms were still lifted up, probably because this is how he controlled the 'inhabitants of his city'.
He avoided most of the monsters, and occasionally killed some that were fast enough to catch up to him.
And so, just like this, Stark closed the distance between him and the boss.
And thus, the final showdown could begin.
Your gift is the motivation for my creation. Give me more motivation!
Creation is hard, cheer me up!
Have some idea about my story? Comment it and let me know.
"TAKE THIS," Stark activated [Aura Smash] and sent another crimson fist toward the boss.
But…
"-4729!" a bunch of lv13 monsters placed themselves in front of him to protect the Mayor, taking the hit in its place.
"-627!" the Mayor received minimal damage since he was protected.
Malakar smirked as he saw his monster take the blow for him, clearly enjoying the show of power and the feeling of being in total control.
Stark was surrounded, and surprisingly enough, Malakar ordered his monsters to mainly target Stark, leaving Lana to deal with a low amount of monsters.
Stark gritted his teeth in frustration at the interference, but didn't let it deter him.
He swiftly followed up with a series of lightning-fast punches, aiming to break through the defenses and land a crippling blow on the Mayor himself.
No monster that was in his way stood a chance.
Malakar, however, remained calm amidst the chaos, his eyes locked onto Stark with an unsettling calmness.
With a swift gesture of his hand, he activated "The Cane" skill, summoning the object in his right hand.
His left one however was still in the air, controlling the monsters.
"It seems like it's losing control over them when one of its hands is down…" Stark noticed that some monsters weren't even moving anymore, giving him the chance to close the distance further.
Only five meters before reaching the boss now.
The cane came rushing toward him, changing directions everytime it met a monster, and then…
"-272!" Stark saw it coming, but even while deflecting it, it still did good damage.
"His defense and attack are higher than before," he thought, not even stopping after that hit, "But it doesn't matter…"
Stark wanted to end it, and so he used the back of a monster to jump in the air, high enough to avoid any incoming attacks from the Mayor or his minions.
He soared through the air, his aura blazing around him like a fiery comet, looking down on all the monsters below.
With a fierce battle cry, Stark descended upon Malakar, his fist aimed straight at the Mayor's face.
"-3718!" as Stark's fist connected with the Mayor's cheek, a shockwave resonated through the battlefield.
Using in the momentum in his favor, Stark used the Malakar's body to launch him in the air again, avoiding both the [Hat Trick], [The Cane], and all the attacks from the monsters.
"LET'S END THIS," the sea of monsters below awaiting for him to fall, Stark spinned in the air.
"Aura Smash!" he activated the skill, ready to launch it down, this time confident he would hit all his targets as he had the boss in his vision.
'Holy shit…' Lana was astonished, and she found it quite beautiful as Stark's figure perfectly aligned with the giant Black Sun in the sky, creating an effect where Stark's aura was perfectly visible around him.
It only took Stark a singular second to aim his attack below, and so he launched the giant crimson fist at the monsters under him.
~FWISH… BOOM~
The explosion was bigger than any other this attack had ever caused.
"-6371!" the Mayor couldn't use his minions to protect himself, and so being hit by the center of the attack meant he received the highest amount of damage.
Plus…
[Enemy stunned!]
All the monsters in his surroundings cleared from the crimson fist, Stark began dropping down toward Malakar as he couldn't move his body anymore.
The boss used every ounce of strength it had left to lift its face just a bit, and thus he saw the sight of Stark diving toward him, his fist full of aura, ready to end the battle.
'It's the end,' It thought, acknowledging that it couldn't do anything anymore.
With a fierce determination in his eyes, Stark descended upon the stunned Mayor Malakar, his fist crackling with intense energy as he prepared to deliver the final blow.
The air around them seemed to vibrate with anticipation as Stark's attack loomed closer and closer to its target.
Malakar, unable to move due to the stunning impact of Stark's previous strike, could only watch in helpless horror as the inevitable approached.
As Stark's fist made contact with Malakar's form, a blinding explosion of energy erupted from the point of impact, sending shockwaves rippling through the battlefield.
"-5372!"
[Boss HP: 0/45000]
Malakar fell to the ground, his body lifeless as his HP had been reduced to 0.
And so, unable to control his domain anymore, all the monsters inside the boss area fell, disappearing a few seconds later.
Lana, who was overwhelmed by the monsters, almost let a cry of joy when she noticed that they were all gone, and so without wasting time she dashed toward Stark.
"YOU DID IT!" she jumped to hug him.
"…" Stark, a neutral expression on his face, didn't reciprocate the hug.
"O-Oh," realizing how embarassing what she did was, she let go of him, "G-good job!"
"Yes," Stark nodded, unaffected by her presence, after all he had done most of the job.
[You have slain 'Malakar, City Mayor lv15 (BOSS)', gained 75000EXP]
And adding the experience gained from the many monsters he had defeated while rushing to the boss…
Stark was enveloped by the golden glow again.
[Your level has increased to level 11, granting you one skill point and boost in stats]
[Experience: 2617/100000]
Lana was also enveloped with the glow, meaning she had leveled up as well, and even though she hadn't done much, she was still a participant.
[Dealt killing blow to BOSS ENNEMY, regaining 507HP!]
[HP: 578/1450]
But of course, along these few panels came a few other ones.
[You have beaten the boss while only being two (LOW HELP achievement), granting you a better equipment piece]
[You have defeated the boss of this rift, the black sun has acknowledged your strength and will not be trying to infect you anymore]
[Your efforts have paid, you can now leave this rift whenever you want]
Above the Mayor's lifeless body, something began shining: an item had appeared.
Immediately, Stark began walking toward it.
"I'm taking it by the way, I did everything," A neutral expression on his face, he informed Lana, who was also reading the panels.
"I-… Okay," she had nothing to say, he had done most of the work after all.
And just like that, Stark was able to defeat the boss.
'I wish she hadn't followed me though… I would have probably gotten an amazing item if I beat it solo…' he groaned while crouching to take the item.
Your gift is the motivation for my creation. Give me more motivation!
Creation is hard, cheer me up!
Have some idea about my story? Comment it and let me know.
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