Chapter 17: Choose Your Path
The entire party stood there, staring blankly at the Phantom of The Immortal Blade.
"What do we do now?" Sword of Love asked.
"..." No One didn't know what to say.
With just one strike, the team's maximum health was reduced to only 1. Even if someone passed by and threw a stone at their heel, it would kill them.
No One checked the status.
[Path Broken: Negative effect, reduces maximum health.]
[Duration: 30 minutes.]
"So we have to wait 30 minutes before we can fight again, what the heck!!?" Sword of Love grumbled.
"Not necessary, let's continue."
"Huh? With just 1 health?"
No One nodded.
"The early stage doesn't cost any health. We can still proceed."
"That's right. The Phantom of The Immortal Blade only attacks twice. The first purple strike and at 90% health."
"Even with 1 drop of health, as long as no damage is taken, we can continue experimenting."
"Will there be any changes to the team composition, No One?" Lady Lam began to regain her composure.
Earlier, they had let loose, resulting in the whole team dying, which left her feeling a bit embarrassed.
"Me, Sword of Love, Cherished Dream, and Hana."
"The Eagle from TwinBird doesn't have much effect in this dungeon; bringing Hana as a Musician would be better."
Lady Lam nodded and adjusted the team lineup accordingly.
Unfortunately, blocking wasn't very effective this time. Lady Lam couldn't do much.
"Lady Lam, how are the other teams doing? Has anyone managed to get the boss into Demonblade mode yet?"
"Alright. I'm sending it. 300 million health."
Lady Lam directly sent the information about the Demonblade.
[Lv.300 Phantom Demonblade]
[Becoming an Immortal Buddha or a Demonic Fiend depends on a single thought. The Demonblade is born when the Immortal Blade no longer believes in its own blade heart.]
[Demonblade's Will: all of Demonblade's attacks instantly kill the enemy.]
[One Thought to Become Demonic: When beneficial effects are removed, revert to Immortal Blade state.]
[Demonblade's Descent, World Annihilation: If the sword of the wielder kills a target, it immediately annihilates all enemies.]
[Eternal Obsession: Lasts for 10 seconds after entering Demonblade state. If enough damage is inflicted during this time, this beneficial effect is self-removed.]
At this point, after reading the information about the Phantom Demonblade, the chat channel burst into various discussions.
["Oh my gosh... A hit is a sure death?"]
["That's pretty normal though. Just now, every hit meant certain death, right?"]
["The effects of the Phantom Demonblade seem mainly intended for the four difficulty levels in the future. By then, the purple strike might not cause team-wiping damage. Only the Demonblade state will wipe the team out."]
[This boss is very fascinating. In the Immortal Blade state, it's nearly impossible to hit, causing extremely high damage, but it has the lowest health.]
[In the Demonic state, it has medium health, can be hit, and deals Dark damage which can be defended against.]
[In the Demonblade state, it has incredibly high health, can be hit, but every attack is a sure death.]
"No One, do you think the same as I do?" Lady Lam pondered over the stats of the boss's three forms.
"Yes."
"This is the game giving challengers a choice."
No One vaguely understood that players could intentionally push the boss into one of the three states and keep it there to defeat it.
Theoretically, if you can deal damage to the Immortal Blade, the boss will be defeated the quickest.
If the team lacks a Blade Dancer, sacrifice one player to force the boss into the Demonic state, then use classes like Priest or Musician to revive that teammate.
The Demonblade state has the toughest health and strongest damage. It's a death sentence for players if they can't keep the team alive when bringing the boss back to the Demonic state.
And [One Thought to Become Demonic]acts as a "chance to correct mistakes."
If someone happens to die while fighting the boss in the Demonic state.
If within 10 seconds when the boss enters the Demonblade state, enough damage can be dealt, then the boss can be returned to the Immortal Blade state, eliminating the danger.
If that's the case, then the boss has revealed even more of its hand.
It seems the developers weren't cruel enough to create an invincible boss.
They've provided players with various methods to defeat the boss.
Thus, the easiest way to defeat the Phantom is by defeating it in the Demonic state."Here's something new," Lady Lam quickly sent to No One.
It was a clip from a stream by another clan.
The Pork Rice Restaurant clan.
Oh.
[Warning]
[The next attack will trigger a Storyline. Are you sure you want to execute the attack?]
The Pork Rice Restaurant party had pushed the boss into the Demonic state and brought it down to 90%.
The message read only "Storyline," not "Hidden Storyline."
Based on this, it's inferred that defeating the Demonic and Demonblade states will unlock the storyline.
However, the hidden storyline with the true ending requires defeating it in the Immortal Blade state.
No One felt a thrill; this boss was truly worth fighting.
"Lady Lam, before we proceed, since you're the clan leader, I need to ask you this."
"Huh?"
"Make a choice."
Lady Lam fell silent.
She vaguely understood what No One meant.
"This silence means you already know, doesn't it?"
"Yes."
This was about deciding the path the Moonlight Clan would take.
If they wanted to compete for the top spot, to become the first to clear this dungeon.
The Demonic state was the path to take.
Damage from four people would surpass what No One could inflict alone. Even if the boss had double the health, four people would bring down the Demonic state faster than No One could nearly solo defeat the Immortal Blade.
The glory of being the first guild to conquer the dungeon was unimaginable.
News coverage, interviews, perhaps even investment opportunities for the guild.
In this era, a First World master was akin to a celebrity.
Money, fame, everything can be achieved if you're the first.
Who remembers the one who stands second?
However, the other path also offers an opportunity for the Moonlight Clan to gain glory.
But it is by no means an easy one.
The Hidden Storyline is certainly not simple. Especially defeating the Boss in the Immortal Blade state will be much harder and take considerably longer than in the Demonic state.
Regardless of which path Lady Lam chooses, No One will not blame her.
If given a choice, No One would certainly choose the Hidden Storyline.
But the risks are too high. The Moonlight Clan might even fail, not to mention being unable to finish quickly enough to be in the Top 3 or Top 10.
Lady Lam remained silent.
"Who do you think I am?"
"Huh?" No One was startled.
"The words Hidden Storyline are written all over your face, still acting like you'll do it for the guild if I choose the easy path?"
"The Moonlight Clan might not be in the Top 10, but it has never put pressure on one person or used the ambitions of its members as a stepping stone for glory."
"Reputation? Isn't Great Lady Lam's streaming channel enough?"
"Money? Sorry. I've bought 5% shares of First World."
"Don't ask me."
"Ask the sisters and brothers."
In the chat room, Great Lady Lam again, with her firm voice, directly called out.
It sounded almost like a female general rallying countless soldiers.
"I dare to ask the whole Moonlight Clan!"
"THE.PATH.YOU.""WANT.TO.TAKE."
"IS WHAT!?"
[Great Lady Lam is mighty!!!]
[Great Lady Lam is mighty!!!]
[Great Lady Lam is mighty!!!]
"Now that is a true leader of the clan."
"Forget money. Open the Hidden Storyline for this world!"
"No One, follow your passion."
"Open the door no one dares to, lead the Moonlight Clan not just to the mountain top, but to break through the blue sky!"
"Well said! Break through the blue sky!"
"No One, the stage is yours!!!!"
Numerous people in voice chat are shouting.
At this moment, No One laughed.
Thank you.
Thank you for letting me do what I want. Brothers and sisters of the Moonlight Clan.
-
The formation this time remains the same as before.
No One stands in the arena. Sword of Love stands near the arena. Cherished Dream and Hana are outside providing buffs.This time, No One played a different piece of music.
[A Bridge of Fate.]
[Critical Damage Increase!]
[Critical Damage Increase!]
[Attack Increase!]
[Attack Increase!]
[Path of The Star Transformation]
[Ritual of War Declaration]
[Yin Yang Formation]
[Marching Melody]
Exactly like this band, combining the execution of Sever The Sun And Moon twice, and Blade Slash twice.
"The corpses are laid out in smoke and fire."
Huh?
No One nearly missed a slash.
It wasn't the sound from his Cube or him singing.
Lady Lam was singing live on the stream!
Cherished Dream chuckled and added a comment.
"Kid, did you really think Lady Lam doesn't know how to sing? She graduated from a music school, you know."
Hahaha.
But Lady Lam's singing only fueled each of No One's slashes with more passion.
"Lost souls in chaotic times do not lose."
"The clear blue sky, eyes hidden and slanted."
"A mark in the Spring and Autumn, paid with blood."
"How can love and hatred be discussed in a moment?"
"The war drums beat loudly."
...
...No One was in high spirits, slashing the blade while singing along.
Suddenly, Lady Lam's voice turned into a fierce tune. Just as the boss's health neared 90%.
"How can love and hatred be discussed in a moment?"
This slash once again prompted a notification.
Time seemed nearly uninterrupted.
At this moment, No One had no hesitation and made a decision.
"Burning Red Dust."
Almost simultaneously, the boss immediately retreated defensively.
"Hana !!!!"
Almost instantly, Hana executed her skill.
"Use Life to Prove Who Is the Most Important."
What the hell!?
Hana!? She was also singing along.
Lady Lam chuckled.
"Hana! Focus on fighting! Let me handle the singing!!!"
The entire chat room burst into laughter. She was lured into singing by the atmosphere at the moment.
"Fate Is Like a Bridge."
"Turn Over Old Stories."
[March to Eternity]
"This Sword..."
"Silence."
CLANG
CLANG
Sword of Love charged directly forward, and they countered almost at the same time.
Double Parry.
"My sworn brother are singing, and you dare interrupting ?" Sword of Love said mischievously while running up.
No One and Sword of Love directly parry the Principles Cleave. Breaking through the skill.
A perfect counterattack.
The music couldn't overpower the piercing KLANG sounds.
March to Eternity was merely a backup plan in case their counterattack failed. The whole team still had a shield to protect them from this attack.
"Reaching the end of the sky, we shed our battle robes."
"That's right, daddy saw through you, punk !" Sword of Love grinned widely.
"Your Principle Cleave is a Red Attack, not a Purple one, kiddo." No One was readying for the next move.
No One took advantage of the situation, delivering a slash that launched Phantom of The Immortal Blade into the air.
The enemy, after being parried, could be thrown into a stunned state or knocked up immediately afterward.
COUNTERATTACK!!!!!!
Sword of Love's cooldown had just finished. He dashed straight to the Phantom's feet.
"Stop mimicking my skill, ya punk."
"This sword."
"Shall Cleave Not Men.."
"But The Principles."
SWISH
Critical damage!
[Making Love with the Sword used This Sword, Shall Cleave Not Men But The Principles and dealt critical damage, erasing 3,529,732 of Phantom Memory Of The Sword Immortal's maximum health]
It struck with nearly three times the damage of a normal Principle Cleave !
"Let's dream together of the song of the eternal wall."
The music continued, igniting a fiery blaze in the eyes of those with fervent desires.
CREATORS' THOUGHTS 
AuAuTheSeal
AuAuTheSeal Song: Bridge of Fate
Gifts
-- Gift
received Weekly Power Status
200+ Power
Ranking 
6 Power
stone 
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