章 63: Fighting Phanret
The party wore awkward expressions as the nephilim interrupted himself, presenting two distinct personalities.
But they didn't have much time to care as the opponent flapped his wings, shooting projectiles of dark energy in all directions.
"There are so many!"
"How are we supposed to dodge this?!"
"Don't move! It's alright!", calmed Liam his friends.
Proving their trust the other party members froze in place, looking at the dark projectiles worriedly.
"I won't let you cause any more damage!"
Phanret growled angrily as he flapped his wings once more, shooting bullets of holy light. They traveled at incredible speeds, perfectly crashing into the dark bullets and decimating them.
Bloody Edge was in stealth not far from the holy nephilim, staring at the scene in puzzlement. He already expected to die at this distance but none of the projectiles ever reached the ground.
"Is this really a boss?", asked Cyclone with a chuckle.
"What a righteous nephilim. Battling against the devil inside his mind! Friends! We need to assist him!"
Radiant Shield felt inspired, looking at Phanret with fascinated eyes.
His call came at the right moment as the nephilim's wings were overtaken by darkness again.
"I will destroy everything you love!"
The nephilim spoke with a vicious voice as he landed on the ground, raising his hands above his head. Dark magic gathered, enveloping the entire dungeon in a freezing aura.
Liam hastily ordered his teammates:
"Quick, quick! Bring out everything! Cyclone, throw all your holy grenades!"
The others were infected by Mirage's urgency. They used all their skills, hacking wildly with their weapons.
A blinding light erupted as Cyclone began throwing her holy grenades.
After the third, Phanret's casting got interrupted, sending him stumbling.
Liam stared at the blond woman in bewilderment:
"How many of those grenades do you have?"
"Hm? About ten more or so?"
"Wha…"
Liam's voice became stuck in his throat, in disbelief of Cyclone's luck. Had he known there were so many grenades he would've allowed her to use a few during the boss fight.
"How dare all of you fight back?!
Do you know what it means to face a devil's wrath?!"
"Refresnim! Go back to hell! Your kind doesn't belong to the land of the living!"
"Who are you to decide this, nephilim?! You are closer to my kind than many other races. Why resist me?!"
"You are not going with the times! Us holy nephilim are righteous fighters, close to the gods!"
As Phanret was arguing with himself, his face suddenly contorted, looking as if he had seen something impossible.
"No! How can this be?! Why are you carrying a blessing? Are those disgusting Godspawn playing tricks?! No! No! I don't! AHH!"
Patches of brightly burning holy flames gradually appeared on the surface of Phanret's body. They gave of a comfortable warmth, benevolent towards all of creation.
However, the present players, all original nephilim, felt a strange conflict between attraction and disgust.
This holy flame appeared to be the nemesis of all dark energy. The black color on Phanret's skin only resisted briefly before melting away, electing shrill screams from the devilish voice.
Finally, the holy nephilim stood proudly in the room's center, his skin a healthy rosy color, his head tilted slightly upwards with a benevolent smile on his face.
"Pfff."
Suddenly a snort ruined the atmosphere. Cyclone and Balm pressed their hands on their mouths, tears threatening to come out of their eyes.
But no one blamed them as the others wore awkward looks as well. No one could avert their eyes from the shining bald head which now appeared before them.
"Brave adventurers. The devil has been sent back to hell.
I hope this will be a lesson to you, teaching you a devil's trickery.
Nevertheless, you acted with righteous intentions. I thank you for that."
"Hahaha."
More laughter escaped Cyclone's mouth as she glanced at Bleary Mirage.
Righteous intentions… sure. Totally didn't know that gem was fake.
Phanret showed a puzzled expression for a moment before ignoring the commotion.
"Adventurers, I can see all of you have a righteous heart. It is not your fault for being born with darkness in your bodies.
Speak the word and I shall cleanse you of your dark side, welcoming you among the glorious holy nephilim.
Together we will serve the gods, assist the godspawn and quell chaos in the world!"
Listening to the man's speech, the party was taken aback. Silver Blade frowned as she turned towards Bleary Mirage:
"Does he offer us to change races?"
"Yeah. If you accept, you will become a holy nephilim."
"Really?!"
A discussion immediately broke out. Now that they had a bit of experience in the game, they contemplated the advantages and disadvantages of changing races.
Naturally, this brought forth other questions:
"Mirage, can we change to other races as well?"
"Yes, mostly through items. But there are also quests for some special races. For example, vampires."
Suddenly Cyclone's and Balm's eyes lit up.
"Did you say vampires?"
"Eh… yes…"
"Balm, did you hear this?"
"Yes, we can meet vampires! Athletic, pale, handsome…"
"Maybe one of them falls in love with me. But we can't be together. So he will be torn between biting or forgetting. How romantic…"
"Girls, you're drooling!"
Fortune didn't understand the two girl's reaction as she reminded them. Luckily Cyclone and Balm snapped out of it, looking not one bit embarrassed.
"Fortune! Don't you wish to be held in the strong arms of…"
*cough*
Just as Cyclone wanted to convince the content creator, a loud cough interrupted her. It came from Phanret, who spoke in a stern voice:
"All vampiric creatures are but filth! We holy nephilim are the epitome of righteousness. I strongly recommend all of you to let me cleanse the darkness in your bodies."
The three mages felt a faint pressure directed at them, prompting them to keep their mouths shut.
Thus, Radiant Shield turned towards Bleary Mirage:
"Mirage, I might want to try it. Can you recommend a good path for me?"
"You want to remain a tank, right? Why did you even choose original nephilim in the first place?"
"I wanted to be a hero, Bloody Edge wanted to be a thief, and Sun's knight suggested we should all play together."
Hearing this, Liam smiled wryly. This was a common story for casual friends but among pro players every decision had to be carefully considered.
"I see. Then I would recommend a change. Go down the path of a paladin, a mix of tank and healer. I think it should suit your playstyle."
Radiant Shield showed obvious relief as if getting rid of a burden in his heart.
"Great. I have loved playing paladin in other games. I won't disappoint you guys!"
The party members smiled at Radiant Shield, encouraging him.
But Liam noticed that Bloody Edge appeared somewhat stiff. Their eyes met in midair.
[Bloody Edge: Hey, Mirage.]
[Bleary Mirage: Why are you sending a message?]
[Bloody Edge: I don't want to get the NPC's attention. He's scary.]
[Bleary Mirage: Understandable. So, what do you want to ask?]
[Bloody Edge: Is it possible to become a dark nephilim? I imagine those will be better for thieves?]
[Bleary Mirage: I wouldn't put such high emphasis on races. They have a higher impact on stories than on your character. However, there are classes you can only pick if you belong to certain races.]
[Bleary Mirage: Dark nephilim certainly offer advanced thief classes, but it will be more difficult to play as a group. Holy nephilim also have advanced thief classes, following a path of illusions. The decision is yours to make.]
Bloody Edge fell silent, reading Mirage's messages. He looked at the ground, at his black clothes.
His thoughts churned. This was a decision between playing for fun or becoming professional.
The man glanced at his party members. He remembered the dungeon they had just cleared and the money he would soon earn.
He balled his fists as he watched Radiant Shield steeping forward as if in slow motion, approaching Phanret.
Subconsciously Bloody Edge took a step as well. A jolt went through his body as he let out a deep breath.
Let's go. I will try my luck! If I fail, I can still join Sun's Knight in college…
Moving quickly, Bloody Edge arrived before the holy nephilim together with Radiant Shield. The two friends looked at each other:
"Edge? What are you doing?"
"Changing my race of course. I received a hint that holy nephilim have strong thieves as well."
Before Radiant Shield could ask more, Phanret interrupted the conversation:
"So, it is only the both of you? A pity. If anyone else decides to embrace the holy light in the future, come to find me."
With those words Phanret held out his hand above the two men's heads. A golden light erupted.
Bloody Edge and Radiant Shield closed their eyes, bracing for the pain.
But the game wasn't unreasonable. It wouldn't do something like violently stripping the darkness from them.
After bathing in a golden shower for a few seconds, black steam sizzled, disappearing beyond the ceiling. Phanret drew back his hand with a satisfied smile, finishing the process.
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