"Splat! Splat!"
Black blood dripped continuously from Kokakola's injured neck. Mays's sneak attack was successful. The only thing he was dissatisfied about was the fact that he couldn't behead Kokakola on the spot. These insane bosses had awesome flesh hardness, comparable to that of metal.
Even after putting his all in the attack, he only managed to leave a somewhat fatal looking injury on Kokakola's neck. If he was a human, Kokakola might already die from this kind of injury. After all, almost half of his neck was sliced off, leaving a pac-man's mouth lookalike gape as his head slanted to the side.
"IMPUDENT LITTLE HUMAAAAAAAN!!! DIEEEEEEEEE!!!"
Kokakola was beyond furious. The five dark sphere around him immediately flew toward Mays as he shouted angrily. Even before impact, all five dark sphere exploded around Mays, leaving him no space for escape.
"Well, well. That ain't so bad. Hahahhaa."
Before the smoke from the explosion subsides, Mays's happy tone showed that he withstood the attack just fine. He stood there with several bruises and injuries but none of them were fatal. Chugging down another Greater HP Potions leisurely, Mays observed his surrounding once again. Surprisingly, the crater produced from the explosion of these five dark sphere was somewhat smaller than previous explosion with just two dark sphere.
The main reason was without a doubt the fatal strike Kokakola received on his neck a few second ago. Despite not being enough to kill Kokakola on the spot, that very attack was proven to be successful when Kokakola's following attack became less deadly than before. This was something entirely different compared to intermediate bosses.
"DARK EFFIGY!"
Like a bandage of darkness, several layer of dark energy started spiralling all over Kokakola's neck healing him bit by bit. This vampire ain't the lord for nothing. He had several trick up his sleeve all right.
"DREAM DEMON DESCEND!!"
This time, the dark sky split into two with tornadoes appeared out of the void, striking down toward Mays who stood not too far in front of Kokakola. Mays jumped to the side hastily and managed to evade the heavy strike.
Amidst the smoke surrounding the freshly created crater, a blurry silhouette walked out leisurely step by step.
"Oh maaaan… I forgot about this. Insane boss really defy HeavensTale's rule."
Mays face palmed when he remembered. After his fight with Zaramoth last time coupled with several information about Demon King he learnt from San and Jace, Mays already made several prediction about insane boss's behavior in general. Since this was just one of the less credible prediction, he didn't pay much attention to it. But again, his expectation failed him. Something he thought wouldn't happen happened right off the bat.
This figure in front of him was none other than Kokakola's other half, the Dark Demon Spawn. Normally, Kokakola only summoned this guy when he was on the verge of death, meaning that when his HP hits red. But now, it was just the start of the battle yet he already summoned his other half. What cheat play was this?
"Yo Erocci. You still alive?"
"I am, master."
"Well then, stay alive till the others come. Use all your group buff skill now."
"Yes master. Evasion Blessing! Agility Boost!"
Assassin was a class which focused on evasion and agility. Obviously most of their skill involved was related to those two stat. [Evasion Blessing] increased the caster and its ally's evasion by twenty percent while [Agility Boost] increased agility by ten percent.
[Agility Boost] was in fact way better than [Evasion Blessing]. Even though [Agility Boost] only increased agility by ten percent, it actually enhanced several other stat altogether. Agility was after all, one of the main stat. Evasion, attack speed, casting speed and even move speed. To other melee damage dealer, it might not meant much but it was a huge boost for a magic swordsman like Mays.
"DARK DEMON SPAWN! KILL THEM!"
Unlike Kokakola who wore a scholar robe, the Dark Demon Spawn was fully equipped with heavy armors from head to toe. He didn't have any weapon though. He rushed toward Mays right after he heard the command.
Swinging his right hand in full force, he intended on crushing Mays with his mighty fist. Neither evading nor dodging the incoming attack, Mays stood firmly as he swiftly pushed both his blade forward. His mind was focused even while facing this living calamity, the Dark Demon Spawn.
"Reflect Blade!"
Mays grinned as his opponent's fist met his blade.
"KTAAAAAAAAAAAAAAANGGGGGGGGG!!"
Even the very land itself seemed to be shaking slightly due to their clash. The force behind that punch was no joke for sure. Even the reaction force surrounding the area was strong enough to send Erocci away from the center of the battlefield.
A simple low level swordsman skill, [Reflect Blade] could reflect any physical attack the blade came into contact with. A simple yet deadly sword skill, especially against a physical type opponents. Right now, only Mays and the Dark Demon Spawn was still there.
The rubbles all around the area had been blasted away the moment the fist and the blade touched. Even Kokakola was nowhere to be seen. Both Mays and his opponent stood where they were, motionless. The eerie silence enshrouding the area was so nerve cracking that Mays himself started sweating before he knew it.
"Fwooooooooooooshhh!!"
Like the calm before the storm, the short five second eerie silence ended when a tornado started from the spark produced by their clash. Both Mays and the Dark Demon Spawn were sent flying several meters away this time. Even the land itself was deeply gouged out. Mays himself couldn't expect that there was a delay for the impact of their clash to kicked in.
"Kuheok!"
Before he landed on the ground, someone already grabbed him on air, reducing the landing impact by a lot. That person was none other than Ria. She rushed toward the battle scene as fast as she could after they heard the thundering explosion sound.
"Uh, thanks."
"Hehe no problem."
Mays thanked Ria as he chugged down another Greater HP Potion to recover some of his injuries. The moment the two of them landed, Aloha and another healer immediately rushed forward and healed him right away.
Not too far from their current location was Erocci who was also sent flying by the Dark Demon Spawn earlier. Apparently, Mira was the one who saved her and was currently bragging about it to Syaitona and Damia.
"So Mays, can we kill this guy?"
Ria asked. She appeared hesitant, not as domineering as she always did. If this was still inside HeavensTale, she wouldn't bother asking Mays something so obvious. But now the situation was different. They ain't playing a game anymore, this was real fight with their own life at stakes.
"Heh, game on. Nothing can hope to beat us when we are together right?"
"Absolutely hehehe."
----------------------------------------
The boss fight in City of Trickery finally commenced. Most of the vampire guards inside the city including Agebon were dead. Ria and the rest killed them when they entered the city earlier. Only those who seek shelter in the town hall were still alive right now.
"Range damage dealer and magic casters, focus your attack on Kokakola, Damia will tank it. Ria, take Aloha and Golia with you and stall the Dark Demon Spawn. Can you do that?"
"I'm more than enough for it."
"Em. Everyone, stay safe!"
"Yes master!" "Yes sir!"
Ria together with Aloha and Golia ran toward the Dark Demon Spawn while Mays and the rest walked to the other side where Kokakola was currently at.
"Knight's Rush!"
Since the Dark Demon Spawn seemed ready to fight, Ria shoved his shield forward to maximize the impact as she initiated her skill.
"Ktaaaaang!"
A loud shattering sound echoed as if a metal ball had just clashed into a metal wall. The Dark Demon Spawn stood there without bulging even after being tackled by a great momentum. He stood where he was without any expression showed on his face.
"I knew it. This guy is a monster!"
Ria sighed as her attack proven to be useless in front of her opponent.
"Err… err… we should be okay right?"
"Hard to say. Let's just hope for the best."
The hesitating Aloha became more unconvinced after she heard Golia's gloomy reply. From Golia's way of speaking, it was as if they were destined to fail from the very start.
Kokakola on the other hand was still busy healing his injury. At the very least, his head didn't slant to the side anymore. The gaping hole was still there though.
"So now, it's time to start for real. Damia, you good?"
"Never been better, master."
"Mira also in good condition. Mira could defeat that thing if master wants."
"Shut up Mira, master didn't ask you."
Mira who butted in without being asked was rebuked by Syaitona. Mays chuckled at the light comedy which he hadn't experienced for quite some time. He then reaffirmed the fact that they need to come out of this alive if they wanted to keep their happy daily life.
"Hahaha enough. Damia, go!"
"Yes master. Knight's Rush!"
Kokakola was not the Dark Demon Spawn. A simple [Knight's Rush] was more than enough to send him flying a few meters away. With all his concentration focused on healing his wound, he couldn't even evade a simple attack pattern.
"Mira, elemental constraint! All the others, focus fire!"
"Flame Constraint!"
Four flame chains appeared out of thin air and it binds Kokakola's arm and leg respectively. These constraints normally held the opponents for six seconds but its effect were reduced to half when it was used on bosses.
"Kugh!"
Kokakola snorted as he struggled to break free. He was quite shocked when he realized he was unable to do so. It was then when he was showered by countless attacks from Mays and the rest of the spirits.
"Flaming thunder annihilation!" "Lightning Arrow!"
"Armor Piercing bullet!" "Venomous Arrow!" "Artillery Bombardment!"
Taking everything head on, it was obvious that Kokakola suffered greatly from these barrage of attack. He was not like Zaramoth. A magic type boss like him was totally vulnerable to physical damage especially from those range damage dealer.
"Echo Slam!" "Shield Bash!"
Even Syaitona and Damia who were the front liner didn't waste their time standing there idling. They attacked Kokakola every time they saw the opportunity to attack. As for Mays, he had been attacking Kokakola without rest. He evaded most range attack with an unbelievable move as he attacked Kokakola.
"Sonic Slash!" "Soaring Sword Intent!"
Mays was still attacking Kokakola even after the three second constraint duration wore off. One skill after another, he wasted no time in activating them without delay.
"Dual Slash!"
"ENOUGH!!"
Before Mays's next attack connect, Kokakola shouted while releasing his dark energy, sending Mays flying yet again. That shout just now was [Dark Repel], one of Kokakola's defensive skills. It then became a question to Mays as of how this guy managed to use his skill without a chant.
Mays himself couldn't do so. None of the players could either. Their attack would only be a normal attack if they didn't verbally speak out the skill name to active it. At first, Mays thought that it was just preference for everyone but once he tried to do so without a verbal chant, he couldn't.
"My, my. Seems like the insane bosses in this world are the epitome of cheats."
Mays let out a sigh and he complained. This boss really defy everything he knew. At the moment, Damia was trying her best in holding the boss's agro. The other spirits were doing their job just fine, bombarding the boss with their attack.
"Greater Heal!"
One of the healer immediately healed Mays after he approached them without being asked to. Mays nodded in satisfaction upon witnessing how everything had been proceeding as planned. Even though Kokakola made several unpredictable move, he still couldn't break free from their party's grasp.
--------------------------------------------------
Human continent was exceedingly large, way larger than Asia back in earth. There was no way for The Alliance to unite the whole continent by themselves. Not every players of HeavensTale submitted themselves under the rule of The Alliance either.
There were more than five large empire in human continent. The largest one out of all was the Holy Cloud Empire where The Alliance took over and made their headquarters at. The smallest one was the Seven Chain Empire.
Located at the northern end of the continent, Seven Chain Empire was a small empire which couldn't even compare to the Holy Cloud Empire. Its territory consisted of six medium sized island and one large island connected together by a huge metal chain. Nobody knew when or how these chains came to being but it was already there even before the empire was built.
This empire was currently the headquarters of The Sentinel, another alliance made by HeavensTale players. Unlike The Alliance which was made up by those strong guilds, The Sentinel was more or less the leftover of small and medium sized guilds which made their own alliance.
Not all guild gathered top level players like the four guild which founded The Alliance. Most of the guild in The Sentinel had lots of low level guild members. They choose this backwater empire as their headquarters because of its location.
There were lots of monsters nearby, making these islands the best training area for low levelled players. This world had nothing like user interface but it didn't mean that players couldn't power up anymore.
Players gained experience every time they killed monsters. They couldn't see or confirm it at once but whenever they gathered enough experience, their body would shone for a couple of seconds signalling their level up.
Inside the smallest island within Seven Chain Empire, hundreds of players were fighting off monsters. This island was remodelled into a monster hunting ground by The Sentinel in order to help their members to level up efficiently.
"How is the levelling regime proceeding, Waja?"
"All according to plan, sir."
"Nice, nice. At least these training will make them ready in case of unexpected event later on. Go back to the camp and watch over them."
"Yes sir."
The middle aged stern looking man who gave out orders was Saga, the guild leader of PortTown, one of the two backbone of The Sentinel. He was the man in charge of the training and leveling of these low level players.
Waja was the camp leader of this training facilities. He was also a top member of PortTown, one of the few max level players. The number of max level players in The Sentinel was less than one hundred. Even after spending five years here in this world, that number remained the same.
There were no high level monsters in human continent. Humanoid monster was even rarer. Because of that, those with level of eighty and higher barely had any level up once they came into this world. Only those low level players could gather experience by killing all these weak monster in human continent.
Inside the largest island within Seven Chain Empire was the capital city, White Whale City. The headquarters of The Sentinel was also located in this city.
Inside one of the tallest building in the capital city, two distinct figure was talking to each other. One of them was Blue Mist Obelisk, the guild leader of HiddenMercenary. The other one was a blonde young man in his late twenties, Henry. He was the current leader of The Sentinel. His guild, RosyDawn alongside with PortTown was the two backbone which made The Sentinel what it was.
"I already finished the job you asked for. Give me the latter half of the payment."
"Why the rush, Obelisk? It's not like this is the first time we had a deal right?"
"No reason. I just feel like going home early."
Henry who was seated on his chair all these time suddenly stood. He walked toward Obelisk who was standing not too far from the door.
"What if, I pay you with information instead?"
"Information? What kind of information?"
"The kind that you will be totally interested in."
"Oh really?"
"Yep. Totally."
With a grin on his face, Henry answered without hesitation. He was sure that the moment Obelisk heard what he was about to say, this guy would immediately cancel all his plan and rushed toward Holy Cloud Empire with haste.
"Nah, I don't believe you."
"Skeptical as always. It's okay, I understand. Truth be told, this information worth more than your payment but I'll tell you anyways. Since we are friends."
"Bleh, just get on with it."
This was the real reason why Obelisk wanted to leave as fast as he could. He didn't care much about the payment as it was just some kind of formality. He actually didn't want to deal with this guy. This kind of people who always scheme things behind one's back was the worst match for a straight forward guy like him.
"The Red Wargod is here. He come to Holy Cloud Empire last week. His current whereabouts though, is unknown hehehe."
"You for real? He really come to this world?"
"Yep. This info is legit. The broker who gave me this info is a close friend of mine."
Henry tapped his chest proudly as he talk about the person who told him about this information. Obelisk was not saying anything to Henry as he took out a map from his space belt. It was totally as what Henry predicted. Obelisk was now totally fixated on going to Holy Cloud Empire to meet with the Red Wargod. There was without a doubt a history between the two of them.
"Thanks for the info. I owe you one."
"Hehe, gladly."
Henry smiled as he watched Obelisk leaving the room. Whether he had ulterior motive or not when he told Obelisk about Mays's arrival, nobody really knew. But one thing for sure, Obelisk and his guild member would without a doubt travel to the Holy Cloud Empire as fast as possible.