The Adventurers held up their torches and barged in.
The Long Sleep Cave was incredibly vast, with a soaring dome like a dark sky, where many gems and crystals associated with volcanoes were inlaid in the cavern's ceiling, twinkling and exuding an ethereal aura, constructing a magnificent underground world.
The surroundings were pitch-black, only the dim red light from magma flowing between the cracks in the rocks provided some illumination.
The ground was made of dry volcanic rock, where one could faintly make out the traces left by a dragon's crawl. As they walked through the belly of this giant beast's lair, the black monster's den exuded an chilling presence that made everyone feel a fear that was not of the cold, causing them to hesitate to move forward.
The Midnight Mage snorted, "Don't be nervous, this is just the passive effect of the dragon's presence. Zichuan Blue Sky, sing the 'Song of Courage' to boost everyone's morale."
Zichuan Blue Sky was the Bard of the team. Hearing this, he immediately nodded and began to pluck a tune on his ukulele.
The Bard's skills were all manifested through song, but what to sing wasn't strictly defined. Generally, each skill could be expressed with a few different tunes. At this moment, Zichuan Blue Sky started to sing about heroes overcoming dragons, which was fitting for the moment.
"The Evil Dragon's wings unfurl, shrouding the sky in darkness. Its roar spews flames; its scales sharp as blades.
People scatter in retreat, their fear chills to the bone. They fight amidst the flames, their corpses returned wrapped in hide.
As they question fate, they wonder why living is so harsh.
Heroes, oh heroes, their blood spilled upon the earth.
Spurning suffering, undaunted by hardship, bravely facing the oceans and mountains.
Take up the bow, take up the spear, we shall fight with valor.
To spill the blood of the Evil Dragon, to scatter the shadow of death…"
And truly, the tune was sung beautifully, its echoes reverberating through the empty, silent cave.
The Adventurers immediately felt their courage surge, until a deep roar shattered the rare tranquility.
"Hehehe, interesting lyrics. Tell me, mortals, is this the end you all desire?"
The voice emerged from the darkness, deep and magnetic, causing everyone to instantly become alert.
The Midnight Mage said, "Don't stop, keep singing."
The Bard nodded, trembling as he continued with the song.
"You've crept into my cave, slaying my useless minions. Now, you come to face my fury, but for what? Let me guess, you're here to rescue the Princess? Hehe, no, no, no, things are not that simple. Justice and glory are but mere facades; what you truly seek is wealth and power, money and might.
The hypocrisy of humanity allows you to deceive yourselves, but you cannot deceive me…
Oh, greedy humans, you will find nothing here, only death and destruction await you..."
The roar of the Dragon echoed in the cave, drowning out the Song of Courage, deafeningly loud, and although everyone knew it was just a player, they couldn't help feeling a chill.
The Dawn Divine Sword moved to the front of the team, gazing into the darkness ahead where a vast shadow lingered and prowled, blending into the gloom, barely discernible, save for a pair of searing red eyes watching them from the dark.
The Dawn Divine Sword exchanged a look with the Midnight Mage, understanding the implication in each other's eyes—that fellow was just like the rumors described, a true drama king, setting the atmosphere just right; it was a pity not to act when one was so talented, for those aware it's a game's BOSS fight would think they were witnessing an epic movie.
The Dawn Divine Sword inwardly admired the spectacle, thinking it was fitting for a narrative campaign with countless viewers watching; there needed to be some sense of ceremony.
"Enough! Evil Black Dragon, your empty words scare no one. We are here to save the Princess and to slay you, the beast that plagues this land. The cries of those whose homes you've burnt down, the rage of those whose loved ones you've devoured, now you will face them firsthand. Black Dragon Lord Morphis, your brutal reign over these lands ends today."
Roar! In response, an angry roar erupted, and a huge dragon claw emerged from the darkness. Gradually, the entire Black Dragon revealed its true form, towering over sixty meters tall, with a wingspan of over a hundred meters, it loomed over them all, its mere appearance stunning everyone present.
'Death's Shadow' Morphis (Black Dragon Lord) Level 80 BOSS, Disaster Tier Five, Health Points 280000.
Especially those viewers who saw the true form of the Black Dragon through the Midnight Mage's live stream were awestruck.
[Wow, this Black Dragon is so domineering.]
[What an entrance, what presence. Can the Midnight Mage handle it?]
[Hubby, you can do it.]
The Midnight Mage felt some tension too, the red dragon they had practiced on before was not as big, nor did it have such a strong oppressive aura.
"Don't be scared, everyone. Fight according to the tactics we've rehearsed before. As long as we stick to the plan, we will definitely win. Remember, this black dragon only has a fierce Dragon Breath, its other abilities are not that strong."
After finishing his speech, he immediately cast the Flame Barrier without another word.
"Brother Divine Sword, this time it's all on you."
Dawn Divine Sword nodded, standing at the very front of the team, raising the Dragon-Slaying Greatsword high above his head. He was about to aggro the beast when the black dragon let out a sinister laugh, spread its wings, and flew straight up into the sky.
Morphis (Black Dragon Lord): "Pitiful mortals, lowly ants, your arrogance amuses me, your hypocrisy disgusts me. Since you court your own destruction, let the Dragon's Fury turn you to ashes. Feel the wrath of Morphis—roar!"
A boss battle finally began.
At this moment, the audience in the live stream, everyone in front of their screens, was already holding their breath in anticipation. Those with popcorn and soda ready. If the previous boss battle was thrilling, how spectacular this one would be!
Everyone brimmed with anticipation, ready to savor the unfolding drama.
Flame Breath!
Torrents of Dragonfire poured down from the sky, causing the Flame Barrier to emit a dazzling red glow.
The black dragon flew extremely high, so the mage group had insufficient casting range, but the two teams of archers began releasing volleys of arrows with gusto.
Since the space inside the cave was limited, there wasn't much room to maneuver, and the black dragon did not seem to have any intention to dodge, firmly taking a round of the arrow rain.
-58! -72! -113! -89! …
A row of damage numbers popped up, and a single volley dealt over a thousand damage.
However, for a black dragon strengthened by a dungeon module with 280,000 Health Points, that was just 0.4% of its HP.
"Keep dealing damage, don't stop!" ordered the Midnight Mage.
This boss wouldn't just passively take hits forever, any opportunity to deal damage must be maximized.
However, to everyone's surprise, the black dragon flying in the sky, seeing that its Dragon Breath was ineffective, did not change tactics, but continued to spew Dragon Breath.
Flame Breath!
Dragonfire Dance!
Dragonfire from the Sky!
Various stylized Dragon Breaths continued spewing, but the result was no different. Wide-area indiscriminate spewing, concentrated long beams of Flame Breath, or even ball-shaped long-range Dragon Breath, all were blocked by the Flame Barrier.
Meanwhile, the three Mage Class teams on the ground were still out of action, unable to contribute.
The two teams of archers kept shooting mechanically.
At first, the audience was amazed by the power of the Dragon Breath and its exaggerated shooting distance, but they quickly felt something was off.
[What's happening? Is there a bug?]
[Dragon Bro, what are you doing? Don't you see that the Dragon Breath isn't effective? Hurry up and change tactics.]
[Damn, is Dragon Bro even there?]
[Dragon Bro, are you being threatened? If yes, blink your eyes.]
However, no matter what the chat screen said, the black dragon kept flying in the sky, spewing flames breath by breath, completely indifferent to the fact that the damage it was causing still remained at zero.
It didn't take long for the adventurers below to also feel that something was wrong.
The Midnight Mage was somewhat perplexed, "Hey Sword Bro, could this boss be under computer control? Doesn't feel like a player at all, does it?"
Dawn Divine Sword was also puzzled, "In any case, don't stop."