-Graaaaaaaaah!
A gargantuan specter, swathed in an immense suit of armor.
The stage one boss monster, 'Phantom Knight', bellowed an uncanny roar.
-Kukuwoong-!
The entity that had been hovering in the air descended to the ground, shaking the entire vicinity as if an earthquake had struck. We all teetered simultaneously.
'Damn!'
Confronting the creature on the ground, my fingers twitched involuntarily.
It was gigantic.
Its towering figure was about as tall as a three-story building, just slightly shorter than the fortress walls.
From our position atop the wall, we were nearly eye to eye with the monster stationed on the open ground.
"Ready the cannons! Aim the ballistae!"
I hollered at the soldiers, frozen in awe of the boss monster's overpowering presence.
"We need to take it down before it gets to the wall! Move it-!"
The startled soldiers hurriedly began to load the cannons and ballistae.
However, much of the siege equipment was abandoned during the infantry battle, and by the time they managed to reinstall and reload everything, the Phantom Knight was already upon us.
Blue flames danced ominously within the beast's towering helmet.
'Damn it, keep it together!'
I almost retreated out of fear, barely maintaining my footing.
Don't get spooked by its appearance, damn it! It's just a stage one boss. Even if it's received a boss boost, it's only level 25!
"Fire! Give it everything you've got-!"
At my command, the petrified soldiers ignited the cannons and pulled the ballistae triggers.
-Boom! Brrrrr!
-Thud-thud-thud…!
Cannons belched fire, and arrows flew from the ballistae.
-Kwakwang! Kwakwakwakwang!
Due to the creature's size, our hit rate was astonishingly high. Scores of shells and ballista arrows hammered into the Phantom Knight.
Flames and smoke swirled around its massive armor.
However, its armor was robust. It sustained no significant damage.
-Thump! Thump! Thump!
Despite the relentless attack, the Phantom Knight continued its advance.
'This brute is unbelievably sturdy!'
Still, the main objective of the cannons and ballistae was to impede it as much as possible. I swiftly glanced aside.
"Lilly!"
"Yes, yes?"
Lilly looked drained from casting fire magic just a short while ago. But she had a duty to fulfill.
"The third artifact? Is it adjusted yet?"
"It was tuned just moments ago!"
"Activate it now!"
Lilly signaled the alchemists. They powered up the artifact that had just completed its final tuning.
-Wooooooong-!
A gentle light spilled from the blue-tinted piece of magical technology.
The restored third artifact.
Rank R Artifact, the Magic Amplifier!
The effect was straightforward. It amplified a single character's magical effect by 100 percent. But only for one use.
It was merely a single-use magical booster, but its potential was immense, depending on how it was deployed.
"Jupiter!"
I turned around. Jupiter was squinting her only eye, scrutinizing the Phantom Knight.
"Have you recovered enough?"
"Indeed, Your Majesty."
-Crackle!
Sparks danced from the fingertips of the electric sorceress.
"I'm not merely ready, I'm surging with energy."
Jupiter was all set. I gestured towards the chest of the towering phantom knight.
"Focus your energy on his chestplate. Unleash the strongest attack you're capable of."
-Woooom!
A magic amplifier sprung to life. The target? Jupiter!
A soft blue light enveloped Jupiter's form. She blinked once.
"....Indeed. It feels like a return to my heyday."
Embracing the power of the artifact, Jupiter clenched her fists, her face lit with a fierce grin. I gave a nod of affirmation.
"I'm relying on you."
"Please watch out for the lightning, Your Majesty."
As Jupiter advanced, the ominous sound of thunder echoed from afar. Rumble...
"And bear in mind, I'm not responsible if you get struck!"
Jupiter extended her hands, and a downpour of bright yellow lightning bolts descended from the sky.
-Kaboom!
Jupiter's first skill, [Bleaching Zone], erupted onto the Phantom Knight.
Originally a wide-ranging skill, it struck the knight entirely due to his colossal size, with dozens of lightning bolts all landing on him.
-Aaaaaah!
The Phantom Knight, now scorched black, emitted a cry of agony.
The lightning had accurately targeted his breastplate.
Portions of the knight's immense armored chest began to crumble.
As the armor fell away, it revealed the ghostly figure within. His vulnerability, the spirit core, was now fully exposed.
A spirit core can't sustain damage from regular soldiers. It can only be affected by magical attacks or...
"Damien, fire!"
Skills like [Far Sight].
Damien was already stationed at the ballista.
A white gleam flickered in Damien's large brown eyes, and his slender finger released the trigger of the ballista.
-Thwack!
The launched arrow pierced straight through the Phantom Knight's spirit core.
-Crack...
The spirit core fragmented, and it felt as though you could hear the sound of a glass window shattering. The Phantom Knight convulsed in torment.
-Aaaaaaaaargh!
His agonized bellow echoed across the battlefield.
'Did we finish him off?!'
No, it held on.
Inside the helmet of the Phantom Knight, the flames flared threateningly. It seemed infuriated.
"Damn, we were just a hair short!"
-Groooaaaar!
With a furious roar, the Phantom Knight hoisted his massive sword overhead.
I involuntarily gawked at the shadow the sword cast across the fortress. If that fell, the fortress would be leveled!
"Jupiter! Strike again!"
I hollered in urgency, and Jupiter, who had been charging her subsequent spell, lifted her hand.
"Raising your weapon to the sky in a thunderstorm... you must really want to die, you fool!"
-Kaboom!
Second skill, [Bleaching Again].
Even without an artifact, the synergy of our party and my own buff were more than sufficient.
Dozens of bright blue lightning bolts pierced through the Phantom Knight's form. The spirit core, already heavily damaged, was obliterated entirely.
-Ah... Aaaahhh...
Yet even while collapsing, the Phantom Knight mustered the strength for one last attack, slashing down his monumental sword with all his remaining might.
The colossal blade crashed into the fortress wall.
I clenched my teeth. There was no way to prevent this!
"Everyone, move! Clear from the sword's path-!"
Soldiers hollered, scattering from the wall's vicinity.
"Aaaahhh!"
"Clear out-!"
Damien and Jupiter seized Lilly's wheelchair, fleeing in a rush.
Lucas sprinted towards me, still perched atop the fortress wall.
"Your Majesty! You must evade...!"
-Kuwoooong!
Instantaneously, the Phantom Knight's gargantuan sword smashed into the fortress wall.
Lucas instinctively shielded me, but luckily, there was a gap between where the sword hit and where I stood. A direct blow was averted.
Nevertheless, the tremor from the sword piercing the fortress wall was enough to topple both Lucas and me. Aaaah!
"Ouch, my back..."
"Are you unharmed, Your Majesty?"
"I'm okay! But what about the fortress wall?"
Kuwoooong...
As the dust settled, the Phantom Knight's sword, half-buried in the wall, came into view.
The Phantom Knight, the wielder of the sword, was now kneeling outside the fortress wall.
His core was entirely annihilated, and the eerie glow once flickering from his helmet had faded.
The stage boss had been finally vanquished.
-Clink, creak...
Simultaneously, fragments of armor began to tumble from the Phantom Knight's frame. His armor was disintegrating at a rapid pace.
-Kyaaaaaa!
After all the armor pieces crashed to the ground, the ghosts housed within the armor burst forth all at once.
Hundreds, maybe thousands of ghostly forms expanded like a thick, poisonous mist, then instantaneously they targeted the closest human.
The human standing nearest to them atop the fortress wall.
They were barrelling right towards me.
-Kyaaaaaa-!
The sight of hundreds and thousands of ghosts charging my way was nothing short of spine-chilling.
Hundreds of contorted faces and thousands of twisted limbs thrashed about, searching for their prey.
But I stayed composed. I was acquainted with this pattern.
Upon the Phantom Knight's death, he discharges a broad scale fear and confusion. His final desperate attempt, one could say.
It's not a damaging attack.
It's merely a status affliction designed to sap our morale. If you let it engulf you, your mind could be shattered.
"Your Majesty! It's dangerous!"
"It's alright, Lucas."
But mental afflictions held no threat over me.
A frantic Lucas tried to shield me, but I shrugged him off.
And I stood firm, locking eyes with the oncoming ghosts.
"This is human territory."
As all the ghosts lunged at me.
-Kiiing-!
My passive skill [Unyielding Commander] sprung to life, radiating a white light, entirely neutralizing their curse.
The ghosts shattered mere inches from me, impeded from passing through.
Enduring the onslaught of the wraiths, I mustered a shout, while shielding myself with all I had.
"Begone, you fiend!"
-Screeching, wailing...
The final wraith charged at me, only to dissipate like a wisp of smoke.
With the wraiths gone, a profound silence swept over the surroundings.
"..."
"..."
Slowly, the soldiers who had taken cover around the fortress began to lift their heads. Those who had escaped beneath the wall started to emerge.
"That monstrous beast...?"
"The ghosts?"
"The prince... defeated them..."
"Is... Is it over?"
With the wraiths dissipated and Jupiter retracting her lightning magic, the heavy clouds in the sky began to break apart.
Sunlight streamed through the parting clouds.
As if the darkness that had swallowed us was a lie, the brilliant sunlight bathed the battered fortress walls.
"..."
Perched atop the fractured walls, I looked down at the soldiers struggling to regain their footing.
As I shifted my gaze, I caught sight of the wraith knight's sword, embedded halfway into the wall.
Thoughts of repairing such a gaping hole in the wall, compensating for today's troop loss, flooded my mind.
Instead of lingering on these issues, I raised a hand high, wearing a wide grin.
"We have triumphed!"
I amplified my voice for the bewildered soldiers gazing up at me.
"We have endured!"
The sunlight poured down from the parted clouds, illuminating me.
"We will keep triumphing! And we will keep enduring!"
The terror in the soldiers' eyes gradually receded.
I could clearly see the joy of victory take its place.
Whether it was due to my passive skill or my persuasive speech, I didn't care.
"We've repelled the monsters!"
With all the vigor I possessed, with all the sincerity I could summon, I could only cry out.
"Let's survive!"
***
[STAGE 1 - CLEAR!]
[STAGE MVP - Jupiter(SR)]
[Characters Leveled Up]
- Ash(EX) Lv.8 (↑3)
- Lucas(SSR) Lv.29 (↑2)
- Jupiter(SR) Lv.36 (↑1)
- Lilly(R) Lv.19 (↑2)
- Damien(N) Lv.20 (↑5) (Eligible for first rank promotion!)
[Characters Injured or Killed]
- Jupiter(SR) : Slightly injured
- Tain(N) : Deceased
- Ron(N) : Deceased
- Jia(N) : Deceased
- Peke(N) : Deceased
[Items Acquired]
- Living Armor Magic Stones: 172
- Phantom Knight Magic Core(SR) : 1
[Stage clear reward has been distributed. Please check your inventory.]
- R-grade reward box: 2
- N-grade reward box: 3
>> Prepare For The Next STAGE
>> [STAGE 2 : Knight of Steel]