There was no need for a callout as the spiky-haired warrior was already dashing across the chamber, allowing his boots to rapidly slap against the sublime marble and towards the bound boss.
The astral chains that restrained the raid boss only had a few seconds at most to hold Calypso; the tuxedo-wearing titan began to rise from his throne, resisting the hold of the bindings.
Vangrave rushed in before leaping at the halfway mark, spinning his halberd as a flash of lights molded into the construct of a formless dragon; a beast of bright-azure scales, swirling around from the halberd. There was no hesitance from the warrior, nor any fear to withhold his actions despite the higher-leveled raid boss beginning to break through the binding restraints.
Zero watched, witnessing the mask-wearing, smiling titan break through the chains just as Vangrave got within striking distance.
'--I needed someone that isn't scared to gamble everything on a single attack. Someone that scoffs at the idea of defense–he's the perfect weapon: an erratic, controllable chaos: Vangrave,' Zero thought.
[Bane of The Skies]
"--Here ya go!" Vangrave shouted directly to the face of the risen boss just as he swung his halberd down from up above, guiding the astral dragon of eastern origin to descend upon the figure.
The maw of the mystical dragon lunged down atop the bound Titan, erupting into a bubbling burst of bright-blue energy.
["Calypso: Blood Titan" | HP: 2,756,000/3,000,000]
[AZURE JUDGEMENT] [HIT]
A status landed on the Titan after the attack was received, causing dark-blue tattoos that resembled scales to appear on Calypso's body.
What the warrior's attack lacked in spectacular damage was the status effect that was unique to the skill.
"Not bad! Now get back!" Zero called out, rushing in as he caught up to his companion.
"—Huh?" Vangrave reacted.
The giant, masked figure wearing the illustrious tuxedo shattered the bindings that restrained him, holding a wide smile as he raised his hand, snapping his fingers:
"Let the Blood Encore…Begin!" Calypso said, seeking unfazed by the opening assault.
There was no hesitation from Zero, who grabbed hold of his companion's shoulder before tossing the warrior behind him.
"—Gah! Hey! What's the big idea?!" Vangrave asked, stumbling as he caught himself.
Zero didn't feel the need to give a clear response as he instead stood in front of the other player, holding his shield in front of them both, "Stay right there."
'Here's phase one,' Zero thought.
The crimson orbs levitating above the surrounding pillars of the lavish chamber began to spin, emitting a blood-red light. From the motioned hand of the tall, suit-wearing figure on the opposing side of the chamber, the orbs released waves of scarlet liquid, rushing out as waves.
"Argh! Crap! I remember this part!…Had to waste force teleports to save my ass before," Vangrave muttered, recalling bitter memories.
The blood-red orbs emitted pulsations of the scarlet liquid, crashing against the two players relentlessly:
[BLOOD PLAGUE] [MISS] [Coat of The Abyss*]
[BLOOD PLAGUE] [MISS] [Coat of The Abyss*]
[BLOOD PLAGUE] [MISS] [Coat of The Abyss*]
It didn't take more than a few seconds for the protective skill to be worn down by the merciless plague. All the while, Calypso himself had yet to make a move, staying on the other side of the chamber with a twisted smile.
"Urgh! Why're we staying back here?! Let's attack!" Vangrave impatiently shouted.
"Just wait," Zero advised.
[Coat of The Abyss: Worn Off]
[BLOOD PLAGUE] [HIT]
The shield was kept firmly in front of himself, beginning to undergo a change as the splashes of crimson liquid continued colliding with the pair; the grooves carved into the front of the shield began to fill with a scarlet aura.
[HP: -700] [34300/35000] [!BLOOD PLAGUE!]
[HP: -700] [33600/35000] [!BLOOD PLAGUE!]
[HP: -700] [32900/35000] [!BLOOD PLAGUE!]
Zero carefully kept track of his health being chewed away by the [Blood Plague], dropping down second by second.
"--Hey! I'm startin' to die here!" Vangrave shouted, watching his own health points dwindle by the moment.
"Shut up. You'll live," Zero quietly responded, "There's no point in attacking right now. Look at his health bar."
Vangrave raised an eyebrow, squinting towards the still-standing raid boss, "--Huh? Huh?!"
At the other end of the room, the tuxedo-wearing, noble-dressed figure stood with a wicked smile, remaining unperturbed:
["Calypso: Blood Titan" | HP: 2,982,789/3,000,00]
"Hey! He's almost at full health again! What the hell gives!?" Vangrave angrily asked, jabbing his halberd into the air.
[HP: -700] [32200/35000] [!BLOOD PLAGUE!]
[HP: -700] [31500/35000] [!BLOOD PLAGUE!]
Zero responded, keeping his special shield in front of them still, "It's what makes Calypso the biggest pain in the ass: he constantly regenerates health from damage done by Blood Plague."
"So, why are we standing here and lettin' him chunk us away then!? We should be aggressive! We oughta be kicking his ass right now!" Vangrave suggested, on the verge of charging in alone.
[BLOOD PLAGUE II] [HIT]
"Fuck! Another one!" The warrior huffed, feeling helpless against the unending waves of the plague.
[HP: -1400] [30100/35000] [!BLOOD PLAGUE II!]
[HP: -1400] [28700/35000] [!BLOOD PLAGUE II!]
Zero remained calm as he spoke, "Once I give the signal, give everything you've got in attacking those orbs, alright?"
"...Yeah, sure. If I haven't bitten it already!" Vangrave agreed, nodding a few times as he looked around.
[HP: -1400] [27300/35000] [!BLOOD PLAGUE II!]
[HP: -1400] [25900/35000] [!BLOOD PLAGUE II!]
"--Okay, it's time," Zero finally said.
"Time for–?!" Vangrave began to say.
Without any explanation, the shield wielded by the black-armored player was slammed down against the ground, unleashing a massive shock wave of nebulous energy that swept outward.
"Demiulda: Release!" Zero commanded.
[BLOOD PLAGUE II] [REMOVED]
A screeching roar echoed from the shield as the force unleashed from it manifested in a miasma that latched itself onto Calypso, striking the figure.
[HP Fully Restored.] [35000/35000]
[DEMIULDA'S VENGEANCE] [HIT]
The abyssal plague successfully inflicted itself upon the masked giant, who immediately changed his unmoved demeanor. It manifested in the form of an ethereal face, surrounding the boss in a construct that flooded him with bursts of binding, silver electricity.
"--Yes! It worked!" Zero celebrated to himself.
["Calypso: Blood Titan" | HP: 2,550,200/3,000,000]
'Demiulda is the second best piece of gear for fighting Calypso: it absorbs any status ailments from you and your companions, adding any damage you sustained from them and reflecting it back onto the enemy,' Zero thought.