The high-level warrior held his draconic halberd sideways before beginning his own incantations, "Warrior's Edge! Adrenaline Surge! Monster Flex! Titan Skin! Vampiric Flow!"
A plethora of enchantments flourished through Vangrave as his stats skyrocketed in preparation.
Zero did the same, making minor adjustments to his equipment as well as he scrolled through his inventory. The gauntlets he wore were replaced with amethyst, chains-linked bracers, and a shield was summoned into his left grip. It was made of a bronze-and-obsidian material with a rigid front that showcased a hexagonal design.
[Moon-Forged Bracers of The Ancient] [S+ RANK ARMOR]
[ATK: 10000] [DEF: 12000] [MAG RES: 40%] [STATUS RES: 75%]
[Demiulda] [SS+ RANK SHIELD]
[PHY DMG RES: 80%] [MAG DMG RES: 80%]
"That's some high-tier shit right there. Yer pretty stacked, huh? Guess ya can't expect anything else from the player who cleared this game," Vangrave remarked, noticing the change in equipment from the other player.
"I'd recommend switching to any magic resistance armor or status resistance pieces if you have any–use potions and skills too. The buff I gave us will only last so long against Calypso," Zero suggested.
"Puh! Who do ya think I am? I thrive while riding the line between life and death! Ga-ha-ha!" Vangrave laughed confidently, with his shark-like teeth on full display.
Zero didn't feel like trying to reason with the unreasonable mind of the warrior, instead placing his hand against the ominous door. Even as someone that had cleared just about every obstacle the virtual world had to offer, hubris wasn't something that he liked to have when confronting something as nefarious as the boss awaiting behind the door.
'Overconfidence is a quick way to be eliminated within this game. It doesn't matter how gifted you are, skilled, or experienced–if you let your guard down for a second, you can be wiped out just as quickly. Calypso is no different; no–he's the embodiment of the focus this world demands. It's a battle of managing a menagerie of effects at once,' Zero thought.
"Let's go," Zero said.
"Been waitin' to hear that," Vangrave replied with enthusiasm.
The glove of the player was pressed against the center of the door, causing the scarlet, diamond-shaped gemstone embedded in the center to be pressed in. Vibrations began to emit from the walls, causing the dreary corridor to rumble as gears clicked, releasing the unseen locks on the door.
"Here we go," Zero whispered.
Vangrave seemed anxious, though excited as he rolled his shoulders, doing small hops to ready his body for what was about to come.
The doorway pulled itself apart piece-by-piece, retracting into the threshold to make way for the chamber hidden behind its material. Beyond the entrance laid a chamber unlike any other in the Millenium Zone; a vast landscape of reflective, scarlet-and-amethyst marble, dazzling as if peering into a kaleidoscope.
It was a jarring place to be; the ground seemed to blend with the walls, only separated by the torches of silver fire that hung high, producing vibrant light.
The two players entered quietly, focusing on the figure on the opposing end of the room:
A throne forged of blackened skulls seated a colossal figure; a humanoid man wearing a lavish, black tuxedo with a mask that covered one half of his face. The imposing presence looked directly at Zero with his jeweled, crimson iris, resting his cheek against his hand as he sat idly on the throne.
"There he is," Vangrave remarked under his breath.
[RAID BOSS | "Calypso: Blood Titan" | Level 95+]
Scattered throughout the chamber were sable pillars with sculpted hands at their bases, holding blood-red orbs atop each of them.
Just as Vangrave was about to step past Zero, the snowy-haired figure raised his arm to block the warrior-class player from moving past him.
"Hey–what's the deal?" Vangrave asked.
"A step further and he'll confront us," Zero told him.
Vangrave raised an eyebrow, confused for a moment as he looked at the ground, blinking repeatedly as he tried to see any obvious signs on the ground, though nothing stood out, "...Huh? How can you tell?"
"Just focus, alright? Here's the plan, I think you'll like it," Zero said.
"Oh, yeah? I'm all ears," Vangrave smirked.
Zero ran his hand over his own sword, activating an enchantment–[Wuthering Abyss EX]--engulfing his blade in a fiery, black element that erupted with a flash of scolding hot and ice-cold temperatures.
"Hit him as hard as you can, right away. The moment I launch my opening attack, rush in there and give him hell. You're up for that, I assume?" Zero asked, glancing to the side at the shark-toothed figure.
"Don't gotta ask me! Lead the way, Boss!" Vangrave excitedly shouted.
"This fight will be the deciding factor in this competition. If we can get a hold of a powerhouse like Calypso, the contest will be in our favor. If we don't, well, that means we're eliminated here," Zero explained.
"Stakes are high is what ya' saying? Good!" Vangrave accepted.
Preparations were set as Zero readied himself with a plethora of enchantments, clad in stat-bolstering spells and additional effects as he knew he only had one, free strike to begin the battle with.
'Calypso is a "damage check" for players. Since this game is as cruel as it is, a lot of people lean towards defensive skills. But, there's no outlasting Calypso in a battle of attrition, so…' He thought.
He was careful in his movements, pivoting his feet and pulling his enchanted sword back as the abyssal blaze around the blade exploded. A bountiful gathering of black flames and ethereal sparks spiraled around the sword, extending as roaring winds gave off from the player.
[Exos of The Chaos God]
With a climactic stomp of his right foot, stepping over the threshold of the boss' zone, he swung his engulfed sword with all of his might, dragging along the colossal gathering of swirling elements with it.
It was swung; the blade sliced through the wind, far away from physically making contact with the masked figure on the throne, though it was the mass of sparkling, black flames that lunged towards the raid boss.
The chamber fluctuated between frosty and scorching; like a raging beast, the flames burrowed forth before slamming directly into the throne-sitting presence.
Upon contact, the unique blaze swirled and shaped itself, manifesting a construct; a grinning face formed, shaped like a pot, large enough to encapsulate the mighty figure and his throne as it laughed. The peculiar blade skill erupted into its true form as the face exploded, causing chains of sable steel and snow-white metal to wrap around the raid boss, inflicting it with multiple effects at once:
[BLEED] [MISS]
[POISON] [MISS]
[TITAN BINDING] [HIT]
[DEATHLY FROSTBITE] [HIT]
[SILENCE] [MISS]
[WEAKEN] [HIT]
[BRITTLE] [HIT]
There was a flash of lights and spectacular phenomena that occurred within the span of a few seconds; a breath of biting frost, mystical rays of light beaming around the raid boss, miasma flowing like putrid smoke–almost too many to perceive.
["Calypso: Blood Titan" | HP: 2,840,230/3,000,000] [!FROSTBITE!]
It was a skill seldom used by any, but one that Zero had found use in–[Exos of The Chaos God]: a jackpot skill that rolled numerous status effects against the target. Fortunately, the main status that the player sought had hit: [DEATHLY FROSTBITE]--a debuff that temporarily reduced the maximum health of the target by a quarter.
'...Go!' Zero thought.