There wasn't any space left for discussion as the focused man recalled multiple potions from his inventory, manifesting them into his hand as he flicked the caps off and guzzled the cerulean liquid within one.
[Blood of The Sky Falcon] [MAG Temporarily Raised.]
[MAG: +50%]
After drinking the entire contents of the bottle as the bitter, yet smooth liquid went down his body, he quickly stuffed a vial of bright-red liquid down his throat in succession.
[Redhot Enhance-o-Liquid EX]
[DEF: +45%] [ATK: +35%]
It was piping hot, burning his throat and filling his insides with an uncomfortable warmth as a detriment to offset the benefits of the concoction; it made it feel as though lava flowed through his veins in place of blood.
Quickly, another drink was pulled from his inventory, with the cap being pulled off before consumption.
At the same time, the raid boss on the other side of the chamber had finalized his changes: Calypso tore the tuxedo from his torso as his physical form bolstered itself, his complexion becoming silver as if his skin was steel, with crimson cracks running along his body.
"--Hurry it up, you alcoholic! He's coming!" Vangrave urged him.
[Warrior's Concentration]
The special concoction didn't do anything visible to his stats, however, as the glowing, hot potion was consumed, the irises of the man shifted into a golden hue.
[Sentinel Surge] [ACTIVE]
From the perspective of Zero, time itself seemed to slow down as everything moved as if submerged beneath water.
"Alright, I'm ready," Zero said with a sharp exhale, locking his golden eyes onto the foe across the chamber.
"Yeah?! About time!"
"Vangrave."
"Yeah?" The sharp-toothed man responded.
Zero spoke quickly, "The second phase is where the real fight starts. I'll try and keep his attention on myself, so just hit him with everything you've got. Don't worry about defending yourself, I'll keep you covered. Trust me?"
The words of the revered player stoked a fiery smile from the warrior's lips as he spun his halberd excitedly, "Say no more! I was reservin' my best skills for this moment!"
Just then, the entire landscape changed–
"This is my domain! My sanctuary of blood! I, the highest born, the purest, of all vampires! I will not be humiliated by mongrel scrum!" Calypso's voice distorted itself, plummeting to a deep, bellowing yell that echoed like a shock wave throughout the chamber.
A veil of crimson energy swept outward from the raid boss' position, stretching across the room and changing the area as it moved by.
"What the–?!" Vangrave reacted, holding his arms up, "Is this normal?!"
Zero reacted the same way, instinctively calling upon a magic-forged shield to guard against the scarlet winds, "--No. Never seen this before."
The walls moved as if made of gelatinous material, bouncing and curving around. It was the same for the floor, rising and falling like the waves of an unruly sea.
"...Woah! What's goin' on?!" Vangrave shouted, looking down as he tried to balance himself.
It quickly became a sickening experience, rippling through the players' bodies like an unending rollercoaster. If that wasn't enough, the constantly moving, sparkling walls felt all connected, like a gyrating tunnel.
'...Bosses having new abilities in different encounters isn't anything new, but this is different. I've fought Calypso more times than I can count and this has never happened. I wonder…' Zero thought.
[Ultimate Sleuth]
He was aware of what Calypso's second phase stats were supposed to look like, but what he immediately found unfortunately confirmed his suspicions.
["Calypso: Blood Titan"] [Crimson Wrath]
[ATK: 90,000] [DEF: 60,000] [MAG: 95,000]
'Those stats are definitely higher than they're supposed to be–no question,' Zero thought.
There was no time for further thought as he raised his hand, conjuring a shield into his grip just as the transformed figure dashed across the chamber like a blur of red light. An impact thundered against the barrier in front of Zero.
"Woah–!" Vangrave reacted a moment later.
It was only by virtue of the golden irises he temporarily wielded that Zero reacted to it, looking at the platinum-skinned, musclebound giant in front of him. The fist of Calypso was enlarged now, matching the surface of the black shield that protected the player's body.
"Mongrel! I'll crush your bones into dust!" Calypso howled.
"Scary," Zero quietly responded under his breath.
Just as Calypso reeled his hand back, causing blood to coalesce from the waving walls of crimson, the snowy-haired man jumped back to put distance between himself and the boss.
Vangrave rushed in, seeing an opening for himself as his halberd became infused with flourishing energy, "--C'mon!"
"Wait–!" Zero yelled out.
Into the hand of the towering, masked figure, the strands of moving blood hardened and shaped into a newly-created weapon. A scythe of harrowing scarlet; it flowed as a single shape, yet rippled like a rushing liquid.
The steel-skinned giant vanished without any indication of movement; the charge of the warrior-class player was completely intercepted by the overwhelming speed of the silver figure. Zero found himself moving, but unable to catch up as his body moved purely on instinct; the scythe wielding by the raid boss was already midway through a harrowing swing towards the other player.
'--Shit,' the thought raced across Zero's mind.
The swing of the blood-forged scythe painted a crimson arch in the air before cleaving itself across the torso of the warrior.
"Ngh–!" Vangrave winced, stopping in his tracks.
There was nothing the shark-toothed man could do to defend himself, taking the full brunt of the attack before being blasted across the chamber by its force. It happened quickly; like a force of nature sweeping through the perplexing domain.
Zero looked towards the end of the room where his companion had been tossed to, seeing the warrior slumped against the wall with a gnarly gash across his chest, but not disappearing from the virtual world.
'He survived that attack–not bad. He's probably one hit from death though–guess that means it's all me for now,' Zero thought.