The [Spider King] turned, a grotesque figure wreathed in fire and death. Its four muscular arms rippled as it straightened, each hand gripping a stave as tall as a man, their sharp tips glinting under the moonlight.
"Humans," it rumbled, its voice deep and grumbling. "Prepare to face your death."
The guards hiding in the forest bowed their heads in fear. But Danavar held his head high, his gaze steady on the monster. Silas admired his calm demeanor but wondered if the man was brave or just too stubborn to see the vast gap between them and the [Spider King].
"What should we do, Captain?" Bron asked, trying to uplift the spirits of the guards.
Silas drank an [Energy Potion] to recover his lost strength, but doubt gnawed at him. Their numbers were greater, but every attempt to slay the monster had only demoralized them further.
"Captain?"
"We stick with the same method, but this time we must land Holy Attacks," Danavar said. "We need to inflict as much damage as possible. Don't run for the forest until I give the order."
"But Captain," IN said, worry etched on his face.
"I know what I'm doing, Vice-Captain," Danavar replied firmly. "Don't run until I tell you to."
Despite their doubts, the guards nodded. Silas knew landing hits would be easy for him; the challenge was triggering the effects of [Air Burst] and [Flickering Fire]. The [Spider King] had high resistance to [Curse Effects], so weakening it was the best he could hope for.
'I need to find a spot to hit repeatedly,' he thought, studying the monster. His eyes landed on the juncture where the man's body fused with the spider's. The hair there was thinner, revealing patches of brown skin beneath. It was a weakness he hadn't noticed before, despite running this dungeon repeatedly. This [Low Tier Dungeon] was usually good for finding [Runes] and [Cores] for crafting.
"We're hitting it with rifles?" Silas asked.
Danavar turned to him and nodded slightly.
"I want to recommend a spot that we should aim for," Silas said, pointing to the skin where the two bodies met. He explained his observations, and the guards nodded in agreement.
"Yes, it's even hairless," Bron said. "It must be its Achilles' heel. Every monster has a weakness."
"Let's review the plan," Danavar said. "We'll start with the leafman decoy and hope to fool it again. Then we use the grenades, followed by aimed attacks at the junction of the bodies."
The guards nodded.
"Let's begin."
The guards piled leaves before them. Bron crouched and cast the incantation that bound the leaves, making them appear as a living being. He controlled the leafman with gestures, sending it towards the field of hissing grasses. The wind blew wildly, dislodging some leaves from the decoy. Bron clenched his fist, tightening his grip on the creation.
The [Spider King] turned towards the leafman, its hand pulling back to attack. A stave shot from its hand, piercing the leafman's chest like lightning. Danavar rushed forward, the guards and Silas following towards the [Spider King]'s underbelly.
The [Spider King] growled, a shockwave rushing out. Uprooted grasses, ashes, and dry leaves flew towards them. Silas shielded his eyes from the debris, glimpsing the monster preparing to throw the second stave.
"Second stave attempt," he warned the guards.
The [Spider King] released the second stave. Silas predicted its path and sharply turned left, avoiding it.
'The next attack wouldn't come for another 15 seconds.' Silas calculated this from the monster's attack pattern. 'We need to finish my attempt and two more within that time.'
"Grenades, now!" Danavar shouted.
Silas neared the monster and hurled his uncapped stick grenade, dodging the legs that stomped at him and the insect hands that reached for him. The wind whistled past his ears as he narrowly avoided each attack.
A scream pierced the air behind him. Silas turned to see one of the guards, the one lagging at the back, caught by the [Spider King].
"Ven!" the guards cried out, fear evident in their voices. Silas feared for the worst; everything Danavar had planned could crumble if the guards lost their nerve.
"Don't look back," Bron commanded. "Don't look back," the vice-captain said. "But we must remember him. In this battle we're not only fighting for our survival and also not just for the safety of our town. This fight is also a way to avenge our comrades who had been killed in this fight. Late your rage consumes your sanity and not your fear."
The guards nodded; their morale bolstered by the vice-captain's words. Silas found himself agreeing; if he were a guard, those words would renew his determination.
The captured guard's screams and the sound of his flesh tearing echoed behind them, but no one looked back. Revenge fueled their minds.
They approached the monster again, narrowly avoiding the third stave as a sudden gust of wind altered its trajectory.
The guards formed a circle around the [Spider King]. Some pulled out rifles, while Danavar and the vice-captain unsheathed their swords, their blades glowing with three different colors. Silas raised his staff, waiting for Danavar's command.
"Now! Attack."
Holy attacks erupted from the glowing swords, sending laser-like light, fire, and slashing winds toward the monster. It was a accompanied by speeding bullets. Silas cast [Air Burst], followed by [Flickering Fire] and [Water Dart]. The air around the monster's belly became a warzone of glowing attacks. He ended with [Magic Pierce], a sharp fragment of light that cut through the smoke and struck the target, creating a burst of white light.
He immediately cast [Air Burst] again, the air around the monster compressing before releasing with an audible explosion. The [Spider King] staggered, struggling to regain its balance. Silas prepared for the final cycle of his attack, knowing they had to make this count.
[Trauma is triggered]
[Spider King will be immobilized for seconds and received 5% more damage from all skills.]
"Captain!" Silas shouted as he cast [Flickering Fire]. "We have about two seconds to release all our skills!"
Danavar needed no further prompting. Seeing the bent head of the monster, he immediately shouted his command to aim all attacks at the same spot. The guards loaded their rifles while those using swords as conduits for Holy Attacks cast as many incantations as possible within the specified time.
Three fist-sized fireballs shot from Silas's staff, speeding toward the targeted location. Fire erupted as they struck the spot where the bodies met.
[Burn is triggered]
[[Spider King]'s Health will deplete by 5 points for every 2 seconds for the next 50 seconds]
The monster's body ignited. It was both satisfying and terrifying to watch. Silas conjured [Water Dart] and followed with [Magic Pierce], the skills landing just before the effects of [Trauma] wore off. Even if the [Spider King] escaped the immobilizing [Curse], its fate was sealed. Danavar didn't shout for retreat; instead, he kept hitting the monster with Holy Attacks.
"Soldiers! Don't let this monster recover, hit it with everything you've got!"
Silas repeated his skill cycle. The area where they struck the monster kept exploding from the barrage of attacks. The [Spider King] raised its hand for a final attack, but Silas wouldn't let it happen. He aimed [Water Dart] followed by [Air Burst] at its wrist, disorienting the monster's muscle movement. It growled, and dust flew toward them. The guards shielded their eyes but kept aiming at the [Spider King].
Silas knew this was its last attempt to demoralize them. The guards, fueled by the vice-captain's words, let their rage drive them. The [Spider King] crouched, a sign of its impending death.
Silas ended the monster with a [Magic Pierce]. The bright light sped toward its head, piercing through its thick skin before it vanished into a bubble of light.
Before it died, like all game bosses, the [Spider King] began its lamentation. It laughed, "Why must it be this way? Creatures of Creation. My reign and my duty, I have failed in both. Tell me, o' wise wizard," its remaining seven eyes fixed on Silas, the green light dimming as it approached death, "am I wrong to want revenge for my dead sons and daughters? Am I wrong for seeking vengeance against those who harmed me? Aren't we the same? I have been shunned and feared, just as you have been hunted out of fear."
Silas remained fixated on the monster, refusing to reply to its dying words. The [Spider King] laughed again. "Fools. All of you are fools. My queen will arrive soon, and the world shall know not to defy her. The world shall know her scorn. And to you, the Heretic one, I hope fate weaves you a cruel end."
[You received: +200 Destiny XP, [Spider Venom Sac]x1, [Spider King's Poison Orb]x1 & +2000 Shields]
[Prepare! You're about to enter Finals Boss Phase II]