They didn’t try to confront the boss head-on. With their cores full, they focused on long-distance combat, and they didn’t stay in one place. Smart.

If the monster was focusing on Stallus, then Alex would hit it aggressively with lightning arrows. When it turned on him, Stallus would not let it rest with explosions.

The boss was forced to use its club as a shield as it ran from one to the other, growling with aggression. It stopped in the middle, confused about what to do next.

Then suddenly, it turned on Stallus and leaped, ignoring the lightning that cracked through the air. Maybe it thought she was the weakest.

Immediately after the boss turned on her, Stallus began moving, dropping broken crystals on the floor and using all her essence to jet herself backward.

The monster touched down right on the crystals she had dropped, and an explosion blasted it. The monster staggered, its side bleeding.

It turned angry eyes on her, but lightning, bigger and stronger than the ones Alex had been using, slammed into the monster, right at the hand that was holding the club.

The monster yelped, growled, and recoiled, dropping the weapon and touching its now-bleeding hand. Shards of throbbing crystals rammed into the monster’s head, and another explosion sent it flying back.

"Yes!" Alex shouted from his place. He came down and ran toward the still monster, but like a cat, the monster was back on its feet and made a run for the club, its clawed legs making a skittering sound on the floor as it raced toward it.

"No!" Alex sent bolts of lightning at it, but the monster just ran forward, faster than the attacks could hit it. The monster was as nimble as anything and growled in glee as its fingers were about to touch the wooden club, but then the earth moved.

The rocks under the club exploded outward, and the weapon was sent flying. A chain came out of nowhere, wrapped around the club, and dragged it away.

They all turned. Catena was standing, grinning even as blood smeared his nose. "That’s for beating me with this thing, boss." The wooden club hit the ground in front of him with a crack that shook the ground. Catena grabbed the club at the handle and lifted it. And failed to do so.

Catena stared at the wooden club in surprise and tried again, but the weapon just sat there, unmoving. "What the hell...?" He used all his power to move it, but he might as well have been trying to move a mountain.

Azaroth frowned. Didn’t that thing just move through the air when Catena used his chain to draw it to him? Why is it just sitting down there like a mountain now?

The small monster growled. The boss hunched its back, and its dark skin actually got darker. The boss’s henchmen that remained took one look at their boss and started running.

The boss stretched. Its small body bulged and swelled, each body part getting bigger, skin tight over muscles. Fangs came out over its mouth, and its black eyes now glowed red with rage.

"Shit," Alex said.

Everyone found that accurate. The monster was now six times bigger, lean and tall with a hunched back. Its bat-like head narrowed at Catena and it growled, a deep sound that came from its chest and rolled through the place.

Catena gulped and looked at the club in his hand. Then he raised his chin and spread his right hand over it as if he wanted to hold it again, but what happened was that the club was sucked into the ring.

Azaroth watched as the monster regarded the place where its weapon had disappeared, then the monster roared. It came out with a blast of aura that made their bones shake.

Azaroth clenched his teeth as the fear the monster created took hold, but then his chaos core rose, its aura covering him and driving away all fearful feelings. He pointed his sword at the monster. "Report!" he shouted.

"I can still go!" Stallus shouted.

"Same here!" Alex hollered from his place.

Catena shook his head. "I’m low on essence. My core is dry."

Azaroth thought fast. He was also low on essence; his fire core was dry, but his chaos core was full and ready. Even now, he was using part of the chaos core essence but was keeping it low enough so no one could see it.

He wouldn’t have any choice but to use his chaos core now. Or he could die here. The monster was stronger than him, and he needed every edge he could get.

"Catena, stay out of this. Stallus, stay out as well. Alex and I will create an opening for you to use your big crystal. Use all your essence for this," Azaroth said.

Then, with the remainder of his fire core around him, he started running, ignoring the pain from where the monster had slammed him. Catena also started running in the direction of the monster henchmen that had taken off, at least he should be able to take care of them with the remain of the essence still in him.

Stallus withdrew, and Alex also made his way to the boss.

The monster turned to where Catena had gone, tensed, ready to go after him, but Azaroth picked up a rock and threw it with all his strength.

The monster shook its head like a wet dog as the rock hit it. Red eyes regarded Azaroth, and its lips curled. Then it leaped at him, swiping with its claw.

Azaroth did a fall dodge, where he fell forward and rolled. He came up beside the monster and slashed it in the side, but the wound didn’t even bleed as the monster snarled, turned to him, and punched him with open claws on the face.

Azaroth’s face stung, drawing an unexpected curse from his mouth. But he had no time to worry about his face as the monster followed him.