Former Hero, Solo Play Oriented-Chapter 203

As we passed through the colossal dome where Archangel Uriel once resided, we descended further.

Downward.

Deeper still.

Toward the place where the specters of the past lay dormant.

Emerging from the seemingly endless corridor ahead was what could only be described as a vast chasm.

Its interior structure evoked the image of a towering spire.

Conveniently enough, a spiral staircase clung to the walls, leading straight to the bottom.

Step by step.

“Unni, these walls.”

As I descended the staircase, I studied the surrounding walls.

“They’re marked with brutal scars.”

Just as Chris observed, the walls were riddled with immense gashes.

It was as if something sharp and immensely powerful had slashed indiscriminately, carving wound upon wound.

Could the being at the bottom of this abyss have been responsible for this destruction?

The slashes appeared chaotic, devoid of purpose or pattern.

But I could sense it.

The emotions embedded within these scars.

Cutting, stabbing, tearing, shattering.

A hatred so deep it seemed to encompass the entire world. A grudge festering for a millennium.

A curse.

Pain.

And yearning.

I clutched my chest.

The ache was already unbearable, as if my heart might burst.

“Haa.”

I let out a quiet sigh.

A week spent with Chris.

A week to steady my heart.

Without it, what would I have done?

Like when I met Ygraine, I might have been consumed by my emotions, wailing and rushing toward that longed-for embrace from a thousand years ago.

Even if her blade, unrecognizing of me, would sever my neck or cleave my body in two.

“...”

Without a word, Chris pulled me closer to her side.

Her warmth calmed the storm inside me.

“Thank you. I’m fine now.”

“Good.”

A simple exchange.

Yet it carried so much meaning.

At last, with Chris by my side, I reached the deepest part of the dungeon.

Before me stood a figure clad in shadow-black armor.

The mightiest Death Knight in existence.

A strange energy lingered in the dark chamber.

The towering black armor.

The helmet’s eye slits revealed nothing but an impenetrable void.

In one hand, it wielded a massive sword. The blade, sleek and refined, wasn’t the weapon it had once carried in life. Where had the original sword gone?

Creeeak.

The Death Knight slowly rose, its enormous armor groaning with the friction of long-unused metal.

A peculiar resonance emanated from the armor’s mouthpiece.

[Intruder.]

“...”

I opened my mouth but closed it again in silence.

Master Melissa.

Her body must have turned to ashes a thousand years ago.

What resided in that armor now was a soul, corrupted over centuries by dark magic.

I quelled my instinct to rush forward, calming the body that moved before my mind.

Srrng.

The hero unsheathed her sword.

Not the Holy Sword, but the blade gifted to her by a current companion.

And then—

Whooosh!

She assumed her stance and summoned her power.

Not the radiant golden energy of the past, but the burgeoning starlight she had cultivated anew.

“Chris, unni.”

“Yes.”

Vroooom!

Chris activated the Yin-Yang Orb, its energy roaring to life.

The vanguard swordsman and the Onmyoji of Astria Online’s raid party stood ready to face the dungeon’s final boss.

Named: Legion Commander, Azure Death King.

With an HP of 2 billion.

Fwhoooom!

The Death Knight’s black armor emanated a turbulent dark-blue aura that began to rage around it.

At that moment, I knew.

The noble blue of the revered swordsman still lingered, even after a thousand years.

Our goal was singular.

To chip away at that armor, piece by piece.

To draw out Melissa’s soul from within.

[Named Boss: Azure Death King]

[Level 58 Legion Commander]

[HP: 2,000,000,000 / 2,000,000,000 (100%)]

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Each swing of the Death Knight’s °• N 𝑜 v 𝑒 l i g h t •° colossal sword unleashed a storm of overwhelming dark energy.

The black blade shimmered with a blue, malevolent magic that filled the entire space.

Navigating through the tempest of energy, I tracked the movements of the Azure Death King.

What stood out most was its immovable stance, its feet planted firmly on the ground.

Since the start of the battle, it hadn’t taken a single step. It simply lashed out at the enemy before it—me—without relent. It was unsettling, especially considering how Melissa had once roamed the battlefield with exceptional agility.

Clang! Clang!

Leaping high, I brought my starlight-infused sword down on its dark shoulder plate. Sparks flew, the sound of metal scraping against metal echoing through the chamber.

For a fleeting moment, my gaze met the blue light glowing within its helm. Was it hostility toward an intruder? Or a thousand-year-old gaze filled with love?

Whoosh!

A massive sword descended toward me in an instant. I twisted my body just in time.

Boom!

The impact of the blade split the ground to my right, sending shockwaves rippling outward. I didn’t even have a moment to catch my breath before the blade swung horizontally, threatening to cleave me in two.

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Wham!

The blade’s energy surged past me. It wasn’t aimed at me. The attack clearly targeted the rear-line dealers.

And behind the Death Knight stood Chris.

“Unni!”

Vroooom!

Reacting to my warning, Chris enveloped herself in a protective barrier. The ferocious storm of slashes tore through her shield twice, grazing her body. Despite the chaos, she kept her eyes wide, analyzing the blade’s patterns and speed.

“Rear area attack, two strikes! Wind-up motion: a vertical slash followed by a horizontal swing. Unblockable!”

A devastating rear-line massacre pattern. It was similar to Death Knight Zakham’s, but this time it was a two-strike combo, with an overwhelming aftershock. The damage windows needed to be timed perfectly. The raw damage was leagues above Zakham’s.

No one could approach the Death King’s front. Its area-wide unblockable slashes were relentless. Even the tank with the fastest reflexes wouldn’t last ten seconds in the storm of dark-blue energy. Dealers could only attack from the rear, yet even that wasn’t safe from its sweeping strikes.

The meaning was clear.

This entire battlefield lay within the Azure Death King’s attack range.

“This is insane...!”

Chris’s scream echoed as she narrowly dodged another vertical strike. I focused on drawing the Death King’s attention back to me.

The patterns were endless. How many phases did Zakham have? Twelve? How many were in the Azure Death King’s cycle? Twenty? Thirty? It was impossible to count. There was no set pattern.

Through the dazzling starlight and raging blue energy, I relentlessly slashed at its armor. Clang! Clang! Was the damage even registering? Would this dwindling starlight be enough to chip away at an HP bar as monstrous as 2 billion?

If I used the hero’s power...

The thought crossed my mind briefly before I shook it off.

I couldn’t add to Melissa’s despair, the sorrow of inflicting pain on me after a millennium of corruption. I wouldn’t let Chris bear any more heartache either. My body wasn’t just mine. The pain wasn’t mine alone to bear. Rain, Isulbi—I understood that now.

Even as these thoughts raced through my mind, the battle raged on.

Two minutes passed.

The Azure Death King’s HP still sat at 99%.

Chris had used cooldown resets to survive multiple near-deaths. But this was only the first encounter. I could adapt quickly, but Chris needed time to learn its patterns through trial and error.

“Can we even see the special phase with just the two of us!?”

Chris’s voice was filled with worry.

If the special mechanic triggered at 95% HP, as it often did with named bosses, we were moving too slowly. Compared to the 2nd Named, Archangel Uriel, this fight was on an entirely different level.

Even 5% of 2 billion was still 100 million.

How could we break through such insanity?

The Azure Death King shifted.

Its massive blade withdrew, ceasing its relentless assault.

And then—

Fwoosh!

It began spinning its blade furiously, as if defying the laws of physics. Its movements created a swirling storm of power, pulling at me with an almost magnetic force.

A perfect barrier formed around the Death Knight, rejecting any form of damage.

A special phase? No, perhaps just another pattern? A barrier, but for how long?

Whoosh!

Amidst the chaos, something about the graceful yet menacing swordsmanship caught my eye.

I froze, wide-eyed.

“...!”

“Rain, watch closely. This is how the blade flows...”

A thousand years of anguish and longing manifested in a storm of dark-blue energy.