Just as the creature lunged for its prey, a blur erupted from the darkness. Daisuke tore through the underbrush like a demon out of hell, his daggers flashing maliciously in the dim light. With one decisive strike, he severed its leathery wings as if they were paper. A follow-up kick sent the beast hurtling into the forest floor like a wayward arrow, leaving it writhing in the dirt.
"Hey! Are you alright?" he asked urgently, his eyes darting around like a hawk as he positioned himself in front of her, shielding her with his body.
"Y-Yes," Lumielle cried, her voice trembling, knees buckling beneath her. "But that monster isn't the problem! It's that one—the one in the cloak!"
Daisuke followed Lumielle's trembling finger, his eyes narrowing as they trailed past the squirming form of the bat-like creature and landed on something far more menacing lurking in the shadows. The fiend's form was wrapped in a ragged, dark cloak that seemed to drink in the light around it. Murderous intent radiated off the creature in suffocating waves, making the air feel thick and heavy. Its face was a skull—smooth, unnervingly expressionless, and devoid of life—save for the faint, ghostly glow that pulsed deep within its hollow eye sockets.
A skeletal arm jutted out from beneath the tattered fabric, its bony fingers clutching a massive scythe. The weapon's blade gleamed wickedly, reflecting faint glimmers of the bioluminescent forest. Suspended from the back of the scythe was a mana crystal lamp, its eerie glow casting flickering shadows across the creature's jagged frame.
It stood unnaturally still, the silence amplifying its dread-inducing presence. Then, with a bone-chilling scrape, the fiend took a single step forward and its scythe shifted slightly, as if anticipating the carnage to come.
"What the hell is that thing?" Daisuke murmured.
"This… may be as far as we go," uttered Lumielle despairingly, her face drained of color.
"Huh?" Daisuke exclaimed, sparing her a sidelong glance. "What're you talking about?"
The princess's ashen gaze fell to the flower within her grasp, her pupils quivering. "There is no mistaking it," she murmured, her voice barely above a whisper, too shaken to speak any louder. "That creature is undoubtedly a Dismal Lich. It typically resides in the Hazeveil region of the Murkwood Forest. According to the guild, once it locks eyes with you, it becomes a matter of kill or be killed. Its defense and vitality are terrifyingly formidable."
"Is that all?" Daisuke smirked, his tone laced with bravado.
"No," Lumielle replied, swallowing hard. "It's not. The Dismal Lich has a single weakness at any given time that cycles between physical damage, magical damage, and several others." Her voice grew more strained as she continued. "Once it marks a target, it takes one step every thirty seconds. After ten steps, it teleports directly to its target—no matter the distance—and drives its scythe straight through their heart."
DING!
[Dismal Lich | Lvl 0 | Anomalous | HP: 180000/180000]
[MP: 0/0
Attack: 9999
Defense: 918
Physical Attack Resistance: 100%
Magical Attack Resistance: 100%
Elemental Attack Resistance: 0%
Holy Magic Resistance: 100%
Dark Magic Resistance: 100%]
Daisuke felt a cold sweat break out across his forehead, a nervous grin stretching his lips. What the heck is up with this Final Fantasy shit?! 9,999 Attack Power?! 180k HP at level 0?! And that defense… that's gotta be on par with a level 100 mob!
Sensing his dismay, Lumielle's typically stern and aloof demeanor melted away as she leaned against Daisuke's back, tears pooling in her eyes. "Please forgive me," she sobbed quietly, her voice trembling with guilt. "This is the one foe I prayed we'd never have to face. I'm so sorry for dragging you into this nightmare."
Daisuke let out a weary sigh before turning to face her. Without warning, he reached out and flicked her forehead, drawing a startled gasp from her lips. "You really need to stop underestimating me," he scolded in a hushed tone, his lips curving into an amused smirk at her rare expression of bewilderment. "We've still got a score to settle with the Mhaledictus, so there's no way I'm letting anything happen to you here."
As the princess rubbed her forehead and struggled to collect her scattered thoughts, Daisuke summoned Zephyr from his inventory, winning another startled gasp from her.
"Sorry about earlier, boy," Daisuke apologized, even as he dipped low and brandished his daggers in a reverse grip. "I didn't want to raise any alarms while I was with that old hag. But I could really use an Emberstorm right about now."
Zephyr, who had been cocking his head and pouting through the entire dialogue, finally turned his gaze toward Daisuke. He noted the unease darkening his companion's otherwise cool visage. Time was of the essence, and it was clear that this new adversary was not to be taken lightly. As the canine locked eyes with the fiend, his instincts immediately alerted him to the danger—something about the creature's presence made it unmistakably threatening.
"Zephyr!" Daisuke bellowed as he shot forward. "Let's go!"
The pup's maw was already swelling with an ominous glow, crackling with energy as if the very air around him vibrated with power. The flames surged forth like a tidal wave from a broken dam, roaring as they consumed the space between them and the Lich. Lumielle instinctively shielded her eyes, recoiling from the sudden heat, but the Lich remained unmoving, not a flinch or shriek escaping its lifeless form as it was engulfed by the searing inferno.
Ignoring the spreading destruction, Daisuke stuffed a Frost Prism and Lightning Bead into the jaws of the still-struggling winged fiend. Then, using his magic chains, propelled the wretched creature into the Lich's path.
KHHSHHH!
Following a blinding electrical discharge, a jagged pillar of ice encased the stoic reaper in an icy tomb, but a single step forward had the frigid prison breaking apart like a fragile sand castle caught in a gust of wind.
DING!
[Dismal Lich | Lvl 0 | Anomalous | HP: 167410/180000]
[MP: 0/0
Attack: 9999
Defense: 918
Physical Attack Resistance: 100%
Magical Attack Resistance: 0%
Elemental Attack Resistance: 100%
Holy Magic Resistance: 100%
Dark Magic Resistance: 100%]
Dammit! Daisuke snarled, frustration creeping into his voice. Of course the consumables barely made a dent. The Frost Prism dealt a measly 90 damage while the Lightning Bead hit for 2,500. Both are fixed damage, so they bypass the Lich's defenses, but it's far too weak to make the impact I need. The 10k damage from Zephyr's two rounds of Emberstorm is what I'll be relying on for Elemental Damage from here on out.
"Zephyr!" Daisuke called out again, even as he clutched his wrist like a shotgun and began unleashing a volley of magic missiles. "Razor Fang and Razor Claw—let's go!"
"Arf!"
The pup barked in understanding, his Gallop skill propelling him forward as he launched a flurry of devastating strikes on the unflinching fiend. Daisuke gritted his teeth as a bolt of blue lightning from Zephyr's Cerulean Blue passive struck the Lich like a focused laser beam. But instead of the satisfying cascade of damage numbers, a cold, dismissive "Resistant" annotation flashed across his vision.
Shit! Magic Missile only deals 15% of my mana's worth, Daisuke muttered, his frown deepening with frustration. With my mana sitting at around 2,500, I'm once again relying on Zephyr to dish out the real damage. Dammit, this is tougher than I thought!
Several incredibly tense seconds later—and after dealing less than 2000 damage of his own—Daisuke watched as the Lich took yet another menacing step toward its target. When Zephyr noted that his attacks were being deflected by some manner of invisible force field, he promptly took that as a cue to promptly retreat.
DING!
[Dismal Lich | Lvl 0 | Anomalous | HP: 136785/180000]
[MP: 0/0
Attack: 9999
Defense: 918
Physical Attack Resistance: 100%
Magical Attack Resistance: 100%
Elemental Attack Resistance: 100%
Holy Magic Resistance: 0%
Dark Magic Resistance: 100%]
Daisuke shoved an Etherberry into his mouth, his gaze sharp and calculating as it locked onto the grotesque fiend. It's only taken three steps so far, yet we've already chipped away at nearly 30% of its HP. His frown deepened. Seven moves left, but without Dark and Holy Magic in our arsenal, we're down to just five real chances to take this thing down before we're done for.
Lumielle pressed the flower to her chest, her eyes flickering to the man whose resolve now carried the weight of their lives. Under normal circumstances, an entire platoon of highly trained and multifaceted soldiers would be necessary to combat this fiend, and even then it would be a challenging ordeal.
And yet, Haxks Starfrost stood alone.
His presence was a perfect embodiment of battle-readiness, a stark contrast to his usual laidback, almost indifferent demeanor. Now, he was nothing but focus and intensity, the weight of their survival hanging on every decision he made.
Even as the Chrysobee appeared in swarms, dousing the flames with their nectar to protect their habitat, Daisuke's attention remained unbroken, his resolve unwavering.
Wait! Daisuke's mind raced, his eyes sharp as they cut through the golden slant of nectar which shimmered like rain. We do have holy power! "Zephyr!" he called urgently. "Combine Extreme Speed with Divine Armament, then hit it with Razor Claw and Razor Fang!"
The pup wasted no time. As soon as the command left Daisuke's lips, he leapt into action. His small frame pulsed with a golden aura, his legs crackling with arcs of electricity that laced his every movement. Oceanic eyes blazed with malice as he shot forward, his strikes a blur of speed and fury.
Daisuke grinned triumphantly when the first attack landed without resistance. I knew it, he thought. The mana from both Razor Claw and Razor Fang converted into Holy Magic when Divine Armament was activated. It's about damn time something finally went our way!