A crimson pillar of light shot into the sky, drawing an arc before plummeting straight down towards Nightmare God.
The devastating shockwave from the impact scattered everything in its vicinity.
Thankfully, Yulia had kicked the Nightmare God away at the last second—otherwise, the blast would’ve erupted right beside her.
The consequences would’ve been unpredictable.
Yulia retreated further, her full attention locked onto the Nightmare God.
The players behind her braced themselves as well.
When the light faded, the Nightmare God slowly rose from the epicenter.
It smirked at Yulia, its crimson eyes gleaming with mockery.
It didn’t even spare a single glance for the other players.
Yulia met its gaze, her golden eyes clashing against its blood-red stare.
Then, she found out that the Nightmare God’s HP bar was completely full again!
Just moments ago, they had barely whittled it down to 720,000 HP after an all-out assault. Yet now, it was back to its full 900,000.
Damn it! This bastard isn’t just tanky—it’s got a damn fountain1 strapped to its back!
At the same time, a dreadful realization struck her.
If the boss’s HP is fully restored… then—
Her fears were confirmed the next moment.
After staring at Yulia, the Nightmare God suddenly turned away its gaze.
Then, a pair of blood-red wings unfurled from its back.
It took to the skies—streaking toward the royal district without even looking back.
Yulia rubbed her temples in exasperation.
She had to admit, this boss was cut from the same cloth as her. Even now, its first instinct was to run.
But precisely because they were alike, she couldn’t let it escape!
Flames of War Everywhere seemed to realize the same thing. “All units!” he barked. “Full assault! Bring it down!”
A thousand elite ranged players unleashed a barrage of attacks.
But the boss’s aerial speed far surpassed its ground movement. What was already hard to hit became nearly impossible to land a shot on.
Even the few attacks that connected barely scratched it.
The Nightmare God watched with amusement, reveling in the sight of its enemies’ frustration—their desperation, their fury, that faint edge of despair.
Just like a nightmare.
Subarashii!2
But a voice cut through its satisfaction—a voice devoid of despair, brimming only with resolve.
“You’re awfully relaxed. I told you—if you make it past here, I’ll write my name backwards!”
The Nightmare God turned.
Somehow, that Gold Clan brat had already arrived on the city walls, standing directly in its path.
And in her hands, her sword blazed with radiant light.
“Golden Style, First Move: Scorching Sun!”
Slash!
A torrent of golden light erupted, crashing toward the airborne Nightmare God like an unstoppable tide.
The Nightmare God could only stare at the overwhelming brilliance—like a lone boat adrift in a raging sea, helpless against the waves.
Twisting, sinking, shattering—then plunging into the abyss.
Though Yulia herself had no Holy Light attribute, the Golden Style, First Move’s searing radiance surpassed even that of holy magic.
A single strike carved away 2% of the Nightmare God’s HP.
But the move had a long casting animation and drained her stamina. In a direct duel with the boss, she would never get the chance to use it.
Without pausing to recover, Yulia lunged after the falling Nightmare God.
Crack!
Its sword was shattered!
“You like showing off? You like flying? I’ll cut you down every damn time!”
But after the slash, Yulia couldn’t follow up.
This damn boss has a fountain—no matter how much damage she dealt, it wouldn’t matter. And once its HP dropped low enough, those wings would just regrow.
So she settled for holding it back, forcing it step by step away from the city like before.
Flames of War Everywhere exhaled in relief. “All forces!” he commanded loudly, ensuring Yulia could hear. “Advance into the royal district! Locate the source of that light pillar and destroy it!”
Yulia immediately understood.
Her job was to stall the boss while the player alliance handled the search.
With their numbers, exploration and reconnaissance were their greatest strengths—large-scale combat came second.
And Yulia had no trouble keeping the boss occupied.
Each had their own role.
But since the search was simpler and manpower wasn’t an issue, some players remained near Yulia and the Nightmare God as backup.
Thus, Yulia eased her assault, waiting for results from the other side.
In this scenario, the boss’s tankiness became a disadvantage—it was easier to manage its HP.
The Nightmare God seemed to grasp their plan and launched a frenzied counterattack.
Yet no matter how vicious its strikes were, Yulia shut them all down.
The livestream commentators ramped up their excitement, dissecting every detail.
The chat exploded with opinions:
“Honestly, this boss feels kinda weak for a final boss. Where’s the spectacle?”
“Let me try, I could explain! We’d both get stomped by God Feng—only difference is, I’d get stomped inside the royal district.”
“Bro, presence comes from contrast. When it first appeared, it was terrifying. Too bad it somehow hyper-fixated on God Feng. Now it’s just that much.”
“If this boss hadn’t tunnel-visioned on her, God Feng would’ve bailed ages ago. The other players would’ve been screwed.”
“For real, this boss is underwhelming. I checked its skill set—nothing special. The fox from Misty Forest’s sky-shattering blast was way cooler.”
“True. But that fox got clowned even harder.”
“Don’t judge yet. The boss is still near full HP. Things could change.”
Just as Yulia held the line, the players scoured the area, and the chat debated—each doing their part—a sudden shout rang out:
“Found it! I found the underground entrance!”
Everyone perked up.
Flames of War Everywhere immediately began issuing orders. The underground might still hold monsters, but unless they faced another absurdly strong boss, they could bulldoze through.
Meanwhile, Yulia’s expression turned odd.
That voice… why does it sound so familiar? Do I know someone in this dungeon?
Then it hit her.
Holy shit—Fatty?!
Legend!
I always knew this guy had potential!
The guy had flaws thicker than a dictionary, but exactly one and a half redeeming traits.
One is loyalty.
The half is his obsession with dissecting game mechanics.
Back when they played 1013, he once spent a full minute staring at a flower on a wall—only to realize his screen had gone gray.
Then he started raging—not at the enemy, but at his own team.
And that flower? After meticulous research, he concluded: it was just a texture.
That’s Fatty for you—always finding the weirdest angles to hyperfixate on.
And occasionally striking gold.
The speed at which he had found the entrance was several times faster than Yulia had expected.