Chapter 19: Burn the Skies
Zaphro's POV
AR0012's timing couldn't have been better. He showed up exactly when we needed him, so when he asked to join my guild, I didn't hesitate to accept.
"Let's save the meet-and-greet for later. We need to finish this first," I said after shaking his hand.
His name was a little weird, but he seemed like a solid teammate. "Ar-Ar, you're on air support!" I added, giving him a quick nickname.
He furrowed his brows at the nickname, but ended up smiling anyway. "Got it. I'll make sure that thing doesn't get away!"
"Tch..." muttered Slicer under his breath.
AR0012 was a Fallen Angel class with long brown hair, cut in a one-length style. He wore sniper goggles pushed up on his head, and his sharp blue eyes gave off a focused vibe. Standing around 5'7", he was a gunner class with the rare secondary subclass: Hybrid Shooter.
That meant he was a pure DEX build with powerful DoT (Damage over Time) and DPS (Damage per Second) skills. His weapon was unusual too—it looked huge and heavy. I couldn't help but wonder how he moved so fast with it.
Suddenly, the boss let out a piercing shriek that echoed through the forest, kicking up strong gusts of wind. It was just about to rise when a water-element skill hit it squarely. That came from Erik_Hertz and included a slowing effect.
"Grand Lightning!" Verillion called, raining bolts of lightning from his spear.
The Phoenix crashed into the trees, unable to rise. We needed to find a soft spot on its body to concentrate our attacks on. That's when its body started glowing, and we instantly knew something was wrong.
"Oi, Papa. That's an AoE skill. We're screwed if we stay close," Gwydox warned bluntly.
"Fall back! Defensive formation—now!" I shouted.
We sprinted away, trying to put as much distance between us and the boss as possible. Around 250 meters out, the boss's skill activated.
Death Flames: An AoE skill that deals massive fire-element damage—up to 45% of a target's HP. 55% if it's a critical hit (in close range).
The radius was enormous, and we didn't have enough time to fully escape its range. Even with our defensive buffs, we took serious damage. I lost 20% of my HP, same with Aryus and Jin. Others lost over 30% due to lower defense stats.
Our casters jumped into action, healing and rebuffing the party.
"Seal Shot!" AR0012 fired a high-speed beam from his rifle, hitting the boss and wrapping it in a net-like binding.
"That'll hold for one minute. Make it count—I can only reuse that in three minutes!" he shouted.
I blinked in front of the boss, ready to use a skill, but the intense fire aura surrounding it was burning hot. I wasn't that resistant to fire, so just being near it triggered a burn effect. I endured the pain and struck.
"Freezing Stab!" I plunged both my swords into its chest, landing high cold-element damage. I quickly pulled back.
"Frozen Spike!" I brought my blades together and swung them outward, launching a massive ice spike that shattered on impact with its tough armor.
I backed away to give the others room. "Watch out for the burn effect!"
"Poseidon's Trident!" Erik shouted.
"Nebula Storm!" Ayana followed up.
Erik's trident skill dug into the boss's neck, and Ayana's spell bombarded it with five violet orbs from above.
"Thirty seconds more!" someone yelled.
"Crimson Apocalypse!" Erenir unleashed his attack.
"Gravity Distortion!" from Verillion.
"Dark Spirit Blast!" shouted Accel.
They all launched high-DPS skills that blew up large parts of the boss's body. Against a regular boss, that might've been fatal, but this one was different. We only managed to chip off 7% of its HP, with a total of 11% including Ayana's earlier skill.
"This damn bird is way too tanky," Slicer complained.
"Just find its weak spot," I said.
"I'm trying! But if it's hidden again, we'll be wasting hits!" he replied, frustrated.
The binding effect from AR0012's skill wore off, and the Skylar Firebird flapped its wings open. Dozens of smaller minions—or maybe its offspring—poured out, each the size of a giant eagle.
About thirty of them swarmed toward us. They were fast and agile, hard to hit with skills. Good thing I could blink into them to land kills quickly. But even more poured in.
"Scatterblast!" AR0012 dashed forward, firing in every direction. Over thirty shots rang out—every single one hit a firebird straight in the head. The guy's precision was nuts—headshots every time.
"Projectile of Silence!" he fired another round—this time at the boss.
Projectile of Silence: A Gunner skill that restricts the target from casting skills, including passive abilities. Duration varies depending on resistance.
The burning aura around the boss faded—meaning it was vulnerable to heavy damage.
"Unload all your heavy hitters, now!" I commanded.
Leanne activated Magic Veil, boosting our magic damage. The boss tried to fly, but AR0012 shot its wings with perfect timing.
"Dark Chains!" Accel shouted, binding the boss in place.
Casters and melee attackers rained down their skills like there was no tomorrow. We didn't give it a single moment to recover.
Our MP and SP drained fast, forcing us to stop. Everyone downed potions to recover faster. Gwydox focused on our casters first, topping off their MP and SP to keep the offensive going.
The boss retaliated, firing fireballs at Accel's chains, breaking free and flying upward again. It wasn't fast, though, so I quickly caught up.
"Cold Fire!" I aimed at its wings to freeze them.
It crashed back down—right into a monster-infested zone.
I saw Leanne beside me, already in knuckle mode.
"Sheeva's Palm!" she struck with terrifying speed and precision, slamming the boss and hitting several Dark Trolls in the process. The sound of impact echoed as she unleashed a final aerial palm strike, slamming the boss into the ground with a massive shockwave.
I rushed over to help Leanne. The aftereffects of her skill left her unable to move properly. I helped her retreat before the boss could recover.
"Almost there!" I heard Slicer shout.
"Let's finish this, guys!" said AR0012, just before pressing a button on his weapon. His sniper rifle transformed into a grenade launcher.
I stayed with Leanne while the others took over.
"Hydrogen Bomb!" he fired—and a massive explosion followed.
"Soul Reaver!" Shion unleashed his power.
"Black Lightning!" Accel fired.
"Nature's Wrath!" Ayana added.
"Rainbow Blast!" Verillion.
"Regolus Impact!" Slicer.
"Crust Explosion!" Aryus.
"Broken Blade!" Jin.
"Violent Storm!" Erik.
"Squall!" Erenir.
They attacked in unison, hammering the boss with everything they had. The barrage lasted a full minute. Smoke covered the battlefield, obscuring the boss from view.
We held our ground, waiting. Then, a flash of light burst through the smoke—a solar flare targeting our gunner.
"Seismic Barrier!" Slicer stepped in with his shield just in time, followed by Jin and Aryus.
"Divine Vanguard!" shouted Jin.
"Shock Blocker!" Aryus added.
The solar flare slammed into their combined defenses. Slicer's barrier shattered, then Aryus' shield. Jin was starting to falter.
"Chrono Sphere!" Verillion shouted—
"Heaven's Armament!" Leanne shouted, even though she still hadn't fully recovered.
Ayana summoned her spirits and helped block the boss's solar beam. Meanwhile, Erenir, Erik, and Accel countered the skill using their own abilities.
But it still wasn't enough—so I stepped in. I used my hex to become invulnerable for a minute. I personally took the beam head-on, using my wing as a shield. I pushed the boss's beam back with all my strength.
"Ar-ar... Use your one-hit skill. Hit me with it so I can use the force to deliver the final strike!" I said.
"But you'll get hit too!"
"Damn it! You can see it's not affecting me!" I shouted back.
"O-okay!"
He positioned himself with his launcher, charging up. A dark blue light slowly began forming at the tip of the launcher.
"Here it comes, Zaphro!"
"Hephaestus' Mighty Cannon!" he yelled, unleashing a massive beam that violently propelled me forward—straight into the mouth of the Skylar Firebird.
"Dark Prince Transformation!" I shifted and released my final skill. This is the new skill name of my Demonic Form an improved version.
"Demonic Claw Strike!" I managed to enter its mouth just in time. That's when I saw it—a red crystal on its tongue. Its weak spot.
"Hyaaaaaaa!" I aimed my skill right at it...
"Zaphro!" I heard them call out my name.
Everything happened so fast… The crystal shattered, and its HP dropped to zero.
I pierced through the back of its neck with my sword skill.
I gave a thumbs up to signal that everything was okay. And when they saw me, they all burst into cheers—the boss was finally defeated.
"Yeah!" Slicer and ar0012 gave each other a high-five, joined by Shion, Aryus, and Jin. Ayana, Leanne, Verillion, Erik, Erenir, and Accel all smiled warmly at me.
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[System Announcement: Skylar Firebird Level 150 has been slain by Fallen Halo guild.]
Gold Reward: 500,000,000g
Item Reward: Fire Stone of Kryptos
Item Drops:
† Fire Box (2 pcs.)
† Golden Accessory Box (4 pcs.)
† Chaos Skill Box (3 pcs.)
I've noticed another chaotic item box as loot. I'd have to report this to the GM's
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End of Chapter...