~~~
Please work… work!
Jin flooded his armor with every drop of essence he could manage. The shadows around him writhed like living things, responding to his desperate call.
Come on, you stupid affinity—this is supposed to be the part where desperation unlocks hidden potential!
He thought about every fantasy trope he'd ever read. Friendship? Power of will? Believing in yourself? What kind of bullshit did he need to pull here?
For just a moment, something stirred in response.
Oh shit, is that—? The shadows rippled like disturbed water, and Jin felt his heart skip. Yes! It's actually listening to me!
[PROCESSING TIME REMAINING: 1 SECOND]
The world snapped into crystal-clear focus.
With dreamlike slowness. Each beam left trails of superheated particles that made the air shimmer like a mirage. He could see every detail—dust motes vaporizing, the way light bent around the laser's path, how Rudy's eyes widened in horror as he realized Jin was trapped.
The laser carved through space directly toward his face, growing larger and brighter with each heartbeat.
Don't you dare fizzle out on me now! C'mon, how long is this stupid second going to be…
[PROCESSING TIME REMAINING: 0 SECOND]
[VULNERABLE AND WEAKENED DEBUFF APPLIED ONTO THE OBSIDIAN GOLEM]
[SHIELD ARE NOW DOWN, ATTACK NOW TO DEAL MASSIVE DAMAGE TO THE GOLEM.]
Now!… Shadows take me!
Darkness erupted around him like he'd been dropped into a vat of liquid night. The world went obsidian, and Jin felt his entire existence dissolve into beautiful, terrifying nothingness.
Shua!
The laser beams struck—and hit nothing but shadow.
Jin materialized fifteen feet away, stumbling as he landed hard behind a pillar. His entire body felt like it had been turned inside out and reassembled wrong. Blood poured from his nose, and his essence reserves screamed in protest.
That was not fun.
"Thank you," he whispered to his armor, feeling the living shadow respond with what might have been satisfaction. "Reduvia."
The name felt right. His first real connection with the infant spirit bonded to his gear.
"Jin!" Rudy's voice cracked across the chamber, equal parts relief and panic.
But before Jin could even catch his breath and respond, the entire chamber exploded in a symphony of destruction.
BOOOOOOM.
The sound wasn't from the golem's missed attack—it was the shield exploding.
The Boss's protective barrier burst in a cascade of white-hot fragments that filled the chamber with blinding light. The construct staggered backward, its massive frame shuddering as cascading system failures rippled through its obsidian core.
"I'm okay! Rudy, focus on the golem! It's down!" Jin shouted over the chaos.
Alarms began blaring from deep within the golem's chest—mechanical shrieks that spoke of critical damage.
Holy shit. What was that?
Jin's [Reader's Dominion] flared to life, flooding his vision with information:
o_______________o
[OBSIDIAN SENTINEL - COMBAT STATUS]
[OBSIDIAN SENTINEL - SHIELD BREACH SUCCESSFUL]
[CURRENT HEALTH: 75% REMAINING]
[STATUS: SYSTEM SHOCK—10 SECONDS RECOVERY TIME—SYSTEM REBOOT IN PROGRESS]
[SHIELD REGENERATION: DISABLED FOR 15 SECONDS]
o_______________o
Twenty-five percent HP damage from the shield explosion alone.
Shit! We have only fifteen seconds before it can defend itself again. This is our window—our only window.
"Rudy!" Jin's voice cut through the settling debris. "Hit it with everything! It's stunned for ten seconds!"
"Already on it!"
Rudy was already moving, his purple eyes blazing with battle-joy as he charged the fallen construct. The Greatsword of Forlorn sang through the air, its crystal veins pulsing with eager hunger.
Okay… now, Rudy would need a boost to maximize his DPS.
Jin pressed his palm against his chest, feeling warmth flow beneath the fabric.
"Thank you again, Reduvia," he whispered. "I owe you big time, but I'll need you to stick with me for this fight, buddy."
The armor seemed to pulse in acknowledgment.
Jin's hands found Essence's Edge, drawing on the dagger's stored power as he reached for the most demanding one-verse sorcery he knew. His essence reserves were already dangerously low from the shadow leap, but the dagger's secondary core provided exactly what he needed.
Power gathered in Jin's chest as he shaped the complex incantation, weaving together threads of enhancements.
« O Earth that bears the weight of mountains, lend your strength to my brother's blade! Let his strikes carry the force of avalanches! »
The invocation tore from Jin's throat with enough force to make his voice crack. Essence poured out like water from a burst dam, flowing across the chamber to wrap around Rudy's charging form in ribbons of golden light.
Fuck, that hurt. But look at him go.
The transformation was immediate and spectacular. Rudy's body blazed with power as the blessing took hold, turning him into something between man and force of nature. His greatsword erupted into brilliant radiance—not just glowing, but burning like a captured piece of the sun itself.
And then Rudy's Mantle responded to the call.
The Colossus... Its essence is to stand unmovable against impossible odds. And Rudy is walking right down that path.
Jin watched in awe as Rudy's presence expanded, his very essence reaching toward something vast and immovable. This wasn't just a teenage boy with a sword anymore—this was the embodiment of unstoppable force meeting immovable object.
"AAAAHHHHHHH!" Rudy's battle cry shook the ancient stones as he brought the blazing greatsword down in a perfect overhead strike.
The blow connected with the sound of worlds colliding.
The Greatsword of Forlorn bit deep into the Sentinel's obsidian chest, its enhanced edge carving through magical stone like it was soft clay. But more than that—Rudy's strike carried the weight of mountains, the fury of avalanches, the inexorable power of geological time itself.
Golden fire exploded from the impact as the construct's torso cracked from shoulder to hip. Dark essence sprayed like arterial blood, and for the first time since the fight began, the Obsidian Sentinel screamed—a grinding, mechanical wail that spoke of systems failing and ancient magic unraveling.
Beautiful and terrifying.
My turn now. While it's stunned and vulnerable.
Jin dropped to one knee, every fiber of his being focused on this single, crucial moment. He drew upon the essence stored in his dagger, feeling the weapon's reservoir flow into Iron Howl like liquid lightning.
One shot. Make it count.
His finger found the trigger as the armor-piercing round settled into the chamber. Essence flowed through the gun's enchantments, boosting the enchanted ammunition into something that could punch through reality itself.
BANG
The round left the barrel, wreathed in silver fire, its passage through air leaving a contrail of destructive energy. Jin had poured everything into that bullet— every desperate hope for victory.
It struck the Sentinel's wounded chest dead center and detonated.
CRACK.
The sound of shattering stone filled the chamber as the construct's torso split completely in half. More golden essence-blood poured from the massive wound, pooling beneath its fallen form like liquid starlight.
[Reader's Dominion] flared again.
o_______________o
[OBSIDIAN SENTINEL - COMBAT STATUS]
[HEALTH: 50% REMAINING]
[STATUS: CRITICAL DAMAGE - INITIATING EMERGENCY PROTOCOLS]
[WARNING: PHASE TRANSITION IMMINENT]
[WARNING: PHASE TRANSITION IMMINENT]
[WARNING: PHASE TRANSITION IMMINENT]
.
.
.
o_______________o
Fifty percent. We actually got it to half health in one coordinated attack.
Jin collapsed to his knees, essence almost spent. The double casting had pushed him beyond his limits. Dark spots danced at the edges of his vision.
But it was worth it.
"Jin!" Rudy was at his side instantly, worry cutting through his battle lust. "You good, bro?"
"Just need a second," Jin gasped, reaching for an essence recovery potion with trembling fingers. "Keep pressure on it while—"
With metal grinding that echoed through the chamber, the Golem rose taller than before.
o_______________o
[PHASE TRANSITION DETECTED]
[OBSIDIAN SENTINEL ENTERING COMBAT MODE: DEVASTATION PROTOCOL]
[WARNING: EXTREME DANGER]
[WARNING: EXTREME DANGER]
[WARNING: EXTREME DANGER]
.
.
.
o_______________o
Not gracefully—its movements were jerky, damaged, sparks flying from severed magical conduits. But it rose nonetheless, systems adapting to the catastrophic damage with mechanical determination.
Its crystalline visor blazed to life, shifting from red to brilliant blue that hurt to look at directly.
Blue shield. The tile colors are shifting to blue.
"Blue shield!" Jin shouted, downing the essence potion and feeling strength flow back into his limbs. "Rudy, find the blue tiles!"
But that wasn't the worst part.
Four perfect spheres detached from the Sentinel's shoulders, floating into the air with ominous purpose. Each one was the size of a human head, and Jin knew they were in trouble.
o_______________o
[COMBAT DRONES DEPLOYED]
[THREAT LEVEL: ORDER II - SUSTAINED FIRE CAPABILITY]
o_______________o
Four floating turrets. Da heck, Dungeon, what's next? Would the golem start flying, too?
Goddamnit, that's why I love-hate golems and automatons. Who knows what kind of bullshit they'll pull out of their mechanical asses.
I want one as well…
"Jin!" Rudy's voice carried panic as the spheres spread out. "What the hell are those things?"
"Welcome to bullet hell, Rudy," Jin breathed, watching the spheres establish overlapping fields of fire. "Ever played one of those games where everything on screen is trying to kill you at once?"
"Jin! No time for jokes!"
Fair point.
The Boss raised both arms, and Jin caught the telltale shimmer of heat building in its palms—not laser beams this time, but something much worse.
Fire. Torrents of magical flame that would turn the entire chamber into a crematorium.
New mechanics. New threats. And I'm running on empty juice.
"Rudy!" Jin forced himself to his feet, drawing on reserves he didn't have. "Blue tiles! Look for blue tiles! And whatever you do, don't get caught in the open!"
The four combat drones hummed to life with synchronized precision, their targeting systems locking onto both intruders with mechanical hatred.
FWOOM. FWOOM. FWOOM. FWOOM.
Four laser beams lanced out simultaneously, while the Boss opened up with its twin magical flamethrowers.
Phase Two... why the hell are there always phase twos?
Jin dove behind cover as the chamber transformed into a hellscape of intersecting death rays and rolling fire, his mind already racing through possible strategies at lightspeed.
Think, Jin. Think. There has to be a way to win this. There's always a way.
Come on, brain—work like you did during those all-night sessions. What would the protagonist do? What would—
I just have to be smart enough to find it before we both get incinerated.
With [Reader's Dominion], everything moved in slow motion as his eyes cataloged every detail—the crumbling architecture, the pattern of laser emitters, the colored tiles scattered around the chamber, the way the drones moved in formation.
Time. I need to buy time…
Wait.
The pieces clicked together with an almost audible snap, like puzzle pieces finally finding their proper places. A plan began forming in his mind—not elegant, definitely not safe, but gloriously, stupidly possible.
The kind of batshit crazy scheme that would either make him Rudy's hero or get them both killed in the most spectacular way possible.
Oh, this is so stupid it might actually work.
Rudy's voice cut through his thoughts, but Jin barely heard it over the sound of his own planning.
"You know what, Rudy?" Jin called out over the chaos, a manic grin spreading across his bloodied face. "I think I got the answer."
Rudy took one look at that grin and actually shivered, his mind immediately recognizing the look of someone about to do something monumentally stupid.
"Jin?" Rudy said, backing up a step despite himself. "I don't trust that grin. That's your 'I'm about to do something that'll give us both nightmares' grin."
"Trust me, bro," Jin replied, his smile widening into something that belonged in a horror movie. "It's totally the safest option."
"That's exactly what you said right before the treant became fire-wielding horror." Rudy protested.
"And look how well that turned out!" Jin shot back. "We're still alive, aren't we?"
"Barely!"
"Details, details..."
~~~