The moment Zen's shield connected with the boss, Malkor's eyes locked onto the paladin. The High Priest's voice echoed through the chamber, making the air itself vibrate.
"Wanderers... came to defile my sanctum..."
Malkor raised his staff, and flames erupted around him in a spiral.
"You art unworthy... unfit to witness the Crimson Truth..."
The boss slammed his staff into the ground. Fire exploded outward in a ring, forcing everyone to dodge.
"Engaging!" Zen shouted, recovering quickly and charging back in. His shield absorbed the next staff strike.
-124 HP!
[HolyKnight_Zen: 876/1000 HP]
"The flames shall purge thy ignorance!" Malkor warned, his free hand gesturing towards them. Fireballs materialized around him and launched toward the party.
Max activated Shadow Step, teleporting to avoid a fireball. Night surged forward, its Shadowforged Blade striking at Malkor's robes.
-167 HP!
[Crimson High Priest Malkor: 24,833/25,000 HP]
GiantTitan's greatsword cleaved into the boss from the opposite side.
-243 HP!
ArchMage_Kira began his rotation, keeping a noticeable distance from Max now. Massive fireballs and lightning bolts streaked toward the boss.
-512 HP!
-487 HP!
-534 HP!
Velara and SilentEdge worked in pair, their daggers finding weak points in Malkor's defenses.
The boss's health dropped steadily. 24,000... 23,000... 22,000...
Max and Night coordinated perfectly. Max would feint high, drawing Malkor's attention, and Night would strike low. When the boss turned to address Night's attacks—which he could somehow sense even if he couldn't see the source—Max would exploit the opening.
"Feeble creatures..." Malkor's voice grew darker. "Thy strength is but embers before the eternal flame!"
The boss reached 50% health.
[PHASE TRANSITION]
[CRIMSON HIGH PRIEST MALKOR – PHASE 2]
Malkor slammed his staff down with both hands. The flaming skull on top of it erupted with brilliant light, and the entire chamber shook.
"Bear witness! The servants of the Crimson Oath!"
Four circles of fire appeared around the room, and from each emerged a Crimson Acolyte—humanoid figures wreathed in flames, wielding swords.
[Crimson Acolyte – Level 15] x4
HP: 3,000 each
"Adds!" Zen shouted. "Kira, AoE them down! Melee, focus the boss! We can't let this phase drag out!"
"On it!" Kira's staff glowed with power. He began channeling a massive spell.
[METEOR STORM INCOMING]
Flaming meteors crashed down onto the four acolytes, each impact dealing massive damage.
-634 HP! (per acolyte, multiple hits)
But the acolytes were fast. They charged toward the party, their flaming swords raised.
SilentEdge backed off from the boss. "I'll kite two! Vel, take the others!"
"Got it!" Velara activated her Shadowblade skills, becoming partially invisible as she engaged two of the acolytes.
Max wanted to help, but Zen's command was clear—stay on the boss. Night, however, could multitask.
Through their bond, Max sent a command: Help Velara. Don't let them overwhelm her.
Night immediately disengaged from Malkor and rushed toward the acolytes attacking Velara. The shadow warrior's blade carved into one acolyte from behind.
-187 HP!
[Crimson Acolyte: 2,813/3,000 HP]
Velara noticed the sudden damage appearing on her target and grinned. She didn't question it—just carried on and finished off the wounded acolyte.
[Crimson Acolyte defeated!]
Together, they slowly destroyed the adds. Night's invisible blade and Velara's daggers created a devastating combination.
Meanwhile, Max continued attacking Malkor solo, using Shadow Step to avoid the boss's increasingly aggressive attacks.
"You dare face me alone, ugly thing?" Malkor's voice carried a hint of amusement. "Your courage is admirable... thy fate, sealed!"
The boss conjured a massive flame pillar directly beneath Max.
[FLAME PILLAR – 2 seconds until activation]
Max saw the warning and Shadow Stepped away just as the pillar erupted, the flames scorching the stone where he had been standing.
GiantTitan rejoined the assault on Malkor, his Berserker Rage active.
The combined assault from Max, GiantTitan, and Kira's continued ranged magic spells pushed Malkor below 30% health.
The last of the acolytes fell to Velara and Night's coordinated strikes.
"Adds clear!" Velara called out. "Full DPS on boss!"
Everyone targeted Malkor. The chamber became a chaotic storm of steel, magic, and shadow.
The boss's health plummeted: 7,000... 5,000... 3,000...
[ENRAGE PHASE ACTIVATED]
[TIME REMAINING: 3:00]
Malkor's entire body erupted with flames. His staff blazed with intensity that hurt to look at.
"Enough! ENOUGH!" The boss's voice thundered. "I am the keeper of the Crimson Truth! The vessel of eternal fire! I shall not fall to the likes of thee!"
His attack speed doubled. His damage increased dramatically. Every strike now hit multiple targets.
-198 HP! (Zen)
-156 HP! (GiantTitan)
-187 HP! (Max)
"Full burn!" Zen commanded, his health dropping rapidly despite his heavy armor. "Ignore mechanics! Pure DPS race!"
Everyone unleashed their most powerful abilities.
Kira channeled his ultimate spell—a massive explosion of magic energy.
[ARCANE CATACLYSM]
-1,247 HP!
GiantTitan's Berserker Rage pushed his attack power to maximum, his greatsword becoming faster.
-342 HP!
-356 HP!
-378 HP!
Velara and SilentEdge triggered their assassination abilities, their combined burst damage staggering.
-445 HP!
-467 HP!
Max and Night fought as one entity. Max would strike, Shadow Step to a new position, strike again. Night would phase through Malkor's attacks and retaliate with devastating counters.
The DPS meter went insane:
[Party DPS Meter – Burst Phase]
MaxThorne – 4,127 DPS
ArchMage_Kira – 3,987DPS
GiantTitan – 3,654 DPS
SilentEdge – 2,876 DPS
Velara – 2,734 DPS
Max was outdamaging everyone. The combination of his strikes and Night's invisible assault created a DPS output that shouldn't be possible for a level 10 character.
Malkor's health dropped rapidly: 2,000... 1,500... 1,000...
"Impossible!" The boss's voice cracked with fury and disbelief. "The flames... they betray me? No! NOOOO!"
500 HP... 300 HP... 100 HP...
Everyone unleashed their final attacks simultaneously.
Max and Night struck together, their blades crossing through Malkor's torso from opposite directions.
The combined damage was enough.
[CRIMSON HIGH PRIEST MALKOR – DEFEATED]
Malkor's form exploded into flames, his final words echoing through the chamber:
"The Crimson Truth... shall not... die... with me... Others... will... come..."
Then silence.
The heat dissipated. The flames died down. The chamber became still.
[DUNGEON COMPLETE: THE CRIMSON SPIRE]
[BOSS DEFEATED: Crimson High Priest Malkor]
[PARTY EXP GAINED: 3,500]
[FIRST CLEAR BONUS: Applied]
[You are now Level 11!]
[Night has reached Level 11!]
The party stood in stunned silence, breathing heavily, their health and stamina bars depleted.
Then GiantTitan let out a roar of triumph. "FUCK YEAH!"