Kalis almost spat out a mouthful of blood.
Wraith General Nethalos's skeletal warhorse thundered forward, hooves pounding the ground as it charged. His nine-meter-long rusted spear pierced the air with a shrill whistle, crashing down like a massive black pillar, unavoidable!
Kalis took the hit head-on. A blinding white damage number popped up above his head: -312,897! In his enraged state, the BOSS's damage had more than doubled.
This meant his stats were temporarily boosted to the equivalent of Level 158, his combat power skyrocketing to absurd heights!
"Traitor, don't run! Take another spear!" Having landed a hit and seeing Kalis hadn't been one-shot, Nethalos thrust his spear again without hesitation.
Kalis was fully enraged, too. The Lightning Bolt he'd been charging erupted from his staff!
Crackle—!
-3,568,921!
A massive damage number exploded above the BOSS's head. With his ten-thousand-fold amplification, the theoretical damage of this Lightning Bolt should have exceeded 7 million. But clearly, the enraged Nethalos had extremely high magic resistance, reducing the damage by half. Even so, it was enough to make the BOSS's HP bar drop visibly.
"Ah! Great War God Caron! Grant me your power!"
Even though he'd fallen into a wraith, Nethalos still believed in the War God he'd followed in life. He chanted a prayer loudly. His rusted spear suddenly glowed with intense black light.
With a single swing of his arm, a 30-meter-wide crescent-shaped shadow wave howled forward—Black Light Crescent Slash!
Boom!
Kalis was sent flying by the shadow wave, falling into a 5-second knockdown stun. A huge damage number of -325,000 popped up above his head.
"Damn it! This damage is ridiculous! Even a Level 100 Paladin would be vaporized instantly by this!" Kalis muttered to himself. He knew the Curse of Augustus on him had awakened the BOSS's potential, making him even more enraged. But the terrifying output of this Level 108 Mythic BOSS still exceeded his expectations.
Thankfully, the Crystal Barricade shield held firm, withstanding the burst damage. The 5-second knockdown stun passed in the blink of an eye.
As soon as Kalis got back on his feet, he saw black mist surging around Nethalos, his spear raised high. The wide-area Nether Spear Fall he'd used earlier was charging up again!
Black undead energy soared into the sky, forming a giant spear that plummeted downward!
Boom!
-548,000!
The terrifying damage number made Kalis's shield HP drop sharply, but it didn't break. He didn't dare hesitate. He immediately retaliated with a Fireball, followed by several Magic Missiles!
Boom!
-3,289,541!
-28,000 (Burn Damage)
-1,652,897!
Damage numbers even more terrifying than the BOSS's output popped up one after another. Nethalos's HP bar was instantly depleted, leaving only 500,000 HP remaining!
Kalis was about to cast Thunder Chain to finish him off when a beam of holy golden light suddenly descended from the sky, enveloping the Wraith General's body!
"General Holy Spear, your loyalty has been sensed by the War God Temple! In the name of the Second War God of the War God Temple, I accept your soul's redemption! Return to the light, Nethalos!"
The holy golden light washed over Nethalos's tattered body like spring rain. The rusted armor shed its worn-out traces inch by inch, regaining a silver-white luster. His rusted spear glinted with cold sharpness. The skeletal warhorse's bones were filled with golden light, flesh and blood regenerating to form a majestic white steed, powerful and imposing.
"Ah… Supreme God, you've finally remembered me…!" Nethalos raised his head and roared, his voice shaking the surrounding area, tears of joy streaming down his face.
Even though the War God Caron had long since fallen, the temple's legacy remained, and his faith had never wavered.
The golden light continued to purify Nethalos's wraith energy. Kalis took the opportunity to hurl a Thunder Chain, but it was directly bounced away by the golden light, failing to deal even -1 forced damage.
"Don't mess with me! Is this BOSS really going to run away? This is a Level 108 Mythic BOSS! Who knows how much experience it gives? Don't let me lose what's right in front of me!" Kalis panicked inwardly, fearing he'd let the bird in the hand fly away.
Gradually, Nethalos's wraith form completely dissipated, transforming into a handsome knight clad in silver-white armor, riding a majestic steed—like a god descending to earth. His status panel refreshed accordingly:
[Holy Spear General Nethalos]
Level: 210 (Mythic Boss)
HP: 24,000,000/24,000,000
(Target level too high—remaining attributes unreadable)
Kalis: "…"
His level had doubled, and his HP had skyrocketed to 24 million, fully restored. With stats like these, even with his thick shield, Kalis stood no chance of winning!
The divine light faded slowly. Nethalos looked down at the 1.8-meter-tall Kalis, his tone majestic: "Sinful traitor, your crime of killing Augustus is unforgivable. But since your power indirectly awakened my sanity, I'll spare your life this time! The next time we meet, I will execute you in the name of the War God Temple!"
With that, he squeezed his legs gently against the horse's flanks. The steed soared into the air, flying toward the horizon.
"Hey! Where are you going? What about me? Where's the experience? Where's the artifact? Damn it!" Kalis shouted at the BOSS's retreating figure, unable to help but curse.
Nethalos's figure grew farther and farther away. A cold snort echoed in the crater: "Traitor, if you dare to challenge me, come to the War God Temple in the City of Holy War! Nethalos awaits your arrival!"
As his voice faded, the knight's figure disappeared completely into the distance.
At that moment, a burst of golden and black light exploded in front of Kalis's eyes. Countless items and gold coins were scattered across the ground, the crisp sound of collisions echoing endlessly. The interweaving red, orange, and purple glows dazzled his eyes.
"Ding～ Congratulations on defeating the Mythic Boss Wraith General Nethalos. You have gained 30,000 reputation points!"
"Ding～ You have triggered the unlocking condition for the Level 2 main city, City of Holy War. Please follow the clues to explore and unlock the main city access as soon as possible!"
"Ding～ You have defeated Wraith General Nethalos. You have gained 22,500,000 experience points!"
"Ding～ Congratulations! You have reached Level 42!"
"Ding～ Congratulations! You have reached Level 43!"
"…"
"Ding～ Congratulations! You have reached Level 58!"
"Ding～ Reminder: Your level now meets the requirements for the Second Awakening. Please go to the main city temple to complete the advancement and unlock stronger power!"
A series of system notifications exploded in his ears. Kalis let out a long sigh of relief: "Thank goodness, the rewards are all here."
The massive 22.5 million experience points were more than the total experience he'd accumulated before! Having been Level 41, he jumped 17 levels in one go, soaring to Level 58—once again far ahead of all players in the theater!
But what excited him most was the dense pile of loot on the ground—the ultra-luxurious loot drop from a Level 108 Mythic BOSS!
Gold coins were scattered everywhere. Kalis bent down and picked them up casually. A system notification popped up: "You have obtained 750,000 gold coins!"
His pupils contracted sharply: "750,000 gold coins?!"
Based on the current exchange rate of 1 gold coin = 10 real currency units, this was 7.5 million real currency—enough to buy a luxury mansion in any city!
"I'm rich…"
This was just the basic loot! Kalis's gaze immediately locked onto the four dazzling red glows. Red light, apart from the never-before-seen "rainbow-colored" Transcendent artifacts, was the highest quality!
Among the four red glows, the first was the token he'd been dreaming of:
[Guild Residence Token]: Mythic Item. Guild Masters or Vice Guild Masters can use this item to apply for building a guild residence at the Lord's Mansion of any Level 3 or above main city. A Monster Siege event will be triggered during construction. If the defense fails, the construction will be terminated, and the item will not be returned.
Needless to say, the value of this item was "starting at 100 million gold coins"! Whether sold to the Crimson Lotus or Oath of Sky guild, it could fetch an astronomical price, even sparking a bidding war between the two major guilds!
"Small goal achieved!" Kalis immediately tucked it into his inventory, fearing it would be refreshed by the system.
The second Mythic item was a golden invitation letter:
[Nethalos's Invitation]: Exclusive Item of the War God Temple. Holding this item allows you to challenge the Level 210 Mythic Boss Holy Spear General Nethalos at the temple in the City of Holy War. Unlock Condition: Subdue the Four Fallen Wraiths.