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"{Blood Fever}!"
Vlad went all out, activating one of his Vampiric Skills. His eyes shone bright red as an almost all-encompassing thirst for blood surged within him, teetering on the edge of madness.
"RAAAAHHH!"
As he roared, his sharp fangs gleamed within his mouth, doubling in length due to his extreme hunger. His Aura turned wild and monstrous, shaped like countless furious bats—this was the power of Blood Fever.
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[Blood Fever (C): Lv3]
Whenever you smell Fresh Blood and haven't drunk any for an hour or more, you may choose to gain the Status of [Blood Fever]. All your Stats increase by 5% per second, up to a maximum of 100%, but your Stamina will begin to deplete slowly.
However, when you drink blood, all Stats return to normal, your Stamina is fully restored, and the Power of all Racial Skills increases by 50% for 20 minutes.
Every second that passed boosted his stats by 5%!
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His aura grew stronger and more ferocious as he swung his swords wildly against the monster. His Soul Aura Spiritualization—or "Heart Demon," as the Heavenly Demon called it—provided unprecedentedly perfect support, complementing his frenzied fighting style.
"{Dual Soul-Devouring Underworld Blade Arts}: {Underworld Inferno}!"
He spun in midair as he ascended, purple and red flames enveloping him and spiraling rapidly around his body before spreading outward. A gigantic inferno of flames slammed into the monster.
BOOOMMM!!!
"GRYAAAACK?!"
The creature screamed in agony, sent crashing to the ground with an immense explosion that blew off half its face and several of its limbs.
As this happened, Vlad landed on the monster's chest, plunging his hands into its body.
"I almost forgot—you're technically composed of all the elements I can use, right?"
"GRAAAAH!"
The creature tried to stop him, but Vlad's magic was faster. A shockwave of Arcana surged through its body, and suddenly…
"{Grand Geomancy}: {Earthen Eruption}!"
Crack, crack…!
Its entire body developed countless cracks as its internal structure began to pierce through its external shell, effectively forcing the creature to destroy itself.
Until…
CRAAASH!
The monster's outer shell shattered into pieces, revealing its much smaller interior—the "true body" of the Raid Boss—glowing with bright purple, blue, yellow, and red light, glistening brilliantly.
"SHAAAAAH!"
"So that's your true body?"
Vlad had forcibly triggered its second phase before the HP threshold, preventing it from unleashing its proper buffs.
However…
FLAAAASH!
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
"Uuuggh?!"
Vlad was bombarded by dozens of bright beams of multicolored spiritual light emanating from the monster's crystalline body, sending him flying and crashing across the battlefield.
BAAAM!
As this happened, the creature stood, charging not toward the city but directly at him!
It had become so enraged that it prioritized taking him down before attacking Elderbridge.
Which was exactly what Vlad wanted.
"GRYSHAAAAAH!"
The creature reached him, opening its gigantic, aberrant jaws and aiming to devour him whole as Vlad struggled to stand.
And yet…
He smiled.
"Heh, you're a bit too late, aren't you?"
BOOOM!
Suddenly, a thunderbolt struck the monster, slamming it into the ground. Fragments of its crystalline body splattered everywhere.
It wasn't an ordinary thunderbolt, however. As the monster groaned in annoyance, something was lodged in its back.
Indeed, it was not a typical spell but a trident that had descended.
Chris's trident, one of his two main weapons.
"Gotcha! Right on time, heh!"
Alitheus descended from the skies, swiftly aiming his bow at the monster and manifesting a giant arrow made of spiritual flames.
By combining [Fire Spirit Arrow Creation], [Silver Holy Spirit Flames of Courage], and [Silver Moonlight Archery Arts], Chris crafted a powerful arrow infused with all his flames, further imbued with moonlight.
"{Great Blazing Silver Moonlight Spirit Cannon}!"
A combination of skills formed a single, devastating spell of his own creation, manifesting as a massive cannon—a beam of pure energy accompanying the arrow.
BOOOMMM!!!
The impact was direct and swift, dexterously striking through the monster's chest and leaving a gaping hole while blasting the creature backward.
"RAAAAHHHHH!!!"
However, a Raid Boss was a Raid Boss. Refusing to yield, it began firing lasers everywhere, forcing Vlad and Alitheus to retreat and dodge while attempting to defend themselves.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
"Are you kidding me?! Does that thing have infinite Arcane or something?!" Alitheus complained.
"No, quite the opposite—it's running out rapidly, but…!" Vlad said. "Will we die first, or will it exhaust itself? I say we charge and destroy it, even if we take some damage."
"Well, two others are coming!" Chris smiled, glancing at the skies.
Vlad's eyes widened as he saw Ermelinda and Gofumina descending, finally taking the fight seriously.
"{Spiritual Synthesis}: {High Dryad of the Emerald Forests: Hamadryad}!"
Ermelinda's three small spirits merged into a single entity resembling a beautiful dryad made of vines, branches, roots, flowers, and fruits. She smiled pleasantly at the monster and raised her hands.
"{Nature's Wrath}!"
RUMBLE!
The ground beneath the monster trembled. Out of nowhere, thousands of gigantic branches and trees erupted, piercing the crystals and wrapping around them, disrupting the monster's frantic attacks and forcing it to stop firing lasers.
"GRYYAAAAH!"
As the creature screamed in fury, Gofumina appeared, her surrounding aura turning red and… gold!
Her eyes glowed brightly as gold coins suddenly materialized around her.
This was the Goblin's Special Racial Ability.
"{Fortune Boost}!"
By expending part of her own "Fortune," Gofumina gained immense temporary strength, boosting her physical stats to extraordinary levels.
This set the stage for her Warrior Blade Ability to activate…
"{Great Warrior Blade Arts}: {Thousand Cuts}!"
SLAAAASH!
A single slash transformed into nearly a thousand cuts, striking the monster with explosive force, cleaving through its hard, crystalline body as fragments exploded everywhere.
SLASH! SLASH! SLASH! SLASH! SLASH!
However, it still wasn't enough!
"RUUUAAAAHHHH!"
The Raid Boss suddenly raised its claws, clashing against Gofumina and tearing apart the wood around her. Even as both Ermelinda and Gofumina tried to restrain it, giant crystal spikes emerged from the ground.
"Let's go!"
"Yeah!"
Vlad and Alitheus knew what to do. They rushed forward, attacking without hesitation. Vlad's dual swords and monstrous soul aura, combined with Alitheus's bow, trident, and powerful arrows, struck the monster in unison. They tore off its head and shattered its core mercilessly, triggering an explosion of spiritual light and the souls composing the golem.
BOOOMMM!!!
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