Kaito exhaled slowly, his chest rising and falling as he steadied his blades. The Mist Queen Demon dragged her monstrous body forward, her crimson eyes blazing with hatred. She was no longer the graceful sorceress seated upon a throne.
Her wings were gone, her body twisted into something monstrous, veins bulging across her abyssal half, claws twitching with hunger. But to Kaito, this change brought relief. Her speed, once frightening, was now slower. Her movements, though still powerful, were easier to read.
Good, Kaito thought. Now let's finish this.
Instead of dodging away, Kaito lunged forward to meet her head-on. His boots cracked the marble floor, the Solstice Blade in one hand and the Dragon Fang in the other gleaming.
The Queen lifted her massive abyssal claw, swinging it down like a hammer to crush him. Kaito twisted, sliding just under the strike, and answered with a pair of rapid cuts. Sword shadows blurred across her abdomen, sparks flying as they bit through her corrupted flesh.
She shrieked, stumbling back, but quickly lifted her staff in her other hand. Abyssal energy surged, and a volley of black spears shot out like arrows.
Kaito raised his blade and spun, the edges of his swords leaving behind phantoms of steel. He cut through some of the projectiles, the rest exploding around him, shaking the floor. One spear grazed his shoulder, tearing through armor and flesh alike. His HP dropped sharply, a warning prompt flashing at the edge of his vision.
Ignoring the pain, he pressed forward. His blades became a storm, slashing from every angle, sword phantoms darting across her form like lightning. The Queen roared, parrying with her staff and swiping her claw at him whenever she found an opening. He ducked low, letting the claw sail overhead, then kicked off the ground to leap high, both blades crossing in a vicious strike across her face. Blood mist and black energy sprayed outward.
Her HP fell lower and lower, the bar sliding quickly down. The throne room became a blur of fire, frost, and steel as the two figures clashed again and again. Kaito's cuts left glowing trails across her armor and flesh, while her magic erupted around them in bursts of abyssal flame, silver-red lightning, and shards of black ice. Each explosion rocked him, chipping at his health, but he refused to back down.
Finally, as he landed another cut along her chest, his HP bar dropped dangerously close to critical. His breathing was ragged, his body battered from the constant blows. He knew if he took even one more clean strike, it could be the end. With a grunt, he lashed out with his foot, kicking the Queen squarely in the abdomen. The force knocked her staggering back, buying him a moment's distance.
Panting, he raised his blade, sweat dripping down his chin. The Queen shrieked in rage, her HP now at five percent.
Behind her, Hiroto had already rushed forward. The tank roared and slammed his shield against the Queen's side with Shield Bash, the sound echoing across the chamber. For a moment, the Queen's gaze flickered toward him. She turned, her crimson eyes narrowing in fury.
"What hateful ants," her eyes seemed to say, "One by one angering me again and again?"
Her aggro shifted. With a sudden lunge, her massive claw swung toward Hiroto. He tried to brace, but the sheer force overwhelmed his guard. The claw smashed into him, sending him flying across the room. His body slammed into the far wall, blood spraying as a huge number floated above his head.
HP: 0.
Hiroto was killed instantly.
The others froze for a heartbeat, shock in their eyes.
Daichi had been charging forward to punch the Queen, but seeing Hiroto slain in a single blow, his instincts screamed at him. At the last second, he twisted aside. The Queen's massive leg swept through where he had been standing, her kick strong enough to crush the stone beneath it. He dodged, but before he could regain his footing, her staff swung up. Abyssal energy gathered at its tip.
Abyssal Arcane Missiles.
The projectiles erupted in all directions, faster and larger than before. They streaked toward Daichi and also toward the mages and Aika at the rear.
Daichi, being closest, had no time to react. Two of the missiles struck him head-on. The explosions engulfed him in flame and smoke, and when the blast cleared, his HP was already gone. His body crumpled to the floor, lifeless.
The rest of the missiles hurtled toward the others. Mei Rin reacted instantly, invoking her Wind weaver Form, her body becoming swift as the wind itself. She twisted and leapt, each missile narrowly missing her as she rolled across the floor. Kaede, Nina, and Lucien threw up protective barriers of lightning, frost, and flame, bracing against the barrage. The impacts rocked them backward, their health bars dipping sharply, but they survived.
Aika, too, refused to fall. She raised her staff, light bursting from its tip. Radiant Light shone like a star, clashing against the abyssal energy. One missile dissolved under the holy glow, another was deflected just enough to spare her. She staggered from the impact, but still stood.
Kaito saw it all. His team had lost Hiroto and Daichi in moments. The Queen's wrath was tearing through them. If he hesitated even a second, the rest would fall as well.
He clenched his teeth and downed another Minor Regeneration Potion, the healing liquid burning down his throat. His HP bar ticked upward slowly, not enough to guarantee safety, but enough to keep him moving.
With a roar, he lunged again, blades raised high. His figure blurred as Wind veil Steps and Mana Steps carried him forward at blinding speed. He appeared before the Queen in an instant, his swords crossing as he swung at her with everything he had left.
The Queen met him head-on. Her abyssal claw lashed out like a guillotine, her staff channeling another spell even as her mouth twisted into a snarl.
Steel met claw, fire met shadow. Sparks exploded as Kaito's relentless strikes clashed against her monstrous form. The throne room shook from the force, dust falling from the shattered ceiling above.
The Queen's HP bar wavered, trembling just above five percent.
Kaito's body blurred as he lunged at the Mist Queen Demon, both swords flashing as he unleashed the Cut skill. His blades carved through the air, leaving sharp shadows that aimed straight for her chest.
The Queen reacted quickly, her abyssal claw snapping forward to block. The impact shook the throne room, sparks flying as steel and corrupted flesh clashed. But her claw was already weakened, cracks spreading through its monstrous surface from the wounds she had taken earlier. She managed to block part of the strike, but not all of it. The edge of Kaito's skill still sliced across her chest, the force hurling her backwards into the far wall.
Stone shattered as she struck, dust and debris raining down. For a moment, the chamber went silent, every eye fixed on the broken wall where she had been buried. Then the rubble stirred.
From the smoke, she emerged once again, her body twisted further by the abyssal corruption. Her abominable form dragged itself forward, the crimson glow of her eyes now a violent storm of hatred. Her HP bar sank to 4%, but her voice was still sharp and filled with venom.
"You damnable human insect!" she shrieked, her voice echoing like knives through the chamber. "Again and again and again you dare to stand against me!"
The Queen tilted her head back and howled at the ceiling. Her roar was no normal sound. It was filled with abyssal energy so dense that it shook the very air. The wave of power rolled through the entire throne room like a storm.