I didn't listen to the noise in my ears, as if my instincts were trying to dissuade me from doing this.
But the same stubborn fire has already ignited in me, as always.
I activated the [Running] skill, and the ground under my feet seemed to lose its friction.
I took out another dagger from my inventory, and now I was on full alert along with [Soporific Scarlet] and [Awakened Morna].
I moved in a zigzag pattern, hacking through the poisonous tentacles that erupted from the mud. Each blow was met with phantom pain, as if the game was mocking me by making me feel everything for real.
With every step, my health was melting away from the physical attack of the roots, but I walked like a train on overheated rails.
Suddenly, out of the corner of my eye, I noticed another root bursting out of the swamp in the Aka-32's blind spot, heading straight for the girl's back.
— Not now!
I growled and, abruptly changing my trajectory, darted sideways. My blade slashed through the air, cutting off the root, and the poisonous liquid sprayed in all directions.
An alert flashed in the interface:
[You gain +10 Immunity points]
I blinked, wiping the dirt from my eyes, and chuckled briefly:
"I hope this isn't a trick, and I've been granted full resistance to poisons, otherwise all this heroism will be for nothing!"
At that moment, Akah-32 appeared next to me, out of breath and covered in scratches, but with a wide smile on her face. Her shield was cracked, but her eyes were burning with excitement.
—Even though it's a crazy idea, I'm with you!
She shouted through the roar of the swamp.
—If this is your plan, I'll support you until the end! I'm really getting into this!
She laughed loudly, holding the shield with both hands as if she wanted to challenge all this chaos.
At this moment, Nemmorrino roars, but now there's a cry in that roar:
—I didn't want to hurt Maraina, please help me!
The battle chaos returns, and I manage to deal effective damage to him.
System message: [The Roots' Lament intensifies.]
[Health: 40% → 20% HP.]
The Roots' Lament reaches its peak. The swamp moves as if it were alive. The roots, which had previously attacked blindly, now protect Nemmorrino, forming a crude armor of vines and rotting bones around him. The coils are holding onto his body not to attack, but to keep it from falling apart.
At that moment, he was breathing, but his heart was no longer beating. It was the mutagen that was moving him, and the swamp that was keeping his past alive. And then he spoke again.
— I'm... tired.
Nemmorino was no longer looking at the group that was fighting him, but at nothing in particular. As he remembered his mistress, the roots around him were striking the ground, not out of rage, but out of pain.
I suddenly turn my gaze to the guys behind me:
—This "unique" monster isn't a monster at all, and they just need help.
Zikei and Elk exchanged glances and looked at the item in the back pocket of my cloak [Nemorrino's Collar].
—Then do as you please, if you think it's the right thing to do.
Zikei said, slapping his hand across his face. At that moment, a new system message appeared. [Trigger Activated: A Heart That Doesn't Beat]
[Phase II Completed]
[Phase III - Attaching the Collar begins in 10 seconds]
[Phase III - Attaching the Collar begins in 5 seconds]
[ Attention Nemorrino's health drops to 15% ]
At this point, the swamp begins to tremble, the light of the swamp and the moss goes out one by one, the luminescent hell that was at the beginning suddenly turned into a dull, unremarkable field.
Nemmorrino's body becomes translucent, and roots sprout from the poisonous wounds, twisting in the air.
During this battle, the stamina and health of the entire group dropped to the red mark again, as poisonous spores from time to time took away everyone's gaming life except for me.
That's why Zikei shouted:
— I've prepared in advance and brought along protective restorative potions in case we reach the Third Phase, and they cost a lot, by the way! Catch it!
Everyone's health has recovered by 40%.
"Oh, I probably won't be logging in to the game for a few days after this battle, it's really exhausting. Katzu once told me that he drinks energy drinks for this purpose."
I stood in the center, holding Nemmorrino's Collar, which began to glow a luminescent red again.
I knew what I had to do, but I couldn't stand still. The streams of mutagen hit my back as I gathered my courage and began running towards Nemmorino, who couldn't control his power or the roots. He wheezed softly:
—I... I can feel the mark left by that lizard on you... I think you might be worthy enough to grant me peace...
I was quite surprised by this speech, it seems that he saw my mark and it triggered something interesting?
The main goal and climax of the Third Phase was to keep Nemmorrino in the center and prevent him from using the [Harikiri] skill again, in order to put a collar on him.
The boss wasn't easy either, when the group tried to help me, Nemmorrino hit the ground with his axes, creating concentric waves that knocked the players back a few meters.
He started behaving ruthlessly.
The poisonous roots lifted him into the air and held him like a puppet on a string, even though I ran towards him, the roots suddenly appeared at my feet, preventing me from getting closer.
Zikei decided to help by using his katana.
[ Blood Wave]
The katana glowed red and as he swung the weapon, a wave of razor-sharp energy swept through the roots and cut through everything, giving me the opportunity to get right up close through the chaos.
I finally stand in front of the monster and raise the [Nemorrino's Collar], showing it to him.
"It's cold, too light for something that someone's life depends on."
That was the climax, all that was left was to put the collar on the boar, which was turning its head, but the nearby poisonous roots prevented me from doing so, they were sharp as bullets and were approaching me at high speed.
I took the collar in my teeth and shouted through gritted teeth:
—I wo-on't let you ruin t-hhe end, if I get caught now, it will count as a physical attack!