Rohan, paralyzed by a moral crisis, clutched the Tome-Key in his hand. His mind screamed for a solution, a line of code, an exploit to fix the catastrophic bug in front of him. But he had no idea what to do. He couldn't let the Golem eat Lyra. He couldn't.
He took a step forward, his feet moving on their own. But he hadn't accounted for the villagers' magic.
A villager, a small, unassuming woman with her hands clasped in prayer, pointed a finger at him. A thin, shimmering thread of light shot from her hand and wrapped around Rohan's legs. The light pulsed, and he felt a cold, numbing sensation creep up his body, locking his joints in place. It was a Binding Spell. It wasn't a physical attack, and his Aegis couldn't defend against it. He was a prisoner in his own body.
The Golem's single, burning eye shifted from the villagers to Lyra, who was still bound to the stone slab. It let out a low, guttural chuckle that reverberated through the clearing. This was a game to it, a cruel, monstrous game. It slowly lumbered towards her, its massive, rocky hands reaching out to grab her.
Lyra struggled against her bonds, her eyes wide with terror, but she was powerless. The Golem was just a few feet away, its looming shadow covering her. It raised a massive hand, its rocky fingers poised to crush her.
And then, a voice.
"Are we late for the party?"
The voice was casual, almost bored. It was a voice that Rohan knew, a voice that had taunted him and dismissed him. It was Liriel.
He and Brutus emerged from the shadows, their bodies glowing with a faint, otherworldly light. Liriel held his sheathed sword in his hand, his eyes fixed on the scene before him. He then turned his gaze to Lyra, who was tied up on the stone slab. A cruel smirk spread across his face.
"Well, well, well, if it isn't our mighty Tigress," Liriel said, his voice dripping with condescension. He then spotted Rohan, bound and helpless. "How's it going for you, Lyra? Siding with the NPC? Look how far that got you. And look at him. Useless, just like I said."
The cultists, so confident just a moment ago, were now screaming in fear. Liriel moved, not with speed, but with a terrifying precision. He moved like a ghost, his blade flashing in the dim light. The cultists, who had been so ruthless in their desperation, were now cut down like puppets. He didn't even look at their faces. He just moved, his sword a blur of motion. It was a massacre.
Rohan, still bound by the spell, could only watch in horror. "Stop!" he screamed, tears streaming down his face. "Please, Liriel, stop! They're humans! They're just trying to survive!"
But Liriel didn't even flinch. His face was a mask of cold concentration. He was a player, and these were just obstacles. He sliced through another villager, their desperate cry cut short as they fell.
"They made their choice," Liriel said, his voice devoid of emotion. "They chose to be in the way."
With the cultists dealt with, Liriel turned his attention to the Golem. The monster, which had been so confident just a moment ago, was now on high alert.
"So," Liriel said, a grim smile on his face. "Let's end this."
He raised his sheathed sword, and a blinding light erupted from it, a massive wave of pure, concentrated energy. It wasn't a blast, it was a Void Strike, the one-hit KO move he had perfected in the game. It was a skill that should have taken out the Golem in a single blow.
The energy surged forward, and the Golem stood its ground, its single eye wide with a newfound respect. The blast hit it square in the chest, and the ground trembled. The Golem's body, its rocky form and pulsating crystal, began to crack. The cracks spread like a spiderweb, and then, with a deafening roar, it exploded.
The clearing was silent. Lyra, still bound to the slab, was safe. The Golem was gone.
Liriel sheathed his sword, his face filled with a smug sense of satisfaction. "Told you. Useless NPC."
He turned to Lyra and started to walk towards her, but then, the ground began to shake. Not with the roar of a defeated monster, but with the ominous rumble of something rising.
From the shattered remains of the Golem, a new form began to emerge. A form twice its size, with two burning eyes and a body of pure, incandescent rock. It was no longer a golem. It was a Behemoth.
The Behemoth looked at Liriel, its voice a low, mocking growl. "You fool. You think you can defeat me? You have no idea what you have done."
It raised a massive fist and, with a terrifying speed, slammed it into Liriel's chest. Liriel, caught completely off guard, was sent flying backward, his body a broken mess of shattered armor.
He had won, but his victory was short-lived. The final boss had evolved.
"KILL... PLAYERS."