Finally setting our eyes upon the Demon Emperor, we realized his true size. At the end of the hall, he sat upon his throne with all the terrible stature his title implied. As we stepped forward into the chamber he ruled, the pressure of his aura rolled over us, crushing and heavy, like an invisible tide pressing down from every direction.
With every step we took, that pressure grew, as if the air itself was turning to stone. My lungs burned. My vision trembled at the edges. Then his voice rolled across the chamber, low and thunderous.
"You've made it this far," the Demon Emperor said, his tone a mixture of amusement and disdain, "but I'm afraid this is where your journey ends."
Each word resonated through the obsidian walls, shuddering in my bones. As he rose from his throne, the oppressive aura intensified until it felt like my knees might give out. Our fear spiked, but so did our resolve. We had not crawled through this pit of despair just to kneel.
We would leave this place alive. All of us.
He finally stood to his full height, towering above us like a living mountain of dark scales and shadowed armor. We spread out, taking our positions, weapons raised, spells at the ready. We waited for an opening, for even the smallest misstep we could exploit.
Then, with a sickening scrape of metal on metal, the Demon Emperor reached behind his back.
A massive double-bladed axe emerged from the darkness, its edges wreathed in a faint, pulsing red glow. The weapon was nearly as tall as I was, each blade thick and jagged, etched with glowing demonic script that throbbed like a heartbeat.
We had not prepared for this.
I swallowed hard, tightening my grip on my sword. "So that's his true weapon," I muttered.
But no matter how unprepared we were, there was no turning back. We would find a way to make this battle turn in our favor—or die trying.
The Demon Emperor moved.
One moment he was standing at the far end of the chamber; the next, he blurred forward, the air screaming as he accelerated. He swung his gigantic axe in a vicious downward arc. A streak of blood-red light followed the path of the blade as it cleaved through the air, crashing toward us with terrifying speed.
"Move!" I shouted.
We scattered. The axe slammed into the floor where we had stood a heartbeat before. The impact shook the entire fortress. Black stone shattered, radiating spiderweb cracks across the ground as a shockwave of force flung dust and debris in every direction.
Using the single opening bought by that dodge, we launched our first counterattack.
"Now!" I yelled.
We surged forward as one. I closed the distance, sword blazing with condensed mana. To my left, our mage unleashed a barrage of shimmering projectiles, bright yellow and red stars that streaked across the darkness like miniature suns. Behind us, the healer whispered a hurried enchantment, bathing us in faint protective light.
The Demon Emperor wrenched his axe free from the broken ground with casual strength, shards of stone flying. He began to raise it again, but our spells and strikes were already upon him.
"Binding Seal—Crimson Chains!" the mage shouted.
From the circle glowing beneath the Demon Emperor's feet, chains of pure red mana erupted, coiling around his arms, legs, and torso. The magical bindings crackled as they tightened, digging into his dark scales.
For a brief, precious moment, his movements slowed.
I could feel the strain of the spell even from where I stood. The mage's face went pale; sweat beaded on his brow as the binding spell devoured his mana at an alarming rate. Trying to restrain a being of this caliber was like trying to hold back a mountain with spider silk.
"It's… holding!" the mage gasped.
"Then we don't waste it!" I shouted.
We attacked again.
Our spells this time were even more brilliant, more desperate. The mage forced more power into his attacks despite maintaining the binding seal. Orbs of yellow and red light formed above his outstretched hands, then exploded outward, transforming into dozens of streaking stars that slammed into the Demon Emperor's armored hide one after another.
From my side, I poured as much mana as my body could muster into my blade. Arcane patterns flared along the sword's edge, and I darted in, swinging with everything I had.
Explosions of light and sound filled the throne room. Flame, lightning, and pure mana crashed against the Demon Emperor's defenses. For a moment, it was as if we had turned the deepest darkness of the chamber into a chaotic daylight of crimson and gold.
But when the radiance faded, he still stood.
Our combined assault had not been enough to kill him.
His defenses—those obsidian-black scales and the heavy armor plating his body—had blocked or blunted most of the damage. Yet it hadn't been for nothing. I could see the difference now: his outer shell was beginning to crack.
Hairline fractures spread across his scales like fault lines in glass.
"He's weakening!" I shouted. "Keep going!"
That small sign of progress was the hope we needed. Our mana was bleeding away, our lungs burned, our limbs grew heavy, but knowing that our attacks were finally making a difference kept us moving.
Then, with a violent shudder, the binding spell failed.
The Crimson Chains shattered like brittle glass. The backlash slammed into the mage, forcing a pained cry from his throat as he staggered backward, clutching his chest.
Freed from the spell, the Demon Emperor dropped.
He crashed down to one knee, the same enormous force that had powered his axe swings now sending shockwaves through the floor beneath him. The fortress trembled once more, dust drifting down from the high, shadowed ceiling.
But even that was not enough to keep him down.
With a guttural growl, he drove the shaft of his axe into the ground and pushed himself back up. The dim red light in his eyes brightened, burning with a furious hatred.
He raised his weapon again.
"Brace yourselves!" I yelled.
With a wailing roar full of rage and wounded pride, the Demon Emperor swung his axe in a massive horizontal arc. The blade carved a blazing crescent of red light through the air, the sheer force of the strike leaving distorted ripples in its wake.
The axe strike landed near me. The shockwave alone hit like a battering ram.
The impact hurled me backward. My body slammed into the wall with devastating force.
Stone cracked. For a split second, my world went white from the pain, and all the air was driven from my lungs.
I slid down from the crater my body had carved into the wall, landing in a heap on the shattered floor.
"H…hah…" I gasped, desperately trying to draw in breath. My ribs screamed with every attempt. My vision swam, but I forced myself to focus.
The Demon Emperor was already lifting his weapon again.
I couldn't just lie there.
Using my sword as a crutch, I dragged myself to my feet.
"Don't you dare fall now," our healer shouted from behind me, voice trembling with strain. A soft green light enveloped my body, warmth spreading through my chest as healing magic took effect. The worst of the pain dulled; my breathing steadied, though the ache remained.
"Thanks," I managed.
There was no time for more.
I raised my hand, gathering mana into a single point in front of me. This was a spell I had only barely tested before, one that demanded both precision and power.
Thousands of mana blades formed in the air, each one a translucent sword of pale blue light. They shimmered and multiplied in a wave, the air filling with the cold glint of ethereal steel.
"Blade Storm!" I roared.
With a single sweeping motion of my arm, I sent them forward.
The swords screamed through the air, a torrent of shimmering blades converging on the Demon Emperor from every angle. They stabbed, slashed, and hammered against his dark scales, the sound of impact like a relentless metallic rain.
Cracks deepened across his armored hide. Chips of scale flew. Yet even after the last mana sword faded into sparkling motes, he still stood.
"Still not enough…" I hissed through my teeth.
But I had carved out something more important than damage.
An opening.
He had raised his axe to block the brunt of the Blade Storm, exposing a section along his right side where the earlier spells had already landed. The scales there were fractured, weakened, and faintly glowing from the heat and force of our magic.
If I couldn't bring him down from a distance, then I would do it up close.
Gripping my sword with both hands, I gathered the last of my strength into my legs and dashed forward. The world blurred. The ground cracked beneath my feet with each step, my mana reinforcing every movement.
"Cover him!" the mage cried hoarsely from behind me.
Even exhausted, he managed to conjure several streaks of light that flew past me, exploding around the Demon Emperor's head and shoulders. They flared bright, forcing him to turn slightly, to squint, to guard his face.
That was all I needed.
I leaped.
Time seemed to slow as I soared through the air, my sword raised high. Wind howled past my ears. Below me, I saw the worst of the damage we had inflicted: a spiderweb of cracks along his side, just beneath his arm.
I aimed for that spot.
I brought my sword down with everything I had.
Mana flared along the blade, turning it into a streak of brilliant white-blue light as it descended. When it struck his weakened scales, the resistance I had felt before was gone.
His defenses finally shattered.
The sound echoed like breaking glass magnified a thousand times. Fragments of black scale and shattered armor burst outward as my attack landed with a sickening, satisfying impact.
The Demon Emperor staggered, a deep gouge now carved across his side. Dark, thick blood spilled out, hissing as it struck the broken stone and ate into it like acid.
He roared in pain.
I landed and nearly collapsed, my legs shaking from the exertion. But I forced myself to stay upright.
"We can hurt him now!" I shouted.
That realization transformed the air around us. Where there had been only grim determination, there was now fierce, burning hope.
Everyone moved.
Our mage unleashed another wave of explosive spells, each one slamming into the exposed wound or the cracks that now spread from it. The healer continued to sustain our battered bodies with restorative light, even as she conjured shimmering spears of holy energy to stab into the Demon Emperor's legs.
We attacked relentlessly.
The Demon Emperor swayed under the onslaught, but his rage only grew. The red glow in his eyes flared even brighter, and his aura swelled outward again, raw and wild.
Then, with a guttural snarl, he pushed forward through our attacks.
He ripped his weapon free from the floor, dark mana swirling around him like a storm.
He was done holding back.
"Careful!" the mage shouted. "He's channeling something—something big!"
This time, as he raised his axe, we saw it clearly. His own mana surged into the weapon, pooling into the etched symbols carved into the blades. A faint red glow intensified, then deepened, becoming a searing crimson aura that distorted the air around it.
The Demon Emperor lifted the weapon high above his head.
The temperature in the room spiked.
"Fall back!" I yelled.
We retreated as far as we could, boots scraping against broken stone. Our backs nearly hit the walls of the throne room.
Flames erupted along the length of the axe.
Blazing fire climbed from the haft to the twin blades, swirling around them like a hungry vortex. Embers rained down, scorching the ground. The Demon Emperor's next swing was not just physical—it carried the full might of his corrupted mana.
He brought the axe down.
It struck the ground with apocalyptic force.
The world became fire.
A pillar of crimson flame exploded outward from the point of impact, tearing across the chamber in a tidal wave of heat and shock. The floor ruptured, stone bursting like brittle glass. We were flung from our feet, tossed aside like ragdolls.
I crashed and rolled, the skin on my arms burning where the fire had licked through my defenses. The roar of the attack drowned out everything else—screams, the clash of spells, even my own thoughts.
When the shockwave finally faded, the chamber was a ruin.
Sections of the floor had collapsed into blackened fissures. The once-imposing throne was cracked, one arm shattered. The walls bore molten streaks where the flames had passed.
But we were still alive.
Barely.
I forced myself up on one knee, coughing, my lungs filled with the taste of smoke and ash. All around me, my allies struggled to rise. The healer was already moving, her hands aglow with soft light as she patched our burns and sealed our worst wounds.
The Demon Emperor, however, was not unscathed.
Using such a massive attack in his already weakened state had taken its toll. His breath came in harsh, echoing growls. The cracks along his body had spread further, more of his dark blood leaking out and sizzling on the scorched floor.
This was our last chance.
If we failed now, we would not survive his next strike.
I met the mage's eyes. He understood at once.
"One more," I said, voice ragged. "We put everything into one last spell."
He nodded, though his hands were shaking. "Then we make it count."
We took our positions, standing side by side. The healer moved behind us, placing a hand on each of our backs.
"I'll keep you standing," she whispered. "No matter what."
I closed my eyes for a heartbeat and reached deep inside myself, drawing on every last fragment of mana, every scrap of will. Around us, the air began to hum, vibrating with gathering energy.
"Dual-Catalyst Formation," the mage intoned, tracing a circle in the air.
A complex magic array formed beneath our feet, lines of pale blue and gold intertwining in intricate patterns. My sword began to glow, resonating with the spell. Above us, a second array appeared, rotating slowly, its runes burning with violent red-gold light.
"You focus on shaping it," the mage said through gritted teeth. "I'll give it power."
I nodded.
Together, we channeled.
Mana flooded the array, thick and heavy. The chamber's remaining torches were snuffed out as all ambient light was drawn toward us, leaving only our growing radiance to illuminate the ruined throne room.
The Demon Emperor raised his axe again, sensing the danger.
"He's moving!" the healer cried.
"Just a little longer!" I shouted.
The spell reached its peak.
Our combined mana coalesced into a single point above my outstretched sword, forming a spear of pure, condensed light. Its tip flickered between white, gold, and crimson, flickering like a star about to explode.
The Demon Emperor charged, each step shaking the ground.
"Now!" the mage screamed.
We unleashed it.
The spear of light shot forward, tearing through the air with a piercing shriek. The magic arrays above and below flared, amplifying its speed and power. The Demon Emperor swung his axe to intercept it, but the moment the weapon touched the spell, the crimson flames around his blade were ripped away.
The spear punched straight through his chest.
For an instant, everything went silent.
Then the light detonated inside him.
A blinding explosion erupted from within the Demon Emperor's massive frame, tearing through his already-cracked defenses from the inside out. Chunks of scale, armor, and shadowy flesh burst outward, dissolving into motes of fading light before they hit the ground.
He let out one last, earth-shaking roar that shook dust from the broken ceiling.
Then his body collapsed.
The Demon Emperor crashed to the ground with a deafening impact, sending up a cloud of dust and debris that rolled over us like a final, harmless wave.
I let my sword fall to my side, my knees giving out as I sank to the ruined floor, chest heaving. The mage dropped beside me, completely drained. The healer stumbled forward and sank down between us, her magic finally flickering out.
For several long moments, none of us spoke.
Only the sound of our ragged breathing filled the ruined throne room.
Finally, as the dust settled, I forced myself to look up.
Where the Demon Emperor had fallen, there was nothing but a crater of scorched stone and faintly glowing residue. No corpse. No scales. No weapon.
And more importantly, no drops.
Nothing we could collect.
In this strange world, every monster we had fought before had left something behind: materials, weapons, fragments of mana crystal, even coins that passed for currency. But now, after defeating the Demon Emperor himself… there was nothing.
"That's… not right," the mage whispered, eyes wide and hollow. "A boss like that should've… he should've dropped something. Anything."
"Maybe he was different," the healer said softly, though even she sounded unconvinced. "Maybe… there's another condition we didn't meet."
I stared at the empty space where our greatest enemy had just stood.
No loot. No proof. Just silence.
A strange, cold feeling crawled up my spine.
"If there's no drop," I said quietly, more to myself than to the others, "then maybe… this isn't over."
The fading echo of the Demon Emperor's last roar seemed to linger in the air, like a promise.
Or a warning.