Emily turned to Lusian, tears of helpless fury in her eyes.
"LU-SI-AN!If we don't do something… they'll all die. ALL of them!"
And that was when Lusian finally sighed.
A long, resigned sigh—like someone accepting that the story demanded more of him than he wished to give.
"Damn it…" he muttered.
He raised his hand.
The shadow around his fingers began to twist and writhe, black as living ink.
Dayana smiled. Emily let out a breath of relief. Elizabeth tensed her mana, and Thunder pawed the ground with restless energy.
Lusian snapped his fingers.
"Let's go."
And the shadow fell over the battlefield.
The intervention… had begun.
The colossal stag lowered its head, and the air cracked.
Purple energy crackled along its antlers, forming an arc of corrupted lightning.
"Withdraw," it growled, "or you will die like dry leaves."
And without waiting for an answer, it charged.
The ground exploded.
Three elves were hurled into the trunks of nearby trees.
One never rose again—his spine bent at impossible angles.
Grisela shouted,
"Hold it! ARC FORMATION! ARCHERS!"
But the creature was already among them.
Its foreleg fell like a hammer.
It crushed an archer against the ground. The wet burst silenced the others.
The beast lifted the corpse…
…and bit into it.
As if devouring the elves' mana made it stronger.
And it did.
Its aura swelled.The corrupted roots writhed and stirred.
Grisela stepped back, unable to stop the tremor in her hands.
"This… isn't a forest guardian," she whispered in horror. "It's a usurper."
High above, Lusian descended from the branch without hurry.
Emily had already spread her light.
Dayana bared her fangs, thrilled by the scent of blood in the air.
Elizabeth channeled her demonic mana.
The air vibrated.
Lusian spoke without raising his voice.
"That monster is a Corrupted Cervus Alpha. Level 97.And its main ability… has already begun."
The creature stomped the ground.
From the earth, black living roots burst forth, wrapping around elven legs.
One elf screamed as he was dragged underground.
There was a crack.
The scream ended.
Thunder kicked the earth furiously.
Emily was already crying.
"LUSIAN! Do something!"
Lusian opened his hand.
Shadow swirled within his palm.
But before he struck, the beast spoke again.
"This is no longer their home…Now it belongs to me.By the right of blood offered…and blood taken."
Grisela drew her bow once more, her eyes burning with fury and pain.
"MONSTER! The forest will never accept you!"
The creature turned toward her.
"It already has."
Its left antler flared with dark energy.
The air trembled.
Emily stepped forward, light gathering around her.
"LUSIAN! We're out of time!"
He clicked his tongue in irritation.
"Yes, yes.I already know how to kill it."
Elizabeth looked at him, surprised.
"You know its weakness?"
"Yes," Lusian replied."It's an optional boss from the old patch.A lot of players died here."
Dayana grinned.
"And what is it?"
Lusian pointed at the antlers.
"Cervus Alphas channel all their magic through their antlers.If one breaks, the beast enters a 'raging pain' state…and that cuts off its regeneration."
Emily's eyes widened.
"And how do we break something that huge?"
The answer was simple.
"With Thunder."
The electric steed neighed with a burst of lightning.
Its coat crackled like a living storm.
"Emily," Lusian ordered, "cover me.Elizabeth, neutralize any roots that get close.Dayana, stay nearby. If someone falls, pull them out. And don't drink anyone."
Dayana snorted.
"You ruin all the fun."
Lusian adjusted his cloak of shadows.
"Let's go."
Thunder charged like a bolt of lightning.
Lusian rode atop him, a vortex of darkness.
The colossal stag roared and unleashed a purple beam from its antler.
Emily spread her light.
"BLESSING OF DAWN!"
The beam slammed into her shield—
The light cracked—
And shattered like glass.
Emily dropped to her knees, blood running from her nose.
But it had held long enough.
Thunder burst along the flank.
Lusian leapt and channeled pure darkness into his hand.
"Break," he murmured.
And struck the antler.
A thunderous explosion deafened the forest.
The antler fractured.
The beast howled with such deep agony that even the trees shuddered.
"NOW IT'S VULNERABLE!" Lusian shouted.
Elizabeth hurled chains of demonic mana that wrapped around one of its legs.
Dayana darted between roots, slicing apart those that reached for the elves.
Emily spread her light to shield Grisela, who had already run out of arrows.
The beast charged blindly, maddened.
Its blows were devastating—but aimless.
A forty-meter tree snapped in half like a reed.
Lusian gathered shadow in both hands.
"Absolute Shadow: Severing Rift."
A black fracture tore open in the air.
Lusian drove it toward the stag's neck.
The creature tried to resist.
But with its antler broken… it was doomed.
The cut passed through flesh, bark, and corruption alike.
The beast fell to its knees.
The earth trembled.
Before dying, it whispered,
"He… will come…"
And then it collapsed.