319 The Finale

Ren watched as the players disappeared one after another, feeling rejoicing inside. His true enemies weren't the Bosses but the players contending with him for the kill. Eliminating them was his main goal.

As long as he was the last one standing in the end, then all was good.

Ren was already equipped with [Monarch Sovereignty], and his acquired skill [Monarch's Might] made him immune to all status effects.

Eric was too busy staying alive on his own to notice the stolen scepter in Ren's hand. But even if he did, he hadn't had a good look at the scepter to know what it looked like.

The Heart made another move, [The Madness], targeting an area with the most congregated players and NPCs. Needless to say, they all suffered from [Confusion]. The Primeval Antibody immediately took the opportunity and used [Purge]. Wherever it passed, players and NPCs alike was dragged into its Body.

Among those who got dragged were Eric and a few other players, so the number of players left dwindled to five. Isolde was quick-witted enough and noticed that the Heart and Body were targeting an area where most people gathered, so she took it upon herself to move to an area with fewer creatures.

She also recalled Ren's advice to stay with the NPCs as much as possible since the Body prioritized the area with the weaker characters. The NPCs could cover her tracks and, as a bonus, would heal her as long as she fired those guns. She was a long-range attacker, so she was more adept at her positioning than any other class.

The armies didn't fare well either. Their once mighty hundreds turned into dozens within ten minutes of battle. The good news was that — the Princess was a powerhouse of her own and managed to reduce the Heart's HP to less than half. If she were given ten more minutes, she would totally defeat it.

Sebastian and the generals weren't idling as well. With the centaur's rare plant magic, a thick tangle of constricting vines erupted through the area, wrapping the Body in its tight grasp and then crushing it with enough force to the point that the Body cried. Its agonizing roars was heard by everyone.

It seemed like Sebastian had no plans to play passively anymore.

With the centaur supporting the armies and players whenever he could, the Body was down with only twenty percent of its HP.

"Don't kill it yet!" the Princess commanded. "Wait for us to finish the heart, or it will just respawn with full life!"

As the battle raged on, the Body developed immunity to everyone's attacks, so it was harder to reduce its HP. But that didn't bother everyone because the important thing was still the Heart.

When the Heart was about to reach the end of its line, bursts of Tendrils erupted from everywhere.

Ren had been vigilant, and all his spells were ready for casting at all times. He used the acquired spell from [Monarch Sovereignty], [Storm of Vengeance], against the tendrils that blocked every space and crevice of the room.

With Ren in the center, storm clouds instantly manifested above him and covered about a hundred meters of space. Lightning bolts leaped downwards like plunging spears, skewering all Tendrils that blocked his path.

At the same time, Sebastian cast one of his spells. The wind howled through the area, carrying with it a massive amount of broad, stiff leaves. They were as sharp as razors, so the leaves cut at the Tendrils, sending fountains of yellow fluids in the air. With just one mighty spell, half of the Tendrils were gone.

After the burst of all those fluids and tentacles was the Princess's battle cry. With [Demonsbane] in hand, she leaped into the air and came spiraling downward into the Heart finishing her spin with a blow that completely sliced through her opponent. At that moment, everyone knew that the fight was over.

Or so they thought.

The Heart's chasm and beat rapidly while its HP steadied in the thousand.

[The Heart entered Berserk Mode!]

[Acquired skill, Flash of Death!]

A bright light engulfed the area, blinding everyone and catching them by surprise. The light felt like acid on their skin, burning their flesh as if they were being cooked with the hottest blaze.

This is it! Ren gritted his teeth. There wasn't any specific information about Jibblinplip since it was the NPCs who killed it in the first place. None had lived to tell tales after the ooze shrunk into the ground and opened its interior. So the players weren't expecting it and neither did Ren.

The [Monarch Sovereignty] came at the right time. Good thing that he acquired it. With its added skill [Monarch's Might], the [Blind] status that came with the flash didn't work against him.

Ren's HP was running low fast though, yet the glaring light wasn't decreasing the least. He was about to use [Teleport] and see if he could blink in a safe area where the light couldn't reach when that exact moment, something nudged at his feet.

"Ren, is that you?"

". . . Alice?"

"Yes, it's me! Can you help me get my head?! I think I'm at your feet."

By a miracle or simply just Alice's skill, the light split past Ren, avoiding him as if there was an invincible barrier that surrounded him. He no longer felt that burning sensation on his skin while his HP didn't decrease anymore.

"Hey, Ren! I'm down here! A little help, please."

Ren ignored her. His eyes were zeroed at the Princess who slashed the Heart in rapid succession, blurring her sword into afterimages. Though the Princess was immune to all status effects, it didn't mean she was immune to the spell's damage. Her HP was also running low.

But the concerning thing was, if this kept up, the Princess would have the last kill!

[The Heart entered LAST STANCE MODE!]

[Acquired Skill, INSTANT DEATH!]

The Heart beat, followed by a wave that rippled in the air. It was slow but consuming. The Princess felt it, so she immediately blinked to a safe distance, but the soldiers and players close to the Heart weren't fast enough to do the same. In an instant, they evaporated into particles.

"Quick! Archers and Mages, kill it before that ripple would eliminate us all!" the Princess hollered. Attacking it straight on was no longer an option because of the wave that instantly killed anyone it touch. The Princess have some long range attacks too but they took time to execute.

But since the glaring light was still there, the archers and Mages were still blind, and [Cure] wasn't doing them any good. As long as that light exist, the [Blind] status would just reaper over their heads again. Most of their attacks missed, and the Body took most of the damage meant for its Heart.

Amidst the chaos and confusion, Ren saw his chance. He was just a good twenty meters away from the wave, and all he needed to do was fire a spell to finally end the Heart once and for all.

At that moment, when victory was within his reach, he caught sight of Isolde from the corner of his eyes. Watching the ripples about to kill her, Ren was struck with an epiphany. Because of his anger and desire for revenge against Serius Alvarez and his goal to avenge World Conqueror's name, he lost sight of his true goal as to why he put up World Conqueror in the first place.

They were a mercenary group. Period. It was not their job to overshadow guilds and players. It was their mission to help them in the game and spread their name as a top mercenary group, so all would line and prostrate at their doorsteps from Erendia town to Hubert's Trinket shop, all to ask for their help.

( . . . continuation on NOTES)