Chapter 154 – The Immovable Wall, the Precise Strikes, and the Whirlwind Slashes

Chapter 154

The Immovable Wall, the Precise Strikes, and the Whirlwind Slashes

Date : Day 4 of Lunaeve 1024 Aethellgard Concord Year.

The guardian's yellow eyes locked onto Elise. The shift in attention was unmistakable—its gaze sliding away from Hyoren with deliberate intent, focusing instead on the silver-haired archer who had been peppering it with poisoned projectiles.

The toxins coursing through its bloodstream had been a genuine threat, and the Goblin Berserker had identified the source of that threat with the instinctive certainty of a wounded animal seeking retribution.

If this was before Hyoren became a tank, this would have been a moment of dread for him. The familiar fear would have clawed at his chest, the helplessness would have threatened to paralyze his limbs. Just like when the Alpha Wolf lunged toward her across that Green Grassland clearing. Just like when Hifoppe's blade swung into her during that desperate battle in the Old Quarry main tunnel.

But he was calm. He could protect Elise now.

"Provoke!"

A pulse of Aethell erupted from his body once more. The goblin roared, the sound carrying frustration and rage in equal measure. Its focus snapped away from Elise against its will, its bloodshot gaze forcibly shifted toward him instead.

Hyoren smiled. The expression was tight and strained, but genuine nonetheless.

The guardian charged forward with a heavy stomp that shook the stone floor. Then it swung its twin axes in a brutal cross strike, the crimson blades sweeping toward him from opposite directions with devastating coordination.

Hyoren braced his shield again. But this time, instead of trying to absorb the full impact, he angled the steel surface and redirected it. The technique was one Ronald had drilled into him during their training sessions—meeting force with deflection rather than resistance, allowing the enemy's strength to work against itself.

BANG.

The impact still sent a violent shock through his entire arm. The force traveled up through the shield and into his shoulder, rattling his joints and making his teeth clench involuntarily. His boots scraped against the ground, metal screeching against stone as he was pushed backward several centimeters. But his left arm held. The redirected momentum had been sufficient to prevent the devastating damage of the previous exchange.

Immediately, he counterattacked. His sword stabbed into the guardian's side, the magically enhanced blade piercing through green skin and dense muscle with satisfying resistance. Another stack of Enchant Maledict seeped into the creature's body, the purple curse energy joining its predecessors in their slow work of attrition.

The guardian roared furiously.

But then Hyoren noticed something. His eyes caught the wound he had inflicted earlier—the shallow cut on the guardian's arm where his first attack had landed.

The wound from his earlier attack was already gone.

The flesh had knitted itself back together with alarming speed, leaving behind only faint discoloration that was rapidly fading even as he watched. Even the deep gash from Jackey's Cross Slash was slowly closing, the edges pulling together like lips sealing shut. The guardian did not even seem bothered by the arrows jutting from its arms, the shafts protruding from its flesh like strange growths that it had simply accepted as part of its anatomy.

The poison was still affecting it. He could see the subtle tremors running through its muscles, the occasional twitch that spoke of toxins working their way through its system. But its wounds were regenerating. And fast.

As Hyoren locked his shield against one of the guardian's axes, sparks scattering between them in brilliant orange bursts that illuminated the chamber for fleeting moments, he shouted to his party.

"This guardian has high regeneration! We need to deal damage faster than it could regenerate!"

Jackey grinned, the expression fierce and unyielding despite the gravity of the situation.

"Leave it to me, Big Bro!"

He jumped again, both feet kicking off the floor with explosive force that left small cracks in the stone beneath him. His muscular frame launched into the air, ascending above the guardian's reach before beginning his descent.

"Power Slash!"

SCREEECH.

This time he used Bloody Axe alone. The black axe with crimson streaks descended in a devastating arc, the weapon's runic inscriptions flaring with increased intensity as it carved through flesh and muscle. The blade carved a massive gash across the guardian's back, the wound deep enough to expose the white of bone beneath. Blood splattered onto the dungeon floor, the dark liquid pooling in the crevices between stone blocks.

The wound immediately started regenerating. The edges began pulling together, new tissue forming with the same alarming speed that had characterized the creature's earlier recovery.

But Hyoren understood. Bloody Axe's effect. The more Jackey attacked the same enemy, the stronger the damage would become. Each successive strike would compound upon the last, the weapon's runic enhancement building upon itself like interest accumulating in a bank account. Eventually, the damage output would outpace the regeneration.

Elise also did not stop attacking. Her movements were fluid and precise, her fingers nocking another arrow with practiced efficiency even as she tracked the guardian's position.

"Charge Magic Arrow!"

SWOOSH.

Another arrow flew through the air.

THUMP.

It pierced into the guardian's right shoulder.

More poison entered its bloodstream. The purplish aura surrounding the arrowhead was unmistakable, the toxin seeping into the guardian's body and joining the accumulated poisons already working their way through its system.

The guardian roared louder this time, its muscles twitching unnaturally as the toxins spread through its body.

***

The battle shifted in tone.

This was no longer a simple guardian fight where victory would come from steady attrition. The moment Hyoren saw the wounds knitting themselves back together, the flesh reforming with unnatural speed, he understood the real mechanic behind the Goblin Berserker.

It was a regeneration-type boss.

This was going to become a battle of whether they could outpace the regeneration before their stamina ran out first. A guardian designed to overwhelm inexperienced parties through endurance, to grind them down through sheer persistence until they could no longer sustain the offensive required to overcome its recovery.

Hyoren gritted his teeth behind the shield lock.

The Goblin Berserker pressed both crimson axes against his kite shield with monstrous strength. Yellow eyes burned with rage, the bloodshot irises fixed upon him with undiluted hatred.

BANG!

Another impact reverberated through his arm. He twisted his body slightly. Redirecting.

The twin axes slid off the angled shield instead of fully crashing into him. The crimson blades scraped against the steel surface with a screeching whine, sparks flying in brilliant orange cascades that illuminated the chamber for fleeting moments before dying away.

He immediately retaliated. The opening created by the redirected attack was small, but sufficient.

"Quick Slash!"

SQUELCH.

His enchanted blade carved another cut across the Berserker's ribs. The magically enhanced edge parted flesh and muscle with satisfying ease, leaving behind a wound that oozed dark blood. Dark curse seeped into the wound.

Third stack.

The guardian's movements slowed ever so slightly. The change was subtle, a barely perceptible reduction in the speed of its strikes. Its regeneration was still absurdly fast, the wounds continuing to close at a rate that would have been impossible for any surface creature. But slower than before.

Hyoren's eyes sharpened. 

So Enchant Maledict works...

It was not enough to stop regeneration entirely. But enough to weaken it.

That means this fight is winnable. They have perfect counters for this kind of boss.

The Goblin Berserker roared furiously.

Then suddenly—It abandoned the shield clash entirely.

Its massive body twisted with surprising agility, the motion fluid and unexpected for something of its bulk. One crimson axe swept sideways toward Hyoren's neck in a horizontal arc that promised decapitation.

Hyoren barely reacted in time. His instincts screamed warning a heartbeat before the attack arrived, his body moving on reflex rather than conscious thought.

BANG!

The axe slammed into the side of his shield instead of his throat. The impact was devastating, the force transmitted through the steel and into his arm with bone-jarring intensity.

The sheer impact sent him staggering sideways. His boots scrambled for purchase against the stone floor, the soles scraping and sliding as he fought to maintain his balance. His left arm screamed in pain, the agony sharp and immediate. Not broken. But close. He could feel the strain in every fiber, the warning signs of damage that would become catastrophic if pushed much further.

The guardian followed immediately with its second axe. A killing blow. The crimson blade descended toward his exposed form, the weapon's edge gleaming with predatory promise.

But before it landed.

THUMP.

An arrow embedded itself into the guardian's arms. The shaft appeared seemingly from nowhere, piercing through dense muscle and forcing the creature's attack off course.

The goblin howled and staggered. The impact disrupted its balance, the sudden pain causing its swing to go wide and miss Hyoren entirely.

"Elise, thank you!"

Hyoren regained his footing instantly.

The silver-haired elf stood in the distance with another arrow already nocked. Her emerald eyes were calm and focused, her expression betraying none of the concern that might have been expected given the intensity of the battle. The bowstring rested against her cheek, her fingers holding the tension with practiced ease.

"Don't lose concentration, Hyoren!"

He grinned despite the pressure, the expression carrying a mixture of gratitude and determination.

"Right!"

Jackey burst in from the side like a wild beast. The Cat-clan Beastkin had been circling throughout the exchange, waiting for the perfect moment to strike. His muscles strained with explosive potential, his golden eyes blazing with battle fever that seemed to burn brighter with each passing moment.

"HAHA! Open wide!"

He activated his skill, the words accompanied by a surge of Aethell that caused his twin axes to glow with increased intensity.

"Cross Slash!"

SCREEECK!

Both axes carved deeply into the guardian's exposed flank in an X-shaped slash.

The weapons bit into flesh from opposite directions, their edges meeting in the middle with devastating effect. Blood sprayed across the arena floor, the dark liquid splattering against the worn stone blocks in a pattern that seemed almost artistic in its violence.

The Berserker roared in pain. The sound was different from its earlier battle cries—less fury, more anguish. The regeneration activated again immediately, the wound's edges beginning to pull together with the same unnatural speed they had demonstrated before.

But this time—it was noticeably slower. The flesh still closed, the damage still repaired itself, but the process took longer than it had at the start of the fight.

Hyoren realized it instantly. The poison. The curse stacks. And the accumulated damage from their sustained assault.

They were not yet overwhelming the goblin's regeneration.

The creature still recovered from its wounds, still continued fighting with ferocity that would have overwhelmed most parties. But they could continue doing this. They could maintain the pressure, keep inflicting damage, keep applying debuffs until the regeneration could no longer keep pace with the destruction they were causing.

***

Hyoren felt his Enchant Maledict spell end. The purple streaks coating his sword slowly dissipated into the air The dark curse faded in stages, leaving behind only the blue Aethell glow of his Magic Blade.

The fight had already lasted for five minutes.

The realization settled into his awareness with quiet significance, marking the passage of time that had seemed both interminable and instantaneous.

Sweat dripped down his forehead.

The droplets traced paths across his temples and cheeks, stinging his eyes and leaving salty trails on his lips. His arm ached from repeatedly blocking the guardian's monstrous strength, the accumulated strain manifesting as a persistent throbbing that radiated from his shoulder to his fingertips. But unlike before, he could feel the difference now.

The guardian was weakening.

Hyoren braced himself again. His boots found purchase against the worn stone floor, his stance widening slightly to provide a more stable foundation for the impact he knew was coming.

BANG.

The guardian smashed its axe into his shield.

The collision produced a thunderous report that echoed throughout the circular chamber, the sound bouncing off ancient walls before fading into the oppressive silence. Hyoren redirected the strike slightly instead of absorbing it head-on, angling the steel surface to deflect the force rather than absorb it. The impact still rattled his bones, the vibration traveling up through his arm and into his chest with uncomfortable intensity. But this time he noticed it immediately.

The power behind the attack was less than before.

His eyes widened slightly. The observation crystallized in his mind with undeniable clarity, the difference subtle but unmistakable to someone who had been receiving those same attacks for the past five minutes.

Then he shoved his shield forward with all his strength. .

The guardian stumbled half a step, losing its balance.

At the same time, Jackey moved. The Cat-clan Beastkin had been waiting for exactly this kind of opening.

"Power Slash!"

SCREEECK.

Bloody Axe carved another massive wound across the guardian's body. The black axe descended with runic-enhanced force, its crimson streaks blazing with increased intensity as the weapon's special effect compounded upon itself. Flesh tore open violently, blood spraying onto the stone floor in a pattern that seemed almost abstract in its brutality.

The effect of Jackey's axe was starting to show. Each successive strike against the same target had been building upon the last, the damage multiplier increasing with every hit until the weapon had transformed from merely dangerous to genuinely devastating.

The wound still regenerated, muscles twitching and writhing unnaturally as flesh tried to reconnect itself. But now the healing was noticeably slower. The edges of the wound pulled together with less urgency, the regenerated tissue appearing thinner and weaker than what had been destroyed.

The guardian's regeneration was finally starting to get outpaced.

Elise used the opening immediately.

Her fingers moved with practiced efficiency, nocking another arrow while her emerald eyes tracked the guardian's movements with unwavering focus.

"Charge Magic Arrow."

Mana gathered into her arrow again. The Aethell condensed around the arrowhead in swirling patterns of pale blue glows.

SWOOSH.

THUMP.

Another arrow struck into the guardian's abdomen. The shaft disappeared into dense muscle, joining its predecessors in their assault on the creature's body.

At this point, the guardian almost looked comical. Like a pincushion. At least five arrows were embedded across its body, the shafts protruding from its flesh at various angles.

The poison's effect was becoming more obvious now. Its breathing grew heavier, each exhale accompanied by a wet rattling sound that spoke of fluids accumulating where they should not be.

Its movements became rougher, the once-fluid coordination degrading into something jerky and uncontrolled. The goblin snarled painfully as blackened veins slowly spread around the wounds, the discoloration tracing paths beneath the green skin like dark rivers flowing through corrupted landscape.

Hyoren used the opportunity his party members created to reapply his spell. He focused Dark Aethell into his blade.

"Enchant Maledict."

Purple energy seeped into his blade once more.

And when Hyoren looked carefully, he noticed the curse's effect had already stacked considerably. He had struck the guardian at least ten times by now.

That meant the curse should already be weakening the guardian by around fifteen to twenty percent. Slower. Less defense. Less strength. The cumulative effect of repeated applications was finally reaching the threshold where it became genuinely significant rather than merely incremental.

The goblin berserker roared furiously.

Its bloodshot eyes suddenly shifted toward Jackey, the creature's attention snapping toward the source of the most devastating damage it had been receiving.

Hyoren immediately activated his skill.

"Provoke."

The guardian's attention snapped back toward him again. The magical compulsion was irresistible, forcing the creature's focus away from the more vulnerable Beastkin and back toward the tank who had been specifically designed to absorb its fury.

The goblin roared and smashed its axe downward. The crimson blade descended in a vertical arc, the weapon's edge gleaming with murderous intent.

BANG.

The axe collided against his shield.

This time, Hyoren managed to absorb the attack completely without feeling like his arm would break apart. The impact was still substantial, the force traveling through his body and making his teeth clench involuntarily. But the difference from the beginning of the fight was remarkable—what had once threatened to shatter his bones now merely strained his muscles.

A grin appeared on his face.

The expression carried a mixture of relief and savage satisfaction that seemed almost incongruous with the intensity of the battle.

"The guardian is already weakened! My curse and Elise's poison are starting to weaken it considerably!"

He shoved his shield again. The steel surface pressed forward, forcing the guardian to retreat another half step. Then he counter attacked, his blade sweeping toward the creature's exposed flank.

"Quick Slash."

SQUELCH.

The enchanted sword carved through flesh with ease, leaving behind a wound that oozed dark blood. Another curse of Maledict seeped through. The guardian lost its balance once more, its massive frame swaying as the accumulated debuffs took their toll.

"Freedom Party! We will win this!"

Jackey roared back instantly, his golden eyes blazing with battle fever that seemed to burn brighter with each passing moment.

"FOR FREEDOM PARTY!!!"

He activated his skill again.

"Power Slash."

SCREEECK.

Then another slash.

SCREEECK.

Bloody Axe repeatedly tore into the guardian's body, each hit heavier than the last, each wound deeper and more devastating than the one before.

Meanwhile, Elise continued firing from the backline with calm precision.

Her arrows flew in steady rhythm, each projectile finding its mark with unerring accuracy. The toxins compounding upon each other until the creature's body could no longer purge them faster than they accumulated.

Freedom Party continued their Floor Guardian battle. Slowly but surely, they were outpacing the Goblin Berserker's regeneration. The tide had started turning.

***

They relentlessly fought the Goblin Berserker. The battle had already become a war of attrition.

With each of Hyoren's counterattacks, the guardian weakened further under Enchant Maledict.

With each of Jackey's attacks, Bloody Axe carved deeper and deeper wounds.

And every arrow Elise landed caused more poison to accumulate inside the goblin's bloodstream.

But it was still terrifyingly persistent, refusing to fall despite the accumulated damage that would have slain any lesser creature many times over.

The guardian roared and swung both axes wildly.

BANG!

Hyoren blocked the first strike with his shield.

The impact numbed his arm, the sensation fading into that peculiar deadness that followed repeated trauma. But before the second axe could reach him, he twisted his body and redirected it away, angling his shield to deflect the blow rather than absorb it.

The axe slammed into the stone floor instead, sending fragments of rock flying.

"Quick Slash."

SQUELCH.

Hyoren's sword sliced across the guardian's side. The enchanted blade parted flesh with familiar ease.

Another stack of Enchant Maledict.

At the same moment, Jackey rushed in from the flank. His powerful legs propelled him forward with explosive speed, his body low and balanced as he closed the distance.

"Power Slash!"

SCREEECK.

Bloody Axe tore another massive wound into the guardian's back. The damage was catastrophic.

The regeneration tried to activate immediately. The wound's edges began pulling together, new tissue forming to replace what had been destroyed.

But it was noticeably slower now.

Elise fired another arrow from the backline.

SWOOSH.

THUMP.

The arrow embedded itself into the guardian's thigh.

The goblin snarled painfully.

Its body was now riddled with wounds and arrows, the shafts protruding from its flesh at various angles like strange organic growths. Blood oozed from countless injuries, the liquid pooling beneath its feet and leaving dark smears across the arena floor wherever it moved.

This was already the third time Hyoren reapplied Enchant Maledict.

The battle had already lasted for more than fifteen minutes based on the duration of his Dark Magic Spell.

His breathing started to quicken. He scanned the Goblin Berserker.

Then suddenly—the Guardian changed.

After Elise's latest arrow struck, maybe the tenth one by now, the guardian threw its head upward and roared furiously. The sound was different from its earlier battle cries—raw and primal.

"GRAAAAAAAAAHHH!"

The sound shook the chamber.

Steam started hissing out from its wounds. The vapor rose from the numerous injuries that covered its body, the heat visible in the way it distorted the air around the creature.

Its muscles bulged unnaturally, the fibers swelling beneath green skin until they seemed ready to burst. Dark veins spread throughout its body like cracks across drying mud, the network of discoloration expanding with each heartbeat. Then its yellow eyes slowly turned completely red, the crimson flooding into the irises until nothing remained of their original color.

Hyoren's expression hardened immediately.

He understood at once what was happening. The guardian had entered its last resort, a desperate gambit that traded remaining vitality for temporary power. And it seemed to possess a skill that increased its combat ability when near death—a final surge of strength meant to take its killers with it.

He shouted loudly, his voice cutting through the tension that had descended upon the chamber.

"EVERYONE BE CAREFUL! IT'S USING ITS TRUMP CARD!"

The guardian charged. This time it was faster despite all the poison and debuffs that should have been hampering its movement.

Its dual crimson axes swung toward Hyoren with explosive force. The weapons descended in coordinated arcs, their combined weight promising devastation.

BANG!

The impact was jarring. Hyoren's boots slid backward across the stone floor, the soles scraping against the surface as the force drove him back.

His shield arm screamed in pain from the collision, the agony sharp and immediate. For a moment, it almost felt like all the debuffs and poison had been cleared, the attack carrying the same terrible power that had characterized the beginning of the fight.

But as Hyoren locked shields with the guardian, he noticed something carefully. His dark eyes traced the details of the creature's condition with analytical precision, searching for the truth beneath the surface appearance.

The poison was still affecting it. Its breathing was unstable, each exhale accompanied by a wet rattling sound that spoke of compromised lungs. Its muscles twitched violently, the spasms disrupting what should have been fluid movement.

And the wounds—the wounds were hissing with steam, but they were not actually regenerating faster. No. They were healing slower. The steam was not a sign of enhanced recovery, but of something else entirely.

Hyoren's eyes sharpened. The realization crystallized in his mind with undeniable clarity.

The guardian was sacrificing its regeneration for raw offensive power. A desperate final gamble to kill them before it died. The creature had accepted that it would not survive this battle, and had chosen to spend its remaining vitality on one last attempt at vengeance.

He shoved his shield forward violently.

The guardian staggered half a step.

"Quick Slash."

SQUELCH.

His blade cut deeply into the guardian again. The enchanted sword carved through flesh and muscle, leaving behind a wound that gaped obscenely.

Another stack of Enchant Maledict. This time, the wound did not close. It only hissed with steam, the vapor rising from the exposed flesh without any accompanying regeneration.

"Everyone! It's in its last resort! Keep it up!"

The guardian roared madly and swung again. The attack was wild and powerful, driven by desperation rather than technique.

BANG!

The force almost pushed Hyoren backward. His feet dug into the ground, the soles of his boots grinding against the stone as he fought to maintain his position.

His entire body trembled from the impact, the vibration traveling through his bones and making his teeth clench involuntarily. But he gritted his teeth and endured it, refusing to yield ground that he could not afford to lose.

Then Jackey jumped high into the air. The Beastkin's powerful legs launched him upward.

"Cross Slash!"

SCREEECK.

Bloody Axe carved a massive X-shaped wound across the guardian's back. The weapon's compounding damage effect had reached devastating levels by now.

Dark blood exploded outward. The liquid sprayed across the arena in a pattern that seemed almost artistic in its violence.

Its entire body was now covered in wounds, curses, poison, and hissing steam. The guardian stumbled, its massive frame swaying as the accumulated damage finally threatened to overwhelm even its supernatural endurance.

Hyoren did not waste the opening. He stepped forward, his blade already in motion.

"Quick Slash."

SQUELCH.

His blade sliced across the guardian's throat. The sword parted flesh and muscle with devastating precision, severing arteries and opening a wound that should have been immediately fatal.

Blood sprayed out. The dark liquid fountained from the injury in pulsing arcs that painted the arena floor in shades of crimson. But the guardian was too monstrous to fall from that alone.

Its vitality kept it standing despite the catastrophic damage, refusing to release its grip on life. Instead, it staggered backward, dropping one of its axes with a loud clatter that echoed through the chamber.

Its free hand immediately grabbed its own throat as gurgling sounds escaped from its mouth, the noise wet and broken and somehow more disturbing than any roar it had produced.

Elise did not waste this chance.

She narrowed her eyes and carefully aimed with her Moonveil Bow. Her emerald gaze fixed upon the guardian's skull with unwavering focus, calculating trajectory and force with the precision of someone who had spent years perfecting her craft.

Then she poured as much Aethell as possible into her arrow using her Magic Arrow skill.

The arrow began glowing brilliantly. The light intensified with each passing heartbeat, the magical energy condensing into a projectile of devastating potential. The bowstring creaked as she pulled it to the absolute limit, the wood and sinew protesting the strain she was placing upon them.

The surrounding air trembled slightly from the concentrated Aethell, the magical density creating visible distortions that warped the light around the arrowhead.

Then, when the goblin berserker was fully distracted from its sliced throat—she released the arrow.

"CHARGE MAGIC ARROW!"

BOOOOM.

The arrow of light exploded forward with a sonic boom.

The projectile departed the bow with impossible speed, the magical propulsion accelerating it far beyond what any conventional launch could achieve. The air parted before it with a thunderous report, the shockwave rippling outward from its passage.

The goblin berserker did not have enough time to evade. Nor enough strength left to block. The creature's reflexes had been compromised by the accumulated debuffs, its body too sluggish to respond to the threat before it arrived.

THOOOM.

The arrow pierced directly into its forehead. The projectile buried itself deep within the creature's skull, the shaft disappearing almost entirely as the arrowhead punched through bone and into the brain beneath.

The guardian froze.

Slowly, its red eyes faded back into yellow. The crimson drained from the irises like water being poured from a vessel, leaving behind the original color that had characterized the creature before its desperate transformation. Then dimmed further.

The steam hissing from its wounds gradually dissipated, the vapor growing thinner and weaker as the heat that produced it finally began to cool.

Its remaining axe slipped from its hand and clattered onto the floor, the weapon landing with a sound that seemed impossibly loud in the sudden silence. The giant body swayed weakly, its balance finally failing as the strength that had sustained it began to disappear.

Then with one final snarl, a sound that carried more defiance than strength, its eyes turned black.

And the Goblin Berserker—the first Floor Guardian they fought—slowly dissolved into countless particles of light.