After a few seconds the hailstorm moved on, revealing Mehphre with rage burning in his eyes. Frost had formed on his draconic face.
The hailstorm alone caused about 3000 points of damage. Together with the players' damage, Mehphre's HP dropped below 500.000.
"I am destined to be one of the most powerful beings in the world! Cease your futile struggle and become my nourishment!"
Mehphre roared to the sky as his eyes slowly turned black. Red patterns began to emerge on his skin.
He looked down again, his face forming an ugly grimace as he opened his mouth wide revealing dagger-like teeth.
[Bleary Mirage: Hotpot!]
Knowing what to expect, Liam's friends readied themselves upon receiving his signal.
Suddenly Mehphre spun in place, targeting a random direction. A suction force came from his ugly maw. It ignored all armor and directly drained the players' life force. Faint red energy seeped out of the targeted players and surged towards the boss.
[-20!]
[-20!]
[-20!]
The sky in a large area was filled with damage numbers, so much so that some players immediately turned them off with a thought.
"Ah, such a disgusting feeling."
"I'm so tired."
"I don't want to be sucked dry."
"Run, guys!"
The players in a large area were affected by the boss's skill. They tried to get away, but their legs felt as if burdened by lead, making each step incredibly taxing.
Meanwhile the patterns covering Mehphre began to shine brightly. Suddenly five spots erupted with rays of bloody, red light. Horned spikes fell off from Mehphre's body at these spots.
Liam and his friends were already prepared. Whoever was closest to the landing spot of one of the spikes, hurried to catch the spike.
Quickstep controlled her mount Tango to jump backwards swiftly. Those standing behind her made way as the young woman leaned back as far as possible. Stretching her body to the limit she managed to catch a spike in midair.
Inhaling sharply Quickstep's hand shook but she didn't let go. The spike felt incredibly hot, burning her skin. The moment Tango landed on the floor Quickstep instantly scanned the patterns covering the boss. She fixed her eyes on Mehphre's head.
[Quickstep: I take the head.]
[Bloody Edge: Leg.]
[Silent Acacia: Let me do the wing.]
[Fortune: Upper chest.]
[Balm: Lower chest.]
Liam watched everything happening. No spike was close to his position. But he trusted that his friends would accomplish the task swiftly. That there was no confusion in the chat was already a promising sign.
Knowing the importance of her task, Quickstep focused on Mehphre's head. Three seconds had passed, and the boss had already caused a great deal of damage. The players tried to move out of the skill's range, but Mehphre also slowly turned his head.
Quickstep took a deep breath as she controlled Tango. The basilisk flapped her wings activating [Flying Dash]. Immediately the duo shot into the sky.
[Stance -9]
[Stance -9]
Quickstep went straight for the boss's head. His ugly face got closer and closer. Just then Mehphre suddenly jerked his head around. Quickstep's heart skipped a beat. She instantly pushed Tango hard to avoid the skill.
The basilisk did a sidewards roll in the air. For a moment Quickstep was as if weightless, fearing that she would fall to the ground. She tightly grabbed onto her basilisk while also making sure not to lose the spike.
"Quickstep!"
"Awesome!"
"Is this what flying mounts are like?"
"I'm so envious!"
The guild members cheered excitedly as they watched Quickstep's manoveur, wishing they could immediately get their hands on flying mounts and do barrel rolls all day long.
Meanwhile Quickstep tried to breathe rhythmically to suppress the fear she felt for a moment. Fortunately, Tango stabilized her flight and Mehphre didn't further target the basilisk.
Tango quickly reached a height of ten meters. Quickstep took the hot spike in her left hand. The basilisk closed in on the boss.
Midair, Tango drew a curve around Mehphre's head. Quickstep leaned into the curve. She hooked her foot under Tango's wings and stretched her body.
Quickstep's eyes met Mehphre's. A chill ran down her spine. But she suddenly grinned and stabbed the spike forcefully into the bright spot on the Draconian's head.
[-3000!]
"AHHH!"
Mehphre screamed in pain. Quickstep was the last one to complete her attack. Bloody Edge, Silent Acacia, Fortune, and Balm also pierced their respective targets.
The friends landed on the ground again, having spent up to one hundred points of stance on this action. But it was worth it as Mehphre raised his head to the sky, canceling his skill.
The blood-red light shining from his body intensified, momentarily looking as if the boss was about to explode.
[Bleary Mirage: Don't watch! Attack!]
Liam was somewhat annoyed as many players watched the show, including Quickstep and the others who had just completed their task.
With his reminder everyone shook and quickly continued their attacks.
For a few seconds Mehphre didn't fight back, struggling hard to control his own body. Eventually the red light dimmed. His wounds healed and even produced new spikes on his skin.
Mehphre gradually recovered. But he still appeared somewhat exhausted as he didn't unleash another skill but attacked with his spears instead.
For a while the fight continued in an orderly manner. Mehphre evenly distributed his attacks among the different tanks, so it would take a while until he broke through their stance.
However, everyone knew that at some point all tanks would run out of stance more or less simultaneously, which would abruptly increase the pressure by a lot.
Radiant Shield blocked the spear tip again, his stance dropping below half. He stared wearily at the boss's body, gauging his next move.
Mehphre slowly recovered from the last skill. His actions became more vigorous, and his occasional exclamations more arrogant. After a short while he suddenly flapped his wings and returned to the skies.
The mighty draconian circled below the blinding sun, preparing to unleash powerful flames.
The players stared at the sky anxiously. They scattered over the battlefield, preparing to dodge the skill. A moment later Mehphre spat out flames from his maw, distorting the air with their heat.
Everyone stared at the chat waiting for Laim's confirmation.
[Bleary Mirage: Triangle!]
Instantly movement came in the guild. They remembered the formations trained earlier, creating an empty spot in the form of a spacious triangle.
[Bleary Mirage: Move clockwise!]
Liam watched, quite satisfied. The players showed no nervousness, moving as trained. When the flames slammed into the floor, they didn't injure a single player.
[Bleary Mirage: Great!]
Liam praised generously, stroking everyone's confidence. Just then, Mehphre swiftly unleashed a follow-up attack. This time in the form of a large square, which damaged a dozen players.
After only two attacks Mehphre already showed some exhaustion and returned to the ground, landing in the center of the battlefield.
Liam couldn't help but grin as the guild's performance as well as their luck had improved greatly. Compared to the first round they almost didn't receive any damage. Now that Mehphre took a short break it was the perfect opportunity to retaliate.
Fortune remained at the edge of the battlefield where the chance of the boss's skill reaching her was the smallest. She grinned as she managed to finish her cast while staying away from the flames.
Now she was ready to unleash a powerful spell of her own. Since receiving her set equipment, her cast time was reduced by 5% thanks to her ring. This seemingly small advantage gradually revealed its power in such a prolonged fight.
Similarly, she had another effect with reduced the mana cost of her spells. All of those potent effects turned Fortune into a powerful magical cannon as she pointed her staff forward and fired her arcane bolts.
[-81!]
[-81!]
But just as she had released two attacks Fortune suddenly noticed something. A strange cold crept up to her back.
Glancing over her shoulder she stared wide-eyed at the approaching hailstorm.
"Damn, why now?"
"Get away!"
"Careful!"
The mages and other ranged players shouted their warnings as they scrambled to get out of the way. Fortune gritted her teeth as she controlled Arca to escape.
A jolt ran through her body, and she almost lost control of her spell.
"Slower, slower."
Following her partner's orders Arca slowed down. Unfortunately, this couldn't be said about the hailstorm. The magical anomaly came closer at a quick pace.
Eventually Fortune sighed and told Arca to use dash. The basilisk seemed annoyed by the contradicting orders, but she complied, nevertheless. Turning into a blur, the basilisk hastily left the hailstorm's path.
Fortune did her best to keep up her [Arcane Bolt] but it was too difficult. During the quick movement, the mana in her body rioted and the skill was canceled.
Although she dodged the hailstorm, Fortune stood on the spot, feeling dejected. This was almost the worst outcome possible as she wasted her stance and yet couldn't uphold the skill.
Damn, I can do better than that! So many people will be watching. I can't embarrass myself!
Fortune narrowed her eyes as she raised her staff for the next cast.