Five frowned and left without further ado. He was the only one being affected by the pheromones and while his mind was still clear, he did not know if it would worsen. By the time he arrived on the tenth floor, his status had already changed. His eyes never left his character screen; he saw as the debuff: [Abnormal Arousal] changed to [Abnormal Arousal(II)].Dreidus glanced at Five"s disappearing figure. He then narrowed his eyes and focused back on the fight. "Living Corpses! Advance!"
"Ghost Ballerina and Phantom Maestro. Prepare yourselves. Coordinate together, your power have some synergy. Our opponents are higher leveled than us but we have the number advantage and we are also being buffed by our environment."
The two Boss Monsters silently nodded as they prepared themselves
The door of the second room exploded as dozens of Level 41 Lidercs rushed into the room. The Living Corpses pounced at the new monsters but despite their tough stature as barbarians, they were slaughtered in an instant. It was only after the death of two waves of Living Corpses that the Lidercs were finally forced to slow down.
At the back, the liches activated their spells and showered the enemy monsters but it did not have much effect. The Defacers jumped out of the shadows and aimed for the Liderc"s throat. The monsters fought back. It was a complete ma.s.sacre but level 41 monsters were not that easily killed. Level 40 represented a milestone; the monsters were really expensive, so much that Farsight could only afford a few dozens of each monster.
The Encantado finally stepped into the second room accompanied by a group of Chuiaels. Behind them, a squad of ugly Popobawas grunted as they deployed their wings. The real battle was about to begin.
On Five"s side, the Mirror Spirit King let out a faint cry as the Mirror Spirits prepared themselves to engage the Popobawas in mid-air. They were accompanied by the Wailing Ladies, who despite being weaker, could provide a.s.sistance by disturbing their opponents" mental state.
The Phantom Maestro took in a deep breath and took out his violin. At his side, the Ghost Ballerina chuckled and stepped forward. They both activated their skills in unison.
[Final Requiem] and [Death Waltz]
The skill combination boosted the power of all Undead-type monsters while reducing the strength of non-Undead. The music resonated through the entire floor. The Undead felt themselves becoming stronger, being guided by the music. The Phantom Musicians and the Ghost Dancers soon joined the fray and fought the monsters.
"Hmmp. They are Undead. No wonder the Pheromones have no effect on them," said a Chuiael with a severe expression.
"Haha. Don"t worry. Join their party. As for me, I kind of like this tune. It is just missing something..." said Makrail, the Encantado with a mysterious smile. He coughed lightly and then, started singing.
[Bewitching Chorus]
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An eloquent and charming voice filled the air, accompanying the tune of the Phantom Maestro. The latter was surprised, not understanding why his opponent was reinforcing his spell but then, it dawned onto him, Makrail was slowly taking control over the melody.
His voice was powerful and engaging. He started as being a supporting tune in the background but soon, he became the dominant one. The Phantom Maestro was being forced into taking a supportive role; the tune was changing. An invisible battle was taking place between the two. Fortunately, levels were irrelevant in this battle; it was a battle of professions: Musician vs Singer.
Nevertheless, Makrail"s actions were enough to interrupt the buff on the Undead. The Living Corpses were slaughtered one after the other. A few Lidercs perished while most were just injured, sending them in a frenzied state. The enraged monsters fought violently but before they could reach the liches, a group of Dreadknights, led by the Nemesis Dreadknight charged at them.
The battle in the air was even more chaotic. The Popobawas were powerful and had an almost impenetrable defense. Even the Ghost Ballerina could not deal much damage. She gracefully danced between the monsters, avoiding all the attacks directed at her but could not fight back at all. To the Popobawas, she was more of a nuisance than a threat. If it was not for the support of the Wailing Ladies and the Mirror Spirits, she would have long been crushed to death.
Makrail smiled proudly as he stood alone, overseeing the battle. Although he could not overpower the Phantom Maestro, he singlehandedly negated the powerful buff. He continued to sing, slowly raising the pitch of his voice. Suddenly, Makrail felt a sense of danger. His senses were acuter than ever; as a level 50 monster, he could feel any attacks directed at him from a mile away.
He opened his eyes only to see a green skull flying toward him. However, he could not move. It was easy to dodge the attack but doing so would interrupt his song and break his flow. The Phantom Maestro would then have the upper hand and take complete control of the song.
Fortunately, he was not alone. A Chuiael jumped in front of Makrail and clawed the green skull into pieces. The level 44 Chuiael took some damage but in the end, Makrail was able to continue to sing freely. He glared in the distance at the source of the attack. There, he saw a lich floating near the ceiling.
Dreidus advanced into the battlefield. "There is no need to hold back anymore. Go all out! Use your battle forms. They are not Boss Monsters!"
The situation did not look good. More than half of the Undead have already fallen and although the enemy monsters also lost half their number, the Chuiaels and the Encantado have yet to enter the battle. The only way to turn the tides was for the Boss Monsters to use their battle forms!
Dreidus was the first to do so. After his shout, he immediately adopted his close combat form. A robust shiny armor covered his body as his skull lit up in flames. He landed in the middle of the Lidercs and violently attacked the closest one. The other boss monsters followed through.
The Phantom Maestro grew an additional pair of arms. He grabbed another instrument and started playing, reinforcing his control over the melody. A pair of transparent wings appeared at the back of the Ghost Ballerina. She spun on herself, forming a small twister around her. The Mirror Spirit King grew in size; his face was now covered by a devilish mask.
"Is this your final struggle?" Makrail c.o.c.ked his head with a smug expression. He no longer sang and allowed the Phantom Maestro to regain full control. "Let"s begin then. Chuiaels, go!"
The Chuiaels smiled faintly. There were twenty-five Chuiaels. They divided themselves into groups of five and attacked the Boss Monsters. The Chuiaels were powerful; not only were they several levels above the Boss Monsters, but they could also perfectly coordinate with each other.
[Bone Wall]
Dreidus erected a giant wall, blocking the Chuiaels but it was destroyed in an instant. The Chuiaels pounced on him and attacked from all directions. Despite his enhanced defensive stats, Dreidus was soon overwhelmed. He could not fight against these demons. In his current form, Dreidus did not have access to his usual skills. He could only watch as the last Dreadknight fell.
Thirty Lidercs managed to survive and without hesitation, they charged at the Liches and the Phantom Musicians at the back.
Dreidus frowned. "It is time to see if that skill is really powerful..."
He took a deep breath and activated the two skills he dreaded the most: [Frenzy] and [Hysteria]. They were the two skills he did not obtain by his own efforts but were instead given by the Core of Madness. Dreidus had a bad feeling about these skills but in this situation, they were the only possible solutions to his problem. His physical stats skyrocketed. His senses became acuter; he focused on the Chuiaels taunting him and could now follow their movements.
The Chuiaels felt the change. They frowned and attempted to distance themselves but Dreidus moved faster. It was his time to be on the offensive.
Similarly, the other boss monsters used [Frenzy] and [Hysteria] out of desperation but they were not as strong as Dreidus. The Mirror Spirit King was the first to fall as he was surrounded by the Chuiaels and the Popobawas. The Ghost Dancers perished under the attacks of the monsters and soon, the Ghost Ballerina followed.
Dreidus" expression darkened under his helmet. He could feel his [Dead Mind] connection with the other Boss Monsters fading. His mind was racing. He was engrossed in his own battle; with the two buffs, he was strong enough to face the Chuiaels. But he needed to focus all his attention on the battle; he did not have time to look at his surroundings.
An unknown amount of time later, Dreidus finally emerged from his clouded state of mind. It was the severing of the [Dead Mind] connection with the Phantom Maestro that woke him up. Dreidus was taken aback. Time seemed to have flown very quickly. He looked around him and saw the corpses of a few Chuiaels around him. "What happened exactly? Is it the effect of [Frenzy] and [Hysteria]? To make me focus solely on the battle and ignore what is happening around me?"
"You should stop dreaming." A voice sounded behind Dreidus, forcing him in reality but the next second, a violent punch landed on his stomach and Dreidus" body smashed against the wall next to him.
It was the Encantado, Makrail. With a single punch, he destroyed Dreidus" defenses. The difference of ten levels could not be bridged by two skills alone.
Dreidus frowned as he looked around him. His mind had been momentarily clouded by his skills but Makrail"s punch brought him back to reality. The situation did not look good at all. There was still about seventy enemy monsters but the majority of the Undead have died. The Encantado did not remain idle during his fight; Makrail personally jumped into the fight and slew the Phantom Maestro who was challenging him earlier.
"Lyra! Run!" It was Dreidus" first reflex. His top priority was to save the Wailing Lady.
Lyra was busy fighting the Chuiaels alongside the other Wailing Ladies. Her battle form was activated but she did not use [Frenzy] or [Hysteria]. She depended on magic; these two skills greatly enhanced physical stats at the cost of magical stats. When she heard Dreidus" voice in her head, she was relieved. She had been trying to speak to him for a while but all her shouts remained unanswered. She shouted without a thought. "No! No way I am going back!"
The Wailing Lady was pitifully weak compared to the others. She was only level 32. If it was not for her [Wails of Sorrow], she would have been more of a liability.
Dreidus frowned. He did not have time to argue with her. He knew Lyra was unwilling to leave because of him. She was tired of always staying at the back where it was the safest. She shared her thoughts with Dreidus countless times but the latter remained overprotective.
Dreidus ducked just in time to avoid Makrail"s attack and jumped back to create some distance between them. "Lyra! Leave now! If not, you will be hit by my skill."
"Your skill?" Lyra"s expression darkened. The Wailing Ladies died one after another, desperately trying to protect their queen.
"I don"t have time to explain. Go back and protect master. Now!"
Dreidus stomped the ground and jumped toward the Chuiaels attacking Lyra"s group. He just wanted to buy enough time for her to retreat but the Encantado would not let him do as he pleased.
[Cascade]
A giant waterfall appeared in front of Dreidus, forcing him to come to a stop. "You!"
"Where are you going? Running out of time? Your battle form should run out very soon!" said Makrail with a smirk. He jumped at Dreidus but the latter reacted in time, raising his shield to block the attack.
"Is she your girlfriend? She is not bad. Don"t worry. Once this battle is over, you will be absorbed in our dungeon and you"ll be free to do as you please with her. To show my goodwill, how about I let her escape?"
As the Encantado spoke, he raised his hand and the Chuiaels pressing on the Wailing Ladies suddenly retreated.
Dreidus looked at the scene and frowned. He did not feel any good intentions coming from the Encantado. "What do you want?" asked Dreidus with caution.
"We have already won this battle. You should surrender and make things easy for us!" exclaimed Makrail. He took a step back and allowed Dreidus to have a look at the last room. All the Undead have perished. Only Lyra"s group remained. It had been a complete ma.s.sacre.
Makrail continued. "You should give up on your hope of victory. We already know there is a Harpy Queen in this dungeon. We saw her earlier heading toward our dungeon and as we speak, she is probably already dead."
Dreidus frowned. "Harriet is not that weak. Stop trying to buy time. I know my battle form will expire very soon."
The Encantado lightly laughed. "Then, why do I feel that you are the one trying to buy time?"
Dreidus felt his energy leaving his body. His battle form was about to expire; the armor and the shield were already becoming transparent. "Because this is what I was waiting for!" Now that he once again had access to his Necromancer skills, Dreidus regained some confidence. "Good Luck surviving this!"
[Death and Decay]