CHAPTER 79: BOSS FIGHTS II

From beneath the earth came a tremor—then an explosion of dirt and bone. A creature rose from the ground: a skeletal knight clad in corroded armor, its frame towering twice Rhys’s height. Jagged bone wings stretched out, clattering like broken swords, and a massive blackened greatsword burned with ghostly green fire in its grip.

[Boss Spawned: Boneflame Dreadknight]

— Undead Warlord. Specializes in cursed flame and relentless pursuit.

The Dreadknight’s skull snapped toward him, empty sockets igniting with emerald fire. With a guttural roar, it swung its colossal blade down in a sweeping arc.

Rhys raised his mana shield, the impact shaking the ground beneath him. Sparks and green fire scattered like a storm.

"Bounce, Puddle—split it!" Rhys commanded.

Puddle burst forward first, launching Shadow Tendrils that coiled around the Dreadknight’s leg, slowing its movement. Bounce charged in next, its shell glowing with lunar light as it rammed the knight’s shin, staggering the giant back a step.

Rhys seized the chance—his sword flashed with both water and flame as he unleashed Steamburst Edge. The vapor slash cut across the knight’s torso, burning and scalding its exposed bones.

The Dreadknight roared, retaliating with a cleaving strike. Rhys barely rolled aside as the corrupted flame carved a trench into the ground. The knight’s blade swung again, this time sending a shockwave of green fire that threatened to engulf them all.

"Not today—!" Rhys thrust his palm out, casting Mana Shield Burst, deflecting the flames just enough to survive.

Puddle retaliated with a Light Shield, casting a protective glow over Rhys and Bounce, softening the next strike. Then, shifting forms, it launched a volley of Light Bullets, pelting holes through the knight’s chest.

Bounce slammed the earth, releasing a pulse of lunar ripples. The glowing wave struck the Dreadknight’s greatsword, weakening its cursed flames.

Rhys closed the gap. He invoked his newly acquired Stonebreaker Slash, his blade wrapped in jagged earthen energy. The strike crashed against the Dreadknight’s sword, shattering part of its cursed flame and knocking the weapon aside.

With a follow-up, he unleashed Whirlwind Slash, spinning in a deadly arc. His blade tore through the knight’s ribcage, scattering fragments of bone into the misty air.

The Dreadknight staggered, then let out a final guttural roar before collapsing into a heap of ash and shattered armor.

[Boss Defeated: Boneflame Dreadknight]

[EXP Gained — Level Up → 154]

[Drop Acquired: Cursed Flame Core – Epic Material]

[Drop Acquired: Skill Tome – Soul Bind (Epic Binding Magic)]

[Drop Acquired: Abyssal Knight Plate Fragment – Rare Armor Material]

Rhys caught his breath, picking up the glowing loot as Puddle and Bounce regrouped at his side.

"This forest really doesn’t give anyone a break..." he muttered, though there was the faintest hint of excitement in his voice.

Puddle rippled proudly, while Bounce gave a cheerful pyuu, as if urging him forward.

Rhys sheathed his sword, eyes narrowing on the misty path ahead.

"Alright then. Let’s see what other nightmares this place is hiding."

The forest grew thicker, the air choking with heat and the faint scent of ash. Rhys felt his sword hum faintly, as though warning him. Even the ground beneath their boots radiated a faint warmth, pulsing like a hidden forge.

The quiet didn’t last long.

A deep growl shook the canopy before a colossal figure emerged—its body made of obsidian and living magma, veins of flame coursing through its rocky frame. Four molten arms twitched and flexed, each hand clawing into the soil, melting it into glass. Its hollow eyes burned like furnaces.

[Boss Spawned: Pyroclast Behemoth]

— Elemental Juggernaut. Specializes in molten flame and seismic destruction.

The Behemoth roared, slamming both front arms into the ground. Lava fissures erupted outward in all directions, rivers of molten stone rushing to swallow them whole.

"Scatter!" Rhys barked.

Bounce immediately leapt atop a nearby boulder, shell glowing silver as he braced against the heat. Puddle, however, pulsed differently this time—their bond flaring in Rhys’s chest. A brand-new aura ignited from the slime’s core, fire swirling with radiant light.

"finally going to use it Puddle" Rhys muttered, as he looked at him.

Puddle answered with a fierce kuyuu! and unleashed his first spell—

Crimson Burst.

A fiery explosion erupted outward, colliding with the oncoming lava. The rivers hardened into black glass mid-flow, neutralized by the ancient flame’s purifying nature.

The Behemoth reeled back, caught off guard. Rhys didn’t waste the opening. He lunged in, sword blazing with Steamburst Edge, cutting across the elemental’s rocky torso. Steam and sparks hissed out as molten blood splattered the battlefield.

The Behemoth retaliated instantly, its upper fists smashing down like meteors. Rhys braced behind Mana Shield, but the sheer impact knocked him back, nearly sending him into one of the lava fissures.

Before the Behemoth could follow through, Puddle pulsed again, this time radiating green and gold light.

Ancient Life Magic – Verdant Bloom.

Roots burst from the scorched earth, wrapping around Rhys’s legs and arms—not to trap, but to heal and steady. His wounds sealed, mana flowed back into him, and his body felt light again.

"Nice one, partner." Rhys smirked, standing tall once more.

Bounce charged next, spinning his glowing shell like a buzzsaw, ramming into one of the Behemoth’s legs. The strike cracked molten stone, forcing the elemental giant to stumble.

Puddle seized the moment again, shifting to yet another element—his form rippling into swirling winds.

Ancient Wind Magic – Cyclone Fang.

A roaring spiral of cutting wind burst forth, slashing against the Behemoth’s arms. The elemental let out a guttural roar as its rocky armor was shredded, exposing its molten core.

"Perfect—now!" Rhys charged. He gathered every ounce of mana, channeling it into his blade. His sword lit up with overlapping elements—fire, water, and stone—as he unleashed a devastating combo:

Stonebreaker Slash + Fireball + Water Blade = Molten Steam Cleaver.

The strike carved through the Behemoth’s exposed chest, ripping it apart in a blinding explosion of steam, fire, and shattered rock.

The giant staggered, bellowing one last time before collapsing into a smoking crater.

[Boss Defeated: Pyroclast Behemoth]

[EXP Gained — Level Up → 168]

[Drop Acquired: Molten Titan Core – Epic Material]

[Drop Acquired: Tome of Volcanic Eruption (Epic Fire Magic)]

[Drop Acquired: Obsidian Furnace Plate – Rare Armor Material]

The battlefield fell silent once again, only the crackling glassy ground remaining.

Rhys exhaled slowly, wiping sweat from his brow. "This forest is seriously overkill..."

Puddle bounced proudly, shifting colors as if to show off his three new elements. Kuyuu!

Bounce chimed in with an energetic pyuu!, shaking his shell like a little drumbeat.

Rhys smirked, sheathing his sword.

"...But with you two, I think we can tear through all of it."

The three continued deeper into the Boss Forest, their path now lit by the glow of both fire and wind trailing off Puddle’s body. The deeper they went, the closer they drew to the peak—and the stronger the nightmares waiting ahead.

The deeper they pressed, the more twisted the forest became. Trees were scorched black, their branches clawing at the sky like skeletal arms. Strange glowing mushrooms pulsed faintly in the underbrush, and every step carried the tension of hidden predators.

Rhys’s senses sharpened. Puddle hovered close, pulsing with shifting colors of flame, wind, and life. Bounce trudged faithfully at his side, every so often pyuu’ing as if to reassure him.

It wasn’t long before the forest shifted again. The temperature dropped suddenly, their breath misting in the air. Ahead, the once-blackened trees gave way to a chilling mist that seemed to devour sound.

A heavy thud echoed. Then another.

The ground trembled before a massive silhouette emerged from the fog—a towering wolf, its fur jet-black with streaks of crimson. Each exhale released a faint crimson mist that wilted the foliage around it. Its eyes glowed like dying embers.

[Boss Spawned: Dreadfang Alpha]

— Corrupted Beast Lord. Specializes in blood magic and predatory strikes.

The wolf’s growl rolled through the mist as it lunged forward without warning, claws like blades cutting across the ground.

Rhys barely sidestepped, his sword flashing to parry the second strike. Sparks scattered, but the wolf’s sheer force drove him back.

"Fast one..." Rhys muttered, adjusting his grip.

Bounce intercepted, slamming his shell into the wolf’s hind legs. The Alpha snarled, whipping around, but Puddle was already there—flaring bright green.

Ancient Life Magic – Binding Roots.

Thick, glowing vines burst from the earth, wrapping around the wolf’s legs. For a moment, it was pinned.

"Gotcha!" Rhys surged forward, blade glowing as he unleashed Arc Surge Slash, the mana edge tearing across the beast’s shoulder. Blood sprayed, sizzling where it touched the ground.

But the Alpha howled, its body glowing crimson. The blood spilled didn’t fall harmlessly—it pulled back into its wounds, knitting them closed.

[Skill Activated: Blood Feast – Restores health from spilled blood.]

"Tch, self-heal..." Rhys frowned.

Puddle pulsed red-orange this time.

Ancient Fire Magic – Scorchflare.

Flames burst beneath the Alpha’s body, igniting its blood-soaked fur. The wolf shrieked, stumbling as the magic burned away the regenerative blood before it could mend its wounds.

"Nice—don’t let it heal!" Rhys shouted.

He dashed in, weaving a combo—Swift Cut → Vertical Slash → Whirlwind Slash—his blade carving multiple deep gouges across its chest.