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The shadow gradually expanded until it completely engulfed the Dread Knight. Given Morthar’s immense size, if he had taken that hit directly, even a Unique boss would not have come out unscathed.

The descent happened at breakneck speed, there was barely any time to react. However… Zane noticed something odd. No damage numbers appeared. Nor did the system issue any notifications.

‘It missed!?’

The next instant, a gleaming purple magic sword appeared before his eyes. It radiated a sinister and bewitching glow. Zane’s heart clenched as his focus sharpened to the extreme.

The blade sliced through the air but struck nothing, flashing a single *Miss*!

Zane’s eyes widened as he stared at the Dread Knight from afar. When had it moved there!?

“Blink…?” The Dread Knight’s gaze brightened, as though recalling something.

While it stood momentarily distracted, Starry raised her sword, Icy Moon Slash ready to be unleashed. At the same time, Starmew swung its tail and launched an Ice Spike!

A pincer strike from both front and rear. Even if only one landed, it would have forced the boss into a brief moment of rigidity. But… The Autumn Moon Sword sliced through the Dread Knight’s body—and nothing happened!? The Ice Spike fared no better.

Two *Misses* floated up.

Zane instantly realized the situation. It was Unrivaled! The skill not only greatly boosted attack and movement speed but also caused every action to leave behind an afterimage.

He gritted his teeth and unleashed a shower of frost and snow. Within moments, the Dread Knight was locked inside the Frost Field!

Meanwhile, Morthar turned its massive form, maw gaping toward the boss. If it managed to swallow it whole, maybe—just maybe—it could actually digest it!

But the Dread Knight neither dodged nor flinched. It reared up on its hind legs and brought its forehooves crashing down with a thunderous *Boom*! A shockwave erupted outward from the impact point beneath its hooves!

Starry and both pets were struck one after another. Tiny dizzy stars spun above their heads. Under Unrivaled, the boss’ casting speed was far too fast, Zane had no time to react.

Thankfully, Trample’s range was limited to about ten yards, sparing the Wishkeeper from harm.

Yet the boss showed no sign of stopping. The warhorse reared once more and another terrifying shockwave burst outward!

“Twice in a row!?”

Starry only had 5,185 HP. One more hit and she’d be left clinging to life!

The instant she activated it, the stun faded. Her feet grew light as her sword flared brilliantly, unleashing Frenzied Blade! And then, countless green vines erupted from the ground, binding the Dread Knight into a massive bundle.

‘Only three digits?’ Starry blinked in disbelief. Yes, it really was just three-digit damage. The boss remained completely unfazed, continuing to trample as though nothing had happened.

‘What’s going on!? Wasn’t it bound!?’ Before she could recover, the aftershock hit again, Starry and her pets took yet another round of punishment.

Her HP was down to barely over a thousand. Starmew had less than a third remaining, and Morthar sat at just above seven thousand.

Only now did Starry finally see clearly, the green vines wrapped around the Dread Knight weren’t tight at all! A dark purple energy surrounded its form, forming an eerie half-body armor.

The oppressive aura seeping from within pushed the vines outward and continuously corroded them. That must be the Armor of Darkness skill.

The warhorse stirred again. Another Trample!? Not again!

Starry quickly gulped down a High-Grade HP Potion and a Heartsteady Pill. Starry’s expression hardened. With a flick of her hand, a stream of icy currents spiraled rapidly around her, forming a sturdy barrier. She took a deep breath and Charged forward!

The boss frowned, halting its Trample mid-motion.

Fixing its gaze on the streaking afterimage from her charge, grayish-white smoke began rising ominously from the Dread Knight’s magic sword. It aimed the blade ahead, gathering a terrifying concentration of power before unleashing Wraith Break!

**Boom! Boom! Boom!**

Once the Charge was activated, there was no way to stop it manually. She could only follow its trajectory straight ahead. If this continued, she would crash headlong into that attack!

Fortunately, Zane could control both characters at once. A wall of blazing fire surged up right before the Dread Knight, blocking the attack at close range while also scorching the skeletal horse’s chest.

The damage was pathetically low. That Armor of Darkness had definitely cut the damage by a massive margin!

**Crack!**

Within less than a second, fissures crawled across the fiery wall. But it was enough. Starry slammed straight into the Dread Knight’s mount.

“…”

A hidden evasion rate? The same thing had happened against Ruehl in the Forgotten Tower. She had to admit, a *Miss* at a critical moment could be fatal.

Wraith Break had ended, and the boss’ sword rose once more, slashing across Starry’s side.

Bolded numbers popped up, it was a critical hit! Thankfully, the Iceflow Shield absorbed part of the impact. Without it, she would have fallen right there.

Pale green flames rose from her battle boots, floating gently before attaching themselves to the Dread Knight’s body.

The golden-haired girl’s gentle chant drifted through the air, and a faint mark appeared upon Starry’s forehead.

Her HP returned to around three thousand, and with two layers of Iceflow Shield still remaining, she could hold out a little longer.

Starmew and Morthar were still stunned. It would take about another second for them to recover. Just that brief initial exchange had already consumed most of her major skills, while the boss had only lost a little over a thousand HP out of two hundred thousand total. It was barely even a scratch.

‘Should we fall back and wait for the Armor of Darkness to expire? No.’ Zane made his decision instantly. This boss had evolved by devouring its own kind, who knew what horrors it might unleash if they let it escape?

‘Elna must still be alive. She has to be…’ Zane glanced at the scattered corpses around them, a bitter smile tugging at his lips. ‘At the very least, let them still be whole.’

Two buffs in quick succession wrapped around Starry. Without caring about what the nearby players might think, Zane transformed into a massive white wolf.

“Awoooooo!”

And that wasn’t all. He thrust a paw forward and pressed it to the ground. Three glowing summoning circles flared to life, bringing forth three Elite Gray Wolves.

The Dread Knight swung its sword once again, clashing violently against the Autumn Moon Sword.

**Screech—!**

The difference in power was obvious. The strange brute strength behind the blow forced Starry back several steps.

Another layer of the Iceflow Shield shattered. The boss tried to press its advantage, but Starry countered with a spinning flourish of her blade—

With both buffs active and a critical strike, the damage was at least decent. A faint durability bar appeared over the Armor of Darkness. She hadn’t noticed it earlier, but now it was down to 82%.

‘So that armor has only about twenty thousand HP? We might stand a chance!’

Just then, Starmew and Morthar finally snapped out of their stunned state. The Unrivaled Charge seemed to have worn off, as the Dread Knight’s movements were noticeably slower.

Starry arched a brow, pointing the Autumn Moon Sword straight ahead. “The tables have turned, let’s see how arrogant you can be now. It’s your turn to take a beating.”

The Dread Knight froze slightly, as if it didn’t understand what she meant.

Meanwhile, the watching players were completely dumbfounded. Who was this woman? Trading blows evenly with a Unique boss!? And if that wasn’t enough, she’d just said something so cold and taunting, her icy tone clashing perfectly with her stunning looks. The contrast was simply too intoxicating.

Ahem… though, that was merely the thought of a certain perverted onlooker.