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They still did not know how long the boss’ skill cooldowns were, so it was best to deal as much damage as possible while they could.

The Dread Knight staggered slightly under the impact of Blade Dance, but soon spurred his skeletal warhorse forward again. After all, he was a centaur boss, his speed was leagues apart from those on foot, and in just a few gallops, he was already upon Starry.

“Morthar, Consume!” From afar, Zane gave his command. The enormous Sacred Scarab lunged toward the boss with surprising swiftness.

Despite its massive body, its movement barely made a sound. Morthar seemed capable of gliding perfectly along the ground, which explained why one could even sleep peacefully atop its back.

The immense shadow it cast carried an oppressive weight. The boss tilted its head up, meeting the enormous creature looming over him… —before being swallowed whole in a single gulp.

‘Is it over? No…’ Upon closer inspection, Morthar’s jaws hadn’t fully closed! The Dread Knight’s phantom armor projection was bracing against the upper and lower mandibles, preventing them from sealing shut.

At the same time, a massive damage number floated above Morthar’s head.

The attack from within dealt severe internal damage. In pain, Morthar loosened its bite just enough for the bone horse to leap free!

However, Zane had no intention of letting that chance slip away. Midair was the most vulnerable position, without a foothold, evasion was nearly impossible. And indeed, that was the case.

Violent wind elements surged into countless slicing gusts, battering the boss and throwing its movements into disarray.

The damage was pitifully low, the armor’s reduction was too strong, almost impenetrable.

The Dread Knight crashed to the ground in an awkward heap. At that moment, the Mad Swordsman and Frostfang Tiger closed in. It was time to strike the fallen prey!

Starmew gathered its energy, cold air swirling around its claws as it unleashed Frost Claw.

*Miss!* Even lying on the ground, the boss’ evasion rate remained terrifyingly high.

No matter, there was still another chance. Starmew inhaled deeply and unleashed a blast of Frost Breath!

The damage was negligible, but luck was finally on Zane’s side. The chill spread over the Dread Knight’s body, coating it in frost until it was encased in a solid block of ice, frozen in place!

Inside, the Armor of Darkness expanded and bulged, struggling furiously against the imprisoning force. It seemed the frozen effect wouldn’t last long.

Taking advantage of this brief opening, Starry stepped forward, her posture sinking low, unleashing Triple Frenzy Slash as the Autumn Moon Sword swept out in a flurry of strikes.

The tempest intertwined with her strikes, dealing tons of damage in rapid succession. The final hit even triggered a critical, tearing away over ten thousand HP despite the Dread Knight’s massive damage reduction from the Armor of Darkness.

Moreover, its durability had fallen to only 23.7%!

The ice could no longer withstand the immense pressure within and shattered into a pile of glittering shards.

Even while half-toppled on the ground, the boss retaliated with a vicious counterattack, its magic sword cleaving brutally across Starry’s abdomen.

The Iceflow Shield’s duration had already expired, and she didn’t have the chance to trigger a third block. However, under the effect of *Invoke: Blessing*, the boss’ damage output remained largely limited.

That said, the force behind that strike was far beyond what any human body could endure. Starry staggered back two steps, her breathing ragged.

Seeing her forced into retreat, the Dread Knight struggled to its feet.

“Oh no, you don’t.”

Starmew slashed down with its claws, but its strike was deflected by a single swing of the magic sword.

The Frostfang Tiger’s HP had dropped to less than ten percent!

“How fascinating… have humans already produced successors like you?” The Dread Knight spoke after regaining its stance.

It spoke? Was this some secret event? Regardless, there was no room for negotiation.

“You think getting chummy with me will make me spare you?” Starry’s delicate face hardened in fury. “My friend died at your hands. Today, I will crush your Soul Flame myself.”

“Hahahaha!” As if remembering something, the Dread Knight’s movements suddenly became less rigid. “You remind me of my daughter. She used to get angry at me just like that.”

Though its tone was harsh and its voice grating, there was an unexpected warmth buried beneath its words.

“…”

“I don’t even know how long I’ve been in this wretched state.” It glanced down at its skeletal steed, its torso fused to the horse’s spine. “Well then, let’s continue our battle, little girl,” the skeletal knight rasped, its jaw clacking open and shut.

Hearing that, Zane felt a pang of hesitation. “If you still have your memories, why serve the Dark Faction? Why draw your sword against humans? Why…”

Of course, deep down, he already knew the answer. The Dread Knight must have regained fragments of its memories only after evolving. Still, he couldn’t help but feel the pain—pain for failing to protect Elna.

The skeletal knight seemed about to say something more, but before it could, the Soul Flame on its forehead flared violently! Its body stiffened once again, reverting to the same rigid, puppet-like motions as before.

“…”

Pushing away her doubts, Starry steadied her resolve. No matter what, she had to end this. If she didn’t, there might be no saving Elna ever again.

But just as Zane made up his mind, the Dread Knight’s body blurred into a series of afterimages, it had activated Unrivaled Charge!

‘Too fast!’

There was no time to dodge.

Starry’s motion to raise her sword and block was far too slow against the incoming rush; if she did nothing, she would take the hit! Gritting her teeth, she activated Unchained Will, steeling herself for a counterattack.

**Vmmm—!**

A piercing sound of wind split the air. It was like an arrow, but not quite.

The Dread Knight’s purple sword came crashing down toward the unguarded Starry. If it connected there, it could very well be a fatal hit! At that critical instant, something strange happened, the boss’ left side twisted unnaturally.

‘What’s going on?’ The distortion deepened, and on closer look, the tail of an arrow jutted out. Its sharp head had punched straight through the Armor of Darkness, burying itself deep in the Dread Knight’s body—then sent the towering centaur hurtling backward in a violent blast!

The Armor of Darkness shattered completely under that strike.

‘That’s…!’

Everything happened in the blink of an eye, and then a familiar female voice called out from the right, “Quick, pursue it!”

‘It was her!?’

No matter who it was, this was a rare opening. If the boss recovered now under the effects of Unrivaled, the fight would become impossible!

Zane charged straight toward the spot where the boss was about to land.

With the Armor of Darkness gone, he could finally deal damage again. The three Gray Wolves howled and pounced together, each swiping its claws—

“…” Why did this skill suddenly feel so embarrassingly useless?

The Dread Knight seemed enraged. Thick white smoke poured from its magic sword as it swung again, unleashing Wraith Break!

**Boom!**

The instant the attack landed, all three wolves were instantly obliterated.

Thanks to their sacrifice, Zane narrowly escaped the fatal blow. Then, another plain, unadorned arrow whistled through the air, striking the boss squarely in the chest.

A faint purple debuff appeared over the Dread Knight’s body, it was Guardbreak Arrow!

Under the combined boost of Thousand Flash Steps and Lightfooted, Starry closed the distance in an instant.

The bone horse raised its forelegs high again—

‘Still trying to repeat the same move!?’

This time, a mischievous smile crossed Starry’s face. Just as the hooves were about to stomp down, the earth beneath them suddenly gave way. The bone horse stepped into nothingness, its entire front half plunging and getting stuck in the collapsing ground!¹