"RELEASE...!"
Eternal Regret's hundreds of faces screamed in agony as they released a massive shockwave of dark energy, forcing Stark to back away.
[+50% Moonscorch Infection]
Unfortunately, he had been hit.
And that's when he realized another difficulty in this whole thing: the chance of transforming because of the infection if you stayed exposed too long.
It was a war against the clock.
Stark stood in the middle of the ruined square, his muscles tense as he stared down at the creature before him.
Eternal Regret had no real form, just a mass of writhing, tortured souls screaming in agony as they formed its body.
[Name: Eternal Regret]
[Level: 600]
[HP: 1]
[Strength: ???]
[Stamina: ???]
[Speed: ???]
[Defense: ???]
[Skills: Release...]
Despite the fact it had only one HP, Stark knew it wouldn't be easy to land a blow.
The creature shifted constantly, as though trying to escape its own form.
His anger was rising, fueled by the chaos around him and the fact he just couldn't put a dent on this thing.
Instead, he decided to look around.
Sora and Lilith were struggling against the Heartless One.
CEO and Artist were locked in a desperate battle with the Mayor and the Butler Trio.
And Clever was having fun taking on the Tormented One with nothing more than his basic attacks.
It was a battle of powerhouses, yet amidst all the chaos, Stark was fixated on Eternal Regret.
With a deep breath, he tightened his grip on his fists, and all six of his arms repeated the movements, crimson aura burning in them.
Sora and Lilith fought side by side, battling the Heartless One.
"Stay focused, Sora!" Lilith shouted, her voice strained as she blocked another strike.
Sora nodded, her vines shooting out in every direction to try and bind the creature.
Her skill Vine Transformation allowed her to stretch her abilities to their limits, wrapping the vines around the Heartless One's arms, attempting to restrict its movements.
But no matter how many vines she sent, the creature tore through them as if they were paper.
It was too fast, too unpredictable.
"Flora-Guns!" Sora fired a volley of her most powerful nature-infused bullets at the creature, but the Heartless One simply phased through them, its form flickering in and out of existence.
Lilith's Qi Pulse unleashed another wave of energy that shook the ground, but the Heartless One dodged once again, leaving the two women frustrated and running out of options.
"Hahaha... little ladies, you aren't even close to my beauty!"
"Shut up, old hag," Lilith gritted her teeth.
Meanwhile, CEO and Artist were struggling to keep up with the Mayor and the Butler Trio.
The Mayor's aura of authority was suffocating, his presence alone making it difficult to concentrate.
"DAMN IT!" CEO mumbled under his breath, sweat dripping down his face as he narrowly dodged another plate attack from one of the butlers.
Artist, standing beside him, was panting, clutching his brush tightly.
He had summoned his [Masterpiece Summon], a powerful golem made entirely of living paint, but even it was struggling against the sheer might of the Mayor's attacks.
"I... I can't do it..." Artist muttered, his eyes wide with fear.
His voice trembled as he stared at the Mayor. "I... I need more time..."
Back at the center of the battlefield, Stark was now fully focused on Eternal Regret.
He had had enough of this.
He activated his [Double Assault] skill, doubling his stats for 20 seconds.
His body surged with power, and the four crimson arms from his Asura's Arms skill erupted around him.
Each arm clenched into a fist, radiating an aura of violent intent.
Without a moment's hesitation, Stark dashed forward.
His speed was impossible to follow.
The world seemed to slow as he closed the gap between himself and the creature.
But instead of attacking with his fists, Stark did something reckless that could probably take him out if [Eternal Regret] decided to use [Release] again.
He reached out with all of his arms and took hold of Eternal Regret.
The creature screamed, thrashing in his grip, but Stark's strength held it in place.
It was now or never.
Stark raised one of his hands to the sky, focusing every ounce of his energy.
He drew a circle in his palm, feeling the raw power build within him.
"GO TO HELL, FUCKING DEMON!"
HEAVEN'S WRATH!
The sky above seemed to crack as a massive beam of light began charging up.
One second later though, it was already ready, Stark's aura speeding up the process.
It tore through the air with incredible force, shaking the battlefield.
The other participants and monsters scattered, scrambling to avoid the descending beam.
Even the [Crimson Moons Trio] went out of the way, scared to be hit by another one of the boy's attacks.
Yet Stark didn't move.
The beam was wide, nearly impossible to avoid.
The shockwaves from the blast rattled the ground, sending tremors through the square.
The souls within Eternal Regret shrieked as they were about to be enveloped by the light.
BOOOOOM!
Stark held on, gritting his teeth as the beam drew closer.
Just as it was about to hit the ground, Stark released his grip on the creature.
SNAP!
He wasn't stupid, and he had obviously set up a [Crimson Ball Transmission] just in case he needed to escape.
In an instant he was out of harm's way.
And so the beam descended to the ground with a deafening roar.
Eternal Regret was caught in the full force of the blast, its form disintegrating under the sheer weight of the energy.
The souls that made up its body screamed one last time, and then they were gone, ascended into nothingness.
-1!
It actually received damage.
"HAHAHAHA!" and Stark couldn't help but laugh.
The beam finally faded, and the battlefield was silent.
[You have defeated "Eternal Regret". You have received 1 experience point.]
A single experience point for that was blasphemy, but Stark didn't care, too focused on what to do next.
He wasn't done. Not yet.
Actually, he was ready for more, his anger not stopping at all.