"That should have knocked him out, right?" Xue Yan questioned.
Not only was the attack power of the enhanced Hefir astonishing, but the push-back effect from the explosion was potent. Adding in the fact that Kobold King was caught by surprise, it wouldn't be startling if it ended up getting knocked out.
"I don't know about that but at the very least, it should be in a [Stun] state. However, it's too risky to attack." Sato replied.
Even as Seiichi's arrow had currently incapacitated the Kobold King, Sato didn't hurry to make any move but only stood at the side. This was because while it seemed that the Kobold King had been knocked out by that arrow, it might not be. The Kobold King was buried under the rocks after that explosion so Sato could only stand by the side and wait. If he were to approach the site, the kobold king might suddenly spring up and attack. Even if that didn't happen, to attack, Sato would have to dig through the rubble and that was a pointless act that would only benefit the Kobold King. Hence, he was left with only the decision of waiting.
Luckily for Sato, he didn't have to wait so long.
"Grawr!"
*Boom*
+100 (HP recovery)
The Kobold King blew through the rubble before hurriedly jumping away before coming to a stop, gracing the trio with its appearance once again. This time, however, it was profusely bleeding from the right side of its upper body; the point where the arrow struck it. Rather than calling it a 'point', it was more apt to call it a 'spot' as a hole had formed there from the blast, becoming the origin of that slowly gushing stream of blood.
Even a BOSS such as the Kobold King couldn't stand firm in the face of such a shot and the scales it was most proud of had been violated without mercy. The first time was by Sato's [Drakken], which had easily pierced through it like a sharp blade piercing through a taut piece of paper. Now it was by the enhanced Hefir, that made a gaping hole on its chest, piercing through the scales and exploding with a bang, knocking a few of them into the air while turning the rest to burnt crisps.
[[ System notification :
Target has suffered severe injuries and would lose 1% of their HP every 7 seconds until the injury is at least suppressed.
Target will suffer a temporary drop in ability :
-5% to all Main attributes including [Vitality].
-20% to HP and Mana recovery speed.
-100% to Stamina.
More Stamina and energy are required to perform actions.
Target will be in constant moderate pain until the injuries are treated.
]]
-100 (3945/10000 kobold King's HP)
"What, what was that?" The Kobold King asked with lingering fear in its eyes. The arrow had caused it such severe damages that it had even lost its saber in the explosion.
While it looked like the enhanced Hefir had made a bullseye on the target, it wasn't really so. The Kobold King has to be hailed for being one of the strongest BOSS in the game because even at the speed the arrow moved at, already surpassing both it and Sato's senses since it was shot at an unexpected juncture, the Kobold King was still barely able to react to it much faster and better than Sato. If Sato were in its shoes, that arrow would have taken more than twice the damage it already did, leaving Sato at the doorsteps of death. However, the Kobold King barely managed to move to the side, leading to the arrow hitting its right side rather than the intended left area of its upper body, which housed its heart.
If the arrow had struck the intended target, the Kobold King would have surely lost more than twice the amount of HP it did, and its injuries would have been worse, leading to the debuffs being more grave. Therefore, it wouldn't be wrong to say that the Kobold King had narrowly escaped the jaws of death. Being agitated and alarmed was only a normal response.
"Your defence is too open."
Like a ghost striking in the dark, Sato had suddenly appeared by the side of the Kobold King.
While it was true that he was reluctant to attack while the Kobold King was stuck under the rocks, Sato had closed in on that location, waiting for the moment the Kobold King would free itself from the rubble. That very moment was would be an opportunity for him to make his move. Though the Kobold King had been on alert for another arrow, jumping right away in fear of getting shot at again as it had escaped that pile of rubble, it had temporarily forgotten about Sato since the only thing on its mind was dodging any possible arrow similar to the last one. This lead to the situation where the moment the Kobold Kings alert sense was at its highest for an attack from afar, but at its weakest for close-range assaults. In its opinion, Seiichi would have attacked with another arrow and Sato would steer clear from it, or they might have even thought it was dead and wouldn't follow up with another attack. No matter what, it never expected Sato to chase after it just as it had escaped the rubble.
Knowing that Seiichi would want to utilise those enhancement scrolls only when he was sure of an attack, Sato didn't have to worry about anything and only had to make such an opportunity for Seiichi. And the spot he had aimed his sword for, was the very same side that had a gaping hole on it.
Seiichi's arrow had attacked from the front but it didn't manage to pierce through to the other side. Sato decided to do a better job by attacking right from behind that same spot.
[Black Flame Slash]
[Critical Hit]
-428 (3517/10000 Kobold King's HP)
Dark flames like the fires from the deepest trenches of hell, burst forth from the sword in a flurry, wrapping the Kobold King's right side in its warm embrace.
-15 [Flame Damage] (3502/10000 Kobold King's HP)
"Grawrr! Bast*rd! Damned beast!" The Kobold King howled in pain.
While the damage of the flames themselves wasn't much, the painful sensation it caused, especially on one's flesh, was excruciating. A monster like the Kobold King, who had barely been beaten up this badly in its entire life, had never experienced such. As a result, it had howled in pain as it cursed at Sato.
The man at the centre of all this was deaf to the bawls of the creature as he swung his other blade down at it.
"You dare!"
With an incensed face, the Kobold King punched behind with its left arm at Sato, from underneath its right arm. Because of the hidden angle the attack came from, Sato had only just discovered it before he got hit by the blow.
*Bang*
-152 (1180/1700 Sato's HP)
All the wrath, indignation, and hatred of the Kobold King were packed in that punch sending Sato into a horrific retreat. But since it was a rushed attack, the damage inflicted wasn't much to Sato.
[Critical Hit]
-253 (3364/10000 Kobold King's HP)
"Grawr!"
Even as he was sent backward, Sato pulled his sword with him, causing it to draw a horrific line on the Kobold King's body to the point that its right arm almost got amputated by the slash. Due to this, the Kobold King didn't immediately follow up with an attack and was forced to a rooted stop.
*Whoosh*
A fireball came flying its way but with the current state of the Kobold King, it couldn't do anything about it.
Just as the fireball was about to collide, it suddenly reshaped into a flaming rope and wound around the monster.
As the Kobold King was confused about this strange occurrence, a shocking change occurred to the airflow in the area.
*Phew*
A sharp whistle rang out in the air, like a rocket darting through the air.
"!!!"
It was then that the Kobold King recalled something; the very reason why and how it had ended up like this. However, it was already too late. The flaming rope and it in place and even the injury from Sato had forced it into a sudden immobility state.
Even as the Kobold King riled up the last of its strength to break through the bounds, the arrow had already arrived.
*Bang* *Boom*
A repeat of before occurred, with the enhanced Hefir arrow creating a loud bang upon collision before detonating with a loud boom. The target wasn't a new area but that same right side.
The first reason why was because Seiichi wasn't sure whether the Kobold King would be able to dodge like before and with the right part of its body being the most injured area, it would be a lot harder for it to dodge the shot even if it meant moving by just an inch.
Secondly, the arrow would worsen the injury at that area, potentially severing off its right arm that was used to wield the bone saber and reducing its fighting ability. This was a critical blow to the Kobold King and may well as be the turning point in the battle for the team's success.
As for the third and final reason for aiming at the right spot, there was no third reason. Seiichi just wanted to do so.
[Critical Hit]
-691 (2673/10000 Kobold King's HP)
"That should teach him.." Seiichi nudged his glasses with a proud smug on his face.