Chapter 359: Raiding the Star of Hegon (III)

Chapter 359: Raiding the Star of Hegon (III)

Chapter 359

Raiding the Star of Hegon (III)

The day had come--eighty souls had gathered in front of a massive entrance of a silver-hung spire piercing toward the clear sky. Entrance to the room of the Guardian of the 20th floor, Unul. Everyones nerves seemed a bit stretched, even Emmas; it has been a few weeks since their last run, and quite a few things have changed. Outside of adding far more members and upgrading their gear, theyd also slowly began remembering just how difficult the fight truly was, moment-to-moment.

As such, even if they didnt expect to defeat the boss--as that wasnt even the plan--and even if Cain was right there with them, though not in a fighting spirit, it was still difficult to calm their nerves.

There isnt much left to say, what with our throats burning over the last week, Emma joked as she glanced back at the group, trying to ease the atmosphere. All Ill say is... dont die. Lets go.Updated chapters at novelhall.com

The group slowly shuffled through the arched entrance and found themselves inside a massive room at the center of which was the Heart of Fire--a suspended, pure-white bubble of flames that seemed to hold the weight of the world. Unul was kneeling at the altar, praying toward it, her frame despondently beautiful. As soon as the group entered and landed at the edge of the circular room, she stood up and glanced back, her features marred in expressionlessness.

You have grown, she spoke softly, lifting her left arm and opening the palm toward the sky, whereupon a silver-dyed blade with fiery guard appeared floating above it. Though... not enough.

EVERYONE, FAN OUT INTO THE FORMATION!! Emma hollered the orders as they got the notification that the battle had started. Kramer and her quickly sprinted to the front while the rest of the raid began moving toward one of the places where the Pylon would spawn.

Let the fires consume you, Unul said as she swung the blade toward Emma. The woman was some fourteen feet tall altogether, her shadow imposingly large. Just the sheer pressure of her presence was enough to stifle those who were having their first baptism of the fight. But they couldnt falter.

Rather than taking the strike head-on, Emma slid sideways and guided the behemoth of a blade with her own sword toward the ground, lashing out quickly with a strike while circling the tall woman as to face her away from the group. At the same time, Kramer circled from the other end, though didnt walk to the front and instead stayed on the side.

What he had, however, as Titan, were unparalleled defensives--in fact, their current, embryonic strategy for the 2nd phase of the boss relied entirely on the fact that Kramer was insanely difficult to kill. In fact, Jamal and Daniel combined still needed over 1 minute of combined struggle to defeat the man. That was to say that Kramer lived through ALL their burst and then some.

Because of the nature of the class, when it came to taking hits, he was the one taking them. The reason the boss shaved 60% of his health wasnt because the boss dealt that much damage--it was because Kramer hadnt actually used a defensive. He relied entirely on the passive protection and lived steadily. If Emma took that hit without a defensive, she would either die or come close to it.

In the meantime, from the rear, Cain observed everything. He was disguised as one of the Buffers, though he was doing nothing--literally. He was simply standing and observing. He was impressed--extremely impressed. Their growth was... quite amazing. It wasnt just the individual growth of strength, but more the coordination and maturity they displayed.

Emmas leadership, especially, had long since eclipsed his. While he inspired people by simply going apeshit and giving them a good show, she used her words and mannerisms. They followed her without hesitation, no matter who.

Senna, similarly, would have likely lost her cap off if she was told she was useless just a few years ago. And yet, today, he saw her swallowing that bitterness and simply helping however she could, even if it was just carrying the stationary turrets about.

While it wasnt optimal still, the reason wasnt their lack of coordination--but the fact that there were 80--or, well, 79--people present, and it was their first raid together. Then again, for their first attempt, it was insane. Even the newcomers didnt commit any cardinal mistakes, largely because everyone was aware that a single mistake in this fight wouldnt result in merely taking some damage, but outright dying.

Theyre almost there, Cain concluded. As it was right now, they, naturally, wouldnt kill Unul. But... they were there, on the tip of the tongue. 10? No, maybe 20 attempts, Cain gave his prediction inwardly.

They were growing, and their growth made him smile. It was all pointless if he alone stood at the summit of the mountain, fighting the ungodly war with the wind in his back. The reason he staggered his growth was because he waited for them to work out the kinks. Their beliefs still held that he was far more talented than them... but they were wrong.

Hed naturally gotten strong to the point that theyd likely never match him, but that had nothing to do with talent. Growth in the Tower was the exponential kind--the hardest were the first steps, while everyone was adjusting to the entirely new phenomenon. However, as they slowly would begin to blossom, theyll soon realize that their talents... were simply bounds ahead of his.

It was around 35th floor, wasnt it? The mankind saw a shift around 35th floor in his past life. While, up until then, there were still the superstars and such, the rifts werent as large. However, after that point, there was a chasm--a clear, spectacular chasm that could not be crossed with items or hard work. The ungodly few would come to stand at the top and look down at the rest. It was the start of a new era.

ENOUGH! Unul exclaimed suddenly as she retreated toward her altar. You have angered the Flames! And the Fires shall purge you!

Senna, Jamal and Daniel on individual Pylons, the other damage dealers together on one! Everyone else, stack around the marked Pylon! Healers, burn cooldowns as we practiced! Classes with low HP, use your defensives! Survive, everyone! Emma hollered the commands while the 12 pillars of fire erupted at the previously activated Aluni, summoning 12, crimson-dyed Pylons in their place. Fire began to radiate like the wind, and countless, red - appeared above everyones head. It was a race, and they had to come out on top.