Heavenly Sentinels

[RAID BOSS] [INFERNAL LORD, DRAGIX] [LEVEL: 90]

It felt as though an earthquake had overtaken Merdlum, as buildings trembled and people screamed at the sight of the newly-spawned Raid Boss.

"Alright…Go get 'em?" Zero ordered hesitantly as he stood on the ledge of the open room, looking up towards the four-armed colossus.

Without any further prompting, the obsidian-skinned giant waved his arms, conjuring enormous fireballs of a magenta glow.

"Woah, woah, woah!"

"Get back!"

"Are there any tanks here?!"

"Screw that! I'm not trying to defend against something like that!"

Dragix roared out before flinging the fireballs throughout the city streets, causing the burning spheres to crash down like meteors, exploding into fireworks of majestic embers. In droves, players were eliminated, exploding into digital particles that scattered to the wind.

"Run!"

"Teleport! Teleport–anywhere–agh!"

There wasn't anybody that attempted to even fight back against the overwhelming force of the impromptu Raid Boss as the colossus stomped through the city, breathing fire into the streets and thrashing the buildings closest to it.

Even if it was a virtual world, there was no doubt the fear when facing such a calamitous existence was real as it loomed over the under-leveled players as a force of nature.

"Talk about overkill…" Kiwi gulped, standing beside Zero.

He nodded, watching from the wall-less room, "Yeah, I didn't really expect it to go down like this. Well, it's not like Marudawn is where all the hardcore players are."

"Yeah, but still…something like this is the kind of thing you only see in big events. I mean, look around–that thing is destroying the city. Usually wiping out structures and NPCs like this isn't possible," Kiwi observed.

"Should probably count yourself lucky you chose the right side, yeah?" Zero asked with a smile.

"You bet…Glad I'm not on the other side of that monster," Kiwi sighed with a shrug.

Everything felt as real as could be in the virtual world: the rumbles throughout the city that vibrated against their skin, the hot temperature that came with the fireballs descending from the colossus—it felt like a true calamity.

"Well, this is definitely going to be talked about in the forums," Kiwi observed with a sigh.

"You don't seem all that shaken by this," Zero said.

The girl shrugged, looking up towards the gloomy sky as the yells of fearful players scattered through the city, "It all feels real, but it's just a game. Besides, I'm on the winning side, by the looks of it. Speaking of which, got a PH? (Player Home)?"

"Something like that. Why?" He answered before giving a question of his own.

"A boss needs a base of operations," Kiwi smiled.

"Guess so."

Amidst the chaos brewing in the streets, spectated by the two as they now stood on the roof of the inn, something strange happened: a single player stood against the raid boss.

"What the…" Kiwi mumbled.

Zero was taken aback as well, seeing a seemingly fearless player standing in the middle of the street as a flood of others ran away in the opposite direction.

'Who is that? None of the top guilds or players live in Marudawn, so I doubt there's any player capable of taking Dragix on solo. Seriously, what's up with him?' Zero questioned.

The player in question had spiky, blonde hair, built tall and muscular with ivory, draconic armor and a sapphire halberd he wielded in his right hand, ending with a blade that resembled the claw of a dragon.

"Come on!" The lone player yelled out with a fearless smile, "I'll take you on, big guy!"

Somehow or someway, the eccentric man managed to evade the rapid stomps and slams of fist that came from the raid boss, running with a flash of cerulean light left in his wake.

[Sleuth]

Zero was interested, using his information-gathering skill as he watched the player:

[Vangrave Melio [Level: 80] [Class: Warrior] [Affiliation: N/A]

'A solo player?' Zero thought, taken aback.

Despite the disparity in level, the lone warrior class player managed to evade the attacks of the raid boss, running along the cobblestone street even as fire rained down from above. The entire time, the warrior laughed, seeming to enjoy it.

'At level eighty, a single hit from Dragix would be death, even if you're fully specced into a tank build. As a general rule of thumb, a "Raid Boss" tends to actually have stats ten levels higher than their own,' Zero thought, 'So, why is this guy even trying to fight it?!'

Kiwi sighed, shrugging her shoulders, "Oh, man, what a bummer. That guy is letting his hard work go to waste for nothing–he'll die, surely."

Though as Zero watched the solo player sprint around the sprint, ducking-and-rolling, using pure skill to evade the raid boss' attacks while countering–though dealing infinitesimal damage–he had an idea of his own.

"Wait here a sec," Zero said, hopping from the roof.

"Huh–?" Kiwi responded in surprise.

Amidst the chaotic event transpiring in the city, the solo warrior howled with excited laughter as he sprinted around, evading attacks as he combated the raid boss.

"Hell yeah! This is what I'm here for!" The spiky-haired, youthful man shouted.

–Though it was clear that, no matter how fearless and persistent one was, such a mountainous difference in stats was simply impenetrable. All of the attacks that the warrior landed did next to no damage, and after enough running around, the player found himself looking up to an unavoidably large fireball being summoned.

"Ah, this looks bad, ha-ha…" The dragon-armored man chuckled, sweating as heat flooded the now abandoned area of the city.

It was certain death: the colossus stood tall like a mountain, holding up a fireball that resembled the grandeur of the sun itself.

Yet, before it could crash down in a fiery blaze of glory—

"Dragix, standby."

By some miracle in the eyes of the warrior, the commanding words that echoed caused the obsidian-skinned, demonic colossus to withhold from tossing the fiery sphere down.

"...Hah?" The warrior let out, perplexed by the stoppage.

Zero stepped in front of the solo player, having the colossal raid boss standing behind him like a looming statue, waiting for any order to be given.

Vangrave smirked, pointing his halberd at Zero, "Well, well, well, if it ain't the man of the hour himself! You're the strongest, right?"

"That's right," Zero answered.

The fiery warrior held his unwavering smile, keeping the tip of his halberd mere inches from the man's face, "Then let's fight!"

"Why?" Zero asked with a raised eyebrow, "You know you won't win, right? Look at the difference in our levels."

"Doesn't matter one bit! Raw stats don't dictate a battle! It's skill! Skill n' guts!" Vangrave insisted.

It seemed that pure logic wasn't enough to convince the warrior, which wasn't very surprising to Zero considering the antics the player was up to moments prior.

"Is that so? Well, let's place some stakes on it," Zero offered.

"Sure! Add 'em!" Vangrave welcomed.

He continued speaking, "If you beat me, well, that one million dollars is yours. That's about as good of a wager as it gets, right?"

"No complaints here. Though I'm not in it for the dough," Vangrave smirked, still holding his weapon up.

"—?" Zero raised an eyebrow.

During their exchange, the city remained ablaze from the destruction laid by the obsidian colossus, who stood still, breathing out light smoke from his maw as he watched from above.

Vangrave proclaimed with a smile, "I'm playing this game to prove I'm the best in the world! That means I want to fight the best, too!"

It was a childish dream from the lips of the warrior, though one that wasn't foreign to the heart of the man who stood before him.

A small smile appeared on Zero's lips, "I see. Then you challenged the right person—I'm the strongest."

"Oh yeah? Hold on, what about your conditions? If you win, I mean," Vangrave asked.

Zero adjusted his gloves, tightening them as he squeezed his fists shut a few times before answering, "My condition is that you'll join my group. Just two of us, currently."

"Huh? Like a guild? Never cared for those," Vangrave scoffed.

"Not quite. You said you want to prove yourself, yeah? To fight the strongest? You sound like the kind of guy that relishes a real challenge," Zero said, "Not the sort of player who relies on 'aim assist' or turns the difficulty down when it gets tough."

It seemed he hit the nail on his head with his assessment as the grin on Vangrave's lips extended: it was nothing malignant—the opposite, really. That genuine, awkward smile from the warrior was nothing more than childlike excitement towards the concepts spoken to him.

'I need someone like him if I'm going to win this challenge. This isn't about being a solo player now—it's about overcoming the greatest challenge in the history of the gaming world,' Zero thought.

"Alright, then! Let's do this!" Vangrave accepted the challenge.

"Sure," Zero nodded.

Before the duel began, the Hunter-class girl hopped down as well, standing by the enormous foot of the raid boss as she watched from a distance.

"Is this really the time?" Kiwi mumbled with a sigh.

The streets were devoid of spectators as the flames that clung to the buildings of brick and wood drove any people away. Still, amidst the destruction, the two players squared off as the warrior held his sapphire halberd with both hands, stomping down as his aura exuded with a cerulean glow.

"C'mon! Get your weapon out so we can do this!" Vangrave said with a burning smile.

Zero remained unarmed, only gesturing with his hand for his opponent to make the first move, "I'm ready whenever you are."

The spiky-haired player didn't hesitate as he laughed, "Alright, then! Suit yourself and die!"

There wasn't any warning that came from the warrior, who lunged forward with a monstrous burst of speed. It wasn't anything that Zero wasn't prepared for, who reacted seamlessly as his enhanced reflexes kicked into gear.

'He's using the inherent skill for the warrior class–"Burn Gear"--I can tell by that heat exploding off of him: it's a physical enhancement skill that grants explosive bursts of strength and agility,' Zero deciphered.

The halberd's reach was long, being swept forward as it unleashed an arch slash of sparks that failed to reach the black-armored player.

After ducking past the blow, he stepped in, getting within range of the warrior as he cocked his fist back.

Around his right fist, Zero summoned a manifestation of cosmic energy that swirled around his hand, engulfing it in supreme power.

[Nebula Shift]

"Huh—" Vangrave reacted.

SLAM

The collision of the energy-filled fist and the warrior's face resulted in a brilliant flash of light that quickly dispersed through the street.

With a single move, the duel was finished—the warrior was laid out on the ground, catching his breath while Zero remained standing.

'A melee skill? No…What the hell was that?!' Vangrave questioned.

It was hard to believe from the huntress herself, who questioned her eyes at the one-sided, swift victory from the player who didn't even equip a weapon.

Normally only a Pugilist-class player could win unarmed fights. I mean, weapons magnify your attack stat incredibly—but I guess this guy is anything but the norm here,' Kiwi thought.

Zero breathed out with a small smirk, "Looks like I win. So, welcome to the side that's going to win."

Manifesting directly in front of the spiky-haired warrior who picked himself up was the Abyssal Contract.

Vangrave was silent for a moment, signing the contract with his finger without even seeming to read any of it.

'Well, that was easy. I expected some sort of pushback, but he took it well,' Zero thought.

The warrior picked himself up, resting his halberd on his shoulder, "You're definitely the strongest, no doubt about that. I lost, fair-and-square, Boss."

"Boss, huh? I like the sound of that," Zero smiles, rubbing his chin as he shot a glance at the blonde-haired huntress standing behind him.

Kiwi scoffed, "I am not calling you that."

"Never been part of a faction. Pretty exciting though—I've played alone because joining guilds seems like admitting you're too weak to do things alone. But…" Vangrave said.

Zero knew what the man felt, nodding, "But we're against everybody else. Right now as it stands, there's three of us against tens of thousands—maybe more. Exciting doesn't do it justice."

"Got that right," Vangrave smiled.

"…Doesn't sound very appealing to me," Kiwi sighed.

With that settled, Zero snapped his fingers, "Dragix, continue. Wipe out every player left in the city."

Those were the only words needed, as without hesitation, the colossus continued his rampage, thrashing through the city streets and stomping out buildings.

Chaos took hold of it all once again—flames chewed through buildings, reaching players and NPCs alike.

"This seems pretty one-sided—"

Just as the remark came from the hunteress' lips when spectating the destructive antics of the raid boss, beams of light struck the colossus from multiple angles.

Dragix roared in pain, stumbling back as he crumbled a building beneath his mighty step.

Of course, it didn't seem possible for such a counterattack to come from the ill-prepared players of the fiery city.

Zero recognized what happened, looking up, "It's about time—the 'Heavenly Sentinels' are here."

Radiant openings in the sky above came as clouds parted with the arrival of knightly entities equipped in pearlescent armor.

[Heavenly Sentinel] [Lv. 99]

"Crap—never been on the bad side of those guys…This isn't good," Kiwi said, backing away.

Vangrave laughed, pointing his halberd to the sky at the descending, winged knights, "Ha-ha! I always wanted to fight a Sentinel!"

The arrival of the knights in radiant armor, designed with meticulous etchings of sun shapes and wings, caused a cheer from the retreating players of Marudawn:

"Hell yeah!"

"About time!"

"Wipe out that raid boss!"

It didn't take long for the colossus to once more be under fire from the Sentinels, drowning the demonic fiend's flesh in radiant assaults.

Like blades of light parted the sky, single slashes from the illustrious swords of the Sentinels rained down upon the colossus.

[Dragix] [HP: 2,000,000]

[HP: 1,850,560]

[HP: 1,734,300]

—With every attack received, the colossus' health points were cleaved apart, making the raid boss helpless to the rangeless blades of the Sentinels.

["Heavenly Sentinels are the guardians of cities in this game, and are essentially unbeatable. It's always been my opinion that they're mobs put into the game to act as an extension of the Admins' authority. Still…"]

"Well, this looks unwinnable!" Zero announced with a smile.