Chapter 177: “The Hashbrown Overlord’s Last Stand (and Kazuya’s Eternal Misfortune)”

The peak of Mount Omelette was a sight to behold. The Hashbrown Overlord sat upon a throne of crispy golden taters, his armor a glistening, oily masterpiece. His helmet was shaped like a wedge of hashbrowns, with two steaming potato tendrils curling upward like devil horns. Around him, loyal minions — tater tots with toothpick spears and a particularly menacing waffle fry general — stood at attention.

"You dare trespass on my mountain?" the Hashbrown Overlord bellowed. His voice echoed, causing bits of crisped potato to crumble from his throne. "None shall claim the Holy Syrup of Eternal Brunch!"

Kazuya rubbed his temples. "Holy Syrup? Really? This has to be a fever dream. No way is this real."

Sylvara gave him a teasing smirk. "And yet here you are, chosen one. Covered in fondue cheese and facing down a potato warlord."

Quackleton squawked furiously and flapped his wings at the Overlord, clearly taking offense at something the Overlord said. Probably the part about syrup. The duck was very territorial about brunch-related matters.

"Let me guess," Ravynne said, arms crossed, "we have to fight your crispy minions before we even get a crack at you?"

The Hashbrown Overlord laughed—a deep, buttery sound. "No, no. My minions are merely for show. You'll fight me directly, in the Battle of Breakfast Wits. Only those with the sharpest tongues and cleverest strategies may challenge my dominion."

"Oh, great," Kazuya muttered, "a boss who likes riddles."

"Silence, peasant!" the Overlord roared, flicking a waffle fry at Kazuya. It hit him squarely on the forehead. "Prepare yourselves, for the challenge begins now!"

The Battle of Breakfast Wits

The group huddled together as the Hashbrown Overlord summoned an oversized egg timer that floated ominously in the air. "You have five minutes to prove your worth!" he declared, pointing a fry-scepter at them.

"Prove our worth how?" Sylvara asked warily.

The Overlord smirked. "By answering this riddle: What comes first but is never eaten for breakfast?"

Kazuya blinked. "Uh… lunch?"

"Incorrect!" The Overlord slammed his scepter into the ground, and a storm of hashbrowns rained from the sky. One particularly greasy piece smacked Kazuya on the cheek, leaving a streak of oil behind.

"Hey!" Kazuya protested. "That was a valid answer!"

"It was wrong, though," Sylvara said with a smirk, effortlessly sidestepping the raining hashbrowns. "The answer is 'the sun,' isn't it?"

The Overlord's fry horns twitched. "...Correct." He didn't sound happy about it. "But your trial is far from over!"

The Omelet Showdown

The next phase of the battle was less about wits and more about sheer chaos. The Overlord leapt from his throne, his armor clinking as he landed with a greasy splat. He raised his fry-scepter, summoning a massive omelet golem from the surrounding mountain. The golem roared, dripping molten cheese as it lurched toward the group.

"Okay, I'm officially done with brunch!" Kazuya shouted, dodging as the golem swung a sausage fist at him.

"Focus, chosen one!" Sylvara yelled, her staff glowing with magic. "This isn't just any omelet—it's enchanted!"

"Gee, you think?!" Kazuya shot back, barely managing to duck under another swing. The golem's fist smashed into the ground, leaving a crater filled with sizzling egg.

Ravynne, perched on a nearby rock, loosed a volley of arrows at the golem. "Aim for the cheese core! That's where it's weakest!"

"How do you even know that?!" Brioche asked, smacking a tater tot minion aside with her baguette-sword.

"Experience," Ravynne replied cryptically.

Kazuya's (Unintentional) Heroic Moment

As the battle raged on, Kazuya found himself cornered by the golem. He looked around desperately for a weapon—anything that could give him an edge. His eyes landed on a stray breadstick lying nearby.

"Well, it worked for the cheese river," he muttered, grabbing the breadstick and charging at the golem. "Take this, you oversized breakfast!"

He jabbed the breadstick into the golem's molten cheese core. For a moment, nothing happened. Then, with a dramatic whoosh, the golem exploded in a shower of cheese and scrambled eggs, coating everyone in the immediate vicinity.

Sylvara stared at Kazuya, her face and hair dripping with cheese. "...Did you seriously just defeat a magical omelet with a breadstick?"

Kazuya grinned sheepishly. "Uh, yeah. Guess I did."

The Hashbrown Overlord, now visibly sweating (or maybe just leaking butter), clutched his fry-scepter tightly. "Impossible! My golem was invincible!"

"Looks like your brunch empire is toast," Brioche quipped, stepping forward with her sword raised.

The Final Blow

The group closed in on the Overlord, who tried to summon another golem but was clearly out of magic. In a desperate last-ditch effort, he threw a giant hashbrown at them, but Quackleton intercepted it mid-air, biting into it with a triumphant squawk.

"Nooo!" the Overlord wailed as Quackleton devoured the hashbrown piece by piece. "My legacy! My delicious legacy!"

With one final dramatic scream, the Overlord collapsed onto his throne, which crumbled under his weight. The battle was over.

To Be Continued...

As the group stood victorious atop Mount Omelette, the Holy Syrup of Eternal Brunch shimmered in the sunlight. But their victory was short-lived, as the ground beneath them began to shake once more.

"What now?" Kazuya groaned, clutching the syrup bottle.

Sylvara sighed. "Knowing our luck? Probably another trial."

And so, their chaotic journey continued, with no end to the absurdity in sight.