Eliara and Noah’s initial steep slashes were blocked by wooden weapons armed by the avatar while Melameron’s staff conjured snake-like vines with stingers toward them.
Eliara formed her iron fortress mid-air while also releasing a spiky metal orb that blasted and released rustic metallic shards with corrosive effects.
Melameron protected himself with a shield while his wooden shield, held by one of his avatar’s hands, swept at Noah and Eliara at a super speed while they were mid-air. The shield had poison-laced spikes on its surface.
But Ron arrived and unleashed his specialized class skill, Infernal Chakrams, to attack the shield, giving Noah and Eliara just enough time to get away.
Behind Ron, Xavier finished charging his strongest light-piercing rapier as a burst of golden beam shot at Melameron, aimed right at his head.
‘Little brats.’
Melameron quickly conjured a glinting dark pink flower shield in front of him with a slick, hazy, mirror-like surface in the shape of a sunflower. The piercing light laser struck it and was absorbed inside as the sunflower glowed and released the beam back.
Kayla, in her majestic griffon form, swooped in like a hawk with her shining wings, deflecting the laser in a timely manner.
The last two combatants in line—Finn and Adrian—also launched their attacks.
Finn’s Thunder Hammer of his high-tier Epic-rank set and the set effects that boosted his lightning elemental mastery allowed him to gain lightning speed for a brief moment as he arrived above Melameron, his hammer aimed at the boss’ head.
Adrian was the last one in the chain of attacks, and he aimed for the joints and neck of Melameron with his Legendary rank Phoenixflame Gauntlets. He had also consumed both one-time-use legendary items, making him the second strongest after Almond at the moment.
In response, Melameron’s wooden hands holding sword and spear went for Finn, both going for Finn at an obvious weak point. If Finn continued, both weapons would pierce him, one at his face and one at his chest. The chest had defense, but the face didn’t have any defense.
Meanwhile, the other eight aimed at Adrian, but Adrian’s fiery eyes and his body wreathed in the Aurora Dragonfire didn’t back down.
He used his strongest specialized class skill, Impact of a Million Smash, as both of his fists wrapped in Phoenixflame Gauntlets burst out with giant fist projectiles buffed by Aurora Dragonfire and other buffs.
*BOOOM!*
The powerful impact shattered and burned away all wooden weapons while Melameron was smashed on the ground due to pure impact. His exoskeleton cracked, on the verge of shattering.
*Swoosh!*
A powerful gust of wind swept past everyone and struck Finn, saving him as Amir used the Tier-1 Artifact that Almond had given him—Quetzal’s Windgod Handfan.
Julian did better as he used the wind and his new swordplay with Heavy Sword to curve himself, dodging the incoming attack while also managing to unleash the strongest slash projectile empowered by his specialized class skill toward Melameron’s vines, preventing the vines from pulling him out of the wind gust wave.
A domain of wind formed, allowing Amir to control the wind as he pleased and move others to save them while also increasing everyone’s movement and action speed.
Talia instead went towards Almond as her buff-skill’s range was shorter, and she had to make sure Almond was buffed.
Amir didn’t stop and used the second effect of the Artifact towards the boss as a massive wave of wind gusts impacted Melameron, keeping him on the ground since Adrian’s powerful attack had already smashed him down.
“Very good, hahahaha!” Melameron laughed, still unscratched, as his vitality was at 100%.
His staff on the ground pulsed as he laughed, and it vanished into the ground before giant mushrooms with big mouths on top of them suddenly sprung up near everyone.
However, Almond’s spirit wraiths pounced on Melameron before he could try to get away from the wind gusts’ zone.
Dark Pope lashed out with shadow whips, binding all limbs, and Mira also poured all of her Mana to strengthen those darkness-elemental bindings.
Galvaren roared and dive-bombed Melameron, shattering the ten wooden hands of his avatar that formed a defensive wall.
But everyone else started feeling foggy and dizzy as mushrooms burst out with poisonous gas. Still, Brynjal made sure to put all four of his puppets at the fight so that Almond’s spirit wraiths could keep Melameron busy.
Sylvia rooted herself and put her entire focus on controlling it. Emma also did the same, targeting the poison with her specialized class’s poison-type skill and storing it away in her Exotic Poison Pouch skill as much as possible.
Sylvia turned into a giant tree, absorbing all the poisons, but everyone was not only feeling debuffs but also their vitality was rapidly reducing. Jemma also used her widespread recovery and cleansing skills to support everyone as her water trails spread out.
‘Use both Potions! It’s time!’ Almond also used Spirit Syringe on himself to boost his stats further.
With no other choice, everyone first used the Supreme quality Complete Recovery Potions as they recovered fully, and all debuffs were removed.
They also drank the Arcane Mana recovery potion.
And then entered the surprise elements that Melameron didn’t know and the best bet to finish off the Heroic Boss.
Nyssara, Maya, and Natalia. Jemma also boosted Maya’s iciness by adding her water elemental power.
Almond was also finished with his preparation, and so was Lily with her highly lethal Lupin of Darkened Flame and her Voidless Sunderer attack from both of her Legendary weapons!
The Spirit Wraiths didn’t care about their lives and made sure that Melameron was fully focused on them.
Unlike the previous Heroic Bosses, this one was more intelligent, but he didn’t know about Maya and Natalia yet because they just entered while the previous bosses all knew about them.
If Melameron also knew about the plan or figured it out, it could indeed falter, but since Maya and Natalia had just entered the challenge area, he didn’t know!
Both gals entered fully prepared, especially Maya, whose arrow was nocked and ready, pulsing and whirling with ice elements boosted and jointly controlled by Nysarra!
‘Natalia, go first!’
Almond’s voice entered her ears.
Natalia had already pushed her instruments towards the boss as they rang and provided buffs, so upon hearing Almond’s command, she immediately launched her skill—Celestial Songstress from her flute.
The ring of sound struck all spirit wraiths, passing through them and stunning them while also striking Melameron, stunning him.
Almond arrived right behind Melameron, activating Phase Two of Unveiled Catastrophe.
Stunned completely, Melameron couldn’t do anything as the dreadful catastrophic slash arrived.
But as if Melameron’s staff had its own mind, it sprung up from the ground, shining menacingly to block the strike. Alas, this was a pure destructive-type attack. The staff instantly broke, but the brief time it brought recovered Melameron just enough to save his neck as he jumped.
The catastrophic slash struck his waist and disintegrated it along with everything below.
-68% vitality in just one attack!
‘Holy crap, brat! Awesome attack!’
His attention on Almond was hyper, but then his eyes flashed, and he turned in another direction.
‘Shit.’
Maya’s arrow came hurling, piercing, and zooming. It was too late when he noticed it as it burst with a freezing wave towards him.
Almond already knew since he gave the command to Maya at a perfect time by taking into consideration that Melameron might save his neck from his catastrophic slash.
As such, he put Spirit Nuke right before Melameron was frozen into an iceblock.
1 second.
*BOOOOOOOOOOOOM!*
‘My job is to take lives even if I don’t want to. Don’t hold it against me if you see me in the future, brat. Good luck, and I hope you can save them.’
And then, the mushrooms exploded with lethal poison…while the notification of them completing the Heroic Challenge also rang.
Almond’s pupils shrank to the size of a needle as a scene of pure terror unfolded before him.