Even with this sudden discovery of the boss’ skill levels being weaker than expected, that did not mean that this fight would suddenly become easier. It was no lie that the boss was still an A rank entity. Beating this opponent would be no easy feat.
p Leon quickly righted himself in time to brace himself for the next attack. An earthen wall rose from behind him, just as the staff of the boss came slamming down onto him. The thick wall of fortified earth luckily did not break, but the force that Leon had to bear was immense. At least, he was left closer so he would be able to strike.
His left hand blurred forward, brewing with a dark, rustic light that corroded the air and space around it. The boss tried to jump back, but a heavy pressure pressed down on it, slowing it down, and allowing Leon to slam his palm into its chest.
Bang!
The body of the boss stumbled backwards as a tremendous force was transferred into its body. The force was not as powerful as its own, but it was powerful nonetheless. As it came to a stop, it looked down to see that its armor where Leon had struck it was beginning to rust and corrode.
Through Dark magic, Leon had mimicked the rot effect and applied it to armor, making it rust. It was the same thing he had done to Aristodemus back when the armored giant still used to be the boss of the second floor.
Grinning, he stood up and cracked his neck. He could feel his bones creaking from the stress that had been put on them, but he did not feel any fear. Instead, he felt a surge of excitement rising up within him. He was eager to fight this boss and surpass his previous limits. Perhaps this would be his springboard to A rank!
“You insolent WORM!” The boss suddenly bellowed. The green flames within its skull surged so violently that the skull itself actually burst into flames! The air around it grew turbulent and shaky as its domain shook with its anger.
It was then that a shadow flickered right behind the boss. Nedra’s claws hovered right above the head of the blazing skeleton, but just before she was able to strike it, the staff in its hand blurred, and in the next moment, it slammed into her side, sending her flying to the other side of the hall and crashing right into the wall.
“Nedra!” Leon felt her pain through their mental link, and it nearly overwhelmed him. The staff had completely broken apart her exoskeleton, and if her durability had been any lower, then she would have been severed into two halves.
The thought of losing his first companion in this world set something within Leon on fire. His eyes blazed with purple light as something within him was unshackled. His domain suddenly trembled, becoming darker and much more tangible. Lean, wriggling arms reached out from the ground, grabbing onto any enemy of his and holding them in place. Some of those hands even completely ripped apart some of the weaker enemies!
A soundless roar tore through Leon’s jaw as his body was enveloped in black flames. Ten burning figures rose from the ground around him; it was those ten knights that had appeared during the fight on the third floor. They only needed a moment to physically manifest, and they set to reaping the lives of anything that stood against Leon. But strangely enough, they did not set their sights on the floor boss. Instead, they left it for their master.
The black flames burning around Leon began to coalesce. His armor was revealed, and it was different from before. Before, it had been already very powerful and sturdy, and also possessed a few visual features that were awe inspiring, but now, the armor was as much awe inspiring as it was terrifying.
A very prominent skull was engraved onto the chest region of the armor set. The mouth of the skull was wide open, revealing a shimmering gem that glowed with a myriad of colors within Leon’s chest. It was his core. The remaining flames gathered at the top of Leon’s head, forming a crown that mirrored that of the boss of the floor, but this one seemed to possess more life within it. The gems that had been set in the crown blazed with light that caused the mana all around him to boil.
All of these events made Leon’s strength skyrocket, but it was not enough for him to break the boundaries of B rank. However, that was not necessary.
Purple flames burned behind Leon’s eye sockets, and when Leon fixed his gaze on the boss, it actually felt fear for the first time in its short existence.
“You will pay.” Leon said. He did not raise his voice, but somehow, his voice was so loud that it shook the entire boss room. A dark, menacing aura was emanating from him as he took a step forward. The ground beneath his foot cracked under his weight as he began to activate his skills, casting spells all at once. Black flames, purple flames, black smog, black water, and a strange mist. All these different elements began to circulate around Leon and the boss, creating a sort of ring where they would fight.
The floor boss took a step backwards before it could realize what it did, and then it stopped. It realized that something was wrong. Was it not it that had been the imposing one a few moments ago? What had been the use of its eruption of power if it had been for nothing? How could a mere B rank being scare it?!
“I will bury you in the center of this hall and use your skull as a trophy!” It roared and began rushing forward. In a second, it was already in front of Leon, with its fist cocked back.
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