"Meddlesome nephilim!", hissed Ivreya as she did her best to get rid of the stun. Liam made use of the opportunity. His swords flashed in graceful arcs, his moves blending into one another. They struck from the left and right, slashing at the enemy, ending in a cross-shaped posture which was just right to follow up with a [Cross Slash]. Enveloped in white blade light the weapons dealt another blow to the priestess. And after finishing the skill he was just in time for another normal attack.
[-2267!]
[-1133!]
[-3627!]
[-71!]
[-2247!]
[-1153!]
Ivreya groaned in anger after suffering so much damage in such little time. Her black eyes glared at Liam. If looks could kill the player would be beyond redemption already. The entire sequence lasted barely two seconds as the priestess managed to shake off the stun. She waved her hands, throwing two magical spheres at Liam, one shining with sacred light and one brimming with despairing darkness.
Liam was not flustered. Although the enemy's basic attack consisted of two projectiles, it didn't make much difference if they both aimed at the same point. With an elegant jump to the side, he dodged both attacks.
[Stance -15!]
Without the buff from being mounted Liam only had 162 points of stance. Thus, he hadn't activated his ultimate skill yet. He would use it at an opportune moment to use its duration most effectively.
For a while the battle continued like this. Both Liam and Ivreya only used their normal attacks. However, this was a contest the boss was fated to lose. Her enemy kept dodging, and his attack speed was considerably higher. After only short exchange Ivreya had lost another 10.500HP.
"Don't think you have already won, adventurer! You have discovered my biggest secret. I won't let you leave alive today!"
With those words Ivreya suddenly surged with dark magic, floating higher into the air. Liam frowned, studying his surroundings. He contemplated whether it was worth trying to reach her. However, in the air he would be an easy target. If only he had a flying mount this wouldn't be an issue.
Liam's thoughts wandered to the egg quietly waiting in his inventory. He decided to push for level 60 after getting his class.
For now, Liam was helpless and could only watch as Ivreya floated below the half-ruined ceiling, turning her palms towards the ground. Magic circles began to fill the air one after another. A moment later they erupted with spears of dark magic, bombarding the ground indiscriminately.
Observing vigilantly, Liam dodged left and right, escaping any damage, causing Ivreya in the air to frown. She snorted lightly and the formation of dark spears suddenly sped up. Liam was surprised that she had such an ability. It became much more difficult to avoid the spears and even Liam suffered from two hits.
[-1507!]
[-1517!]
"Damn…"
Liam cursed under his breath as Ivreya finally ended her skill. With an arrogant laugh she came back to the floor. Liam's eyes narrowed dangerously. A faint shimmer of golden light finally enveloped him. Even before the boss reached the ground, he rushed forwards.
His swords brutally struck Iverya's legs. Preciously he had managed to apply four Holy Marks to the boss, of which two had already faded. With this attack they were back to four. Liam's swords shone in a bright white light as [Double Slash] activated. A violent blow hit Iverya's chest. Another Holy Mark was applied before they all exploded in a dazzling golden light like divine punishment.
[-2267!]
[-1133!]
[-2947!]
[-1813!]
[-247!]
"AHH!"
Ivreya let out a startled shout as golden needles erupted from Laim's sword, shooting into her eyes and blinding her. This was the third effect of his sword, applying a blind to his enemy at the low chance of ten percent. Even Liam didn't expect it to trigger. This made the combo even more perfect. The only pity was the boss's high resistance to holy damage, which reduced the might of his Holy Marks down to a pitiful amount of 247 points. If triggering Holy Marks didn't recover stance it wouldn't even be worth it to work towards them.
"Die! Die! Die!"
Ivreya grew frantic. Losing her eyesight she wildly threw attacks in all directions. Liam stood directly in front of her, but she couldn't target him, suffering two more attacks in the short time before she regained her sight. The boss took deep breaths as her HP were dropping below 40.000 while she hadn't been much of a threat to the adventurer yet. A hint of disbelief grew in her heart. Could she, who mastered both light and darkness, really lose to a nephilim unable to wield dark magic?
"I don't believe it!"
Bringing her hands together before her chest, Ivreya began chanting incantations. Liam landed another attack, but the boss remained unmoved. He frowned faintly, not stopping his movements. Yet the next time his swords landed on Ivreya, the dark magic around her billowed and reflected the blades. Liam groaned as he was pushed back, taking a few heavy steps to stabilize himself.
[-1143!]
Knowing that he couldn't attack again, Liam retreated swiftly. He kept his distance, vigilantly staring at Ivreya.
"Adventurer, prepare to die!"
The priestess's voice was distorted, sounding as if two people were speaking at once. A chilling cold spread in the temple. The poor girls trapped in their cages curled up, praying for Liam to kill the demon quickly.
An oppressive air bore down on everyone around Ivreya. She raised her hands and patterns lit up all over her body, spreading a terrible curse. There was no escape. Liam felt his body suddenly becoming heavy, as if his limbs were made from lead. He watched with furrowed brows as holy light gathered above Iverya's hands, forming a gorgeous, great sword. It carried a feeling of vanquishing all evil and yet it was wielded by a demonic priestess.
Suddenly Liam's instincts screamed. Under his sharp gaze he noticed the slightest movement of Iverya's shoulders. His actions were instant. With his cursed body all his movements were extremely slow. Only by anticipating the enemy's attack was there a chance of survival. He threw his weight to the left, rolling on the ground.
Boom!
The entire temple shook as the golden sword hit the place where Liam had stood until a moment ago. His armour flashed with a dark light as its effect triggered, shooting a [Cursed Spear] at the priestess.
"Huh?"
Ivreya was surprised that her enemy could attack her with dark magic. But there was no need to worry. She could see that the attack was not overly powerful. She would rather concentrate on keeping up her spell.
[-494!]
However, for Liam this attack held some significance. He realized that the boss lost her invulnerability. Thus, he pulled his heavy body up and instantly activated [Grip of the Dark]. Cackling, a dark shadow appeared behind Ivreya, clinging to her back. The priestess frowned but didn't interrupt her assault. She dragged the heavy sword back up, raising it above her head, and once again striking at Liam.
But the adventurer suddenly disappeared from the spot. She felt a swift wind and the next moment two swords were cutting at her waist.
"Screw you!"
Listening to the boss's curse Liam only grinned. He noticed that the majestic golden sword weighed heavily in Ivreya's hands, impacting her movements. Thus, both Liam and Ivreya were slowed down, putting them on equal levels. Liam pushed his heavy body to land another attack before Ivreya managed to turn towards him.
Liam had gained the upper hand. While Iverya's blade fell the veteran stuck close to her, circling around her body and once again striking from her back. Ivreya would curse and turn around and the situation repeated itself.
Being made a fool of by the adventurer Ivreya gritted her teeth, her eyes turning a deep black. Mana boiled in her body causing her hair to dance wildly. She let out a shout and exploded the golden blade in her hands. This time it happened too fast and Laim had no chance to escape the explosion. A blow struck his chest, flinging him backwards as he heavily crashed into the temple's wall.
[-9746!]
Liam coughed as stars floated in front of his eyes. He was shocked by the enormous damage. A thought came to his mind. Perhaps it was worth it to invest in some defensive stats. However, as he often ventured with his friends or fought against other players, he usually wouldn't receive such a severe blow. Only in situations like these where he faced off against a boss on his own was there such a risk.
"Please, please, you need to stand up!"
A pleading voice reached Liam's ears. He chuckled, nodding at the caged girls not far away. Although players felt some pain, one's combat effectiveness wouldn't actually be affected before losing all HP. Liam pushed against the ground and nimbly came back to his feet. His body felt light as a feather as the previous curse had disappeared.
Liam looked ahead and noticed Iverya supporting herself with her hands on her knees, showing clear fatigue. A dangerous glint flashed in his eyes.