"Don't slack off now!"
"We got this!"
"Twenty thousand HP left!"
Under the efforts of the party, the boss was weakening continuously. Now there was not much left. If they just fought steadily, the boss was bound to be defeated.
Yet the friends were also facing some troubles. Their mana was gradually being depleted, making it difficult to use skills. Even Balm was reaching her limits. She had to use her skills carefully, being as efficient as possible.
Fortune was already out of mana and Cyclone's raining lightning had become a small drizzle. Only those like Watchful Eye and Quickstep, who weren't reliant on mana, still fared quite well.
Silver Blade revealed a trump card of hers to alleviate the pressure. Her passive could store a maximum amount of 1000 times her level of Bulwark Energy. At this moment 68.000 points were all used up at once. A powerful pulse spread from the tank, suppressing the entire battlefield. Strange runes appeared, floating through the air, emitting a dreadful restrictive force, banning all hostile magic.
Misortnimn waved his umbrella but to his shock there was no dark wind, not even a faint breeze. He was entirely unable to deal magical damage.
"Damn, that's so powerful!"
"I'm glad we are not affected…"
"How long does the effect last?"
"68 seconds. So make the best of it!"
The friends briefly exchanged a few words. One could feel that their concentration was dwindling. Now that the terrifying devil had his claws cut, the players felt that the threat had greatly diminished, and they even found the time for some leisurely conversation.
The attacks continued to flow. Slowly the boss's HP dropped to 15.000 points. Everyone could see the light at the end of the tunnel. The arduous path was about to come to an end.
But Misortnimn, the Unlucky Jester, Devil of Misfortune, had one last trick up his sleeves.
"Adventurers, I never thought you would be able to become such a boulder blocking my road. However, do you think you can block a devil this easily, mortals? Yet I am willing to give you a chance. Do you dare to play with me? A game of life and death! A final decider!"
As Misortnimn spoke, a layer of dense dark magic surrounded him, reducing all incoming damage by 90%. The friends couldn't help but frown. What was this about? If they declined, would they be unable to kill the devil? Even if it was just a clone?
[Silver Blade: What are we doing?]
[Cyclone: Of course we play!]
[Quickstep: What happens if we don't?]
[Bleary Mirage: If we reject him, he will enter berserk mode.]
[Balm: Guys, is it even a question? We have Cyclone! Of course we accept!]
[Radiant Shield: Agreed.]
[Silver Blade: Let's do it.]
[Cyclone: Nice!]
Cyclone grinned, her eyes radiating joy. Her friends agreed one by one. It was time to play a game against the devil. The blond mage proudly stuck out her chest, defiantly staring at the devil:
"You are called the Devil of Misfortune! How dare you challenge me, the daughter of luck? If it is a game that you want to play, I will surely accompany you!"
"Damn, so imposing!", laughed Balm, causing Cyclone's grin to grow even broader. Suddenly she understood why Radiant Shield always like to roleplay so much. It was indeed fun.
"Audacious mortal!"
Suddenly a shout echoed through the air. A pressure hit the friends, as if a mountain was collapsing above them. A sulfuric smell rose and dark energy spread through the air. Cyclone felt it the most, shivering as she faced the devil's eyes.
However, all of this lasted only for a moment. As everything returned to normal the already white skin of Misortnimn turned another shade paler.
"Still just a clone…"
The devil let out a sigh. He flipped his hand and suddenly two decks of cards appeared in the air between him and Cyclone, face down. Misortnimn floated some distance away and placed his hand on the deck in front of him, provocatively staring at Cyclone.
"Draw a card!"
"Eh? Wait, are we just starting like that? Shouldn't you explain the rules?"
"Draw!"
The Devil of Misfortune didn't entertain Cyclone at all, his voice icy. Cyclone was taken aback. She glanced at her friends.
"Don't worry, just play along.", said Liam.
Cyclone instantly relaxed. She looked back at the devil, facing him fearlessly. She, Cyclone, would never lose in a battle of luck! With a powerful pull, a card half the size of Cyclone's body was picked up. The mage's eyes immediately shone confidently. Misortnimn copied her actions and even his eternally sad eyes showed some pleasant surprise.
"Show the cards!"
The boss gave the command, turning his card around. The friends stood at the side, spectating the duel. When they saw the card drawn by Misortnimn they couldn't help but frown. Jack of hearts! Even without knowing the rules, this surely wasn't a weak card.
"Hehehe!"
Yet Cyclone only chuckled. She slowly turned her own card, causing everyone's hearts to jump in anticipation.
"King of hearts!", exclaimed Balm happily. This had to be Cyclone's win, right?
Under everyone's eyes the two cards suddenly came to life. The jack and the king stepped out of the paper, both holding their heads high and emitting a royal aura. The next moment the jack drew his sword and instantly appeared in front of the king. Yet the latter remained unfaced. With a wave of his royal sceptre the jack was blocked. Another wave and the figure of the jack broke into hundreds of points of light, dissipating with the wind.
"Am I really unable to win…?"
An almost despairing voice could be heard from Misortnimn as his HP were instantly reduced by 1000 points.
"Haha that's fun! Let's continue!"
Cyclone's bright laughter stood in stark contrast to the devil's mood. Misortnimn almost regretted it a little. It was always the same. Ever since becoming the Devil of Misfortune, his luck had gone down the drain. Why then, was he born with such a love for playing games? What a cursed existence!
The only saving grace for Misortnimn was that being the Devil do Misfortune, his power was actually not weak, and especially difficult to eradicate. After all, misfortunate people always existed. Even if the gods were able to create a perfect order, banishing the chaos faction entirely, without war, without sadness, there would still be misfortunate people.
"Let's continue…"
Misortnimn refused to belief that he couldn't win this game. He placed his hand on the deck of cards. Cyclone did the same and both players drew their cards and turned them around.
In front of Cyclone ten flaming red hearts emerged from the card. Meanwhile two shining diamonds appeared on Misortnimn's side. The winner was easily decided. The ten hearts overwhelmed the two diamonds, shattering them apart, dealing another 800 points of damage to the devil.
Misortnimn shivered. He couldn't believe it. But the situation simply wouldn't improve. Card after card was drawn and Cyclone emerged victorious every single round.
"I almost feel bad for him…"
"Yeah…"
"Maybe we should tell Cyclone to give him a chance?"
The friends spectating the match felt some pity for Misortnimn, watching his expression gradually turning crazier by the minute. But no matter what card he drew, he just couldn't win. In one round he even pulled an ace of heart, one of the strongest cards in the game. And yet Cyclone actually revealed an ace of spades, and the two cards cancelled each other out.
And on top of that Cyclone's taunts certainly didn't make life easier for the devil.
"Hey, do you want my advice? Each time I pick up loot, I pray to the goddess of luck!"
"Look, I can even beat you without looking!"
"Left-handed!"
"Wow, you are really the Devil of Misfortune! The name suits you!"
After a while Misortnimn was close to tears. He only had 200 HP left. Cyclone was about to finish him off. Both combatants revealed their cards and… baffled expressions appeared on everyone's faces. Misortnimn couldn't even believe his eyes. Only after his four of hearts shattered apart Cyclone's three of clubs did joy shine from the devil's eyes.
Liam and his friends were startled as they each received 300 points of damage. Of course, this bit of damage didn't matter but it was shocking to see Cyclone suddenly lose a round after a winning streak of 26 in a row.
Misortnimn barely held back tears of joy, his drooping mouth almost raising its corners. His hand trembled slightly as he reached for the deck of cards. Perhaps his time had come? Could he turn everything around? Could he win against the little devil opposite him, beating him round after round?
Everyone held their breaths. Cyclone and Misortnimn both slowly turned their cards around.
"Hehe, still got it!"
Cyclone's cheer immediately rang out. No great miracle happened. Cyclone's queen of spades clashed with the devil's eight of clubs, utterly annihilating it. A massive backlash hit the boss. His HP finally dropped to zero. The devil's clone… was defeated!