"You pathetic human…" the Harpy Queen sneered, her voice jagged with disdain—the only harpy capable of speaking human tongue. "You think you can defeat me?!"
She slashed down with her claws, a blur of death aimed straight for Han.
"Raphtalia!" Han barked. "Up!"
"On it!" she cried, and a Lunar platform shimmered into existence beneath him.
Han sprang upward just as the claws tore through the air beneath his feet.
"What?!" the Queen hissed, taken aback.
"Twin Fang: Tearing Spiral!" Han twisted mid-air, blades spinning as he dove like a corkscrew toward her wrist—aiming to cleave her hand from her arm.
But the Queen's wing snapped out like a steel fan—wham!—and swatted him from the air.
"Guh—!" Han grunted as he tumbled through the sky, only to slam into a wall of Lunar Energy just in time to stop his crash. Raphtalia stood below, hand raised and trembling from the effort.
'Fuck! She's too strong! Way stronger than the 2nd Floor's boss! I can't beat her alone! Why the hell is Anytng's account such a—'
His thoughts were sliced short by a scream.
"Aghhhhhhh!!"
It came from below—Jenna.
She convulsed on the platform, her back arched unnaturally. Muscles twisted. Skin bulged. Something beneath it strained for release, as if her very body were rebelling.
[Jenna (☆)'s Pain Tolerance has raised to level 7!]
[Jenna (☆)'s Pain Tolerance has raised to level 8!]
[Jenna (☆) is in a state of transformation!]
"Jenna!!" Tess, Shay, and Raphtalia shouted at once, their voices heavy with dread.
Jenna didn't respond. Her mouth opened, but only ragged gasps came out. Her limbs shook violently. Sweat poured from her skin.
'Shit!' Han's heart twisted. But he grit his teeth. "Tess! Shay! Don't lose focus!"
"But Jenna is—!" Tess protested, panic flashing in her eyes.
"If we stop now, she's done! We end the Queen—now!"
The air pulsed with Lunar light.
"Raphtalia! Can you coat our weapons in Lunar Energy?" Han called.
"Yes! But if I do that, I won't be able to keep the platforms up for long—" Raphtalia hesitated, glancing at Jenna's trembling body.
"It's fine!" Han snapped. "We'll finish her in one hit!"
Raphtalia nodded, raising her blade high as it shimmered with silver.
"Moonveil Arts: Lunar Channeling!"
Streams of radiant light flowed from her sword, splitting and dancing through the air like stardust. Han's twin blades caught the light first, their steel igniting with white flame. Shay's longsword gleamed with holy brilliance. Tess's spear crackled like moonlight speared through a storm.
"Let's go!" Han roared.
"Yes!!" Tess and Shay shouted in unison.
The three launched forward, streaks of silver light soaring toward the Harpy Queen like falling stars.
"Twin Fang: Blade Echo!" Han roared, his twin blades flashing with murderous intent.
Each strike struck true—clang!, slash!, clang!, the second blade following the first like a phantom echo. Sparks danced, the silver glow of Lunar Energy trailing like streaks of starlight.
"Solemn Blade: King's Judgment!" Shay bellowed beside him, bringing her sword down with righteous fury. The air cracked around her blade like thunder.
"Aghhhhhhh!!" Tess cried, her red tribal marks blazing, casting flickers of crimson light across her body. Her spear surged forward like lightning, driven by battle instinct and raw power.
"Ahhhhh!" Raphtalia screamed, lifting her sword skyward as she fed the last of her mana into the companion's lunar coating. The glow surged brighter—so intense it turned the battlefield into a blinding moonlit battlefield.
"You think you can defeat me?!" The Harpy Queen shrieked, her eyes wild, feral. She hurled herself into their charge, claws extended, wings flared. "Keep dreaming, lurid humans!"
Their weapons collided.
A nova of silver, red, and black erupted between them.
A flash—
Then silence.
A second later, the Queen's head soared into the air, trailing dark blood behind it before it thudded against the ground. Her body staggered, then collapsed in a twitching heap.
[Skill Awakening!]
[Han (★)'s Intermediate Swordsmanship and Dual Wielding have fused.]
[Han (★) has obtained a new skill: Intermediate Dual Swords!]
[Shay (☆☆☆☆)'s Intermediate Swordsmanship has increased to level 5!]
[Shay (☆☆☆☆)'s Sword Grace has increased to level 7!]
[Shay (☆☆☆☆)'s Knight Determination has increased to level 4!]
[Tess (☆☆)'s Basic Spearmanship has increased to level 9!]
[Tess (☆☆)'s Warrior's Mark has increased to level 5!]
[Raphtalia (☆☆☆☆)'s Moonveil Arts has increased to level 4!]
The Queen's massive corpse hit the ground with a final, shaking boom, the battlefield eerily silent in her absence.
But then, Raphtalia's knees buckled.
"Hah… hah…" she gasped, mana completely drained. The glowing platforms vanished beneath the party.
"Wha—!" Han, Shay, and Tess dropped from the air.
They crashed to the dirt with a grunt, bruised but victorious.
[Stage Clear!]
[Han (★), Shay (☆☆☆☆), Raphtalia (☆☆☆☆), Tess (☆☆), Jenna (☆) have leveled up!]
[MVP – Raphtalia (☆☆☆☆)]
[Reward Acquired: 20,000 G, Black Iron (A+) x2, Wood (B) x21, Harpy Feathers (A) x32]
"Jenna!!" Han rushed to her side, his blades clattering to the ground as he dropped to his knees.
Tess and Shay were already there, flanking Jenna, their faces tight with panic.
Raphtalia tried to rise—but her legs gave out. "Nngh…" she gasped, slumping against the dirt, her mana reserves empty.
Jenna let out another ragged scream, her body arched in agony. Black feathers sprouted violently from her back. Bone tore through flesh as wing-like limbs began to form—twisted and raw, sprouting from her spine.
[Jenna (☆☆)'s transformation has almost completed. Her race is changing.]
"Fuck!" Han swore inwardly, helpless as Jenna convulsed in pain.
"Hold on, Jenna!" Tess pleaded, grabbing her hand.
But before anyone could act further, their bodies began to flicker—faint glows of blue overtaking them, their forms becoming translucent.
"We're getting pulled back!" Shay shouted. "The lobby!"
"Maybe it'll stop the transformation!" Tess said urgently. "Come on, come on—!"
Jenna's screams echoed as the light engulfed them all.
And then—
They vanished.
To be continued...
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How was this chapter? Was it to your liking?
Also, I have been thinking about who should I give the Tome of Shamanism Han found in the third floor? Like, could you guys recommend me a character you find good with the power of nature (it isn't pure shamanism, it's a mist of a druid magic as well).