The crimson light that had flooded the chamber did not fade after the fusion.
Instead, it grew denser.
The scarlet glow thickened until it felt as though blood itself had seeped into the air, staining every corner of the dungeon. The shattered arena, already reduced to rubble from the battle against the White Knight and Dark Knight, now felt completely alien.
No one moved.
No one dared to.
Every surviving member of the raid stood frozen as they stared at the figure standing in the center of the chamber.
The being that had emerged from the fusion of the two bosses no longer resembled anything they had fought before.
The Allure, Knight of the Eclipse.
Its right side was covered in jagged black armor that seemed forged from darkness itself. The left side was clad in immaculate white steel that radiated an eerie divine glow. Crimson veins pulsed beneath both halves, spreading across its body like living cracks.
Two massive wings extended from its back.
Above its head, a fractured halo rotated slowly, alternating between black and silver light.
Most terrifying of all was its face.
Beautiful.
Perfect.
Utterly devoid of humanity.
One eye burned crimson.
The other shone silver.
Both eyes slowly swept across the raid party.
Then it smiled.
That simple expression sent a chill through everyone present.
Kiraya reacted first.
Her instincts screamed danger.
"Everyone, spread out—!"
She never finished the command.
The moment Allure raised one hand, the world changed.
[Boss Skill: Radiance Domain]
Crimson light exploded outward from its body.
It wasn't an attack.
It wasn't even energy in the conventional sense.
It felt more like territory.
Like a king claiming a kingdom.
The red wave swallowed the entire chamber instantly.
Walls disappeared.
The ceiling vanished.
Even the ground beneath their feet seemed to dissolve into an endless crimson abyss.
Then the chains appeared.
They didn't emerge from magic circles.
They weren't summoned.
One moment they weren't there.
The next moment they existed.
Dozens of radiant chains wrapped around every player simultaneously.
Arms.
Legs.
Waists.
Necks.
Torso.
Every major joint.
"What the hell?!"
"They've got me!"
"I can't move!"
The chains immediately began tightening.
Every heartbeat caused them to constrict further.
Every attempt to resist only increased the pressure.
Ayame tried lifting her staff.
The chain wrapped around her arm suddenly constricted.
CRACK.
Pain exploded through her body.
"AHHH!"
Small damage numbers appeared above her head.
Not enough to kill.
But enough to terrify.
Enough to remind everyone that resistance came with punishment.
Hinabi's eyes narrowed.
She immediately understood.
"This isn't just restraint."
The crimson-haired mage stared at the chains pulsing around her arms.
"It's control."
Nearby, Fayzan clenched his teeth.
Flames ignited around his hands as he forced his arm forward.
"Then we break it."
His fire intensified.
The chains responded instantly.
They tightened harder.
The pain nearly forced him to his knees.
"Tch!"
At the center of the domain, Allure tilted its head slightly.
Watching.
Observing.
Studying.
Then it raised its second hand.
The air above the battlefield shattered.
[Boss Skill: Eclipse Dominion]
The ceiling split apart.
Darkness poured through the opening.
Not ordinary darkness.
Something heavier.
Something oppressive.
Something absolute.
Then the swords appeared.
Hundreds.
Then thousands.
Black blades emerged from the darkness and began falling from the sky.
Each sword radiated murderous intent.
Each one hummed with lethal energy.
Elias' eyes widened.
"MOVE!"
But nobody could.
The chains prevented it.
They weren't fast enough.
Not trapped like this.
For the first time since entering the dungeon, despair arrived before the attack itself.
Then fire erupted.
"GET DOWN!"
Kiraya forced herself forward.
Every movement tore at her muscles.
The chains cut into her skin, drawing blood as they tightened.
But she moved anyway.
She raised her shield.
Her sword ignited.
[Sword Skill: Lionheart Resonance]
A massive wave of flame surged upward.
The fire collided directly with the descending storm of black blades.
BOOOOM!
Dozens of swords vaporized instantly.
Then hundreds.
But not all of them.
There were simply too many.
Still, the attack created space.
A narrow opening.
A chance to survive.
Kiraya slammed her shield into the ground.
Flames erupted outward.
A massive dome of fire expanded around a portion of the raid group.
"Stay behind me!"
The rain of swords crashed against the barrier.
Explosions echoed continuously.
Some shattered.
Others pierced partially through.
Every impact pushed Kiraya backward.
An inch.
Then another.
Then another.
Yet she refused to yield.
She held.
And held.
And held.
Then everything went silent.
The sudden absence of noise made her heart skip.
Kiraya's eyes widened.
"Wait..."
The flames flickered.
The pressure shifted.
Instinct screamed.
Then Allure appeared directly in front of her.
No movement.
No teleportation effect.
No warning.
One moment it stood across the battlefield.
The next it stood face-to-face with her.
Smiling.
Kiraya reacted immediately.
Her shield rose.
Her sword turned.
But she was too slow.
Far too slow.
Allure gracefully lifted one leg.
Then kicked.
CRACK.
The impact was horrifying.
It wasn't merely a hit.
It was annihilation.
Kiraya vanished from her position.
Her body shot across the chamber faster than anyone could follow.
BOOOOM!
She slammed into the far wall.
Stone exploded.
An entire section of the arena collapsed inward.
Her shield flew from her arm.
Her sword slipped from her grasp.
Her body fell motionless beneath the debris.
Her HP instantly reached zero.
Silence consumed the battlefield.
Nobody spoke.
Nobody breathed.
The tank had fallen.
The woman who always stood at the front.
The one who protected everyone.
The one who never fell first.
Was gone.
Ayame's voice trembled.
"No way..."
"Kiraya...?"
Fayzan stared blankly.
For the first time in the entire raid, he looked genuinely shocked.
"You've got to be kidding me..."
Even Hinabi lost her usual smile.
Her expression became cold.
Focused.
Dangerously serious.
"One hit..."
She stared at the rubble.
"She got one-shot."
Meanwhile, Allure calmly lowered its leg.
As if nothing important had happened.
The domain pulsed again.
The chains tightened.
The rain of black swords resumed.
Its gaze shifted from Kiraya's body to the remaining players.
The message couldn't have been clearer.
The tank was dead.
The frontline was broken.
And now there was nothing standing between it and the rest of the raid.
Elias stepped forward.
Alone.
His sword rose once more.
White-gold flames flickered around the blade despite his exhaustion.
Despite his injuries.
Despite the hopeless odds.
His voice remained calm.
Steady.
Unshaken.
"Everyone."
The surviving players looked toward him.
"Fall back."
Then he tightened his grip on his sword.
"I'll hold it."
Because someone had to.
And now there was only one person left capable of doing it.
Unfortunately, the nightmare was far from over.
The battlefield had already collapsed.
The raid's formation was shattered.
Their morale was breaking.
Yet Allure continued forward without hesitation.
Its wings spread wider.
Its fractured halo rotated slowly.
Then it raised its hand again.
[Eclipse Dominion]
The sky split open once more.
Another endless storm of black swords descended.
Elias stepped forward instinctively.
"Not again..."
He raised his blade.
White-gold flames attempted to ignite.
For a moment, they responded.
Then they died.
The backlash finally arrived.
His final attack against the White Knight and Dark Knight had consumed everything.
Mana.
Stamina.
Control.
His legs buckled.
He dropped to one knee.
Then both.
"Damn it..."
For the first time in the raid, Elias couldn't stand.
The swords descended.
Fast.
Unavoidable.
And there was no one left to stop them.
Then Hinabi stepped forward.
Her breathing was ragged.
Her mana reserves were nearly empty.
Yet her eyes still burned with determination.
"I'm not done yet."
She raised both hands.
Crimson mana surged around her.
Violent.
Unstable.
The last of her power.
[Mage Skill: Crimson Red Lotus]
A gigantic lotus of fire bloomed above the raid.
Flaming petals spiraled outward and intercepted the descending blades.
The first wave shattered.
Then the second.
But the third broke through.
The lotus cracked.
Then shattered.
The remaining swords pierced through the defense and struck both Hinabi and Elias repeatedly.
Blood splattered across the battlefield.
When the attack finally ended, they were still alive.
Barely.
Both had only one percent HP remaining.
Neither could move.
Above them, Allure watched.
And smiled.
Then its attention shifted toward the remaining survivors.
Ayame.
Sumi.
The players desperately trying to escape.
The healer's voice shook.
"Run..."
"Just run..."
Sumi stepped forward and drew her daggers.
"I'll buy you time."
"You can't!"
"I don't need to win."
Her eyes never left Allure.
"I just need a few seconds."
She never got them.
Allure vanished.
The dungeon exit exploded.
The doorway behind them was obliterated.
Stone erupted outward.
Their escape route disappeared.
Sumi attacked immediately.
[Assassin Skill: Double Edge]
Her blades flashed toward Allure's neck.
Fast.
Precise.
Desperate.
Allure didn't dodge.
Didn't block.
It simply grabbed her by the head.
CRASH!
It slammed her face into the floor.
Her HP plummeted instantly.
Then it dragged her across the ground.
Stone tore skin.
Blood painted the battlefield.
Sumi fought desperately.
Kicking.
Clawing.
Struggling.
The grip never loosened.
Then Allure spun and threw her.
Her body flew across the room and slammed into the wall beside Kiraya.
BOOM.
Her HP hit zero.
She didn't move again.
Ayame's voice broke.
"Sumi..."
Tears filled her eyes.
"No..."
Allure turned toward her.
Crimson energy gathered in its hand.
Violent.
Condensed.
Deadly.
[Boss Skill: Eclipse Impermanence]
A point-blank execution.
Then Fayzan charged.
Flames erupted around him.
His final attack.
His final stand.
"YOU!"
Allure casually flicked its hand.
The attack released early.
The explosion hit Fayzan mid-charge and launched him directly into Elias and Hinabi.
All three collapsed together.
Broken.
At one percent HP.
Only Ayame remained.
She dropped to her knees.
Trembling.
Crying.
Her staff shook in her hands.
Everyone was down.
Everyone.
"I..."
Her voice cracked.
"I can't..."
Allure calmly raised its hand.
Preparing the finishing blow.
Ayame gripped her staff tighter.
Tears streamed down her face.
"I don't want to die."
The energy gathered.
Brighter.
Larger.
Final.
Then a system notification echoed throughout the dungeon.
[System Notice]
[Intrusion Penalty Activated]
For the first time, Allure hesitated.
Only slightly.
But enough.
[Players HP reduced by 50%]
The gathered energy flickered.
Its stability weakened.
Then it fired.
The blast surged toward Ayame.
Toward the survivors.
Toward the end.
CLANG!
The beam split apart.
A white-haired figure stood before it.
Saber drawn.
Arm steady.
Rio.
The attack divided around her blade and exploded harmlessly behind her.
The survivors remained untouched.
Then another figure descended from above.
Ryota.
"Move."
Too late.
CRASH!
His strike slammed Allure into the ground.
A massive crater formed beneath the boss.
Dust erupted everywhere.
Ryota landed beside Rio.
His eyes remained fixed forward.
"That thing again, huh?"
Rio stared at the crater.
"...Yeah."
Her grip tightened around her saber.
"Looks worse than the last one."
The dust slowly cleared.
Allure rose from the crater.
Completely unharmed.
Its wings unfolded.
Its halo spun.
Its mismatched eyes locked onto the two newcomers.
Rio.
Ryota.
For the first time since its appearance—
it wasn't smiling.
It felt almost as if the monster had finally found opponents worthy of its attention.
The entire battlefield held its breath.
Because everyone understood the same thing.
The battle against the raid had ended.
The battle against Rio and Ryota had just begun.