The battlefield never recovered from the previous exchange.
It merely endured.
The once-grand boss chamber had become a wasteland of destruction. Massive craters scarred the floor. Entire sections of the walls had collapsed inward. Jagged fissures stretched across the stone like wounds carved into the dungeon itself.
Blood pooled between shattered rocks.
Burned mana lingered in the air.
Broken weapons and fragments of armor lay scattered throughout the battlefield, silent reminders of the players who had already fallen.
The remains of two separate raid forces were spread throughout the arena like abandoned dreams.
And at the center of all that destruction stood five figures.
Four challengers.
One monster.
No.
Something far worse than a monster.
Steel clashed violently.
Again.
And again.
And again.
The sound echoed throughout the ruined chamber without pause.
Rio and Ryota fought side by side against Allure, Knight of the Eclipse.
Their teamwork wasn't perfect.
They had never trained together for this.
They weren't moving with flawless synchronization.
But they were adapting instinctively.
Surviving through experience, reflex, and trust.
Rio's Imperial Saber flashed through the air, intercepting one of Allure's descending blades. Sparks exploded outward as steel collided with supernatural energy.
At the same moment, Ryota twisted his body to avoid another incoming attack.
"...Tch!"
He was a fraction too slow.
A black blade slipped past his defense.
SLASH!
Pain erupted through his left leg.
The blade carved a deep wound through his knee, forcing his leg to buckle instantly beneath him.
"Ghh—!"
His balance disappeared.
Only years of combat experience prevented him from collapsing entirely.
He planted Iron Steve into the ground and barely managed to intercept another strike aimed directly at his shoulder.
CLANG!
The impact traveled through his arms like a shockwave.
Above them, Allure smiled.
It wasn't an exaggerated grin.
It wasn't mocking laughter.
It was worse.
A small smile.
Calm.
Confident.
The smile of a predator that had already noticed its prey slowing down.
Four blades surrounded her.
Two remained in her hands.
The other two floated freely around her body.
They moved independently, almost as if they possessed minds of their own.
Each one hunted.
Each one anticipated.
Each one attacked from impossible angles.
Rio and Ryota found themselves retreating step by step.
Slowly.
Reluctantly.
But undeniably.
They were losing ground.
Another floating blade shot forward.
Its target was Rio's throat.
The angle was perfect.
There was no room to dodge.
No opening to counter.
Then flames erupted across the battlefield.
WHOOSH!
A streak of burning red energy tore through the air.
CLANG!
The blade was knocked away.
For the first time since the battle began, Allure's attention shifted away from Rio.
A low voice echoed from behind.
"Still... standing...?"
The voice was rough.
Exhausted.
Burned.
But unbroken.
Fayzan stepped forward.
His entire body looked like it had been dragged through hell.
His armor was damaged.
Blood stained his clothes.
Yet flames still crawled along his arm as stubbornly as ever.
Beside him stood Elias.
The guild leader looked equally terrible.
His breathing was heavy.
His body swayed slightly.
His sword hung low beside him.
But it had not left his hand.
Not yet.
Not while he could still fight.
"Sorry we're late," Fayzan muttered.
Rio glanced toward them.
A faint smirk appeared.
"...Took you long enough."
Ryota laughed despite the pain in his leg.
"...Was getting bored."
Everyone knew that was a lie.
But nobody called him out on it.
Allure's gaze slowly moved across the battlefield.
Rio.
Ryota.
Elias.
Fayzan.
Four players.
Broken.
Exhausted.
Bleeding.
Yet still standing.
The smile on her face deepened.
"...Good."
The word escaped her lips almost affectionately.
"This will be more enjoyable."
The instant she finished speaking, everyone moved.
Elias attacked first.
His sword carved through the air with overwhelming force, launching directly toward Allure's front.
Fayzan followed immediately.
Flames spiraled around his blade as he targeted her exposed flank.
Rio moved through the opening they created.
Her saber flashed toward Allure's blind spot.
Meanwhile, Ryota forced his injured body forward.
Ignoring the pain in his leg, he swung Iron Steve directly toward her center mass.
Four attacks.
Four directions.
One target.
CLANG!
CLANG!
CLANG!
CLANG!
The collisions shook the battlefield.
Allure blocked every strike.
Every single one.
Yet something had changed.
For the first time during the battle, her defenses weren't effortless.
Each block carried visible force.
Each impact pushed her slightly backward.
Her wings suddenly expanded.
With a powerful flap, she rose into the air.
The pressure broke.
The battlefield paused.
Only for a moment.
But a moment was enough.
Rio immediately opened her inventory.
Without hesitation, she threw several items toward her allies.
Two Medium Health Potions.
Four Small Mana Potions.
The bottles spun through the air in perfect arcs.
"Catch."
Elias caught one without looking.
Fayzan snatched another mid-flight.
Rio's expression remained calm.
But her voice sharpened.
"Drink them."
Everyone froze briefly.
Then she added,
"The real fight starts now."
Above them, Allure floated silently.
Watching.
Calculating.
Studying them.
Then she laughed.
The sound was soft.
Low.
Almost delighted.
"...Finally."
The atmosphere changed instantly.
The pressure wasn't increasing.
Something worse was happening.
Dread.
Pure dread settled across the battlefield.
Allure slowly raised her arms.
The four floating blades moved before her.
Perfectly aligned.
Her smile widened.
"...Let me show you."
Her voice dropped to a whisper.
"...my end."
A system notification appeared.
[Boss Skill: The Crimson Judgment]
Without hesitation, Allure drove the first blade into her chest.
Blood exploded outward.
The second blade pierced her abdomen.
The third stabbed through her shoulder.
The fourth pierced directly through her heart.
Crimson blood spilled from every wound.
Thick.
Unnatural.
Wrong.
Yet she didn't fall.
Instead—
she smiled wider.
The blood surrounding her body began to glow.
Then her form split apart.
One became two.
Two became four.
Four identical Allures floated high above the battlefield.
Each held a blade.
Each possessed glowing crimson eyes.
Each wore the exact same smile.
Ryota stared upward.
"...You're kidding me."
No one answered.
Because nobody had words.
The four copies raised their weapons simultaneously.
Then they spoke.
Their voices merged together.
"...Judgment."
The sky disappeared.
Thousands of black-red blades materialized overhead.
Then thousands more.
Then tens of thousands.
The entire ceiling vanished beneath an ocean of weapons.
Light disappeared.
Hope disappeared.
Even the possibility of escape disappeared.
The chamber had become a prison beneath a sky of death.
"...Oh, that's bad."
Ryota's voice was unusually flat.
The blades began to fall.
Not as an attack.
As extinction itself.
Elias stepped forward.
"Formation."
One word.
That was all it took.
Fayzan ignited every remaining ounce of flame he possessed.
A wall of fire surged upward.
Rio raised her saber.
Her eyes glowed as she calculated trajectories and attack patterns.
Ryota tightened his grip on Iron Steve.
Ignoring the pain tearing through his injured leg.
Above them, the four Allures simply watched.
Smiling.
Waiting.
Certain.
Because this wasn't an attack.
It was a verdict.
And the execution had already begun.
But Rio suddenly noticed something.
The blades.
The endless rain of weapons.
They weren't the true danger.
Her eyes narrowed.
"...No."
Something was wrong.
Very wrong.
The blades were merely a distraction.
A curtain.
A cover.
"Ryota!"
She shouted.
Too late.
All four Allures raised their free hands.
The air collapsed inward.
Space itself seemed to distort.
A second notification appeared.
[Boss Skill: Eclipse Calamity]
The world dimmed.
Sound dulled.
Reality bent.
Four spheres of condensed destruction formed above the battlefield.
One before each Allure.
They weren't firing yet.
They were charging.
Compressing.
Growing.
Expanding.
Rio's breath caught.
"...She's charging."
Her voice became tense.
Then she looked at the others.
"...No."
Her eyes widened.
"...Worse."
She pointed upward.
"All four of them are."
Silence fell.
Everyone understood immediately.
One would have been survivable.
Maybe.
Four?
Four was annihilation.
The blades fell faster.
The chamber vanished beneath the storm.
And above it all—
four collapsing suns prepared to detonate.
Then something small descended from above.
A streak of light.
Fast.
Precise.
Familiar.
BOOM!
It landed directly in front of the group.
Between them and certain death.
Ryota's eyes widened.
"...Indra?!"
The tiny dragon spread its wings.
Brilliant light erupted outward.
A barrier formed.
Then another.
And another.
Layer after layer of radiant protection unfolded around the raid group.
The blade storm struck first.
CRASH!
CLANG!
SCREEEECH!
Thousands of weapons slammed against the barrier.
Shattering.
Deflecting.
Breaking apart.
Yet still pressing forward endlessly.
Then the calamity detonated.
All four Eclipse Calamities exploded simultaneously.
The resulting collision created a catastrophe beyond anything the players had witnessed before.
Light vanished.
Sound vanished.
Reality vanished.
Only the barrier remained.
Indra's barrier trembled violently.
Cracks spread across its surface.
The cracks healed.
Then returned.
Again.
And again.
Ryota dropped to one knee.
"...Indra..."
His voice shook.
The dragon never turned around.
Never looked back.
It simply endured.
For its partner.
For its friends.
For everyone behind it.
Finally—
the explosions ended.
Silence returned.
The battlefield no longer existed.
The chamber had been reduced to ruins.
Entire walls were gone.
The ceiling had been torn open.
Moonlight from outside streamed through the destruction.
The barrier flickered.
Then disappeared.
Indra was gone.
A notification appeared.
[System Notice]
Indra has been forcibly withdrawn.
Status: Exhausted
Energy: 0%
Entering Rest State
Ryota stared silently.
Then he smiled.
Weakly.
"...You idiot."
A quiet laugh escaped him.
"...Thanks."
At that moment, power surged through his weapon.
Iron Steve began glowing brilliantly.
Energy crackled along its surface.
Alive.
Awakened.
A final gift from Indra.
"A gift..."
Ryota whispered.
Behind him, Rio smiled.
"...Of course."
Then her expression hardened.
She stepped forward.
Her eyes locked onto the four Allures floating above.
Still alive.
Still smiling.
Still waiting.
"Ryota."
"...Yeah."
"This is it."
She didn't look away.
"No holding back."
Ryota nodded.
"...Yeah."
Rio turned toward the survivors.
Elias.
Fayzan.
Hinabi.
Ayame.
Magumo.
The remnants of the raid.
Broken.
Exhausted.
Yet still watching.
"Elias. Fayzan."
Her voice cut through the silence.
"What you're about to see..."
She paused.
"You keep it to yourselves."
The atmosphere changed immediately.
"I wouldn't use this."
Her eyes hardened.
"Unless I absolutely had to."
Then her gaze landed on Magumo.
Cold.
Sharp.
Dangerous.
"If I ever find out that any of you talked about this..."
The silence became suffocating.
"You won't just make an enemy out of me."
She took another step forward.
"You'll make one out of both of us."
Ryota said nothing.
He didn't need to.
The pressure radiating from him spoke clearly enough.
Magumo swallowed nervously.
"...Y-Yeah."
Elias nodded.
"...Understood."
Hinabi smirked.
"...Now you've got my attention."
Rio turned back toward the battlefield.
Toward the four Allures.
Toward the final battle.
She opened her inventory.
Then she spoke an ancient invocation.
"Silver fang that drank the moon's last cry, awaken in my grasp. Blood of the fallen wolf, temper this blade with your endless hunt. From shattered night and crimson oath, take form and answer me. Crimson Bloodmoon—rise, and devour the darkness."
The chamber shook.
Crimson light erupted around her.
Mana exploded outward like a storm.
Not restrained.
Not hidden.
Released completely.
A weapon materialized in her hand.
A sleek crimson blade.
Elegant.
Beautiful.
Terrifying.
The Mythic Weapon.
Crimson Bloodmoon.
The air trembled beneath its presence.
Rio's eyes began glowing.
Her mana surged endlessly around her.
She slowly raised the blade toward the sky.
Then smiled.
"...Let's finish this."
Above them, the four Allures smiled in return.
Because at long last—
the true battle was about to begin.