Clang!
Whoosh!
I blocked Deputy Commander Kraxas’s two-hit straight punch attack and barely dodged his spinning kick.
My hair stood on end as Kraxas’s demonic energy-infused kick brushed past my chin.
Kraxas appeared to be a martial arts demon. As soon as the battle started, he approached me and continuously attacked with his hands and feet wrapped in demonic energy.
Each hit was very fast and threatening, but not to the extent that it was impossible to respond.
The problem was.
Boom!
“Ugh!”
I turned around to block the demonic energy bullet rushing from behind and quickly activated backward evasion.
Whoosh!
Kraxas’s kick swept through where I had been.
I immediately regained my stance. I started focusing on Kraxas’s attacks again.
It was truly a battle reminiscent of the 2nd named ‘Orc Assassin’ from ‘Orc King’s Cave’.
Now, I had to pay attention to both Kraxas’s attacks and the demonic energy bullets from the elite demon soldiers.
The elite demon soldiers didn’t approach. But they kept firing demonic energy bullets whenever they saw an opening, making it impossible for me to focus only on Kraxas’s patterns.
Whoosh!
Kraxas’s big spinning kick pattern.
First, dodge this pattern, then transition to Sword Drawing Stance.
Slash!
My body, having activated Moonlight Slash, transitioned to Sword Drawing Stance.
Then, easily avoiding Kraxas’s incoming fist, I quickly moved my body toward one spot.
Pitter-patter!
“Kekekek! Where are you running to!”
Kraxas chased after me at high speed.
I kept moving while looking around.
The elite demon soldiers were positioned in a square formation, each at the corners of the named boss battle area.
If I fight Kraxas in the center of the battle area, I’ll also have to pay attention to the demonic energy bullets flying from behind.
Kraxas didn’t have a pattern of taking my rear like the Orc Assassin.
If so, it might be easier than the Orc Assassin back then.
Thud.
The place I arrived at after moving my body quickly was in front of the elite demon soldier positioned at 7 o’clock of the named boss battle area.
He swung his spear in confusion at my sudden appearance right in front of him.
Whoosh!
Here, counterattack.
Swish.
My body took the rear of the elite demon soldier. And soon blocked Kraxas’s attack that followed.
Clang!
I smiled through the diagonally raised sword.
This is it.
In this position, I can face the attacks of Kraxas and all four elite demon soldiers from the front.
I just need to take this position, move around, and deal with the elite soldiers one by one.
It’s exactly the same as with the Orc Assassin.
It’s easier since Kraxas doesn’t have a rear surprise attack pattern.
Just maintain the blocking state towards the front and unleash Moonlight Slash between attack gaps.
It was a shame I couldn’t use the powerful single-target skill ‘Starlight Slash’ available in Sword Drawing Stance, but this method would allow me to deal with the four elite demon soldiers stably.
After taking down all the elite soldiers, I’ll just have to deal with Kraxas comfortably.
Clang clang clang! Clang!
Slash!
Although Kraxas’s attacks were infused with ominous demonic energy and the elite demon soldiers’ demonic energy bullets kept hitting my sword, I calmly focused only on the elite soldier in front of me.
I chipped away at the elite demon soldier’s HP through Moonlight Slash, continuously activated between blocks.
And.
“Urgh!”
Thud.
Finally, the first elite demon soldier fell.
Pitter-patter!
I immediately threw my body towards the next elite demon soldier.
Like this, steadily, one by one.
“Kaaak!”
Finally, the last elite demon soldier fell, and I came to face Kraxas 1:1.
“You dare, to my subordinates!”
As purple light swirled in Kraxas’s eyes, his attacks became faster and stronger.
Clang clang! Clang!
My hands and feet became frantic against Kraxas’s fists and kicks, raining down even faster.
Thud!
Kraxas lightly jumped up and raised his fist towards the ground.
A precursor to an area-of-effect pattern.
Thud!
I used backward evasion.
Boom! Boom!
Every time Kraxas’s left and right fists hit the ground, the ground caved in, and shockwaves erupted.
One backward evasion is enough. The second shockwave didn’t reach my body that had moved away.
My body quickly approached Sword Drawing Stance and calmly chipped away at Kraxas’s HP.
[1st Named]
[Level 33 Outpost Deputy Commander Kraxas]
[HP 2,104,103/3,000,000]
Kraxas’s monstrous HP had already decreased quite a bit.
But I had been on edge for a while now.
The unique special patterns that named bosses use at certain HP intervals.
When would Kraxas enter the special phase?
Since he passed the 75% and 70% intervals without pattern changes, the 2/3 point is most likely.
Slash slash slash slash!
Evading the spinning kick and moving to the right while continuously unleashing Starlight Slash, my attacks soon brought Kraxas’s HP to the 2/3 point.
Slash!
After unleashing the last Starlight Slash, I confirmed that Kraxas’s HP had reached the 2/3 point.
Taking a few steps back, I raised my sword and focused on Kraxas’s behavior change.
“Urgh, annoying little rat…!”
Woong.
Massive energy began gathering around Kraxas’s body.
This is definitely the special pattern.
I open my eyes wide and focus on Kraxas’s movements.
Rumble rumble rumble.
The ground shook from the powerful demonic energy, and finally Kraxas’s body.
Woong.
Started rising into the air…?
“Ee…! Eeeeek!”
I stamped my feet.
Another aerial special pattern!?
But there was nothing I could do.
I could only stamp my feet and wait for Kraxas’s special pattern.
Kraxas, smiling down at me from the air, raised one hand.
Rumble rumble rumble.
Powerful demonic energy concentrated above it, starting to form a purple sphere.
Seeing that, I bit my lip.
This would be like the Black Wyvern’s breath.
A pattern that unleashes a powerful area-of-effect attack across the entire battlefield.
Then, I just need to respond the same way.
Boom!
The demonic energy, grown as big as my body, finally shot towards me.
The moment that sphere reached right in front of my body.
Thwack!
[Backward Evasion (C)]
[Quickly propel your body 8m backward to avoid frontal attacks (Invincible during casting)]
[Cooldown 8 seconds]
[(E rank) Movement speed increases for 5 seconds after skill activation]
Boom boom boom boom!
My body, having used backward evasion, was safe even in the massive explosion.
The ‘Invincible during casting’ judgment had activated.
As the explosion dust settled, I could see Kraxas still floating in the air.
Wow, that’s scary.
But if this is the end, it’s too easy.
Woong woong woong.
“Eek!?”
What?
It wasn’t over?
Kraxas, who had already created a second demonic energy sphere, was wearing a deep smile.
Boom!
It immediately rushed towards me.
The interval from the previous attack was 3 seconds.
There were still 5 seconds left before backward evasion’s cooldown would return.
Boom boom boom boom!
“Kyaaaah!?”
Cough, cough.
My body, engulfed in the explosion, rolled on the ground several times before stopping.
My whole body felt like it was breaking apart in pain.
My HP was bottoming out.
I didn’t die in one hit, but my body’s condition was serious.
“Kuhuk!”
After coughing up blood once, I took out a potion with trembling hands and drank it.
Thanks to the potion that gradually recovered HP over 10 seconds, I could feel the pain slightly disappearing.
But the battle wasn’t over yet.
I hurriedly got up, trying to ignore the remaining pain.
Thud.
Kraxas descended from the air and landed on the ground.
“To not die from that, you’re not an ordinary one.”
I bit my lip at Kraxas’s sneer that seemed to mock me.
I couldn’t avoid that bastard’s attack.
I needed more time for my HP to recover to a stable range.
In this state, I might fall just from the small amount of damage coming in from blocking attacks.
Pitter-patter!
“Kekekekek!”
But Kraxas doesn’t seem to intend to wait for me to recover. He was already rushing towards me quickly with demonic energy wrapped around his hands and feet.
And.
Pitter-patter!
From other tents, four elite soldiers jumped out again and joined Kraxas.
I gritted my teeth.
“Th-this is impossible.”
Pitter-patter!
With that, I ran away from the named boss battle area without looking back.
* * *
“Hee, hee.”
I leaned my small body against the back of a tent and caught my breath.
Gulp gulp.
After drinking two more potions, I could feel the pain almost disappearing. My HP had mostly filled up.
But.
“H-how am I supposed to avoid that?”
Two consecutive full area-of-effect attacks.
Moreover, the interval was short. Backward evasion’s cooldown doesn’t even return.
Even if I somehow avoid the first attack, what am I supposed to do about the second attack?
Peek.
I poked my head out from behind the tent and checked on Kraxas.
He was standing in the center of the battle area with his arms crossed, and the four elite demon soldiers were looking around.
It seems the first tent destruction is the named boss appearance production, and from the second try onwards, it enters the battle right away in that state.
Well, that’s not important.
I fell into quiet thought.
Actually, there was a way to avoid it, not entirely impossible.
I could use this.
[Counterattack (D)]
[Usable in ‘Sword Drawing Stance’]
[Take the opponent’s rear (Cooldown 8 seconds)]
[(D rank) Invincible during casting]
The ‘Counterattack’ skill.
After ranking up, the ‘Invincible during casting’ judgment was added, but I hadn’t fought any battles where I needed to use this judgment until now.
To begin with, it’s a coordinate movement skill that takes the enemy’s rear. Counterattack itself was an excellent evasion skill.
So, even though the invincible during casting judgment was newly added, it didn’t have much meaning until now.
However, I need to use this judgment to avoid Kraxas’s area-of-effect attack, which deals damages the entire battle area.
However, while using the area-of-effect skill, Kraxas is.
“Floating in the air…?”
Counterattack is a skill that takes the opponent’s rear, obviously it can’t be used if the target isn’t within attack range.
I can’t use Counterattack on Kraxas during the special pattern.
Counterattack.
Take the opponent’s rear.
I need an ‘opponent’ to use Counterattack on.