"What’s happening?"
"It’s their Berserk Mode. Everyone, be careful," Victor warned.
In the midst of the chaos, the Hags’ bodies contorted in a grotesque dance, jerking and convulsing as if manipulated by unseen strings.
Their forms seed to swell, growing larger and more nacing with each passing mont, akin to a balloon being relentlessly inflated until it reached the point of bursting.
Their once-pale skin now glowed a furious shade of red, pulsating with an ominous energy that filled the air with tension.
Amidst this disturbing transformation, the leader of the Hags let out a maniacal laugh that echoed through the chamber.
Her eyes, gleaming with malevolence, scanned her adversaries with a twisted sense of triumph.
With a chilling tone, she declared her grim resolve, promising that even in death, she would drag them all down with her, an oath laden with the weight of impending doom.
In a sudden, unexpected turn of events, the two Hags lunged forward with startling speed, their movents fluid and predatory that not even the Titanium Golems could stop them.
Their target: Victor and Rever, who stood a good distance from Xin, their expressions shocked at the sudden appearance of the Hags.
However, the two weren’t easily caught off guard and imdiately defended themselves with their weapons.
The air crackled with intensity as the clash unfolded.
Victor, with his sword held high, t the first Hag’s attack head-on, his muscles straining against the force of the impact.
Rever defended with his hands and slashed through the air as he countered the second Hag’s assault.
But then, in a blinding flash of crimson light, the unimaginable occurred.
The Hag exploded with devastating force within seconds upon contact with the two.
The explosion was so powerful that it consud Victor and Rever in its fiery embrace, the blast tearing through the room like a cataclysmic storm.
"Rever! Victor!" Xin called while he tried to see beyond the crimson light.
Debris flew in all directions, and the two were engulfed in a maelstrom of destructive energy.
The very ground trembled beneath the sheer force of the explosion, leaving behind a gaping void where Victor and Rever once stood.
Their forms were swallowed by the explosion’s brilliance, their fate sealed as they were reduced to re particles.
Rever stood in stunned silence, his complexion drained of color. "T-This can’t be real . . . ," he murmured, his disbelief palpable. "Just one strike and I’m gone?"
The shock of his own demise left him in a daze, struggling to co to terms with his sudden fate.
His gaze sharpened as he locked eyes with Xin, his voice a growl of urgency. "Lord Schrodinger, you better stay alive, or we’re all fucked up!"
The EXP penalty would surely be enormous even if they shared it with the five of them. Xin better not die!
Victor, too, found himself grappling with the reality of his own death.
However, his thoughts swiftly shifted to Xin’s safety. The realization hit him like a tidal wave – Xin was now vulnerable, left alone with Midnight Duchess, who possessed the power to strike at any mont.
With their difference in level and with, Midnight Duchess’s expertise in the ga, and with her many tricks and items, Xin stood no chance.
Anxiety etched across his features, Victor spoke, his words laden with grave importance. "I entrust everything to you," he said to Xin, his tone heavy with the weight of the burden.
He then cast a warning glance at Midnight Duchess, his eyes piercing. "If you even think of doing sothing deceitful, know that I’ll pursue you to the ends of the earth."
Midnight Duchess t his warning with a defiant smirk, her lips curling into a chilling smile as she observed Victor and Rever dissolve into particles, leaving Lord Schrodinger and her alone in the wake of their demise.
The leader of the Hags’ features twisted into a wicked grin, and she let out a chilling laugh that echoed through the chamber. Her voice, dripping with cruel amusent, cut through the air like a blade.
"Oh, how adorable," she sneered, her eyes glinting with sadistic pleasure. "Your brave friends are nothing but dust now. Poof!" She emphasized her point with a theatrical wave of her hand as if scattering their existence into the wind.
The Hag leader’s laughter only intensified, the sound grating on the survivors’ ears like nails on a chalkboard. "Now, it’s your turn. Prepare to join them in oblivion!"
Xin’s jaw clenched, his fists tightening around his weapon.
Victor’s caution echoed in his mind, a warning that seed specifically aid at Midnight Duchess.
Despite her repeated displays of loyalty, Xin found it hard to completely trust her, given her notorious past.
The hours they spent exploring dungeons together counted for little when asured against the years she spent building a nefarious reputation.
Now, faced with the nacing presence of both the Hag and Midnight Duchess, Xin couldn’t help but feel a twinge of unease.
Xin’s mind churned with thoughts of strategy and distrust, his focus consud by the daunting task ahead.
As he pondered the unpredictable nature of Midnight Duchess and how to defeat the Hag, he was completely oblivious to the peril lurking right under his nose.
Unbeknownst to him, the Hag had cunningly concocted a potent potion, a brew of dark magic and ancient ingredients designed to incapacitate even the mightiest of foes.
With careful precision, she cast her spell, the potion snaking its way toward the Titanium Golems like a silent wraith.
The elixir was a sinister shade of midnight black, slithered over the Golems’ tallic fras, its malevolent tendrils infiltrating their joints and chanisms.
Slowly, the once-mighty guardians began to stiffen, their movents growing sluggish and uncoordinated. The powerful enchantnt had taken hold, rendering Xin’s first line of defense helpless and inert.
In the blink of an eye, the Hag capitalized on her opportunity.
With a sinister grin, she materialized before Xin, her form wreathed in shadows as she erged from the darkness.
Xin, still lost in his thoughts, was caught off guard as the Hag’s malevolent presence enveloped him.
"Look out!" Midnight Duchess shouted.
A wicked chuckle escaped the Hag’s lips as she reveled in her successful ploy.
Xin’s eyes widened in realization, but it was too late. The Hag’s dark magic had done its work, leaving him vulnerable and defenseless in the face of his impending doom.
The once-formidable Titanium Golems stood motionless, their imposing figures now reduced to re statues, while Xin stood alone, his mind racing on what to do.
In the heart of the chaos, as the Hag’s exploded, Midnight Duchess exhibited a remarkable display of reflexes.
With a blink that was almost too swift for the eye to catch, she materialized in front of Lord Schrodinger, her form a silhouette.
In that split second, she pushed Lord Schrodinger aside.
The Night Hag’s attack collided with Midnight Duchess, and the impact was cataclysmic.
There was a blinding explosion of crimson energy, the sheer force of the collision sending shockwaves rippling through the chamber.
The Night Hag t her end at that mont, obliterated in a burst of dark magic upon contact with Midnight Duchess.
However, victory ca at a heavy price.
Midnight Duchess, having absorbed the full force of the Night Hag’s attack, stood for a brief mont, her silhouette flickering in the fading light.
A serene smile graced her lips, her eyes reflecting satisfaction. Then, with a soft sigh, she dissolved into particles, her form dispersing like smoke in the wind.
Xin watched with a blank head, his heart heavy with a strange mix of gratitude and remorse. The doubts he had harbored about Midnight Duchess’s loyalty now seed like a cruel mockery.
Especially since she didn’t have to save him, the Hag could only take one player with it. She would surely live even if she didn’t save him, and they wouldn’t suffer the EXP penalty.
Did she do it because she was thinking that he didn’t trust her?
Did she want to prove herself yet again that she wasn’t after the items?
In her final monts, she had proven her allegiance beyond a shadow of a doubt, sacrificing herself to save him.
Regret gnawed at Xin’s. He would say sorry to her once he got out of there.
In the aftermath, the chamber fell into an eerie silence, the remnants of the explosion slowly dissipating.
The Hags, in their final act, had taken four souls with them, leaving behind a scene of devastation.
Yet, amidst all this chaos and sacrifice, Xin found himself puzzled.
Why hadn’t there been any notifications or drops, as was customary at the end of the battles?
Baffled and bewildered, Xin’s eyes darted around the chamber, searching for any sign of explanation.
The absence of the familiar notifications and loot drops left him in a state of utter confusion, a disconcerting break from the usual pattern of their encounters.
As if in response to his bewildernt, the chilling echoes of the Hag’s laughter reverberated through the stone walls, the spectral form of the malevolent entity flickering ominously.
"It’s not over, little mortal," the Hag’s disembodied voice taunted, its tone dripping with malice. "You may have triumphed for now, but your victory is but a fleeting illusion."
Xin’s eyes widened, a knot of dread forming in the pit of his stomach as he read the notification that appeared before him.
[The Hag has entered Last Stance Mode]
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