Emily POV
Emily wiped muddy water and blood from her hands while the others gathered around the corpse of the Leviathan Spawn.
The massive creature floated had been dried to death.
The mist surrounding the marsh had thinned slightly after the Mini Boss died, but the sky above still looked dark and cloudy, making the entire place feel cold and lifeless.
Then the notification appeared before everyone.
[All Three Mini Bosses Have Been Defeated.]
[Boss Monster Has Been Summoned.]
A second later, a giant beam of golden light erupted somewhere in the far distance.
The pillar of light pierced through the thick mist and clouds, stretching endlessly toward the sky. Even the dull and gloomy landscape of the Second Area became brighter under its glow. Ancient ruins hidden within the marsh slowly became visible beneath the golden light.
After reorganizing their formation, the group resumed their march through the flooded marshlands. The deeper they traveled, the stranger the surroundings became. Broken statues leaned sideways beneath the water. Rusted weapons floated through the currents. Large stone pillars emerged from the mist like the remains of a forgotten civilization.
Eventually, the outline of a gigantic palace appeared ahead of them.
Or rather, what remained of it.
Most of the outer walls had already collapsed long ago. Huge cracks covered the black stone structure while entire sections of the palace had sunk into the marsh itself. Corpses floated throughout the flooded courtyard. Some still wore shattered armor while others had decayed into skeletons wrapped in moss and seaweed.
Emily felt a faint familiarity the moment they stepped inside.
The water here felt dead, but not dead at the same time.
The group advanced carefully through broken corridors while water splashed softly beneath their feet. Nobody spoke much. The atmosphere inside the palace felt oppressive in a way that made even breathing uncomfortable.
Finally, they reached the main hall.
The ceiling towered high above them despite parts of it collapsing over time. Water covered the floor up to everyone’s ankles. Broken pillars lined the hall while pieces of ancient chandeliers floated near the edges.
And at the far end of the hall, sitting upon a massive throne, was the Boss Monster.
The Drowned King.
Emily immediately understood why this creature ruled the Second Area.
He was gigantic.
Rusted armor covered his body, layered with chains, moss, and barnacles. His helmet was broken apart along one side, revealing a skeletal face beneath it. One hollow eye glowed faintly blue while the other remained empty and dark. His cheek rested against his fist as he looked down at them with complete confidence.
The pressure radiating from him was overwhelming.
Averon and Alice felt their breathing grow heavier almost immediately.
Even worse, the size of the hall restricted movement too much. Emily’s largest summons would not be able to properly fight in such a narrow space.
"I’ll make space for us," Avery said.
Mana surged from her body.
The water throughout the hall rose violently as enormous waves formed around the damaged walls. A moment later, the waves crashed outward with tremendous force.
The already weakened walls exploded apart.
Stone and debris scattered everywhere as the entire hall opened toward the flooded ruins outside. The battlefield instantly became several times larger.
But at that exact moment, the Drowned King moved. A violent wave of mana erupted from his body. The pressure swept through the battlefield in an instant.
Emily instinctively tensed, but nothing happened to her. Then the corpses floating throughout the hall began to stand up.
One after another, the dead slowly rose from the water.
"Alice!" Eleanor shouted immediately.
Golden flames exploded outward from Alice’s body.
[Solar Dominion.]
The surrounding undead ignited instantly. Golden fire spread rapidly through the flooded hall as corpses burned apart one after another under the intense heat.
At the same time, Avery finally succeeded in destroying the remaining walls completely, creating enough open space for Emily’s giant summons to properly maneuver.
The Drowned King slowly shifted his gaze toward Alice.
For the first time since they arrived, interest appeared in his hollow eyes.
Then he raised one finger.
A loud metallic clang echoed throughout the battlefield.
Alice froze.
Eleanor had suddenly appeared directly in front of her with her sword raised.
Behind her, a massive spear split into two broken halves before crashing into the water on both sides.
Alice stared blankly for a second before realizing what had happened.
The Boss Monster had thrown the spear at her.
The attack had been so fast that she never even saw it coming.
If Eleanor had not intercepted it, Alice would have died instantly.
Alice tightened her grip around the war hammer.
"Calm down," Eleanor said without turning around. "It’s trying to force you into making mistakes. If you lose your composure and break formation, then we will lose."
Alice slowly nodded.
The battle intensified immediately afterward.
More undead continued rising from the flooded ruins surrounding the palace. Alice’s flames were devastating, but the sheer number of enemies flooding toward them made the flames insufficient.
Soon, she was forced into direct combat alongside Averon and Sera.
The battlefield quickly descended into chaos.
Undead warriors charged recklessly through the water while assassin-type undead hid beneath the surface itself. More than once, Emily only realized an attack was coming because Avery intercepted it first.
Water blades, hidden spears, and sudden ambushes attacked from every direction. If Avery had not been present, at least one member of the team would already be dead.
Meanwhile, the Drowned King continued targeting Alice.
At random intervals, another spear would launch toward her at terrifying speed.
Eleanor blocked every single one.
But each throw was stronger than the last.
By the time she blocked the third spear, blood dripped from the corner of Eleanor’s mouth. Her hands trembled slightly around her sword.
The impact had caused internal injuries.
Alice immediately healed her, but the strain was already obvious.
Above the battlefield, Emily’s flying summons repeatedly attempted to attack the Boss Monster.