-----
Due to the danger this boss posed, we had to leave little Krarlak behind. Thankfully, the boss room was a separate area with its own door, and we had already cleared the entire place of monsters. They wouldn't reappear for the next few days—perhaps even weeks or months.
Still, just in case, I left Huginn and my friends to watch over him. It severely weakened our team, but we needed to ensure the baby we had reluctantly brought along would survive and be safe. We couldn't be sure he would have been happy left alone in the village.
In the worst-case scenario, we would escape and regroup with a new strategy for tomorrow. I had already expanded the Sunflare Cloak Aura around my family, bathing everyone in the comforting warmth of the sun.
We prepared our weapons, sharpened their blades, and donned heavy protective armor. The boss we were about to face was a tanky one, and I wanted us to take our time bringing him down. For that, we needed strong healing, solid defense, and reliable damage.
Without wasting another moment, we blasted the door open and stepped inside. The moment we entered, we were greeted by a frozen throne room. Seated upon his ice throne was the King of Frost, his pale blue eyes gleaming with cold menace.
[Sorrowful Winter King of Frost: Ezekiel the Fallen – Tier 5+]
He was not alone. As he rose from his throne, his eyes flaring azure, an army stirred from the shadows. Blue frost flames ignited across the chamber, revealing over thirty frost knight soldiers armed with swords, shields, and scepters.
"So it really does have a whole army!" my father muttered, clenching his teeth as he gripped his axe. "This won't be easy at all."
"I'll lead the way this time," I said, locking eyes with the King of Frost—Ezekiel the Fallen. "That bastard won't just let his army attack us. He'll strike midway through to catch us off guard."
I knew this from bitter experience. I had died to him several times before because of this exact pattern. While my team fought the smaller foes, he would stand motionless at first. Then, once ten to fifteen of his soldiers had fallen, he would move—blindingly fast. He would suddenly surge toward the player characters and deliver an unavoidable freezing thrust that could kill instantly if not perfectly blocked.
This was how strong the bastard truly was. It made sense—he was empowered by winter itself and stood at Tier 5.
This fight would not be easy. In a game, that tension was exciting because you had infinite tries. Here in real life, there were no second chances.
One death and you were gone forever.
We had to adapt. We would not let him wait. My family and Fenrir would handle the army alongside me, while I would clash directly with the King before he could lock onto anyone else and kill them.
That was the plan.
His army was well balanced: ten swordsmen, ten shielders, and ten sorcerers. The moment the King stood and pointed at us, the sorcerers raised their scepters, charged their mana and spirit energy, and launched ten icicle spears toward us.
At the same time, the shielders unleashed a coordinated Shield Bash, leaving us no room to breathe, while the swordsmen infused their frozen blades with sword aura and swung in perfect unison.
It was a devastating full-frontal assault—the kind that had slaughtered many overconfident newbies who had managed to reach this far.
If your party was under-leveled or poorly equipped, you were dead meat.
Fortunately, that was not our situation.
"Ninjutsu – Shadow Clone."
"Sunflare Cloak – Sunflare Aura: Sunshine."
I created a shadow clone and channeled the Sunflare Cloak once more, summoning the divine power of the Sun God—a gift I had earned through relentless effort.
Even if the equipment's power had not originally belonged to me, I had claimed it through my own hard work. It was mine now.
And if I could obtain the Artifact Devourer Trait later, its power would remain with me forever.
But until then…
"Holy Phoenix Bloodline – Cruel Holy Sun!"
Golden flame feathers burst around my body and sharp talons formed on my hands. I conjured two giant spheres of concentrated holy flames and fused them with the Sunflare Cloak's abilities.
The instant the icicle spears were about to strike, they melted away, exploding into steam that evaporated in seconds.
And that was only the beginning.
"NOW!"
With a roar, I hurled the two massive five-meter spheres of fire at the enemy ranks. The impact was catastrophic. The front-line shielding soldiers vaporized instantly, melting into nothingness. The swordsmen behind them were blasted backward—some killed outright, others shattered. The sorcerers desperately raised frost barriers, but they proved useless.
The true impact had yet to arrive.
BOOOM!!!
Two simultaneous explosions tore through the chamber. The floor erupted and melted into a giant puddle of boiling water as thick vapor filled the air. The sorcerers staggered, their barriers shattering. My family and I charged through the mist and unleashed our fury.
"ATTACK!!!"
My father roared, swinging his axe in a devastating Charge Attack fueled by his Ox Tattoo. He blasted a golem aside and pierced its core, shattering it into pieces. Another golem struck him from behind, but his armor held firm. A fierce grin spread across his face. "That's all you got, bastard?!" With a booming laugh, he punched the creature away, then leaped over it and hacked into its core until it overloaded and exploded.
My mother moved with blinding speed, her Red Fang Wolf tattoo granting her incredible agility. She cleaved through a weakened golem with her broadsword, dodged an icicle spear, split it apart mid-air, then hurled her blade into a sorcerer's core. With a graceful kick from above, she drove the sword downward, splitting the golem cleanly in two.
My sister sprouted a pair of wings for the first time I had ever seen. Her Hawk spirit beast tattoo had grown strong enough to grant her flight. She soared over the army, dove with razor-sharp talons, and used her bone sword to tear a golem apart. She avoided a spell, then flung her sword into another sorcerer's core, causing it to explode.
My brother channeled the multiple beasts he had contracted through his rare talent. He unleashed the Mountain Tiger's Leap, the Gray Wolf's Fangs, and the Hawk's Temporary Flight. A Beast Master—a rare gift in our village that few had taken seriously because he once used it only to befriend animals. Now he showed its true terrifying potential.
Using the reinforced prosthetic leg I had evolved for him, he smashed the head of a sword-wielding golem, then drove it into the ground. When another blade struck him, he activated the Tortoise's Shell Spell, hardening his skin. He poured mana into his prosthetic and delivered a blazing, explosive kick that sent the golem flying into its allies, toppling them like dominoes.
At the same time, Fenrir carried me at full speed straight toward the King of Frost before he could unleash his wrath. I didn't let him finish charging. I leaped over him, hammer and axe raised, and struck with all my fury.
"Holy Smite!!!"
BOOM!
I hit the Frost King at his weakest point, right above his head. A blinding explosion of holy light erupted, fused with the flames of my Phoenix Transformation and Sunflare Cloak.
"?!"
The Frost King was caught completely off guard. He stumbled but quickly recovered, his murderous gaze locking onto me.
Good. I had his full attention.
"Eyes on me, bastard! Come!" I roared, leaping toward him again. I unleashed another Holy Smite followed by a relentless series of axe techniques.
The Frost King was an incredible swordsman. He parried and intercepted my attacks with terrifying precision. My flaming techniques struck at his weakness, yet his intense Frost Aura rapidly healed his wounds.
CLASH! CLASH! CLASH!
This would not be a quick victory, but I would make every single blow count.
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