Chapter 20: Conclusion of boss battle

Nova, Cyre, and the sniper Severer stood atop a skyscraper, preparing their stacked attack on the boss. Nova had already arranged a row of two-meter-diameter slow spheres in front of the skyscraper for the sniper Severer to fill.

And right now, the sniper Severer was already channeling energy into her sniper-like weapon made from alien body parts, preparing to fill the fourth sphere. She first gathered and compressed the energy inside the weapon before transferring it into the sphere. Some might wonder why the attack needed to be split across multiple spheres instead of being unleashed in one powerful shot. The reason was simple—she couldn’t gather that much energy all at once. Neither her body nor her sniper could handle it. Besides, she hadn’t yet mastered a technique that allowed such control. What she was doing now was already the strongest move she had.

Meanwhile, Cyre and Nova were messing around with the eighth slow sphere, stuffing it with animal poop and whatever filthy things they could find nearby. Their plan was to hurl it at the boss. So they prepared a compressed energy blast behind the sphere to launch the trash forward.

“Hey, you two, aren’t they amazing? After that last attack, they’ve used up almost all their energy. I actually feel bad for them—they still have to hold off the boss in that state. Honestly, they’d already been fighting for a long time before unleashing that final attack, especially the one that synced with your firewall. Now, with their energy completely drained, they can only…”

The sniper severer stopped mid-sentence as something unexpected happened in the ongoing battle between the Severers and the boss.

Some of the Severers redirected the boss’s beam toward the worms, charring hundreds of them in an instant.

“Wow, they’re amazing, right?” said the sniper Severer. "What they did might seem like a simple idea—but if I were in their shoes, exhausted and under that kind of pressure, I probably wouldn’t have thought of it.”

“You’re right, big sister,” Cyre replied. “Do your best to finish charging fast, okay? So their struggle can end sooner. I’ll help them with this for now.” said Cyre, pointing toward the eighth sphere in front of her.

Nova realized something after hearing what the sniper Severer said. He didn’t respond right away.

‘Using everything around you—even the enemy’s attack? That’s similar to what I did with the slow spheres and tornadoes earlier, isn’t it? Wait… the swarm inside my body. Could I use its energy somehow—make it my own?’ thought Nova.

…

The sniper Severer reached the seventh slow sphere, but by then, her energy was completely drained.

She had explained earlier that her attack was similar to the one used by the man covered in colorful paint—it could only pierce one meter deep per shot. That meant to pierce all the way through the boss, they needed one more hit—one more slow sphere.

“Do we have to wait for one of the Severers to get up here?” Nova asked, turning to face her.

“No, we can’t,” the sniper Severer replied, lowering her head. “They’re out of energy too. And they have their own roles down there—keeping the worms from blocking our stacked attack. This really is a problem... What should we do?”

“Can’t we combine our energy, big bro?” Cyre suggested. “I’ll put mine in first, then you go next.”

Without waiting, she throwed her compressed energy into the seventh slow sphere.

“It can’t be helped,” said Nova. “I don’t know if it’ll be dangerous, but I’ll try using the energy from the swarm of insects inside my body.”

He closed his eyes, focusing inward. He could feel the swarm within him. He channeled his own energy toward them—then, with a forceful pull, he dragged the swarm’s energy outward through his raised hands. A small sphere began to form at his palms.

Combining his own energy with that of the swarm, Nova focused intensely as the sphere above his palm, above the skyscraper, gradually grew to a massive five hundred-meter diameter. Nova focused all his strength to compress the energy, sweat beading on his forehead as his face turned pale from the strain. His skin went cold, and his breath came in short gasps, but he pushed through, forcing the sphere down to a one-meter diameter. With a final burst of willpower, he hurled the tightly packed sphere toward the seventh slow sphere.

Nova pressed the button on his intercom and spoke to the Severers who were currently engaged with the boss. He informed them that the preparations were complete and that it was time to get ready to prevent the worms from blocking the stacked attack.

But then, Nova slipped—accidentally triggering the release of the eighth slow sphere. A mass of trash and debris shot forward at high speed toward the boss.

Nova quickly got back up and immediately released the remaining seven stacked attacks in sequence, each with a half-second delay. He was worried that the Severers holding back the worms might already be out of stamina—and if he delayed any longer, their lives could be in danger.

Soon after the intercom message, the Severers in front of the boss struggled to hold their ground. They had to time their movements precisely, bouncing at just the right moment to intercept the remaining worms—around forty of them—with only eleven Severers left. Although they tried to reduce the number as much as possible, the boss continuously replenished the swarm, undoing their efforts almost instantly. Unlike before, they could no longer unleash powerful attacks to defeat multiple worms at once, as their energy reserves were nearly depleted. Now, they relied solely on physical strength, but even that was running out. Their bodies were battered, and their stamina had reached its limit.

Moments later, the Severers braced themselves, expecting the powerful stacked attack to arrive. But instead, a weak blast—filled with trash and animal feces—splattered against the boss. Their hard work felt completely wasted, as if everything they had endured had been for nothing.

One of the Severers, dressed in a detective-like suit, slammed the button on his intercom. His voice crackled through, seething with anger, “Are you kidding me?! I’ll kill you later—get down here, now!”

The words was clearly directed at Nova.

Bang!

A second later, another blast struck—this time piercing one meter deep into the boss’s flesh. The detective Severer's furious scowl twisted into a grin, and smiles slowly spread across the faces of the other severers.

Bang! Bang!

Two more shots followed, each arriving half a second apart. The boss now bore a three-meter-deep wound. Meanwhile, the eleventh Severer fought desperately, doing everything they could to keep the worms from interfering with the path of the stacked attack.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

The remaining attacks struck the monster in relentless succession, each half a second apart, boring deeper and deeper—until the wound reached six meters into its flesh.

Then, a quarter of a second later, the final attack came—faster, frenzier, and stronger than the rest.

Bang!

It moved so fast that even though Nova had released it with the same delay as the others, it reached the boss ahead of schedule. The Severers blinked in surprise, caught off guard by the sudden shift in timing.

A sharp whoosh echoed through the air as a hole suddenly opened in the center of the boss. The massive creature collapsed, plummeting toward the ground covered in thick roots. It bounced high—several times—under its own immense weight before finally starting to stop.

…

After the battle ended, the aliens made a broadcast. They announced that since a boss had finally been defeated, they would select one Severer candidate this time. The humans were ordered to choose one person among them.

Two names came up for discussion among the Severers and the government: Nova and the sniper Severer. News had already spread that Nova was the one who created and delivered the final attack. Because of this, the people ultimately chose Nova.

However, the aliens later discovered that Nova’s energy capacity didn’t meet the requirements to become a Severer. The revelation shocked everyone—especially after witnessing Nova’s extraordinary final attack. But when Nova explained how he had pulled it off to the other Severers, they nodded in understanding.

In the end, the sniper Severer was chosen instead.

But as soon as the decision was made and everyone turned to look at her, she was nowhere to be found. She had been standing right behind them just moments ago.

Seeing the Severers’ reaction, the alien explained that one of his companions had teleported there and already taken the sniper Severer upward. Strangely, the people accepted this explanation without much resistance. In their minds, it simply meant that one more Severer had been chosen—leaving only four seats left to fill, which eased their concerns, especially with about seven months still remaining before the final deadline.

After a bit of casual conversation among themselves, the Severers—completely exhausted—began to scatter in different directions. But the government stopped them.

The government believed a serious discussion about the future needed to happen now. If the Severers left, it would be difficult to gather them all again later. So, they asked them to rest for a day, and then return for the meeting.

…

Their battle ended around three o’clock in the morning, long before the sun had risen. After resting for about twelve hours, they now gathered for a meeting inside a building prepared by the government. The candidate severers, the true candidate severers, government officials, Nova, Cyre, and even some new candidate were seated in their designated spots.

Before entering the room, each individual's energy capacity was measured. Their seats were assigned based on these results. This decision was made after the aliens clarified that only those with sufficient energy capacity would be considered as Severers—those who had proven themselves capable of defeating a boss. In addition, having a clear understanding of each person's energy capacity and reliability was crucial for future planning. In the event of another unexpected attack, such as a boss appearing in the city again, knowing who could take on what role would make coordination more efficient and increase the chances of success.

In addition to measuring their energy to determine seat placement, everyone was asked to provide their name, job, and role in the fight. These details were then written on papers and distributed on the table, one at each seat.

General Borsch
Military
Close range magic

Alouette
Artist

Magic range

Rose
Musician
Close range magic

Jord M. Eng.
Enginer
Magic ranger

Quint
Delivery guy
Close range magic

Joe
Detective
Close range

Young miss Viva
High schooler
Magician

Hannigan
Chef
Close range magic

Nova
Unemployed
Close range magic

Cyre
Big brother little sister
Close range magic

Reynard
College student
Defender

Ferdinand
Paus
Support magic

Dr. Terra
Doctor
Healear magic

…

The papers on the table ranked each person based on their energy capacity. The top three were highlighted in green, while the rest were marked in orange. According to the government official, the green color indicated those who were already close to the severers' level, while the others still had a long way to go.

The discussion began shortly after. They focused on future plans, such as how to create more severers and how to handle any unexpected dangerous events. During the meeting, they exchanged contact information for emergencies and shared knowledge about how they had each become stronger. Nova also took the opportunity to explain how he had gained the swarm of insects inside his body and how he used it. This exchange of information would later help enhance the overall power of the severer candidates present.

A few moments later, the meeting concluded, and everyone scattered to go their separate ways. A government official, the same one Nova and Cyre had met when they received their award, called out to Nova. He informed him that the request he had made before had been fulfilled and was ready.

The official then led Nova and Cyre to the front of one of the government buildings. There, Cyre spotted her uncle, one of the survivors who had successfully returned to the city.

Nova told Cyre she had to stay with her family, as it was safer. Cyre cried, shouting at Nova, refusing to accept it. She clung to Nova tightly, struggling as Nova tried to pull her away. Nova had made this decision long ago, and his resolve was firm. Reluctantly, he tied her securely and headed toward a nearby portal to search for his family once again.

However, once Nova was out of sight, Cyre broke free from the restraints, desperation fueling her actions. She sprinted toward the portal, intent on catching up to him. However, the nearby severers stopped her. They had witnessed the commotion and hearing her cries. They couldn't let her go like this.

In a fit of rage, Cyre punched and kicked her way through, swiftly slipping from the grasp of the severers who tried to stop her. When they worked in groups to corner her, she crushed nearby public facilities to create makeshift escape routes. Sometimes, she kicked the severers candidates hard, sending them flying because they were too persistent. As a result, Cyre broke their armor, scattering pieces around.

Soon, she arrived at the portal. Not knowing which one Nova had chosen, she picked one at random, hoping that after passing through several stages, she could find him.

As Cyre went inside, leaving the others dumbfounded and some crying over their broken armor, one old man—the top-ranked candidate on the list—followed her.

…

Months passed, and despite her relentless search, Cyre couldn't find her big brother. One time, she found herself in danger after choosing a higher difficulty, thinking she could handle it alone. However, it proved too much for her, and she was eventually saved by the old man.

After giving her a lengthy lecture, the old man asked Cyre if she truly believed in her brother’s strength. He also inquired about her parents, but before she could respond, he observed her expression and body language, sensing something deeper. It was as if he already knew the truth. With a knowing look, he concluded that she had likely lost her parents in the catastrophe.

Then, with a somber tone, he asked her, "How did you feel when your parents were gone? And what do you think your brother would feel if you were to die?"

He then said, “This sounds awful, but if I can save a girl's life with just this much, it’s a small price to pay. So, wait, little girl. It won’t be long. You’ll see him again later.”

Cyre nodded in agreement. She didn't say anything, simply following the old man back to the city.

…

In the end, Nova couldn't find a single member of his family, even after five and a half months had passed. Now, only about a month and a half remained before the one-year deadline.

Nova hadn’t thought of returning all this time. He continued searching for his family, believing that even if another boss appeared, given what he knew about their difficulty, humanity must already be prepared. He had faith in modern ingenuity and human potential—after all, he was still alive, and Earth hadn't been annihilated.

In fact, three more severers had been born during his absence. However, unknown to Nova, much had happened in the meantime, and the path to the creation of those three severers was far from easy.

It was later revealed, after the second boss appeared in the city, that even though the number of severer candidates had decreased and the sniper severer had been taken by the aliens into space, the new boss that appeared was at the same level of difficulty. They had expected the difficulty of the new boss to decrease after losing one of their human forces. However, the aliens kept the boss’s difficulty unchanged.

On top of that, the aliens had set a one-month interval for the next boss to appear after the previous one was defeated. This meant that, with only seven months left, if each boss required two months to be defeated, the one-year time limit would not be enough.

The fact that the boss’s difficulty remained the same, despite the reduction in human forces, had only worsened the situation. Although nine severers had been chosen, with only one and a half months left, none of the candidates had energy capacities close enough to that of a severer. Two candidates still held potential to become severers after a month of training, according to the government’s experts. However, it remained questionable whether humanity could survive, even if they managed to achieve a similar energy level to a severer within that time.

The time was indeed enough, with around fifteen days remaining after a month had passed. Given that previous bosses had been defeated in an average of ten days, it seemed possible. But that was only true when there were still many severer candidates.

There had been instances where a severer defeated a boss alone, but that was before the aliens' anger led them to raise the boss difficulty to that of a raid boss, requiring multiple people to defeat it. With only two candidates and limited support, and with the boss's difficulty now on par with—or even stronger than—the previous ones, it seemed unlikely they could defeat it in fifteen days. Even with a full year, they might not have been able to succeed.

The reason for this lack of confidence stemmed from the battle against the ninth boss. In the ninth boss battle, they couldn’t truly claim victory. With only one severer candidate remaining, the fight proved to be overwhelmingly difficult. In fact, the last candidate—the old man—was nearly killed.

The challenge wasn't just the strength of the boss, but its entirely new pattern and combat strategy. Five colorful, animal-like bosses, each as big as a truck—some standing, some crawling—appeared simultaneously. While each one was individually weaker than the previous bosses, their coordination in attack, defense, mobility, and support was flawless, creating a nearly insurmountable challenge.

Somehow, the old man managed to defeat all five bosses with the help of others, sustaining only a few minor scratches. He was also able to conserve a small amount of energy. This was possible due to his long life experience, and his past encounters with similar bosses.

However, after the bosses' bodies were destroyed, they merged to form two new humanoid bosses—one white and one black—each standing four meters tall. Each possessed power nearly identical to the eighth boss, around seventy percent of its strength.

Even though the old man only sustained minor injuries, around seventy percent of his energy was depleted. On top of that, similar to before, the two new bosses' coordination in defense, attack, and support was extraordinary. This time, however, he had no support to rely on, as the others were either severely injured or had exhausted their energy.

Somehow, he managed to defeat the two bosses once again, despite his body being riddled with holes and his energy completely drained. But the bosses merged once more, forming a single humanoid gray entity, standing two meters tall. This time, it was even stronger than the eighth boss.

The old man had reached his limit. For this final boss, with only sliver of stamina left in his body, he could only dodge the attacks, unable to launch any of his own. It was the only option left to him. He managed to hold on using nothing but the experience accumulated over his long life. However, after half a day of evading the boss, his severely injured body could no longer move.

It was at that moment—after half a day had passed—that the gray boss suddenly split apart again into the original five and resumed their assault on the old man. It seemed that once a certain amount of time elapsed, the boss would revert to its original form, only this time stronger, having absorbed ambient energy from the surroundings.

This was the end for the old man. His fate appeared sealed—his body wouldn’t move.

Until…

A small figure appeared before him—a little girl. In the blink of an eye, she transformed into a six-meter-tall, tyrannosaurus-like creature, her body cloaked in thick, fluffy fur over armored scales, with long, rabbit-like ears swaying gently in the air. She stacked a fully enhanced dinosaur transformation with the maximum enhancement of rabbit leg power. The strongest dinosaur, the T. rex, had its powerful muscle mass combined with the powerful legs of a rabbit. With her special skill—the highest-grade orange skill—it could be assumed that this combination would increase her power from level ten to the level of thousands. No other skill could combine multiple abilities that normally couldn’t be stacked, let alone amplify them several times over.

She immediately kicked the five bosses, shattering them in an instant like a glass.

But cracks began to form along the side of her body, spreading like lightning across her skin. She couldn’t handle the massive energy from the stacked power.

The bosses merged again—this time into two.

One of them launched an attack, but she pushed forward, unfazed, letting the blows land as if they were no more than rain. Step by step, she closed the distance, her eyes locked on her target.

In one swift leap, she kicked one of the bosses with overwhelming force—its body shattered.

Turning to the second, she gripped its small head with both of her fluffy tyrannosaurus hands and slowly pressed down until it shattered in her grasp.

The cracks on her body deepened, climbing up toward her cheek.

The boss merged once more into the gray, powerful entity, a third of Cyre's size—but she was already there, right in front of it, her fluffy dinosaur legs spinning downward in a fierce vertical arc.

Cyre slammed her legs into the center of the boss’s chest with devastating force. The creature was split clean in two, with no blood flowing. Its glassy body had turned to flesh after they merged into one.

Afterward, cracks spread across almost her entire body, and a deep vertical fracture—ten centimeters long—split down the center of her torso. A moment later, her body gave out, and she collapsed unconscious.

As always, the aliens demanded one severer after the boss's defeat. Since Cyre was badly injured and her energy capacity was far from that of a severer, the old man stepped forward instead.

The terrifying event had finally ended—but somehow, against all odds, not a single life was lost during the ninth boss fight.

Upon hearing this, Nova immediately searched for the hospital where Cyre was being treated. When he arrived in her room and saw that her life was no longer in danger, he let out a long, heavy sigh of relief.

But then, from the television that had been playing since his arrival, a breaking news report aired: the final two candidates expected to face the last boss had been found dead—having taken their own lives in their bedrooms.