Azravil, The Keeper of Lost Soul

The boss of this floor had finally appeared. His towering figure radiated pure rage, and an oppressive aura spilled from his entire body.

[FLOOR 4 BOSS HAS APPEARED!]

[YOU ARE NOW FIGHTING A BOSS!]

《AZRAVIL, THE KEEPER OF LOST SOUL》

[BOSS LEVEL 6]

The sight left every Player and NPC frozen in shock. His size, level, and health bars had increased drastically compared to the previous version of the game.

Before, he had been nothing more than a five-meter-tall abyssal dungeon boss. Now, he loomed over us at nearly fifteen meters. His presence alone emitted a constant fear effect to anyone within three meters. And worst of all—he had six health bars.

“This is insane… can we even defeat something like that?!” one Player shouted.

“He’s too strong… the average level of our teams is only four! Only Zack has reached level six. Damn it!” one of the N-SEC cursed, slamming his weapon in frustration.

Panic spread quickly among the ranks. Fear was already breaking their focus.

“Zack-san… Mikan-san… what do we do? Some of our members are already under the Fear status effect!” a trembling Restorer cried out.

Zack and Mikan both turned their eyes to me. I gave them a firm nod and stepped forward to face the colossal monster.

I swapped out my sword [CircuitCleaver] from my inventory, replacing it with the [Light-SS]. A gleaming white blade, elegant and futuristic in design, it amplified Aether output thanks to its own EtherCode Aether.

I raised my sword toward the towering figure, letting the AetherCode flow around my body, cloaking me in luminous energy.

“Everyone, listen to me!” I shouted. “We can defeat him! Follow my orders exactly. I, along with the close-range fighters like saber, lancer, brawler, will keep the boss occupied up front. Casters and shooters, stay with Zack and attack from mid-range. Mikan, lead the Restorers and support casters. Give us long-range protection and heal anyone who falls! Yae, you’ll block the boss’s mental attacks. With the holy effect from Yae’s skill, all of your attacks still carry sanctified power. That will work against him!”

Zack, Mikan, and Yae nodded in unison. The others clenched their weapons tighter, their fear slowly replaced by determination. Hope began to take root again.

Meanwhile, Azravil continued hammering the barrier around Lantern Village. Yae raised her staff, straining to hold it together, while we charged to pull his attention away.

The vanguard rushed forward, striking at his legs and torso. Zack and the N-SEC units opened fire with rifles, while the Aether Casters unleashed volleys of [Light Javelin]. Mikan and the Restorers weaved healing light and defensive buffs into our ranks.

Our combined assault shaved away at his health, forcing Azravil to turn his full rage upon us. With a guttural roar, he swung his massive scythe, unleashing [Darksoul Binding]. Black chains erupted from the ground, seeking to bind everyone within five meters.

I leapt clear of the cursed ground, meeting the incoming scythe head-on.

CLANG!

My blade intercepted his strike, Ether crackling as [Aether Slash] collided with his weapon. Azravil staggered backward, momentarily unbalanced.

“Now, Zack!” I roared.

“Take this! [AETHER MISSILE!]”

Zack’s voice rang with power. Borrowing the temporary blessing of Yae’s skill, he used his SystemCore Engineering to manifest a massive launcher. The missile streaked forward and exploded against Azravil’s skull with a thunderous boom.

BAM!

The opening was mine. I unleashed [EtherCode Aether: Vertical Holy Slash], my blade cleaving a searing trail of light through his massive body. His health dropped, but victory was still far away.

Azravil snarled and summoned [Hollow Extraction]. Shadows surged as every Hollow on the floor was pulled into his aura, rallying under his command.

“Don’t panic!” I shouted. “Shooters and casters, handle the Hollows! Attackers, stay on me!”

We pressed on, repeating coordinated strikes again and again. Minutes turned into what felt like hours, until finally, his health reached half.

I hesitated. Should I use that skill? My trump card. It could end this quickly, but it would leave me in cooldown for an entire hour. I couldn’t risk it.

Instead, I tightened my grip on the Ether Saber and resolved to finish this fight through sheer force.

At half health, Azravil entered berserk mode. His cloak disintegrated into shadows, revealing his true form a towering skeletal giant wreathed in black mist, wielding an even larger scythe. His eyes glowed like twin voids.

Then came the true terror.

[Skill Actived: Death Stare]

Every one of us was instantly branded with a Death Mark.

Yae’s voice cried out, “Guardian! That’s dangerous! If you accumulate three Death Marks, you’ll die instantly!”

“What?! Damn it!” I cursed. “Attackers, go all in! Now!”

We poured every ounce of strength into our offense. I deflected his scythe as Zack, the N-SEC, and the others hammered away. Azravil’s health plummeted to a single bar.

Cornered, he activated [Soulkeeper’s Embrace], absorbing every Hollow nearby and regenerating a full health bar. His aura darkened, and he followed with [Death Slasher]. The wide swing drenched the battlefield in shadow, striking multiple allies. Some collapsed with grievous wounds, their Death Marks rising to two.

“Mikan!” I called out.

She abandoned her other targets and poured everything into me, activating her [EtherPoint MAX], refilling my energy in an instant. Zack received the same boost, his aura burning brighter.

Together, we struck again.

“Now, Kyou! [Aether Sniper: Maximum Shot!]”

The blinding beam from Zack’s sniper shattered part of Azravil’s skull, dropping his health to one and a half bars. I seized the opening, sprinting up his colossal arm until I stood at his face.

“Fall! [EtherCode Aether: Cross Slash, Maximum Output!]”

BAM!

The holy cross-shaped slash tore through him, ripping his body apart. His health collapsed to a single point.

We thought it was over.

But it wasn’t.

Azravil’s hollow laughter echoed as he triggered [Death Conqueror]. His body refused to die.

“No… no way…”

Everyone froze in terror as he prepared [Death Stare] again. One more mark would mean instant death.

“Damn it!” I gritted my teeth, readying my trump card.

But before I could unleash it, Yae appeared at my side.

“Save your strength for another battle, my Guardian…” Her voice was calm, no longer childish.

Her body shimmered with radiant light, growing taller, more refined. Her robes transformed into a magnificent divine kimono, and her presence became overwhelming, like that of a deity descending upon us.

She raised her hands, and the Death Stare shattered harmlessly against her barrier.

“Yae… you…” I couldn’t find the words.

At last, the truth was revealed.

“I am Izanami Yae, the First Supreme Miko,” she declared, her voice resonating with divine power.

“I have received the oracle of the gods. My mission is to protect this world.”

Zack’s eyes widened. “So that’s why… you look like the ancestor of the Miko family… you’re Ayake’s forebear.”

Yae smiled at me gently. “My Guardian, Kyouze… for the last time, protect me.”

She was no longer the mischievous, bratty girl I had known. She had embraced her true self, her path, her destiny.

My chest tightened. For some reason, answering her felt unbearably heavy. But I clenched my fist, steadied my heart, and nodded.

“Yes, my lady Yae.”

Her smile deepened, serene and radiant. She lifted me beside her into the air, placing me at her side.

The final battle against Azravil had begun.

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