Mortis Sforzando

Lord Emphynixyion, the Branded Phoenix

Level 799

HP: [465,972/799,999]

Emphynixyion soared to chase the airborne Naivern and Ampyria. Naivern shielded their backs to protect their one HP from taking a hit. They led the phoenix under an arch, where the police droids detonated the trap. The bird swatted the rubble away with its giant wingbeat and hissed when part of the arch bonked its blood-stained beak. Enshiron's snipers and Ritom's rocketeers ambushed the boss from the nearby apartment windows while Shien punched the phoenix's talon until Antijuvenoid Prozosis hit.

When Enshiron's Vampiric Zephyr hit the phoenix's head after Terrorphobia ended, the flying menace jumped into Enshiron's apartment. Emphynixyion drilled its beak into the building like a hungry woodpecker, but Enshiron and others were lucky to escape. The phoenix then closed into invincible sphere mode and steamrolled through the apartment Ritom's team established. Ritom, Esarin, and Ruddigus quickly escorted their team out of the crumbling tower as the asteroid-sized ball bounced up and down like a deadly basketball.

Everyone faced away from the wings' cognitohazard alchemy inscriptions that were too dangerous for human eyes to comprehend. Then, a fourth trait appeared.

Lord Emphynixyion, the Branded Phoenix

Level 799

HP: [399,184/799,999]

Trait 1: Pianissimo 001

Trait 2: Orbital Crescendo

Trait 3: Cognitohazard Staccato

Trait 4: Mortis Sforzando

"Come on! Another trait? Enough is enough!" Ritom fumed.

The boss landed in the center of the battlefield, grooming its feathers.

"We should attack while it's on the ground!" Mivangeline instructed.

As the players charged for Emphynixyion, the phoenix opened its beak and faced upward. The megaphone glowed with red electricity along with a charge meter. A circular warning area expanded from Emphynixyion's location.

"Warning! I detect that this attack will kill us in one hit. We must avoid the blast radius!" Phoenicia grabbed Shien and Mivangeline.

Everyone ran away from the expanding circle as the charge gauge filled to maximum. The phoenix shoved its energized megaphone into the ground, causing a sonic boom that fractured the earth in blood-red fire. The players jumped away from the mystical flames that annihilated all within the circle.

"Wah! That was close!" Elysia's tail caught on fire. "I don't wanna be deep-fried for that thing!"

Ears bled as the phoenix screamed its air raid siren to drop all HP to one.

"Don't stop! Keep attacking! I'll lure it!" Mivangeline bravely taunted the boss with Paladin's Aegis while Ritom and Enshiron's gunners bombarded it with their artillery.

After Shien palm struck it with Antijuvenjoid Prozosis, the boss retreated into sphere mode. The players ran their tired feet from the bouncing asteroid.

The phoenix opened its bright wings, forcing all to look away from the alchemic writings. Emphynixyion landed in the center of the battlefield again, facing its megaphone up to charge its Mortis Sforzando attack. Mivangeline checked on the players to find them tired and beaten with no healing items left. She knew they couldn't last another four-trait movement of Emphynixyion's concert.

"Don't run! We must press forward!" Mivangeline shouted at the players who fled from the expanding warning area. "This boss wants us to play defensive until we tire out. We got to be aggressive if we want to win!"

"But we'll die if we're in the circle!" Knavus worried.

The players hesitated as the circular warning area expanded.

"I know this is hard, but we have no items, and we'll lose stamina if we keep going in circles with this boss. Based on my calculations, we can beat it before it finishes charging, but I need your help! If you back out now, we all die!"

Shien held his girlfriend's hand and nodded. "I'm with you, Mivange. God will help us."

"Amen," Mivangeline nodded back before charging at Emphynixyion. "We're winning this game today!"

While Elysia chucked people into battle, Ruddigus bumped men outside with his muscles. "Come on, scaredy cats! Do you want to be buff like me? Then act like men for a change. You too, Ritom, sissy!"

"Oh, you didn't. That does it!" Ritom scrambled at the boss with his fiery blade.

Elysia climbed onto Emphynixyion's head and pierced her machete into the bass clef eye while Enshiron fired a critical hit into the beak's megaphone. The players surrounded the boss and attacked from every direction. Emphynixyion pecked and stomped them back as everyone slashed and gunned it with combined power.

50% charged... 60%...

205,483... 156,292...

"Go! Go! Go!" Mivangeline sliced her kunai against the bird's talons. "Don't give up!"

The megaphone glowed with red lightning as Emphynixyion flapped its giant wings to blow everyone off. Ampyria and the gunners bombarded the mechanical bird as Phoenicia pummeled its violin belly with her jet-powered gauntlets.

70%...

102,888...

Emphynixyion slashed its talons to cut Shien and Enshiron until Esarin blasted smoke rockets at its face. The phoenix slapped Phoenicia away and plucked Esarin's arm off. An enraged Ruddigus grabbed Emphynixyion's bloody beak, using his muscular strength to dislocate it. The boss screamed emergency alert systems and kicked Ruddigus off.

80%...

60,741...

Knavus, Ritom, and the other players jumped onto Emphynixyion's wings, slicing them with their blades. The phoenix shrieked alarms when Shien jumped and pierced his staff into the beak's megaphone. It spat the clarinet staff back at Shien's face and pricked Ritom and his gunners with its unicorn horn.

90%...

21,484...

Emphynixyion's talons disarmed Mivangeline's kunai, but she stunned one foot with deadly palm strikes. "Avian Form: Pitohui Stinger Strikes!"

The bird struggled to move its numbed talon while Shien kicked the final boss in the chin. "Avian Form: Heron's Talon!"

97%...

7,485...

Emphynixyion stomped onto Elysia and Phoenicia, trying to crush them to death.

"Avian Form: Kingfisher's Axe!" Mivangeline made a downswing kick onto Emphynixyion's head.

99%...

1,645...

"Shien! Switch!"

"One more!" Shien jumped off Mivangeline. "Avian Form: Merlin's Majesty!"

He spread his arms like a landing falcon, piercing his feet into Emphynixyion's treble and bass clef eyes with an echoing crack. The phoenix squealed its air raid siren as it toppled on its back. The black holes that infested the catastrophic sky faded as daybreak chased the purple thunderclouds away.

"Did we do it?" Mivangeline knelt, coughing through her tired voice. "Lord God? Is it finished?"

The players watched the fiendish boss disintegrate into ash. Fireworks boomed across the sunrise as a peaceful yet glorious fanfare celebrated their hard-earned victory.

Lord Emphynixyion, the Branded Phoenix

Level 799

HP: [0/799,999]

!Congratulations!

!The DJ Meteonis has been destroyed!

Netium Reward: 7,999,999

EXP: 7,999,999

You have destroyed the warring factions and saved all of Syanic Earth!

Thank you for playing Syanic Earth: Year 3225!

"Yay! We did it!" Shien squeezed Mivangeline with a hug. "Thank, God!"

Everyone huddled with arms on each other's shoulders, smiling and crying as all of Shien's friends clustered with eyes full of tears. The nightmare was over, and Dorian's antiprogram enabled the players to log out safely.

"Thank goodness!" Elysia wildly grabbed Enshiron and Knavus into herself. "We made it!"

"Come over here, guys!" Ruddigus squeezed everyone with his muscles. "Ritom, buddy!"

"Woah, easy there, big crybaby!" Ritom felt Ruddigus' giant arm wrap him and Esarin together. "Don't mush me with that geezer!"

"Meh! You may be a cheater, but I had a great time feeling young with you and all the youthful folk here!" Esarin pulled Ritom's face.

"This victory is overloading my emotional circuitry, shortie!" Phoenicia locked her elbow on Shien's throat.

"Hey! You can't do that to me!"

"I believe I just did!"

"One hug, please, Ampyria?" Ritom begged.

"No."

"Pretty please? We worked so hard."

"Grr. Just this once, ack!" Ampyria felt Ritom squeeze her tightly. "This is a code violation!"

Shien high-fived Mivangeline and laughed. "You're an awesome commander, Mivange."

"I couldn't have done it without you," Mivangeline looked at everyone. "All of you. The Lord helped us win our freedom together."

The players shook hands with Mivangeline, thanking her before logging off.

"I believe our duties as android guides are finished for now," Phoenicia smiled. "What a strange sensation."

"But you were always strange from the beginning!" Shien stuck his tongue at her until she bonked his head with a fist.

"Haha, short loser! Ow!" Elysia felt Shien yank her tail.

"I believe most of our families are waiting for us in Choro Emplexion," Mivangeline sighed as Phoenicia broke up Shien and Elysia from fighting again.

Shien grinned. "Maybe we'll see each other there!"

"Yo, we should do something cool together to celebrate after we log out. Maybe a dinner get-together after we recover?" Naivern winked.

"I say, sounds good, Loud Girl," Enshiron wagged his tail. "With Calice, Dorian, and Nashura would be awesome too. They must be worried sick about us!"

"Can't wait to see them! Alright, squad, we'll see you all!" Naivern saluted.

With all the friends logging out, Shien and Mivangeline remained.

"Remember the pinky swear?" Shien bonked his forehead with Mivangeline's.

"Of course, Shien," Mivangeline laughed and hugged her boyfriend. "I can't wait!"

"Me either!" Shien kissed her.

The couple waved Phoenicia and Ampyria goodbye before logging out together.

"It has been a pleasure, Shien," Phoenicia smiled. "I wish you two the best in the real world."

Mom, I'm coming home! Shien sniffed as he and Mivangeline's bodies dematerialized from the Syanic Earth.