"Uh?!"
The sudden shift of power caught Lucas off guard. His footsteps froze, and his instincts screamed danger.
Before him, the graceful figure suspended in the emerald cocoon began to stir. The shimmering green light that had enveloped her slowly faded away, as though it had been guarding her all along. When the glow finally disappeared, a breathtaking woman stepped out of the light.
Her long, silken golden hair cascaded down like a waterfall, glimmering faintly with divine radiance. She was beautiful—so beautiful that even in the midst of tension, Lucas found himself stunned for half a heartbeat. Her expression, however, was far from gentle. Her elegant face was twisted by fury, her eyes glowing a feral green, like an ancient beast awakened from slumber.
As her bare feet touched the withered white roots of the giant tree, she suddenly raised her hand. A sharp, branch-like sword appeared out of thin air, humming with the wind's energy.
Without warning, she leaped down, her blade slashing straight toward Lucas.
"Wait—she's attacking already?! Is she the boss?" Lucas muttered, snapping out of his daze.
He instantly pulled out a detection scroll and threw it at her. The scroll flashed, revealing a screen of glowing data before his eyes:
Name: The Elf Queen in Madness
Level: 60
HP: 248,412
Attack Power: 4,287
Physical Defense: 3,245
Magic Defense: 3,056
Skills: Elf Dance, Breath of Nature, Wind Blade, Orchid Sword Shadow, Swift Wind Sword Dance, Sword Protection...
"Level sixty with stats that high... but her health's weirdly low," Lucas thought quickly. "She has less HP than the elite elf rangers I fought earlier. Maybe it's because she hasn't been fully corrupted yet? Still... why's she so furious?"
Before he could ponder further, the Elf Queen lunged, her sword slicing through the air with a shriek of wind. Lucas could feel the sharp aura of nature itself swirling around the blade, the power dense enough to tear him apart.
"Shadow Step!"
In an instant, Lucas vanished. The Elf Queen's thrust pierced through only an afterimage. A heartbeat later, Lucas reappeared behind her, his dagger already flashing toward her lower back.
But just as the blade was about to connect, a shimmering white barrier flared around her—her passive skill, Sword Protection. The dagger hit the barrier with a dull clang and failed to pierce through.
"Seriously?!" Lucas gritted his teeth. "That passive skill blocked my sneak attack!"
Not one to hesitate, he immediately followed up with another technique.
"Kiss of Death!"
His dagger glowed crimson and curved like a fang, slashing again with viper-like speed. But before the strike could land, the Elf Queen spun with supernatural grace.
Dozens of sword lights erupted around her, forming a cyclone of emerald blades—her Swift Wind Sword Dance.
The air howled. The plants in the garden were sliced apart in seconds, shredded into green mist. Lucas barely managed to backstep in time, but even then, he was caught in the storm of sword light, thin wounds crisscrossing his arms and chest.
Blood splattered, yet his body endured. He glanced at his health bar—only a fifth down. Manageable.
His dagger had also landed partially during the clash, dealing over 30,000 points of damage. But when he looked closer, he realized the Elf Queen had completely resisted the bleeding effect.
"Wait—she's immune to blood loss? That's new." Lucas frowned. "And I can't even trigger Blood Transformation to heal. Great."
He took a deep breath, steadying his heartbeat.
"Fine. Let's make this interesting."
The Elf Queen finished her dance, stepping lightly on the ruined garden floor. Her breath was calm, but her rage hadn't faded. She extended her hand, and a green sphere of energy appeared, enveloping her body.
"Breath of Nature."
Lucas's eyes widened as her wounds closed within seconds, her health returning to full.
"Oh, come on!" he shouted in disbelief. "A boss that heals like a priest?! Who designed this nightmare?"
He knew that if a normal raid group fought her, without massive burst damage, she would regenerate endlessly. "She hits hard, heals fast, and dances like a storm. Amazing. I'm fighting the perfect boss from hell."
Still, he wasn't about to give up.
"I just need to find her weakness," he muttered, eyes narrowing.
Before he could act again, the Elf Queen lifted her sword toward the sky. The air trembled, and a massive spectral blade formed above her head.
Lucas immediately recognized it. "That's... Orchid Sword Shadow! A high-tier finishing move!"
Every instinct screamed danger. He felt the pressure locking onto him—an unshakable killing intent.
"Shadow Cloak—NOW!"
He melted into the darkness, vanishing seconds before the colossal sword of light came crashing down.
The ground exploded in a wave of emerald force, dust and wind scattering across the arena. When the storm settled, there was no sign of Lucas.
The Elf Queen's glowing eyes darted around. Confused, she lowered her sword slightly, and the Orchid Sword Shadow began to dissipate.
Hidden within the shadows, Lucas exhaled quietly. "That was too close. I could feel that lock-on. She's got auto-tracking skills. What a monster..."
Peeking out, he noticed her standing motionless now, her expression dazed, her beautiful features softening. For a brief moment, the madness in her eyes flickered, replaced by something fragile—sadness, maybe even sorrow.
Lucas hesitated. "Was she... crying?"
But mercy had no place in the battlefield. He activated his Delusion-Breaking Eye, scanning for weak points. A faint red mark appeared on her body—on her right shoulder, near the place where she gripped her sword.
"Figures. The hardest spot to hit," he muttered. "That's her sword arm. If I miss, she'll counter before I blink."
He crouched low, letting his dagger absorb the shadow's cold energy.
"Let's end this in one strike."
"Netherworld Assassination!"
The blade turned ghostly pale, shrouded in darkness. Lucas emerged from the shadows like a phantom, his eyes locked on the mark.
In one swift motion, he drove the dagger deep into her shoulder, right through the weak point.
The Elf Queen let out a soft gasp. For an instant, her green eyes widened—not with rage, but with recognition, as though some ancient memory surfaced.
However, Lucas barely had time to wonder before she turned, faster than any human could react. Her blade flashed—a streak of emerald light.
He barely managed to retreat with another Shadow Step, the sword missing him by inches but slicing his cheek open.
"Damn, she's good even in madness," he hissed, wiping the blood away.
Still, he saw what he wanted: her HP bar had finally dropped by nearly a quarter.
"Good. That means the weak spot works."
But then he noticed something strange—the wound he'd caused began to glow softly, covered by green light. Her skin healed again.
"Seriously? Another heal?!"
The Elf Queen raised her sword once more, summoning wind blades that circled around her like petals in a storm. Each step she took stirred the air, graceful and lethal. She moved as though dancing to an ancient rhythm, her attacks forming a deadly performance.
Lucas gritted his teeth. "If she keeps healing, I'll never outlast her."
He had two options: burn his ultimate skill—Shura's Blood Rage—or gamble on skill precision. He chose the latter.
"Time to gamble."
He focused, timing her rhythm. Every sword dance had a slight pause—a faint beat where her stance reset. That was his opening.
He moved like lightning, weaving through the storm of blades. The sword lights tore his armor, blood splashing the ground, but he didn't stop.
At the exact moment the storm paused, Lucas struck again. His dagger cut through the air, stabbing her chest, just below her collarbone—the second weak point the Eye had marked mid-battle.
A shockwave burst out. The Elf Queen screamed, her power surging wildly. The surrounding forest trembled.
The madness in her gaze flickered, then began to fade.
"Wait..." Lucas whispered. "Is she... regaining control?"
The green light surrounding her started to dim. The once-violent wind stilled. Slowly, she fell to her knees, clutching her sword.
Her eyes turned from bright emerald to a calm, misty green.
"Human..." she whispered faintly, voice trembling like a leaf in the breeze. "Why... are you here?"
Lucas froze.
Her tone was no longer that of a monster, but of someone who had been lost for far too long.
"I..." he began, unsure how to respond.
But before he could speak, her body convulsed. The madness returned like a flood, and she screamed again, the ground cracking beneath her as the curse within her soul reawakened.
Lucas's grip on his dagger tightened. "So this is it... she's half sane, half cursed."
He knew what needed to be done.
As the green storm rose once again, Lucas stepped forward, shadow merging with light. His dagger glowed with both darkness and hope.
"Then I'll free you," he said softly.
And as he vanished into the whirlwind, the final battle between Lucas and the Elf Queen truly began.
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