[REQUIEM COLLAPSE: 8 SECONDS]
"But everybody better move fast."
The Harbinger's scythe rose toward the heavens, dragging a swirling vortex of black and violet energy into the air above the arena. The stone floor groaned beneath their feet. Cracks spread through the ancient tiles as skeletal hands began clawing their way out of the darkness.
"Shadow! Status!" Soma demanded.
"Closing in."
Across the arena, Shadow emerged from stealth behind the final skeletal knight. Her daggers flashed, striking the creature's exposed joints. The knight staggered but refused to fall.
[REQUIEM COLLAPSE: 6 SECONDS]
"Lucifer! I need that skeleton inside the circle!"
"I'M WORKING ON IT!"
Lucifer charged, his axes blazing crimson. With a furious roar, he slammed the flat of one blade into the skeletal knight's chest. The creature flew backward, skidding across the stone. Straight into the third burial sigil.
"Got him!"
"No!" Soma shouted. "Not yet!"
Lucifer's second axe stopped inches from the knight's skull.
"What?!"
Soma's eyes flicked between three separate displays. The first two Soul Anchors pulsed gold. The third remained dark. Above them, the Harbinger's ultimate attack was nearly complete. And beside its health bar, another indicator had appeared.
[SOUL ABSORPTION: ACTIVE]
Soma's mind raced. If Lucifer destroyed the final skeleton now, all three anchors would activate. The reflection would trigger. The Harbinger would become vulnerable. But the ten-second window would begin while Requiem Collapse was still charging. No. They would waste their opening defending themselves. Worse, the Harbinger might still release its ultimate before Ella's spell was ready. They needed to survive the attack first. Then spring the trap.
"Lucifer, hold that skeleton inside the sigil! Shadow, protect him!"
"YOU WANT ME TO BABYSIT A SKELETON?!"
"Yes!"
"THIS IS THE WORST JOB I'VE EVER HAD!"
"Congratulations on your promotion," Shadow replied dryly.
[REQUIEM COLLAPSE: 4 SECONDS]
"Ella! How's your charge?"
"Seventy percent!"
"Keep charging. Don't release it until I say."
"Soma, if that thing hits us—"
"It won't."
The words came out with more confidence than he felt. He checked the distance between his teammates. Buck was retreating from the northern wall. Raven and Ella had already reached the center of the arena. Shadow and Lucifer were guarding the final skeletal knight near the southern sigil. Too far apart. His Safe Haven dome couldn't cover all of them.
"Everybody converge on the southern circle! Buck, Shield Rush! Raven, use your movement blessing on Ella!"
"Already moving!" Raven replied.
"Kid, you've got about three seconds before we're all turned into decorative floor stains!" Buck yelled.
"Then move faster!"
Soma planted his staff against the stone just outside the southern sigil.
"SAFE HAVEN!"
A brilliant dome of golden light erupted around the guild as Buck slid beneath its edge, his shield raised over his head. Lucifer and Shadow ducked inside from the opposite direction, dragging their battered skeletal prisoner with them. The instant the dome closed, the Harbinger brought its scythe crashing down.
[REQUIEM COLLAPSE ACTIVATED]
The world disappeared. An ocean of death energy slammed into the barrier. Black fire swallowed the arena. A thousand spectral faces surged through the darkness, their screams merging into one horrifying wail. The impact struck Soma's haptic suit with such force that he nearly stumbled out of his chair. His shield's durability plummeted.
[SAFE HAVEN INTEGRITY: 68%]
[SAFE HAVEN INTEGRITY: 41%]
[SAFE HAVEN INTEGRITY: 19%]
"RAVEN!" Soma shouted.
"Already on it!"
She raised her staff.
"Cathedral of Healing!"
A magnificent illusion of stained-glass arches materialized within their shelter, bathing the guild in emerald and golden light. Their health bars surged upward. Mana regeneration increased. Attack enhancements flooded their status panels. But the barrier continued to crack.
[SAFE HAVEN INTEGRITY: 7%]
[SOMA MP: 9%]
Soma clenched his teeth. Safe Haven was draining everything he had left.
"Uh, Klutz?" Buck said.
"Noticed!"
"Just checking!"
Soma watched the destructive energy outside the dome. Something was wrong. The attack wasn't fading evenly. The violet currents were gathering around the three burial sigils, drawn toward the trapped energy beneath the floor. And the Harbinger was standing directly between them. Soma's eyes widened. Of course. The Soul Anchors weren't merely storing energy. They were connected. Three points forming a single containment field.
The Harbinger had unknowingly positioned itself inside its own execution chamber. A faint residual reading appeared on Soma's tactical display. The two active anchors were holding far more energy than he'd expected. He didn't have time to explain the entire theory. But he could use it.
"Change of plans!"
"Oh, I LOVE hearing that!" Buck shouted.
"Shadow, prepare to strike the Harbinger from behind. Buck, get ready to launch Lucifer at its left shoulder!"
"Kid, we're not even near—"
"Movement skills! The moment the attack fades!"
[SAFE HAVEN INTEGRITY: 3%]
"Ella!" Soma called.
"Ninety-eight percent!"
"Hold it!"
"Understood!"
The barrier began to fracture. Golden cracks spread across its surface as the last concentrated wave of Requiem Collapse hammered against it.
[SAFE HAVEN INTEGRITY: 1%]
Soma studied the flow of black fire. The main blast was passing. One more second. He could almost hear the calculations clicking into place.
"Lucifer, keep that knight alive until my mark!"
"IF I HAVE TO LOOK AT THIS THING MUCH LONGER, I'M NAMING IT!"
The dome shattered. Golden fragments exploded outward. A final wave of dark energy swept across the arena, catching the party as the barrier collapsed. Their health bars dipped sharply, but Raven's ongoing healing kept them standing. Soma stumbled as his remaining mana dropped to almost nothing.
[SAFE HAVEN EXPIRED]
[SOMA MP: 3%]
The black flames thinned.
"NOW, LUCIFER!"
Lucifer's axe descended upon the skeletal knight. The creature shattered. A brilliant column of gold erupted from the southern circle.
[SOUL ANCHOR ACTIVATED: 3/3]
[SOUL REBOUND INITIATED]
Three streams of golden energy raced across the floor. They converged beneath the Harbinger. The creature threw back its head and screamed as the stolen souls it had consumed were violently torn from its body. Its regeneration stopped. Its crimson aura fractured. And for the first time since entering Frenzy, the Harbinger staggered.
[SOUL REBOUND: 10 SECONDS]
"BUCK! SHIELD!"
Buck dropped to one knee and angled his massive shield toward the charging berserker. Lucifer planted a boot against its polished surface.
"LAUNCH ME!"
With a tremendous heave, Buck propelled him into the air. Lucifer soared above the Harbinger, both axes blazing.
"NINE SECONDS!" Soma shouted.
Shadow vanished into stealth. The moment she reappeared behind the boss, her daggers struck the vulnerable seams beneath its cloak. The Harbinger twisted, attempting to raise its scythe.
"Not happening."
Soma slammed his staff into the ground.
"LOCKDOWN!"
Massive iron chains erupted from the stone, snapping around the Harbinger's wrists, ankles, and weapon. The creature shrieked as the bindings dragged it to its knees.
[SOMA MP: 0%]
The spell had taken his last reserves. From this point forward, all he could do was command.
[SOUL REBOUND: 7 SECONDS]
Lucifer's axes struck the boss's left shoulder. A violent explosion of crimson energy tore through its armor. The Harbinger lurched sideways.
"ELLA!" Soma yelled.
"READY!"
Above the arena, five enormous swords of radiant white light materialized within a rotating magic circle. Their brilliance drove back the lingering darkness. Soma checked the Harbinger's health.
[HP: 31%]
Too much. Even Ella's ultimate might not finish it. A direct hit would be devastating, but the Harbinger's remaining resistance could allow it to survive until Soul Rebound expired. Then Soma noticed something. The Soul Anchors were still glowing. Their energy hadn't disappeared when the reflection activated. He enlarged the readings.
[SOUL ANCHOR RESERVES: 14%]
[SOUL REBOUND: 5 SECONDS]
His tactical map overlaid the three anchor positions. Lines of energy connected them through the stone. The residual energy was concentrated beneath the boss. That's it. A dangerous idea formed. The anchors had trapped the Harbinger's stolen power. If enough energy struck their connected conduits, they might overload the entire formation. And Ella was currently holding the most powerful light-element spell in their arsenal. Soma smiled. There it was.
Their final chance.
"Ella! Don't target its body!"
"What?!"
"Target the ground! Five points around it, directly along the glowing channels!"
"Soma, my spell does more damage on a direct hit!"
"Not this time! The anchors still have energy! Hit their connections and we'll make them discharge everything at once!"
A fraction of a second passed. Then Ella answered.
"Always knew that brain of yours was trouble."
[SOUL REBOUND: 3 SECONDS]
"Everyone, fall back!"
Buck seized Lucifer's collar as the berserker landed.
"HEY! WATCH THE NECK!"
"SHUT UP AND RUN!"
Shadow vanished from beneath the Harbinger's cloak. The guild scattered toward the perimeter.
"ELLA! FIRE!"
Five colossal swords screamed downward. Instead of impaling the Harbinger, they struck the stone at five points surrounding its chained body. The ancient burial sigils erupted. Their remaining energy surged through the connected channels, converging beneath the trapped boss. For a single instant, every rune in the arena glowed white.
[SOUL ANCHOR OVERLOAD]
[CRITICAL DAMAGE]
The Harbinger's health bar plunged. Twenty percent. Eleven. Four.
[SOUL REBOUND: 1 SECOND]
The boss unleashed one final, furious scream. Then its body fractured. Cracks of brilliant white light spread across its skeletal frame, tearing through the darkness holding it together. Its scythe shattered. Its robes dissolved. And with a thunderous explosion, the Harbinger disintegrated into a storm of black and purple pixels.
Silence.
For several endless seconds, nobody spoke. Soma stared at the empty space where the monster had stood. Had they done it?
A golden notification appeared across every screen.
[SYSTEM ANNOUNCEMENT]
[CONGRATULATIONS!]
[THE RECLUSIVE AVENGERS HAVE CLEARED FLOOR 100!]
[WORLD FIRST ACHIEVEMENT UNLOCKED]
Soma sat perfectly still in his gaming chair. His hands were trembling. He had spent so long imagining this moment. Countless nights studying mechanics. Endless arguments about strategies. Failed raids that lasted until sunrise. And now... They had actually done it.
"WE DID IT!"
Lucifer's scream nearly destroyed everyone's eardrums.
"WE ACTUALLY DID IT!"
"THAT'S MY BOY!" Buck roared.
Ella burst into laughter. And Raven?
Raven was already running toward Soma.
"SOMA!"
Before he could turn, a blur of silver and emerald crashed into him.
"Oof!"
Her avatar threw both arms around his neck, nearly knocking him off his feet.
"You did it!" she shouted, laughing breathlessly. "Soma, you actually did it!"
For a moment, he simply stood there, stunned. Then he returned the embrace.
"We did it," he corrected softly.
"Oh, would you look at that!" Buck announced. "Our little boy's growing up! First he defeats the toughest boss in the game, and now he's hugging girls!"
"Buck!" Raven squeaked.
"What? I'm a proud father!"
"You're an embarrassment," Ella replied.
"An embarrassment with a world-first clear, thank you very much!"
Soma burst into laughter. Around them, the massive arena began to transform. The darkness that had swallowed the chamber gradually dissolved, revealing towering marble pillars and ancient statues hidden beneath the Harbinger's corruption. Golden particles drifted from the ceiling like falling stars. Above the remains of the battlefield, an enormous treasure chest materialized.
[WORLD FIRST REWARD UNLOCKED]
[THE HARBINGER'S TREASURY]
"LOOOOOOT!"
Lucifer sprinted toward the chest.
"LEGENDARY GEAR! MY PRECIOUS!"
"Lucifer, don't you dare touch that!" Ella warned.
"BUT IT'S SHINY!"
"Guild distribution rules!"
"YOUR RULES ARE OPPRESSIVE!"
"Lucifer," Shadow said quietly.
"What?"
"Touch the chest, and I'll stab you."
A moment of silence followed.
"...You wouldn't."
Shadow drew one dagger. Lucifer immediately backed away.
"Okay! Wow! Hostile work environment!"
Soma laughed so hard that his sides began to hurt. It was ridiculous. All of it. The screaming, the arguing, Buck's terrible jokes, Lucifer's complete inability to control himself. And he wouldn't trade a second of it. Another notification chimed.
[TACTICAL KLUTZ — WORLD FIRST ACHIEVEMENT]
[TITLE UNLOCKED: HARBINGER'S CONQUEROR]
[RAID CONTRIBUTION: STRATEGIC COMMAND — EXCEPTIONAL]
Soma stared at the message. Before he could examine it, his livestream chat exploded again.
TACTICAL KLUTZ IS A MONSTER!
THAT LAST PLAY WAS INSANE!
HE USED THE BOSS MECHANIC AGAINST IT!
BEST RAID LEADER IN THE WORLD!
A few familiar usernames continued insisting the victory had been luck. Soma smiled and minimized the window. For once, he genuinely didn't care what strangers thought.
"Hey, kid."
Buck's voice had grown quieter. Soma glanced toward his avatar.
"Yeah?"
"That was one hell of a call."
The words caught him off guard. Buck wasn't someone who handed out serious compliments often. Most of his affection came disguised as terrible jokes, unsolicited advice, and threats to fly across the country whenever Soma forgot to eat a proper meal.
"You guys made it work," Soma replied.
"Sure did. But you saw something the rest of us missed. And when everything went sideways, you kept us together."
Ella's voice joined his.
"We're proud of you, sweetheart."
Soma swallowed. Two simple sentences. Yet they struck harder than anything the Harbinger had thrown at him.
"Thanks, guys."
For a moment, he didn't trust himself to say anything else.
"Don't get all emotional on us now," Lucifer interrupted. "I still need somebody to explain why my axes didn't get the killing blow!"
"Because you were busy babysitting a skeleton," Shadow replied.
"THAT WAS A CRITICAL STRATEGIC ASSIGNMENT!"
"Of course it was, honey," Ella said sweetly.
"STOP TALKING TO ME LIKE I'M FIVE!"
"Then stop acting like you're four," Buck answered.
The entire guild erupted into laughter. For the next hour, they celebrated like children. They opened the Harbinger's Treasury, argued over legendary equipment, posed for screenshots, and replayed the final ten seconds from every available camera angle. Lucifer insisted his aerial attack had been the deciding factor. Shadow quietly reminded him that he'd nearly killed the last skeleton too early. Buck declared his shield the true hero of the raid.
Ella threatened to mute all three of them. And Raven stayed beside Soma. Every so often, her avatar bumped playfully against his shoulder, or she caught him looking at the victory announcement and laughed. Eventually, the excitement began to settle.
"Alright, you degenerates," Buck announced. "We've got a convention tomorrow, and some of us are old enough to appreciate a decent night's sleep."
"You're not that old," Ella said.
"Tell that to my knees."
"Your knees wouldn't hurt if you exercised."
"I exercise every day!"
"Walking to the refrigerator doesn't count."
"That's a matter of opinion!"
Soma shook his head, grinning.
"You're both impossible."
"And you're buying the first round of wings tomorrow," Buck replied.
"What happened to drinks being on you?"
"Drinks are on me. Wings are on the newly crowned gaming legend."
"That's convenient."
"Life's full of lessons, kid."
The others laughed as Buck began describing the enormous bear hug he planned to give Soma when they finally met. Soma rolled his eyes, but he couldn't stop smiling. For years, he'd known these people as voices through a headset and faces on a screen. Tomorrow, that would change. And somehow, after conquering the greatest challenge in Ascension Overdrive, the thought of meeting his own guildmates in person seemed like the most intimidating adventure of all.