The cannons did not make us wait. Powerful shots—almost as if they were made of light rather than steel shells—collided against the beast, forcing it to step back without losing its balance. Its gaze filled with fury, the flames within its eyes flaring up as it took the hill where the rival trio stood as its new target. They, in turn, did not hesitate to keep firing at the incarnation of Taurus.
The system unfolded before me, displaying on the front line:
[Napoleon Bonaparte / Level 7 / Silver Rank]
—Great, just what we needed… French.
Luckily for me, the distraction caused by the trio worked perfectly. All three wore the classic French military uniform, almost identical to those seen in historical films, with one exception: the man in the center. He rode a white steed and wore a large hat; his uniform was adorned with a long red cape and military insignias that made him look imposing and authoritative. An image worthy of the French emperor who once nearly conquered Europe in his most belligerent days.
—Many thanks, Emperor —I murmured.
I didn't waste the moment. Without drawing the beast's attention—still relentlessly charging at the French trio—I expanded the map to see how far my ally was. To my surprise, he was moving at great speed toward our position, a feat worthy of a high rank.
The cannons struck the animal again and again, until it began leaping wildly across the field. Thankfully, I had already put enough distance between us when, from afar, I saw the three Frenchmen—mounted on the white steed—make an enormous jump to a hill several meters away, just before the bronze bull instantly destroyed the hill they had occupied.
As soon as they dismounted, they resumed firing without rest. It didn't seem like their attacks did more than mildly annoy the creature, which barely reacted when the impacts resumed.
I deployed [Search V], and although I hadn't tried it before, now I had to confirm it. When I pressed the evil axolotl icon, a new message appeared:
[First sighting of Tauros detected. Analysis initiated… progress: 20%]
"Don't start with this…"
That was it—my ability now needed time to load the boss's data. I had never felt so betrayed by a skill description. Still, to be fair, I had seen Aries when I first arrived at the Nexo; maybe that counted, which was why I had his information when I faced him again. My only comfort was the distance between me and the creature, and the fact that it was still far more interested in its first attackers than in me.
Or so I thought—until something struck the bull from the sky with even greater force than a cannonball, not only pushing it back but nearly making it stumble over one of the hills. The impact was so brutal that even the French attackers stopped firing for a moment.
I knew it. By elimination alone, that had to be my ally. I expanded the information and read the update:
[Rank: Gold]
Excitement surged through my body. This time, I had an overwhelmingly powerful ally—someone with whom I could undoubtedly clear the trial…
"No way… in the entire Nexo… why her?"
[Rachel Lionheart / Level 10 / Gold Rank]
When I looked up, I saw her. Embedded in the massive beast's torso was a golden-haired girl, her hair tied in a ponytail, gripping a sword that should have shattered on impact but was instead buried deep in the creature's armor. She wore silver armor with golden details over a purple dress adorned with emerald accents, and a blue cape that fluttered bravely under the sunlight.
With a single push, she leapt back, landing just a few meters away from me.
The animal regained its balance but failed to correct its trajectory, crashing into one of the invisible walls of the field. The barrier spread across it like vines, rebounding the beast in another direction until it collapsed heavily onto the ground.
—So you're my partner —Rachel said, looking down at me.
For a moment, I forgot that [Null I] only worked on bosses or players of equal or lower level.
—Then I should thank the emperor for not finishing me off…
—The emperor? —the girl asked.
—That's right, Rachel, was it? —I said, standing up as fast as I could—. Our opponent is Napoleon Bonaparte and two of his men. They—
—Have cannons and a very strong horse. I know. I saw them from over there —she replied, pointing toward a hill several kilometers away—. That's why I jumped at that thing. I thought I could pierce it with my Star, but…
—But? —I asked awkwardly, as she stuck out her tongue in embarrassment.
—It seems that… the penalty for being on the lower floors canceled my Star.
—What? —I looked her up and down. She was undoubtedly wearing armor worthy of a Gold-rank player, and her presence commanded respect. Yet now that I noticed, her weapon—once a more delicate version of Excalibur—was now just a plain white-metal sword with a few emeralds embedded in it.
—Well, from Gold rank onward, you get penalized on the lower floors. It's meant to balance things with new players… or something like that —she replied, clearly not interested in elaborating.
—Wait, but your stats must still be high if you managed to dent the bull's armor with a single hit, right?
—Umm… I guess.
—Perfect. Then we can come up with a plan to—She raised her hand, silencing me.
—Don't take it the wrong way, but I definitely have far more experience than you in these games.
—That's obvious —I replied without resistance—. Which is exactly why we need a plan—
—How many times do you think I've beaten that thing, huh? —she scoffed, leaning her face forward, almost brushing mine.
—No idea —I answered, stepping back as her large green eyes locked onto mine.
—At least five times. So this won't be a probl—
A shot was fired straight at us.
Like a baseball, Rachel knocked it away with a single swing, redirecting it toward the three Frenchmen, who immediately leapt onto their horse to move to another hill.
Rachel remained calm, untamed. Her attitude sent a clear message:
"You are not useful to me."
I clenched my fists in frustration as the massive animal rose once more. Steam burst from its armor, radiating infernal heat that withered the grass beneath its hooves.
—This is getting interesting… —Rachel muttered to herself, gripping her sword and charging headfirst at the beast.
[Boss data download complete][Search V] opened on its own, displaying the creature's schematics.
—Rachel…! —I shouted as soon as the information appeared—. Watch out…!
But it was already too late.