## **King of Terror**
The King had already closed in on Arthur—
so close that Arthur could feel the heat radiating from her body—
just a heartbeat away from striking—
when suddenly—
from the side, Durk came charging in.
Her boots scraped across the shattered floor as she forced every ounce of mana out of her body.
"**Thunder Strike!**"
A violent bolt of lightning erupted from her blade.
The blast lifted the King off the ground
and slammed her straight into the far wall.
**BOOM—!**
The impact shook the entire room.
Cracks spread across the wall like spiderwebs,
creeping outward, deeper, wider—
as if the structure itself was screaming.
Durk stabbed her sword into the ground
and collapsed to her knees.
Blood spilled from her mouth,
dripping onto the broken floor.
Her body trembled—
pushed far beyond its limits.
For a moment,
everything went silent.
Then—
the rubble shifted.
The King stepped out of the shattered wall.
Unhurried.
Unbothered.
Still—
not a single scratch on her body.
The air around her grew heavier,
as if the room itself was bowing under her presence.
Durk wiped the blood from her lips with a shaking hand.
"I noticed something…" she said, forcing herself to breathe.
"Before the attack, the black flame above her head was bigger."
"Now… it's slightly smaller."
She took another deep breath, her chest burning.
"Maybe we have to keep fighting
until that flame completely disappears."
"Only then… can we defeat her."
Joseph spoke quietly,
his voice stripped of hope.
"I don't think
anyone will still be alive by then."
Silence followed.
Heavy.
Oppressive.
Then—
"We still have to try," Arthur said.
"We can't give up here."
Durk pushed herself up and raised her voice,
making sure every adventurer heard her.
"If you want to live—"
"then fight until your very last breath!"
A pause.
"Because mercy does not exist here."
No one replied.
Because everyone already knew.
The very next moment—
the King was standing right in front of Arthur.
No sound.
No warning.
As if she had teleported.
Arthur's instincts screamed—
**Move.**
Too late.
The King swung her greatsword.
**CLANG—!**
Arthur barely managed to block it.
Pain exploded through her arms like lightning,
numbness spreading from her fingers to her shoulders.
Her bones screamed—
threatening to shatter under the pressure.
The sheer force drove her backward,
boots scraping helplessly across the floor.
The others instinctively stepped back.
Then—
above the King's head,
another fireball began to form.
Larger than before.
Denser.
Heavier.
The next instant—
it slammed into the ground.
**BOOOOM—!**
A horrifying explosion tore through the room.
The floor collapsed,
forming yet another massive crater.
Dust, smoke, and debris swallowed everything.
When the smoke finally cleared—
the King was still standing there.
Unharmed.
Only the flame above her head had grown smaller.
But she didn't stop.
Another flame began to form.
This time—
black.
The air twisted violently.
In the next moment,
laser-like beams of fire erupted in all directions.
Wherever they struck—
**BOOM!**
Explosions chained together.
The battlefield turned into hell.
Arthur ran.
Dodged.
Rolled.
Barely escaped.
Her legs moved on instinct alone—
thought had long since abandoned her.
Her lungs burned.
Her vision blurred.
For a moment,
she truly believed—
*this is it.*
Then—
the explosions stopped.
What remained was devastation.
Cratered ground.
Shattered walls.
Air thick with smoke and the stench of burnt earth.
Some adventurers had survived behind mage shields.
But as the silence settled—
the shields faded like dying embers.
The mages collapsed one by one.
They had protected everyone else—
at the cost of themselves.
Arthur, Joseph, Karaku, Durk,
and a handful of survivors stepped forward.
Fear still clung to their hearts.
But there was nowhere left to retreat.
Everyone activated their skills—
whether their bodies could endure it or not.
Arthur raised her sword.
"**Sword Hammer!**"
She struck with everything she had left.
The King answered with pure brutality.
She grabbed one adventurer by the leg
and slammed him into the floor.
**CRACK—!**
Another was hurled into the wall.
Blood sprayed across the battlefield.
Still—
no one backed down.
No one surrendered.
Even as death drew closer with every breath—
they kept fighting.
Until—
the King suddenly dropped to her knees.
The flame above her head had shrunk even further.
Yet her eyes showed no defeat.
She stood again.
But now—
the flame trembled violently.
Unstable.
At that moment,
Joseph and Karaku charged together.
Their attacks struck at the same time.
A deep gash tore across the King's chest.
Blood fell to the ground.
For the first time.
But the King retaliated instantly.
Her sword swung.
Joseph and Karaku were sent flying,
crashing into the wall.
Before Arthur could react—
the King grabbed her
and slammed her into the wall.
Pain exploded through her body.
Bones cracked.
Blood filled her mouth.
Breathing became impossible.
Darkness crept in.
*No.*
Arthur refused to lose consciousness.
She slid down the wall
and collapsed to the floor.
Standing was no longer an option.
Seeing her like that,
the remaining adventurers moved forward.
No one was fit to fight.
But everyone shared the same thought—
**One last push.**
Mages cast **Chain Binding** spells one after another.
Together,
they forced the King back onto her knees.
Arthur dragged herself up.
Her body had already given up.
But her will hadn't.
She took one deep breath—
and charged.
Joseph.
Karaku.
Durk.
All with her.
Reaching the King,
Arthur jumped.
Gathering every last drop of strength within her—
she screamed.
"**AAAHHH!**"
"**Sword Hammer!**"
At the same time,
the others released their skills.
Four wills
crashed into a single nightmare.
The impact shook the entire room.
The cracked floor finally gave in.
**BOOM—!**
The floor collapsed completely.
And everything—
bodies,
debris,
blood—
fell into the dark abyss below.
For a brief moment—
the **King of Terror**
was pushed back.
And as they disappeared into the darkness—
no one knew
whether this was the end…
or the beginning
of something far worse.