Chapter 6: Goddess vs. Demons Part 3
[Goddess vs. Demons – The Final Blow]
Amana, the special AI Ice Goddess, was on the verge of defeat. Her HP was now down to 27%—she was officially in critical condition. Most of the party had taken heavy damage, and three of them—Aryus, Jin, and Verillion—were practically out of the fight, their HPs barely hanging at 1%.
All eyes turned to Zaphro and Accel—the team's last offensive hope.
Zaphro's face was clearly clouded with concern. His Animus, Gwydox, had been hit hard during the last wave. His current status was unknown, and he couldn't be located through the summoner link.
"Kuya, what do we do now?!" Accel shouted from behind.
Zaphro hesitated for a moment, then forced a smirk. "We double team her, like always!"
Even if Gwydox was missing, the opportunity was too good to waste—Amana was weakening. Zaphro shoved aside the unease in his chest and pushed forward.
They entered the thick mist, the hiding place of the AI boss. The fog had a strange debuff—lowering their sensory response time. But even that couldn't stop them now.
Accel unleashed several restraining abilities, reducing Amana's accuracy and damage. It wasn't much, but every second counted.
"Black Flame Vortex!"
Zaphro's dark fire skill collided with Amana at close range, maximizing its damage.
"Claw of Darkness!"
The sharp, brutal strike hit her straight in the chest—right where a black gem was embedded.
A crack formed across the gem's surface. Amana staggered, momentarily retreating into the mist again.
Accel followed up quickly.
"Multiple Dark Void!" he yelled, throwing five black cards in all directions. His AoE skill acted like gravitational rifts—pulling in the fog and exposing Amana once again.
The AI screeched and lashed out.
"Icy Blast!" she cast the same attack multiple times, but the two were too quick now—easily evading each strike.
"Berserk!" Zaphro buffed himself, increasing his offensive stats.
"Havoc!" Accel followed suit.
Their rhythm synchronized again—Zaphro kept Amana occupied at close range, while Accel waited for the perfect moment to strike.
"Reaper's Curse!"
Dark ghostly hands emerged from the ground, dragging Amana down with them. The cursed skill temporarily decreased the enemy's defense—normally by 45%, though only 20% in this case due to Amana's boss classification. Still, it was enough.
"I'll leave this to you, kuya! Finish it!" Accel shouted.
Zaphro nodded, preparing his final skill. He emptied all his MP and SP into a single devastating blow.
"Infernal Fury!"
Zaphro's demonic wings unfurled with a burst of black flames. The energy built up into a massive fireball the size of a building—then came crashing down like a meteor.
The impact consumed everything within a 400-meter radius. The explosion sent a shockwave that knocked Accel back, even striking some of their allies despite being shielded.
Smoke blanketed the battlefield for several long moments.
When it cleared—
Zaphro stood in a massive crater, panting, slightly burned... but victorious. At his feet lay the shattered body of the Ice Goddess Amana.
Her HP hit zero. The snow that had been falling non-stop suddenly stopped.
<< Ice Goddess Amana has been slain by SOLO... >>
The system announcement echoed across the region.
Because they weren't in party mode, Zaphro received full kill credit. He immediately shot up to Level 110.
Amana's body began to glow. Her form disintegrated and turned into a unique treasure chest...
Chaotic Box —the exclusive loot dropped by this special AI, aside from the epic-grade accessories and crystals.
Chaotic items were mysterious, powerful artifacts. Their effects were unstable, some even forbidden. But each one was stronger than a legendary item.
Zaphro barely reacted. He didn't care about the loot.
His face was pale.
Gwydox was still missing.
They searched everywhere. Still no sign. No update on his status.
There was one thing Zaphro hadn't tried yet—unsummoning his Animus.
He did it.
Then waited... and tried to re-summon.
Two long minutes passed.
Nothing.
And then, slowly—very slowly—a dim purple light flickered in front of him. Gwydox appeared, barely manifesting, his form flickering, as if unstable. Zaphro caught him in his arms.
"Gwydox! Are you okay?!"
"P-Pops... y-you're safe... Good..." Gwydox managed a weak smile.
"I'm fine, Gwydox. Thanks to you. But you didn't have to take that hit." Zaphro's voice trembled.
Ayana walked closer. "Will he recover?"
Zaphro glanced at Gwydox. His expression darkened.
"I... I don't know. His HP's not regenerating."
"What?! Then what can we do?" asked Slicer, alarmed.
Gwydox coughed and gave them a tired look. "I just... need to rest. Pops... y-you'll need to deactivate me for a while. Seven days, tops. Then I'll be back to full HP."
"Seven days?!"
"Yeah. I got lucky. My HP didn't drop to zero." Gwydox's voice wavered. "If it had... I wouldn't be here. Animus and pets only have one life. Zero HP means permadeath."
Zaphro clenched his jaw. "Thank god you're still with us. Just rest. We'll wait for you."
Gwydox gave one final nod. "Tch... damn ice queen got me good... You better keep training while I'm out, Pops."
"I will."
With a flicker of light, Zaphro deactivated Gwydox and sealed him into stasis.
No one spoke for a while.
They'd won—but it felt like a hollow victory.
"Let's log out for now," Zaphro finally said. "It's been a long night."
Everyone agreed. After that brutal battle, they all needed a break...
Especially Zaphro.