Moon Shadow's Desperate Counterattack

Suddenly, the village damage on the quest had spiked to a horrifying level. It wouldn't jump like that from the orc invasion. Luna and Kelly were in the village, after all.

'No way the Moon Shadow picks this timing?'

Terrible timing. I hurried back to the village. When I arrived again, terrified villagers were fleeing the town hall like a swarm of bees from a burning hive.

"Walker!?"

Rita looked at me with a startled expression. The soft moonlight pouring from the sky created a perfect atmosphere. It was prime time for the hero to make a dramatic entrance and turn the dire situation around.

But a dull thud from the town hall changed my mind. No time to show off in front of a girl. I needed to link up with Luna and Kelly.

"Explanations later. That side looks urgent first."

"Luna and Kelly are fighting my strangely changed brother Hargen! What the hell happened!?"

Bianca, clinging tightly to Rita's side, fired off her question in an agitated voice. The human marked as the Moon Shadow's host was apparently Hargen. It had been hiding in his body, biding its time for revival.

I had no idea when Hargen became the Moon Shadow's host. The game never delved into that backstory. But I could roughly guess how he'd suddenly gained this power.

Hargen had taken a major injury in the previous battle with the orcs. That must've been far from ideal for the Moon Shadow that chose his body as a vessel. Its power was surely still incomplete, and this move was obviously to switch to a stronger host.

Sorry for Bianca (though honestly, not really), but once devoured by the Moon Shadow, saving him was impossible.

"Got it. I'll head there. You all stay sharp and evacuate. Drobin."

"Yes, Walker."

"Take care of those two."

"Understood! Be careful, Walker!"

I brushed off Drobin's concern and entered the town hall. At that moment, a massive explosion rocked the place, and the entire ceiling of the huge building blasted off. Incredible destructive power. The shockwave reached even here.

"Is Luna okay?"

Considering Luna's current strength, she wouldn't go down easily even to the Moon Shadow.

Still, the Moon Shadow was a mid-boss in the Solari World that couldn't be taken lightly. And with the moon up at night, granting bonus stats, even Luna wouldn't dispatch it easily.

Luna was facing off against a marshmallow man with a ballooned body. Without Bianca's tip, I never would've guessed it was Hargen.

As I'd predicted, the fight had Luna and Kelly on the defensive overall. Kreit, the Earth Spirit King, couldn't use his full power due to his contract with Kelly. As the fully blue-glowing Hargen swung a fist at Luna, I fired a Darkness Arrow without hesitation.

BOOM!

The condensed power of darkness exerted even greater force at night, with the sun hidden beyond the horizon. Hargen, struck directly by the Darkness Arrow, staggered back. Luna seized the opening, pulling away from his attack range.

"Walker!"

Luna called out to me in a booming voice. Unlike her usual emotionless tone, it brimmed with excitement. She only ever sounded like that outside of sex in rare moments.

"Luna! Kelly! You okay!?"

"Yes! We're fine! You've returned!"

"Good. Perfect timing."

Hargen, reeling from the Darkness Arrow, glared back and forth between me and Luna. His flesh was already fully consumed by the Moon Shadow.

In that state, his body would shatter soon. Hargen's human form couldn't fully accommodate the Moon Shadow's power.

Unless the vessel was extraordinarily strong, properly hosting a Moon Shadow was impossible. For Hargen to last this long proved he had considerable talent.

"Kuhaha! A new guest! Oh ho! You're a human brimming with greed! If not for my kin, I'd have chosen you as my vessel!"

His words drew a hollow laugh from me. Finding someone as fulfilled in desire as me in this world would be rare. Probably nonexistent.

Luna was struggling, but taking him down wouldn't be hard. I had the 'strategy guide,' after all.

'Greedy Moon Shadow Surfer. Weak to wind attribute, for sure.'

I conjured ten arrows in an instant. The wind-attribute Wind Arrows launched at Hargen like a barrage of multiple rocket launchers. The supersonic wind arrows streaked toward his bloated flesh.

The wind arrows pierced Hargen's reinforced skin. The tough hide that blocked even Darkness Arrows was drilled through. Normally, Darkness Arrows outclassed them by a couple tiers in power, but his pathetically low wind defense made the difference.

The attack landed, but his troll-level regeneration sealed the holes instantly.

Two main ways to handle regen monsters like this: skills or items that inhibit regeneration, or overwhelming it with sheer damage output.

The latter was blatantly inefficient, but I went with it. No regen debuffs available to me right now anyway.

I kept unleashing arrows. Mana drained like water from a punctured bottle, but I could endure. Pinning Hargen's feet with continuous fire, I glanced at Luna.

"Luna. Recovery ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠item."

I tossed her a jujube. She caught and crunched it like a peach. Her depleted stamina and mana refilled. Reinvigorated, Luna gripped her sharp dual blades.

"I'll assist. Haste!"

"Kuh! A pincer attack?"

"Where'd that bold front from earlier go!?"

Whining about cowardice when cornered. Textbook third-rate villain. Though his combat prowess was anything but.

Luna's mana-infused Pharaoh dual scimitars targeted Hargen's left arm. He countered her charge with a mana fist burst.

But Luna effortlessly spun away, dodging the incoming mana fist. Boosted by Haste, her speed surpassed even the Hargen battered by my Wind Arrows.

Slash!

Luna's dual scimitars sliced Hargen's left arm. The blue spots corrupting his body dimmed, spilling weaker light. Proof his power was waning.

"I'll kill the mage first!"

Abandoning defense, he radiated ferocious energy and turned toward me. His intimidating aura pierced me like a blade. But attacking me was a fool's pipe dream.

"Luna!"

"Yes!"

Our teamwork was flawless. Haste-amped Luna unleashed Blade Dance to block Hargen's path.

To reach me directly, he'd have to break through her sword dance and my wind arrow storm. Not easy, even for the Greedy Moon Shadow.

He couldn't even touch me—instead, Luna's strikes added mounting minor wounds. Scratches from her blades refused to heal. His regen ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠had hit its limit.

"Damn it! Freed from my seal, and this is how it ends!? Unforgivable!"

Suddenly, the blue light on his body intensified. Like a candle flaring brilliantly before extinguishing—a striking return light phenomenon engulfed Hargen.

"Self-destruct pattern!"

A common trait among all Moon Shadows. Their suicide attacks packed absurd power, like in any medium. Detonating here would obliterate the town hall and the surrounding area.

But I'd accounted for his desperation ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠move too.

Not from the strategy guide, but no better way to finish him. I activated the skill, freezing time.

Self-destruct couldn't be canceled once triggered. He was as good as dead. A shallow ploy to take us with him.

I hoisted his body. With over 300 strength, even his ballooned form lifted easily. I hurled him skyward forcefully, then activated another skill.

The wind shell slammed into Hargen's body. Like a rocket stage, his flesh spun wildly, rocketing out of the village. Confirming he'd flown far, I released Time Pose.

BOOMBOOMBOOM!

A deafening roar echoed as massive dust clouds billowed outside the village. Like a scene ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠from a blockbuster movie.

"Is it... over?"

Luna asked with a slightly bewildered look. I nodded.

"Finished it with my skills. The Greedy Moon Shadow. Fun opponent."

At my words, Luna pouted slightly before speaking.

"I've realized my shortcomings. It's embarrassing."

"Your foe was a top-tier Moon Shadow among the moon tribe in strength. No need to be too down. Build on this experience and grow stronger, right?"

"I'll keep that in mind!"

Luna clasped her hands tightly and shouted.