Chapter 204
Chapter 204
Even though it was called Phase 2, the mechanics themselves weren’t all that different from before.
Break the Bone Pattern with poison.Break the Deception Pattern with blessings.
That basic rule hadn’t changed—but…
“His body… came apart?”
Just as Camilla gasped in disbelief,the creature had been completely split in two.
A massive skeleton crawling with only its huge arms, its lower body gone—and a torso with its spine ripped out, its maw turned into a sandworm.
“Seeing it like that somehow makes it less disgusting, doesn’t it?”“Hmm, I’m not so sure. Whether it’s merged or separated, it’s still grotesque. I’ll never understand your taste.”“Well, disgusting things tend to stand out even more when they’re all fused together. In that sense, I actually prefer them apart.”
At her absurd remark, some of the tension in her voice seemed to ease.
‘Well, regardless of that—it’s definitely trickier now, difficulty-wise.’
Even if the patterns hadn’t changed much,a double-boss fight was always a nightmare for an aggro tank.
—Grrr…! Death… over there…“Not so fast. You’re playing with me.”Get lost…! I’ve already realized… you’re not that strong…!
Despite the upper body’s furious grinding of teeth,it couldn’t crawl forward at all.
“Where do you think you’re going?”Grahh, agh!
What could you possibly do?The bone pattern?That doesn’t work anymore.
Standing firm, I blocked its path—and the Calamity of Death couldn’t easily break through.
The problem, however, lay elsewhere.
—…“Damn it, at least the upper half reacts to provocation. That one just slithers right past.”
True to its sandworm-like form,it opened its gaping maw and began wriggling forward furiously.
‘Maybe it remembers being blasted in Phase 1. It’s charging straight in this time.’
Its target, of course, was the damage dealers—the ones safely firing magic from a distance.
Seeing that, the upper half of the Calamity clacked its jaw mockingly.
They die first. Then, you…!
If the damage dealers fell, I wouldn’t survive either.
Defeating the Calamity of Death aside,if that venom-spewing lower body got too far,I’d lose my “Death Suspension” state and couldn’t endure the Bone Pattern.
The bastard knew that well—and twisted its jaw in an eerie grin.
Aggro alone wouldn’t hold it back anymore.At this rate, the DPS line would be in real danger.
That is… if I were fighting alone.
“Lady Roberc!”“…I know. I’ll do my part.”
At my command, Camilla instantly summoned the sands.
—…!“You won’t pass.”
A legion of soldiers, shields raised—the might of her Sand Legion, her high-tier Unique Magic,was enough to make the lower half flinch backward.
But only for a moment.
Shaaaaah!
With a shrill hiss, it sprayed venomous mist from its gaping mawand writhed forward again.
The lower half of the Calamity surged ahead;Camilla stood firm to stop it.The wind from their clash reached even us.
‘…She should be fine.’
The creature’s venom could bring down even the strong,but not someone bathed in the Blessing of the Saintess.
‘At worst, it’ll try a body slam with that fat torso.’
And even that would be blocked by the sand soldiers’ shields.So I set that concern aside for now.
“Just like we discussed! Damage dealers—keep your focus on the lower half! I’ll restrain the upper half. When it’s near death, switch targets!”
The lower body couldn’t die first—otherwise we couldn’t withstand the Bone Pattern from the upper half.
But if we defeated the upper half first?The lower body would go berserk, gaining a massive stat boost,enough to shatter the sand soldiers and tear Camilla apart.
Typical double-boss mechanics—we had to bring them both down simultaneously.
—Understood.“Hmph, you didn’t need to remind me.”
And the two mages in the DPS line were as competent as they were reliable.
Annoying… pests. You dare defy death itself…?
The main boss—the upper body—swung its huge arms toward us.
Since its bone pattern was useless,it was resorting to pure brute force.
“Looks like you’re using that brainless head better than before. Did you already forget how your first attack went?”
There’s no way I’d get hit by something so slow.
After dodging for a while,the mages finished their setup—and a barrage of magic shells flew toward the skeleton.
Khahk! Futile… Death… is the destined end… of all life… You… are no… different…!
Its bones cracked and splintered,its glowing eyes glared at me, filled with hatred.
“Did… did we get it?!”“……”“Come on, why are you all looking at me like that?!”
Even Elizabeth, mid-spell, seemed wary.
‘This is where the real fight starts.’
I swallowed dryly.
Phase 2 might’ve been manageable,but Phase 3 changed everything.
No more bones, just that eerie glow of mana holding it together.
—Ssshhh…
As if to replace what it lost,the detached lower body exhaled a dark fog.
From the massive skeleton emerged a human-shaped mist—smaller than before,but infinitely denser.
“…Ah.”
Just a single word—and I knew.
That small form contained far greater power.
“Now we can finally talk properly.”
Gone was its awkward speech.The Calamity of Death now spoke fluently, its gaze sweeping over us.
“Pitiful creatures. Why do you resist?”
The moment it spoke,Camilla’s breath grew ragged beside me.
Sweat poured down her face like rain,her clenched fists turning pale white.
“Are you alright?”“Haa, haah… What is that thing?”
What else could it be?The Calamity’s true form.
If Phases 1 and 2 had been shells that allowed “death” to manifest in the living world—then Phases 3 and 4 were death itself.
No wonder even Camilla, newly awakened to her Unique Magic, could barely stand it.
‘If it’s that bad for her, what about the others?’
As expected—Elizabeth and Rene didn’t look much better.
Even Freesia, the strongest among us,showed her trembling ears in fear.
“Th-the spirits… are fleeing?”
The spirits always near her, thanks to her talent—were gone.
She couldn’t see it,but I could tell.
‘They’re terrified.’
Normally, when spirits vanish,they just return to their realm—like the mountain spirits from before.But before the Calamity of Death?No such mercy existed.
—Finally.
Only the Nameless King could still face it calmly.
“Death is the destination of life. You resist the inevitable, pointlessly.”
Such arrogance could only come from death itself.
“…You sure talk nonsense.”
But how could I not answer that kind of crap?
The Calamity’s “brows” furrowed—its toxic eyes flaring brighter.
“Nonsense?”“‘Death is the end of life,’ ‘It’s inevitable’—you’re giving me a headache with your pretentious rambling.”
In short, it was saying we were arrogant for defying death itself.Wrapped up in flowery words.
“…Fine. Let me answer in a way you’ll understand.”
Sorry, but if there’s one thing I’m better at than you,it’s talking circles around people.
“Humans don’t live to die. If anything, they live to decorate their deaths.”
Some leave behind achievements and honor.Some chase after wealth.Some live for their precious children.
People are too busy living the present—no one spends their days fixating on their death.
They just want to live so that, at the end,they can look back with pride.
“So, excuse me if I can’t stomach your childish logic that we should just quietly accept death.”“……”
I wrapped it up neatly—and the “gift” I handed the Calamity made it explode.
“You… you dare! A wretched child lecturing me about death!”
As if I’d pushed a berserk button,the fog exploded violently, thrashing in fury.
—…Truly astonishing.“Your Majesty, what’s so astonishing? Do share your wisdom.”To anger the Calamity of Death with mere words… you may be the only one capable of that.
Well, my mouth was my deadliest weapon.I shrugged.
“Consider it a loyal retainer’s gift—the finest revenge against the one who caused you such suffering.”Hah… I never kept flatterers near me in life, but had I one like you, I might’ve gone down in history as a glorious fool of a king.
He laughed heartily, then raised his bony hand.
Mana rose from his skeleton—though it came from a corpse, it felt strangely warm.
“What is this…?”A spell I devised to counter my dragon’s breath. It seems quite fitting for this moment.
As expected of a grand mage. His insight never failed.
“…Much better.”
Camilla, standing beside me, was the first to recover.One by one, the others regained composure.
“Alright, no need to panic! Just stick to the plan—we can win this!”“…Brother, did you lose your mind? How can you stay calm after seeing that?”
Rene grumbled as she drew her mana again—now steady, thanks to the Nameless King’s buff.
Blessing—the ultimate buff in any Calamity raid,was ours once again.
—My death… draws near.
But unlike before,the Nameless King now moved forward—his steps heavy, deliberate.
Past me and Camilla,right up to the Calamity’s face.
‘Having him here really is reassuring.’
We could handle Phase 3 somehow.
But the problem was Phase 4.
That unique mechanic, triggered once during the fight—was something we couldn’t handle.
‘That damn Sacrifice mechanic…’
Sacrifice.It targeted whoever had the highest aggro, forcing them into a “Death Suspension” state—and killing them, no matter what.
Completely different from the poison of Phases 1 and 2.That was a tool for clearing.This was sheer unfairness.
Once marked, the victim became isolated.No matter how many HP relics or magic resist buffs you stacked—you died instantly.Even invincibility skills didn’t work.
The only solution was literal—to offer a real sacrifice.
‘Easier said than done.’
It was the kind of mechanic that tore apart trust between comrades.
But there was one hope.A single strategy discovered by some forum genius.
The Nameless King.
He had already died.He existed between life and death.And he wished for death.
Yet, he could fully perform the mechanics of Phase 4.
If he took on that role—we could clear the raid without any sacrifice.
“Alright everyone, as planned—”
That’s when it hit.
A wave of dizziness.Blood rose to my throat.My vision blurred.
I knew this feeling all too well.
[You are under Death Suspension.][Further exposure will result in death.][Use the Blessing of the Saintess to…]
It was the same debuff I’d been tanking this whole time—
“Wait… huh?”
When I regained focus,my brain refused to process what it was seeing.
“Hah… don’t kid me. This background is—”
Pitch-black.A void where even light seemed swallowed.
Almost identical to the “Inner Realm” we’d seen while clearing Phase 3.
“You dared lecture me on death. Let’s see if you can repeat those words after experiencing it yourself.”
That voice—a literal death sentence—echoed in the void.
“…Shit. Guess I ran my mouth too much, huh?”
Apparently, the Calamity of Death found me more irritatingthan the Nameless King who’d been hammering it since Phase 1 and 2.