The Ferocious Second Phase
The second phase diverged wildly from the first. The Snow Drake's movements grew even larger and more ferocious. Yet it was incomparably faster than before. Snap—its red eyes spun like it was locking onto prey. That's when the beast, which had been exchanging brief probes, changed its behavior.
Whoosh!—twisting its waist, the Snow Drake shifted its tail's direction. A precursor to the pattern reversing and intensifying. Huff!—it charged on all fours, building speed before whipping its tail in a massive arc.
Intimidating as it was, the raid party had undergone major changes too. "Hup!" Team 4, led by Mars, raised their shields to block the assault. A brilliant golden light erupted next, forming a massive translucent shield right in front of them.
At that instant—Boom!—the incoming tail smashed into the shield. Crunch!—the raid members' bodies were pushed back, shattering ice under the intense impact. But this attack differed from the previous ones. Whoosh!—Kaboom!—the tail lashed repeatedly, its reinforced scales gleaming, now laced with rippling mana that trailed blue afterimages.
"Hold the line!" Even against strikes that seemed to shatter everything, Mars's voice remained steadfast. He adjusted the shield's position minutely, scanning impact points—a tip from Hanbit to preserve the skill's durability.
"Hup!" Meanwhile, allies timed their counterassault perfectly. Pop!—auras surged from axes, hammers, greatswords, and more. The skills launched from their positions slammed into the tail's center. Kaboom!—the explosive aftermath surged like a blast. The tail, caught in the shockwave, shattered ice and cratered the floor. Pop-pop-boom!—magic and arrow skills followed from range, focused on the nape, tilting the massive Snow Drake forward.
"The teeth! Dive in low on the right underside!" Hanbit shouted. The raid members reacted instantly, dropping low and burrowing inside. Crunch!—the Snow Drake thrust its head forward like it was toppling, snapping at empty air. Frost trailed messily from its jaws.
"Shit." "Thought it had us for real."
The players had dodged by a hair's breadth. Without the Transcendence Voice Orb buff, their reactions would've lagged.
-Whoa, shit;
-Like four people almost got chomped.
-One hit would've been insta-gib.
-Could Mars even survive that?
-Even his ancestors couldn't lol;
Boom!—the failed attack sent the Snow Drake stomping, slashing viciously with its claws. That's when Blood entered the fray. "Come out!" Shing!—she twisted her stance instinctively, tilting her blood-forged greatsword as she charged. Screech!—its massive claw grazed the blade with a piercing noise. Kaboom!—the narrowly deflected strike cratered the ground.
Blood kicked off without slowing, leaping high. Shooo—blood droplets popped and swirled fiercely around her greatsword, accelerating. Swoosh!—reaching the Drake's head in a flash, she swung with tremendous force. At that moment, its maw gaped wide. Grooo—a mass of frost began swelling inside.
Blood faced the blast head-on, but her resolve didn't waver. Slash!—her blade tip carved deep into the Drake's jaws. Then Hanbit's intel on the "blood vessel" took effect. Pop-pop-boom!—explosions erupted along the bleeding wound. Kieek!—agony churning beneath its skin shook the Snow Drake's head wildly.
That pained rage triggered the frost mass in its mouth. Kwaaa!—it erupted toward the foe before it, aiming to swallow Blood still airborne. In that instant, a wave of mist surged from behind her. Kwagwagwa!—it blanketed her vision in white haze. The Drake's freshly launched frost orb froze solid, entangled in the ultra-dense fog. Crackle!
"It's crazy how everything's playing out just like Black Dragon predicted." Whoosh!—Haemu approached with a sigh, fanning his fan once more. Razor-sharp mist particles formed a wave and crashed again. Kwagwagwa!—the fog slithered over the Snow Drake's body, seeping into wounds and scale gaps to inflict torment.
"Now!" Confirming Haemu's skill, the raid unleashed ranged attacks into the mist. Crackle!—Boom!—explosions and scattering light within the particles. Kieeek!—the Snow Drake took damage amid obscured vision.
-Oh.
-DPS is pouring in hard, right?
-Gonna take it down?
-Did they?
-Stop with the voodoo lol;
Viewers cheered the onslaught. They were dealing solid damage to the Snow Drake, no doubt. But it wouldn't just take it lying down. Boom!—it stomped, ripping through the fog and charging straight ahead. Pure instinct pierced the blindness; it pinpointed the raiders' positions swiftly. Swoosh!—its rage-boiling tail whipped fiercely. Kwagwagwa!—shattering ice as it swept toward Blood and Haemu, the closest targets.
Pop!—Team 4 arrived at the pre-set spot, activating shield skills for defense. But this time was different. "Feint! Scatter!" Hanbit's warning rang out as the Drake twisted its waist. Whip!—it slid its body around, redirecting the tail instantly.
Thud!—the vanguard, heeding the call, fell back and spread out. Simultaneously, as the tail slammed down—Pop!—brilliant light erupted from the cracked floor. The enhanced thorn pattern. Kwagwagwa!—hundreds of spikes burst crisscross from below, chaining explosions to engulf the raid.
But this counter was in Hanbit's briefing too. Thud!—the vanguard had leaped early, heading for nearby ice debris. The Snow Drake didn't miss the opening. Boom!—it charged Team 4's shields, intent on crushing the persistent defenders first.
"Incoming!" "Brace!" Forewarned of targeting priority by Hanbit, the vanguard stayed calm. They activated shield skills and assumed defensive stances. But the Drake's near-full-power strike was a step beyond. Whoosh!—it leaped and twisted, whipping its tail. As it hit the shields—Pop-boom!—Clang!—mana afterimages exploded, shattering the golden barrier.
"Urk!" Shieldless, they hugged their physical shields tight. The tail crashed down. Smack!—most of Team 4 flew back with a thunderous impact, smashing deep into the fortress's outer ice walls.
-Oof;
-That's insanely strong lololol
-Look at those eyes, terrifying.
-This is 500-level?
-How tf do you kill that?
-Haemu hyung, save us;
Blood's boss overwhelmed, casting doubt on subjugation once more. But not everyone had flown. "Tch." Mars, legs buried to the hips, had endured despite being hurled far. "Everyone, regroup!" He ordered the wall-stuck members, then stomped forward. Manifesting a massive blue shield, he charged the Snow Drake to fulfill his frontline role. Boom!—it swung a leg, grabbing the blue shield. Gruk—its red eyes flashed, fixating on Mars. Its huge maw parted naturally. Shing!—something rocketed toward its head at blinding speed. Smack!—a heavy blow to the crown snapped its neck back. Above hovered Luna, one leg cocked.
-Huh?
-Leg?
-Did she just kick it with her leg??
-??
Luna, an ice-affinity magic swordsman, could deal damage barehanded of course—but this was different. Only grappler-class skills could land that on a Snow Drake. Gruk!—its throat rumbled in fury. Pop!—magic circles blanketed the sky, spawning hundreds of razor spikes. Shiiik!—they locked on and surged toward Luna.
Yet she smirked, ignoring them as she rushed the Drake. Whoosh!—Crunch!—her dancing swordplay cleanly sliced the incoming spikes. Pure physical prowess, no skills—just body alone. Her unusual smile hinted at full mask activation. '…So that's why she was so confident.' Entrusting it to her was the right call. The mask tapped her latent potential. He'd known she had talent, but he'd underestimated it.
"All raid members except Team 1, focus attacks on the tail and rear legs! We'll push straight to the final AoE!" Hanbit swiftly revised the plan based on Luna's unexpected prowess. Shiiik!—Luna, having cleaved all ice spikes, now unleashed on the Snow Drake proper. Whoosh!—Slash!—none of its attacks connected. Her movements were blindingly swift and light. Hanbit could tell the Drake was flustered. Kwagwagwa!—Boom!—the rest of the raid resumed, melee skills slamming with waves, ranged magic barraging from afar. Some left black smoke-like debris on impact. Gruk!—the Snow Drake retreated slightly. Boom!—a huge fireball erupted in its face. Swish—gray acrid smoke veiled vision. Luna pressed on relentlessly.
Fixating on her, the Drake thrust a claw into the smoke. Shiiik!—a confident strike it thought unblockable. But Luna's senses transcended limits. Screech!—she parried instantly, raising her sword against the claw. Thud!—kicking off, her blade thrust forward, trailing frosty afterimages toward the red eye. ……!
The speed outpaced the Drake's perception. And—Puke!—the pure white blade pierced its pupil.
-Oof;
-Gonna hurt like hell;
-Just die and rest easy.
-Pls…
Kieeek!—left eye blinded, it shrieked and thrashed its tail wildly before stomping hard. Boom!—shaking the ground, it leaped skyward with impossible agility for its size. Crunch!—claws anchored to the ceiling, it glared at Luna. Its right eye burned with wariness, rage, and murder. Woooong!—an ominous resonance echoed from the hovering beast. Prelude to a fortress-shaking AoE.
Thud!—Hanbit used Wind Leap, soaring halfway up. Sword forward amid raging winds, he chained skills. Shing!—winds enveloped him, body flashing like teleportation. The spirit skill Gale Slash. Gruk!—even the Drake hadn't anticipated the sudden arrival. Fwoosh!—fierce flames mixed into the whirlwind on his blade. His gaze locked on the unique scale under its jaw. Shing!—he thrust unhesitatingly at the reverse scale. Shing!—Shiiik!—Kwaduduk!—Storm Barrage accelerated the flurry. Kieeeek!—blinding pain twisted its body. The shock dislodged it from the ceiling. Plop—claws slackened, it plummeted. Hanbit, borrowing Sylph winds, followed down.
Boom!—the Snow Drake hit the floor. Grrr—its pained, furious breaths grew erratic. "Press the attack a bit more," Hanbit ordered, assessing its state. Boom!—Pop-boom!—combat resumed against the battered beast, still no easy feat. But the vanguard, now attuned to the battlefield, maximized output from their positions. Plop—after another ten minutes...
The Snow Drake's condition visibly worsened. The raid, pouring utmost focus, wasn't unscathed either. "Prep's done," Haemu said, approaching Hanbit and fanning lazily. Five fog types layered since phase 2's start—colliding mana traits to trigger explosions. Tricky mix, but successful. Pop!—blue light emanated from the crouching Snow Drake. Red blood trickled into the ice floor. Then—Drdrdr!—the fortress's ice quivered in unison.
"Fall back now. Attacking'll set it off—careful." Less an AoE, more a final gambit. Self-destructing with the fortress, mana and all. A "non-pattern" born of draconic pride. Thud!—Hanbit dashed to distant Luna. The Mad Dance Mask only relinquished body control after sufficient combat. Forcing it off now might provoke attacks on the Drake...
"Not bad at all, huh?" "...?" Hanbit blinked at the voice. "You okay?" "Of course." A faint smile, but she seemed fully normal. Maintaining sanity with that mask? Impossible—at least in Hanbit's memories. The game's nature? Or Luna's iron will? "…Glad you're good. Let's handle that first." No danger, so relief came first. Hanbit fetched two White Wyvern hearts, handing one to Haemu with encouragement. "If you fail, subjugation's off." "Sounds like a threat. Nice." Shrugging, Haemu advanced with the white orb. Drdrdr!—the fortress shook violently. The rest of the raid trailed Hanbit with their hearts. Swish—as floor cracks deepened, blue light from the Drake intensified. Hiss—the thickened fog met all conditions.
Goal: Block its self-destruct with an artificial blast. Raid survival equaled victory. Pop!—amid focus, blue light pierced the dense fog. Woooong!—air sucked in with dire hum. Haemu hurled the white orb, slashing horizontally with his fan. Slice—it split precisely, unleashing intense frost. Colliding with the fog mix, it birthed a massive explosion. Pop-boom!—Haemu, fog-shrouded, retreated sharply. The two blasts collided full-force. Kwagwagwagwa!—the shockwave could've flipped the fortress. Even broadcast cams couldn't capture it. Grooo—aftermath raged minutes before calming.
At the ruined fortress's center lay only the Snow Drake's blown-apart head.
Ding!
[Player Black Dragon's raid party has successfully achieved the first subjugation of the Snow Drake.]