The Wither Ran Away
The city had been utterly destroyed. Thick black smoke spiraled upward into the sky. Buildings lay in ruins, their walls crumbled to nothing. The ground itself was torn apart, jagged craters gouging the earth. Shattered bricks and debris littered the landscape like the aftermath of some apocalyptic raid.
In the heart of this ruined city, Anna knelt on the ground. Beside her, Sora knelt as well, their avatars perfectly aligned.
"I'm sorry... I won't do it again..."
Sora's avatar bowed deeply, forehead practically touching the dirt. It was a flawless dogeza.
"How did it come to this?" I muttered, staring at the desolate wasteland that had once been a peaceful server.
The EYEAI Mindcraft server had collapsed. That was probably the most accurate way to put it.
To explain how this peaceful EYEAI Mindcraft server had met its doom, we need to go back a little while.
I had been preparing to take on the Three-Headed Specter.
[Are you seriously going to fight it alone?]
Sora's voice came through my headset speakers.
[The viewers are saying it's an incredibly difficult monster. Are you sure you can handle it?]
"No problem at all, dear."
It was a monster I'd beaten even in hardcore mode. And this time I had better gear than back then. During my hardcore runs, I hadn't gone this deep into enchanting, either. The EYEAI server was running on 'normal' difficulty. No matter how much of a hidden boss the Three-Headed Specter was, it shouldn't be too difficult.
[But aren't you going to turn on your stream? The viewers really want to see it.]
"If I start streaming, it'll split the audience, won't it?"
I explained. According to Leon, I should avoid overlapping my broadcast times with my fellow 6th generation members as much as possible. Of course, there would eventually come a time when it couldn't be helped. But that was a problem for later. For now, shortly after debut, I was told not to overlap with my peers. It was also better to avoid clashing with important senior streams—like birthday specials.
Experienced VTuber fans could watch multiple streams at once, but generally speaking, watching two or more broadcasts simultaneously wasn't that enjoyable. It split your focus. So viewers usually watched their favorite stream first, then checked out others if they had time. In other words, overlapping schedules created a natural filter. The thought process became something like, 'I missed that stream? Guess I won't watch it then.'
"Plus, if our times overlap, people might say we're on bad terms."
"It's better to only show friendly moments with our peers."
That was why I'd decided to avoid Sora, Inagika, and Chel's streaming hours.
[Audience split? A-are you... worrying about me? I'm fine with it, really...]
Sora's voice sounded a little embarrassed.
[Still, it's a hidden boss solo attempt. The viewers must be dying to see it.]
"Hmm."
I thought for a moment. I was planning to stream Labyrinthos again that evening anyway. More importantly, I didn't want to show the 6th generation members what the Three-Headed Specter was like just yet.
Inagika probably already knows about it, though.
She was the most knowledgeable about Mindcraft among us. Her understanding far surpassed mine, even though I'd spent all my time hunting. She could even handle complex redstone circuits. Sora, on the other hand, was a complete beginner, and Chel didn't seem particularly advanced either. For Sora especially, every piece of Mindcraft content would feel fresh and new.
That was why our 6th generation Mindcraft sessions had been paced to match Sora's level. Rather than letting her experience the Three-Headed Specter through my stream first, I genuinely thought it would be better for her to discover it herself later.
"Then I'll record it as a video and upload the edited version later."
That was my conclusion. I'd just toss the footage to Leon and let him edit it. I'd simply tell Sora and Chel not to watch it.
With that decided, I steered my boat diligently across the water.
Nearly all of the Three-Headed Specter's attacks had the 'explosion' property. Fighting it once would leave the surrounding terrain completely devastated. If I fought it near our 6th generation base, there was a real chance Sora's precious mansion could get destroyed. To prevent that, I was crossing the sea toward the inland region.
"This should be far enough."
After finding a suitable spot, I ended the Discord call with Sora. The materials I needed were simple—just two items.
The first was a block called Soul Sand. It was a special type of sand that could only be found in the Nether. Certain crops could only grow in it, and it had various other properties, but none of that mattered right now.
I stacked the soul sand. Next, I pulled out the second item: a Red Skeleton Skull.
In the Nether lived monsters called Red Skeletons. They were a stronger variant of regular skeletons that inflicted special debuffs. This skull could only be obtained by hunting them and severing their heads. I'd collected three of them.
I carefully placed the three skulls on top of the soul sand. A blue light began to glow.
Wooooong...
The sand melted and fused with the bones, forming a body. Before long, the Three-Headed Specter with its three skeletal heads had appeared before me.
The moment an intense light flashed, a massive explosion erupted around it.
BOOM!
It was the Three-Headed Specter's opening pattern. Right after being summoned, it became invulnerable and unleashed a circular explosion. Since I'd seen it before, I had already moved far away.
The Three-Headed Specter stared at me, then shot high into the sky.
Fighting the Three-Headed Specter feels like playing a bullet hell shooter.
I pulled out my bow.
The Three-Headed Specter was Mindcraft's hidden boss for one simple reason: players were forced to deal with a massive range disadvantage. While the Ender Dragon was essentially a gimmick boss, the Three-Headed Specter was a pure combat-focused boss.
First of all, it flew at a height where swords couldn't reach. Without special methods, simply getting close was impossible. On top of that, ranged attacks in Mindcraft were more awkward than in most games. Arrows flew in arcs, requiring a completely different aiming sense than FPS games, and there was a reload time after every shot.
This created a situation where the Three-Headed Specter could attack one-sidedly.
BOOM!
BANG!
KABOOOOM!
The Three-Headed Specter fired flaming projectiles. Their speed was fairly fast. Even worse, the blast radius of its attacks was quite large. Every impact caused an explosion, and those flames couldn't be blocked. Even hiding behind a tree was useless—the blast would simply punch straight through. It was better to dodge at a distance than try to take cover.
I focused on evading the Three-Headed Specter's attacks while drawing my bowstring. There was always a brief gap between its attacks. Those short windows were my only real chances to deal damage.
Whoosh!
One of my arrows struck true. Glancing around, I saw the surrounding area growing more and more devastated. As I'd mentioned, nearly all of the Three-Headed Specter's attacks had explosive properties. Every flaming projectile left craters in the ground, slowly reshaping the terrain.
Just like bullet hell games, dodging came first. Because its attacks were area-of-effect explosions, running was crucial for evasion. However, the way it destroyed the terrain made running increasingly difficult. The longer the fight dragged on in one place, the harder it became to avoid its attacks.
In other words, the longer we fought, the more advantage the Three-Headed Specter gained.
Time to change locations.
After landing a few arrows, I quickly moved to a different spot. If I let the terrain get any more ruined, I'd be at a disadvantage.
The Three-Headed Specter immediately chased after me.
Flash!
It glowed brightly for a moment. Recognizing the attack, I hit the dash key and leaped backward.
KRRRRAAAAAASH!!!
It smashed through trees and boulders as it charged straight at me. The Three-Headed Specter's rush pattern. The instant it landed, another explosion erupted with a deafening BOOM!
I escaped beyond the blast radius, then changed direction and charged toward it. I drew the sword I'd been saving.
THUD!
I swung hard. Mindcraft was fundamentally a sandbox game. While it had some adventure and combat elements, it didn't demand the kind of difficult battles you'd find in RPGs. The Three-Headed Specter was a rather vicious boss, but it was kind enough to give clear damage windows.
Now that it had landed, it was time to unload.
THWACK! THUD! THWACK!
Dull, heavy sounds rang out repeatedly. Though it looked frail because it was a skeleton, as a boss monster it was incredibly tough. But the weapon I held was a near-endgame diamond sword that Sora had crafted. It more than deserved to be called a masterpiece.
After just a few hits, its health dropped in massive chunks. The Three-Headed Specter’s eyes glowed.
BOOOOM!!
Another explosion. It was almost identical to the opening pattern I'd seen earlier. I got caught in the blast, but since it was a no-damage pattern, my avatar was simply sent flying.
Ziiiing...
A blue shield formed around the Three-Headed Specter’s body. Then, one by one, bright red skeleton soldiers began appearing around it. This was its Phase 2 pattern: Soldier Summon. It was proof that the Three-Headed Specter’s health had dropped to fifty percent.
"Now the real fight begins."
I muttered as I watched it rise back into the air. Maybe because it was a PC game, it somehow felt less satisfying than Labyrinthos in many ways. Using only a keyboard and mouse naturally limited how varied the controls could be. Still, those inconveniences somehow felt like restrictions that made the challenge more enjoyable. There was a certain pleasure in overcoming a difficult game through hardship.
Not every game in the world could be called fun, but the ones that were fun had their own unique charm. I licked my lips and refocused my concentration.
Our eyes met. Then the Three-Headed Specter suddenly fled into the distance.
"...Huh?"
What? Why is it running away? Where is it going all of a sudden?
It was much faster than me, so I couldn't even chase it. I could only stare blankly as it flew off. The Three-Headed Specter never came back. Only the red skeleton soldiers it had left behind slowly shuffled toward me.
...Is this a bug?
A boss monster suddenly running away? No matter how I thought about it, that shouldn't be possible.
While I stood there confused, unable to understand what was happening, I finally noticed the message.
Shiroki_Anna has been slain by the Three-Headed Specter.
......?
What on earth is going on?