Azimuth: The Elden Throne (New Version)

Chapter 307 Death of a Party

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/SLAM!/

/PUNCH!/

With punches, kicks, slashes, and cuts, the Heroes threw everything they had and could at Dale, intending to take him down, even if it meant their own lives.

To win, they just had to either flee or slay him, it didn't matter how many survived in the end, maybe that would increase their total rewards, but right now, they couldn't be choosers.

The Skills from their equipment and the ones they developed themselves, Martial Arts or not, cuts, poison, magic, and more, their bodies brimmed with power as they took every opportunity that showed itself, making use of their teamwork to deal as much damage as they could to him.

However, those were few as Dale rarely made any openings, and even if he did, they were usually a trap, one they had to bite if they intended to win.

His sturdy armor protected him from weak-willed attacks while his chains resisted their offensive without any signs of damage, much to everyone's surprise.

Just what kind of chains were those? What were they made out of to resist such damage?

They had questions, but they wouldn't be answered, so they fought after pushing those aside.

From their perspective, the Boss Attack 'pattern' was rather simple, but deadly.

He didn't have any special Skills like the ones before, at least, if he had them, he wasn't using them.

He was just… Too strong.

But he did seem to have a lot of Martial training.

Its combat proficiency was so high they thought it was unfair, it was constantly reading their movements and finding flaws within them, making them clash against each other.

Their moves may work once, but twice? Thrice?

By the time they repeated the move a fifth time, he would completely neutralize it.

An unusually high ability...

Its strength was also brutally high, to the point they thought the only thing that could completely resist a full-scale blow from him was the Tank's shield.

/Shine…/

Not to forget, but the Boss also seemed to have some degree of magic, the kind they couldn't quite recognize, albeit it felt familiar.

The one who felt this the most was the archer, with every arrow he pulled he felt a sense of nostalgia, as if this had already happened before.

But when? What did this monster have to do with anything?

"Fuck me…"

/Slash!.../

/BOOOOOOOM!!/

[Player, … has died]

[Player, … has died]

[Player, … has died]

After disarming the swordsman and fetching his weapon, in one single attack, Dale brought the sword from up high, and the world itself was seemingly cut into two.

And in the back, the wall of the crater was now left with a gash, a path that went into the outside world.

The Swordsman, alongside the Thief and the Mage in the back, were all slain, leaving behind an exhausted Tank, Archer, Assassin, Priestess, and Berserker to fend for themselves.

Aside from the Priestess whose body was still brimming with faint light, everyone else was battered and tired, much more than they were before.

Now pieces of their grandiose equipment had already started to break and fall apart, and their energy had already begun to deplete.

As for Dale, he looked the same as ever, even with the Assassin's senses, allowing him to hear the monster's breathing, it was calm and paced.

He wasn't tired at all.

"..."

'If only… If only our Stats and Qualifications were high enough for us to use our equipment properly.' The archer thought as he looked at his now empty quiver

His role in this fight had pretty much ended… Or so it would once his energy depleted.

All of the Heroes were HardCore players, giving them the chance to wear whatever they found without the restriction of the System… Most of it at least.

However, that didn't mean they could hold and wear their equipment as a matter of course.

The problem with being much stronger than what their Level suggested was that it allowed them to get their hands on incredible pieces of gear others wouldn't even dream of seeing.

But with their low Level and in consequence, Stats, it becomes an issue to fully utilize them.

A Legendary weapon is that, something of Legend, to fully use one's power, they would need to be one as well.

And if they will be in the future, right now, they are not.

The power of such weapons and armor is fearsome even to Dale, and it made him realize his lack of Active and Offensive Skills once more.

Without Caladgolg and his main Armor Set, he lost much of that potential, so much so it was hard to even put two and two together.

If these ten players could make full use of their equipment, he may have lost already or been forced into a desperate situation.

But with his elevated Stats and abilities, instead of an intense fight, it just became one long fight of attrition, and eventually, he won.

"Huff… Big guy… I think this is the part where we admit our defeat and accept our losses by taking a step back." The Assassin said without turning around

"It would be best to leave and take what we got instead of being kicked out…"

"I agree." The Tanker replied amidst heavy breathing

"But until she opens her eyes, I'll stay and trust her judgment."

"... Dammed fool…" The Assassin replied as he adjusted his black mask in front of his face

It barely covered anything now from how torn it was.

The Assassin looked towards the Axe-wielding man and they nodded.

"Shall we?"

"My pleasure, ladies first."

"... Haa… Fucker…"

/DASH!!/

The Assassin vanished from his position while the Berserker ran forward with his ax in hand like a bull, blowing all dust and debris out of his way like a train.

/PIERCE!/

/CUT!/

Sliding along the ground, the Assassin's blade danged atop the ground as he left a long dark trail in the air.

Reaching Dale, now only one step from his beck, instead of aiming at his vital points, he raised his daggers from the ground, cutting at his chest in an x pattern as he raised his daggers up.

/BAM!/

From the side, the Berserker raised his axe, dropping it on Dale's right leg.

Two brutal attacks, how would Dale…

/SPLAT!/

"?!"

Without remorse, Dale plunged the swordsman's sword directly into the Assassin's chest before pulling him towards the Berserker's Ax, using him as a body shield.

/CUT!/

The Assassin's body was cut into two but the Berserker did not stop, growing more enraged as he stomped the ground, raising his axe to collide against Dale.

/CLANG!/

Albeit he could've easily evaded it and maybe even killed the 'slow' and 'simple' warrior, he chose to confront him with the sword… With one hand.

His Prime Origin moved within his arm, creating red bolts that jumped around his armor.

Seeing this, the Berserker couldn't help but laugh at himself.

"Huff… Arrogant bastard."

/SPLURGE!/

"!"

/CRUNK!/

All of a sudden, an extremely powerful arrow pierced through the chest of the Berserker, going straight through it and going directly through Dale's armor.

At the last second, Dale moved his body, preventing it from piercing through his heart.

/CUT!/

Enraged and in pain, Dale immediately proceeded to cut the head of the weakened Berserker before he could attack him again, because it was impossible to know if such injury would stop him at all.

[Player, … has died]

He then looked at the far back where the Archer stood, and his expression was now serene.

/FLASH!/

Dale ran with great speed, closing in the distance in the blink of an eye as he raised his sword up high.

And despite being able to evade, the Archer did not, knowing there was no way out of this fate.

He had already exhausted all of his Skills and Arrows, so instead, he said:

"Finally, I realize why I felt so strange… It's you, isn't it? The First Ranker."

For a moment, the figure of the Armored beast in front of him matched with the one he saw before his defeat, the same movement and way of fighting.

Albeit this time, he felt a bit more brutal than usual, less… Elegant, it was still the same person, he was sure of it.

Behind those rusted metal plates stood a person of reason, not that it changed anything.

Somehow, they had become opponents once more.

"..."

Dale also momentarily did not slash, and their eyes met.

"... It doesn't look like you're doing this maliciously, which means fate played quite the Prank on us, putting us against each other, here of all places…"

"... Maybe, from the start, that would be the final outcome… If not you, then her."

"Defending oneself is no sin, although this still hurts nonetheless."

"Well… Finish what you started, it was a good fight, though next time, it won't be as easy." He said as he closed his eyes

"..."

/CUT!/

/Thud…/

[Player, … has died]

The glorious Archer fell just like he did last time they met.

But once the System notification played in his ears, Dale turned his head, looking at the two remaining Heroes at the center of the crater.

Only two more to go.

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Notes