Chapter 162: Foolishness
[Physical Damage: -18,168,200.] X5
[Total Physical Damage: -90,841,000.]
[Wyvern’s Defense: 8,000,000.]
[Wyvern’s Health Points: 30,000,000.]
[Instant Kill.]
"GRAAAAAA!! Impossible!!!"
The massive draconic beast didn’t even have the chance to complete its battle roar. Its terrifying health pool was completely wiped out in a fraction of a second.
Asher dropped smoothly from the sky, landing lightly on his feet with absolute poise: "Still too weak."
BOOOOM!!!
The Wyvern’s massive dead body smashed heavily on the ground behind him, kicking up a colossal cloud of dust, cracked bedrock, and suffocating smoke into the subterranean air.
".....?!!!"
"You!!"
"Did he just one-shot a special Boss?!!"
The Forest Queen, Marianne, and Denise were all completely horrified, staring at Asher as if looking at a walking calamity in human form. The raw, violent attack damage of the kill defied every established rule of dungeon raiding.
"Weak," Asher said softly, flicking his wrists to clear the thick blood from his twin blades.
’Master is so strong!! Impressive!!’
’Of course, our Master should be strong.’ The twin weapon spirits echoed cheerfully in his mind, thoroughly enjoying the sudden, godlike display of force.
"Impossible!! That’s an SSS-RANK Wyvern! How can you kill him with one strike?" The Forest Queen screamed in horror, her haughty demeanor crumbling into genuine panic.
"Not one shot... Judgment Strike increases my attack speed, making me deal up to ten strikes in less than a second. If I do this while in stealth, my damage increases greatly." He stated casually, pointing one crimson dagger directly at the Forest Queen:
"You see, your ally only lasted five strikes. How many strikes will you take before going down?" He asked, the ten shadow Knights instantly realigning themselves into a lethal offensive formation before him.
’How can someone be this powerful?! Don’t tell me all his skills are Divine-Tier... Is that even possible?’ Marianne thought in absolute terror, her gauntleted hand holding her longsword trembling so violently it rattled against her armor.
’So this is why he didn’t want us to come along... He really can solo an SSS-RANK dungeon without sweating,’ Denise thought, his eyes wide as saucers as he subconsciously took a step back from Asher’s radiating aura.
"You..." The Forest Queen was truly stunned, taking a shaky step back, her glowing green eyes darting between the dead Wyvern and the boy holding two sentient daggers.
Asher exhaled softly, his daggers aimed downward at the rocky earth: "Deal with her, Knights."
WHOOSH!!!
All ten shadow Knights shot forward in perfect synchronization, sprinting towards the Forest Queen at their absolute highest speed, their dark armor kicking up sparks against the terrain.
"Don’t look down on me, human!!!" She screamed, snapping out of her trance and stretching her hands forward as dozens of thick, barbed vines launched out like a barrage of living spears towards the charging Knights.
BAM!!
This time, utilizing their agility, the Knights dodged each of the thrusting vines, weaving left and right without slowing down a single bit. The lead Knight arrived first, slashing upward with his Mythic-Tier sword, only for the blade to strike a dense vine.
The other nine moved in a perfectly coordinated assault, striking simultaneously from all directions, but every single path was intercepted by her impenetrable web of tendrils.
’Strange... No matter how my Knights attack the vines, it doesn’t affect her defense or health bar at all... Do those things have their own individual defense and health?’ Asher thought, raising a sharp eyebrow as he closely analyzed the collision.
Marianne watched the Forest Queen, who stood completely still at the center of the storm while her vines did all the work, blocking every single incoming strike—even those aimed at her blind spots were intercepted automatically.
’I think I now know why she got the title Absolute Defense... The Knights are all using Mythic-Tier weapons, and they still can’t cut through even one vine. Seems I will have to act...’
"Attack!!!"
"...?!"
Before Asher could evaluate her movement, Marianne shot past him, running towards the Forest Queen with her sword tearing through the wind behind her in a brilliant flash of light.
"Yes, Guild Leader!" Denise added, his aura flaring as he charged right behind Marianne.
"What are you two doing?! Wait!" Asher yelled at them, his voice sharp with annoyance, but they were already committed to their attacks.
"Hehehehehe... Forest Domain!!"
"This?" Marianne gasped in horror as all the treelines behind the Forest Queen began to shift violently. The next moment, hundreds of massive, life-draining vines shot out from the entire boundary of the woods, roaring towards the two SSS-Rank like a wooden tidal wave.
"Are you two foolish?!!"
Asher snapped his fingers without hesitation, activating Soul Defense to enclose the reckless duo within a glowing protective barrier.
BOOOOM!!!!
The hundreds of tentacle vines smashed right into the barrier with catastrophic momentum, the violent physical force creating shockwaves that cracked the surrounding ground, completely stunning both Marianne and Denise inside the dome.
"What the?" Denise stammered, staring in disbelief as the translucent energy barrier held its ground firmly against the relentless, crushing assault of the forest.
"Attack her, Knights!!"
With Asher’s direct order, the ten Knights ignored the incoming environmental vines entirely, using the distraction to charge straight for the Forest Queen’s main body.
"You can’t touch me! All your attacks are useless!" She yelled maniacally. Her personal inner vines shot out in a violent burst, smashing right into the ten Knights and sending them all flying backward across the clearing to crash heavily into the earth.
Asher stood silently, observing the chaos with cold precision. Marianne and Denise were thoroughly trapped inside the protective barrier, pinned down by continuous heavy bombardment from the tree boundary, while no matter how many times his shadow Knights attacked, they couldn’t leave so much as a scratch on her primary vine defense.
To make matters worse, this Forest Queen was fundamentally immune to debuffs, magical attacks, and Earth-elemental forces.
’There is only one way, and I have to one-shot her. But I must strike at that exact, momentary opening.’ He realized, his fingers tightening around the grips of his twin daggers until his knuckles turned white.
"Tempest! Out!"
BOOOOM!
A massive beam of golden light shot down from the sky, smashing heavily onto the ground beside him, and from the radiant light, Tempest flew out, his wide wings spanning the battlefield.
’Luckily the fireball didn’t injure him too much, but his base stat total is still too weak for an extended clash here.’ Asher calculated internally.
"Knights, attack again!"
He ordered, entering stealth and shooting forward like a phantom. The Knights scrambled up from the dirt and surged ahead of him to draw her immediate focus.
"Finally coming to your death! I don’t know how you killed the Wyvern so easily, but get something straight, human—I won’t go down that easily!!!" She screamed hysterically, her green skin pulsing with dark demonic energy as even more thick vines erupted from her body, shooting directly towards Asher and completely ignoring the Knights.
’What a crazy bitch!’ Asher thought, his black eyes turning red; tracking the dense mesh of thorned wood moving towards him without rest.
"Tempest, Apex Screech."