Final Day

The skill of the Level 1 monster, [Omen of Corruption].

When this skill affected someone, one of their abilities would be corrupted and locked in permanently, making it impossible to remove later. Even spending money at the temple would not erase the essence tied to that skill. Basically, the target would be forced to treat the affected skill as if it were their graduation essence.

Please, not Storm Gush…

I prayed silently that the essence I intended to upgrade would not be chosen. But even if luck was on my side, I still couldn’t afford to let my guard down. After all, on very rare occasions, Omen of Corruption could produce a strange result.

‘The probability was about 10%, if I recall…’

Whenever Omen of Corruption corrupted a skill, there was a ten percent chance that the targeted essence’s ability would change randomly.

Stats to stats, passives to passives, and actives to actives. Usually, one of the three would be randomly changed, but there was a possibility the essence might be upgraded instead.

Of course, that did not comfort me. If my Level 5 Giantification changed into the Level 3 Form of the Giant, it would be useless in the current situation. Since Form of the Giant didn’t work with Union, I would have to remove all my equipment just to use it.

Just then, a dark-red beam began leaking from my body, cutting off my spiraling thoughts.

It was the effect that signaled the start of corruption.

Unfortunately, there was no way to stop it.

All I could do was pray.

Please, please, please…

Soon, one of the threads attached to my body started shifting from red to black. My gaze quickly followed it to see where it connected.

Whew.

Fortunately, it wasn’t ‘Storm Gush.’ It also wasn’t the combination monster that contained Giantization.

「The Essence of Bayon is being corrupted.」

This essence will be unusable for 120 days, and it cannot be removed thereafter.

If it’s the Essence of Bayon, it’s not bad.

I had always intended to keep Transcendence permanently anyway, and given what it did, having it sealed for this battle wouldn’t limit me too badly.

The real issue was…

“I’m completely screwed, aren’t I?”

As the thread turned completely black and touched Bayon, the monster let out a roar, shrieking as if its insides were being twisted apart.

“Kyaaaaaaak!”

There is only one instance where this effect occurs.

「The abyss calls to you.」

「Bayon’s Essence becomes more deeply corrupted.」

The 10% chance had triggered.

「The effect of the passive skill [Transcendence] has been permanently changed.」

「[Transcendence] no longer enhances the performance of all passive skills.」

「The effect of the active skill [Transcendence] has been permanently changed.」

「From now on, when using [Transcendence]…」

I had hit the 10% chance. But damn it, I had no idea what had changed.

Stats, passives, actives.

No, maybe it wasn’t just one, but two or three things that changed. That was simply the kind of skill Omen of Corruption was. There was no way for me to know what had changed.

I had once tried using the skill to strengthen a fully developed end-game character, but the risk was too high and there were far too many unpredictable factors, so I abandoned that approach soon after.

Anyway.

I decided to leave the changes to Transcendence for later and check them properly when I had time.

“Jandel!”

The moment I snapped back to reality, I lifted my shield to intercept the attack coming straight at me.

「Defense successful.」

「Wall of Aegis absorbs all damage.」

I had forgotten because I had briefly been inside my mental world, but my condition was far from good.

「Character is in a Poisoned (Highest Level) state.」

My body was already so soaked in poison that I could smell my organs rotting through my nose.

「Sven Parav has cast [Prayer of Protection].」

「30% of the damage received by the prayer’s target is converted into divine power…」

Even though healing and various buffs were coming in real time,

「Snictura has cast [Fatal Poisoning].」

「The character’s HP is below 20%. The effect of poison increases by 8 times.」

I could not stop my body from heading toward death.

But…

「Erwin Fornacci di Tersia is casting [Focused Shot]」

Time was steadily ticking away.

‘But how many minutes have passed?’

Honestly, I wasn’t sure.

It felt like it had definitely been over 10 minutes since Erwin began casting [Focused Shot]…

“Mr. Jandel…”

That was when Raven’s shout drifted from behind.

“I know what you’re trying to do! But isn’t it enough now? Everyone is at their limit!”

Honestly, I felt the same way. I understood what she was saying, but…

“…Not yet.”

Not yet.

Absolutely not yet.

If this one shot missed the mark, things would become irreversible.

Yes, so…

“What? No, at this rate, you really are going to die! Not just you, all of us too!”

“I’m fine.”

I could endure it.

***

Some time had passed since Raven had tried to make the final call. I wasn’t sure exactly how long, but the battle was still dragging on with no major changes.

I was still being pummeled and racing toward my death.

「Erwin Fornacci di Tersia is casting [Focused Shot].」

Erwin continued maintaining concentration

But if there was one difference from before, it was this.

“B-Bjorn, please stop now!”

It was not just Raven anymore.The others started urging me to let the shot fire too, even Erwin herself.

“M-Mister! Wouldn’t this much be enough?”

Was my condition really that bad?

Honestly, I did not really feel pain anymore.

My body just felt a little heavy.

“Dammit…Punish me if you must! I can’t just keep watching from the back anymore!”

“Uoooooh! Same here!”

For some reason, the frontliners I had kept in the rear disobeyed my orders and joined the front line. Of course, they couldn’t hold out for long.

「Aynar Pneline has cast [Crouch].」

「Meland Kaislan has cast [Iron Wall Will]…」

I’d say they lasted about two minutes, more or less. Still, I had no intention of scolding them or saying they had been useless. Those two minutes had actually helped me quite a bit.

“Bethellraaaaaaaa!!!”

Watching Aynar stand up while clutching a mangled arm and seeing the unconscious Kaislan, I finally made a decision.

‘Okay, this is it.’

We couldn’t hold out any longer.

No, to be precise, it wasn’t that I couldn’t hold out, but if we continued, it wouldn’t be strange for someone to die.

After finishing that calculation, I finally spoke the words I had been keeping to myself.

“Fire, Erwin.”

Perhaps it was the order she had been waiting for. Erwin didn’t ask for confirmation. She simply released her concentration at once and activated her skill.

I have no idea how long she’d been charging, but the effect when the arrow was fired wasn’t exactly flashy.

Though, calling it that was not exactly accurate. All we could actually see was the blinding light flooding the room. Even the sound of the impact was too overwhelming for our senses to register. Still, the tremor that rippled through the air and across my skin told me more than enough about the attack’s power.

[You have taken damage from an ally while in a bonded state. Light of Trust has protected the character from the damage.]

A chill ran down my spine. Without the effect of No. 12, Light of Trust, my battered body most likely would have been blown apart.

Vwoong!

No matter how amazing that attack was, admiring it had no meaning in the current situation.

There was only one thing that mattered now.

Did that arrow contain enough damage to kill Snictura in one shot?

I found out the result almost immediately.

The piercing ringing in my ears gradually faded, and my sight finally cleared, letting me see what had become of the area.

The machinery around us crackled with sparks, while the moisture hanging in the air hissed into steam. And beyond all that destruction lay Snictura, collapsed on the ground with a massive hole torn through its neck.

After taking in all that visual information, I thought—

No, more accurately, I recalled the conversation from earlier.

[Bill Ironred.]

[If my memory is correct, I believe he changed his name once.]

[It was definitely an extremely common name.]

Because instead of Snictura’s body scattering into particles of light after collapsing with a giant hole through it…

My instincts never seemed to lead to anything good.

“Damn it.”

Its tail was still twitching.

「Snictura’s HP is below 10%.」

「[Dying Light] has activated.」

The gamble had failed.

Snictura’s second passive after [Body of Ten Thousand Poisons]: [Flash before death].

This skill automatically activated when its HP fell below 10%, and its effect was very simple.

[All of Snictura’s stats have been temporarily doubled. Snictura has temporarily gained immunity to all status effects. Snictura has temporarily gained immunity to all damage types…]

It had become ridiculously powerful, but the effect wasn’t without weaknesses.

[Snictura’s movement has been temporarily restricted.]

For one minute after the skill activated, it could not do anything.

Honestly, compared to those ridiculous buffs, that barely even counted as a drawback. The other penalty was far more useful to us.

「While Flash before death is active, HP rapidly decreases.」

Even if we left it alone in that state, its HP would continue to drop. In other words, there was no need for us to find a way past its invulnerability to damage it. As long as enough time passed, it would die on its own. On top of that, Flash Before Death couldn’t be canceled until the battle was over.

In simple terms, this would only end when either it died or all of us did.

‘It took about 5 minutes for that 10% to drain, didn’t it?’

Five minutes. A span of time that felt both painfully long and strangely brief.

However, after gathering every memory I had of fighting Snictura in the game, I quickly reached one conclusion: if all of its skills were sealed, we might actually be able to beat it in a physical brawl.

But with it in its current infinite-MP state…

Exactly 1 minute would be enough.

For Snictura to tear us all apart.

Thump—!

No matter how much I tried to look at the positive side, I could only envision a desperate future.

Therefore, there was only one way left.

Bang! Bang!

Turning my back on Snictura, I ran and pounded my fist against the sealed entrance.

“A-Arta…! Isn’t this enough! Open the door already!”

[…]

“You know that if we die, that thing won’t die anyway!”

“Arta! Arta!”

I called out desperately, but no answer came.

I knew the speakers were broken as the lab was being wrecked, but is that guy unable to look in here as well?

Damn it.

“Mister?”

“What is it, Jandel?”

“It can’t even move, so we should finish it quickly…”

The companions didn’t understand me and said something, but none of it entered my head.

For the first time in a very long while, I felt defeated.

Even though I was someone who never let go of the possibility of life and tried to remain calm in any situation.

This time, I couldn’t help it.

“It’s over.”

“Huh…?”

“I’m sorry, everyone. Because of my misjudgment, I’ve led you all to your deaths.”

“No, what do you mean by that, Yandel…?”

“Soon that thing will start moving, and then we’re finished. I’m sorry. I sincerely apologize.”

Did they feel I wasn’t joking through my expression? The eyes of my companions looking at me gradually began to change.

“If anyone has something they want to say, say it now. Soon, there won’t even be time for that.”

Although the words were meant for my allies, they were just as much for me. I had witnessed countless deaths on the way here. Humans could become shockingly strong in their final moments, but at the same time, they could become frighteningly fragile.

The layers of shell they had wrapped around themselves peel away, and the true feelings they had hidden tightly inside are exposed in all their rawness.

Just like me, right now.

Although Amelia was not here…

“Erwin. Misha. Listen carefully.”

Even if I was going to die, I had to say this.

“Actually, I—”

Just as I was about to continue speaking…

“St-Star’s…!”

“…Huh?”

“[Agent of the Star]!”

A sacred radiance burst out from somewhere.

It was a silver light, so warm and dignified that I froze with my mouth still open.

「Sven Parav has cast the Level 0 divine spell [Agent of the Star].」

「The usage conditions have been fulfilled.」

「The Star Goddess Leatlas descends into the mortal world by borrowing Sven Parav’s body.」

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