Daring Done, Part One

[Oni no Gekido - Demon of Wrath]

[Level 25 - HP 120,000/120,000]

When I rematerialize in-game, the giant demon is still standing in the center of the stone ring, on top of the mosaic of his face. He's doing the roaring, growling, teeth-gnashing thing.

Typical.

After my short break, my mind's sharper, clearer. I can see past the obvious scare-tactics and notice the little details I missed before.

1) The oni's big, but he's slow. Dodgeable.

2) His massive spiked club has three main attacks: direct downward smash, 180-degree horizontal slash, and a huge swing where he starts with the club over his head and jump-smashes it to the ground. That one's an AoE (area of effect) attack that sends out three shockwaves that probably deal Stun and/or Knockdown.

3) There are thin strands of flame that run from the oni's back to the nine stone lanterns that ring the stone mosaic.

4) NINE STONE LANTERNS. There are nine of them. Viren's Refuge is ALL ABOUT NINES. Hell, all of mythology is all about nines. Nine Realms, Nine Muses, Nine Worthies—there are nines all over the place. And now, there are nine strands of fire connecting a seemingly OP Boss to nine lanterns ringing the battle zone...

Coincidence?

I think not.

Determined to put my theory to the test, I do the hand seal for Whistling Starfall, my new throwing dart. Zen'aku wordlessly pleads to be let loose on this grotesque monster, but I have to resist the pull. It's not like I can actually kill a Lvl 25 Demon. Aku would just end up Cursing me.

[ Whistling Starfall ] {White}

To Equip: Level 15 / Agility 15

|| To thread a flaming needle through the eye of a monster. Whistling Starfall is an explosive throwing dart. When it hits its target, it returns to wielder's hand immediately. When it misses, there is a 5-second delay before return. Deals 150 Attack Damage, 2x Damage for Headshots, 3x Damage against Enemies with sub-30 Heat/Fire Resistance, +2 Agility, +1 Intelligence.

Active Skill: Comet Burst - AoE Explosion, Deals 250 Attack Damage to every enemy in a 15-meter radius; When only one enemy in attack radius, Deals 500 Damage. Cooldown: 3 Minutes ||

It's a great weapon this early in the game, but against the insane HP of the Wrath Demon, it's laughable.

Doesn't stop me from throwing it right between his eyes.

"ROAAAAARRRR!!!"

"I'm over here, you fugly beast!" I yell, waving my arms and jumping on the roof of the closest stone lantern. (They look kinda like stone birdhouse-pagodas, and the fire is encased inside the house part.) The brutish oni lumbers wildly in my direction, swinging his club in anger. "Come on, closer. Come closer..."

The oni obliges. 10 meters away. 5 meters. At 3 meters, he's reached 'Smash the Puny Demi-Human' range, but I still don't move. Instead, I use my most devastating attack: shit talk.

"Day-umn, they do not make monsters like they used to. Wrath Demon? More like Trash Demon! You're rank, my dude! Maybe it's the rotting flesh stuck in your teeth; did no one teach you about flossing? No dental plans in Hell? I bet they don't have 401ks either. Trash organization you work for, bruh."

SMASH!

I dive-roll to the side as the oni obliterates the lantern I was balancing on. I come up into a dead sprint, weaving through flying debris to leap atop the next lantern, perfectly avoiding all three shockwaves. I spin and throw the dart for another dead-center headshot.

The flames in the oni's eyes rage it up a notch as he again stomps toward me. When he gets close, he opens his mouth for another almighty growl.

"ROOOAA—argh cough cough!" The oni starts coughing on the ball of mint-leaves I throw in his gaping mouth.

"Phew, that's better." I wave my hand in front of my nose. "That breath was SOMETHING ELSE, I tell you! I'm starting to understand that mosaic better. That dude was a one-night stand, wasn't he? You thought you two had a real connection, thought it was going somewhere this time. But when you went for that morning-after kiss, he cut his own head off so he wouldn't have to smell your morning breath!"

SMASH!!!

Dive-roll. "Tragic, really." Weave, leap. "I feel for you, bud." Spin. Boom, headshot.

While the Boss wobbles from the force of the blast, I check out his HP. Should have knocked out about 1000 HP, but I don't know how fast he regens.

[Level 25 - HP 100,000 / 120,000]

Huh? Are my hits doing extra damage for some reason? I hurl Whistling Starfall again, but this time with the Comet Burst skill activated. A high-pitched whistling sound pierces through the air, and the dart leaves a trail of fiery smoke like a comet tail.

KABOOM!

Hot damn, the pyrotechnic skill animation on this sucker is legit.

[-400] floats red above the oni's head. Balls. Not only am I not dealing extra damage, the level suppression means I'm dealing less damage than I'm supposed to!

So how in the world. . .

The lanterns.

Two lanterns down, two strands of fire snuffed out from the Boss's back, 2x 10,000 HP lost.

I was right. The lanterns are the key to defeating the Boss even with the insane level difference. Smirking, I stand on this lantern with one leg forward, knee bent, hands on hips, smug as Washington Crossing the Delaware.

The Wrath Demon's flaming eye twitches at the sight.

I wink and flash my smirkiest smirk.

SMAAAASH!!!

I have to focus extra hard to avoid the especially intense attack pattern and zooming debris this time, but I still have time to giggle.

Man, this is fun.

Using a combination of increasingly stupid shit talk and the continued blast stings of Whistling Starfall, I manage to trick Oni-san into smashing another two lanterns. More than halfway done now, the Boss's body starts to flicker and dim.

Whadya know? I might survive this after all.

[Thank you, brave Hero! You have saved this forest.]

Startled by the floaty-whisper voice appearing in my head, my delicate precision is thrown off, and I miss the lantern roof I'm aiming for. "Oof!" I hit the ground and curse. "Son of a tit monkey! OW. Who said that?!"

[It is I, Kodama, Spirit of the Great Tree. Spirit of the Forest.]

A white-green glowing figure appears within the trunk of the giant cedar towering over the battle arena. My body freezes as the Wrath Demon Boss begins his system animation signaling his transformation to Stage Two. The flames in the remaining lanterns blaze so infernally, the tops of the stone lanterns explode.

'On second thought, maybe thanks for making me faceplant,' I silently thank the Kodama.

[You are welcome.]

'You heard that?' I ask, freaked out.

[I hear, see, feel everything within my forest domain.]

'Kinky.'

[I do not know this word.]

'Never mind. So I'm the savior of the forest?'

[You shall be. I feel the potential rising within your small, frail body.]

I frown. 'Gee, thanks.'

[Your intellect is strong and keen. It guides you along the path necessary to banish the Evil Demon from this sacred place.]

I grin. 'Gee, thanks!'

[How did you know only the Oni's own weapon could destroy the lanterns tethering him to this plane?]

'Ohhh, so that's how it works!'

[. . .]

[You didn't know?]

'Uh, no?'

[Then why did you trick him into destroying the lanterns?]

I'm confused. 'Because it was fun?' I say, obviously.

[Fun?]

'Well, yeah.' I shrug. 'And even if I could break them, without better firepower, it would have taken FOREVER, and I couldn't use Zen'aku without possibly Cursing myself, so.'

As I'm talking to the weird floaty voice in my head, the Oni finishes the animation for his Stage Two transformation. Suddenly, what the Kodama just said really hits me, and a new grin spreads across my face.

Only the Oni's club can destroy the lanterns.

But that doesn't mean the Oni has to be the one wielding it.

Hehe.