Episode 8: Grave Under (10)

"Kehehehe! After them, my family!" The little girl who was still sitting on the lone gravestone pointed her finger at the group of hunters. "After them!"

"Grr... Join us... Join us!!!" The swordsman lunged himself forward.

"Grr... Spells..." The Magician-class hunter began chanting a spell.

"You will not defeat our family..." The Synergist summoned magic circles below the two undead hunters.

"Oh no... If that lich keeps reviving them, we're doomed!" Landon cried out.

"Kehehehe! It is not too late to surrender yourselves!" she chuckled.

"Like hell, I would!" Hugo gritted his teeth as he clashed his axe against Silas' blade once again.

"This is quite an ordeal..." Huey gulped, turning his attention over towards Cole and Fred who were struggling to keep up the aggro with the zombie horde. "If we can't kill the boss in time then..."

"Never mind them," Jace frowned, pointing his pistol at the lich hiding behind the three zombies. "Just focus fire on the boss! Interrupt the undead when necessary! Don't give them much attention!"

"And how do we do that?" Rei furrowed her brows. "The zombies would just block our attacks for her..."

"Like I said, don't mind them," Jace began to scan around the area as he took notice of an empty space near the little girl in the distance. "I'll handle the aggro myself."

"Huh?! You???" Hugo questioned, still in a bout with the swordsman. "You're a Synergist!"

"So?" he shrugged, activating [ Phantom Mirage ] at that moment. "Doesn't mean I can't!"

In the blink of an eye, the young man teleported, momentarily leaving behind a shadow as he appeared right beside the little girl. Then, in an instant, he shot out a barrage of bullets at her.

"...!" As the bullets struck at the lich, she frowned. "You still refuse to open your eyes to salvation?! Then you won't be saved!" In a fit of anger, blackthorns protruded out of the ground as they made their way over towards Jace.

"Not like I want to be saved anyways..." he scoffed, blinking away yet again to the opposite side of the girl.

"Grrr... You fool! You will be abandoned by humanity much like I have!" The girl pointed her finger at Jace. "Family, save him!"

"Grrr! Join us!" The swordsman abruptly stopped his attacks at Hugo as he now focused his attention on Jace. "Give in to salvation! Our family will save you!"

At the same time, the Magician and Synergist began to bombard the young man with spells.

"U-Ugh... Damn..." Overwhelmed by the endless amount of attacks from all directions, Jace hurriedly attempted to dodge all of them. "You guys, hurry! I can only keep their attention for so long!"

"You will be free whether you like it or not!" The swordsman slashed at Jace.

"A-Ack...!" Taking a hit on his shoulder, he coughed.

"JA-JAY...!!!" Landon cried out.

"HURRY!" Jace screamed in turn.

"What the %*^& are you standing around there for?!" Hugo clicked his tongue. "The target is wide open!"

"This is the last stretch..." Landon frowned, leaping forward towards the little girl.

"P-Please... End this!" Rei aimed her bow at the lich in the distance, gathering up energy at the tip of her arrow.

"Just die already!" Hugo swung his axe with all his strength at the boss.

"Kehehehehe, you fools! You are all fools!" The lich laughed maniacally as she raised black roots from below the ground to shield herself from the incoming attacks.

"...!" Landon's eyes shook at the sight. "She's shielding herself! Unfair!"

"Just force your way through! You think we have time?!" Hugo chopped at the roots, however more roots came to replace them.

"Oh no..." Rei's voice trembled. "How do we break through that?!"

"D-Dammit... She's not an A-ranked boss for nothing..." Jace frowned at the situation, hurriedly using up his last charge of [ Phantom Mirage ] to dodge an unavoidable attack from the mage and swordsman. "We need more firepower! But Cole and Fred are—"

"D-Don't worry... I-I'll handle... The zombies..." Sluggishly standing up from the ground, Yun coughed. "U-Ugh... I'll... Handle them all... So call for Fred and Cole to help... Now!"

"Yun?!" Jace cried out. "No, are you crazy? If you move like this then you'll be dead...!"

"I already told you, it's too late for me..." Yun coughed. "So... I'll do my last stand here and get everyone out of here. I trust that everyone will survive this."

"...?!" Jace was taken aback by Yun's words. "T-This..."

Just as the young man was about to dissuade Yun, the latter snapped his finger, unleashing a barrage of thunder all around him, much more powerful than before. The lightning stormed through the battlefield, electrifying everything that it touched.

"NOW...!" Yun screamed with all his remaining strength.

"U-Ugh..." Fred, upon noticing the situation, grabbed onto Cole as they hurriedly made their way over towards the ongoing battle with the lich. "Go...! Take her down!"

With the window of opportunity given to them by Yun, Hugo and the rest of the hunters placed all their strengths to rip through the roots. As the roots were slowly unable to cope with the amount of attacks it took, it whittled away, finally revealing the little girl.

"You...! How dare you...!" The girl screamed as thunder zapped at her. "I won't die... I won't die... I won't die...!" At that second, her body began to glow as green ooze began to seep out of her.

"Watch out!" Jace leapt forward towards the little girl as he forcibly activated [ Rendering Field ] on himself as well as a few others, in turn causing him to cough out blood. "U-Ugh...!"

As the little girl unleashed an immense ooze of poisonous fluids into the area, the magic forcefields shattered, countering the debuff of the lich.

"...?!" The little girl's eyes shook.

"$&%*#(& die already!" Hugo screamed, his axe directly striking at her neck in an attempt to decapitate her.

"A-Ah...! No... No...!" With all his might, the girl's head was chopped off. "No... I won't be abandoned again...! I won't... I won't...!" As her head fell down onto the ground, the human image of the little girl disappeared, returning back to the form of a half-zombie and half-skeleton lich. "No... No... I won't... Not again... Not aga—"

[ You have defeated the dungeon's boss (Lefenia, the Lich of Renunciation)! ]

[ You have levelled up to level 19! ]

[ 10 Hunter Points have been obtained. ]

[ Affirming achievements in the raid... ]

1. Yun

2. Hugo

3. Cole

4. Huey

5. Fred

6. Landon

7. Jay

8. Rei

[ "Challenger of the Soul Oracle" Title Bonus: You received 1 additional Hunter Point! ]

[ Congratulations! You have defeated a named boss! ]

[ Special rewards will be given out! ]

[ Rewards will now be distributed... ]

...

"G-Grr...!" As the lich's head fell down to the ground, the undead army slowly began to crumble into pieces, returning back to the earth. Finally, the hunter party had a moment of peace.

"Ah..." As the head rolled down towards Landon's leg, he stared at it, stunned. "Is she... Finally... Dead?"

At his words, the entire atmosphere became quiet.

"W-We survived..." Fred's voice trembled. "We survived...!"

"Oh my god..." At the realization, Huey's leg gave out.

"W-We... We did it!" Rei happily cheered.

As the four hunters celebrated their win, the remaining hunters crowded around one side of the battlefield. The atmosphere, stifling.

"Oi... Yun..." Cole called out to the Magician before him. "Yun! Hey... Hey!"

"U-Ugh..." Jace frowned, helpless at the sight.

"..." Yun remained unresponsive.

"Hey, wake up!" Cole cried out to the man.

"...he's...gone," Hugo frowned.

"No way! This can't be!" The burly man tightly gripped his fists. "Hey, stay with us a bit longer! We'll get you out of this damn dungeon and get you medical attention! Hey, Yun! Wake up! Wake up!"

"Cole... He's... No longer breathing," Jace hesitantly uttered.

"No way! This isn't funny! We can't lose another party member!" Cole cried out. "Yun...! Yun...!"

"..." Hugo and Jace remained quiet.

"YUN!!!" Cole screamed.