Chapter Eighty-Seven

As the gorilla's cries were silenced, Edward turned his attention to the opposite side of the platform. By now, the other battle had ended. The three gorillas tasked with attacking Markus and the others were defeated, though the victors took on a heavy toll. Brandon was nearly dead and Markus's body was battered beyond belief.

Neither of them were dead, thankfully. As Edward approached the group, he let out a deep sigh and looked at Leila. The woman wasn't injured— at least not badly— but her face was pale. She appeared to be out of mana. As Edward approached, she nodded to him and looked at Ikarus. The young dragon was resting on the ground, his body battered almost as badly as Markus's. Many of Ikarus's platinum scales had fallen to the ground like petals from a flower, but there was luckily no blood.

"Is it… over?" Markus breathed. He was lying on his back, so he couldn't see Edward's approach. 

"I believe so," Edward nodded.

"Hmm? What do you mean? There are only three XP notifications," Leila said. Edward turned to her, confused, then opened his own system. He gazed at the notification screen and quickly counted the recent additions.

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+5% XP

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+5% XP

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+5% XP

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'How? I killed the boss!' Edward thought to himself. Then, from behind him, Edward heard a shift of bones and rock. Chills ran down his spine as Edward quickly turned around. The gorilla— the same one he had killed only a moment prior— was still alive.

"Oh, c'mon!" Edward groaned as he turned to face the foe. Edward expected the gorilla to roar and charge at him, but the gorilla did no such thing. It stood still, like a statue, as it slowly turned its gaze to Edward's. The gorilla's deep blue eyes became dim.

"Alright, how low is it?" Leila asked as she looked forward. 

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Frozen Skeleton Gorilla (FLOOR BOSS) (Suspended Animation)

HP: 0/1125

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"How? It's dead!" Leila muttered, surprised. Edward ignored the monster's health, instead choosing to gaze at the monster's new status condition. He had never heard of suspended animation, yet he already knew it wasn't good news.

︽

Suspended Animation

This condition is the result of an interrupted natural death. When a creature is not allowed to die, it will enter a suspended animation. Several methods are capable of causing this phenomenon. Necromancy, soul magic, temporary immortality, divine intervention, and spiritual possession are just a few examples.

This corpse has been possessed by [??? (DUNGEON BOSS)]

︾

'It's the final boss! What is it doing?' Edward realized with shock. In the next moment, however, his focus was turned away from the notification in front of him as the gorilla began to speak. 

"The flame… of Origin?" The gorilla muttered with a voice as deep as the abyss itself. It stood up straight and looked into Edward's eyes. Despite its broken body, the gorilla gazed at Edward with a calm expression. The rage that once fueled its actions disappeared. 

Edward didn't know how to answer the gorilla's question. He wasn't even entirely sure if the gorilla was speaking directly to him, as its eyes were unfocused and dazed. He and the party members behind him slowly prepared themselves for combat— some quicker than others. Markus had to lean on his sword to keep himself standing, but his expression was cold and serious. 

Then, with a voice that seemed not its own, it spoke once more. This time, the monster spoke with a perfect tone of speech and accent, "If the first flame has appeared, then it has begun. The final days are coming."

"Did it turn crazy? Since when could monsters talk, anyways?" Markus muttered with a groan of pain. Edward ignored his friend. His attention was focused on the gorilla, so he didn't have enough concentration to spare on replying to Markus's question. For some reason, he found himself captivated by the gorilla's words.

"You, who bears the First Flame!" The gorilla turned to Edward with a sharp gaze. Edward felt a small ember ignite deep in his chest— though he wasn't sure if it was literal or figurative. Only a moment later, the ember disappeared, "You cannot exist! You shall not exist!" 

"First flame?" Edward muttered, confused. As he looked at the gorilla ahead of him, a strange feeling arose in his chest.

"You will not walk during the final days! You will not meet 'him', not while I exist!"

Then, as if the gorilla's skeletal body began to glow. However, instead of the bright blue shine that covered the gorilla's spine, this glow was much deeper. Its hue turned into a deep violet as the skeleton's bones cracked and groaned. As time passed, the violet glow emanating from the skeleton grew brighter as a low thrum began to echo around the room.

"Shit! It's gonna blow!" Edward realized. Markus quickly stepped forward and he used his sword as a cane. He stopped just in front of the group and then slammed his sword into the ground. He raised his palm to his chest and activated his healing skill. His passive skill, [Healing Aura], replicated that healing effect on everybody within five meters of Markus's location. 

Luckily that included the entire group. Edward watched as his HP bar climbed. Within ten seconds, his HP was back to full. This explosive healing power spread to everybody else as well, though Markus's MP quickly dropped because of it. Once everybody was fully healed, Edward looked at Markus and found him devoid of any MP.

"Prepare yourselves!" Markus warned. Edward and the others nodded as they gathered behind Markus. Each of them gazed at the glowing ball of violet light before them. By now, the light was so bright Edward couldn't even manage to make out the gorilla's original frame.

Then, like a balloon filled with too much water, it exploded.