Hidden Act: Subjugation Of The Final Boss [2]

Amy was knelt as well, shuddering and feeling a pang of embarassment as she muttered under her breath.

"...I've trained in combat and magic as well, atleast I should be able to protect myself...but I couldn't.

Why? Why do I feel this way?

Infront of...him, I feel so vulnerable and weak despite being ahead...why?"

Amy said as she gazed at Noah whose hair was flowing flawlessly in the night wind, his cold breaths coming out in coordinated intervals.

The spear he held shattered in pieces that glimmered as they fell, like glass shards.

She watched as his head slumped and then looked up at the sky.

Her eyes were blurry from the tears so her vision wasn't clear.

Noah then stood up and took in deep breaths and then rushed to the ritual and summoning place direction.

"The other main characters won't be here soon and by the time the barrier goes off and they do get here, it might be too late...the demonic constellation's power will already have ascended too early than expected in the game's storyline."

"In the original game, Xander and the others get in here in time just as the boss was in the process of summoning and put an end, therefore fighting without the figure even gaining any amount of demonic power..."

"But if they were to do so after the summoning, it would lead to a bad ending, they'll fail and die and the game would end at that..."

"And by the looks of it, it doesn't look like Amy is in any condition or shape to fight... which only leaves me to the work..."

Noah couldn't tell why but he was driven to do so.

He would just leave at that, it did mean putting an end to the main characters like he wanted...but that would also lead to his death as well without no way of returning, heck he didn't even know if there was actually a way to return.

For now surviving was all that mattered for him.

He wanted to live and he would make sure of it.

Noah rushed and jumped straight at the figure pinning it on the ground.

He was bloodied and vision blurry as he finally took a glance at the figure.

His eyes spoke of confusion as he looked at a girl with red hair and eyes of the same colour.

"...Seraph?"

'How? how is Seraph the final boss of the first act?'

'It was supposed to be a male character, an insignificant third-rate villain that only aided in the growth of the main characters and brought them together...'

'So why was Seraph the one doing the summoning?'

Noah thought but at the same time as he thought about it it answered his question on why during all that happened, Seraphina wasn't around at all.

"...Seraph was the one behind this all along..."

Was he the one that had caused such a significant change in the storyline?

It couldn't be him, he was sure of it.

So why?

Seraph pushed Noah away in an attempt to recover the book and return to the summoning.

The dead bodies were still feeding blood to the magic circle so in time it didn't matter.

The demon god's power would descend.

All that was needed was a vessel.

Noah struggled and pinned Seraph again as they continued doing so, getting on top of the other in intervals as they finally rolled and reached the edge.

Seraph slipped and was now dangling on the edge.

Noah was quick to catch Seraph but only by the hand.

Noah could feel her hand slipping and him loosing his grip.

Seraph looked up at Noah with teared eyes before pronouncing, "I...I don't want to die..."

She sobbed for a minute or two while dangling before continuing.

"This shouldn't have happened...it was because of her...that orange haired girl..."

Before she could finish Seraph was now airborne and falling.

Her eyes wide open streaming with tears that hovered in the air like falling rain.

Noah gazed at her...he couldn't tell what he was feeling.

Was he the one that let go? Or was she the one that did?

If he was the one that let go of her shouldn't he be feeling guilty or atleast a pang of remorse?

Why then was he...smiling?

Noah looked at his hands...he had led one of the main characters to her death.

He rubbed his face as it was stained with blood and the smile faded.

Noah then began moving backwards and before he knew it, he had stepped into the magic circle that glowed and red energy exploded.

[Ding!]

The system chimed again, this time with a tone Noah had never heard before—almost sinister, yet eerily calm.

[■The Demon Constellation has chosen you.]

Noah's heart pounded, and a cold sweat broke out on his forehead.

He could barely process what was happening.

[■ System Message: The Hidden Act will now begin]

Noah stared at the glowing text in disbelief, feeling as though the ground beneath him had just disappeared.

The real nightmare was only just beginning.

Noah's body began to rise into the air, lifted by an unseen force as crimson energy swirled around him like a storm.

His ragged breaths were consumed by the growing red aura, and suddenly, jagged red icicles burst from the ground, towering and glowing with a sinister light.

Two wings of shimmering red ice emerged from his back, their form ethereal yet sharp.

They were not stiff or heavy but light and flexible, moving with an eerie grace.

The wings fluttered gently, casting a blood-red glow around him, their translucent edges razor-sharp yet beautiful in their deadly elegance.

Red horns appeared above his head—not connected to his forehead but floating just above, as though suspended by the very energy enveloping him.

The horns glowed faintly, mirroring the ethereal crimson of his wings.

His transformation was both terrifying and mesmerizing.

His pale skin contrasted sharply with the red aura, and his once blue eyes now burned with an unearthly crimson light, shimmering with power.

His features remained soft yet intense, almost angelic despite the demonic transformation.

Every curve, every glow, and every pulse of energy surrounding him spoke of an otherworldly beauty—an intoxicating blend of grace and menace.

Noah, with blood still dripping from the corner of his lips and his body encased in this radiant red energy, was a vision of haunting beauty.

He looked both divine and dangerous, like a figure from a dream turned nightmare, suspended in midair with power beyond comprehension.

Instantly the door to the top burst open and there they stood.

Noah recognized them, the game's main characters.

He knew they were here to stop the boss and put an end to the nightmare.

But he couldn't help but wonder how they were going to react to him being the final boss.

It didn't matter for now, they are supposed to grow in strength by fighting the boss and advancing further.

The system then chimed in again.

[Ding!]

[■New Quest]

[■The Hidden Act has began, as the Final Boss defeat those who stand in your way and fully manifest the demon god's power upon this world!]

Noah couldn't bring himself to resist, to be honest even he didn't know what or how he was feeling at the moment.

Only thing he could do was accept the quest.

"For now...I'm no longer Noah the Blessed Sage..."

"I am the first act's final boss...Demonic Disciple-Ashbourne..."