Mother of War

"Pronos," Rakna called and the little Hydra cried out cutely before jumping off his shoulder. And as he fell toward the water, his body expanded rapidly and his hisses turned into deep growls due to the size of his vocal cords alone.

The Throne of Glory members only saw his full form for a brief moment, taking a glimpse of his pupils in the shape of a lemniscate, before he completely dived into the ocean. To their surprise, they immediately lost track of him; the large beast camouflaging itself perfectly.

"How about we start whenever the first attack is made?" Rakna suggested as he quietly ascended, his wings releasing a silver mist. His eyes were fixed on the dragon and Lilia standing atop its head.

Ensis glanced at where Pronos went off to and grunted. "Let's do so," he declared. "Scatter."

At his command, every guild member except the leader himself vanished and then reappeared in different places. They had all chosen a different direction and that included skyward. Additionally, the distance between them was as big as they could systematically arrange themselves.

"I see, you're not going to make this any easier for me," Rakna snorted and promptly transformed into a werewolf, the size of his weapon increasing alongside him. His eyes became golden purple as he activated Crystal Sight.

He took a peek into Lilia's status and snickered. There wasn't even a point in strategizing about it. 'Three Nirvana Skills… capable of instantly buffing a target in a different way each.' 

He couldn't find a workaround. 

'Not to mention her Magic and Path… Considering the old guy's rules, she should only be allowed to support and command the Boss, not attack me directly. I can ignore certain skills… she'll probably use her debuffs, huh?'

"For now… let's do this," he narrowed his eyes. "[Wolfen Lord,]" he uttered and a pack of thirty Obsidian Star wolves with six tails appeared around him. Without verbally receiving the order, they immediately spread out to protect each of the guild members in pairs of two.

"Decent idea," Gray commented with a smile as he eyed the ebony summons standing guard. They were quite big up close; almost as tall as himself.

"[Ghost of Rupture,]" Rakna followed up and his body momentarily blurred from view, signaling the activation of his Internal Art. "And… [Voyaging Star,]" he intoned and a completely new skill was unveiled.

Everyone blinked in surprise when they felt a surge of star energy. The werewolf's entire body turned ablaze with purple flames and if one looked closely, they would also notice that his flesh was undulating as if not truly physical.

This was a Max Excelled Skill Rakna had synthesized just the day before. He had used no less than five components to create it, but the most interesting part of this synthesis was that it had actually required him to use a Skill Point to finalize.

⠀

❮ ◈ ❯

⠀

Voyaging Star

⠀

A transcendental skill born from the combination of Flight, Grand Reinforcement, Star Flare, Stealth, and Artzpul, and stabilized through the intervention of the System.

This skill embodies the legend of the Voyaging Star; a myth recounting the existence of a wandering star traveling the cosmos unseen and undetected. It could not be stopped, could not be followed, could not be detected, and could not die. Only a handful of lucky ones were ever able to ever witness this 'True Shooting Star'.

It could accelerate beyond the limits of space and fly wherever it wished to go. And despite its great power, it seldom was noticed due to its furtiveness and sheer speed.

Those that tried to stop the Voyaging Star would find themselves swallowed, their material existence broken down, or destroyed by the flares erupting on its surface.

When triggering this skill, the user's body will transform into the Voyaging Star itself, becoming partially intangible and having all Statistics increased by up to 50%. All incoming damage will be reduced by 1 to 100% depending on how severe it is. Making contact with any physical matter will allow the user to convert it into star energy.

All forms of spatial or temporal bindings will be ignored, and all forms of scrying spells or sensing skills attempting to find the user's location will fail. The user will become impervious to wounds for as long as the skill is active unless the opponent possesses the ability to bypass its healing or have a much greater life force level.

In this state, the Sub-Skills 'Comet' and 'Flare' can be used. The former will grant the user a burst of speed in the form of a step and increase their base attack statistic by 25% for a second afterward. The latter grants the ability to launch devastating flares of star energy capable of mass destruction.

⠀

Transformation Cost: None. Sustain Cost: Variable Mana & Stamina.

Comet Cost: 10 MP per Meter. Cooldown: None.

Flare Cost: 500 MP per Flare. Cooldown: None.

⠀

Note: Mana will be consumed to heal damage or convert physical matter into raw energy. The Voyaging Star skill will automatically be disengaged when the user runs out of mana or stamina.

⠀

❮ ◈ ❯

⠀

It was the greatest elemental reinforcement and movement technique packed into one skill. With this and his Luquila Wings, Rakna believed that there was almost nothing in the System capable of outrunning him.

"Ready?" The werewolf raised his voice with a small grin, looking at both Lilia and the tamed World Boss. The quiet girl quietly lifted her staff and readied herself, a mauve and white light enveloping her and the dragon below.

"…draggy," she whispered and the half-wyrm roared loudly, agitating the waters enough to create a small tide. The obsidian wolves shielded their 'props' with aura and Rakna snorted.

Sonata's blade began to thrum audibly and the werewolf exhaled a cloud of stardust. His soul fire flickered over his fur and he opened his mouth, "[Comet.]"

In the blink of an eye, his figure was eclipsed by a four-pointed star and disappeared. A trail of star energy in the form of dust was left behind and at a speed infinitely close to teleportation, Rakna found himself on the right of the dragon's body.

Both Lilia and the World Boss immediately reacted to his movement but he also didn't waste time at pointing his Guandao forward. Light and dark crucifixes flashed into existence around the shaft of the weapon and began spinning. "[Road of The Martyr.]"

The second perk of Longinus rumbled like a cannon. A mix of opposite-natured forces fused into one indiscriminate energy that shot out, seeking to obliterate whatever it found in its path. Rakna had made sure to aim at the body of the dragon, keeping Lilia out of sight as per the rules.

Though… he had never expected much from it.

"[Grace of The Immortal Monk,]" Lilia's voice echoed in what was probably the most structured way he had ever heard her speak. A golden emblem flashed above the World Boss, granting it the same type of glow at the same time.

When the black and white wave of energy hit the dragon's body, it almost bounced off, dispersing into countless smaller beams. But the World Boss didn't take it lightly. The creature seemed to be a type of Wilden possessing far more ferocity than intelligence.

The moment it felt the attack strike, it roared and unleashed a dark red and blue aura. Some of the protruding scales on its body began to move, coalescing into a pair of wing-like giant arms.

Promptly, a colossal sword made of magma materialized in one of those hands and Rakna's eyes widened before he had to use Comet again to dodge a swing of it. The strange scales of the dragon wielded the weapon like a real limb and caused the ocean to split.

For a second, it was as if a crevasse had opened in the water, gushing steam due to the magma's heat wave. Varq whistled in appreciation, being the closest from it and luckily not affecting him, or else one of the elemental wolves would have been forced to sacrifice itself to counter it.

"That's a decent World Boss," Lux remarked from a distance as a second weapon appeared in the dragon's other 'hand'; this time, a gigantic ax made out of some kind of blue stone.

Rakna heard the comment and grunted as he flapped his wings to fly upward. This wyrm's ability to use scales as limbs and summon weapons was in fact a combination of two Nirvana Skills.

'Two Nirvanas… I suppose it's adequate for a high-level World Boss,' he thought. 'But the problem is not the skills themselves… but the potential it has with--'

"[Grace of The Weapon Master,]" Lilia chanted and the werewolf smiled wryly. A magic symbol appeared at the tip of her staff, a gray-colored one different from the previous golden, and imbued the dragon with its power.

Immediately, Rakna sensed Spiritual Intent erupting from the giant weapons. The proficiencies of the Wilden had just been forcefully enhanced by a spell.

'Heavenly Grace… a magic capable of granting the 'Blessings of Great Ones'. What the hell is that even supposed to be?' He groaned. 'Immortal Monk, Weapon Master… each an archetype of a great lifetime achievement. And she can give that to anyone at will...'

Lilia's mana surged through her staff again and he stiffened. Her hair began to rise as if lifted by the wind and for a moment, her whole being exuded a presence much greater than the World Boss she controlled.

"Shit… is she already casting that?" Rakna cursed to himself. He couldn't attack her directly so he had no way to disrupt her. Her 'little pet' would protect her anyway and if he tried to use a stronger attack, chances are it would count as her being in the crossfire. "How unfair can these rules be…"

Lilia looked into the werewolf's eyes after channeling her mana and smiled as if teasing him. "[War God Descent – One Against All,]" she intoned and the sky was torn by a pillar of light. Her Nirvana Skill was invoked and the World Boss roared as power was infused into its body.

Rakna kept an eye on the dragon's status and grumbled when he saw its attributes double.

"Draggy," Lilia spoke up and the World Boss promptly crossed its weapons, evidently preparing to swing both. Intent and draconic energy whirled around the giant weapons, sealing the very atmosphere with their pressure.

The werewolf clicked his tongue and used Eye of Symphony to continuously display a detailed map of his surroundings, marking each of the guild members at all times relative to his position. He was sure the dragon's next move would reach them all, after all.

He had the option of summoning his Tail Clones or even constellation entities to protect them in his stead. But, in the end, only 'Ranka' would give him peace of mind since he could trust her to do the job properly. The only worry she could bring was if she got too annoyed by the test and decided to attack Lilia.

'I can always summon them later. Lilia could have been far more aggressive already in attacking the others if she wanted to. She probably won't be too heavy-handed from the start,' Rakna huffed. 'Let's go with this for now…' He thought and clasped his hands. 

Three crowns of runes formed around his fingers and he wordlessly summoned his Valkals. The reverse tails directly began to write runes near the guild members at the speed of his thoughts.

This was the trick he had used against Zasha back in Plateau Zero. He had drawn the magic circle meant to conjure the black hole on top of him from inside the Reverse World; unnoticed.

"…" Ensis, however, opened one eye as he seemingly sensed the disturbances around him.

And barely a second later after the dragon had begun charging its weapons, they were swung at full strength. The trail they left behind, red and blue, merged into one and then swiftly turned into a giant tornado. And the twin slash traveled much further; their crossing point perfectly aimed at Rakna while its edges loomed over Tairen and Merlina.

"[Great Rune,]" Rakna growled and around each of the guild members, incredibly complex runes made themselves known. They wrapped around their charges like a shield and shone a deep shade of purple; powered by his Intelligence attribute boosted to a thousand. "[Denial.]"

The werewolf unclasped his hands at the same time and used his wings' Time Leap to dodge the cross slash. The attack cracked the barriers erected around Tairen and Merlina, and carved loudly into the water, sounding almost like a meteor.

However, there was still a tornado of energy that quickly expanded and swallowed nearly all of the guild members. But the rune shields were enough to repel any harm for as long as he provided the mana for it.

"Little guy!" Rakna yelled, and on cue, a large Ouroboros magic circle formed above the surface of the water. Its effect was immediate; the storm generated by the World Boss slowed down to a halt and helplessly faded.

The werewolf then immediately used Comet, his silhouette eclipsing as he found himself above Lilia and the dragon. The former looked up as soon as he did so and waved her staff at him, a white and silvery light flashing at the tip.

⠀

❮ ◈ ❯

⠀

The Debuff, Weight of War, has been cast on you!

The Debuff, Nature's Rejection, has been cast on you!

The Debuff, Mother's Grief, has been cast on you!

---

Tenth Tail of The Sage Nephilim is resisting the Debuffs!

Authority of The Law-Breaker is resisting the Debuffs!

Battle Continuation has been nullified!

---

Debuffs cannot be fully resisted due to Level disparity.

Effects have been weakened by 75%.

---

Statistics will fall by 10% for the next three minutes, your mana and stamina consumption will increase by 25% for the next five minutes, your skills have a small chance to fail or go into cooldown for twice as long, and all forms of regeneration will be stunted.

⠀

❮ ◈ ❯

⠀

Rakna gasped when he felt the sudden 'shackles' put on him. 'Three in an instant!? And even with a 75% reduction, it's still that powerful?!'

On the other hand, Lilia received the results of her skills and widened her eyes, not expecting her debuffs, even basic ones, to be resisted that much.

Following her intervention, the World Boss whipped its tail at the werewolf, who barely managed to trigger a Comet backward. The giant magma sword was then swung at him.

"[Blade of Rupture,]" Rakna struck back, optimizing his attributes toward strength. Sonata grew in size as well and when the blades clashed, it was an uncannily equal match. The shockwave alone caused even more damage to his runic barriers.

The dragon roared and the magma sword began to heat up dangerously. Droplets of lava ran down its length and its hilt started glowing. 

The werewolf shuddered and hurriedly twisted his grip, allowing his Guandao to slide against the flat side of the giant weapon before he dashed away, in time to avoid the explosion of magma that followed. It was as if a volcano had suddenly awakened.

"{Self-destruct,}" Rakna quickly ordered through telepathy and one of each pair of wolves he had summoned earlier jumped out of the rune shield and exploded into clouds of Obsidian Star energy, their transmuting nature completely nullifying both the shockwave and heat.

The World Boss didn't stop there. With its sword gone, it twisted its body around with speed that didn't match its stature and swung the ax instead.

Rakna's instinct flared up as he saw the approaching weapon but he couldn't dodge it since Vegas was right on its course. With a groan, he conjured a gauntlet of obsidian and teleported to the side of the weapon.

"[Fist of Rupture,]" he intoned and punched it. The hit shattered dimensions open and condensed all of his energies into blunt power. The ax's blade cracked and veered off toward a different angle, upturning the ocean once again with the momentum behind it.

"Fuck, what is that thing made of?" The werewolf flew back as his broken arm healed. The rebound of forces had completely shattered his gauntlet and the star energy constituting his limb.

"{Aqerite,}" Fray mused. "{A naturally formed mineral found in the depths of the ocean. It absorbs water, and the more it takes in, the tougher and heavier it becomes.}"

'His second magic element, huh?' Rakna added as he remembered the name of the magic stated on the dragon's status. 'Still, this is annoying… I've never felt more suffocated in a fight. Being mindful of multiple liabilities and unable to use attacks with wide ranges… my choices are limited.'

"Ready?" Lilia's soft voice resounded and the werewolf raised an eyebrow.

"…ready for what?"

She smiled thinly. "Fight."

A few of her guild members snickered at that and Rakna chuckled. "Is that your way of saying that it hasn't even started?" He shook his head in amusement. "Don't worry… I'm never unready."

At his words, nine pairs of slitted green eyes stealthy opened below the water.