Demonic Po*nstar System

Chapter 146: Twin Royal Guards

Their presence alone was nerve-wracking, letting them all know they were a threat greater than anything they’d faced before. Despite their level not being higher than some of the stronger monsters in the dungeon, it was clear these two were mightier foes.

“Remain in formation!” Vaelira shouted with anxiety. She knew they had no chance to survive should she allow panic to set in.

Before anyone could react, the first knight moved, faster than anything that size should be logically capable of. It swung its blade in a wide arc, forcing the team’s tanker to take one for the team. Jack barely raised his shield in time, but even then, the sheer force sent him flying back.

Leon charged in from the side, gripping his longsword with both hands. He aimed for the knight’s side, but the monster moved with unnatural agility, deflecting his attack with a sharp clang. The impact vibrated through Leon’s arms, momentarily numbing them.

The second knight advanced, its blade slashing downward. Dorothy met it head-on.

A deafening clash rang out as her gauntleted fists slammed into the blade, stopping its descent for only a moment before she was forced back with so much strength her boots carved trails into the stone floor.

“Damn it! Go to hell, monsters!” Dorothy snarled, her face twisted in fury. The weight of grief burned in her veins, fueling her beyond her natural limits. She pushed forward again, ducking beneath the knight’s next swing and retaliating with a devastating uppercut. Her fist crashed against its chest plate, sending a deep echo through the chamber.

But the knight barely staggered.

“Dorothy, coordinate with us!” Kaiden called out. It was hard for the backline to aim their projectiles because she didn’t give them any room.

“Screw that!” she spat, already throwing another punch. “I’ll kill this fucker myself!”

Dorothy’s fist connected again, but the knight didn’t even react this time around. The sheer density of its armor was absurd.

Then it countered. Dorothy wasn’t fast enough to dodge. The khopesh carved through her side.

Blood sprayed from the deep gash as the force of the strike sent her hurtling back, crashing into the stone floor. She coughed blood violently, but she forced herself up with shaky legs.

The knight stepped forward, raising its blade to finish her off.

A blast of wind exploded between them.

“[Aero Repulsion]!”

Luna’s magic pushed the knight back, buying just enough time for Kaiden to rush in, switching to Wrath stance mid-step. The orbs [Harvested] from slain monsters still lingered, granting him temporary buffs. He activated [Doom Strike] as he slammed his axe into the knight’s side.

This time, it reacted.

The impact sent the Royal Guard skidding back, leaving a dent in its armor. Kaiden didn’t let up, following up with a normal strike to the same spot. A thunderous clang echoed through the chamber as his axe bit deep, cracking the golden plate once again.

But the knight refused to fall.

It roared in the form of an eerie, monstrous screech before retaliating with a brutal horizontal swing, forcing Kaiden to block with the shaft of his axe. The sheer force knocked him back, but he remained standing.

“Finish it!” he roared.

Sasha loosed an enchanted arrow, striking the crack Kaiden had made. Aria followed with [Lunar Arc], sending a glowing crescent of energy straight into the weakened armor. Nyx raised both hands as telekinetic energy gathered in her palms before she hurled a massive chunk of broken stone straight at its head.

The knight staggered.

That was all the opening Luna needed.

Electricity crackled as she lunged forward, her [Stormblade] buzzing with raw power characteristic of the chaotic Storm Valkyrie. She slashed diagonally, and her blade sliced clean through the weakened section of its armor. The knight let out a distorted growl as its body convulsed.

Then, with a final jolt of lightning surging through its form, it collapsed.

[You’ve slain Royal Guard of the Sun-Kissed (Level 18)! You’ve gained 5,000 XP.]

[You’ve reached level 16!]

Kaiden turned to the other battle.

Jack was struggling to keep the second knight occupied, his shield was horribly dented from the repeated blows it was tasked to repel. Leon was bloodied, his left arm hanging limp from a vicious counterattack. Sasha was desperately firing arrows, but they were barely slowing it down.

“Enough of this!” Vaelira hissed all of a sudden with evident frustration. She took a deep breath and started moving her wand in an intricate pattern. The ground trembled.

A rift opened in front of her.

From within, dozens of armored warriors emerged. They were not the Roman-themed legion warriors from before. These weren’t weak, disposable puppets but magical knights, wrapped in spectral flame, wielding enchanted weapons.

“[Summon Phantom Vanguard]! Crush this overgrown feline bitch.”

The summoned warriors rushed forward, surrounding the Royal Guard in an instant. Swords clashed against golden armor as they forced it into a deadlock. The knight fought with all its might, but the sheer numbers overwhelmed it.

Leon gritted his teeth as he forced his protesting body to activate itself. Even with one arm no longer functional, he refused to stand idly by. He pushed his body to its limits, refusing to sit the battle out.

With a defiant shout, he lunged at just the right time to plunge his blade into the knight’s exposed side, piercing through the cracks formed by the summoned warriors’ relentless assault. The knight shuddered

Vaelira lifted her hand that was holding the wand. The spectral warriors all moved at once, impaling the Royal Guard from every angle.

A low, metallic wail echoed through the chamber before the knight crumbled, its body dissolving into golden dust.

“Did we do it?” Jack grunted with a heaving chest. The battle ended quickly, but it was extremely taxing on his body. “These armored knights must’ve been the final bosses.”

The cost of their victory was high.

Leon was barely standing, blood oozed from his arm wound. Dorothy was in an even worse shape, clutching her side while doing her utmost not to faint.

*Shhhhh*

With an eerie sound, the chamber trembled. The once-solid stone beneath them rippled like disturbed water, and the towering pillars groaned as if the entire pyramid itself was shifting.

“You dumb musclebrain just had to jinx it, didn’t you?” Luna cursed at Jack.

Then, the torches lining the chamber flickered, their warm orange glow twisting into an unnatural blue. A deep hum resonated through the air, not from the pyramid itself, but from something greater.

A new presence had made its entrance.

“I see you’ve laid my royal knights to rest…”

The voice was smooth yet authoritative. It had a venomous elegance to it, a melody of contempt and a strong belief of personal supremacy. It echoed through the vast chamber, reverberating in their bones.

From the golden doorway at the top of the staircase, she emerged.

With each step, her presence grew heavier, suffocating yet mesmerizing. Her form was wrapped in elegant black and gold silks while her tanned skin glowed beneath the blue light. Her piercing, inhumanly bright eyes regarded them with sheer disdain.

She was a predator adorned in regal splendor, an aura of dominion.

The dungeon boss has arrived.