Overgeared: Saharan Successor

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Chapter 43: Indomitable Forever

[You have received 'Reinvigoration.' HP is regenerated by 3% per second for 30 seconds.]

Combined with his Regeneration passive, was the Ultimate power of the Trolls. With Malfurion's buff, his HP regen had already reached 5% per second.

With the Elite Golems destroyed Odin turned his attention to the real threat, the Guardian of the Labyrinth. 

The Guardian's eyes glowed as it initiated Mana Overload, gathering a massive amount of mana into its core. Arcane Pulses erupted from its frame, firing rapidly, while Energy Barrages rained down from above, targeting Odin and his allies precisely.

Odin had no reason to evade those attacks since he was immune to knockbacks, and with Malfurion placing his healing spell on him, he no longer had to worry about being one-shotted.

The barrage of arcane attacks hit him squarely, but his stone-plated armor absorbed most of the impact, reflecting a portion of the melee damage back at the Guardian.

[You have taken 975 damage.]

[You have reflected 255 damage.]

Even though the Mana Overload and Arcane Pulses hit hard, Odin's buffed defenses allowed him to withstand the onslaught, and by activating his 'Blazing Charge' he instantly reached the Boss monster. 

[Critical Hit!]

[You have dealt 6,224 damage to the target. You have stunned the target for 1.5 seconds.]

[Burning Effect Applied: Target loses 385 HP/s for 15 seconds.]

With a sudden, explosive force, he tilted his head back and unleashed his Black Wolf's Howl to chain the stun of the Blazing Charge.

The chamber echoed with his ferocious cry, filling the chamber with a terrifying resonance.

[User has consumed 350 MP]

The howl cut through the air like a shockwave, its force causing loose rocks and dust to fall from the ceiling. 

The Guardian, stunned by the Blazing Charge, showed a reaction in its glowing eyes as they flickered briefly. 

[Taunt Successful][The Guardian of the Labyrinth has entered a Confused State. Attack and defense decreased by 15% for 30 seconds.]

Then, with the successful taunt, he also enjoyed the shorter enhancements of the ability, gaining an additional 25% increase in attack power. His movements also increased by 5%, which wasn't much, but it was still honest work.

Having seized the advantage, Odin quickened his movements, and before the stun wore off, he raised his blade high.

'Volcanic Strike.' 

The Soulrend Blade intensified, which could be seen in its glow as it turned into a white-hot object infused with the power of molten earth.

Odin brought his sword crashing into the Guardian with a powerful downward slash. The impact created a shockwave of fire and molten rock, exploding outward in all directions as the flames seared into the Guardian's core.

The Guardian's health plummeted as molten fire melted parts of its armor.

[Critical Hit!] 

[You have dealt 23,451 damage to the target.] 

[Burning Effect Applied: Target loses 385 HP/s for 15 seconds.]

This powerful strike took the Boss Monster directly into its 3rd Phase as its HP gauge passed the 40% mark by a long shot. 

The Guardian's glowing core dimmed momentarily as it entered its next phase.

As Odin prepared for the next assault, a deep rumbling echoed from the Guardian's body. Suddenly, the runes across its surface began to glow more intensely, and a harsh grinding noise filled the chamber.

The Guardian's 'Overclocked Core' activated.

The Guardian's eyes flared with mana as it surged with newfound speed and power. Its damage output increased by 50%, and a shimmering, protective energy barrier formed around it, a Regenerative Shield.

"Damn it..." 

Odin could see the new updates on the Stats and Skills of the Boss Monster with his Sovereign Insight, and to say he wasn't frustrated was an understating. 

Unless interrupted, the shield would heal the Guardian by 5% every 15 seconds. 

But before he could act, the Guardian unleashed its next ability, the 'Arcane Shockwave', to push him away from melee range and attempt to recover its lost HP.

A pulse of pure arcane energy erupted from the Guardian, aiming to push Odin away. 

Nevertheless, Odin wasn't about to give ground once he had a foot past the door. With a swift motion, he activated Flame Guard.

A fiery barrier surrounded him just as the shockwave hit. The arcane energy collided with his flames, but the energy rebounded instead of throwing him back.

[You have reflected 760 damage to the Guardian.]

The Guardian recoiled momentarily, but it wasn't finished. Its core hummed with growing power, and from its outstretched arm, it fired 'Arcane Beams' that sliced across the battlefield, the beams searing through the air with a precision you could swear they were tactical nukes.

Even with the omnipotent 'Sovereign Insight', the beams were too fast to dodge for his current agility, and Odin found himself caught in the crossfire.

[You have taken 1,640 damage.] 

[You have taken 1,480 damage.]

His health dipped further, but his defensive buffs kept him in the fight. Just as the beams faded, the Guardian charged forward, bringing its fists down in a devastating 'Obsidian Slam'.

The ground erupted in a cascade of jagged obsidian spikes, each infused with physical and magical energy. But Odin's Terra's Resilience prevented him from being knocked back or stunned. 

He withstood the attack, trading blows with the towering Guardian.

As the obsidian spikes receded, Odin gripped his sword tighter. Now was his chance. With a surge of speed, he activated Infernal Flurry.

His strikes came in a blur, with four rapid-fire blows in quick succession, each igniting the Guardian with Searing Flames that were cooled off when he first hit the Boss monster with the Flurry. 

[You have dealt 3,546 damage to the target]

The flames from Odin's sword scorched its metal body.

[You have dealt 2,884 damage to the target. You have triggered the 'Searing Flames' Stacks (x2). Once all stacks are built up, additional damage will occur.]

The smell of burning iron filled the chamber, but Odin didn't stop there. The third strike followed swiftly, aiming closer to the Golem's Core, resulting in a stronger connection to its cracking body.

[Critical Hit!]

[You have dealt 6,684 damage to the target. You have triggered the 'Searing Flames' Stacks (x3). Once all stacks are built up, additional damage will occur.][You have dealt 3,821 damage to the target. You have triggered the 'Searing Flames' Stacks (x4)]

The Guardian's health continued to drop but activated its defensive ability, the 'Runic Shield' in response.

[The Guardian of the Labyrinth has activated the ability 'Runic Shield', gaining a 55.000 dmg shield]

A series of glowing runes circled the Guardian, forming a rotating barrier of energy that absorbed all physical damage. Worse still, any melee attack now caused an arcane backlash, damaging the attacker.

Odin's attacks glanced off the shield, and arcs of arcane energy lashed out, hitting him in return.

[You have taken 510 damage from Arcane Backlash.]

He grimaced, realizing that pushing forward with melee attacks would be futile. 

As the Guardian's Arcane Pulse and Energy Barrage continued to rain down from above, Odin kept his eyes sharp and his body nimble. His Sovereign Insight slowed the chaotic battlefield down in his mind, allowing him to react to the Guardian's barrage of attacks in time to mitigate most damage.

Ducking and weaving through the storm of mana beams, he narrowly avoided the Arcane Beam that would have scorched through his defenses. His high movement speed, boosted by the buffs he'd accumulated, was just enough to keep him ahead of the deadly spell.

Then, Odin made a decision.

"Elyse! Malfurion!" he bellowed, his voice cutting through the clamor of battle inside the voice chat. "Hit the Guardian with everything you've got! Break that shield, NOW!"

Elyse, panting from her evasion of the Mana Drain Field, gritted her teeth in determination. Her amber eyes burned with the same fire that crackled at her fingertips. 

She knew pushing through the Mana Drain would be painful, but there was no other choice. 

Her first attack began to form: a swirling mass of fire expanded above her, growing larger with each passing second. With a final flick of her wrist, she hurled the 'Fireball' at the Guardian. 

It struck the rotating barrier with a fiery explosion, causing cracks to form in the magical shield.

Siphoning energy began to eat away at her reserves, the Guardian's Mana Drain Field pulling her mana away with each spell cast. Sweat beaded on her forehead as she rushed out of the field's range.

"Not done yet..." Elyse growled, moving faster to regain her footing. 

Without hesitation, she chained her next attack. With a sharp gesture, she unleashed 'Fire Blast', the smaller but quicker burst of flames hammering against the weakening shield.

Her hands moved fluidly, calling forth the fire that answered her every whim. She followed immediately with 'Flame Burst', an explosion of fire that detonated upon impact, creating another shudder across the Runic Shield.

Finally, with the last remnants of her mana, Elyse summoned Fire Lance, a spear of flames that tore through the air, piercing into the Guardian's defenses.

Meanwhile, Malfurion was in motion, having shifted from his raven form into his humanoid form. He was a lean figure wreathed in the power of nature and elemental magic. His staff glowed as he invoked his spells.

'This one will eat most of my mana, but it will be worth it since it's urgent. Storm Surge.'

A lightning bolt shot down from above, crashing into the Runic Shield with explosive force.

But he wasn't done.

He summoned Nature's Fury, calling forth a torrent of roots and vines infused with primal magic. The roots surged from beneath the Guardian, wrapping around its legs and constricting, pulling the energy from the earth and hammering into the shield with each strike.

Together, the two casters focused their full power on the Guardian, and with a final cracking sound, the Runic Shield shattered into a million pieces, dissipating into the air.

When the Runic Shield shattered into pieces, the figure's shadow wrapped in flames moved like a wraith, not missing the tempo created by his team. 

Seizing the opportunity, he surged forward with blinding speed. 

'Combustion Strike'[User has consumed 50 MP.]

His Combustion Strike hit the Guardian like the thrust of a Phoenix Spear, with an eruption of molten energy bursting from Soulrend as he thrust it forward toward one of the largest cracks he saw around the Guardian's Core. 

[Critical Hit!]

[ You have dealt 13,268 damage to the target]

 Flames roared through the cracks in its metallic body, searing its core from within.

Odin transitioned into Inferno Cyclone without wasting a second, spinning his blade in a fiery whirlwind, each rotation cutting deep into the Guardian. The flames intensified with each slash, stacking the burning effect even further.

[You have dealt 6,842 damage to the target.]

[You have dealt 8,186 damage to the target.]

But the Guardian wasn't going to fall so easily.

In response, the massive construct raised its fist, activating Crushing Gauntlet. 

Its fist, glowing with arcane energy, descended toward Odin with terrifying speed. The force behind the punch was augmented by a pulse of magic that rippled outward, the Pulse Strike sending shockwaves of energy in every direction.

Odin lifted his sword, calling upon Flame Guard, but it wasn't a perfect parry or block from his side, resulting in him absorbing the brunt of the magical pulse. 

The sheer force of the blow pushed through, knocking him off balance.

The impact sent Odin bouncing off the ground even if he had his 'Terra's Resilience' to null those knockback effects, his armor stone plates cracking and filling back with clay that solidified thanks to the infernal cloak wrapping Odin.

As he tumbled across the battlefield, he quickly scrambled to his feet, his eyes locked on the Guardian. Despite the hit, his body was healing, thanks to Reinvigoration still coursing through his veins.

Knowing he needed to distract the Guardian to get back in melee range, Odin took out a couple of Mustard's Magic Bombs and began throwing them as if he were in some baseball league match trying to do a strikeout pitch. 

Each bomb exploded in a shower of fire and shrapnel, drawing the Guardian's attention as it swiveled to disarm them using its Arcane Beams.

'Mustard comes into MVP once more. Hah, the heck was that kid put into those bombs? Has he used the IRL formula along with some crazy shit from Satisfy?'

That was precisely what Odin wanted, for the Guardian to be distracted.

As the Guardian focused on neutralizing the bombs, Odin darted behind it like a ghost. 

He reached it's exposed back in an instant and raised his blade high, unleashing Inferno Horizon. 

[You have dealt 7,024 damage to the target.]

'Tsk, no crits again. It does more crits on the Burning DoT than my actual skills. I have 31.5% Crit Chance for the all-mighty.'

'RNGesus isn't on my side, but look at how many Karma Points I've built by being a good guy.'

The arc of molten fire cleaved into the Guardian's vulnerable core, sending out a flame that engulfed its upper half.

The Guardian staggered, its movements slowing. Odin, relentless, followed up with another Infernal Flurry. 

[You have dealt 3,497 damage to the target]

His strikes came in rapid succession, four searing blows landing cleanly on the Guardian's cracked armor, each hit stacking the Searing Flames debuff higher and higher.

Another slash followed immediately, the force of the attack brutal, stacking the Searing Flames' debuff as the intense heat from his blade burned deeper into her flesh.

[You have dealt 3,718 damage to the target. You have triggered the 'Searing Flames' Stacks (x5). Once all stacks are built up, they will cause additional damage.]

And as it reached the final stack of Searing Flames (x5), the Armageddon was set off.

When the final strike landed with devastating power, and as it did, Odin could feel the Searing Flames stacks building up with Fire Mana. With a wicked grin, he watched as the fiery debuff triggered a massive explosion around the Guardian of the Labyrinth.

'Marvelous.'

The explosion was immediate and violent. 

Flames engulfed her form, erupting in a roaring blaze that dealt a staggering 300% fire damage, blasting her charred body backward. The force of the explosion sent a shockwave through the air, and even nearby debris was caught in the fiery aftermath.

[Critical Hit!]

[ You have dealt 10,450 fire damage to the target. Searing Flames (x5) triggered: You have dealt 3,000 splash damage to enemies within range.]

The flames raged across the Guardian's body, melting its armor and scorching the intricate runes that powered its core. Its once-imposing frame was now reduced to a stumbling, smoldering mass of molten iron.

With the Guardian's body barely holding together, its once-imposing figure was reduced to molten chunks of armor and exposed wires.

Taking those pushing hits, where the flames were melting its body, and its Golem Core was cracking, that's when the Guardian initiated a do or die ability, its ultimate ability, 'Core Discharge'.

A sense of dread washed over Odin in a split second.

The room's temperature skyrocketed as the Guardian began to channel all its remaining mana into its core. Sparks of arcane energy erupted from the cracks in its armor, each one brighter and more intense than the last.

'... I don't have time to escape. I'm dead… now I would have loved to have Zephyr's Swiftness or even Aqua Veil.'

Arcane sigils appeared around the Guardian's body, each pulsating with mana as the creature drew everything it had into its core. At the same time, a gravity field wrapped around Odin, turning off all chances of escaping from this ability.

The runes that powered its frame began to glow violently, and a loud hum reverberated through the chamber. The ground beneath their feet cracked, unable to withstand the pressure.

Elyse's eyes widened in horror. "Odin, get out of there!" she screamed, her voice tinged with panic. She reached into her inventory, fumbling for a mana potion as sweat dripped down her face. 

There was no way they could survive the blast, not with the Guardian's power focused on a single point.

Malfurion felt the shift of mana concentrating around the Guardian's Core. He activated his Entangling Vines to extract Odin from where he was pinned, but all of the vines and roots were pulverized. 

By this point, his normally calm demeanor faltered.

However, in the face of everything against him, Odin stood firm. His face hardened as the ground trembled beneath him, the pressure of the incoming explosion building like a dam about to burst. He knew there was no escaping the blast.

This was it. His overconfidence had brought him to this point.

'Hah, really unlucky. Had I not activated that Magical Trap and just progressed the Labyrinth step by step, I wouldn't have to worry about dying…'

'Sad, but this is life, I guess.'

'Well, it is not my first death inside Satisfy, but it always leaves me with a sour taste in my mouth. Should tell the newbies to get ready for their last stand.'

He was missing the ability to trigger the effect of his 'Immortality' title, which kept him in the game for 5 additional seconds.

"Elyse, quickly drink a mana potion and deal the final blow. I'll catch you up next time since the Graveyard would be somewhere in Wyrnwoods."

Elyse hesitated, her heart pounding in her chest. She had always looked to Odin as an unkillable demon king, yet he was falling in this godforsaken labyrinth— it was simply unthinkable.

The Core Discharge erupted with a roar, sending a shockwave of pure arcane energy tearing through the room. 

Odin braced himself, activating every defensive measure he had at his disposal, but it wasn't enough. The force of the Core Discharge ripped through his defenses, the arcane energy tearing at his armor, cracking his stone plates, and sending shards of molten rock flying.

The blast hit him with unimaginable force as if a mountain had crashed down on him. 

His body was thrown back, and for a moment, it felt like every bone in his body had shattered.

'Motherfucker! This hurts! My bones are broken! Damn it!'

The pain was overwhelming—a sharp, unbearable sensation that felt as though his insides were being pulverized by the arcane energy coursing through him. 

His health plummeted in an instant, reaching his end. Yet, as if the world was against him by not giving him critical hits or being unlucky with his missed tempos that had him reeling, playing possum as he got rag-dolled by the Iron Golems, an unexpected intervention came to his rescue.

[The Indomitable Effect has been triggered. A portion of the damage has been invalidated.]

[You have suffered 9,999 damage from 'Core Discharge'.]

'The hell? That shitty stat can activate? Ahh, oh fuck, my bad. Thanks, RNGesus, I take all my bitching back.'

Odin's vision blurred. His breath hitched in his throat as his health bar reached critical levels, dropping to a sliver. 

He felt a rush of heat as blood filled his mouth. He coughed, the taste of iron sharp on his tongue, but he didn't fall. His Indomitable effect had saved him—barely.

[Indomitable]

[-Has a certain probability of invalidating a portion of the incoming damage. The lower the health, the higher the probability.

* The higher the number, the higher the effect.

* Stat points can't be distributed to this stat.]

Both Malfurion and Elyse stared in disbelief as the explosion subsided. Malfurion's sharp eyes widened, and the usually calm and composed druid could not hide his shock. "He's… still standing?" Malfurion murmured, astonished. "How…?"

Elyse, who had been sure Odin was done for, clutched her staff tightly, her amber eyes wide with fear. "Odin!" she cried out, her voice cracking. "Are you...?"

'Phew. Yeah, baby girl, I'm alive. This is not a ghost, huhu.'

Odin let out a hoarse chuckle, cutting her off. His lips, bloodied and bruised, curled into a crooked grin. In his typical fashion, he pushed through the pain with bravado.

"Hahaha, I'm alive! Good one, metal box. You almost had my number." Odin's laugh was strained, but there was a wild glint in his eyes, a look of someone who had danced with death and returned.

Odin stood hunched over, blood dripping from his lips, his breathing ragged.

Usually, players who suffered blows that would take over 80% of their HP would suffer a Stun for 1 second, but with his immunity to stuns and knockbacks, he was impervious. 

His armor, once pristine, was now shattered, pieces of molten clay falling from his chest plate, which had barely reformed from the blast. His health bar flickered dangerously low, but his eyes… his eyes still burned with a fight in them.

His voice was hoarse, but it was still strong. "That… hurt like a bitch… but I'm still standing."

Though ravaged by the explosion, his body was already healing, thanks to regeneration, and the druidic reinvigoration was still working in the background. The pain was unbearable, but Odin had been through worse IRL to moan and complain about this level of pain. 

Besides, he wouldn't let the Guardian take him down so easily.

Without hesitation, Odin charged forward. His legs wobbled at first, the weight of the damage slowing him down, but his will pushed him forward. 

Like Odin, the Guardian had exhausted its resources and was still recovering from the energy it had unleashed. 

Nonetheless, in that brief moment of weakness, its core was exposed, and the cracks flickered weakly.

'This is my final strike. Tempest Sword.'

[User has consumed 500 MP]

He activated Infernal Tempest: 3rd Movement, which evolved into Inferno Slash. 

His sword blazed with intense fire, the flames licking the air around him as he swung with all his might. A massive, flaming crescent blade erupted from his sword, arcing through the air toward the Guardian's core.

The crescent blade tore through the Guardian's body, slicing through the weakened core like a hot knife through butter. The core shattered into dust, the fragments disintegrating in the heat of Odin's attack. 

[You have dealt 11,890 damage to the target.]

While the flames enveloped the golem, behind its molten structure, it let out a final, mechanical groan before collapsing to the ground, its body crumbling into a heap of motel and broken runes.

[You have slain the 'Guardian of the Labyrinth B025' gaining the following rewards: 1,950,000 EXP, Fragment of Braham's Treasure Chest Key ×1, Guardian's Mana Orb (Epic), Arcane Conduit Ring (Epic), Labyrinth Guardian's Blade (Epic), Arcane Crystal x3, Guardian's Core Shard, Skill Book: Mana Surge, Weapon Enhancement Stone ×6, Armor Enhancement Stone ×6, 320 Gold Coins]

[You have leveled up!]

[You have leveled up!]

…

[You have leveled up! Congratulations on reaching level 101.]