NOVEL NEXT Chapter 116 - Final Attack!
If I were a being of flesh and blood like those adventurers, a shiver would run down my skin, I'm pretty sure. The fight I am observing may not be theater, but it certainly is art. Watching my boss monster fight is always a joy, but it's always better when his opponents measure up. The ringing of steel, the clashing of swords is only interrupted by the shouted commands of their leader, who takes charge of the chaos of group combat and turns it into a choreography.
It is mesmerizing to watch as the battle plays out in the arena before me. My boss monster is holding his own admirably as the combatants exchange blows. Skills are being used haphazardly on both sides as both sides are being increasingly worn down by the rigors of combat. Siegfried simply shrugs off most glancing blows on account of his incredibly durable exterior, while the delvers have access to three bards with restorative magics that get rid of wounds accumulated upon their team members after a certain point.
As a result, the fight continues on for quite some time and fatigue accumulates in the combatants. Movements slow down and breaks in the fight become more frequent. Siegfried too is affected by this, despite lacking the weakness of a meat body inside his armor. As it turns out, my animated objects are highly resistant to fatigue, but not immune to it. I suspect however that part of it is very much that Siegfried does not want to fight his opponents while they are at a disadvantage, and so instead of continuing after a short breather, he does occasionally create distance, allowing both parties to refocus. It seems this flow of combat, however, is going to come to an end as a command from Simon echoes through the hall.
“We cannot draw this out much longer. Use everything you got!”
The air grows tense with anticipation as the fighters make ready to decide the outcome of this fight. Then, suddenly, the tension is broken as the adventurers spring into action as one.
A hail of arrows rains upon Siegfried, while Simon and Astrid charge him. Astrid’s body is enveloped in a red aura that glows more intense throughout her charge and just before she reaches my boss, she lets out a guttural, bestial roar followed by a wicked upwards swing of the axe. Siegfried manages to block the blow but the impact sends him reeling backwards. A second blood red phantom blow then manifests, and repeats the wild swing, but it lacks the force to move my boss. It does not have to, however, as Siegfried still needed to block it and he struggles to bring up his shield in time to defend against the shield bash delivered at the end of Simon’s charge. My already unbalanced boss monster cannot contend with the force of that blow and topples over, sent clattering to the floor.
That is, of course, what the delvers were working towards. I note with no small amount of surprise that Kalion, the party mage, has charged right behind the party's frontline, and kneels down to touch the ground. The air temperature, which is already cold enough in his vicinity for breath to be visible, drops further and the surfaces near him are covered in a thin layer of rime as he activates a skill by shoving a vast amount of essence into the floor. Immediately, Ice forms under his hand and expands outwards in a cone in front of him, covering the floor and the prone form of my boss while barely avoiding any of his allies. The ice does not entirely encase Siegfried, but multiple parts of his metallic body are frozen and stuck to the ground and his movement is severely restricted.
Restricted enough that he can do nothing but watch as the berserker leaps furiously, easily clearing several meters of icy ground despite the heavy suit of plate encasing her, and brings her axe down with a bellow of rage.