"Wow... they're really killing the boss," thought Boran, watching the bullets and spells flying around.
Mur-Azar's massive body lowered, taking a kneeling position. The sound from his joints resembled that of an ancient machine working. He slowly lifted his shield from the ground and then struck it against the floor with all his might.
The effect of this strike was different from the others. The geometric patterns on the floor began to vibrate as if they were alive. Energy waves spread to every corner of the room. The vibration was so powerful that it became almost impossible to stand. Light and Fire staggered from the impact of this attack, but managed to maintain their balance without falling.
"Be careful!" shouted Storm.
"No problem! As long as he doesn't bring the whole cave down on our heads, we won't die!" Fire responded.
After each attack, the blue energy in Mur-Azar's body would briefly become brighter before returning to its normal level. This seemed to indicate that he was gathering power for each attack. These brief pauses between attacks created valuable opportunities for those fighting at close range.
Boran, carefully observing these attack patterns, noticed that each had its own unique preparation phase. Mur-Azar leaning slightly backward before a sword attack, placing his left foot forward before a shield attack, and bending his knees before a ground attack — these were valuable clues.
Boran now better understood how this adventurer group could dodge the attacks so easily. Each attack had its own rhythm, its own tempo, and this tempo was inversely proportional to the attack's power. The most powerful attacks were the slowest, which provided enough time to escape. The guardian's massive size and weight didn't allow for quick maneuvers.
The patterns on Mur-Azar's chest suddenly began to glow. Blue energy lines pulsed rhythmically like a heartbeat. The guardian's body rose slightly, the sound from his joints echoing in the room, and the energy turned red.
"This... this is different!" shouted Shadow, instinctively taking a step back.
The massive creature raised its right arm into the air. Red energy began spinning in a spiral around its sword, creating an increasingly intense beam of light. Then, with a sudden movement, he plunged his sword into the center of the platform.
When the sword struck the ground, all the geometric patterns on the platform lit up simultaneously. The light was so intense that everyone had to squint and turn their heads away for a moment.
"RUN!" Storm yelled, tucking her dual pistols into their holsters as he lunged toward the edge of the platform.
Energy waves spread from the ground, making the marble blocks vibrate. Each wave was stronger and more destructive than the last. Steel, despite his heavy armor, ran toward the outer edge of the platform with incredible agility. Shadow tried to slip away through the shadows.
Light pushed himself backward using his staff, trying to weave protective spells at the same time. "Everyone scatter! This attack is different!"
Fire had climbed onto a high section of wall. She was trying to control the attack from there. However, the waves emanating from the ground began affecting the wall too. The connections between the stones were breaking apart, the ancient structure crumbling piece by piece.
"Damn it!" Fire shouted as she lost her balance. As the upper part of the wall collapsed, she tried to throw herself sideways but couldn't control her fall. She fell five meters down, landing in front of Boran who was watching the arena.
Energy waves now covered the entire room. Even those who managed to escape couldn't avoid the impact. Storm's health indicator dropped dangerously to thirty percent. Steel's armor was damaged, his indicator dropping to forty percent. Shadow, even with his speed, couldn't fully protect himself, his health falling to twenty percent.
Light's protective spells shattered, his health indicator dropping to a critical level of ten percent. Fire, lying on the ground, was in the worst condition — her indicator was flickering as a red line at five percent.
"Light! Light! Healing!" Storm shouted, trying to struggle to her feet.
"I can't... my staff... it's broken..." Light responded, breathless. His staff had fallen from his hand and lay broken beside him.
"Potions... where are our potions?" Shadow asked.
Steel tried to stand up while smoke poured from his armor joints. "All... all gone... before we reached the final boss..."
Fire lay motionless on the ground. Boran, five meters away, watched this scene helplessly. The group's most powerful mage now lay vulnerable on the ground, and no one could reach her.
Mur-Azar pulled his sword from the ground. His body now glowed with an even brighter light. He slowly looked around, surveying the fallen adventurers. The sound from his joints this time almost resembled laughter.
"Run... run Fire!" Storm shouted, holding onto the wall. "Attack incoming!"
Mur-Azar's massive body slowly rose, the sounds from his joints echoing through the room as he raised his sword into the air. The blue light in the ancient guardian's eyes was fixed on Fire, who lay defenseless on the ground. He advanced with heavy steps, each footfall creating tremors in the ground. The humming from within his armor grew louder, and finally, he began to bring his massive sword down with incredible speed.
"Iron Stance!"