Something Unto Death had a wonderful plan in mind, but unfortunately, it couldn't resist the four-leaf clover's forced control.
It could only blame itself for being airborne when the skill hit.
As the monster was blown toward them, Pei Guang and the others didn't hesitate for even a moment: they swung their weapons immediately.
Their attacks were ruthless. After all, they all knew too well just how terrifying this monster was.
No exaggeration: if it weren't for the strong-control item, and that coffee Himeko had sent earlier, the three of them would've been wiped out in one hit each, straight to another world.
Whether that "other world" was a deeper layer of the dreamscape or something else entirely, Pei Guang didn't know.
But now, with this kind of crowd-control tool and their top-tier reaction speed, plus weapons specifically effective against this enemy, they completely locked down the monster the instant it hit the ground.
Pei Guang attacked first, thrusting his weapon straight into Something Unto Death's head. When he realized its body couldn't be cut cleanly, he shifted his angle and hooked it under its flesh, tearing out a chunk.
Stelle's method was pure brute force.
See that massive head? She went all out, with no techniques and restraint: just full power, full speed, slamming her bat downward with everything she had.
Firefly's approach wasn't any gentler.
She raised her new beginner's staff, buffed herself, then added a fire enchantment before smashing it straight into the creature's claw.
A second before the hit, Something Unto Death felt completely lucid—then the instant Firefly struck, its head went dizzy and its vision blurred.
Good: that was exactly the point.
Firefly's new staff had special "Stun" and "Dismember" buffs. The first strike caused dizziness; the second triggered dismemberment on the attacked limb.
Firefly watched with her own eyes as, under her physical attack with the staff, the monstrous being before her, something that inspired terror just by existing, had its limbs torn apart, one of its claw-eyes even flying loose.
Even with all she'd seen and endured, Firefly's body trembled slightly at the sight.
It was like butchery.
Normally, slaughtering was quick: one clean cut across the neck and it was over. But now someone had handed her a club and said, "Just hit it once, it'll go down fast."
Then, before her eyes, all the meat, fur, skin, and organs neatly arranged themselves on display. No matter how many times you've seen slaughter, that's enough to make your brain quake.
Something Unto Death was fuming.
From its perspective, only that little one with the Stellaron could truly fight it on equal terms, the other two were weaklings.
And yet, what was this? They didn't fight fair, they ambushed it, and now they wanted to kill it outright?
It was supposed to be the embodiment of death itself—the one who made others experience it! And now it was the one about to die?!
Resentment? Rage? None of that mattered anymore. At this point, it only wanted to kill them or be killed by them.
Maybe it was its own emotions, or maybe there was some deeper secret in Penacony, but in that instant, every memetic entity of death within the dreamscape began converging upon it.
The being that had been reduced to little more than a head was suddenly wrapped in a terrifying aura.
"Not good! It's entering phase two!"
Pei Guang immediately sensed danger. He tried to attack Something Unto Death again, but it had no effect. The death-related memes were rapidly fusing into its body.
Now Pei Guang had two choices: turn tail and run or stay put, synthesize another four-leaf clover, and fight again.
But he couldn't tell how long this transformation would last.
The monster's power-up seemed absurdly strong, and if he tried crafting mid-fight and the phase finished, they might lose someone before he was done.
He made his decision.
When you face a boss for the first time and don't know its mechanics, players often pay a heavy price: sometimes only one party member survives, sometimes it's mutual destruction.
Normally, that's fine: you can just revive, reset, go again.
But Pei Guang couldn't take it lightly. He had one resurrection left. Stelle had none, and Firefly certainly didn't.
He could take a gamble, sure—but Pei Guang, who always lost his bets, would never risk his companions' lives on one.
Decision made: he'd run first, observe the second phase's state while retreating, and use special means to escape if necessary.
Pei Guang turned and barked out his order: "Phase change makes it immune! Don't fight head-on—fall back! We'll strike again once it's fully stabilized!"
Stelle: "Got it—Armor Fusion!"
Pei Guang: "Don't shout the line, just run already!"
With his left hand, Pei Guang yanked and tossed Stelle up onto his shoulders, then swept up all the materials scattered around them with a single motion. His right arm hooked around Firefly, pulling her close, and he bolted.
As they ran, Something Unto Death was still evolving. Its body, once shaped like a twisted hand, was now cloaked in a layer of mist.
That mist enveloped it completely, making its form impossible to discern by normal sight.
The mist itself was composed of every death-related meme in the dreamscape.
If before, its attacks could still be dodged, now, it could silently bring death to any being within Penacony's dream.
It didn't know where this new power came from, but with it, it vowed to send those three straight to the real Penacony.
But when it looked around the room it realized they were gone.
Those three had actually run away while it was transforming?
No matter. Run. Keep running.
As long as they were still within Penacony's dreamscape, even to the ends of the earth: it would catch them.
It wanted to give the three of them the most painful death imaginable!
Locking onto their fleeing figures, Something Unto Death roared as it lunged forward.
"Come with me—to the real Penacony!!!"
Meanwhile, as the enemy entered its second phase, Pei Guang was sprinting wildly through the maze-like structure.
When they once again reached a room similar to the previous one, Pei Guang suddenly stopped.
Stelle asked, "Why'd you stop running?"
Pei Guang replied, "Check the minimap: it's caught up."
The moment he said that, the entire room became shrouded in dark purple mist. Within the fog, countless invisible eyes seemed to be watching them.
Firefly whispered, "This feeling… it's terrifying. It's like being stared at by a thousand hateful emotions all at once…"
Pei Guang frowned. "Not just that. These mists are lethal. Touch them and you die."
Stelle's eyes widened. "That's insane! How are we supposed to fight that?"
Pei Guang didn't answer. His gaze was locked on the minimap, tracking the direction Something Unto Death was coming from.
A greater presence was drawing closer: each step radiating a suffocating aura of death. When the fog-wrapped form finally emerged before him, Pei Guang came to a conclusion.
"Unfightable."
Just the death mechanic embedded in that mist alone told him everything. The monster's second phase couldn't be beaten without a handful of four-leaf clovers.
In Pei Guang's understanding, to win against this thing, they'd need enough resources to clear out the surrounding fog first: only then could they deal real damage.
Unfortunately, even though he had collected plenty of materials earlier, he'd used them all fleeing. He didn't have a single clover left.
If he had even one, he'd take the fight, but now, the smartest option was to retreat, exit the instance, and challenge it again once he'd crafted enough supplies.
A true player doesn't get discouraged by one loss. On the contrary, now that he'd gathered enough info on the enemy, next time he'd come back with even crueler tools to take it down.
Just as Pei Guang was preparing to lead everyone out, an unexpected change occurred.
Strange sigils suddenly glowed across the floor, and from beneath them, countless giant hands burst upward, gripping Something Unto Death tightly within the fog.
Out of the darkness stepped a figure: a woman dressed in elegant attire, a veil covering her head.
Her tone was unusually grave as she regarded the empowered monster. "Without the proper method, escaping from the shadow of death unscathed is impossible."
All three turned toward her. Pei Guang spoke first. "You are…?"
"Black Swan, a Memokeeper. Greetings, friends of the Astral Express."
Pei Guang blinked. "Ally?"
Stelle asked, "You're here to help us?"
Black Swan shook her head. "I'm sorry. Even I cannot destroy this one. But beyond that passage—you can return to reality."
She drew a tarot card and pressed it downward. The entire space grew heavy, forcing Something Unto Death to the ground.
Then she flicked another card toward the room's television screen: instantly, the screen lit up, displaying a tunnel-shaped portal.
It was an escape route she'd created for Pei Guang and the others. If they entered, they could safely leave the dreamscape.
Pei Guang looked at the passage, then back at her. "I thought you were here to help us fight. So even you can't handle it, huh? Still, thank you for the assist."
He didn't doubt her. To Pei Guang, her appearance made perfect sense.
He'd worked with the Garden of Recollection's Memokeepers so many times before; it was only natural that one would appear when he was in danger.
Otherwise, what was all that cooperation, and all that reputation/favorability grinding, for?
Pei Guang didn't think much more of it, but now that the danger had passed, Stelle's curiosity got the better of her. "You didn't see her coming, did you? If she hadn't shown up, how were we supposed to escape?"
Pei Guang looked at her. "Simple. I'd have used Holy Light to send you out."
Stelle blinked. "Huh? You can use Holy Light to do that? Let me try—"
Before she could finish, a beam of radiant light enveloped her.
For a brief instant, she felt pure, overwhelming bliss—then she vanished.