How the hell am I supposed to fight this thing?
Duanmu Huai swung his warhammer once again, blasting away another of the crawling apprentices. Sparks flew as he straightened and glared at the floating woman overhead. He'd already tried several different approaches—but nothing worked. The golden sphere around her body was practically indestructible, not even a crack. And those weak little apprentices? Sure, he could crush them like bugs—but they just kept resurrecting over and over again.
He'd even considered simply blowing up the whole tower, but that wasn't an option; he still needed to find clues about the Black Knife Catacombs. If he turned this place into a crater, where was he supposed to look?
"This is getting annoying. How the hell do I deal with this woman?"
He grumbled under his breath.
Millefi, who'd been watching anxiously, suddenly blinked as an idea lit her up.
"Maybe it has something to do with the song they're singing!"
"The song?"
Duanmu Huai frowned. Indeed, from the start of the fight, those creepy, slug-like apprentices crawling on the ground had been singing nonstop. Either this boss had some kind of obsessive need for a background track—or the song itself was powering her barrier.
The problem was…
"I can't tell which one of them is actually singing."
The library was huge, built in two wide circular layers. He could easily clear the inner ring of apprentices, but reaching the outer ones was trickier. And he wasn't exactly an expert at "sound tracking." Between the screams, laughter, flying books, and spells, he couldn't tell who was singing and who was just making noise.
"Leave it to me! I can do it!"
Millefi volunteered eagerly. She leapt off his shoulder and darted into the crowd.
For a Spirit Mouse, speed and agility were second nature. Her doll-sized body slipped effortlessly between the crawling apprentices. Before they could even react, she was already upon one of them.
"Yahhh!"
Her thin rapier flashed forward, stabbing straight through the singer's throat.
"———!"
Instantly, the eerie song weakened. Millefi, not wasting a moment, turned and sprinted toward the next target.
"She's pretty damn good…"
Duanmu Huai couldn't help but mutter in admiration as he watched her dart about. Part of him even felt a bit envious of that kind of nimbleness. But based on his own experience, he knew something very important—
Speed was overrated.
No matter how fast you ran, if your defense was trash, one hit and you were done. Even in the games he'd played, his own character wasn't great at dodging. Those nimble builds loved to dance around and toy with him during PvP… until he decided to use his favorite countermeasure.
Self-destruct. Level the entire map.
No one could dodge that.
Of course, sometimes finesse did have its uses—like right now.
"...Crack!"
The melody weakened further, and Duanmu Huai's sharp gaze caught it—the golden sphere around the woman flickered and a faint fracture line appeared.
Got it!
He didn't hesitate. Ignoring the spells and projectiles hitting his armor, he charged forward and swung his hammer upward in a thunderous strike.
Unfortunately, even cracked, the barrier still held—solid and unyielding. Still, it was confirmation that Millefi's theory was correct. Stop the singers, and the barrier would fall!
Then—
"—————!!"
The last faint note died away. The song ended.
A single, heart-piercing scream echoed through the chamber—and the golden shell around the woman shattered completely, fragments of light scattering into the air as she plummeted to the ground.
Now's my chance!
Duanmu Huai's eyes blazed. He charged forward, warhammer raised high, and brought it crashing down.
Sensing danger at the last instant, the woman lifted her arm in a futile attempt to shield herself—
BOOM!
The impact was deafening. Lightning flared, spreading across the hall and turning the remaining apprentices into blackened husks. The woman's body was hurled across the room, slamming into the wall with a heavy crack.
Finish it!
Duanmu Huai leapt again, hammer raised for the killing blow.
But before he could strike—
"Whoosh!!"
The amber crystal the woman had been holding suddenly blazed with power. A wave of dark energy surged out, colliding with Duanmu Huai and knocking him backward. He hit the ground hard as the black mist swelled, thick and heavy like storm clouds.
Then, a voice echoed through the darkness:
"In the name of the witch Ranni, I declare—disturb not my mother's slumber…"
The cloud expanded, devouring all light. Within it, a radiant phantom emerged—a woman identical to the one he'd just fought, glowing softly like moonlight. She floated in the air, holding a staff, eyes cold as starlight.
"Sinner… remember this in the ages to come—behold the last queen of Caria, Renalla of the Full Moon, embodiment of the high, dark night."
The world twisted.
The library vanished.
Duanmu Huai now stood beneath an endless moonlit sky. The ground shimmered like water beneath his boots, and above, a massive full moon glowed bright and cold.
"W–where are we?! What's going on?!" Millefi squeaked.
"Doesn't matter. We fight!"
Duanmu Huai growled, gripping his hammer tighter. He didn't know who this "last queen of Caria" was supposed to be, but now that her cheat-like invincibility was gone, there was no reason to hold back!
The woman raised her staff. Blue energy gathered around its tip, pulsing brighter and brighter. Inside Duanmu Huai's helmet, the warning alarms screamed to life—
[Warning: High-energy reaction detected!]
"Oh, hell no!"
He dove flat to the ground just as a torrent of pure magic thundered overhead. The beam tore through the air, slicing past him and vanishing into the distance.
You've gotta be kidding me!
He stared, dumbfounded. His power armor was built to withstand absurd punishment—regular spells couldn't even scratch it. Yet his sensors had just gone off the charts. That magic blast had power on par with a light spear cannon!
What kind of boss is this woman?!
No time to think.
As the queen began charging another spell, Duanmu Huai reacted first—snatching up his hammer and hurling it like a thunderbolt.
Bang!!
The weapon slammed into her body, throwing her off balance and interrupting her casting.
Perfect!
A grin spread across his face. She might have terrifying offense, but she clearly lacked defense—typical glass-cannon mage. That made things simple.
He sprinted forward, drew his chainsword, and swung.
"WhrrrRRR!"
The roaring blade bit deep, carving from her shoulder down through her chest. Light burst from the wound. She didn't even scream—just dissolved into glimmering dust beneath the moonlight.
Then, a soft whisper lingered in the air:
"Ah… Ranni… my dear daughter… walk your path into the night…"
A golden light drifted from the remains of her body, settling into the mark on Duanmu Huai's hand.
System text appeared before his eyes:
[Obtained the Great Rune of the Unborn]
[Great Rune of the Unborn: Granted by defeating "Renalla, Queen of the Full Moon," the Great Rune of the stillborn demigod.]
The illusion faded.
The moonlit world dissolved, and the library returned.
The woman still sat quietly at its center, cradling the amber egg in her arms. It seemed that what he'd fought was merely a manifestation of her power.
Without the rune, the lifeless apprentices had vanished. She was alone now, murmuring softly to herself, eyes hazy and lost.
"My sweet children… where have you gone? Don't hide now. I've prepared so many books and candles for you… Come out, come out… or have you become gravestones again? Ready to be born anew…?"
"Sir Knight," Millefi whispered, "she looks so pitiful. Maybe we shouldn't hurt her anymore."
Duanmu Huai looked at the woman, then at the rune glowing faintly on his hand.
The Great Rune of the Unborn, huh?
He sighed. "Fine. Let her be."
As he stepped forward, the woman lifted her empty eyes toward him.
"I'm looking for information on the Black Knife Catacombs," he said. "Do you know where they are?"
"...…"
She was silent for a long moment, then slowly nodded.
"Of course… my child…"
She reached out. A book floated off a nearby shelf and drifted into Duanmu Huai's hands, opening by itself.
He skimmed the pages, then nodded and bowed slightly.
"Thank you."
"You're welcome… my child…"
Her voice faded as she turned back to the amber egg, gently rocking it like a baby.
Millefi looked on, worry clouding her face. "What could've happened to her…?"
"No idea," Duanmu Huai replied quietly. "Whatever it was—it's beyond our reach."
He turned toward the door.
"Come on. Let's get out of here."
(End of Chapter)