Astral Online: Cursed by the Demon Lord to Become the Strongest Beautiful Girl, I Rapidly Grow and Dominate with Cheat Skills Despite Being the Weakest Profession - Chapter 142

Chapter 142: The Battle in the Dragon’s Garden (Part 6)

 

With 30% HP remaining, the health bar of the Demon Dragon King, Belial, which had been yellow just moments ago, turned a deep red, signaling the danger zone. The sight of the enemy stepping back with a desperate backstep hinted at its rising anxiety, sensing death closing in.

 

In a VRMMORPG boss battle, having 30% health left might seem like a small amount, but cutting it down can be quite the challenge.

 

This final stretch, commonly called the “Red Zone,” is a critical moment for both players and the monster alike. Many players have pushed a boss’s HP down to the very last point only to fall themselves, a trial almost akin to a rite of passage.

 

Such occurrences are often blamed on the infamous “One Point Short Phenomenon,” and Sora himself had been defeated numerous times due to this, falling short of finishing off the boss.

 

The most notable example of this would be the hidden boss of one of the hardest quests in the world of VR games, the ?Sky Fantasy? boss, ?Satan?.

 

With a rematch against that monster in mind for the future, failing to defeat this one here wasn’t an option.

 

While reflecting on past battles with his most formidable enemy, Sora’s gaze stayed focused on the opponent before him. From how much HP he had chipped away earlier, he had a rough idea of how strong the enemy’s defense was.

 

Preparing to close in for the final blow to ensure the Demon Dragon King, Belial, would be finished off, Sora activated the Level 5 skill of “Seven Attributes”, focusing on infusing the sheathed blade with the power of all seven elements.

 

Standing in his way was one of the ?Great Calamities?, the beast of sin that represents ?Pride?.

 

Targeting Sora, whom it saw as the biggest threat, the beast swung its massive scythe down from above.

 

The five scattered to the sides to dodge the strike that tore into the ground. As the scythe followed up with a sweeping slash aimed at cleaving through their bodies, the silver-haired boy ducked to avoid the attack.

 

At that moment, Emma, a tall figure with a scythe of her own, charged in.

 

Despite the distance between her and Belial, Emma, with her sharp burst of speed, closed the gap in an instant.

 

“Kieeei!”

 

With a wild shout, Emma unleashed the scythe skill ?Rage Scythe?, slashing across Belial’s torso.

 

However, Belial’s HP only decreased by a few pixels.

 

As Emma attempted to retreat, a sharp tail struck from her blind spot, instantly reducing her HP by half.

 

Belial followed up with a motion, preparing to spew flames from its mouth.

 

“Oh, this is bad…”

 

“Emma!?”

 

“Don’t worry about me, Shino! Focus on attacking the boss!”

 

“…!”

 

“Take care of things, leader.”

 

Emma, engulfed by flames, turned to ashes, leaving Shino behind. Gripping the handles of her new twin swords, ?Sun Blade? and ?Moon Blade?, tightly, Shino dashed toward Belial.

 

“Die, Demon Dragon!”

 

The other adventurers struggled to move, barely managing to stay out of the way, while Shino accelerated using the skill ?Accelerator?, which she couldn’t normally use effectively in combat. With lightning-fast movements, she dodged Belial’s attacks and leaped high into the air, unleashing a powerful dual strike with all her strength.

 

“Twin Blade Style—?Double Dragon Water Flash?!”

 

Shino’s two swift, water-infused slashes carved twin lines across Belial’s face.

 

Despite using her strongest available skill, the damage was minimal, barely chipping away at Belial’s HP, which hovered just above the critical 20% mark.

 

“Sora, I’m leaving the rest to you.”

 

In the brief moment Shino was left vulnerable from her attack, Belial swung its massive tail, sending her flying with its unique skill, ?Tail Schlagen?.

 

“Ugh!”

 

Caught in the post-skill recovery period, Shino was defenseless, and the attack hurled her several dozen meters away, leaving her unable to move.

 

Shino’s HP stopped decreasing at 90%, but from her immobility, it seemed she had fallen into a stun state.

 

Thanks to Shino, Belial’s HP was now just a little more than 20%. With one final push, Sora could set the stage to finish it off.

 

Many adventurers had scattered, leaving only me, Shio, and Kuro remaining.

 

At this moment, Sora finally completed the process of combining the ?Seven Attributes? into one.

 

Through eye contact, He communicated to the others that he was ready, and Shio and Kuro nodded, moving forward to protect him.

 

Belial unleashed a wide spray of crimson flames, attempting to reduce all three of us to ashes.

 

However, since it wasn’t ?Black Flame?, my strongest defensive skill could activate and counter its effects.

 

The two ahead activated ?Perfect Protect Call? and used ?Sonic Sword? to form a single projectile, breaking through the approaching wall of flames.

 

As Sora followed them through the gap they created, Belial targeted the opening and swung its scythe horizontally with all its might.

 

The enemy’s unavoidable strike aimed at the three of us. Sensing the attack, Shio charged toward the incoming scythe with Kuro.

 

“Kuro, I’ll stop its momentum! You take care of the rest!”

 

“Got it!”

 

Shio led the charge, activating ?Rage Slant?.

 

Her attack, which dashed from the lower right to the upper left, collided with the scythe, producing a resonating bass sound with its glowing effect.

 

Clenching her teeth and firmly planting her feet on the ground, she attempted to halt the momentum of the massive enemy’s slash.

 

However, even if she could stop its speed, she couldn’t negate its brute strength.

 

Having caught the blow, Shio was forced to slide down the ground as she was pushed back by the scythe.

 

However, she wasn’t alone.

 

Kuro, who had jumped in from the side, activated the same ?Rage Slant? and successfully struck Belial’s scythe with a powerful blow.

 

With Belial’s posture thrown off, Kuro took advantage of her reduced skill cooldown from her hidden ability as the ?Angel of Wind?. She then used ?Accelerator? to close the distance rapidly to Belial.

 

Kuro activated ?Aerial Sonic Sword? and wielded a sharp blade wrapped in the divine wind that purifies impurities, slashing horizontally at the enemy’s torso.

 

As a result, Belial’s HP decreased further, finally dropping below 20%.

 

As the threat to its life approached, the ?Demon Dragon King? leapt back, seemingly trying to escape.

 

“Sora!”

 

“Big brother!”

 

Nodding in response to the words of his partner and sister, the silver-haired boy activated ?Overdrive?, a skill superior to ?Accelerator?.

 

He then triggered the enhanced attack power skill, ?Unleash?.

 

As Sora sped past the two, he responded strongly, “Thank you, leave the rest to me!”

 

Having momentarily fallen back to regain its stance, Belial saw Sora approaching at high speed from a distance and once again spewed flames to block his path.

 

However, Sora, having activated a higher-level jumping skill, kicked off the ground forcefully and easily leaped over the flames.

 

It was as if Belial had been waiting for that moment, as it raised its scythe to cleave Sora in two while he was still suspended in midair.

 

Calmly watching the approaching sharp blade, I utilized the main effect of my advance-level skill to “kick off even further in the air” and avoided the scythe’s strike.

 

Midair jump.

 

That was the true essence of this skill.

 

Belial, astonished by the unbelievable sight, hurriedly tried to escape.

 

At that moment, the power of Alice and Satanas’s prayers grew even stronger, hindering Belial’s movements.

 

Sora silently expressed his gratitude and ignited his fighting spirit with resolve in his heart.

 

What came to mind was the image of the sisters who had journeyed with him.

 

“You are an obstacle to their future!”

 

He would protect their tomorrow.

 

To reach this point, he transformed the feelings entrusted to him by many into his own strength.

 

The boss-targeting skill activated by the seven great attributes concentrated the power of the ?Lightbringer? into the ?Silver Magic Sword? held in his right hand.

 

As a result, Sora’s silver hair, a sign of his curse, and his golden eyes temporarily returned to pitch black.

 

Pure white and pitch black. The magic sword, embodying two different auroras, unleashed a power so extreme that it shook the very space around them.

 

The name of that skill was—?Heaven’s Lost?.

 

A fallen angel’s strike that could even destroy the heavens.

 

“This ends now!”

 

While falling, Sora raised the glowing sword high above his head and swung it down with all his might.

 

The radiant white blade sliced through the flames that the immobile ?Demon Dragon King? Belial had expelled in a final struggle, carving a line from its head down to its groin.

 

Upon landing on the ground, the remaining enemy’s HP began to rapidly decrease, accompanied by damage effects that resembled fresh red blood.

 

Eventually, the HP that had remained at 20% was completely wiped out, and after a brief pause, Belial’s body disintegrated into particles of light, scattering throughout the Dragon’s Garden.

 

All who were present were captivated by the fantastical scene.

 

After a moment of silence, a notification was sent to all players who had participated in the boss battle. A single English message that Sora had seen once before.

 

?Event Quest Complete?

 

As the battle in the lava zone came to an end, a thunderous cheer erupted from beyond the walls of the kingdom, reaching Sora and the others.

 

Overjoyed by the long-fought battle’s conclusion, the girls sprinted from behind and tackled him, almost crushing him.

 

As he was jostled by Kuro, Shio, Alice, and Satanas, Sora felt a sense of gratitude from someone.

 

However, that gentle presence seemed to vanish, carried away by the wind.