Chapter 910: Monsoon Fiend of Death, Immortal Ruler Morsanus
There were not many dissimilarities between an area boss and a world boss; however, there was one glaring difference.
World bosses, as their name implies, are free to roam the world as they see fit. On the other hand, an area boss was forever bound to their area and could not leave its confines. The area size varied depending on where the area boss was located, but regardless, it was an absolute rule.
Ultimately, this meant that as long as Izroth and the 9th Division could escape the area boss' area of influence, they would no longer have to worry about the Monsoon Death Shades. Therefore, Menerva had the right idea about keeping the division on the move.
As for Izroth, he long since guessed that the creature behind the Monsoon Death Shades was one of intelligence. And, now that he discovered that the creature in question was an area boss, it made perfect sense.
Izroth was also aware that area bosses were extremely territorial. Meaning that as long as they were trespassing in its area, it would never let them go.
'If I can't see it, then...'
Izroth tapped his foot against the ground, sending waves of tremors out in every direction.
Since he was unable to see or detect the area boss, the next best choice was to use an AOE attack and use it to pinpoint its position.
To help with this, Izroth poured a bit of his essence into the skill Behemoth's Quake to improve its range and give him a better chance of getting some answers. However, what happened as a result left Izroth with more questions than anything.
Izroth's Behemoth's Quake successfully hit the Monsoon Fiend of Death, Immortal Ruler Morsanus, but the bizarre thing was that he could not pinpoint its exact location. This was highly usually given that all he had to do was follow the timing of the quakes sent out by his Behemoth's Quake and go from there. However, rather than saying there was no feedback at all, it was more like the feedback he felt was all over the place. It was the first time Izroth experienced such a phenomenon when using Behemoth's Quake.
'I can continue to use AOE skills, but it's no use. As long as I can't force it out of hiding, it will be as though I'm fighting against a ghost. Not to mention, this kind of match-up is not ideal for the AOE skills at my disposal.'
One of Izroth's strongest AOE moves, Great Storm, was attached to his Sword of the Storm. In fact, not only his weapon but many of Izroth's attacks were influenced by the lightning and wind elements.
Izroth was not sure whether or not such attacks would be effective against a monster who lived and thrived within those two particular elements. There was also a small chance the present conditions could actually enhance his attacks. Of course, there was only one way to find out.
As Izroth's Behemoth's Quake reached the Monsoon Death Shades in the distance, he received several stacks of Storm Surge Charge. And, the instant he reached fifty stacks, Izroth activated the skill Great Storm.
The skill covered a large area and was perfect to not only flesh out the location of the area boss but also aid his division in facing off against the Monsoon Death Shades.
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«Critical Hit»
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...
To Izroth's surprise, his Great Storm managed to affect the Monsoon Death Shades. However, he immediately realized that the damage itself was significantly reduced by at least 50%.
Not long after Izroth used Great Storm, a wave of destructive sword intent exploded from his Sword of the Storm as the Bonus Forged Effect: Destructive Aftermath activated.
-12,545
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...
Izroth kept a close eye on the battle logs and quickly noticed the discrepancy within the damage values. And, it was clear what belonged to the Monsoon Death Shades and the area boss.
'As I thought, attacks with the lightning and winds elements are practically ineffective against it. Then, in that case, I'll just have to take a different approach.'
In the end, Izroth using Great Storm and Destructive Aftermath helped ease some of the pressure on the 9th Division; therefore, it could not be considered a waste. But, his true target was the Immortal Ruler Morsanus.
Izroth shifted his stance as the tip of his Sword of the Storm touched the ground, creating a ripple-like effect around him.
'Ninth Sword Form: World Quelling Ripple.'
In the blink of an eye, a rippling effect rushed out in every direction, distorting the mana in the atmosphere as its range continually extended with every passing second.
Grwaaaaaak!
When the ripple passed by the Monsoon Death Shades, their movements halted as their bodies started to fizzle in and out of existence. Naturally, the members of the 9th Division took advantage of this moment and pressed their attacks on the creatures.
At the same time, something even more unusual occurred. The vicious winds and heavy rains abruptly subsided in any place the ripples from Izroth's ninth sword form came into contact with.
'Oh? This is...'
UWOOOOOOH!
Out of nowhere, a deep earth-shaking cry flooded the battlefield.
The cry was so loud that some of the 9th Division members nearly lost consciousness as it rang inside their heads.
The source of this cry was unclear as it came from every direction within the Cave Mortem Monsoon; however, it clearly sounded like the cry of something furious!
Crrrrckle! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
All of a sudden, four massive lightning bolts crashed one of the other onto the battlefield as the ripples from Izroth's ninth sword form were forcibly interrupted.
At the same time, the heavy rain and vicious rains rapidly returned. This time, they were several times more brutal. But, that was not even the most concerning part.
Grwaaaaaak!
The four massive lightning bolts that struck down created four separate cracks, all of which unleashed a seemingly endless wave of Monsoon Death Shades that would blot out the sky if the sun was showing.
It was clear that Izroth's attack had an effect on the Immortal Ruler Morsanus. Not just that, it angered it to the point of bringing down its wrath upon them.
Yet, Izroth was still no closer to forcing the creature out of hiding. But that was when it suddenly dawned on Izroth.
The wisp of energy that kept appearing and disappearing at will, the loud cry just now, the reaction from using his ninth sword form—he finally figured out why he could not draw the area boss out of hiding!
'I thought it was hiding because it was some kind of summoner, but I've been approaching it the wrong way this whole time. It isn't hiding, this thing—it is the Cave Mortem Monsoon.'
It was a ridiculous notion given that the Cave Mortem Monsoon covered several kilometers worth of territory. However, Izroth was certain that the Cave Mortem Monsoon and the Monsoon Fiend of Death, Immortal Ruler Morsanus were virtually one and the same!
This meant that they were not just crossing some dangerous land in Tempest but had also unknowingly ventured into the body of a boss monster!
If that were true, then this would be the largest boss ever discovered up until this point in RML! The Brooding Behemoth Basbus that appeared during the Protector of Amaharpe events and the mysterious giant whale-like creature that Izroth came across during his trip to the Sea Palace Graveyard Dungeon might as well be ants in the face of this area boss.
But, there was a more concerning question that needed to be asked. How was one to defeat a boss of this magnitude? And, could the 9th Division even hold up long enough to find a way out?
One thing was for sure, they could not afford to confront the Monsoon Fiend of Death, Immortal Ruler Morsanus when they already had such an important mission ahead of them.
Not to mention, even if they did manage to defeat the creature, wouldn't that only serve to benefit Tempest? After all, the Immortal Ruler Morsanus was one of the main reasons Tempest could not freely send troops to Amaharpe or Rosentarus without having to first travel through Malentansium.
Nevertheless, Izroth could not merely sit back and allow the 9th Division to be slowly wiped out.
Izroth, "We have a problem. I managed to find what I was looking for, but it didn't turn out exactly as I had anticipated. It turns out that the entire Cave Mortem Monsoon is the inside of an area boss."
When everyone received that news, they shook to their core as they were shocked beyond belief.
An area boss the size of a small kingdom—how could such a monstrosity even exist?! No, rather, what were they supposed to do about that kind of monster?!
Menerva, "...That is quite troubling. This changes things significantly."
Just like Izroth, Menerva believed it was a summoner hiding at a safe distance. And while they were not all the way correct, they were not entirely wrong either.
The Monsoon Death Shades were indeed the summons of a stronger creature. It was just that the creature in question was incredibly abnormal.
Niflheim, "The inside of an area boss? That's insane...! I guess at least now we know why Tempest and no one else wants to travel through this place. So, what's the plan?"
Izroth, "Even if we discover a way to defeat the area boss, now is not the correct time. Not to mention, conquering it will only open up both Amaharpe and Rosentarus to their attacks. That being said, I have an idea, but... It's a bit reckless."