The stairs leading to the top floor of the third section. As I climbed them, I placed my hand over my chest.

*Thump, thump.*

I could feel my heart beating rhythmically.

Even though this was just my virtual body, it was still enough to express the exhilaration I felt.

I feel great.

I’m enjoying this.

It wasn’t about fighting for the fate of the world.

Clearing a tough boss and reveling in the soaring sense of accomplishment. That’s all it was.

Right now, I was simply enjoying the "game."

*Step, step.*

I ascended the stairs and reached the top of the third section.

And there, the final boss of this dungeon revealed itself before my eyes.

---

A towering figure, symbolizing a high-ranking demon, with large, thick horns.

Standing at a towering height of three meters.

Half of his exposed face writhed with grotesque flesh.

The same went for his arms and legs, with half of his body now replaced by a chimera’s flesh.

In one of the demon's still-demonic arms, he wielded a massive battle axe.

“Grrr…”

A low growl escaped from his slightly parted mouth.

The reason this citadel, *Aspero's Stronghold*, was filled with chimeras, even though a high-ranking demon was its master, was now clear.

In order to create stronger chimeras, he had transformed all his subordinates into chimeras and ultimately turned his own body into an experimental fusion with a chimera.

Demons had always been like this.

They never hesitated to sacrifice their comrades in pursuit of greater power.

The twisted end of one who sought strength, defying the laws of nature.

That was the demon standing before me now.

As I approached Aspero, he recognized me.

*Clunk.*

The massive battle axe in his hand exuded a sense of menace. For others, this weapon would be difficult to handle even with two hands.

Either way, this was the final boss.

The end of my conquest of *Aspero's Stronghold* was in sight.

I drew my sword and met Aspero’s menacing gaze.

*Rumble.*

Though his body had lost its reason and was fused with a chimera, it seemed he had not lost his ability to control demonic energy.

The entire tower trembled as a powerful force began to gather within him.

*Woom.*

A purple demonic energy began to surge around the axe in his hand.

The power was similar to a sword aura, though nowhere near the level of an "Ancient Hero." Could I block it in my current state?

“Grrrrr!”

With a bestial roar that was no longer human, Aspero charged at me, his massive body and battle axe aiming to crush me.

---

[Final Boss]
[Level 40 Demon Lord Aspero]
[HP 6,000,000 / 6,000,000]

---

*Whoosh!*

The menacing battle axe swung viciously toward me. Without retreating, I charged forward.

Barely evading the blade that sliced a few strands of my hair, I unleashed my sword attack without a moment’s pause.

Aspero’s attacks were fast and dangerous, but they weren’t difficult to counter. His large movements left large openings. I had more than enough time to launch my own attacks.

*Whoosh, whoosh! Whoosh!*

Aspero swung his axe twice from side to side, then spun in a wide arc. At just the right moment, I raised my sword to achieve a perfect guard.

*Clang!*

*Slash, slash, slash!*

The starlight that surged from my sword slashed through Aspero’s body, causing his HP to drop rapidly.

This boss had plenty of attack opportunities. I could maintain an offensive while countering his patterns.

*Woom.*

Annoyed by my relentless attacks, Aspero lifted his axe high with one hand. I could see an enormous amount of demonic energy gathering around it.

An unblockable attack.

The purple axe, radiating immense power, came crashing down, ready to split me in two. I quickly dodged to the left.

*Boom!*

Just as I prepared to counterattack in the aftermath of the large swing, the axe embedded in the ground swung horizontally without warning.

*Whoosh!*

*Swish.*

Instinctively, I used a counter. The blade of Aspero’s axe sliced through the afterimage I left behind.

“Phew.”

I let out a sigh of relief without realizing it.

The sheer force was overwhelming. He had swung the axe without any preparatory movement.

Judging by how easily the ground was sliced like tofu, that axe must have an immense weight. Yet he wielded it with one hand like a twig.

Strong and fast. But—

“You’re still slower.”

Slower than the "Ancient Hero."

I could see and react to it.

There was no way I would allow myself to get hit by a boss whose moves followed a predictable formula.

But he wasn’t entirely easy to handle either.

*Whoosh!*

As I tried to circle around him, the chimera arm that wasn’t holding the axe lashed out at me.

I had just used my counter, so I blocked it with my sword.

*Clang!*

*Thud-thud-thud!*

“What!?”

The chimera's arm, stretched and coiled around my sword, began pushing me back at an alarming speed.

Behind me was the wall of the tower. At this rate, I’d crash and be shattered into pieces.

*Whirr!*

I twisted my body with all my might, spinning in the air.

Then, I adjusted my sword and unleashed *Flash Step* immediately.

*Slash!*

The sound of the chimera’s arm being severed echoed unnervingly in my ears. Flesh and blood splattered as I cut through the wall of meat in front of me, just in time to clash blades with the charging Aspero. *Clang!*

Aspero’s arm was torn off, leaving an empty, gaping wound.

But he didn’t seem to care. He flexed his remaining shoulder.

*Squelch!*

With a sickening sound, the chimera's arm regenerated.

I grimaced at the sight.

“Ugh.”

What is he, some kind of green-tentacled alien?

*Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!*

Aspero, now with his arm regenerated, swung his axe relentlessly, driving me back.

It didn’t seem like a special pattern, and judging by his HP, I was still dealing damage effectively. Even if he was a chimera, his HP couldn’t endlessly regenerate.

If these were his regular patterns, this boss wasn’t particularly difficult.

I calmly closed the distance between us, dodging his attacks and pressing my advantage.

---

[Final Boss]
[Level 40 Demon Lord Aspero]
[HP 4,053,296 / 6,000,000]

---

Aspero’s once daunting HP was now down to two-thirds.

Compared to the HP of the previous boss, Balgar, 6 million seemed relatively low. But since this boss didn’t have any special gimmick to lower his HP, I had to grind it all down with my own damage output.

I couldn’t afford to let up.

Assuming there was a time-attack phase, I continued my relentless assault, dodging his axe by the skin of my teeth and squeezing in as many *Starlight Slashes* as I could.

*Slash, slash, slash!*

Finally, when Aspero’s HP dropped below two-thirds, as expected, he made an unusual move.

“Raaah!”

*Rumble.*

Demonic energy surged explosively from Aspero’s entire body.

Here it comes, the special phase.

I raised my sword and watched his movements closely.

Aspero seemed to be gathering energy for a moment, but then quickly returned to his regular attack patterns. He raised his axe again and charged at me.

There’s got to be some change in the battlefield.

I kept my focus, carefully countering his moves while keeping an eye on the surroundings.

And soon enough—

*Woom.*

The battlefield began to glow purple.

The area around Aspero and me was filled with light, and five orbs formed, growing larger by the second.

And then, they exploded.

*Boom-boom-boom!*

I immediately used my *Flash Step* to evade the blast.

Frantically, I scanned my surroundings.

Where were the orbs spawning? What was the explosion radius?

There was no time to think. I had to deal with the incoming swing of Aspero’s axe.

*Clang!*

*Woom.*

Even as the normal attack patterns continued, the second round of explosions began.

This time, one of the orbs appeared right beside me, growing rapidly.

It was too late to dodge. I had to use another invulnerability skill.

*Swish.*

*Boom-boom-boom!*

I survived the second explosion using *Counter*.

Thankfully, the explosion didn’t cover the entire battlefield. But the five orbs, appearing randomly, severely limited my movement.

*Woom.*

Sweat dripped down my forehead. The third explosion was already in sight.

Should I use *Flash Step* again?

If I used *Flash Step* to avoid this one, my *Backstep* would come off cooldown. But I couldn’t use *Flash Step* again for another minute.

There was no time to waste. I quickly used *Flash Step* to avoid the third explosion.

*Swish!*

*Boom-boom-boom!*

*Woom.*

By the fourth explosion, my *Backstep* cooldown had returned.

I used *Counter* for the fifth explosion.

*Woom.*

And then, the sixth explosion began.

“What!?”

I

 was shocked.

I was out of invulnerability skills.

*Boom-boom-boom!*

Luckily, the orb didn’t spawn in the center of the battlefield this time. I breathed a sigh of relief as I watched the powerful demonic explosions.

But the orbs didn’t stop spawning.

Even though I was whittling down the boss’s HP bit by bit, there was no sign of the special pattern ending.

Was this a pattern that would continue until the battle ended? The difficulty was too high. Even with my high sync rate, it was hard to react to in time.

The explosion radius of the five orbs was massive. On top of that, the time between their spawning and detonation was extremely short.

I racked my brain.

They wouldn’t throw in a pattern that required all my invulnerability skills without reason.

That meant the solution was simple.

The five-orb explosion had a consistent pattern.

Once I reached this conclusion, I began paying close attention to the explosion zones.

Just as I suspected, all five explosions followed the same layout.

The first explosion: five points in the shape of a pentagram. The center is safe. I stay still and continue attacking Aspero.

The second explosion: a long, straight line. It overlaps with the battlefield. I use *Backstep* to retreat.

The third explosion: a cross shape. Again, it overlaps with the battlefield. Time for *Counter*.

The fourth explosion: the center is safe again. I don’t move.

The fifth explosion: the center of the battlefield overlaps slightly with two of the orbs’ ranges. I move slightly back.

I memorized the five-explosion pattern and the best ways to avoid them.

By following this method, I wouldn’t have to rely on my invulnerability skills.

All that remained was to finish him off.

*Boom-boom-boom!*

Amid the continuous demonic explosions that rocked the entire tower, I relentlessly slashed away at Aspero’s body.