Chapter 6: The Sovereign's Gambit
The Queen shrieked, a sound of pure agony as her protective shell fell away in jagged shards. But the battle was far from over. As her armor broke, the internal heat she had been containing exploded outward. The station turned into a furnace.
[Boss Condition: Berserk Mode - Ash Storm Initialized] [Warning: Environmental Damage active. 10 HP lost per second.]
The Steel Vanguard members were collapsing, their lungs burning from the toxic soot. Pillow wasn't faring much better. His skin was blistering, and his health bar was flickering into the red.
120 HP... 90 HP... 60 HP...
"In every boss fight," Pillow coughed, his vision blurring, "there's a 'Desperation' mechanic. If I try to outrun the storm, I'll die of exhaustion. I have to use the 'High Risk' play."
The Queen lunged, her long, serrated stinger whipping forward like a harpoon. Pillow didn't dodge. He stood his ground, dropping his spike.
"What is he doing?!" the Vanguard mage screamed.
The stinger pierced Pillow's left shoulder, pinning him to a concrete pillar. The pain was white-hot, nearly causing him to black out. But this was exactly what he wanted. He was now physically connected to the Queen.
"MAXIMUM SIPHON."
Pillow grabbed the stinger with both hands. His skill didn't just draw mana; it began to pull the very life-force that fueled the Queen's heat.
[Sovereign Siphon active!] [Converting Boss Essence to HP...] [HP: 20 -> 150 -> 300!]
The Queen tried to pull away, but Pillow held on with the grip of a man who had nothing left to lose. He was siphoning her "Rage" state. The orange glow in her body began to fade, turning into a dull, lifeless grey. She was a battery, and Pillow was the drain.
"You're not the only one who knows how to survive a Rampage," Pillow hissed through gritted teeth.
Feeling her end near, the Queen's body began to vibrate. Her core turned a violent purple. She was going to self-destruct, taking the entire station—and the city block above—with her.
[Warning: Boss Self-Destruction Imminent. 10 Seconds to Impact.]
"Too predictable," Pillow muttered. He reached into the System Shop one last time and bought the [Mana-Nullification Needle] for 1,000 Gold.
He didn't stab her heart; he stabbed her mana-circulatory node, the "glitch" point his monocle had found. The purple glow sputtered and died like a blown fuse.
With a final, pathetic hiss, the Queen collapsed into a pile of cooling ash.
[BOSS SLAIN!] [Level Up: 6 -> 18] [Gained: 6,000 Gold Credits] [Dungeon Status: CLEARED]
Pillow slumped against the pillar, pulling the stinger out of his shoulder with a grunt of pain. The violet seal at the subway entrance vanished.
He looked at the Steel Vanguard. They were starting to wake up, looking around in confusion. Pillow pulled out the Contract of the Forgotten scroll. It began to burn with a soft light, weaving a spell over the room.
"Go on," Pillow said to the dazed warriors. "Go tell the world you're heroes. I've got rent to pay."
He slipped into the service tunnels before the first military drones could arrive. He was battered, bloody, and his clothes were ruined, but as he checked his bank account, a cold, satisfied smile touched his lips.
[New Account Balance: $64,200.00]
The dropout was gone. The Sovereign had arrived.
To be continued...