Former Hero, Solo Play Oriented-Chapter 194

BOOM BOOM BOOM!

Golden streaks of light erupted from my sword, slashing mercilessly through Uriel’s massive form. This time, unlike before, the strikes landed with an undeniable impact. Chunks of stone cracked and scattered, falling away like dust from his once-impenetrable body.

This power—it had been so long since I’d used it. Was the last time during the Tree of the Abyss fight? If I knew it would come to this, maybe I should have attempted this dungeon solo. Showing Chris that scene... it felt like a mistake. Then again, how would the sacrificial mechanic even work if I’d been alone?

Step. Step.

Slowly, I raised my sword, now glowing with a mix of silver and gold light, and advanced toward the angel.

Rumble.

The familiar sensation of wielding the Holy Sword—overflowing, explosive energy coursing through me—resurfaced after what felt like ages.

Chris’s wide-eyed gaze, almost dreamlike, made me think that to an observer, I might have looked pretty cool.

"This is really inconvenient," I muttered to myself.

Because it hurt. A lot.

Uriel, who had been advancing toward Chris, faltered under the force of my attacks. He turned to face me, his stone face appearing even more rigid than before.

"Chris, get into position," I said firmly, my golden blade gleaming as I prepared to strike again.

Chris, teary-eyed, called out from across the battlefield. "Rain! Are you okay? How are you even...!"

"I’m fine. We’ll talk later. For now, focus on this guy."

"A-Alright!"

What followed was a one-sided assault.

BOOM BOOM BOOM!

This was the power I’d wielded in the past—the strength dictated by the system’s conditions.

The radiant golden aura enveloped Uriel, forcing his massive body to stagger with every strike. My Starlight Sword Slash, amplified by the force of a mana storm, tore through him mercilessly.

Could stone angels show expressions of fear?

To me, it felt like they could.

Uriel, who had once seemed unflinching and impassive, now appeared visibly unsettled.

Chris moved to my side, briefly looking at my bloodied upper body with an expression that teetered on the verge of tears.

"Are you sure you’re okay?"

"I said I’m fine."

"But Uriel’s HP—it's dropping so fast! I figured there was something more to you, but... have you always fought like this? Alone?"

"I’ll explain later."

"You better have a very good explanation."

Her eyes, which had been dulled by shock earlier, now sparkled with sharp resolve.

It made sense that Chris was so stunned. Uriel’s health, which had previously seemed insurmountable, was already nearing 60%.

With Chris’s Divine Descent, my own cooldown resets via Astaroth’s bracelet, and every resource we had at our disposal, I unleashed relentless damage. These attacks, bolstered by my past strength, tore into even a divine being like Uriel.

This was the same power that even the Demon King had failed to withstand.

If this were just a game, this power would practically be classified as a bug.

Of course, in this world, the system balanced this overwhelming strength. It ensured that even immense damage could only progress the encounter so far. Ignoring the mechanics wasn’t an option.

[[Offer your sacrifices!]]

When Uriel’s HP reached 60%, his immunity barrier reactivated, rendering him invulnerable once again.

The special phase—the sacrificial pattern—had returned.

Drip. Drip.

The miasma began oozing in from the edges of the battlefield once more. At the same time, the white Uriel’s Mercy circle and the violet sacrificial altar reappeared.

"Another sacrificial phase," Chris muttered, her voice tinged with both frustration and concern.

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I felt her gaze dart anxiously toward me as we approached the safe zone at six o’clock. She was clearly worried I might pull the same stunt as before.

But I had no intention of dying again. The World Tree Belt’s death-prevention effect was already spent.

Instead, I directed my focus upward.

Toward the stone masks.

After entering the safe zone, I had stopped moving earlier than Chris. It took her a moment longer to join me.

That was when I noticed the subtle movements of the masks.

Though the masks didn’t dramatically shift their angles due to the distance to the ceiling, they clearly adjusted slightly, tracking Chris as she moved.

This confirmed my theory.

I turned to Chris with a sly grin. "It’s your turn."

"Wha—?!"

Before she could protest, I gently wrapped an arm around her waist, pulling her closer. Then, with a quick shove, I pushed her out of the safe zone barrier just before it fully formed.

Now outside the barrier, Chris blinked in shock.

"Rain?"

"What are you waiting for? Go make the sacrifice."

"E-Eh?! Oh, fine!"

Though clearly flustered, Chris composed herself, her expression hardening with determination.

"You’ve got this, Rain. You’re crazy strong right now, so you don’t need me. I’ll handle this!"

"Stop talking and just go."

"Hmph!"

Despite my blunt words, Chris turned toward the altar, her movements resolute.

Watching her retreating figure, I couldn’t help but chuckle.

I could guess what she was thinking—that my actions were a way of saying, "I took my turn as the sacrifice, so now it’s yours." Maybe she even thought, You don’t feel pain, so what’s the big deal?

Of course, I didn’t have time to explain that she wouldn’t actually die.

Chris stepped onto the violet magic circle, and chains of dark violet energy shot up from the ground, binding her in place.

Simultaneously, Uriel moved.

Thud.

Uriel’s massive form loomed over Chris as his hand stretched toward her chest.

"H-Huh?!"

Chris’s face paled as she recalled what had happened to me. Even as a player, the thought of experiencing that must have been terrifying.

"This can’t be happening! Why won’t this stupid thing move?!" she shouted, struggling against the chains.

"You’re fine! Trust me!" I called out, smirking from behind the barrier.

"Raaain!"

Her tearful, frustrated voice only made me laugh harder as I crouched down to watch the scene unfold.

Uriel’s hand finally reached her chest, and...

Glorp.

Viscous, black miasma began pouring out of Chris’s body, flowing into Uriel’s waiting grasp.

"Wha—when did that get inside me?!"

"It’s been there since the masks started tracking you."

"Masks?!"

Chris, now hyper-aware of the situation, glared at the ceiling.

She was right. It was difficult to pay attention to the masks after the miasma and magic circles appeared, not to mention the chaos of battle.

The altar didn’t demand literal death—it sought a vessel for the miasma.

The "proper sacrifice" Uriel demanded wasn’t a person, but a target imbued with concentrated miasma.

[[Oooooh--!!]]

Uriel roared in satisfaction as his remaining wing darkened further, corrupted by the miasma he absorbed.

The ❖ Nоvеl𝚒ght ❖ (Exclusive on Nоvеl𝚒ght) chains binding Chris shattered.

Tap Tap!

I dashed toward her, wrapping her in a tight hug.

For a moment, relief washed over me.

As I turned back toward Uriel, the immunity barrier around his body began to dissipate.

"Chris, he’s fully corrupted now. Do you know what that means?"

"Divine damage amplification!"

"Exactly. No more worries about lacking DPS."

I raised my glowing golden sword, the light brighter than ever.

All conditions for victory had been met.

[[Oooooh--!!]]

Uriel, now a fully corrupted monstrosity, let out a final roar as we launched our combined assault.

BOOM.

His health bar dropped rapidly, his body cracking under the relentless barrage.

[Second Named Boss]

[Level 58 Archangel Uriel]

[HP: 1,104,000 / 1,000,000,000 (1%)]

[[Why...? I was supposed to be perfect...!!]]

The fallen angel, now no more than a monstrous creature, couldn’t withstand our divine-powered strikes.

As cracks spread across his body, he unleashed one final roar before collapsing into shards of black stone, corrupted and broken.

Ding!

[Progress: Raid Dungeon "Blue Tyrant King’s Resting Place" – 2/3.]