The Runesmith-Chapter 536: Lord of Fury.

Roland watched as the throne's glow intensified, arcane energy crackling across the chamber. From the shattered remains of defeated golems, a new adversary began to emerge. The fragments coalesced into a pile of jagged rocks around the fallen Lord, pulsating with a strange energy that mimicked a heartbeat.

‘This doesn’t look good, that’s a lot of magic…’

"Agni, stay behind me. This might be dangerous."

"Woof!"

The pile of shattered golem fragments writhed as though alive, and the entire chamber began to tremble. Roland braced himself, tightening his grip on his hammer. The glowing fragments spiraled upward, drawn into a vortex forming above the remains of the defeated Golem Lord. Crimson energy seeped from the cracks in the obsidian floor, converging into a semi-humanoid shape that pulsed with raw power.

He considered interrupting the process but had no idea how. Reaching out with his runic spells proved futile - the concentration of energy was far too extreme for him to disrupt.

‘Is this new opponent really this strong, or is the dungeon preventing me from interfering?’

He wondered, uncertain but wary. He couldn’t influence the transformation as the magical power that was being displayed was far above his. Without delay, he pulled a high-grade mana potion from his pouch and downed it, restoring his reserves.

‘I didn’t think this thing would have a second phase, especially with all these monsters still around.’

Roland steadied himself for the next round, his muscles tense and his mind racing. For a fleeting moment, doubt crept in - was this going to be more than he could handle? If all the energy from the defeated golems in the chamber had truly combined, then the creature forming before him would be something extraordinary - perhaps even a hundred levels beyond his own. Yet, as the energy began to settle, he noticed something odd. The surge in power wasn’t as overwhelming as he had anticipated.

‘It’s strong, but not impossible’

The monster continued to take shape, but Roland didn’t simply stand idle. He ordered his floating golems to pull back and form a defensive perimeter around him. As he activated his Rapid Machine Reassembly skill, the shattered remains of his spider golems responded instantly. Metallic fragments clicked and snapped into place, reconstructing themselves into fully functional units. His reinforcements were back in action, ready to fight.

However, the golems he had commandeered from the dungeon were gone, their remnants absorbed as fuel for the monstrosity still forming in the chamber. The loss was frustrating, but Roland knew it was out of his hands now. Instead, he focused on taking out a few items from within his inventory, runic spheres, and even cards. After tossing them out in various directions, he was finally confronted by his next enemy, the true boss of this area.

Lord of Fury L 240

‘Never heard of such a monster before…’

Throughout his life, Roland had pored over countless books detailing monsters - records of their strengths, weaknesses, and how best to confront them. He had always believed preparation was the key to survival. Yet, the entity forming before him was something entirely foreign. There were no descriptions, no recorded strategies, nothing to indicate what he was about to face.

‘It must be a unique dungeon boss’

The thought was both unsettling and exhilarating. On one hand, it meant he had no insight into its weaknesses or behavior - he’d be fighting blind. On the other hand, being the first to defeat a dungeon’s undiscovered boss carried the promise of extraordinary rewards. Rare loot, powerful artifacts, or unique skill books often awaited those who cleared uncharted chambers. But the danger was quite real.

This anomaly - a second phase triggered after the defeat of the golem army would likely have spelled doom for many adventurers. Most would have entered the chamber prepared only for the small army of golems and then probably perished due to being underprepared. Luckily, he was a one-man army, able to restore defeated golems multiple times and with several potions and elixirs to restore his health.

Soon, the monster stood before him - a towering creature encased in obsidian armor, radiating a strange crimson glow. Its lower body resembled that of an armored warhorse, massive and imposing, while its upper half was shaped like a knight clad in heavy, dark plate. Crimson smoke coiled and seeped from within its armor, wafting ominously through the air and spilling from the gaps in its jagged visor.

In its hands, the beast wielded two long, menacing sabers. The blades, forged from the same dark material as its armor, shimmered with glowing runes that pulsed faintly with power.

‘Its level is only ten above the Golem Lord, but it’s much stronger than that…’

Roland’s instincts screamed that the numbers didn’t tell the full story. While he couldn’t directly read the creature’s stats, the overwhelming magic aura it radiated told him everything he needed to know. This was no ordinary level increase. The oppressive energy surrounding it was enormous, a clear sign that the creature had some sort of enhanced stat multiplier.

‘Just like my Overlord class…’

This creature was a step above the Lord he had faced earlier, but not so far ahead that he couldn’t handle it. While its stat multiplier was clearly higher, Roland estimated it was closer to Agni’s level of enhancement rather than his own Overlord-class amplification. Even so, he knew better than to underestimate it.

‘It’s probably stronger than any of the Knight Commanders I’ve faced before but …’

The monster was finally there, its glowing visor forming a strange, singular eye that fixed its gaze in his direction. Roland’s sharp eye had already picked out some flaws in the creature. One of them was its horse-like body. While this form offered certain advantages, it also came with some weakness - if its legs sustained enough damage, the monster could potentially collapse under its own massive weight.

Then there was the more glaring vulnerability: the runes etched across its body. These radiated a faint, ominous glow, and Roland realized they might be exploitable - if he had enough time to study their structure.

‘Rune authority doesn’t seem to be working well on these things…’

He had already tried to take control of the creature’s runes, as he had with the lesser golems, but to no avail. Something was interfering with his ability to manipulate them. Perhaps it was the dungeon itself, or maybe the monster possessed its own innate control over the runes. After all, they weren’t external tools wielded by an adventurer; they were an intrinsic part of the creature’s form.

As the Lord of Fury fully emerged, the chamber seemed to darken, the faint glow of its runes casting ominous red light onto the shattered remains of the previous battle. Roland steadied himself, the weight of his hammer reassuring in his grip. The obsidian knight raised its sabers in a cross-like stance, a low, menacing sound emanating from within its armor - whether a roar or a taunt, Roland couldn’t tell. Then, suddenly the monster charged at an astonishing speed a blur of crimson left behind as it galloped.

While this monster was only three meters tall and smaller than the golem lord, he could not underestimate its power. The Lord of Fury's sudden burst of speed was unexpected for a creature of its size. Its crimson sabers glowed ominously as it closed the distance in an instant, bringing both weapons down in a deadly arc. Roland rolled to the side just in time, avoiding the twin strikes as they smashed into the obsidian floor, sending cracks radiating outward.

“It’s fast and bulky, great…”

Roland muttered under his breath, steadying himself as the monster turned to face him once more. It paused briefly before turning around and moving in a semi-circle. Then it charged at him again with the same explosive speed as before. Though its horse-like body was cumbersome for tight maneuvers, its linear bursts of speed were nearly impossible to counter. If he tried to block with his shield, he risked being trampled - even if he reinforced it with spells. The size of the boss arena only added to the challenge, offering the massive creature plenty of room to maneuver despite its lack of lateral agility.

He had no intention of letting this monster charge at him unopposed. The creature resembled a runic machine, seemingly powered by the dungeon itself. Roland could sense a connection to the throne behind him, and it was clear the monster had access to more mana than even he could muster. Acting swiftly, he commanded the golems flanking him to barrage the beast with mana projectiles, hoping to at least divert its attention away from him.

The battlefield erupted in chaos once again as the floating and spider golems responded to Roland’s command. A storm of mana projectiles rained down on the Lord of Fury, streaking through the air in glowing arcs. The obsidian knight twisted its armored body to deflect the onslaught with its sabers, each blade moving with impossible precision to swat away the incoming attacks.

However, even the monstrous knight couldn’t avoid every strike. Some projectiles collided with its armor, sending sparks rippling across its dark surface.No apparent damage could be seen but even a few points of HP damage would amount to something eventually. The creature slowed momentarily, its sabers spinning defensively in a blur of crimson light, but the sheer volume of projectiles forced it to turn and focus on the smaller enemies.

It charged forth with astonishing speed, the sabers producing strange half moon energy blasts that traveled in the direction of the floating golems and the spider ones stuck to the walls. The floating golems, nimble and evasive, darted to avoid the onslaught, but several were caught in the crossfire. One by one, they shattered into glowing shards of metal and magic, their remnants clattering to the ground.

The spider golems clinging to the walls fared no better. The energy blades from the sabers carved through the obsidian walls, causing chunks of rock to fall and several spider golems to lose their grip. They tumbled to the ground, some reduced to broken fragments, while others scrambled to reassemble themselves using Roland’s Rapid Machine Reassembly skill.

Roland took advantage of the chaos, analyzing the Lord of Fury’s movements. Its attacks were formidable, but each strike came with a predictable wind-up. The crimson glow on its sabers intensified just before it unleashed an energy wave, and its charges were always telegraphed by the heavy clattering of its horse-like hooves.

“Agni, aim for the legs but keep your distance and keep moving. It's fast but has trouble turning.”

“Awoo!”

Agni was there too, and his ranged attacks packed more power than the golems'. The wolf opened his muzzle and unleashed a beam of concentrated heat that struck one of the monster's hind legs while it focused on the golems. In retaliation, the creature shot out energy blades in Agni’s direction. Reacting swiftly, Agni leapt into the air, conjuring platforms beneath him to evade the attack at the last moment.

Although his agility was impressive, his level still left much to be desired. Roland knew that even a single hit from those crimson, crescent-shaped projectiles would likely be fatal for his companion. Driven by fear for Agni's safety, Roland used his own magic and sacrificed golems to intercept some of the deadly blades, ensuring the wolf wouldn't suffer during the intense confrontation.

The Lord of Fury's relentless assault left no moment to catch a breath. Each swing of its sabers, each thunderous charge, sent tremors through the battlefield. Roland’s mind raced, calculating possibilities while ensuring that Agni and the remaining golems could continue their offensive.

As the monster turned its attention toward Agni, Roland saw an opportunity. His body started glowing, a blue haze surrounding it as the world turn into mana around him. Previously he had already used up his Overlord’s might to destroy the first phase and this would have to be enough for the second one. The monster’s movements had now become clear to him and with the help of the mana phantom, he knew that he could deliver a devastating blow.

‘It’s going to be there in a few moments…’

He knew exactly where to aim. The runes on his armor began to glow intensely as the chest section expanded outward. A high-pitched whine filled the air, rising in pitch as Roland's chest plate unfolded, revealing an octagonal device radiating a pulsating, brilliant blue light. This was the improved beam device - a prototype he had painstakingly crafted. The previous model had served him well, and he was confident this upgraded version would not fail him now.

The octagonal core extended slightly, while portions of his armor fanned out to the sides, revealing intricate runes etched into the plates. At the center of the device, a single crystal glimmered, drawing in an immense amount of energy. Power surged around it, coalescing into a dense, glowing sphere.

This was his enhanced beam weapon, designed using advanced techniques he had recently learned at the institute. It had been built specifically to face a potential boss monster. Now, he would see if it lived up to the legacy of the old model that had saved his life countless times before.

A mana circle appeared before the beam, a magic enhancement spell that would give it the penetrative power that he needed. Soon he made the calculations and as the monster focused on Agni and the golems, he aimed for the area it would be in the next second.

The Lord of Fury barreled forward, its sabers raised high as it closed in on Agni, oblivious to the silent power being harnessed behind it. Roland steadied his aim, his enhanced beam device locked onto the monster’s broad, equine midsection - the largest and most vulnerable part of its body. In that split second, he unleashed the stored energy.

The chamber was bathed in brilliant blue light as the beam shot forth, ripping through the air with a deafening roar. Initially, it was no thicker than a tea cup, but as it passed through the magical enhancement circle, it expanded dramatically in size and intensity. The circle amplified the beam’s speed, power, and penetrative force to extraordinary levels.The beam struck true, slamming into the Lord of Fury’s midsection just as it raised its sabers to strike at Agni, who was darting through the air with incredible agility.

The Lord of Fury let out a deafening roar as the beam tore through its midsection, obliterating the rear parts of its body and sending it crashing into the nearby wall due to the momentum. Crimson energy erupted violently, spewing from the gaping wound left by the beam. The force of the attack sent shockwaves rippling through the chamber, shattering remnants of walls and scattering debris across the battlefield.

Roland held his ground as the light from the beam dissipated, his armor smoking from the residual heat of the attack. In the past, the crystal within his chest would have cracked by now but this time around, it persisted.

The battlefield fell eerily silent for a moment, the oppressive crimson light dimming slightly as the aftermath of the devastating beam attack settled. Dust and debris floated through the air, illuminated by the faint glow of the chamber's remaining runes. Roland steadied his breath, his eyes locked on the motionless form of the Lord of Fury.

Its midsection was utterly obliterated, its once-massive equine body reduced to jagged shards of obsidian that scattered across the chamber. Weak sparks of red energy flickered around the ruined remnants of its lower body. For a moment, it seemed as though the battle might be over - but Roland’s instincts screamed otherwise.

Agni growled low, ears pinned back, as the shattered remains of the monster began to stir once more.

“Grrrrr!”

“It’s getting back up?”

Though severed in half, the knight’s upper body remained connected to the forelegs. Those limbs began to twist unnaturally, bending at impossible angles. New joints formed and locked into place, transforming them into legs powerful enough to lift the upper half of the creature upright. Its grotesque new form resembled that of a minotaur.

The runes on its twin sabers flared to life, glowing with ominous energy. With a roar, the creature charged forward once more, undeterred by its wounds and seemingly determined to take him out.

‘This day is full of surprises…’

While it remained standing, its speed had dramatically decreased - it could no longer zip toward him with its previous ferocity. Finally, Roland raised his shield to meet its attack. One of the swords connected with the shield, producing a burst of magical energy that cracked the very ground beneath his feet.

Yet, he didn’t retreat. Though the attack was powerful, Roland held firm. His shield absorbed the brunt of the blow, but vibrations rattled through his body. He gritted his teeth as his reinforced armor groaned under the strain. With a powerful shove, he deflected the blade to the side, throwing the Lord of Fury off balance for a split second.

The monster staggered back a few steps before surging forward again, the runes on its blades glowing brightly, ready to unleash crimson half-moon energy. However, as it swung down, something strange happened - its weapon failed to produce the expected effect, as though an unseen force was blocking its power.

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“Finally, that should make it a lot easier…”