The Final Room

In this dim, oppressive space, the tension had reached its peak.

A spine-chilling aura filled the surroundings, while the eerie light flickering on the walls illuminated everyone's grave expressions. Takemikazuchi gripped his longsword tightly in both hands. Its blade glinted coldly in the faint light, and his eyes shone with unwavering resolve, as though an unyielding flame burned within them.

He took a deep breath, then pushed off hard with his feet and shot toward the Abomination Boss like lightning.

The Abomination Boss's hideous face twisted as it bared its sharp fangs and let out a low roar like muffled thunder. It swung its thick, armored arms, trying to block Takemikazuchi's attack.

However, Takemikazuchi nimbly dodged left and right, like a fallen leaf dancing in a gale—light and swift.

He skillfully evaded the Boss's ferocious attacks time and again, every dodge perfectly timed, displaying extraordinary combat skill and keen reflexes.

During a gap in the Boss's assault, Takemikazuchi seized the opportunity. His leg muscles tensed, and he sprang into the air, raising his longsword high with both hands before driving it viciously toward the Boss's head with all his strength.

With a heart-stopping squelch, the longsword suddenly pierced through the Abomination Boss's skull with unstoppable force. The powerful impact sent black blood spraying from its head, splattering through the air like thick ink.

The Abomination Boss's savage expression froze on its face. Its massive body convulsed violently a few times as it attempted one final struggle.

But Takemikazuchi's longsword remained firmly embedded in its skull, giving it no chance to catch its breath.

At last, the Abomination Boss's enormous body crashed to the ground, kicking up a cloud of heavy dust.

Takemikazuchi had also exhausted his strength in that all-out strike. He panted heavily, gulping down breaths as his chest heaved violently, and began to recover his condition.

Seeing this, Yewuzi hurried over. Her hands moved swiftly as she chanted under her breath, immediately casting an HP recovery skill on him.

A gentle glow draped over Takemikazuchi like a veil. At the same time, Bukubukuchagama and Momonga stayed fully focused, watching their surroundings without blinking and not daring to relax in the slightest.

Their wary gazes swept across every corner. They gripped their weapons tightly, ready to deal with any danger that might emerge.

Nishikienrai, meanwhile, carefully crouched low and moved forward with light steps to scout the way, his figure gradually disappearing into the depths of the dark passage.

At that moment, Ulbert put away the items dropped by the Boss and walked over.

"This should be the last elite Boss, right? I didn't expect this dungeon to be so difficult. Aside from the first stretch of the route, we've fought three elite Bosses in a row."

"Perhaps. Let's wait for news from Nishikienrai."

Everyone waited quietly in place for Nishikienrai's return. The air seemed to have frozen, with only Takemikazuchi's heavy breathing and Yewuzi's soft chanting as she cast her skill.

After quite some time, Nishikienrai finally appeared around the bend in the passage. His expression was somewhat grave as he quickly walked over to the group.

"There's only one final room ahead, but none of us are in particularly good condition right now."

Momonga furrowed his brow and pondered for a moment.

"No matter what, we've already come this far. We can only keep moving forward. Everyone, rest for a while and recover your focus."

"I'll contact the other teams and check their progress."

Momonga took out a communication item and contacted the other teams. A moment later, his expression turned serious.

"I just contacted the other teams. The other four teams have all reached the final room, and Mu Fengyu's team and Touch Me's team have already entered Boss battles."

Everyone's hearts tightened at the news. Ulbert spoke anxiously.

"Then we need to pick up the pace. We can't let them get too far ahead."

Takemikazuchi got to his feet, took a deep breath, and said,

"Everyone, recover quickly and prepare for the final challenge."

Yewuzi also sped up her recovery spells, while everyone made the most of this brief time to return themselves to peak condition.

"Everyone, don't be so hasty. Momonga probably has more information he hasn't told us yet."

Everyone turned to look at Momonga, their eyes filled with anticipation and urgency.

Momonga's expression was grave as he slowly spoke.

"According to the information, the final Boss in the Lava Region is a Thunder Dragon, while the one in the Underground Lake is a Pure White Giant Bat."

"And the Boss's abilities may continuously grow stronger depending on the order in which it is challenged."

"I'm sorry, everyone, but I hope our team can face the final and strongest Boss."

"After all, aside from Yu using a large number of items, our team is the strongest. So I hope our team can face the strongest Boss. Can you accept this selfish request of mine?"

At those words, everyone fell into a brief silence. Ulbert was the first to break it, shrugging indifferently.

"Momonga, since you've put it that way, I have no objections. Our team is far stronger than Touch Me's, after all. If we can't even take down a mere Boss, wouldn't we become a laughingstock?"

Bukubukuchagama crossed her arms and nodded.

"Momonga, your idea is risky, but it isn't without a chance of success. Besides, didn't Yu sponsor quite a few items?"

Takemikazuchi's eyes gleamed as he shouted,

"If everyone can coordinate properly, I might be able to use that move."

"Oh, oh, oh! A-Ken, do you mean Wisdom King Combo?"

"Indeed. With us, we might really be able to pull it off."

"Not might—definitely. With Bubble-chan, whose justice value is positive, and my super-tier magic, which can also greatly raise justice value, plus Momonga's help at the end."

As Yewuzi spoke, Takemikazuchi and Nishikienrai both cried out excitedly. Everyone present had heard of Wisdom King Combo. It was said that if fully executed, it could inflict terrifying physical damage. This skill, combined with Ulbert's Great Calamity, could be considered their trump card for clearing the dungeon.

Nishikienrai straightened his back and stated solemnly,

"Momonga, with a lineup like ours, we can absolutely clear this. So there's no need to apologize to us."

"Yeah. This kind of difficult responsibility should fall on us. After all, when the few of us are together, we're the strongest."

Seeing everyone support him so wholeheartedly, Momonga was deeply moved.

"Thank you for trusting me. Then let's give it everything we have and face this final challenge!"

Everyone responded in unison, their eyes filled with fighting spirit and determination. Now, all they needed to do was wait for the other two teams to enter their Boss battles.