The Blood-Boiling Combo Skill, Aaargh!

"AAARGH—!!!" (Tom screamed)

The endless sound of pounding...

Three minutes later...

Second Brother put away her staff and wiped the sweat from her brow. "Phew... That felt as refreshing as putting on new underwear on the first day of the new year~"

Fourth Brother lay sprawled on the ground, watching helplessly as Second Brother happily walked past him without the slightest hesitation.

Third Brother cautiously poked at the "flattened" Fourth Brother on the ground. "Are you okay?"

"Mmph! Mmmphhh!"

"Nothing could be done. Who told you to provoke her..."

"Mmph! Mmmphhh!"

"...Second Brother does seem to have gotten a little more bad-tempered, but that probably has nothing to do with her current body, right?"

"Mmmphhh!!!"

"If I'd tried to stop her just now, she would've beaten me up too. Besides..."

Third Brother looked speechlessly at Fourth Brother, who had already recovered but was still going "mmph, mmph."

"You totally had that coming."

Fourth Brother, who had gradually re-formed from a puddle of liquid into a human, cracked his jaw back into place with a crisp pop.

"What do you know? It's called livening up the mood! Didn't you see how much better she felt after beating me up?"

Third Brother was silent for a long while before saying faintly, "Are you Super Masochist or something?"

"No! I'm Super Happy!"

Before Third Brother could respond to the joke, Fourth Brother trotted after Second Brother, his eyes shining. "Second Brother! I suddenly came up with a great idea! We can..."

"Put away your great idea," Second Brother said without looking back. "Whatever it is, wait until we get Boss back to his senses."

Third Brother, who had caught up behind them, shook his head. "That might be a little difficult..."

As they spoke, the passage suddenly opened up. The narrow tunnel had reached its end.

The three stood at the entrance to a vast cavern, facing the mountain-sized lava troll.

ROAR—!!!

The roar came with a blast of scorching, sulfurous air.

Fourth Brother covered his mouth and nose, shouting in a muffled voice, "Boss! How long has it been since you brushed your teeth?!"

The response was a blazing pillar of fire shooting toward him.

[Poisonous Vines]

The shadows beneath Third Brother's feet instantly boiled. Countless thick vines burst from the ground, weaving into an impenetrable, dark forest in front of them.

The violent fire pillar crashed against the wall of vines, only to split apart around it like water striking a reef. It could not harm the three behind it in the slightest.

Watching this, Fourth Brother exclaimed, "Third Brother! Your vines are fireproof!"

Third Brother's helpless voice came from ahead. "Stop fooling around. I tested it in the previous battle."

"After becoming real, the effect of Thorn Shield can practically be called physical immunity. Combined with Fire Shield's fire immunity, Boss's normal attacks really can't hurt us now."

Second Brother calmly picked up the thread, her eyes locked on the huge figure outside. "But..."

The lava troll held its hands as if grasping something, and an even larger lava meteor rapidly formed between its palms.

Fourth Brother had not even had time to celebrate before a terrible sense of foreboding suddenly welled up inside him.

Second Brother explained rapidly, as though merely stating an objective fact. "Fire Shield may grant immunity to fire damage, but it doesn't completely negate explosion damage."

"The talent can only reduce some of the explosive damage. Taking it head-on is still far too risky."

Fourth Brother said, "...So?"

The ominous feeling in his heart grew stronger and stronger.

The next second, he felt his waist tighten sharply!

"?"

A vine that had somehow silently grown out wrapped around his waist. Then an enormous force yanked him—

WHOOSH—!

Under Fourth Brother's horrified gaze, the vine swung his entire body up and hurled him straight at the newly formed lava meteor like a human cannonball.

Second Brother's voice immediately followed. "Go, Fourth Brother! Use [Immortal Body] and hold it off!"

As he flew toward the meteor, Fourth Brother let out a heart-wrenching scream. "I %#! Second Brother (Third Brother)! I—beep—you—beep—!!!"

Without the slightest hesitation, the terrified Fourth Brother unleashed [Otherworldly Vortex] in midair.

A massive vortex of energy suddenly bloomed in the air, its powerful suction instantly latching onto the meteor.

The meteor was forcibly twisted and pulled apart. Its center was rapidly devoured by the black hole, leaving behind a huge cavity.

However, the hastily formed black hole failed to swallow the entire meteor.

With its core support gone, the meteor suddenly shattered, raining down on Fourth Brother in every direction.

"Fuck!"

Fourth Brother wailed. With nowhere to dodge, he could only take it head-on. "[Immortal Body]!"

BZZZT—!

A solid scarlet shield instantly spread around his body.

The flying lava fragments struck the shield, and all their kinetic energy was instantly absorbed. Deprived of their force, they fell harmlessly to the ground.

In contrast, Fourth Brother stood at the heart of the shield, feeling his body fill with power as it absorbed the massive impacts. His voice suddenly rose to an abnormally high pitch.

"OOOHHHHHHHHHH—!"

Second Brother, who was constantly circling at a distance in an attempt to weaken the berserk Boss, could not help roaring when she heard his ghostly howl. "What the hell are you howling about?! If you blocked it, get back here!"

Fourth Brother did not reply. Instead, he spread his arms wide, facing the enormous lava troll as he declared in an even more impassioned tone, "Power—!!! Endless Power is surging through my body!!"

He controlled the scarlet bat swarm beneath his feet, keeping himself steadily afloat in midair. Scarlet energy coiled around him, and his momentum was unmatched for a moment. "If my [Immortal Body] can absorb and convert even an attack of this level... then Boss and I may not be without a chance to fight!!"

The words had barely left his mouth—

SLAP—!!!

A massive lava hand swept over at a speed completely mismatched with its enormous size, swatting at him like a fly.

Fourth Brother, floating in midair, had no time to react. He instantly became a blur and crashed back down between the other two, kicking up a cloud of dust.

Second Brother and Third Brother: "..."

The two silently stared at the human-shaped crater, with Fourth Brother embedded in it in the shape of a spread-eagle.

A few seconds later, Fourth Brother's satisfied moan came from the crater. "I'm... I'm gonna burst... My body... is full of Boss..."

Second Brother walked over and mercilessly shattered his fantasy. "You're not an energy body like Boss, so who are you trying to act tough for? Consider yourself lucky you didn't explode!"

As she spoke, she applied a layer of weakening effect to him, helping calm the chaotic energy inside his body.

"Cough, cough, cough..."

Fourth Brother jolted upright from the crater and shouted at the lava troll. "Boss, you're way too brutal! Do you know how much psychological trauma that slap caused me?!"

ROAR—!!!

The lava troll answered Fourth Brother with another massive hand crashing down.

"Sorry... Boss..."

As Third Brother spoke, countless vines grew forth. Empowered by his skill, they instantly swelled into towering trees.

Like layers of black giant pythons, they coiled and tightened around the huge lava body, firmly imprisoning it in place.

Fourth Brother wiped the sweat burned from his forehead by the heat. Looking at the temporarily restrained Boss, he put on a solemn expression. "Phew... Boss, don't blame us."

"Your power is too great. We have no choice but to seal you away."

Hearing this, Second Brother swung her cursed staff backward without turning around. Fourth Brother nimbly crouched, dodging it.

"Quit making jokes!" Second Brother snapped. "Try directly absorbing Boss's energy. It'll take too long to wear it down through battle!"

Fourth Brother had just stood up when he froze at those words. "Huh? Didn't we already try that? Absorption through skills gets treated as an attack."

Third Brother said, "Second Brother means you shouldn't be constrained by the form of the skill."

"Your skill's absorption effect comes from you. In theory, you can directly absorb Boss's energy too. A skill is merely one way energy manifests."

Fourth Brother fell into thought, a flash of realization appearing in his eyes. "You mean..."

Second Brother kept stacking weakening curses onto the lava troll, shouting without looking back, "Use your brain! Aren't these crooked little tricks what you're best at?"

At that moment, the lava troll bound by the giant trees struggled more and more fiercely. The more it struggled, the more violently its power surged forth.

Its massive body expanded unnaturally under the restraints, producing a grating tearing sound.

The horns on its head had already pierced the cavern ceiling, knocking down huge chunks of rock.

A sharp gleam flashed through Fourth Brother's eyes. He slapped his hands together. "I get it! Just watch!" He turned and placed a hand on Third Brother's back, his tone solemn. "Third Brother! Your skill takes too much control. I've got a more convenient idea. Want to try it?"

"If you have an idea, use it already! Boss's power is growing too fast! I'm having trouble holding it!" Third Brother growled as more giant trees surged forth to reinforce the enormous cocoon.

ROAR—!!!

The roar grew increasingly powerful. The giant trees kept bulging outward, yet they stubbornly refused to break.

The lines of Fourth Brother's face suddenly hardened. Striking a strange pose, he shouted, "Third Brother! The time has come to test the bond between us!"

"What?"

"Your combo skill truly is unbelievably powerful! All those immunity attributes combined with gigantification—it's practically the otherworld version of Wood Release!"

"But!" Fourth Brother abruptly changed tack, his tone turning sorrowful. "It isn't perfect! Do you know what most crucial ability it lacks?"

"What are you trying to say?!"

"Absorption! Absorbing energy!" Fourth Brother finally revealed his true purpose, gesticulating excitedly. "Real Wood Release can absorb an opponent's chakra! That's exactly what we're missing!"

Third Brother waved again, urging more giant trees to grow as he forced out the words through gritted teeth. "Stop talking nonsense! I can't keep this up much longer!"

"Osu! Watch me!" Having received permission, Fourth Brother turned toward the violently shaking giant cocoon and loudly declared, "Boss, watch closely! This is... our blood-boiling combo skill!"

With that, under the shocked gazes of Second Brother and Third Brother, Fourth Brother raised his scythe, then... slashed it fiercely across his own chest.

Blood-Boiling (True)