Chapter 107 - Flawless Execution

”Welp… Valor’el just had to offer his help. Although, I guess that’s pretty much the only choice, given that there are no other guilds around. I suppose I’ll help too.” ~Shallies Mythernal

Yoshelle watched in both worry and disbelief as three people approached the Ancient Storm Dragon Horror. She might’ve understood two double Favored class holders being able to hold their own against a boss monster, for a shorter time, but could they really last for an entire day?

The current plan sounded nothing short of insane, and the only justification for everyone involved to agree to it was the fact that one of these three people was a student of the Godkiller. Though there were actually two of them.

Despite Phey’lan not being one of those people, Valor’el vouching for her experience, coupled with her involvement in multiple Divine Wars and her direct connection with the Godkiller, pretty much implied the same thing.

And then there was Shallies. A Hero class halfsie. Through all logic and reasoning, someone like her had no right being all confident standing off against a Raid Boss. And yet, the Guiding Star’s strides told no signs of fear or nervousness. She was all smiles, giving support to the other two while even bantering with them nonchalantly.

It was a spectacle to see, something that inspired not only Yoshelle, but every member of the guild. They watched in awe, awaiting for the signal so that they could pass through the boss’s lair freely and deal with the Raid Pillars.

Everyone knew what was at stake. The news of Laika’s whereabouts had spread through the entire guild. Even Krevan, who had been miraculously keeping up with the raid, knew that their only hope of saving their friend was to push on, and to finish what they had started. And that meant focusing on their roles.

No one was allowed to interfere or help the people engaging the dragon. Everyone else had to be ready to depart as soon as possible.

Valor’el attacked first, dashing in with his Mana Armor active. And instead of holding a greatsword, he opted for a shorter one with a shield. Both pieces of Mythical rarity equipment glowed with concentrated mana.

Divine mana.

Stellar mana, she assumed.

Yoshelle had only read about it in dusty tomes. Her parents did possess Mythical-tier heirlooms, ones that they were slowly introducing to her. But not even any of those were made of Stellar mana.

It was said that some extremely gifted, talented, and hardworking people could eventually create their own Stellar mana. It was a feat that she had long since admitted to being completely out of her reach. She couldn’t even master the Perpetual Method, something that even Shallies’ students could do. Though she wasn’t quick to admit that she could never break past her ceiling, she wasn’t confident enough to claim that it would be possible for her either.

Valor’el made contact, officially starting the grudgingly long fight and unintentionally bringing back Yoshelle to the present.

The Storm Dragon Horror roared, multiple eyes moving in their own separate patterns. It determined all the threats in its lair, including the people of the Gaiamaxims Guild, who were all keeping their distance. From its wings, mana concentrated before unleashing multiple black lightning blasts with a thundering boom.

The lightning strikes traveled in odd patterns. They were slower when compared to the real ones, and in the middle of their path, they broke into branches, creating even more attacks. Yoshelle had an inkling that there was one lightning strike for each person in the lair.

Then they all snapped, freezing in the air. And then with another boom, they flew straight towards their targets.

Like everyone else, Yoshelle had deployed her defensive spell. They weren’t just about to sit there and let the attacks hit them.

But the lightning didn’t come.

They froze in the air once more, and this time, stayed frozen. Rather than intentionally staying there, however, they looked like something was strangling them. Yoshelle looked at the floor and saw glowing runes, making a border which trapped the lightning strikes in place.

“That’s Isoworld!” someone from the guild exclaimed. Yoshelle turned to see one of their Favored class holders being in genuine awe. Confirmations and gasps of disbelief echoed throughout the guild. The Guild Princess only knew the skill by name and its description. And based on what she was seeing alone, she could believe it to be true.

If this is really Isoworld, then that means, Valor’el is a World Hero!

It was the only Favored class that didn’t need a god’s help for ascension. They were Ysvil’s chosen, contacted by the world herself. It was said that there could only be one new holder of this class every century. And they were all directly connected not just to the world, but to the Godkiller as well.

Yoshelle felt silly. She couldn’t believe she even doubted them. Though she knew very little of World Heroes, the name of the class alone brought enough confidence, not just in her, but to everyone else.

The signal was sent, and just like that, everyone was on their way.

“I think they’re gone, Lady Shallies.”

The Guiding Star squinted her eyes, making accusatory looks toward Valor’el. Of course, the seraph was too busy dealing with the Storm Dragon Horror to notice her.

“Do you think we should just take care of the boss monster?” he continued as he blocked every attack from the dragon.

“If you can do that, sure,” she said sarcastically while casting multiple Starfires to disrupt the boss monster’s attacks. “If we can’t justify the kill with just you and Phey’lan, then they’ll really be suspicious of me. Besides, you suggested this strategy, so you take point in all the decision making.”

“Apologies!” Valor’el started, unleashing a flurry of sharpened mana waves at the dragon. “I had no idea you were waiting for Maxims to sort things out his way.”

Shallies sighed, crossing her arms. She ignored the lightning bolt coming her way, which Phey’lan quickly deflected.

“It’s fine, it’s better this way anyway. But I still don’t think it’s a good idea if I’m the one to defeat it. Actually, I don’t think we should defeat it so soon. We might tip-off whoever’s on the higher floor. It’s better to play it safe. We don’t want to get caught off guard.”

“Understood,” Valor’el said.

“Well, I don’t mind playing with this dragon for a while,” Phey’lan said. “It’ll get tired at some point, and then we can all take a break.”

“Before that, better block that ultra-wide skill,” Shallies said, pointing at the dragon.

Two more heads sprouted from the base of its neck, all roaring with fury. Black lightning coalesced in its surroundings, creating multiple concentrated spots. Whirling noises accompanied the screaming thunder. And as the energies reached their bursting point, the Storm Dragon Horror’s heads unleashed a deafening bellow.

Flashes of darkness arrived with the boom as all the coalesced lightning exploded. Pitch black darkness, as if it was something that forcefully closed one’s eyes.

Shallies didn’t fret. With a single step, she spiked her mana-control to godly levels, pushing it with blinding speed and decisive precision. While it would be possible for her to negate something so powerful with brute force, her mastery with all things mana, and full understanding of the attack allowed her to simply finesse it away.

The darkness subsided, leaving her completely unharmed. From there, she saw Valor’el and Phey’lan standing unscathed, as if the attack had completely missed them.

Shallies smiled proudly.

Looks like there’s nothing for me to worry about.

Even after a week had passed, Yoshelle still couldn’t believe how Shallies and the others had managed to handle the dragon on their own. It made sense, that after a while, the boss monster would also need to take a rest. And with Isoworld active, it had no choice but to stay in its lair.

After an entire day of fighting, even the guild couldn’t manage an attempt to try and finish it off. The pillars were giving it an advantage, making it risky to fight the boss monster while not in full strength. But now that there was only one left, people were talking of leaving it alone and just going straight for the dragon today.

“We’ve already taken care of four out of five Raid Pillars. It’ll only be twenty percent stronger,” Maxims began, discussing his plan with the seraphim. “I know you can handle the Storm Dragon Horror, but we’ve already asked you for too much. My people are eager to fight it. They’re ready.”

Yoshelle observed Valor’el make a quick glance towards Shallies. Something she found odd. She had seen previous cases before, and a few of them were in this raid. It was like he was asking her for permission.

Why would a Favored class holder ask a Hero class holder?

Her guess was that she was the genius of the group. The one that the Godkiller had wanted to raise as the best of them all, all the way to probably taking her place. But sadly, Shallies had ended up with different plans in life, though that didn’t demolish any of the respect that her fellow students had for her.

While Yoshelle was wandering in her own world, the discussion between the leaders became somewhat heated. Valor’el was more in favor of leaving nothing to chance and destroying the last pillar. Maxims was pushing his own idea. With such straightforward goals between the two strategies, there wasn’t going to be much of a compromise to settle into.

She noticed Valor’el looked to Shallies once more, and then he finally sighed.

“Alright,” said the seraph. “If that’s what the guild truly wants, then it’ll be our objective for today. The numbers don’t lie, however, Guildmaster Maxims. Twenty percent is still a lot, given the power level of this monster. It’ll be hitting you for far more than what you expect. If your defenses can’t keep up, I still highly recommend that you adapt your strategy and get to the final pillar.”

“That sounds like a plan,” Maxims agreed.

Yoshelle could feel her father’s determination. He had been feeling really guilty taking advantage of a World Hero, and now this was their chance to end the struggle. He had even told everyone in secret that they intended to give all the boss monster’s loot to the seraphim, and of course, Shallies as well, who had garnered quite the attention.

People had been asking her nonstop how she had managed to keep up with two other double Favored class holders. And she had been patient in answering them. By now, everyone knew the power that the Perpetual Method could provide. But not everyone was so eager to unlearn all they had managed to cultivate just so they could start over again from scratch.

Yoshelle was simply happily watching on the side, glad that her friend was finally being recognized for her genius.

We’re friends, right?

“She’ll be teaching a few of our potential talents in the future,” Coraline commented, looking at Shallies, who was bashfully scratching the back of her head. “We might only choose our fledgling Advanced class holders, but if anyone here’s interested, don’t be shy to apply. Of course, that’s after we’ve ironed out all the details.”

“Alright everyone!” Maxims called out, gathering his people. “We’ll be fighting the Storm Dragon Horror today. Just like the previous days, it looks like it’s been able to fully recover, despite having lost access to some of its pillars. Expect it to hit harder than usual, especially with its ultra-wide skills. Coraline will constantly monitor the guild’s status. If we’re on the back foot, we’ll strategically retreat and destroy the last pillar. But if we have the advantage, there’ll be no hesitation before finishing it off. Understood?”

The guild collected its courage and bravado, echoing a determined roar that made the camp shake.

Everyone gathered in front of the lair. The Storm Dragon Horror was already aware of their approach. It roared inside the Isoworld, challenging the guild to fight it. And it was smart enough to not waste its energy destroying the limiting threshold. While it was possible, the effort it would take to do so would drain it before the fight even started.

However, the dragon had seen the guild move past its territory multiple times, and each time, it had grown more and more furious. Now, they wouldn’t disappoint.

Yoshelle was in front of the crowd, standing beside her father as they led the charge.

As soon as they entered the Isoworld, the dragon went airborne and unleashed a flurry of black lightning attacks. People quickly deployed their maneuvers, scattering in order to divide the monster’s attention as much as possible.

Maxims and Valor’el engaged on the frontlines, taunting the boss monster, and forcing it to leave its side open. People made sure to stay away from its tails, which flailed around aggressively on its back.

The fight started in chaos, but the concentration everyone displayed quickly allowed for an organized engagement to settle in. It didn’t take long for Coraline to make her announcement.

“We’re keeping up with the damage! We can handle it!”

Encouraged by those words, people went into action. Yoshelle sent her attacks proactively, aiming purposefully at the dragon’s limbs in an attempt to make it lose its balance.

She was so focused on dealing damage that her tunnel-vision caused her to not notice a rift opening at her side. She saw too late, and she could feel it pulling her.

She was falling into the rift.

Then a hand pulled her in the other direction.

Shallies.

“Make sure you kill it!” she said, smiling as jumped into the rift. “I’ll bring Laika back!”

It was all too fast. Yoshelle stood there staring at an empty space. No one else seemed to have noticed that she was gone.

The dragon roared once again. And though she was in tears, the Guild Princess pulled herself together and returned to the fight, now more desperate than ever.