The ground shakes as a huge crack emerge, red long roots crawl out of the hole and spread around the vicinity.

Unknown-"Krahhh!!!!"

A loud shriek is heard from the emerging unknown red entity, as more root spread around the vicinity, thorn starts to grow all around the root. After a few seconds, a huge red plant bulb crawls out of the hole using its many red roots and root itself on the ground, the middle of its body reveals a secondary layer wrapping something within. Before Tanaka can check its information, a red warning notification appears in front of her.

 

[Warning: Baal interference detected!]

[Shinku No Akuma]

Level: 60

Phase: 1/3

HP: ████████████████████

        ████████████████████

        ████████████████████

Skills:

Unknown

Unknown

 

Kumo hisses at the giant red bulb as if warning her of danger while Vanguard expands itself from a light mithril armor into a heavy version. The red bulb open up slightly and release dozen of red spore around the area, these spore looks distorted and they slowly turn into a small chunk of red matrix code when they have fallen to the ground.

T-"It's the same as those puppets that suicided..."

The spore float around and some landed on the fairy mob, the infected fairy shriek loudly as its pink body starts to change into that of a crimson red. Its eyes glow in red and it grows another pair of wings which resulted in the fairy having two pair of wings, once the infection is completed, the fairy turn toward Tanaka and fire a barrage of 3 magic bolt instead of the usual 1. Tanaka dodged the magic bolt and quickly analyze the infected fairy.

 

[Enraged Flower Fairy]

Level: 32

HP: ████████████████████

Skills:

Multicast

 

T-"It's carnage mode again...."

Tanaka dashes toward the fairy while Kumo fires a toxic shot at its wing, the fairy falls down due to a broken wing and Tanaka uses this chance to smash it with her mallet. Right before the mallet hit, a red tentacle swoop in and knockback Tanaka mallet. She looks in the direction where the tentacle comes from and she realizes that the sunflower monster has also been infected.

 

[Enraged Jakuuna Himawari]

Level: 28

HP: ████████████████████

Skills:

Regeneration

 

T-"Tsk, this is troublesome."

Tanaka gives up on attacking and begin to retreat out the flower field, as she runs around the flower field, more and more fairy is infected and they starts to chase after her. Kumo would constantly fire a toxic shot at a random fairy while Tanaka is running away, creating distance between them and the fairy. As Tanaka ran out of the flower field, she sees a familiar face.

N-"Oh hey, leveling around here?"

T-"Perfect timing, follow me."

Tanaka grabs Nathan's hand and pulls him into the flower field.

N-"Eh? What's this? A kidnapping? Kyah! Somebody help!"

T-"I will punch you."

N-"Hahaha, alright I will stop, but seriously, where are we going anyway."

T-"Less question, use your skill to fend off the fairy magic."

N-"You are scared of a magic bolt...?"

 

Just as Nathan wonders why Tanaka is scared of a weak fairy, a barrage of magic bolts is seen flying toward them. Nathan immediately uses his Aoe shield to defend Tanaka and himself, the bolt bounces off his shield like a pea shooter hitting a wall. Nathan also noticed that the fairy looks unusual. As they arrive at the giant red bulb, Nathan opens his mouth wide as he stares at the bulb.

N-"What in the hell..."

T-"I need your help in killing this thing, don't ask how it appeared, just kill it."

N-"I guess this thing is responsible for the strange fairy huh."

 

Nathan takes out his hammer and creeps toward the red thorny root, the root seems to be not responding to him stepping on it. Tanaka stays behind and commands Vanguard to turn into a bow, she covers Nathan advance together with Kumo. As Nathan gets close to the bulb, the middle part of the bulb starts to glow in red, Nathan looks back at Tanaka and ask.

N-"I have a bad feeling about this."

T-"You scared of a level 60 mob?"

N-"......"

Nathan turns back toward the bulb and smashes it with his hammer, the hammer smash right onto the bulb and it did not respond to the attack. Tanaka is killing off fairy left and right while Nathan is checking the bulb HP.

HP: ████████████████████

        ████████████████████

        ██████▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒

 

N-"Seems safe for now, I am worried about the phase thing though."

T-"Only one way to find out, just keep hitting it- ah fuck!"

Right before Tanaka finishes her sentences, a magic bolt hits her right in the back.

HP: ██████████████▒▒▒▒▒▒

Tanaka turns Vanguard back into armor and a shield, she decided to go full-on defensive. Right at this moment, Nathan has once again swung his hammer at the bulb, this time completely reducing one bar of the bulb HP. Just as the 1st HP bar is depleted, the bulb opens up and reveals a giant red spiral crystal inside. Its root begins to swing right at Nathan in an attempt to brush him off, Nathan responds by activating his guardian skills, rooting himself firmly on the ground and increasing his defense. The root smash right onto Nathan but he still standstill and has taken barely any damage, he then cast a skill that summoned 4 golden hammers that encircles him and hit everything around him.

While Nathan is fending off the roots and attacking the crystal, Tanaka is getting attacked relentlessly by numerous fairy.

T-"Nathan! Little help?"

N-"Hold on!"

Nathan activate a paladin skill that heals every friendly player around the area, Tanaka HP immediately restored to full and she uses this chance to advance and kill a few fairies that have landed to rest. It was at this moment, the crystal starts to crack when its 2nd HP bar depleted.

[Warning: Phase 3 in progress!]

[Shinku No Akuma]

Level: 60

Phase: 3/3

HP: ████████████████████

        ▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒

        ▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒

 

The crystal starts to fall off pieces by pieces until it reveals its core, the core is engraved with the mark of a royal demon the same as the mark engraved on the back of Tanaka's right hand. It radiates in bright red light and fires a fiery blast at Nathan, the blast knocks Nathan back and toward Tanaka, he smashes right onto Tanaka and the both of them fall down on the ground.

T-"Ah, what the heck Nathan, so much for being a Paladin that can't stand his ground!"

N-"Can't blame me... how am I suppose to expect a plant to use fire skills."

Nathan gets up and helps Tanaka up, he then heals both of them while holding his shield up against the direction of the red core.

T-"Got a plan?"

N-"Tons, but I can't get disturbed during the chant."

T-"Buff me with projectile resistance and magic resistance, I can keep the fairy off us for a minute or two."

Nathan nods his head and cast the buff on Tanaka, Tanaka then holds up her shield to defend Nathan back. The fairy relentless barrages of magic bolts hit Tanaka shield and disperse, when a fairy flies to their flank and fire a bolt, Tanaka would change position and fend it off. Nathan seems to be chanting a spell while grabbing the holy symbol hanging by his neck. After a minute has passed, Tanaka buff begins to wear off and she appears to be struggling against the attack, she then turns her head around to check on Nathan.

T-"Are you done yet?"

Nathan looks at her and smiles while nodding, he then raises his shield and points it at the red core.

T-"Ultimate skills - Devastating Holy Ray!"

Nathan's shield shines in a golden glow and a ray of light emerge from his shield, the ray blast toward the core and exploded in bright gold light. As the light subsides, the core appears to be full of crack, and a red unstable lighting surge around it. Nathan kneels down on the ground as he has spent all his mana and stamina to use his ultimate, he pants as he stares at the core HP.

HP: █▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒

        ▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒

        ▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒

Right as he clenches his fist and is frustrated at the fact that he fails to kill off a level 60 mob with his ultimate, Tanaka dash toward the core and swing her mallet right at the core. The core cracks open and explodes into pieces, the fairy around the area being to scream as they slowly turn back into the original pink tint. A notification then shows up in front of Tanaka.

[Shinku No Akuma defeated!]

[You have absorbed the demonic energy!]

Skills learned:

Carnage mode

Hell Blast

['Kumo' has absorbed the demonic energy!]

Strength restored: 50%

[Warning: Baal smiles upon you.]

 

Tanaka then turns around and check on Nathan, Nathan looks at him and gives her a smile.

N-"Whew, nice steal, do I get a share of loot?"

T-"Nope, the last hit is mine, thanks for the help anyway." 

Tanaka smirk as she waves goodbye to Nathan, she then leaves the flower field leaving Nathan alone.

N-"Next time I will create a party first..."

He lies down on the ground as he sighs, a fairy landed next to him, and poke his cheeks.

N-"I am not dead yet, shoo shoo."

The fairy puts a rose next to him and flies away giggling, Nathan then picks up the rose and stares at it. He thought to himself, the new update has made the living being of Gaia more and more lifelike. He then sighs as he logs out of the game.