Chapter 2330: The Opening

"What a mess," Shin muttered as he watched chaos engulf the entire battlefield.

Following the Heavenly Dominator’s opening attack, the entire frontline had fallen into disarray. The sheer power of the Semi-World Boss had left even the most experienced players momentarily shaken.

Fortunately, everyone gathered here was an expert in their own right. They quickly recovered from their initial shock and began reorganizing their forces.

Realizing that a direct confrontation against the Heavenly Dominator was all but impossible, the raid leaders immediately adjusted their strategies.

This time, they adopted a rotation-based tactic, taking turns drawing the boss’s attention and redirecting its aggro from one group to another. By constantly shifting its focus, they hoped to prevent the Heavenly Dominator from concentrating its attacks on any single area for too long.

Although these players belonged to different factions, they were all top experts who understood the fundamentals of large-scale raids.

Some were rivals. Others were outright archenemies. However, none of those grudges mattered at the moment.

It would be foolish to waste their strength fighting one another when an overwhelming enemy stood directly before them.

If they wanted to claim any rewards from this event, they first had to find a way to bring down the absurdly powerful Semi-World Boss.

For the time being, they had to set aside their prejudices and settle their grudges later. Their immediate priority was to defeat the Heavenly Dominator.

Unfortunately, the monster seemed to have other plans.

Unlike the Monster Bosses these players had encountered before, the Heavenly Dominator was far more intelligent than they had anticipated.

It didn’t simply attack whichever group was dealing the most damage. Instead, it seemed capable of recognizing the true threats among the countless players surrounding it.

And those threats weren’t necessarily the ones inflicting the most damage.

The Heavenly Dominator began targeting the leading figures among the assembled forces—the very people responsible for commanding their respective groups and coordinating the raid.

ROAR!

BANG! BANG! BANG!

Its sudden change of targets threw the raid leaders into disarray.

Who wouldn’t panic when a monster of such colossal proportions suddenly turned its attention toward them?

Their carefully coordinated rotations began to fall apart as they scrambled to evade its attacks, while their subordinates struggled to adjust to the sudden changes in command.

Before long, the confusion spread throughout the battlefield, triggering a chain reaction that plunged the entire raid into chaos.

What made the situation even worse was that the Heavenly Dominator didn’t need to rely on any special Skills to wreak havoc.

Its sheer size and overwhelming physical strength were already more than enough.

It swung its massive arms, crushing anyone caught beneath them while sending others flying with sweeping blows. Every movement threatened to tear apart the formations the players had painstakingly established.

At this point, most players would rather be sent flying than get caught directly beneath one of its enormous arms.

At least those who were thrown into the air still had a chance to survive.

They could adjust their positions midair, use movement Skills to escape the immediate danger, or even drink Health Potions while airborne, provided they survived the initial impact.

Their teammates could also cast healing spells on them before they hit the ground.

However, anyone crushed beneath the Heavenly Dominator’s massive arms would most likely be doomed.

Even if their Priests managed to revive them during the battle and mitigate some of the penalties associated with death, the consequences were still difficult to accept.

After all, losing a substantial portion of their accumulated Experience Points was a punishment no high-level player could afford to take lightly.

...

Shin wasn’t the only one who recognized how disastrous the situation had become.

The other peak god-level experts present had also realized that the Heavenly Dominator was far more troublesome than an ordinary Monster Boss, especially given its unusually high level of intelligence.

Among them was Emperor Dream, the Guild Leader of Illusion Dream.

Judging from the equipment he wore, he was a Knight-type combatant.

However, unlike the bulky suits of armor favored by most Knights, his equipment was lighter and more flexible, allowing for greater freedom of movement without sacrificing its defensive capabilities.

Its craftsmanship was also far beyond that of ordinary players’ equipment. Intricate patterns adorned its surface, while its exquisite design gave off a majestic aura.

Wearing such equipment, Emperor Dream looked less like an ordinary player and more like a sovereign who had ruled an empire during ancient times.

He stood some distance away from the center of the battlefield, where the Heavenly Dominator was currently wreaking havoc.

After observing the battle for quite a while, Emperor Dream finally broke the silence.

"This Semi-World Boss... based on its current display of strength, it should be somewhere between a Lord-Rank and an Overlord-Rank Monster Boss that could be found at Awakened Continent."

Beside him, Divine Soul, the Guild Leader of Mirage Soul, stepped forward.

He wore a set of high-class mage equipment, and his expression remained considerably calmer than that of his companion. "We can’t be certain of that just yet."

He paused to observe the ongoing battle before continuing. "If we judge it solely by its Stats and intelligence, then it might barely meet the minimum requirements for that level of classification."

He narrowed his eyes slightly as the Heavenly Dominator swept another group of players aside. "However, we’re still missing the most crucial information about this creature. Until we understand its full capabilities, we can’t accurately determine its true abilities."

"Tsk!" Emperor Dream clicked his tongue in frustration. "Because of this Semi-World Boss, I’ve had to postpone my plans to return to the Awakened Continent and continue the Main Quest Scenario I received from that Old NPC."

He frowned slightly before sweeping his gaze across the battlefield. "Who would’ve thought this event would turn out to be so troublesome?"

After observing the situation for another moment, Emperor Dream noticed that the other peak god-level experts still had no intention of making their moves.

"Those guys don’t seem to be in any hurry to act," he muttered, furrowing his brows. "Are they planning to wait until all those cannon fodders are wiped out before finally stepping in?"

Emperor Dream was a busy man, and his time was limited. He had no intention of wasting the entire day on an event that was supposed to be nothing more than a diversion from his main objectives.

"Should we make our move first, Senior?" he asked, turning toward Divine Soul.

Despite the Heavenly Dominator’s overwhelming strength, Emperor Dream remained confident that the assembled peak god-level experts would eventually be able to bring it down if they worked together.

It might require considerable effort, but it was certainly possible.

All they needed was someone willing to take the initiative and ignite the others’ fighting spirit.

Unfortunately, Divine Soul shook his head. "There is no need for you to be the opening act, Young Master."

He gestured toward the rampaging Heavenly Dominator before continuing. "The monster hasn’t even shown us its true capabilities yet."

"So far, it has relied primarily on its physical strength, using basic movements and straightforward attack patterns to overwhelm the players surrounding it."

Divine Soul paused for a moment, his gaze following the monster as it swung its enormous arm across the battlefield. "There’s no reason for us to reveal our abilities prematurely when we still haven’t seen what this creature is truly capable of."

He then turned toward Emperor Dream and calmly concluded, "Let’s wait a little longer. We can make our move once the situation gives us a clearer picture of its strength."

...

Similar discussions were taking place in other parts of the battlefield, where the remaining peak god-level experts were gathered.

In the end, they all tacitly agreed to wait until they had a clearer understanding of the Monster Boss’s capabilities.

Although they were eager to challenge such an overwhelming opponent, they understood the importance of choosing the right moment to make their move.

Besides, they weren’t the only ones capable of taking the initiative.

There were always a few impatient individuals willing to test the waters first.

...

ROAR!

The Heavenly Dominator continued to wreak havoc across the battlefield, trampling and slaughtering anyone unfortunate enough to remain in its path.

More importantly, it continued prioritizing the players directing the raid, repeatedly targeting the leaders responsible for issuing commands and coordinating their respective forces.

BOOM!

The colossal gorilla suddenly slammed both arms into the ground, unleashing a tremendous shockwave that swept across the surrounding battlefield and sent countless players flying.

The impact also kicked up an enormous amount of sand, creating a thick cloud of dust that rapidly spread across the area and obscured everyone’s vision.

The players caught in the blast were still struggling to recover when the Heavenly Dominator launched another series of attacks.

BANG! BANG! BANG!

Its massive palms and fists swept through the obscured battlefield, crushing anyone who failed to escape in time.

The screams of the unfortunate players were quickly drowned out by the thunderous impacts as the Heavenly Dominator continued its relentless rampage.

However, just as another enormous fist was about to descend upon the battlefield, a brilliant streak of light suddenly shot through the dust cloud.

Swoosh!

The attack struck the Heavenly Dominator’s shoulder with astonishing precision.

BANG!

The impact was so powerful that the colossal gorilla was forced to halt its movements momentarily.

For the first time since the battle began, the Heavenly Dominator had been stopped in its tracks, finally giving the surviving players a brief opportunity to catch their breath.

However, what truly caught everyone’s attention was the enormous damage number that suddenly appeared above the monster’s head.

(-202,323)

Although the damage was still negligible compared with the Heavenly Dominator’s massive, multilayered Health Bar, the significance of the attack was impossible to ignore.

After all, most of the players gathered here had barely managed to inflict four-digit damage numbers despite unleashing some of their strongest attacks.

Yet someone had just dealt more than two hundred thousand damage with a single strike!

The surrounding players immediately turned toward the direction from which the attack had come.

A single thought emerged in their minds.

One of the monstrous individuals present on the battlefield had finally made a move!

......