Chapter 68: Third Phase

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Daniela panicked the moment she saw Noir being struck by the Fallen King’s Cursed Weapon. The black wolf was knocked aside with a sharp cry, but he quickly re-emerged at her side, slightly wounded and whimpering in clear pain.

"Noir! I’ll heal you!" she called out urgently and immediately began pouring the potions she had brought along over his injuries. Soft green light spread across the wolf’s dark fur as the wounds slowly closed.

"Tsk! This is getting too much. Daniela, don’t stop firing your weapons!" Riven ordered sharply. "Now, where the hell is your core, big guy?"

"DIE!!!" the King roared, having completely lost any remaining patience. His three Cursed Weapons rushed at Riven from every direction at once, aiming to tear him apart.

But Riven disappeared in a single instant. The weapons sliced through empty air and were unable to find him at all.

A sharp pain suddenly flared in the King’s back. The large wounds Daniela had already created with her relentless Weapon Throwing had opened a clear path toward his hollow thorax.

Inside that empty chest cavity, a massive orb pulsed and constantly released thick waves of nether and ghostly energy. The true target of this hunt was never the King himself, but the heart that powered him.

Through the combined effects of Veil of Invisibility, Abyssal Assault, Blade of Thousand Poisons, and Frost Emperor’s Touch, Riven unleashed a sharp and precise thrusting motion with Fenrir’s Fang. The blade slid cleanly between the exposed ribs and drove straight toward the glowing core.

"N-NO!!!"

The King panicked. His remaining weapons moved at lightning speed in a desperate attempt to stop Riven from destroying the heart, but he was already a second too late. Three SS-Rank Weapons, each far stronger than anything the King possessed, were suddenly thrown in their direction. The Cursed Weapons exploded into glittering fragments upon impact, leaving the King completely speechless.

"HUH?! I-IMPOSSIBLE...!"

Daniela winked at the King with a confident smile. Noir was already restored to full health and descended with her, helping her dart across the battlefield while her Weapon Throw continued raining explosive attacks down on the boss without pause.

"NNGAAAAHHHH!"

The King screamed in pure rage and stomped the ground with tremendous force. Giant pillars of ghostly fire erupted from underground and surged upward, constantly assaulting both Daniela and Noir as they moved.

Meanwhile, Riven had already reached the open thorax. His sword was buried deep inside.

"AH!"

The King had completely forgotten about him for those critical seconds because Daniela and Noir had successfully distracted him. Without a working brain or eyes to process information faster and conjure magic properly, he was simply unable to keep up with everything happening at once.

"It’s over, old man."

Crack, crack...!

"NOOOOOOOOOO!!!"

CRAAASH!

His core exploded into countless sharp pieces, and a massive explosion of ghostly flames erupted from within with terrifying force. Riven was sent flying away at high speed, crashing hard into the ground and rolling across the rough surface several times. He resisted the impact with his transformed form, his skin turning metallic and his body growing heavier as he gasped desperately for air. He vomited a thick mouthful of blood while his soul ached with intense, burning pain. He had clearly reached the absolute limit of how much soul damage he could still endure.

"Riven! We did it!" Daniela celebrated with bright eyes, believing the fight was finally finished.

"No!" Riven shouted back, his voice rough and strained. "I told you it wasn’t over until we confirmed it. Stay back!"

"!!!"

Daniela felt the sudden presence at the exact same moment as Riven.

From the shattered remains of the core, a massive ghost emerged and expanded rapidly in every direction. Giant eyes, countless hands, and gaping mouths appeared all at once across its writhing form.

Magic circles began to form everywhere in the air, already starting to conjure waves of destructive magic!

"YOU WILL PAY!"

"I WILL SEND YOU STRAIGHT TO HELL...!"

"HOW DARE YOU DESTROY THIS KING’S VESSEL!!!"

"DIE! DIE! DIE! DIE! DIE!"

It was a rare third phase — the Fallen King’s Soul itself! Riven had failed by only a hair’s breadth to destroy the soul completely because of the violent explosion of ghostly energies that had hurled him backward. This was the dangerous result of that small failure.

"Good thing I saved this one," Riven sighed while spitting another mouthful of dark blood onto the ground. "World of Silence."

TRUUUM!

"?!"

And then, there was complete silence.

Not a single sound could be heard anywhere on the battlefield.

"...!!!"

The King realized what had happened far too late. His magic circles... disappeared one after another. His magic, which relied entirely on chanting and careful conjuration rather than pure skills, was completely shut down.

"This is satisfying," said Riven, licking his wolf-like mouth with a cold smile. "Shall we finish this already?!"

"!!!"

The King wanted to scream in rage, but no sound could escape him. In a last desperate attempt to battle for the survival of his soul, he forced his ghostly form to materialize into dozens of enormous spectral fists. He unleashed a literal rain of crushing punches upon both Riven and Daniela.

However, that desperate choice made things much easier for them. Because he had fully materialized his soul, Daniela’s Weapon Throw could now strike him directly. She threw dozens of swords, daggers, axes, and spears with her small but extremely dexterous hands. Each weapon generated bright golden explosions that sometimes resembled beautiful yet deadly fireworks in the dark air.

BOOOM! BOOOM! BOOOM! BOOOM!

"NNGNGHHHH...!"

The King’s Soul Pressure began to exert immense force against the surrounding space. He was clearly attempting to destroy the World of Silence Domain through pure willpower alone.

But Riven held the Domain firmly together with everything he had left. He forced himself forward and finally reached the glowing crystallization of the King’s soul — his second core, the true heart of his ghostly form — which had now become fully visible.

Riven avoided as many of the giant punches as he could, although several still struck his body and burned him with spectral soul fire. The pain in his soul grew sharper with every hit, yet he kept moving forward without stopping. Higher, higher, and higher he climbed as he kicked off the ground, leaped across the King’s partially materialized body, and then pierced straight through the ghostly torso.

Then, without wasting another second, he combined his skills into a powerful synergy ability.

Decapitating Death Blade – Azrael.

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