### Chapter 187: The Boss is Cheating!
They found the underground entrance, and players flooded in like locusts.
Once inside, they began to grab everything in sight.
If it was movable, it was getting stuffed away with no hesitation!
That’s just how the player group operates.
Out in the open, they wouldn’t so much as scratch the surface. After all, what’s the use of picking things up if they can’t actually take them?
But in this event dungeon? They had to clean out every last bit!
Who knows, maybe something might reward points? Even mosquito legs would do!
As for the dangers and challenges underground? Please! Compared to the BOSS outside, those were mere trifles! Not a single coward in sight!
The exploration of the underground was left to others, while Fiery Conflict and a few others stayed back in the inner city area, keeping a close eye on the BOSS’s movements.
The BOSS seemed to realize its underground turf was invaded, losing its mind and charging crazily toward the Royal City Area like a wild beast.
But the wall blocking its path looked low—actually, it was like scaling Mount Everest! No amount of effort would help it cross!
The defensive team always feels more comfortable than the attacking team in equal conditions. Earlier, Yuliya had faced some pressure, and it made things a bit frantic.
But now? She was as relaxed as someone taking a leisurely stroll, completely at ease.
She even had the time to appreciate the Nightmare God flailing around like it was going through some sort of existential crisis.
About half an hour passed when, suddenly, there was a sound like breaking glass at the edge of the Royal City Area.
A wide-ranging, crisp, and loud noise!
Everyone, including Yuliya, snapped to attention and stepped back to observe the Nightmare God’s state.
At that exact moment, the Nightmare God stopped dead in its tracks, as if it were a puppeteer’s marionette had its strings cut.
Then, it started to screech, wail, and roll around on the ground like it lost its marbles.
Continuous cries echoed through the desolate surroundings, floating into the players’ ears.
It sounded like the tortured cries of the living, or the menacing curses of the dead.
A chilling wind swept through, making everyone shiver and their hair stand on end.
Just when the eerie atmosphere peaked, everything abruptly vanished, as if it had never been there!
The BOSS slowly stood up, emotions calm, movements steady, returning to that cold indifference it had when first appearing.
Only, this time, its eyes had changed from bl**d-red to a golden hue.
Yuliya furrowed her brow; those golden eyes made her feel incredibly uneasy.
She narrowed her eyes and stared back, trying to find out why they made her uncomfortable.
Suddenly, someone shouted, “Heads up! The BOSS is at half health! It’s entering a new phase!”
Only then did Yuliya pull her gaze from the Nightmare God’s entrancing eyes, looking at its overall condition.
Health at 50%, but all other stats? “????”
What on earth was that supposed to be?
Before Yuliya could ponder it, the BOSS changed again.
Its body began to shrink, going from a height of over 1.7 meters down to just 1.4.
If it weren’t for some physical features that still resembled the original Nightmare God, nobody would have linked the two.
Next, the Nightmare God raised its right hand with a sword, striking a pose that Yuliya found a bit familiar, while also mumbling to itself.
In the next moment, it vanished.
Yuliya was taken aback, instinctively drawing her sword to block.
Clang!
Though she managed to deflect it, Yuliya was still sent staggering back.
As she turned, she realized another attack was heading straight for her head.
Yuliya activated her blink, adjusting her position while also striking back.
The attack landed, and the Nightmare God was sent flying backward.
Yet, the shock in Yuliya’s heart didn’t decrease; if anything, it skyrocketed.
She distinctly heard the Nightmare God call out: “Golden Seven Styles – Shadow Strike,” and “Golden Nine Styles – Beheading.”
And the reason it was caught off guard for a hit at that moment was that, ridiculously, it tried to dodge like Yuliya but failed.
This BOSS just stole my skill?!!!
Before Yuliya could process that, the Nightmare God made another move. It lifted both swords high, points aimed forward.
Seeing this setup, Yuliya’s heart dropped.
She bellowed, “Everyone, evade!”
She too raised her sword high.
“Golden Four Styles – Open the Heavens!”
The next moment, two beams of white light shot into the sky, then simultaneously slammed down toward the ground.
The two attacks collided fiercely, mutually annihilating each other.
But the light spread out in a conical shape, increasing the range the further out it went.
Though Yuliya forcibly countered with the same move, the expanding attack was out of her control.
And since she had launched her attack just a tad too late, she suffered some injuries from the clash.
As for the players behind her? Well, they were left to fend for themselves.
The moment this transpired, the live room exploded.
“This BOSS looks just like the Wind God! From size to skills, even the attack speed might be a match!”
“The Wind God got hit! This is her first injury since she brought the BOSS out!”
“Honestly, what can you do? The first two skills were fine; after all, the Wind God used them before, so it could have learned them. But the third skill? The Wind God never used that!”
“This situation is dire! It’s really bad! If the BOSS truly copied the Wind God but still has its own health, that’s outright cheating!”
“Even the Wind God couldn’t defeat a copy of herself with thirty times her health and vastly more blue mana!”
The players on-site were even more stunned after the chaos had subsided.
They could feel the power of that previous strike more viscerally.
Even after the Wind God managed to negate ninety percent of the impact, the remaining ten percent still led to dozens of deaths on the spot and hundreds more injured.
Too darn insane!
Fiery Conflict had some luck, being out of the attack path.
He watched the situation spiral out of control, immediately ordering: “Retreat!”
But to his surprise, the BOSS changed direction and charged straight at them!
What the heck? Didn’t the aggro always stick with the Wind God? When does it just reset aggro like this?!
Yuliya darted forward to block.
The two started to engage in a duel.
Each strike, each move, every sword dance was eerily similar.
The sound of their blades clashing rang out continuously, sword winds scattering and slicing everything in their path to bits.
Both moved at breakneck speed, their figures interweaving like two beams of light crashing against each other on the plains.
With each collision, heaps of debris and dust flew into the air.
Players and viewers often followed the dust’s trail, but every time they turned, they saw nothing but afterimages, the real bodies long gone.
Somehow, the Nightmare God kept inching closer to where other players were.
Yet Yuliya, no matter what it intended to do, would not let it follow through, fiercely pushing it back out.
