Chapter 178: Betting with the BOSS
But those were just guesses that required verification.
Even if they turned out to be true, there was still one crucial question: how to lure the BOSS out of range.
With the Nightmare God flying around at such breakneck speed, it seemed impossible. She needed to slow it down—at least stop it from flying around like a hyperactive child.
Yuliya’s eyes darted around and finally fell upon a colossal tree nearby, towering a hundred meters high and several meters wide.
Welcome to Green Shade City, home to many titanic trees.
Once upon a time, the greenery had been infinite, but now these massive trees stood bare, with only lonely trunks and branches left.
But for Yuliya, that was just perfect.
Without hesitation, she activated her acceleration rune and darted towards the tree.
After a brief moment of shock, the Nightmare God picked up speed and zoomed toward Yuliya again.
And so, the tug-of-war began anew.
Soon, Yuliya found herself within the attack range, and the onslaught of projectiles came raining down like confetti at a party, clearing everything in their path.
She weaved and dodged, occasionally countering, or using a teleport to escape.
Finally, she reached the base of the tree and began climbing up the trunk like a squirrel on caffeine.
The Nightmare God, Yekis, wasted no time in following, flying straight up after her.
The battlefield shifted from the ground to mid-air.
Yuliya had to take the hits passively, but thankfully, the tree trunk and branches provided some much-needed cover.
Those pesky projectiles would have to circle around to get to her.
However, climbing vertically was a slower process than running on flat ground, and the distance between her and the BOSS was closing fast, meaning she had to expend more energy dodging its direct attacks.
How to deal with this?
First, dodge. If dodging fails, just tank the damage while simultaneously trying to block and run up.
A hit from a basic attack could deal damage ranging from three to six thousand, depending on her defense.
She had to constantly keep an eye on whether the BOSS would change tactics. If a skill attack launched unexpectedly, she couldn’t face it head-on—one hit could mean game over.
Plus, those projectiles flying around needed to be avoided too.
Yuliya was running on all cylinders, not daring to let her guard down for a second.
To the audience, this intricate dance of attack and defense appeared as—
Two slender black lines spiraling up the tree, darting apart and coming together like a dance of fate.
Sometimes disappearing with a teleport, sometimes circling the tree, and other times weaving between branches.
The remaining projectiles decorated the surroundings, occasionally embracing the tree or swirling along with the black lines.
It looked absolutely stunning.
But in reality, Yuliya was about to unleash a torrent of expletives.
This was beyond human capabilities!
Just then, she felt a subtle change in the atmosphere around her, as if she’d broken through a thin layer of film; the world became suddenly clearer.
After advancing a few more steps and turning around, she saw that the BOSS’s upgrade status had vanished!
It had dropped to level 38.
In an instant, the pressure that had felt like it was about to make her explode suddenly lifted.
The BOSS slowed down, and its attacks became more predictable and easier to dodge.
This was precisely why Yuliya had pushed herself to climb up the tree under such pressure.
Given what she knew about what lay beneath the surface, if she climbed high enough, could she escape the radius of its attacks?
The answer was a resounding yes.
The BOSS’s stats had visibly decreased, but what was the actual situation?
Yuliya decided to give it a try.
She teleported to put some distance between them, then extended her hand to equip the purple sword she had acquired not long before, giving it a light swish.
A wave of sword energy sliced through the air towards the Nightmare God.
The Nightmare God paused for a brief second, then raised its right hand.
bl**d burst forth, forming a sword, and it too slashed out.
The two sword energies collided mid-air.
Ultimately, the Nightmare God had the upper hand.
Surprisingly, instead of being shocked, Yuliya felt a rush of excitement.
She deftly dodged the sword energy’s attack while using her sword to block the Nightmarish approaches.
After their strikes broke apart, Yuliya leveraged the force to climb higher up the tree.
No need to switch weapons; she unleashed her magic while wielding the sword, launching spatial-based attacks at the Nightmare God.
The Nightmare God responded in kind, summoning its own magic.
After a brief stalemate, Yuliya was forced to retreat.
She climbed higher and higher, eventually reaching the very top of the tree—there was nowhere left to go.
With no options left, she leaped off, soaring into the open air.
The Nightmare God, keen on exploiting this perfect opportunity, shifted into high gear and lunged in for a close combat assault.
It could fly; she couldn’t. The aerial battle was definitely its home turf.
A hit, a feint, and then a launch that sent Yuliya’s weapon hurtling away.
With a few more strikes, it shattered her annoying spatial barriers, and the next attack was sure to be lethal!
The Nightmare God wielded its sword overhead, drawing upon dark energies.
It was well-aware that Yuliya had the ability to teleport, but not in rapid succession.
Now, suspended in mid-air, her only means of escape remained that one trick.
It all came down to who could keep their cool.
Either it would strike first and miss her teleport, or she would teleport and lead it to a different location.
In this airborne showdown, the clock was ticking in Yuliya’s favor.
Both locked gazes, serious and intense, not daring to slack off for a moment.
Suddenly, a smirk broke Yuliya’s serious facade as she pointed behind the BOSS and exclaimed, “Look! A gray plane!”
The Nightmare God didn’t understand her words but knew this was a diversion.
Sure enough, the next moment, spatial fluctuations erupted as the little Gold Clan creature prepared to teleport.
Locking onto its energy signature, it shifted to the left and spotted the little creature reappearing atop a branch.
This chapter isn’t quite done yet—click to the next page for more thrilling content!
It quickly raised its sword and unleashed a bl**d moon attack: “bl**d Moon Slash!”
But at the same moment, Yuliya also shouted, “Cut off!”
As the bl**d Moon took shape and was about to unleash its full force, the Nightmare God suddenly felt a chill from behind; before it could react, a piercing pain shot through its mind.
The charged bl**d Moon attack crumbled under the sudden shock.
At this moment, it turned just in time to catch a glimpse of a sword floating in the air—the very same one it had knocked away.
In perfect sync, the sword spun around and hurtled toward Yuliya.
“Don’t say I ambushed you,” Yuliya said, catching the sword mid-air and waving it around, “I did warn you; you just didn’t look!”
As a qualified mage, wielding sword techniques should be normal, right?
“Oh, and here’s another tip: don’t just stand there; you’re about to fall! Naturally, I won’t be just standing here either—so, see ya!”
And in the next blink, she activated her teleportation, vanishing from sight.
When she reappeared, it was amongst the ruins that the Nightmare God had nearly flattened.
And in the distance, a bewildered cry echoed from the upper reaches of the giant tree.
It sounded like a mix of fear and exhilaration.
Yuliya executed her “Cut Off,” aiming directly for the wings. Within the confines of the spatial blockade, even if the Nightmare God’s injuries healed, its wings wouldn’t be able to spread.
Taking a casual glance, Yuliya bolted away.
In the game, if you fall from a height of over a hundred meters, you’d only lose a sliver of health, and the Nightmare God would inevitably pursue her again after a short adjustment.
Sure enough, she hadn’t sprinted far when a deafening explosion echoed behind her.
Crimson energy erupted, engulfing a vast area of houses and land.
Yuliya didn’t look back and sprinted away at full speed.
