Azimuth: The Elden Throne

Chapter 306: Closing the Curtains

306 Closing the Curtains

—-------------

/Shuaa!/

"Ugh! Brace for impact!!"

'Shield Wall!!!'

With the ground just a few dozen meters from them, the Heroes used their lifesaving Skills to resist the fall.

The Tank pulled in the Priestess, as she had nothing to protect herself with, at least, not in her current weakened state.

The mage had already flown to the side, a bit far from the others as what he was about to do was a bit dangerous…

/Spark…/

He pointed his staff downward, casting a massive fireball onto the ground.

/BOOOM!/

The recoil from the surging wave of Mana was so great it reduced his falling speed just enough for him to hit the ground like a hit falling face-first onto the sand.

""...""

Meanwhile, the Assassin and the Thief looked at each other, nodding silently.

/Poof!/

They both vanished into a cloud of smoke, reappearing on the ground as they slid sideways.

Their clothes were now completely dirty and their hair was in disarray, but they looked at each other with proud smiles as they did a fist bump.

However, when they looked above, seeing the massive rock that was about to fall, their expressions turned cold...

...

At the same time above...

"Sigh, this is going to hurt… Hey, wanna bet on who's going to get hurt the least?" "... Shut the fuck up… Besides, we both know it's me."

Next to the Tank and the Priestess, the Swordsman taunted the Hero wielding the Ax, but amidst his provocations, the rock they stood on crashed against the ground.

/BAAAAAAAAAAAAAAM!/

Like a meteor crashing against the earth, the rock reached the bottom of the mysterious trench surrounding the Arena.

Though it was too much to assume they were still underneath it as this was an entirely new world… "..."

Meanwhile, from up above, the Archer overlooked his companions as they vanished into a cloud of smoke that reached the skies.

'That ought to have hurt… Sigh.'

'It's a bit of a shame that I can't bring others with me, but this damned Skill can only support myself, unfortunately.'

'Well… That's what they get for only going after weapons.'

'A sword is only as good as the skill of its holder, they should've searched for more appropriate accessories instead of ones that reinforce their own abilities.'

'Because when you're faced with something you can't resolve with them, you're left with nothing but brute-forcing your way through it, or thinking outside the box.'

'And while armor is good too, there's probably no one that can wear anything of such caliber efficiently, so it only ends up becoming a hassle to carry around.'

"I prefer to have more options as my abilities alone are enough." He said with a nod

[Seven-league Boots (Folk Legend)

Rating: 8.5-Star

Depending on the surface in contact with the Boots +1 to a random Stat up to ???

Any surface wider than the sole of the boots can be stood on without damaging the wearer.

As long as distance can be measured, there is nowhere you can't stand.

???

…

Gives the temporary Skills: Walk 7-Star, Leap 7-Star, Jump 7-Star… Seven-Fold Dimensional Movement 8-Star, Seven-league Step 8.5-Star.

… Requirements: All Stats >= 200

???

Description: …

???

]

One of the Legendary pieces of equipment Dale had previously spotted.

A pair of supporting boots with little to no offensive or defensive Skills, but a lot of movement and scaping Skills.

In particular, one of its Skills, Seven-Fold Dimensional Movement, allowed him to either multiply his movement speed or decrease it by a factor of up to Seven.

And that was how he was falling so "Slowly" because while everyone fell at Terminal Velocity, he easily controlled his speed to only a seventh of that, which was about the speed of his running.

Better this than to fall head first at the speed of a Supercar.

It was perfect for an Archer, it was the item that gave Dale quite the headache during their duel, because he would be constantly dashing around after his opponent.

And it was only when he exhausted all of his arrows and was forced to engage in close combat that he lost, otherwise, Dale had no way of actually engaging him.

Not that he couldn't follow his movements, Dale wasn't that hopeless… Not that finding oneself less capable than a Legendary Item was depreciating…

Thankfully, he couldn't multiply the speed of his arrows, but what he could do was add his multiplied speed onto that of his arrows for some rather brutal speeds.

Although, that was easier said than done, especially against an opponent of equal if not higher ability.

"Hum…"

Taking the chance as he fell, the Archer observed his surroundings, trying to get a better view of the lands and to figure out a way out of this situation.

As they fell, their mission changed, from defeating the Boss monster to surviving and scaping this place, and preferably, while leaving the Boss monster behind.

But how was he supposed to do that?

'Strange, where is this place?'

'Bizarre, uneven terrain, it can't quite be explained by any geological processes… Unnatural maybe?'

'There is also this green smog all around, it doesn't seem harmful but I don't think it's a good idea to breathe it too much… After all, inhaling a fart can be physically painless but it's quite mentally damaging.'

"That is… Damn."

It didn't take long for him to see the disgusting and distorted creatures that prowled these lands, together with their incredible power.

'This is bad, even one of those would be relatively difficult to deal with, and I'm running out of arrows… Decent, unused arrows.'

'We already lost two, any more and we'd fail, no questions asked.'

'The problem, however, isn't facing them but what waits for us in this darkness… Assuming he's here too.'

"Though that would be an even bigger assumption…"

'Everything is over CL 200, such an intense ecosystem…'

Seeing how he had yet to see his companions, and that he received no System messages, the Archer assumed they were all well.

But with the monsters converging around them, he knew he had to do something, at least until they shook their confusion off and regrouped.

/Fwoosh/

So he deactivated his Skill momentarily, accelerating to the ground once more.

…

/Later…/

/BAAAM!/

"Huff… Huff… Huff… Was this the last one?"

"Shit… Don't… Don't say that… You'll Jinx it… Again…"

Back at the crater where the Heroes fell, a grand battle had just concluded.

Distorted and mangled bodies could be seen everywhere, and in the middle of it, a group of eight stood back to back breathing heavily as they kept their guards up.

They all protected the Priestess as she prayed silently on the ground, although what she was doing was a mystery to even them.

If not for that, they would've likely repositioned themselves, but since she was so focused on her prayer, they decided to protect her rather then interrupt her.

After all, regardless of what happened, she was the key for their victory.

/Step…/

""!""

/Step…/

They thought everything had ended, that they would get a few minutes to breathe before the end truly began…

/Crunk… Cling…/

But those thoughts quickly went away at the sight of a looming figure on the horizon.

/Step.../

As if nothing had happened, the armored beast had returned, carrying its long chains like trophies across the ground.

It was here to collect its due rewards.

""...""

"Huff… It's now or never…" The Thief said with a smirk as he pulled a small bag from his waist, sprinkling its contents on a bottle before gulping its contents down

/Open.../

"... What was that? Are you injured?" The Priestess asked as she looked at him

"Oh? You finished your prayer? Right on time."

"... I had too..."

"So?... Sorry for being blunt... But did you get any answers or revelations on what we should do now?"

"..."

The Priestess stood silent.

"Great, that's what I wanted to hear..." The Thief said ironically as he shoved his bottle at his inventory "You asked what this was? Well... Don't mind me… It's just alcohol… And a dru... A stimulant, you know? For that extra kick."

"..."

Her expression went dark.

"Huff… That hits the spot..."

He turned his gaze to the Priestess, smiling.

"You should keep your powers for when they're truly needed, don't waste them all on a bum like me." He said as he got into a stance

/THUD!/

"Haha, you had such goodies on ya this whole time? Should've shared it." The Ax wielder added with a laugh as he placed his ax on the ground

"How do you think I've been going this whole time? Had I shared anything it would be Seven and not Eight here."

"Haha, you win…"

They all looked at each other momentarily, already knowing what to do.

/DASH!/

/BAAAAAAAAAAM!/

Dale suddenly vanished, and so did the Tank.

They clashed, fist and shield in the middle of the crater.

"HUFF! HOAAAAA!"

Screaming with all his might, the Tank was determined to not be pushed back.

/BOOOOOOM!/

Their venture to the Catacombs… It was finally Dusking.

…

Notes

Yay, it's almost time to end this.

For now, I'll be studying for my last Exam.

See ya'll soon, peace!

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B?n ?? ??n ch??ng m?i nh?t!306 Closing the Curtains