SKREEEEEE!
The [Volcano Crab King] let out a massive screetch that echoed through the entire chamber, shaking the walls as small chunks of rock fell from above, the lava below surging even more violently in response to its presence.
Leon tightened his grip on both his sword and staff, his expression sharpening as he took a step forward, positioning himself slightly ahead of Celeste.
"Alright," he said calmly, his eyes locked onto the massive boss, "We need to free Emilia first."
Celeste nodded immediately, her grip on her spear tightening, "Got it!"
Even though the situation looked bad at first glance, neither of them panicked.
Emilia was still alive. And as long as she was alive, they still had full control over the fight.
Leonâs mind was already moving quickly, analyzing the boss, its movements, its reactions, and most importantly... the strength of its claws.
If those pincers could crush something like his barrier instantly, then taking a direct hit would be a mistake he couldnât afford to make again.
At the same time, he also noted something else. The boss was focusing too much on Emilia.
It kept trying to crush her, almost obsessively, as if it couldnât accept the fact that she was still alive.
Which meant one thing: it wasnât paying full attention to them. A small grin appeared on Leonâs face.
"Celeste," he said quietly, "weâre going to take advantage of that."
She didnât even ask what he meant.
She simply nodded again, flames rising higher around her spear as her flames flickered slightly behind her.
Meanwhile, the [Volcano Crab King] tightened its grip once more, its claw creaking under its own force as it tried again and again to crush Emilia, completely unaware that the real danger was standing right in front of it.
"Go all out," Leon shouted toward Celeste, his voice steady but loud enough to cut through the noise of the roaring volcano, "Emilia canât be harmed by our attacks anyway!"
Celeste didnât hesitate for even a second after hearing that.
Since Emilia had already shared her status panel with her earlier, Celeste knew exactly what Leon meant, and more importantly, she understood why he was saying it with such confidence.
Between Emiliaâs [Support Saint] and [Magic Saint] titles, her defenses werenât just high, they were absurd to the point where normal attacks, even powerful ones, would struggle to harm her at all.
That meant something extremely important in a fight like this: they didnât need to hold back.
Even if their attacks hit Emilia while trying to free her, the chances of actually injuring her were incredibly low.
Leon knew that if he poured a massive amount of mana into one of his strongest attacks, or if he used something like [Oblivion Meteor], then yes, he could probably hurt her.
But he had no intention of doing anything like that here. So as far as this battle was concerned... Emilia was safe.
"Argh...!"
Meanwhile, Emilia let out a strained sound as the [Volcano Crab King] began shaking her violently, clearly growing frustrated that its crushing grip wasnât doing anything to her.
Its massive claw tightened again and again, the pressure strong enough to shatter boulders into dust, yet her body refused to break.
From the creatureâs perspective, this made no sense.
It had crushed countless enemies before. Even something like the [Hellish Hobgoblin] would have been reduced to nothing in a single squeeze.
And yet this small elf... Was still alive. Still resisting.
"Kerrkrk!"
The crab king let out a strange, irritated noise, its eyes twitching slightly as it tried to understand what was happening.
But Leon didnât waste time watching.
While the boss was fully distracted with Emilia, he spun his staff lightly in his hand and focused.
Appraisal!
---
[Volcano Crab King (Realm Boss)]
[Level: 75]
[Talent: Mega Strength Enhancement (A-Level), Absolute Flame Control (A-Level)]
[Combat Power: 750,000]
[Details: A king that protects this volcano and island from anyone approaching it, has complete control over the volcano.]
---
"Damn..." Leon muttered under his breath as he read through the panel.
The numbers alone were enough to make most players hesitate.
Its [Combat Power] was on the same level as the [Will of Nature], but Leon already knew that didnât tell the whole story.
If anything, this opponent might be even more troublesome.
The [Will of Nature] relied on overwhelming regeneration and its vines, but this thing... This thing controlled fire.
And in a place like this, inside a volcano, that made it far more dangerous.
Leonâs eyes narrowed slightly as he thought about his passive.
Based on everything he had experienced so far, he could already tell that [Celestialâs Might] probably wouldnât activate here.
It had triggered against the [Will of Nature] because that fight had been overwhelmingly one-sided at first.
But this time... The gap wasnât big enough. This would be a straight fight. And Leon was perfectly fine with that.
Without wasting any more time, he raised his staff.
Torrent of Lightning!
The air around the chamber crackled instantly as dozens of lightning strikes formed above, illuminating the entire arena with flashes of white and blue before crashing down toward the [Volcano Crab King].
Zap! Zap! Zap!
Each bolt struck directly against the bossâs massive shell, exploding on impact and sending sparks flying in every direction.
And yet... The creature didnât react. Not even a flinch.
"Oh wow..." Leon blinked once, genuinely surprised, "I guess aiming from above isnât the move."
He glanced briefly toward Celeste, "Itâs probably way too sturdy on top, donât waste your attacks there."
She nodded, already adjusting her stance as she analyzed the boss as well.
Still, Leon wasnât done testing.
Powerful Fireball!
A blazing sphere of fire formed at the tip of his staff before shooting forward and slamming directly into the crab kingâs body.
BOOM!
The explosion spread across its shell, flames bursting outward...
But once again, nothing. The boss didnât even seem to notice.
"...Damn," Leon muttered, his expression tightening slightly.
Its entire focus was still on Emilia, completely ignoring the damage he was trying to deal.
But even if it ignored him... That didnât mean it would let them act freely forever.
SKREEEEEE!
The [Volcano Crab King] suddenly let out a sharp, piercing screech that echoed through the chamber, making the ground tremble once more.
This time, though, something actually changed.