Chapter 155: Battle Between BOSSes
In a small Tavern with an ancient Egyptian style in Lut Gholein, three figures tightly wrapped in black cloaks sat around a Table. They were the same trio who had appeared in the Desert last time.
"Big Brother, Qiuludun is dead."
The Man in Black with a more balanced Figure spoke.
"Is the News reliable?"
Sitting in the center was still that burly figure. The faint Presence emanating from his Body caused the nearby Air to condense.
"News from within the Alliance, it should be reliable."
"Hehe, good that he's dead. I don't have to do it myself."
The thin figure directly opposite licked his lips and said in a slightly cruel Tone.
"Although Qiuludun's death is not a loss, he was still a Level 32 Assassin with decent skill. It's hard to imagine he would be taken down in the Rogue Encampment." The Shadow with the balanced Figure lowered his Head in thought.
"Hawk, don't underestimate the Rogue Encampment. It hides quite a few Experts. Take my Teacher, for example; even if the three of us went together now, we might not fare well."
The burly figure said to the Man in Black with the balanced Figure, who was Hawk.
"No way, I even planned to steal her Wine Bottle before." The thin Man in Black clicked his tongue in surprise.
"Forget it, it's just an insignificant minor character who died anyway. It has nothing to do with us."
"Big Brother, what should we do next?"
Hawk looked respectfully at the Man in Black before him.
"Although we couldn't find Tal Rasha's Tomb this time, I have a Feeling, a very strange Feeling, so I Plan to stay here for a while longer. As for you two, return to Harrogath for now. I'll be enough here by myself."
"No way. Have to go back to that damn ice lump again? God, I'd rather be roasted dry here..." The thin figure muttered.
"Fei Ao Duo Er, how many times have I told you, Strength is the foundation of everything."
The man called Big Brother still had such a Calm Tone, but the other two could feel the anger vibrating in the Air.
"Big Brother, I was wrong. I'll return to Harrogath now."
Fei Ao Duo Er was clearly filled with Awe towards the Big Brother before him. He lowered his Head, not even daring to look at the other's expression.
"Forget it, you've worked hard recently. Go have some fun for a few days, but you must Depart no later than three days from now, understood?"
"Oh. Big Brother is brilliant..."
Fei Ao Duo Er cheered, immediately grabbed the opposite Hawk, and strode away.
"Time is precious, Big Brother, we'll take our leave first."
"It's all your fault for making Big Brother unhappy. I never said I wanted to mess around with you." Hawk complained.
"What does it matter? Aren't we good Brothers? Besides, Big Brother is too strict. Although it's not that we don't understand his Mood, haste makes waste." Fei Ao Duo Er patted Hawk's shoulder indifferently.
"You go tell Big Brother that."
The seemingly more serious Hawk glared at Fei Ao Duo Er, who immediately wilted.
"..."
Watching the figures of the two Brothers leave, a hint of guilt flashed in the burly man's eyes, quickly replaced by determination. He carefully took out an unremarkable small black Stone from his pocket, holding it gently in his hand. The surface of the Stone had become very smooth from years of touching.
"Powerful, I need even greater Strength. Before that. Angeriel, you must wait for me..."
According to Kashya, the Barracks could accommodate over 100,000 Church Guard simultaneously, normally maintaining between 30,000 and 50,000. With such a Quantity of Army, the maintenance and repair of Weapons naturally couldn't be neglected. Therefore, the entire Barracks had four Blacksmith Shops, one located in each of the four corners: southeast, southwest, northwest, and northeast. I heard that officers also had specially assigned High-Level Blacksmiths.
What I cared about were those four Blacksmith Shops. You could figure it out with a little Brain power. As long as the Blacksmith hadn't been taken down by someone else, they would definitely be in one of these four Blacksmith's Shops. The question was which one. You see, the Distance between the four Blacksmith's Shops in the southeast, southwest, northwest, and northeast was not short, and there were also those most troublesome Monsters along the way.
My first choice, naturally, was the one closest to the Jail Entrance. This was the so-called lazy person's thinking mode. And when the "clang clang" sounds of hammering and large amounts of scorching steam emerged from the Room not far away, I knew I had guessed correctly. Oh, thank God for the guidance, your asshole is truly everywhere...
However, after I got closer, I stood there for a long time, unable to take a single step forward. Of course, this wasn't due to profound Tactics like observing the situation quietly or using stillness to counter movement. When I lacked a sense of Crisis, my actions were always much faster than my Brain. As for why I froze there, I actually want to ask myself right now, why exactly was that!?
Not far In Front of me, a group of earlier Guests had surrounded the entire Blacksmith's Shop. At a rough glance, they were all Shamans. Had their Brains been covered in dog shit? To actually run wild In Front of the Blacksmith? Or were they just guard Dogs caught by the Blacksmith, standing here like a Checkpoint 1 type of Setting?
However, there's no need to think about it carefully for now, because next you'll discover a particularly discordant Existence within the group of Shamans. Although it had the appearance of a Shaman, its size, I'm referring to the size of its Upper Body, was several times that of a normal Shaman. And unlike the sallow and thin Shamans, this peculiar Giant Imp seemed to be overnourished, and its exercise volume also seemed quite sufficient. Its developed Upper Body instantly made me think of a word—Muscle Fiend. Its oily, shiny, yellowish-brown Muscle bulged under its intentional or unintentional flexing, constantly twitching like Earthworms, as if it could shake off a layer of Oil at any moment. Compared to its Upper Body, its equally sturdy legs were pitifully like chopsticks. Overall, it looked like an inverted triangle supported by a small short Staff.
Maldas, Extra Strong.
It was actually a Mini-Boss Level Monster! Seeing this disgusting Muscle Shaman, and the Great Cleaver it held in its hand, which was several times larger than a normal Small Knife and could almost be described as a Nine-Ringed Great Saber, I rubbed my eyes, confirmed I wasn't seeing things, and went all out with my Brain power. I searched through my shallow knowledge of Diablo for a long time. Even Cain's almost all-encompassing Book of Wisdom had no relevant description. Could it be a new species recently developed by Hell? Or perhaps an ultimate Shaman that evolved after a failed Transmigration attempt from being struck by lightning?
In short, before I could confirm, I could only choose to observe quietly. Who knew if this strange Shaman named Maldas would be even more formidable than Andariel? Fortunately, due to the Influence of the Presence of the two Mini-Boss Level Monsters here, other unrelated Monsters had already fled, so my current position was very safe. If I was careful, I wouldn't be discovered at all.
"Clang..."
An earth-shattering hammering sound rang out. It felt as if even the entire Ground trembled three times. After the sound dissipated, the whole world suddenly fell silent, as if all the sounds had been absorbed by that astonishing blow.
"Bang." In the silence, the sturdy Iron Gate of the Blacksmith's Shop seemed to be violently shaken open, letting out a muffled groan. A wave of scorching heat, carrying a Suffocating smell of charcoal, surged out from inside. The surrounding Air instantly rose by several degrees.
"Oh...!!"
After the heatwave, a massive figure gradually appeared in my sight. Minotaur-like, its Body, stained reddish-yellow from being near the iron furnace year-round, was at least four meters tall. Facing it directly, a sense of Shock arose, as if facing an iron tower. Not to mention the ordinary Shamans that only reached its knees, even Maldas only reached its chest. The Muscle bulging like iron blocks. The Shock it brought was absolutely no less than Maldas. However, the Muscle on its Body was particularly balanced and coordinated. Compared to it, Maldas was like a stunted, deformed child.
That's right, the one who appeared In Front of me was the ruler of the entire Barracks—the Blacksmith.
Seeing Maldas opposite, the Blacksmith let out a Roar that sounded like both a Bull and a human. Its eyes were bloodshot like an enraged Bull. The Hammer in its right hand was raised high. Then, with a "bang", it fell. The few Shamans standing In Front of it who couldn't Dodge were instantly smashed into paste. Even the floor paved with hard brown Boulders was smashed into a small, half-meter-deep round pit.
Facing the Blacksmith's Might, the Shamans surrounding Maldas clearly retreated a few steps in fear. Only Maldas remained, still showing off its Muscle indifferently and provoking the Blacksmith.
Name: Maldas; Species: Fallen Ones (Fourth Tier); Strength: Mini-Boss Level; Description: A Mutated Shaman that has lived in the Barracks for a long time. It possesses high Wisdom and a cunning, cruel nature. It bullies the weak and fears the strong, excelling at Devouring weaker Monsters and avoiding Powerful enemies. Thus, it spent hundreds of years in the dim Barracks, and no one was able to discover its whereabouts. After hundreds of years of continuous accumulation, it finally successfully evolved into a Mini-Boss Level Existence. Its cunning nature has only one Weakness: it is particularly concerned about the Dominance of the Barracks, so the Blacksmith has always been a thorn in its side, but it is helpless because its Strength is slightly weaker than the Blacksmith's.
This was the Data that Cain investigated and compiled with Kashya's help after I talked to him about what I saw and heard in the Barracks later.
In a hidden small Corner, my gaze lingered on the Hammer in the Blacksmith's right hand and the Shaman named Maldas. As for the Blacksmith, although its Strength was quite good, it wasn't a big problem for me. What I cared about was the Hammer in its hand and the Mutated Shaman that had suddenly appeared.
At this moment, the Blacksmith and Maldas were fiercely engaged. Although I had seen many Conflicts between Monsters before, those were just ordinary Monsters. How could they compare to the spectacle of the two Mini-Boss Level ones before me? Especially two Mini-Boss Level Monsters that both possessed the Extra Strong Stats. Their clash was truly a Shock. Every collision of Weapons brought forth countless dazzling scarlet sparks. The impacts seemed to tear the Air apart, and the rampant strong currents even forced me, who was not far away, to squint my eyes. Fortunately, there wasn't much Dust inside the Barracks.
"Clang...", "Bang...", "Clang..."...
Piercing sounds of Weapon collisions continuously rang out. Both Monsters were getting into it, using almost all their Strength with every blow. You use your Hammer to break my Bone, and I'll use my Greatsword to mangle your gut. They fought head-on, blow for blow, Hammer against Greatsword. Although there were only two Monsters, they gave off a tragic Presence like a hundred battles on a sandy Battlefield.
"How entertaining..."
No doubt, I was definitely planning to reap the benefits of their struggle. It would be best if both Monsters fought until they were on their last breath.
"Yes, yes, just like that, left hook, right hook, give it a Hammer blow, yes, hack it there, Groin Kick? That move is vicious, worth learning from..."
This was a rare live broadcast. Getting excited, I sat my Buttocks on the Ground, took out a piece of Jerky, and mumbled softly as I chewed. How great would it be if I had Popcorn and Cola right now?
Before long, both Monsters were covered in blood. The Blacksmith had several deeper Wounds on its Body, with shocking Flesh and Blood exposed. Maldas's right leg Joint was smashed to pieces; it would probably take a little time to heal. There were also several indented spots on its Body, where Bone could faintly be seen.
I had to admire the astonishing Vitality and Life Force of these two Monsters. Despite suffering such severe blows, they acted as if nothing had happened, becoming even more excited as they fought. In the end, they simply threw away the Weapons in their hands. Their arms, swollen with Muscle as if about to burst, were tightly clasped together, directly and savagely competing in Strength.
"What a blood-boiling Battle..."
My eyes shone as I watched this rare Boss Battle. My gaze inadvertently swept towards a certain Corner, and I instantly froze.
The Blacksmith's Hammer, and the "Nine-Ringed Great Saber" with Chinese characteristics that Maldas had thrown.
The Nine-Ringed Great Saber was one thing, but it seemed the Hammer could...