The Primal Hunter Chapter 1257 - Aginian Crisis Protocol

Jake leaped back swiftly, seizing the expanding gap to put some separation between him and the entity set to replace the Labyrinth Master. Casper, too, initiated his own setups, capitalizing on the dazzling display during the phase shift.

Coming to a halt, Jake commenced charging his Arcane Powershot while simultaneously adjusting the Protean Arrow he'd formed in his quiver. Initially crafted for the fleshy, living dungeon boss, it no longer suited the final phase's emerging threat, judging by recent events.

He observed intently as the azure lightning bolt illuminated the surroundings, channeling power into the Labyrinth Master's remains. At the same time, the numerous floor tiles reactivated, directing the previously absorbed energy toward the boss to bolster it even more.

The Labyrinth Master's form gradually lifted off the ground, immersed in overwhelming energy cascading from an unseen source. By this point, all organic tissue had vanished from the cyborg's frame, exposing a nearly skeletal robotic structure. As the energy poured in, Jake spotted a glowing core in the chest cavity where a heart would normally reside. While both C-grades pondered Minaga's final trick, the voice resounded again.

“Damage to vessel: Critical. Repairing essentials. Upgrading. Charging Core. All features unlocked.”

On cue, the form initiated self-repair, substituting former flesh areas with additional metal plating, transforming the Labyrinth Master from cyborg to full robot—or more precisely, golem. The radiant core's glow soon got concealed by armor encasing the boss's torso. Gradually, the lightning faded, unveiling the completed golem.

The golem's limb extended mechanically to the side, drawing the gunlance from below into its grasp, where it sparked with electrical surges.

[Aginian Crisis Protocol Golem – lvl ???]

Without warning, the golem's frame detonated with a booming roar, unleashing an electrical shockwave in its wake.

Jake countered by releasing his Arcane Powershot, the burst of arcane force propelling his arrow ahead. Meanwhile, Casper, positioned in close quarters, got repelled by the shockwave from the awakened Aginian Crisis Protocol Golem, though he triggered his prepared trap in the process.

To Jake's astonishment, the orb of magical bindings from Seal of Enervation reemerged, with the Risen apparently reigniting the curse even after the Labyrinth Master's demise. Regrettably, Jake's poison reserves were depleted, rendering Aginiansbane ineffective against mechanical constructs rather than the Aginian species itself.

Perfectly timed, Jake's Arcane Powershot collided with the golem's chest. The boss hurtled backward from the force, yet Jake grimaced upon seeing no damage on its surface. Rather, a faint barrier just beyond its shell had absorbed the full strike.

This evoked memories of the Altmar Census Golem from his earlier battle, which spelled trouble. On a positive note, Casper's curse appeared to penetrate the barrier regardless, potentially accelerating its breakdown.

Jake and Casper shared a brief look, both acknowledging the third phase's frustrating nature. Still, no fear gripped them as they dove into action. Jake readied another arrow and unleashed shots while Casper cloaked himself in curse essence, hurling a barrage of cursed spikes at the golem, now steady after Jake's initial blow.

The golem lifted its gunlance and discharged a bolt of lightning toward the Risen. Casper dodged hastily but lagged slightly, getting grazed on his left flank. His spectral form tore away, and Jake instantly recognized the Risen had sustained considerable harm.

A volley of arcane arrows pelted the golem before it could fire once more, each detonating to saturate the air with ruinous arcane power. The innate barrier repelled them all, yet Jake noted the golem expended energy to maintain it, even against minor assaults like these.

Grasping this, Jake persisted in firing arrows that fragmented into multiples, aiming to flood the arena with destructive forces. This not only drained the golem's reserves but also shielded Casper, letting him evade the B-grade's senses amid the arcane chaos.

The Risen withdrew, evading the lightning while deploying traps behind him. The golem soon gave chase, prioritizing Casper as its main foe, bursting through the arcane haze directly at him.

It triggered multiple fresh traps en route, ensnaring itself in dark chains that hardly impeded its advance before snapping. Mid-charge, the gunlance in its grip reshaped, converting into a hefty, elongated blade from the hybrid weapon.

Lashing out with the blade, it unleashed a curving surge of lightning that scorched the tiled floor while bearing down on the Risen. Casper conjured a mist of phantom energy for protection, but the lightning shredded it effortlessly. The electricity engulfed the Risen, eliciting a pained grunt as he endured another heavy blow.

That's when Jake recalled an oversight he should've noted sooner... ghosts held a vulnerability to lightning. It was their inherent flaw, and even as a Blightwraith, Lyra remained a ghostly type, unable to sidestep this elemental disadvantage.

In their fused state, Casper carried at least partial ghostly traits, inheriting the weakness. That explained why the Risen abruptly employed his mobility technique to hurl himself rearward, solidifying his form completely and drawing back the surrounding spectral auras into himself.

Jake supported as best he could, pelting the golem with arrows, though the barrier limited his impact. The B-grade ignored evasion, absorbing all strikes single-mindedly to eliminate Casper.

It cleaved with its electrified sword repeatedly, launching arcing lightning waves that Casper frantically evaded. Simultaneously, it narrowed the gap, shrugging off every assault from Jake and Casper without pause.

Eventually, it overtook the Risen and assaulted with swift strikes. Casper parried and weaved, but the golem outpaced and overpowered the prior Labyrinth Master. He resisted valiantly, yet got driven back continuously, suffering harm even on full blocks from erupting electrical blasts per clash.

He attempted escapes multiple times, but the golem barred his path. Witnessing his arrows' futility, Jake realized a shift was necessary. Stowing his bow, he activated One Step and beat his wings, diving toward the clashing duo below.

Casper proved resilient, but he teetered on peril's edge as Jake neared. Slashes marred his form repeatedly, wounds accumulating while his stamina ebbed swiftly.

At peak velocity, Jake collided with the golem's flank, delivering dual Piercing Fangs upon hitting the irksome barrier. The collision shoved the golem aside, granting Casper a moment to invoke his mobility skill desperately and swig a potion to ease his draining reserves slightly.

The golem eyed Jake briefly before employing the Labyrinth Master's former movement ability. Its frame blurred and distorted as it circled past Jake, targeting Casper anew.

Jake pursued without delay, employing One Step to intercept. The golem attempted to flank him, but Jake anticipated and struck its path with a kick. The blow disrupted its skill and nudged it off course, though a mere kick inflicted negligible harm.

“We just need to buy time!” Casper shouted from afar, scrambling to set additional traps while fleeing capture.

“I know!” Jake shouted in reply, surging toward the B-grade once more.

As Casper noted, time favored them if they evaded the golem's unyielding onslaughts. The B-grade depleted its energy at a fierce rate, lacking any regeneration means. The core blazed at maximum overload, irrelevant since the golem wasn't built for longevity in this fight.

From the start, it served as the Labyrinth Master's revived shell, a desperate measure from the feminine voice's source to slay the victors over the original boss.

Assaulting the golem merely shortened its active duration, leading to shutdown upon energy exhaustion. The issue lay in Casper likely falling first under current circumstances.

The golem exhibited absurd strength and speed, particularly under the Seal of Enervation's debilitating effect. With the curse active, Jake could marginally match it and thwart its focus on Casper.

It persistently sought to evade Jake for Casper, but the Risen's traps delayed it sufficiently for Jake to stay close. Noting the golem's disregard for him, Jake adjusted tactics, sheathing his katars and engaging unarmed.

As the golem neared severing another cluster of chains from Casper's traps, Jake lunged onto its rear. He clamped arms and legs around it, palms glowing dark green against its frame as both shimmered with the hue.

The barrier hissed wherever it touched Jake's form, its passive wards clashing with Arcane Awakening's defenses nonstop. Yet this paled against the turmoil when Jake thrust his hands forward, the atmosphere crackling from the malevolent energy swiftly eroding the golem's shield.

Much like the Altmar Census Golem, Jake discovered Touch of the Malefic Viper countered such barriers superbly. These shields seemed invincible, deflecting mighty single strikes indefinitely until energy failed, but sustained pressure could erode them. Especially via Touch of the Malefic Viper, blending malefic essence to taint and dissolve all it encountered.

The obsessive golem attempted to disregard Jake and pursue Casper, but the hunter elicited a reaction upon breaching the barrier for direct contact with its structure.

Forcing against the golem's chest, corrosion spread from his palms as rust bloomed. For the first instance, the golem acknowledged the threat, halting its chase and surging with power to dislodge Jake.

Scales already sheathed Jake's skin, his grip unyielding against such efforts, prompting him to cling fiercer. Unable to fling him loose easily, the golem drove its sword into itself, aiming to sever Jake's hands.

This compelled Jake to break off, and as his palms lifted, the barrier reformed, shrouding the twin rusty imprints on the golem. The blade clashed against its own frame, bouncing off the shield as the golem contorted its limb awkwardly to strike its back anew.

Thrown clear, Jake vaulted away just before the sword connected. He sensed significant harm inflicted and energy sapped from the golem, ready to replicate the maneuver if it fixated on Casper alone.

Briefly optimistic as the B-grade swung its blade at him, unleashing a lightning surge that Jake vaulted over, disappointment followed—no pursuit came, as it pivoted and barreled toward Casper, irking Jake deeply.

He invoked One Step instantly to catch up, closing in as the golem blundered into further Risen-laid traps. Jake prepared to latch on again mid-leap when the robotic female voice announced once more.

“Core Overcharge: 150% approved.”

Jake's instincts flared as the golem exploded in lightning, a shockwave of electricity sweeping over him. His scales sparked and popped from the assault, but he escaped injury, merely repelled.

Yet as the announcement suggested, the golem had amplified itself. Bolts now encased its entire form, empowering it further as it lunged at Casper with renewed vigor.

The Risen struggled before with its pace, now facing dire straits. Jake caught a flicker of worry on his ally's expression and acted without pause.

“Event Horizon.”

Again, Jake perceived the horizon, designating the golem as his exclusive mark. The luminous ring encircled it, crucially halting its advance briefly and granting Casper extra moments. Jake observed the Risen gearing up for something major, committing fully to aid whatever plan unfolded.

This Event Horizon cast wasn't flashy, but it enhanced Jake's arrows temporarily as he fired, arcing them to hit the golem's flank. Previously negligible, these strikes now jolted the boss off-balance per impact, aiding Casper somewhat.

Jake bolstered efforts by deploying Eternal Shadow, his shadowed duplicate dashing at the golem. Arrows hampered it enough for the shade to connect a Piercing Fang to its leg, causing a momentary stagger.

Further arrows hammered the golem, interrupting ceaselessly, yet it pressed toward Casper, who had halted and knelt. A ritual array throbbed around him with unsettling energy that even chilled Jake.

Noting the Risen required more time, Jake clenched his jaw, staring down the golem while loosing shots. He triggered Primal Gaze, sensing its soul frailer than anticipated. The boss locked up instantly as an arrow hit, tumbling sideways without balance.

As it recovered and poised to slash remotely at Casper, another Primal Gaze and arrow struck, derailing it further. Strain built in Jake, but necessity demanded a third use, his eyes searing with dread of a fourth.

Yet... it sufficed. Dark misty essence billowed from Casper's ritual circle, and the golem's launched lightning crescent dissipated harmlessly into the obscuring haze.

At the center stood Casper, his features devoid of triumph or relief. Black streaks of tears traced his face as he gazed at the golem.

“I’m sorry, Lyra,” Casper whispered softly, his tone laced with remorse and anguish. Lyra materialized overhead, her expression melancholic yet soothing. She shut her eyes as the black mist converged on her, darkening her whole being.

Jake sensed her presence dimming, and with a raw, strained voice, Casper uttered.

“Necropolis of Loss.”

Lyra's figure vanished completely, erupting in ebony fog that devoured reality itself, engulfing them all instantly as cursed blight essence overtook everything.

... and thus Jake discovered Casper possessed a fully formed Domain Skill.