I have defeated the Black Dog Barghest before, but its attacks have never been this unpredictable. I never even find the Black Dog Barghest this agile as well. Is it because of the black dog's ascendance to demi-god?
It attacked us in a zigzag pattern and in the final zigzag, it lunged towards us. We managed to avoid it, fortunately.
The Black Dog Barghest stopped moving for a bit after the series of attacks. It was like it got exhausted from doing so.
"Now!"
We dash toward the Black Dog Bargehest and deliver multiple attacks on its body. The monster roared in pain as our attacks landed on its body. We managed to inflict some wounds but it seems to be not that deep as the black dog seems to be looking fine even after all of those attacks.
Soon, the aura that was overflowing on its body disappeared and Riko who was bitten earlier recovered, and the markings on her body caused by the bite faded too.
"Ugh, that hurts like hell..." Riko slowly got her energy back flowing to her. Zena noticed this and landed in a safe area before she put down Riko who was still trying to recover her bearings.
Rika wanted to go and check on Riko but I stopped her. "Focus more on the Black Dog Barghest. Defeating it is our main priority."
Rika nodded and she returned her attention back to the monster who suddenly fired off flames all over the place.
Lucia held her hands forward and a swirling vortex appeared on her hand. "[Flame Absorption!]"
The flames were immediately absorbed by Lucia's hands but then...
"GAAAAHHHHH!" Lucia screamed in pain as she deactivated her ability to absorb the flames spewed out by the Black Dog Barghest.
"What happened Lucia?!" Then I looked at her right hand which she used to absorb the flames. Not only was it burned, but it was like she roasted her hand on a barbecue spit. The burn has consumed her entire forearm as a result. I can even smell the burnt flesh on her hands as well. Not even the sleeves of her clothes were safe as well.
I immediately grab another bottle of Full Restore Splash Potion and pour it on her burn. But it didn't work. Not only her burn was too severe, but it was like her hand was still rotting as well. Furthermore, it seems to be spreading to her unharmed arm as well. I cast a water spell as well but the burn didn't stop and has climbed already from her elbow pit.
"Master! Cut off my arm!" Lucia then extended her arm as the invisible flames seemed to be consuming her whole arm as the burn was also climbing. Seeing that it cannot be cured by a potion or even water magic, then cutting it was the only option.
I didn't hesitate and pulled out my Versatile Weapon swung it fast on her burned hand and severed it to stop it from spreading further.
"AAAAAAAGGGGGGGGHHHHH!" Lucia screamed as her burned arm plopped lifelessly on the ground which then slowly turned to fleshy mess, then to bones, before it turned to ashes.
Seeing the bleeding on her hands, I grab the potion I used earlier and pour the remaining contents on her severed arm to close off the wound. Rika and Zena decided to distract the Black Dog so that I could attend to Lucia.
"Are you fine now, Lucia?"
"Don't worry about me, Master. That was a big mistake but it's not fatal, I still have my other hand and I can still fight. I can still do this."
"I am against letting you back to the fight again after you lost an arm, but if you still insist on fighting, then don't push yourself too much. And don't bother doing the same tactic earlier again."
"Y-yes..." Although Lucia is struggling with the pain, she stands up and ready herself.
The flames released by the Black Dog Barghest do not totally burn you like how it happened to Lucia but they still hurt when they land. The only reason why Lucia's hand was burned as a result was because she decided to absorb some of the flames that the Black Dog released. If she hadn't absorbed it, perhaps she would have her arm remain until now.
Zena and Rika did a good job at stalling the Black Dog as they managed to keep the monster away from us. Riko also recovered as well and she returned to battle too.
"You alright, Riko? No broken bones or something?" I asked.
"Thankfully, there's none. But my strength has been reduced slightly and my body feels a little heavy as well. Perhaps it was the after-effect of those attacks from the monster before." Riko rubbed her head for a bit before making a serious face.
"Don't push yourself too hard. And if that attack happens again, don't hesitate to fly away. Don't force yourself to get killed."
"Yeah."
We returned to our focus on the Black Dog Barghest. Lucia also rejoins the battle and even though she lost an arm, her abilities remained.
Due to the abnormal behavior of the Black Dog Barghest a lot of times, we decided to use this chance to switch attacks from time to time while switching to defensive maneuvers as well. It took a bit of effort though and during my attack, I suddenly found a weak point.
The jugular point of the Black Dog Barghest. It is also the weak point of the beast back then. It was hard to attack that part but back then, Pandora finished it off using her golden chains, targeting its jugular and piercing it with those chains. Although fast and hard to beat up and make it expose its jugular naturally, the Black Dog Barghest has the habit of raising its head after an attack, which also reveals the jugular. So I mentally formulated an attack on it to bring it down once and for all.
Although the Black Dog Barghest is still as strong as ever, it seems like this guy is also nearing its limits as its very fast movements started to slow down for a little bit. It's a sign that the big guy is also nearing its limits.
We did the same thing and ganged up on the Black Dog. The monster is pretty agile and can sometimes dodge our attacks but it gets pretty easy to see the attacks if we team up together where one will do the feint attack while the others will land the attack and make a combo to it.
This time, Rika and Zena are the feints and I am the one who will deal with the attack. Rika ignites her magic sword and swings multiple times on the Black Dog where the latter easily evades. Then, Zena tries to land a punch while her hand has transformed into a beast to increase the power of the attack. But she missed, creating a little crater on the ground as a result. All of it was dodged by the Black Dog Barghest but when the Black Dog stopped on its tracks, I appeared beside it and without a word, I stabbed the Black Dog's throat.
Blood drips down on me as I pierce through its throat. The blood of the Black Dog Barghest seems corrosive. Not only it felt painful when its blood landed on my skin but some parts of my armor had been burned as well. However, I am more confident about finishing this boss right here and now. Rather than letting it live for a few more minutes, I would rather suffer a little bit of pain to kill it than continue fighting it where we will risk dying.
"COME OOOON! SLICE THROUGH THIS F*CKER!"
I forcefully push the Versatile Weapon to its throat and the pain in my hands and arm is already too painful even for my tolerance but I don't stop as I continue to slice through the skin.
The Beast tried to move but I only kept the sword deeper into its throat, stopping its movements further.
I don't know who is firing off ranged magic attacks to the boss while I continue to slice through but it's clearly causing more pain to the Black Dog which means it is almost done now.
Despite the numbing sensation in my hands while the blood of the Black Dog continued to slide down to my skin, I gathered all of my strength and pushed through my limit.
"AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!"
SWISH!
The wound widened and the blood of the Black Dog poured out of the neck. The Black Dog Barghest staggered. It's trying its best to recover but it is having a hard time supporting itself.
I thought everything was over as I washed off the blood of the Black Dog Barghest using the Splash Potion when all of a sudden, the unmoving Lakius who we thought to have died suddenly moved.
"Lord Barghest! I can't allow you to die just yet! You still have so much left to do. Therefore, I will be offering a quarter of my life force! Take it! Recover your power and slay the opposing people who are trying to slay you!"
I don't know if the boss heard what the guy is saying but the Black Dog Barghest took a few more steps. I thought it would just sniff and consume its life force but then...
"Lord Barghest? P-please wait, I was offering my life force, not my whole-AAAAAAHHHHH!"
CHOMP!
The Black Dog Barghest devoured the demon before it could even finish, leaving behind the severed half of the demon named Lakius.
Then, Black Dog Barghest stood up, releasing another quarter of its power. It's big wound slowly closing as well. It's black fur has slowly turned into shadowy black and its body turned into an incorporeal entity. I didn't expect to see this especially to the Black Dog Barghest.
"Sh*t, is it transitioning to the Second Phase?!"
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