The death of Blackthorn sent a ripple of shock through the allied teams.

  With all their buffs active, Blackthorn’s health pool was over 20,000. How could a single hit of just over 19,000 kill him instantly?

  Watching from the sidelines, a spark of understanding lit up in Kael’s eyes. He thought he knew what was happening. His gaze returned to the battlefield, where he noticed something strange: the [Domain of Torment] hadn't vanished.

  A channeled ability like that should have dissipated the moment its caster died. So why was it still active?

  Kael’s eyes settled on the focal point of the ritual—a pile of skulls. Atop the mound sat a large skull that pulsed with a malevolent red light. As Kael watched, the light around the skull flickered, then condensed into a crimson thread that shot into Blackthorn’s corpse.

  The body began to glow. A moment later, Blackthorn stood up, resurrected. The purple haze of his Domain was noticeably fainter now, its power diminished, but he was alive.

  By now, the Behemoth had descended to the ground. It was no longer roaming. Instead, it stood its ground, conjuring and firing a relentless volley of golden arrows.

  The three tanks didn't hesitate, charging in simultaneously. IronRoot, Eclipse·Jinx, and Razorwind converged on the boss, using their taunts to draw its attention.

  This time, the Behemoth’s aggro mechanics seemed to have returned to normal, and it focused its attacks on the warriors.

  -11,025

  A damage number floated over IronRoot’s head, and his health bar plummeted by a third. That didn’t make sense. The Banner of Solomon had pushed his max HP to over 40,000; it shouldn’t have been nearly that devastating.

  But in the heat of battle, there was no time to analyze the details. The healers immediately began spamming their spells on IronRoot.

  +2,534

  +1,983

  +2,371

  Three heals landed, restoring a pathetic total of just over 6,000 health. Impossible. The Sunfire Bell was supposed to increase their effects by 60%, and the Banner of Solomon boosted healing by another 50%. Their heals should have been massive.

  It wasn't just the healing. Their damage output had been neutered. Attacks that should have been hitting for well over ten thousand were now barely scratching the boss for two or three thousand.

  The pressure on the battlefield became immense.

  Stolen novel; please report.

  AlphaShade, in his hulking werewolf form, let out a furious roar. "Damn it! What the hell is going on?"

  "It's like the boss is suppressing us with some kind of aura!" Eclipse_Raven shouted back.

  They were desperate for an explanation, but the Behemoth wasn’t talking. It just kept firing its arrows, and IronRoot’s health bar melted away. After thirty seconds of non-stop punishment, despite the full attention of three dedicated healers, he was shot dead.

  Watching from the shadows, Lila and the others were caught between excitement and fear. On one hand, they saw their opening. On the other, they weren't sure they could do any better.

  Lila moved to Kael’s side, her voice low. "Have you figured out the boss's skill?"

  Kael nodded. "It's simple. The ability is called Arrow of Dawn."

  "Arrow of Dawn?" the others repeated, turning to him.

  "It's an ability that ignores every buff and status effect on its target," Kael explained. "The damage is calculated based only on the target's raw defense from their equipment. Nothing else matters."

  The meaning of his words sank in, and their faces paled.

  "You mean the Sunfire Bell, Domain of Torment, and Banner of Solomon… they’re useless against it?" Rena asked, horrified.

  Kael nodded again. "Yes. And so are personal buffs, like a mage’s Ice Armor or a priest’s Holy Word: Shield."

  A collective hiss of indrawn breath. A cold dread settled over them. Without her buffs, Hazel’s defense was maybe six thousand at best. How could she possibly survive a 15,000-damage onslaught?

  On the battlefield, a priest resurrected IronRoot, who got to his feet at half health and re-joined the fray. They hadn't lost a player yet, but everyone knew the situation was dire. Resurrection spells had a thirty-minute cooldown.

  Thirty seconds later, Eclipse·Jinx fell and was brought back.

  Thirty seconds after that, Razorwind collapsed and was resurrected.

  All three combat resurrections were now on cooldown.

  Seeing the writing on the wall, Eclipse_Raven yelled, "AlphaShade! Caleb! We have to retreat! If we stay here, we're all going to die!"

  Dreadfang didn't hesitate. "Agreed. There has to be a secret to beating this thing, and I'll bet it's back in that Behemoth's Watch village. We didn't explore it thoroughly enough."

  AlphaShade grunted, offering no objection.

  The leaders gave the command to fall back. But when they turned to run, they found they couldn't move. Faint, shimmering golden tethers now connected each of them to the Behemoth. They were trapped.

  "Damn you!" Eclipse_Raven cursed, helpless.

  AlphaShade, who had been reluctant to retreat anyway, felt his desperation ignite into fury. He brandished his claws. "No retreat! Fight to the last man! Tear it apart!"

  With no other option, the fifteen players made their last stand. They stopped trying to hold aggro with a single tank and began rotating, taunting the boss off a player whose health was critical, allowing them to fall back and chug potions.

  The tactic helped, but it wasn't enough to turn the tide. The Behemoth's damage was simply too immense.

  Soon, the three tanks fell for the final time. The rest of the players were lambs to the slaughter. It was basically one arrow, one kill.

  The last one standing was Eclipse_Blackthorn. He had stayed near the skull pile, desperately trying to channel more power through the focal point of his Domain.

  The Behemoth, with 5 million health remaining, was about to claim another victory. A low chuckle rumbled in its chest.

  "Yes… their essence strengthens my spirit. These were potent. Just a few more groups like this, and I’ll be strong enough to break free."

  As it drew back its bow to fire the final, killing arrow, a bolt of sapphire energy streaked out of the sky.

  Thwip!

  -81,125

  The Behemoth flinched, turning its head toward the source of the attack. In the darkness, it saw a lone human figure holding a bow.

  The golden light radiating from the Behemoth flared with sudden, intense excitement. It could feel it. This newcomer possessed the same divine aura it did.

  The Breath of Apollo.