novelraw Chapter 141: King Against King
Chapter 141: King Against King
The battlefield did not stay quiet for long after the seal cracked.
For a few seconds there was relief. The pressure that had crushed the explorers eased and many of them dragged in air like men who had been drowning.
But the calm didn’t last.
The boss ogre moved.
The huge creature stood near the broken throne, and the moment it realized the seal had been damaged, its body tensed.
The tainted mana that had been feeding it did not vanish immediately. Instead it rushed through its veins like a last surge.
Then the pressure returned.
Heavier.
The gravity field thickened across the chamber.
BOOOOM.
The ground sank deeper under the force. Dust rose as cracks spread across the floor.
Several explorers who had barely managed to lift themselves dropped flat again.
"Gah—!"
One of them slammed chest first into the stone.
Another gasped as the air was forced out of his lungs.
Even the captain, who had managed to stay upright before, was forced down to one knee again. His axe dug into the ground as he used it to support his weight.
"Damn... thing..."
Yet someone was still standing.
Arthur.
He stood on the cracked seal without looking bothered at all.
His shoulders were relaxed and his breathing stayed calm.
From where they lay on the ground, the explorers stared in disbelief.
This pressure was enough to crush them.
Yet Arthur looked like he was simply standing under strong wind.
Ryn forced his head up slightly so he could see the battlefield.
"...you idiot..."
His voice came out weak.
"This is the boss monster... and you’re still picking a fight alone."
But even as he said it, a faint smile tugged at the corner of his mouth.
Arthur had already done enough.
He had shattered the seal and helped kill the variant ogre. He had turned a hopeless situation into something they could actually win.
Whatever happened now, none of them doubted him anymore.
The bronze badge on Arthur’s chest had meant nothing when they first met.
Now it looked almost ridiculous.
A bronze ranked explorer fighting the dungeon boss alone?
No one would believe it if they didn’t see it with their own eyes.
Meanwhile, the boss ogre took a step forward.
THUD.
The ground shook.
The monster’s anger was clear now. Its eyes burned as it stared at Arthur standing above the broken seal.
The two of them locked eyes.
Arthur tilted his head slightly.
"So you’re mad now."
The ogre answered with a roar.
The sound shook the cavern walls.
Then it moved.
For a creature that size, the speed was absurd.
The boss crossed half the battlefield in a blink.
Arthur vanished.
Intent Step.
The ogre’s fist crashed down where Arthur had been standing.
BOOOOOM.
The floor shattered from the impact. Stone fragments exploded outward like shrapnel.
Arthur reappeared a few meters away.
"Too slow."
The boss didn’t hesitate.
It turned immediately and swung again.
Its punch cut through the air with such force that the pressure alone left a dent across the stone floor when it missed.
WHOOOM.
Arthur leaned back slightly and let the attack pass inches from his face.
"Careful," he said lightly. "You’ll break the dungeon before I do."
The boss growled.
Then the real fight began.
Arthur stepped forward.
His Sovereign’s Domain spread quietly around him.
Within that space, everything felt clearer. His movements sharpened and his control over intent grew smoother.
This was where he fought best.
The ogre swung again.
Arthur lifted his hand.
Intent Weave.
Thin threads stretched across the air and brushed against the incoming arm. The movement of the attack shifted just enough for Arthur to slip past it.
Intent Step carried him to the monster’s side.
His dagger flashed.
Execution Intent exploded along the blade as he struck.
CLANG.
The strike left a deep mark across the ogre’s ribs.
The boss roared and slammed its elbow backward.
Arthur stepped away again.
Below them, the explorers watched in silence.
They could barely move under the gravity pressure, but their eyes stayed locked on the fight.
The captain muttered quietly.
"...monster."
He wasn’t talking about the ogre.
Arthur moved across the battlefield like he belonged there.
The boss launched a heavy stomp.
BOOM.
The moment its foot struck the ground, a surge of gravity spread outward like a shockwave.
Gravity Slam.
The floor collapsed inward.
Arthur reacted instantly.
Vector Deflection twisted the path of the force just enough for him to slide past the worst of it.
"Nice trick," Arthur said with a grin.
"Let me try something too."
His fingers flicked outward.
Threads spread again.
Intent Weave wrapped around the boss’s arm.
But this time Arthur didn’t try to hold it.
Instead he guided the motion.
The ogre’s next punch slid sideways and smashed against a pillar.
CRAAAASH.
Stone exploded.
Arthur laughed.
"Yeah... I like that one."
The boss grew more aggressive.
It raised both fists and slammed them down.
BOOOOM.
Gravity surged again.
The impact sent cracks racing across the battlefield.
Arthur slipped through the chaos.
Intent Step.
Execution Intent.
Manifest Intent.
Flames wrapped around his dagger as he moved.
But this wasn’t the wild explosion he used before.
The fire followed his blade in controlled arcs.
Each strike burned into the ogre’s skin before fading.
The boss roared again and grabbed a chunk of broken stone from the ground.
With a twist of its arm, it hurled the massive piece like a cannonball.
Arthur raised a hand.
Vector Deflection activated.
The rock changed direction mid air and crashed into the cavern wall.
BOOOOM.
Arthur clapped once slowly.
"Okay. That one was creative."
The boss answered with another roar.
The battle dragged on.
From the explorers’ perspective, the scene had become unreal.
The boss monster moved like a living catastrophe.
Every punch crushed the air.
Every step shattered stone.
Gravity pulses rolled across the chamber again and again.
Yet Arthur stayed in the middle of it.
Dodging.
Countering.
Striking back.
He didn’t look like someone fighting a desperate battle.
He looked like someone enjoying himself.
His grin never disappeared.