In the grand hall of Esta Imperia, engulfed in flames, the battle between two mighty emperors was reaching its conclusion.
Blood arched through the air in crescent-shaped streaks. Was it Elenora’s blood, or the sweeping slash of Haleos Draekar? No one could tell.
Haleos Draekar, The Blood Moon Scythe
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Divine Rank
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Level 200
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Blood + Fire
Estimated Stats (based on observed damage output):
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Power ~300
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Attack Speed ~100
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Magic Power ~200
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Other stats: ???
Divine Effects:
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Blood Moon Tyranny: Attacks have a ??% chance to curse the target, reducing their max HP by 2% for 30 seconds, preventing recovery. Stacks.
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Eclipse Sanction: Any enemy below 50% HP near Haleos is automatically marked with Eclipse for 15 seconds. Haleos Draekar deals 50% extra burn damage and applies an Eclipse Mark on affected enemies. Each slain enemy grants Haleos an Eclipse Stack, increasing his critical rate by 5% per stack.
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Esonaii Doom: Each Eclipse Stack has a 5% chance to trigger Blood Detonation, an explosion that scales with critical rate and removes all enemy buffs. If Eclipse Marks reach Full Moon, the enemy is instantly executed. (Speed of Full Moon activation is unknown, estimated based on attack frequency and skill variety.)
Other effects (if any): ???
Additional skills: ???
This was all the information that Valia’s 100-million-strong player base had managed to gather on this Divine weapon. These analyses were based on the few times Drarkarr had personally taken to the battlefield in the early days of the kingdom’s formation. History recorded only three instances of the Tyrant Drarkarr’s direct involvement—and each was a massacre, orchestrated by the bloodthirsty crescent blade of Haleos Draekar.
Now, with Drarkarr appearing for the fourth time, the terror he and his scythe inspired was even more horrifying. While this clash between two legendary bosses was an opportunity for analysts to gather data, did it even matter anymore? This might very well be the final battle.
Elenora had held out for 15 minutes, yet the escort forces from Asterith were still only halfway to the battlefield. Valia was a vast land without instant teleportation. Even warriors urging their Pegasus mounts to full speed could not break the limits of space. All they could do was pray for their Queen to hold on.
At that moment, not only the players of Estapha but even their rivals were moved by the sheer resilience of their Queen. They had never seen the woman behind the character, but through her clear, sweet voice, they all envisioned a small, gentle girl—delicate yet unyielding—just like the Queen she controlled.
Now, struggling in this hopeless battle, with her golden hair matted in blood and her radiant armor stained crimson, she still refused to surrender. The fight had dragged on far longer than anyone anticipated, and third-party software reported that Elenora’s APM (Actions Per Minute) had reached nearly 200—a level she had sustained for three consecutive minutes.
For reference, professional players and top-tier experts typically had an APM between 250-300, while elite players like Henry could easily surpass 400. In stark contrast, Queen Elenora’s average APM was a mere 120—a painfully low number. She was neither an experienced gamer nor a natural talent. She was just an ordinary person, like anyone else.
How did someone with such poor mechanics and weak leadership skills become the Queen of an entire kingdom? Many had questioned this. The Empire of Estapha was declining not just due to battlefield losses, but also due to mismanagement. In an age dominated by the internet, an innocent and pure-hearted girl was an appealing symbol, but that alone was not enough to compensate for her deficiencies—especially when she remained a private, faceless figure.
Yet, at this moment, watching her stand alone against the Tyrant, utterly outmatched in both experience and skill, but still fighting—still refusing to retreat or hide—everyone felt a stirring in their hearts. Elenora had pushed herself far beyond her limits, increasing her APM to a level that should have been impossible for her. But she showed no sign of giving up.
The city of Asterith had fallen silent. The battle cries had ceased. Players from both Estapha and Zephrania, without any prior agreement, had all stopped fighting. Every pair of eyes was fixated on this final duel, holding their breath.
It was 9:44 AM in North America, 1:44 PM in London, and 9:44 PM in Beijing. Over 300 major media outlets were covering the impending end of the game that had taken the world by storm. Across the globe, over a billion people were watching this ultimate battle unfold.
This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
Haleos Draekar coldly slashed through the air, as if intending to rip apart the distance between the virtual world of Valia and reality itself. His crimson scythe carved deep into Elenora’s slender frame, sending her flying backward. A spray of blood erupted, blooming into a crimson flower.
Elenora’s HP dropped to 50%. At the same time, Blood Detonation triggered, erasing all her healing and defensive buffs before cruelly shaving off another 10% of her health.
Drarkarr, naturally, had no intention of showing mercy. The battle’s pace accelerated the moment Eclipse Sanction was activated.
She had endured 15 minutes with her first 50% HP. But with the remaining half, she wouldn’t last more than 30 seconds.
Esonaii Re’qoth – Midnight God's Execution.
The scythe descended from above. A surge of Bloodfire ignited along its length, morphing into the shadow of a black phoenix cradling a blazing crimson sphere. At that very instant, all of Valia was bathed in red. The crescent moon in the sky completed its shape, becoming a full, ominous Blood Moon. Around it, massive clouds took the form of a phoenix, its wings outstretched as if preparing to descend upon Estaphalia.
This was one of only two abilities in all of Valia capable of summoning a God’s Projection without requiring Spirit Points.
Drarkarr sacrificed 10% HP and 20% Mana, taking on the Esonaii Curse debuff for 10 minutes. In return, Haleos Draekar channeled the power of the Divine God Esonaii – Midnight Deity, executing a single, decisive slash.
Esonaii Re’qoth: The user enters a moment of Perfect Invincibility, unleashing the destructive force of Esonaii into a single strike. All enemies within range are inflicted with Eclipse Chained, reducing their movement speed in proportion to their Eclipse Mark stacks. When struck, all Eclipse Marks are amplified.
Instantly, a pitch-black field engulfed Elenora. Fifteen chains shot out from the darkness, binding her in place—one for each of her Eclipse Marks. Her movement speed was reduced by a staggering 15 times, leaving her with only 6.67% of her original speed. She was frozen in place, helplessly watching as the dark phoenix of Esonaii descended with Haleos Draekar’s merciless strike.
Drarkarr had meticulously calculated every step. With Full Moon at 100%, Elenora’s fate was sealed.
That final, brutal moment seemed to stretch into eternity as Elenora desperately prayed for a miracle.
But it was futile. Even if the gods could hear her, there were none in all of Valia powerful enough to stop the destruction wrought by the Dark God Esonaii.
CLANGGGGGG!!!!!!!!!!
At the moment when everyone heartbreakingly awaited the inevitable downfall of the Queen, who had fought valiantly to her last breath, a black spear of steel suddenly pierced the ground from nowhere.
The dark energy of Esonaii roared as it slashed toward her, only to be split cleanly in two by that very spear, tearing through both sides of the great hall yet leaving Elenora standing unharmed at the center.
It was just a slender, two-meter-long piece of steel, its shape still indistinct to onlookers, yet it had completely nullified the world-ending power of a supreme deity.
The entire world was stunned.
Elenora stood frozen, unable to comprehend the miracle that had just unfolded before her—the trembling metal object vibrating right before her eyes.
For the first time in the entire war, the ultimate strike of Emperor Drarkarr had been blocked.
The Estapha faction erupted into deafening cheers. Whether it was dawn, midnight, or high noon, the sound of jubilation reverberated across every corner of the world.”
===
“The Holy Light Deity, Lafieii!”
Helen had been watching Estapha's stream in shock until one of her colleagues behind her shouted.
“It’s the Blessing of the Holy Light Deity Lafieii, the supreme deity of the universe!”
Helen snapped back to reality, immediately speaking into her microphone.
“That spear… it appears to be a lance, but its tier is still unknown. However, no weapon in the entirety of Valia, no matter how powerful, should be able to stop a fatal strike imbued with Esonaii’s power. Unless… unless it’s that familiar buff we all received once!”
The more she spoke, the less she could believe her own words. But it was undeniable—a divine blessing granted by the Holy Light Deity Lafieii to all players, herself included. Around the pitch-black lance, a faint silver radiance pulsed.
“The Newbie Buff,” she whispered.
The gift bestowed by the supreme deity Lafieii upon every Adventurer upon their first steps into the world of Valia—30 minutes of absolute divine protection.
Which meant… at that very moment, a new character had been born. A new Adventurer had officially entered the world of Valia—right in the middle of the most brutal battlefield between the two mightiest beings of the mortal realm.
High above the ceiling, where a massive stained-glass mural depicted the Holy Light Deity Lafieii alongside Desonaii and Esonaii, a teleportation portal opened. From within, a figure dropped down, landing precisely atop the black lance’s handle.
His hair was styled into sharp black Mohawk spikes, his face devoid of expression, and a long black trench coat billowed violently in the wind. A large leather satchel hung at his waist, filled with many similar black steel lances.
From his elevated position, he gazed down at the Emperor, who was still struggling to recover after his failed decisive strike.
“You… Who the fuck are you?!” Drarkarr roared. His character remained locked in a post-attack stance, and Esonaii’s judgmental punishment had begun eating away at his flesh.
===
“A brand-new character has just been created! He has appeared right in the middle of a battle between two of the game’s strongest Bosses! Oh my god, he’s just a regular Adventurer like the rest of us! He’s… only level 1! That’s right—there are no exceptions for anyone! A level 1 character, and his very first opponent is the most powerful figure in the entire game!”
“Kai?”
“Who the hell is Kai?”
“Black coat? He’s wearing a black coat?”
“Is he an NPC or a player?”
“Is this an event or what?”
“There are no NPCs in Valia, you dumbass.”
“Well, the gods are technically NPCs.”
“Does he look like a god to you? Level 1 account just spawned and already stirring shit up? More like a troll than a god.”
“Maybe he just randomly spawned here.”
“But isn’t this character really weird? Not even talking about his outfit…”
“Do newbie gifts even include weapons like that? Or did the game just get an update?”
As chatrooms across every platform exploded over the sudden appearance of this level 1 character named Kai, he landed on the ground, pulling his spear free from the earth.
Yet he didn’t even spare Drarkarr a glance. Instead, he seemed fully aware of the ghostly presence of a fallen guardian who was streaming the battle. He pointed the tip of his lance directly toward the camera—as if looking straight at the hundreds of millions of viewers watching.
“My name is Kai. And after today, every single one of you will remember it.”