They arrived in front of a huge, ten-meter-high door.
No one was making any noise, but was extremely focused. They still resented Apophis for his decision, but had decided to give the fight their full effort, anyway. At this point, it was victory or death.
Apophis stepped forward and opened the door.
A huge room opened before them, one about 500 square meters in area and about ten meters high. Surprisingly, it appeared to be a luxurious suite, but its occupants were not immediately visible.
However, as the team carefully advanced, Apophis noticed a figure standing, looking out one of the huge windows in the suite.
Apophis moved closer and saw that it was a humanoid with his back turned to the party, hands behind his back, observing the eclipse, which was visible through the windows.
Sudden realization came to Apophis.
It was a Zetark!
[Lord Enel] [Boss] [Level: 200] [Rank: A+]
Apophis's heart sank. This was too much.
They had no chance of defeating this boss. The A+ rank meant that the boss had not ascended to godhood and was still mortal, but the difference in power was obscene. The difference in power between Apophis's E- rank and the boss was a power ratio of 1 to 100,000,000.
Because, of course, rank was far more important of a measure of power than level.
Apophis summoned every drop of his courage and signaled for the group to stay back.
Then he stepped forward, resting only a few meters from Lord Enel. Thanks to his extensive recent reading, he knew how to speak Zetark perfectly.
Using his knowledge of the Zetark Empire's culture, he spoke with great respect and restraint."Good morning, Lord Enel!" He punctuated his words with a respectful bow.
Lord Enel turned around. "So it is you that I must eliminate?"
"Of course not," said Apophis. "I'm a friend of the empire. I'm even known by my title of Savior of the Zetark."
Lord Enel thought about this. "I believe you, for you respect our customs to the letter. Yet, that doesn't change the fact that I must eliminate you for the glory of the Emperor and the Empire."
"My lord," Apophis retorted, "I regret to tell you that the Zetark Empire fell more than a thousand years ago. Only one member of your species is still alive, Princess Antanria, whom I rescued three days ago from a life support capsule."
Lord Enel was confused. "What date in the stellar calendar is it?"
"January 28, 7099. It seems that you've been stuck here for more than a thousand years, my lord!"
Lord Enel, confused, tried to understand. He tried to sift through his memories.
Apophis continued. "We have been sent here by Goddess Varda Elentári, for your souls have been corrupted by a malevolent god. My allies and I are here to cleanse you, not fight you."
As he spoke, Apophis suddenly realized something. The young Zetark he had saved possessed almost the same name as the goddess in the Zetark language.
Was the princess simply named after the goddess, as in some real world religions? True, the Zetark tongue was an extremely complex language with a wealth of words, and each phoneme had a special meaning... but still, might there be a deeper connection between these two women?
Lord Enel was in great pain. This revelation was nearly impossible to believe, but deep down, he knew that it must be true.
Just as he was about to speak, Lord Enel collapsed, screaming in pain, touching his head!
A powerful voice came from the void, speaking with grim authority. "How dare you resist your master, you miserable mortal!"
After a few moments, the screaming stopped.
Lord Enel stood up, his limbs lurching in a disturbing way, a blank look on his face.
Apophis inspected the boss again.
[Ener, Puppet Lord] [Boss] [Level: 20] [Rank: C]
Well, 'that' was much easier to deal with!
Apophis yelled to the other party members, who were still stunned by what they'd just seen, to immediately get into fighting positions!
The hardest fight of their lives was about to begin.
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