The Basilisk King was forced to retreat again and again, its high Constitution becoming akin to minced meat.

Every time it tried to counter, Sylas would suppress it with his superior Speed.

He walked the creature down, his fists falling like rain and his kicks coming in a sudden change-up, striking down any counter the beast might have had.

The roars of rage came from the Basilisk King in steady waves, but Sylas' Aetherflow was too overwhelming.

Right now, both his Strength and Madness-boosted telekinesis were at 89. With Aetherflow, there was a 5% boost given due to the skill of his fist arts, raising it from 93 to 94.

However… none of this accounted for the extra Effectiveness of Madness Control, nor the hidden increase in Effectiveness his telekinesis had gotten after unlocking Basic Aetherflow. It was the latter that allowed him to go from casually controlling 10-pound object to ones near 30.

Even so, all of this paled in comparison to a single fist…

Sylas was stacking his blows. The Basilisk King wasn't suffering just one punch of his at over 90 Strength, it was suffering a layering of three of them. Sylas had realized that instead of controlling three daggers at once, he could just use his mind to visualize his fists and kicks three times over. Although this wasn't the same as having 270 Strength, not even close…

To the Basilisk King, there might as well have not been a difference.

Sylas took a step back, sliding out of the way of a swinging tail and suddenly driving an elbow down.

An illusory elbow appeared above the Basilisk King's tail and smashed it right into the ground.

He reached down, pinning the tail with a foot, and grabbing it with a free hand.

The Basilisk King roared, but Sylas picked it up with ease.

He raised it into the skies, and just as the creature was going to make an attempt to bite his head off again, he smashed it down.

His muscles bulged, his veins popping as illusory hands layered his own. He grabbed the snake with two hands, his 89 Strength roaring as he picked it up and smashed it again.

Brant could barely breathe as he watched Sylas throw the snake around like it was a ragdoll. Every vicious slam sent a larger rain of blood spilling out into the surroundings, and the Basilisk King's roars of rage quickly became faint whimpers.

BANG! BANG! BANG!

Sylas' torso flexed and his heel spun on the ground, sending the snake careening into the sturdy walls of the Dungeon.

The sickening sound of bones cracking echoed.

The creature had tried to use <Solidify> several times to protect itself. But when Sylas was using his fists, he simply projected them right past its barrier, and when he used the basilisk itself as a weapon, what could its shields do aside from become another sturdy surface for it to crash into?

Sylas huffed out a heavy breath, feeling that his Aether was almost on empty now. He rushed forward with thoughts of finishing the job, but that was when something unexpected happened.

The Basilisk King, which had been in the process of struggling to push itself up, suddenly lowered its head to the ground, low and docile.

Sylas thought that there was another Skill coming that he wasn't familiar with. Until now, the creature had only used what seemed to be superior versions of <Astral Bind>, <Momentum Shift>, and <Solidify>, but he had been on the lookout for any new techniques as well. This was the Final BOSS. It was bound to have some other tricks up its sleeve.

That was when the runes on the Dungeon began to glow.

Sylas frowned. One of the first things he had noticed in this Dungeon was that it didn't have a natural light source. All the light came from the greenish vein patterns that shimmered like emeralds… well, if emeralds could give off their own light, that was.

The crown of gold on the Basilisk King's head sunk into its forehead, vanishing.

'What is going on?' Sylas thought to himself.

This wasn't good. He hadn't been trying to reserve his Aether because he just assumed this would be the final challenge. In the back of his mind, he knew that Brant might or might not have companions waiting on the outside, but there was a lot of downtime in Dungeons as well. He knew he would have the time to replenish himself properly first.

But he didn't expect for something like this to happen. There were too many unexpected things about this world that seemed to catch him off guard constantly. For someone who liked to be in control of all aspects of his life, this was truly the worst-case scenario for Sylas. However, there was no changing it, so he could only choose the route of caution.

He retreated, not sure what sort of transformation the creature was undergoing. He activated <Maddened Enlightenment> in full force, staying completely still to get the full effect of meditation, speeding up his recovery even further.

'If it comes down to it, I'll use one of the Elixirs I took from those two.'

Sylas didn't choose to do so immediately, though. He knew there was a limit to how frequently you could take such Elixirs without harming yourself, so he would only take them if he was really backed up against a wall. Plus, who was to say he wouldn't need them later?

The glow of the green veins became so fierce that they bordered on blinding.

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[Quest Received]

[Sorrow of the Basilisk King (Fragmented)]

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[A King without a Kingdom. The Basilisk is a fallen creature; from where? No one knows. Maybe even They have forgotten Their former glory. You have met a Basilisk whose pride has been shattered and whose Will has been torn asunder. Remind this Basilisk King of who He is.]

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[Fragmented Reward Requirements]

[>Awaken the Pride of the Basilisk King]