[6th Apostle: Valgorth the Desolator]
[7th Apostle: Cerberus, The Protector of Hell]
[8th apostle: Malthus the Death Devil]
And though they had different placements in the [ApostleDex], each of them was level 375!
The massive chamber hummed with ominous energy as Stark’s eyes flicked between the three apostles standing before him, their combined presence causing the very air to feel oppressive.
He immediately used [Perception], and it didn’t take him long to pull up their status windows as he prepared for battle.
…
[Name: Valgorth, the Desolator]
[Level: 375]
[HP: 1,820,000/1,820,000]
[Strength: 16,500]
[Stamina: 15,900]
[Speed: 13,200]
[Defense: 17,000]
[Skills: Desolating Fist; Inferno Crush; Hellfire Aura; Dark Dominion; Demonic Charge; Earthshatter Blow; Titan’s Rampage; Wrath of Valgorth; Hellbound Shackles (MYTHICAL)]
…
[Name: Cerberus, The Protector of Hell]
[Level: 375]
[HP: 1,292,626/1,750,000]
[Strength: 17,000]
[Stamina: 17,500]
[Speed: 12,800]
[Defense: 18,000]
[Skills: Triple Fang; Infernal Chains; Cerberus Howl; Flame Whip; Molten Fury; Hound’s Charge; Underworld Sentinel; Guardian’s Wrath; Cerberus’s Bite (MYTHICAL)]
…
[Name: Malthus, the Death Devil]
[Level: 375]
[HP: 1,650,000/1,650,000]
[Strength: 14,800]
[Stamina: 15,200]
[Speed: 14,000]
[Defense: 16,500]
[Skills: Soul Cleaver; Reaper’s Dance; Death Aura; Wailing Scythe; Spectral Strike; Undying Presence; Soul Drain; Phantom Blink; Death’s Embrace (MYTHICAL); Blackened Harvest (GODLY)]
…
Stark’s heart raced as he processed the stats in front of him.
Even though each of the apostles was just slightly weaker than Olikar, fighting all three of them at once was a different beast altogether.
“Damn,” Stark muttered, wiping a bead of sweat from his brow, “Didn’t think it would be this… complicated.”
But there was no turning back now.
This was the challenge he had been preparing for all along, and hesitation wasn’t part of his choices.
He charged up a Crimson Purification energy ball, gathering divine light into his palm.
It hummed with raw power as he prepared to hurl it at the apostles, and when he did, expecting it to do serious damage…
Slash! Fwish!
The ball disintegrated in an instant, sliced cleanly by Malthus’s scythe before it reached them.
“Divine light is nothing before the power of the Death Devil,” Malthus said coldly, his skeletal grin widening as his weapon gleamed in the chamber’s dim light.
Stark blinked, momentarily thrown off, “Well, that’s new.”
Before he could recover, Valgorth roared and charged forward with terrifying speed, his massive body crashing toward Stark like a speeding boulder.
“Desolating Fist!”
The apostle’s fist, surrounded by a dark, molten aura, smashed into the ground where Stark had been standing.
The force of the blow sent cracks spider-webbing through the stone floor, and the shockwave threw Stark backward.
-17472!
He barely managed to roll to his feet, gasping as he felt the impact of the attack in his bones.
Cerberus followed up immediately, bounding toward him on massive paws that left smoldering prints in the ground.
All three heads snarled as it leapt into the air, its claws slashing at Stark with terrifying speed.
“Crimson Spears!” Stark shouted, summoning five spears of crimson energy to block the incoming attack.
He grabbed the spears, using them to deflect the monstrous claws of the three-headed beast.
The force of the impact sent him sliding back, his feet digging into the ground.
“Not enough,” Stark growled, as he tried to gain distance.
He jumped back, activating Crimson Ball Transmission to throw the ball at the other edge of the chamber and teleporting a few feet away to give himself a moment to breathe right as Malthus slashed with his scythe were Stark was.
But the apostles weren’t giving him any time.
“Hound’s Charge!” Cerberus howled, rushing him with blistering speed, while Malthus blinked out of sight, reappearing just behind Stark with another chilling scythe slash.
Stark barely managed to dodge the strike with Invincible Dodge, his body moving at surreal speeds to evade the deadly attack.
He rolled forward and avoided Valgorth’s follow-up [Inferno Crush], the molten fists of the apostle crashing into the ground where he’d been only a split second ago.
‘These guys are relentless!’ Stark thought, as he summoned his Crimson Fists, infusing them with [Holy Energy]
He activated Aura Smash: Merge, pulling all five fists together to create a crimson storm of energy around him.
The swirling vortex sucked in debris and energy as it expanded more and more, yet both Cerberus and Valgorth charged into the storm undeterred.
“Titan’s Rampage!” Valgorth’s body glowed with a dark aura as he barreled through the crimson storm, slamming into Stark with brutal force.
“GARGH-”
-23381!
At the same time, Cerberus’s Bite struck from the side, its three heads snapping at Stark in unison.
-10245! -13261! -12921!
[Stark HP: 40359/125000]
Stark gritted his teeth and activated Double Assault, doubling his stats for a brief 20 seconds.
His body surged with power as he retaliated with Crimson Spears: Spear of Judgement, summoning a massive, glowing crimson spear that locked onto Cerberus and pierced its defenses.
The spear detonated on impact, sending a shockwave through the chamber as the beast howled in pain.
-231938! -238274! -258315! (since it three heads so triple the damage because of the explosion).
But before Stark could capitalize on his momentary victory, Malthus appeared once more, swinging his scythe with deadly precision.
“Death’s Embrace!”
The scythe connected with Stark’s side, cutting through his aura and drawing blood.
Stark gasped as the deathly energy sapped his strength, leaving him momentarily paralyzed as the death devil grinned.
-33472!
“Your end is near,” Malthus whispered coldly.
“Not… yet!” Stark growled, activating his aura to push the scythe and spin in the air to kick the apostle away, making him crash against the ground.
-103739!
He could feel the pressure building.
Every attack from the apostles was overwhelming, each one perfectly synchronized to corner him.
His Invincible Dodge bought him brief moments of respite, but he was running out of options.
Suddenly, Cerberus roared, launching an attack with Abyssal Devourer.
Its three heads glowed with demonic energy as it lunged forward, jaws wide, intending to crush Stark in one bite.
Stark threw out his Domination Soul, his crimson heart slamming into Cerberus and then sending [Domi-Chain Restrain] on it.
-273612!
The beast roared in defiance, but Stark wasn’t done.
He focused his energy, merging the chains tighter and tighter, causing the three-headed monster to writhe in pain.
But as Stark tried to restrain Cerberus, both Valgorth and Malthus closed in from either side.
“Hellfire Aura!”
“Blackened Harvest!”
Flames erupted around Stark, burning with demonic fury as Valgorth unleashed his hellfire aura.
At the same time, Malthus summoned a wave of spectral hands that clawed at Stark’s body, draining his life force with each touch.
Stark roared as his health dropped dangerously low.
His body was battered and burned, the relentless onslaught of attacks leaving him with barely a fraction of his health remaining.
His vision blurred.
He could barely stand.
The apostles towered over him, ready to deliver the final blow.
[HP: 1/125000]
But suddenly…
[Crimson Healing activated, Full Health restored.]
Crimson Healing activated, bathing Stark in a burst of restorative energy. His health surged back to full, his body glowing with crimson light as he stood up, completely back to full health.
“Guess I’m not done yet,” he muttered through gritted teeth, smiling at the apostles.
The apostles snarled, they knew it wouldn’t be this easy.
They regrouped, their eyes glowing with murderous intent.
And then… Stark did something weird: he looked to his right, at one of the corners of the room.
“5 seconds…” he mumbled.
As the apostles began to converge on him for one final, combined assault, Stark tried to slam his [Soul Heart] at Valgorth.
Then he launched a barrage of Crimson Spears at Malthus, forcing him to dodge while he leapt backward, putting distance between himself and Cerberus’s snapping jaws.
3 seconds.
Sweat dripped down Stark’s face as he continued to dodge and weave through their attacks.
2 seconds.
Surprisingly, though, he didn’t feel tired, not at all.
1 seconds.
The apostles roared as they prepared their ultimate abilities, demonic energy swirling around them.
0 seconds.
A grin split Stark’s face as his Ultimate Clone finally activated.
The reason he had teleported to the edge of the chamber with [Crimson Ball Transmission] was to secretly place his [Ultimate Clone], doing everything in his power to get the apostles’ full attention.
And it worked!
[The Ultimate Clone has been summoned.]
“Let’s turn the tables, now,” he grinned so mischievously the apostles were taken aback.
“What the hell?” the apostles saw the clone teleport right next the original Stark using its very own [Crimson Ball Transmission].
“=)” it smiled at them, as if mocking them for their stupidity.
“WON’T CHANGE A THING HUMAN,” Valgorth positioned himself, taking the fight seriously.
“It is but futile… die… it will beautiful,” and Malthus span his sight before pointing it at the two opponents.
“Grrrsskkrr…” Cerberus on the other hand was ready to attack at any point.
“Well, what are you waiting for,” Stark laughed!
