Chương 815: Rush and Mistake.

Since then, the group has been much more careful and has faced another copy of Aionthra about 8 days later. However, when facing it, they didn't separate like before. Aionthra descended again, and using the same time-stopping tactics, which were basically unblockable, she managed to kill two more people. This time, though, Aionthra couldn't target the healers because they had all focused on supporting each other with healing buffs. So, instead of taking on the healers, Aionthra chose to target the scouts.

These fighters were usually slippery, but when time control was involved, their ability to escape Aionthra was null. Riven, the lead scout, barely managed to save his life after Aionthra's copy was defeated with the help of the healers constantly pouring cleanse spells and potions on him. Aurek glanced around at the tired group and became tense.

'... Isn't this too much for a Special Monster? What about Aionthra herself?' It was true that the Special Monsters didn't really have the firepower to kill indiscriminately. Nevertheless, they could pick up one or two of their groups. This caused tremendous fear among the people.

'It is a battle we must do two more times… Isn't this like rolling a dice? After all, no one really knows what that instant-kill skill that manipulates time is.' From their perspective, at least, things happened in less than an instant. One moment, the person was standing there with them; the next, their body was mangled and scorched. A single blink, and the situation flipped on its head, their bodies affected by one or two extra infinite-lasting debuffs.

'What if Kaelen and I fight it by ourselves?' As he thought that, he quickly shook his head. After two fights, Aurek had come to the realization that killing the Special Monster with their stats was not a difficult matter. The problem was that the Special Monster controlled by an intelligent being wouldn't stay still.

'If we charge forward alone, and after triggering the Special Monster, it decides to blink away… That would be a complete disaster.' Instead of them two going to fight the Special Monster alone, the creature would fight their comrades without them.

"Of course, if they stay behind in the city, that's not an option. However… That's just not practical enough." Hearing his mutter, Kaelen glanced over and spoke.

"What if we don't complete the Hidden Quest? Hidden Quests are naturally difficult; that's why their rewards are so generous. So, can't we just go toward the Mirror Cathedral?" Aurek pondered and commented.

"We can use the next time frame between waves to explore that area. If Riven dies before we go there to scout, things could get incredibly messy." There were only four scouts in the party, and two of them died during this battle. If the last two were eliminated, an ambush could cause them catastrophic damage. With that in mind, the next wave arrived with 20 more monsters in each gate. So, a total of 218 normal creatures and two Mini BOSS creatures in each gate.

With their previous experience, they managed to clear it easily. Moreover, the two World Tree Guardians at the North and West gates allowed them to defend the South and East with more people while leaving only a few healers there to help the knights.

"Were there any unfortunate knights this time?"

"None, General. While the wave was stronger, we were better prepared, so there have been no accidents." Aurek sighed in relief. Losing one randomly each time would be quite a catastrophe.

"The next wave is… in two weeks. One week, one and a half weeks, two weeks… If the pattern continues, it will occur about 12 times before the initial one-year timeframe ends. Now it's the best time, so let's go explore the Mirror Cathedral tomorrow."

Sitting on her throne, Aionthra leaned on her fist with a faint, interested smile.

"If they can deal with the core mechanism of my instance, they have a good chance at defeating me." She was proud of her strength, but two <Second Ascension> powerhouses supported by a group was a bit too much. Of course, with her World Rank BOSS template, there was a chance to fight back. After all, with each extra opponent, her stats would soar.

"It's a bit of a shame. If I ever leave this <Dungeon>, those titles will surely disappear." If they didn't, Aionthra would become virtually invincible. Imagine diving into an army of one million? Aionthra's stats might become equal to those of a Level 400 even at Level 199. Perhaps even higher.

"... Hm?" Looking at the direction they group was heading, Aionthra's eyes flashed with confusion.

"Why are they coming my way?" If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it's taken without the author's consent. Report it. Due to the setting, the Willow World Tree had used its existence to hold her back within her throne room. So, as the last BOSS Monster, Aionthra could do nothing until either the time ran out or the doors of the Throne Room were opened by the challengers. This was a setting Liu Shu created back then, knowing just how absurdly powerful World Rank BOSS Monsters were.

If the current Liu Shu could speak to her past self, Aionthra felt that she would smack her younger self and give her much more freedom of movement. A chuckle escaped Aionthra, her regal gaze softening.

"Mother is really silly. Wouldn't defeating me give the Empire a tremendous boost?" She was not joking. The rewards for defeating Aionthra were stupidly high. Moreover, they were tailored for those who defeated her. Anyone who could defeat her would become a powerhouse with the right to become a Star Emperor recognized by all interstellar powers.

"Anyway… those things they have been doing outside were actually something like the prologue of my Instance. It seems that they have decided to give a go at the main content before clearing the easy parts?" Aionthra's instance was divided into three major "arcs." The first was arriving at the World Tree City and building defenses to help them last until departure. This arc was the easiest, as all monsters were relatively easy to hunt except for Aionthra's echoes.

Even then, these echoes couldn't really move much and could be handled with tactics. The second arc was gaining access to the Mirror Cathedral. For this, the group needed to face off against several Mini BOSS creatures, a few small encampments, and also help the advanced resistance army that was holding off Aionthra's main army with some dealings. Those waves that arrived at the World Tree City were, in truth, "stragglers" escaping the main battlefield.

The third and final arc was entering the Mirror Cathedral, overcoming several trials inside, and eventually facing off against Aionthra herself.

"The problem is that if you rush the first section… It's not a good thing. Only those with overwhelming power should do that." Aionthra muttered, her purple eyes glancing at the group, looking complicated.

"They were doing so well, why venture out? Sigh." And, as soon as they defeated a few beast groups and arrived at a certain section, Aionthra's Crystal Echo Generals noticed their existence. The system made sure to notify the group. [Beware! You've been noticed by Aionthra's right-hand Echo General.] [Monster Waves will be accelerated by 50% since the next wave onward!] [Monster Waves will have an additional Mini BOSS from the next wave onward!] [You've forcefully triggered the second phase <Main Sylvan Quest: The Ascension Echo Eternal Arbiter's Army>.] [Description: You've entered the main warring zone between the Willow World Tree and Aionthra, She Who Walks Between Seconds. In this zone, both main armies are fighting fiercely. Sadly, the Willow World Tree's army is fighting a losing battle. Help stabilize the situation and buy time so that you can infiltrate the Mirror Cathedral and save this world from collapse!] [Objective: Buy time.] [Time until main army collapses: 30 days.] [Failure 1: Main army collapses.] [Failure 2: Monster Waves become twice as large and will be accompanied by a General Class Echo Monster who can command retreat.] [Failure 3: Monster waves will occur every three days (Fixed).] Aionthra, looking at the group, noticed their march coming to a stop. A second later, she saw their eyes widening in pure, bewildered terror.

There was a reason as to why the barrier around the Willow World Tree lasted only a year, but Aionthra's "Shackles" were only released after five years. The four-year difference was meant to leave the challengers enough time to complete the first phase, tackle the second, and finally conquer the Mirror Cathedral where Aionthra stayed. If they could get all four World Tree Guardians before the collapse, the group could more or less ignore the beast attacks.

Then, during this second phase, the group would be worry-free and complete several army mini quests to gain <Time>. Aurek glanced at the quest that popped, and then, he made a hollow laugh.

"So that's why the time difference was so large." It was a small detail Liu Shu added to hint that they MUST complete the first part unless the group's strength was overwhelming. Honestly, the hint was something the Dungeon System didn't really like, as it favored the challengers too much. Remember that the Dungeon System was calculating with the challengers entering with enough strength to beat the instance, not in favor of weak people who couldn't even challenge one of Aionthra's echoes.

So, that big hint, when Aionthra would face similarly powerful people, was a bit too favorable for the challengers. Still, back then, Liu Shu spent quite a bit of time convincing the <Dungeon System>. Another thing the current Liu Shu regretted being Aiontha's dearest Mom. Aurek pursed his lips and spoke aloud.

"... Any ideas?" Someone spoke sarcastically.

"Turn back time and never leave the initial area?" Aurek glared over, making that person flinch and look away. Meanwhile, Lysera, the chief aethermancer, spoke with a tentative tone.

"How about we try to help the army once and see how much time we can win before the next monster wave? We've only taken around 18 hours of marching before we arrived at this area. So, returning is not impossible when two days are left from the two weeks." Aurek listened and nodded.

"Alright, we'll do that. Let's move quickly and try to find a friendly camp. We should be able to get some things done before 10 days pass."

"Understood." He didn't know that this move was the very beginning of the true time-attack nature of Aionthra's instance. With the two quests active, Aurek's group would know no rest. Aionthra's interested gaze was now full of pity.

"Rushing things is truly the bane of most… What a shame." Faintly closing her eyes, Aionthra spoke the pre-arranged sentence to her general.

"Intensify the attacks. Those who want to defile our purpose have arrived, and their defenses are not sturdy." This was like a "dialogue option" that only happened when the four World Tree Guardians were not gathered. A rough and reverberating voice answered reverently.

"Understood, Your Majesty." Aionthra closed her eyes, and the final message that nailed the coffin, thus, appeared. [Ding! The Echo Army is intensifying its attacks after learning of the Disruptors' presence. Some time-limited quests will be impossible to complete after a certain amount of time.]