Chương 66: The Chest Cannon

Recap: You blocked the Void Lord's beam and dealt 80 damage. The Boss is airborne and charging another attack. You voted to SIGNAL PARTY (COMBO). Torin couldn't throw me. Not under this gravity. I weighed half a ton. But he didn't need to throw me. He needed to be my platform. I vibrated. Urgent. Rhythmic. Buzz. Buzz. CLACK. (Shield. Now.) Torin looked at me. He was bleeding from the nose. Gravity Crush was punishing him. But he saw the logic. I was the projectile. He was the launcher.

"Kara! Buff me!" Torin roared. He slammed his shield into the floor. He knelt, bracing the angled surface toward the airborne Boss. Kara didn't ask questions. She tapped his shoulder.

"Strength Boost." A golden light flared on his armor.

"CHARGING… ERASURE…" the Void Lord intoned. The beam was brighter this time. Wider. Now, I thought. Before it fires. I slid onto Torin's shield. The angle was perfect. Forty-five degrees. I locked my base muscles. I charged my Slam skill. Cooldown was ready. SYSTEM NOTIFICATION Skill Used: Slam Attack (Assisted) Cost: 10 Stamina (Gravity Penalty) Current SP: 12/32 Modifier: Warrior Boost (Strength +5) Modifier: Gravity Crush (Weight +900%) Target: Void Lord (Level 8)"GO!" Torin yelled. He pushed. Not a throw.

A launch. He added his Strength stat to my base propulsion. I fired. I wasn't just a box anymore. I was a kinetic missile. 120 pounds of wood plus 10x gravity plus Torin's Strength plus my own Slam. The air shattered around me. The Void Lord fired. The beam screamed toward us. I was faster. CRASH. I hit the Boss square in the chest core. My iron bands bit deep. The Core Resonance flared white-hot. The kinetic energy transferred instantly.

The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement. SYSTEM NOTIFICATION Damage Calculation: Slam (Str 7) + Torin Assist (Str 10) + Gravity Base Damage: 25 HP Gravity Bonus: +200% (Kinetic Energy) Resonance Bonus: +10% Critical Hit (Core Strike): x3 Total Damage: 230 HP Target HP: 190/500 The Void Lord didn't just fall. It plummeted. It crashed into the sphere floor with me on top of it. The impact shook the entire chamber. Floating rocks fell from the orbit.

"SYSTEM… ERROR… PHYSICAL… TRAUMA…" The beam fizzled out. The Boss lay beneath me, cracked. The vacuum substance was leaking. I bounced off. Gravity pulled me down hard. Thud. I skidded to a stop near Torin. SYSTEM NOTIFICATION Damage Taken: 5 HP (Impact Recoil) Current HP: 22/27 SP Remaining: 12/32 MP Remaining: 2/22"Did… did we kill it?" Renn whispered. He was hiding behind a floating rock.

"No," Torin said. He was panting. He helped me upright.

"It's… reforming." The Void Lord was standing. Slowly. The cracks were sealing. But it was different now. The absence was gone. It was… solid. Flesh-like. Dark purple skin. Eyes like stars.

"PHASE… TWO… INCARNATION…" It wasn't a void entity anymore. It was a being. A physical being. That meant physical attacks worked better. But it meant it could fight back harder. It looked at Torin. Then at me.

"YOU… BOX… YOU… ARE… THE… ANOMALY… I… WILL… CONSUME… YOUR… CORE…" It lunged. Not with magic. With speed. It closed the distance in a blink. It raised a fist. Dark energy coated the knuckles. Torin raised his shield.

"I've got it!" CLANG. Torin flew backward. He hit the wall. He didn't get up.

"TORIN!" Kara screamed. The Boss turned to me. It was ignoring the others. It wanted me. I had 12 SP. 2 MP. 22 HP. It had 190 HP. It was fast. Strong. Physical. I couldn't Slam again (Cooldown 5s). I couldn't Taunt (No MP). I had the Hammer. I had the Staff. I had my teeth. It raised its foot. It was going to stomp me. Current Stats (Level 7 - Ironband Mimic): HP: 22/27 (Recoil Damage) Mana: 2/22 (Critical) Stamina: 12/32 (Low) Inventory: 2 Pebbles, Metal Items (Fused). Mage Staff (Loot). Guardian Hammer (Stored).

Status: Gravity Crush (Active), Slam Cooldown (5s), Torin Down. What do you do? A) DEPLOY HAMMER (DEFENSE) Release the Hammer between you and the foot. Block the stomp with Unique Loot. (Cost: 0 MP. Gain: Block. Risk: Hammer Damage.) B) BITE THE FOOT (COUNTER) Open lid. Bite the stomp. Drag it into your stomach. Acid + Teeth. (Cost: 2 SP. Gain: Damage, HP Regen. Risk: Close Contact.) C) USE MAGE STAFF (DESPERATION) Equip the Mage Staff. Fire a blast. Even with 2 MP, it might have residual charges.

(Cost: 2 MP (All). Gain: Damage/Stun. Risk: MP Zero, Staff Break.) D) VOID STEP (DODGE) Wait, Void Step is disabled in chamber. Slide away. Kite the Boss. Wait for Slam Cooldown. (Cost: 5 SP. Gain: Time. Risk: Boss Chases, Party Danger.) VOTING CLOSES IN 24 HOURS. Reply with A, B, C, or D. Most votes wins. [Author Note] Thanks for voting on Chapter 65! Option D (Combo) was legendary! You dealt 230 Damage and forced the Boss into Phase 2! But Torin is down and you're low on Stamina!