Chapter 262: Princess Charlie vs Warden Captain

Luke had lured the Warden Captain through the fortress halls, pulling him along like prey in a hunt. When he reached the right spot, he loosed an arrow loaded with stamina. The blast tore open a breach in the wall, and in the next heartbeat he shoved the monster through the freshly carved hole. They both plummeted. Not into the courtyard lawn, but into a deep pit, dug out by him and Charlie. Loose soil gave way beneath their bodies, the crash rattling the earth.

The original plan had been similar: drag the Captain to the top floor of the fortress, break a wall, and hurl him out, cutting him off from the Wardens still swarming the fortress. But the chaos had forced an improvisation. At least now the Haven soldiers were holding the horde at bay inside, buying him the clean fight he wanted.

Luke staggered to his feet first, muscles heavy, lungs burning.

[Stamina: 23/2770]

He laughed under his breath, ragged.

“Maybe… I really am an idiot,” he muttered, feeling his body tremble on the edge of collapse.

The Captain rose a moment later, fury blazing in its half-rotted face. To be torn away from the fortress it was sworn to guard was an insult it could not abide. With a guttural roar, it raised its blade and charged, the sound booming in the pit.

Luke extended his hand toward the ground. “No. Down here, you’re in my domain.”

Roots studded with thorns burst from the soil and walls, snaring the monster’s limbs. The Captain ripped some free, but the delay was enough. Luke vaulted against the wall and began to climb. Each pull was a battle against exhaustion.

At the top, he thrust out a hand. “Charlie! Throw me Artemis!”

“Excuse me? I am not a thing you throw!” Artemis barked just before Charlie hurled the pendant his way.

Luke caught it and activated the artifact. The pocket dimension opened in his mind, row after row of wooden barrels stacked in the void. Some collected from the capital, others bought in the Safe Zone. All filled with purified water. One after another, he hurled them into the pit. Barrels shattered on impact, flooding the shaft. The Captain tried to climb, but each time it was hammered down by another crashing cask, sinking deeper.

When the water nearly brimmed to the top, Luke pulled out a heavy iron cauldron. Inside sloshed a foul concoction, still hot thanks to the stasis of the pocket realm. He dumped it all at once. Steam boiled upward in choking clouds.

The Captain roared, clawing at the walls. It planted its blade into the dirt, trying to drag itself free.

Luke sliced his own palm, letting blood drip into the boiling pool.

“What are you doing, human?” Franky’s voice hissed.

From the void, Luke withdrew a vial wrapped in a dark aura.

[Beast’s Darkness Mixture (Rare)]: A fusion of potent healing potion, demonic blood, and the blood of a Jormungandr has created a volatile substance. The healing essence has been completely corrupted, resulting in a powerful acid. A dangerous mistake… or a weapon in disguise.

He raised the vial.

“I’m making witchcraft,” he said coldly.

“Oh no!” Artemis yelped. “He’s about to resurrect Voldemort!”

Luke ignored her. He poured the mixture into the boiling pool. The liquid turned a murky green, the vapor thickening into suffocating clouds. The Captain’s hand clamped around Luke’s leg, claws digging into flesh. But fresh thorned roots exploded from the ground, stabbing through its arms, tearing it loose and dragging it down.

The creature plunged, swallowed by the pool, a vast cauldron now brewing a single, devastating potion of acid. The scream that tore through the pit wasn’t just rage, it was pain. Luke wasn’t even sure if the undead could feel pain, but that roar left no doubt. Boiling water erupted in waves of steam. The Captain clawed its way up from the acidic broth, flesh sloughing off in sheets. Brown skin blistered white in some places, raw red in others, melting like wax. Parts of its skull were exposed, the jaw hanging open in a grotesque howl.

And still, it climbed. Piece by piece, the rotting body dragged itself out of the pit, dripping acid and black blood. Luke stepped back, staring at the horror clawing its way back to the surface.

“It’s the freaking Terminator,” Artemis muttered.

The Captain braced itself on its sword, wheezing, throat rattling with a warped growl. Melted flesh dripped from its neck, but the eyes, or what remained of them, burned with fury.

Luke didn’t raise his kukris. He simply looked at the walking corpse that refused to fall.

“You won’t be fighting me,” he said evenly. “You’ll be fighting her.”

Charlie was already at his side, sword in hand.

“She’s got unfinished business with you,” Luke added. “All I did was make the game fair.”

A level 70 Captain against a level 28 skeleton warrior. But Charlie didn’t flinch.

She let out a roar, and the air itself seemed to tremble.

[Battle Roar (Uncommon)]: Let out a powerful shout that temporarily boosts physical strength, amplifying melee attack damage and enhancing actions that require brute force.

The blade in her grip burned crimson.

[Orcslayer Blade (Rare)

Description: A crimson blade stained with the blood of a fallen Orc Captain. Deals +25% bonus damage against orcs.

[Sharp Fury (Rare)]: +10% damage when the enemy is below 30% HP.

Requirement: Level 8+ in any Fighter class]

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Luke stepped back. He knew what was coming. Charlie shot forward like an arrow. The moment she collided with the Captain, her body exploded in flame.

[Berserker Flames (Rare)]: Your body is temporarily engulfed in raging flames, igniting both your strength and speed for a short duration. During this time, your attacks hit harder, and your mobility skyrockets—allowing for ferocious strikes and rapid movement. The fire of vengeance doesn’t just consume your enemies… it feeds your own fury in battle.]

The night lit up. The Captain was hurled backward, its already-ruined body hammered by her sheer force. Charlie didn’t stop. She drove the Orcslayer into its chest. The creature tried to retaliate, but its armor was gone, dissolved in the acid pit. Exposed flesh was all that remained, and every strike carved away more of it.

Her steel fist, charged with stamina, struck the creature’s chest head-on.

[Mark of Doom activated]