Chapter Fifty: The Final Choice

[Notice: After defeating the legendary boss "Juvenile Shadow Devourer Matriarch" or rescuing "Anna," you will become the Guardian Knight of the Eldest Daughter of the Sun.]

A legendary boss?

The ultimate objective on the Killing Isle is actually higher than the lord himself!

This revelation left the players present exchanging bewildered glances, as most had only ever encountered lord-level bosses before. And now, suddenly, a legendary boss appeared—an unexpected twist indeed.

"The leader-level leech won't die even after a long fight; how are we supposed to handle a legendary-level one?" The Sword Immortal looked troubled.

"Let's assess the situation first!" The Taoist's expression turned serious. "Does anyone have the ability to detect the boss’s attributes?"

"No."

"Perception suppressed, detection failed."

Lu Renjia and Old Vine Tree each reported their status, while White Flag shook his head beside them. "If my attributes were sufficient, I should be able to see the boss's info. Now, we either blindly attack or spend points to buy scrolls and potions that enhance perception."

"That’s the only option," sighed the Taoist.

"I have the most points; I’ll go first!"

Lu Renjia didn’t put much weight on points but immediately volunteered. He spent six points to purchase a perception potion and a perception scroll, temporarily raising his perception level to eleven. Then, under everyone’s eager gaze, he successfully activated the detection skill and obtained the ultimate boss’s attribute information.

…

Name: Juvenile Shadow Devourer Matriarch (Legendary)

Health: 1200/1200

Attack Level: Strong (30)

Defense Level: Strong (70)

Attack Speed: Slow

Alert Range: Normal

Skills: Enhanced Life Drain, Enhanced Self-Healing, Enhanced Defense, Unknown…

Description: A leech-shaped shadow devourer, an extremely rare subspecies among the shadow devourer clan. Compared to the common form, it boasts a much longer lifespan. With ample dark energy supply, it can mature and even reach its perfect form. If not dealt with promptly, it will cause a level three "Abnormal Catastrophe," leaving an indelible negative impact on the Paradise World.

[Notice: Most of the leech-shaped Juvenile Shadow Devourer Matriarch’s body only takes 50% effective damage.]

[Notice: It is highly sensitive to temperature; avoid approaching casually. Fire and lightning attacks produce additional effects.]

…

Before seeing this, the players only felt a vague sense of pressure, but now it was overwhelming.

Over a thousand health points, unbelievable defense, and a slew of survival skills—all of these alone would pose a daunting challenge. And now, all three conditions are combined in a single target!

How are we supposed to fight this?

Even if we throw points at it, can we really kill it?

"That's it!"

The Sword Immortal held his head, looking dejected. When he and the Taoist had teamed up against the leech leader before, they had already endured the frustration of giving their all but failing. He never expected to experience such helplessness again now. "Forget hundreds of points; even if we emptied all our resources, it probably wouldn’t be enough..."

Although the early-access exchange list offered many excellent combat items, the problem was that those dealing over seventy damage were increasingly expensive. As for players, very few had enough damage, and their cooldowns were excruciatingly long. Their damage could not keep up with the boss’s self-healing.

Everything seemed to announce the inevitability of defeat.

"Though the final boss is tough, winning conditions are not limited to just one!" Embers turned his gaze toward the grotesque humanoid figure. "The quest hints clearly state that rescuing Anna does not require killing the final boss. A more feasible plan would be to find a way to separate it from the leech matriarch."

"But no matter how you look at it, the chance of fulfilling the second condition is probably even lower than the first, right?"

Anna’s lower half was completely embedded within the final boss’s brain. To separate them, someone would have to jump onto the leech matriarch’s head and forcibly “pull” Anna out.

At this, the Sword Immortal instinctively thought it absurd—after all, the leech’s head was some distance from the reservoir’s edge, impossible to jump onto. Even with swimming ability, venturing into the reservoir meant certain death at the bottom of the water.

But then he furrowed his brow as a flash of insight struck him. Carefully moving along the inner wall of the water tower to avoid alerting the leech matriarch, he saw its back pressed against the reservoir’s edge. No jumping or swimming was needed, and the slope was gentle enough to walk on.

Hmm...

Could it really be possible?

The Sword Immortal shared his discovery, quickly sparking lively discussion.

"Seriously? You want to jump on that thing?"

As the only female player present, Cup of Wine was deeply repulsed by the viscous, writhing monstrosity. The thought of stepping on the leech’s soft body and pulling Anna—who was barely recognizable as human—made her pale. The state Anna was in was unbearable to witness, and Cup of Wine endlessly cursed the twisted mind of the game’s designer for turning a little girl into such a form.

White Flag stroked his chin thoughtfully and nodded. "If we can’t kill the leech matriarch, that’s the only way."

"Actually, no need to rush. The hint says fire and lightning cause extra effects. We should test that first. Even if it fails, it’ll prepare us for the final rescue. Rushing to the boss’s head blindly could lead to unpredictable outcomes. Also, I have something I want to try."

"Good idea!"

"Thigh, what are you planning to test?" The Sword Immortal’s curiosity was piqued. Then he saw Embers pull out a blood-red item resembling a sun emblem. Mistaking it, he asked, "Is that the Flame Emblem?"

"No, it’s the Maple Blood Emblem, a quest item we got by chance. Its description says it plays a crucial role in this trial. After thinking it through, I’m sure this is where it belongs." Embers held the Maple Blood Emblem high toward the leech matriarch, triggering a special reaction from Anna.

The previously dazed humanoid suddenly moved its head slightly upward, as if sensing the emblem’s presence. The leech matriarch did not immediately detect the disturbance, so Embers cautiously advanced a few steps.

With each step he took, the humanoid’s reaction grew more pronounced—its expression twisted, mouth opening and closing, two pale, frail arms reaching out toward Embers, grasping at thin air with urgency.

[Notice: "Maple Blood Emblem" resonates faintly with "?? Bloodline."]

There’s hope!

The notice made Embers’s eyes light up. He paused, noting that although the leech matriarch was somewhat aware, its reaction was not fierce. Embers then slowly moved toward the reservoir edge, extending his arm to bring the emblem closer to the humanoid.

The blood color on the humanoid’s chest blossomed like a rose, spreading along the arteries. Its pained expression eased momentarily, giving the players reason to feel optimistic.

"It seems the quest designer did leave a backdoor for the final mission. I mean, ants, spiders, and mantises all have mutual countermechanisms. How could such an invincible final boss lack a way to be countered?" The Sword Immortal brightened, shaking off his earlier gloom. The trauma of the immortal leech leader’s endless endurance had weighed on his mind.

"Old Taoist thinks we shouldn’t be complacent and remain mere spectators," the Taoist warned, eyes fixed on the restless leech matriarch. "Everyone must be ready to ensure Embers can retreat safely if something unexpected happens."

His proposal won unanimous approval. Anyone could see the leech matriarch was restless, ready to strike at any moment. Yet the strong resonance between the emblem and the bloodline emboldened Embers to risk stepping near the reservoir’s edge, extending the emblem closer to the humanoid.

The blood color on the humanoid, resembling a rose blooming, converged with the heart’s blood color near the shoulder.

[Notice: Resonance intensity between "Maple Blood Emblem" and "?? Bloodline" has reached its peak!]

At that instant, the emblem slipped from Embers’s hand, flying into the humanoid’s pale palm. Enraged, the leech matriarch unleashed its fury upon Embers.

Boom!

The water roared, waves surging skyward. The leech matriarch suddenly raised its head to the tower’s top, then transformed into an enormous war hammer, smashing down with the force of a mountain upon Embers.

The eight players preparing to rescue him panicked. The leech matriarch’s attack range extended all the way to the gate’s edge. They could neither help Embers nor guarantee their own safety.

Seeing the danger, Embers tried to activate his super-body charge to break free, but just then, the emblem turned into a mass of blood, merging into the humanoid, spreading from its palm through its body and converging at the shoulder.

A flash!

Red flames burst forth, spreading from the shoulder, engulfing half the humanoid’s body in roaring fire. The white grooves resembling brain tissue began to recede, revealing normal human skin.

Meanwhile, the leech matriarch, highly sensitive to heat, shrank its body, ceasing its attack. Its massive head plunged into the reservoir, sending waves crashing over everyone, drenching Embers and the others.

Good opportunity, retreat!

Rather than risk his life, Embers sprinted away from the shore, successfully escaping with his super-body effect intact.

"Embers, the Maple Blood Emblem really works! I see the leech matriarch weakened; all its attributes have significantly declined. Though most of our basic attacks still can’t penetrate its defense, skills and items can be effective!" Lu Renjia reported the good news immediately.

"That’s fantastic!" The Sword Immortal wiped his face, smiling brightly at Embers. "Thigh really is reliable—finding such a crucial tool. Now we only need the leech matriarch to surface!"

With the situation turning in their favor, everyone’s attention shifted to the reservoir. Soon, the leech matriarch emerged from the depths, still weakened, and the humanoid figure that had protruded from its brain was retracted.

But that was not all. This incident fully awakened the leech matriarch’s aggression. It opened its mouth wide and blasted a powerful water cannon into the crowd. Except for White Flag, who used his fourteen strength to resist the impact, everyone else was knocked staggering.

Fortunately, the weakened state reduced the leech matriarch’s attack power, so despite its formidable display, no one was seriously injured. After firing, it fell into a lethargic state.

Seeing its brain area writhing, the players realized the humanoid figure trapped inside needed external help to be freed.

Several ranged players quickly exchanged for [Long-Range Scrolls] to bypass fixed attack ranges and strike the boss’s head. Embers and other skilled melee players with ample points redeemed fire-based items, relentlessly hammering the leech matriarch. Despite its self-healing, its health dropped by thirty percent!

At this moment, cornered and desperate, the leech matriarch could no longer suppress the movement inside its skull and was forced to release the humanoid figure. However, though freed, the bloodline reaction stalled; only half its body reverted to normal, the other half remained pale.

"What now?"

"Of course, we do it again!"

Embers borrowed the second Maple Blood Emblem, which had appeared alongside the family tree, and, bearing the brunt of the leech matriarch’s attacks, rushed to the reservoir edge. The others launched more ferocious assaults to cover him.

The leech matriarch repeatedly tried to repel Embers but was struck down by the redeemed items’ powerful hits. Players felt the immense benefit of "money"—those who could spent points freely, quickly exhausting their surplus killing points, yet still eager for more.

Thanks to everyone’s enthusiastic "sacrifice," Embers safely reached the reservoir edge and delivered the second emblem.

Splash!

The blood flames reignited, igniting the humanoid’s other half, restoring most of its skin except the head. Another piece of good news: the humanoid gradually regained consciousness and began actively struggling to break free.

This was a crushing blow to the leech matriarch, as the humanoid, now fused with two Maple Blood Emblems, possessed strength enough to challenge it.

Finally, with the players’ generous use of points, the humanoid escaped from the leech matriarch’s brain and regained full freedom—marking the completion of the final mission objective!

[Notice: You have completed the last step of the main quest “Reconstruction.” Upon finishing the trial, you will receive a special reward.]

[Notice: You survived on Killing Isle until the very end and earned the chance to become a Guardian Knight.]

[Notice: Please choose in the following storyline whether to become the Guardian Knight of the Eldest Daughter of the Sun or the Shadow Queen’s Dark Emissary!]

"Ahahaha!"

Though her mouth had not fully recovered, the freed humanoid emitted a deep, guttural laugh.

Burning with blood-colored flames, she hovered midair, arms slightly spread. Slowly raising them, the leech matriarch beneath suddenly disintegrated into countless tiny leeches, streaming ceaselessly into her body until none remained.

Her form now seemed like a black hole, with no visible change in size but draped in an ink-black robe.

What… is this?

The players were utterly baffled, unable to grasp the plot’s direction. Weren’t they only competing to become the Eldest Daughter of the Sun’s Guardian Knight? Where did this Shadow Queen come from? No matter how you looked at her, this Shadow Queen was a classic antagonist—yet you could choose to serve her as a Dark Emissary?

While everyone was confused, a dazzling golden figure suddenly burst through the water tower’s top, appearing before them. Embers and Cup of Wine immediately recognized her as the Eldest Daughter of the Sun they had rescued.

Previously, they had assumed she would fall into the schemes of a mysterious family or become a pawn of the Chaos Apostles after entering the island.

But strangely, the Eldest Daughter seemed fully aware of the current situation. Upon seeing the Shadow Queen’s pale face, she smiled faintly and murmured, "You haven’t found the third Maple Blood Emblem? Very well. You were nameless from birth, destined to become my shadow incarnation. From today onward, let us change your guise."

She extended a finger to lightly touch the Shadow Queen’s forehead. In an instant, golden light flickered, and the Shadow Queen’s visage transformed to be indistinguishable from the Eldest Daughter’s.

After this, the Eldest Daughter winked at the stunned players and said knowingly, "Your brave efforts have passed my test. Now, make your choice. Whether to become my Guardian Knight or her Dark Emissary, you will not be punished by the three great factions. But different choices will set you on different paths."

[Notice: Killing Isle will officially end in ten seconds. Please make your final choice quickly!]

Countdown: Ten, nine…

All players were flustered by the notice, as no information explained the difference between the two choices. Moreover, since the Eldest Daughter and Shadow Queen shared the same face, the decision could only be made based on personal preference.

"I choose the Eldest Daughter of the Sun!"

"Eldest Daughter of the Sun!"

"I want to be the Dark Emissary!"

Other players made their choices, though most leaned toward following the Eldest Daughter to become Guardian Knights. When only Embers remained, the ratio was five to three.

Including the live audience, all eyes fixed on Embers—even the Eldest Daughter and Shadow Queen themselves—because throughout the trial, Embers had shone brightest. His choice might tip the balance and sway future events.

Under the world’s watchful gaze, Embers’s eyes shifted from the Eldest Daughter to the Shadow Queen’s face. He paused, then sighed softly:

"I choose to follow…"

"The Shadow Queen!"