Unlike Boldark, this one could speak, its sinister voice filling the chamber. Clad head to toe in black full plate armor and wielding a massive shield and hammer, he looked every bit the powerful Keeper. The unseen face behind his helm only added to his intimidating presence.

"A strong opponent," Grai rumbled, his eyes narrowed. "I can feel his power just by looking at him."

Grai recognized a true warrior from the formidable aura emanating from Pelsidium. The Keeper, in turn, regarded Grai with something akin to admiration. It seemed there was an unspoken connection between those who held the rank of B-rank Hero.

"You are quite strong, Orc Swordsman," Pelsidium declared.

"It's been an age since my blood has sung for a real fight," Grai retorted, a grim smile on his face.

"The Legion Commander of the Frost Queen's army. I, Pelsidium, will be your opponent. Come."

Before the battle even began, the two were locked in a war of wills, their powerful auras clashing in the frozen air. Watching them, Taehyun felt a knot of tension tighten in his gut as he quickly examined Pelsidium's information.

[Ron Pelsidium]

[Rank: B (Hero)]

[Level: 58]

[Class: Shield Knight]

[Title: Legion Commander of the Frost Queen's Army]

[Affiliation: Yuslan's Direct Subordinate]

[Skills: ?]

[Special Abilities: ?]

[Description: The Legion Commander of the Frost Queen's army, formerly commanded by Yuslan. His black full-body armor was crafted from Mithril by dwarves, and his great hammer was also made of Mithril.]

'You have got to be kidding me. He's a final boss,' Taehyun thought, reeling. 'The difficulty spike is insane.'

First a Royal Guard, now a Legion Commander. He knew of Mithril from the intelligence he'd gathered—a metal of legendary durability, praised even by the dwarves. Equipment forged from it was said to be priceless, impossible to acquire even for millions of Zen.

"Grai, what do you think? Can you handle him?" Taehyun asked, his voice low.

"It's possible, but I'll be on the defensive. There's a gap in our equipment and levels, and he's drawing power from the Frost Jade. In a head-on fight, I will surely die."

"Got it. For now, fight with the Shield Soldiers."

Pelsidium's gaze was fixed solely on Grai, but Balak's entire army was present. Grai seemed disappointed but wisely accepted the assessment; he knew he was outmatched. The Shield Soldiers advanced, forming a defensive line.

'First, I need to see if he's tethered to the Frost Jade like Boldark was.'

On the previous difficulty, the boss couldn't stray far from the jade, which allowed them to exploit its patterns and barely scrape by. This time might be different. Taehyun signaled Grai, who understood immediately and beckoned to Pelsidium with a single, taunting finger.

"Come."

"Excellent!" Pelsidium roared. Enraged by Grai's arrogance, the Keeper charged. He crossed the distance from the Frost Jade in an instant and swung his hammer.

With a deafening crash, the entire tenth floor shook from the force of the blow. Grai barely managed to block the attack but was sent skidding back a considerable distance.

'So he can move freely. And a single swing has that much power…'

The hammer struck with unbelievable force. Though his class was Shield Knight, his strength was clearly immense. Taehyun bit his lip and ordered Grai to fall back as the Shield Soldiers moved to surround Pelsidium, hoping to restrict his movement.

"You wretches!" the Keeper bellowed. "To interfere with a sacred battle! Do you wish to die?!"

"Sacred battle, my ass," Taehyun muttered. "To me, a sacred battle is a proper dogpile." He gave the order, and his ranged units unleashed a volley.

Pelsidium raised his shield, effortlessly deflecting the magic bullets and flame spears, his fury growing. "You will regret this!"

[Pelsidium has cast Formation Collapse.]

[The balance of nearby soldiers is broken.]

He slammed his hammer into the ground, and a shockwave sent the Shield Soldiers stumbling. Pelsidium seized the opening, his hammer lashing out at the off-balance soldiers. Those who failed to raise their shields in time were crushed instantly. Grai rushed forward to intervene, but several were already dead.

"Damn it! Everyone, fall back!" Taehyun commanded, his voice sharp. "Give him some distance to reduce the hammer's impact!"

After losing dozens of Orc Shield Soldiers, Taehyun belatedly pulled the unit back. His ranged troops kept up their assault, but Pelsidium deflected every projectile with his shield, remaining completely unharmed.

"Master Taehyun," Riel said urgently, "shouldn't we send in the melee soldiers?"

"No," Taehyun countered. "The Shield Soldiers are barely holding on as it is. The melee troops would be killed in a single blow. We have to wait for the right moment."

The only silver lining was the Shield Soldiers' new ability, which was slowly regenerating their shield durability. Taehyun had Riel cast buffs on the frontline, trying to minimize the damage. With only the Trolls and Minotaurs left as shield bearers, he couldn't afford any more losses.

"Kieeeee," an Archer Goblin wheezed.

"Kieeek!" another shrieked.

"Kieeek. Can't… breathe." One of the goblins, using its new Breath Holding skill, held its breath for too long and collapsed, unconscious. The others continued to fire, but their arrows glanced harmlessly off Pelsidium's armor, not even leaving a scratch.

The Keeper, enraged, relentlessly hammered the Shield Soldiers surrounding him. Cracks began to spiderweb across their shields as the damage mounted. The automatic recovery simply couldn't keep up with the devastating force of his blows.

"Riel, focus all your heals and buffs on Grai now," Taehyun ordered.

"What? But Sir Grai can't handle him alone."

"The Shield Soldiers need time to recover their shields, and their stamina is at its limit. It's time to switch. Grai!"

At Taehyun's call, Grai charged back into the fray. Riel poured her magic into him, focusing all her heals and buffs on the Orc Swordsman.

"Good," Grai grunted, bracing himself. "Let's dance."

"I've been waiting, Orc Swordsman!" Pelsidium rasped.

[Pelsidium has cast Frost Armor buff.]

[Pelsidium's physical defense increases.]

He used the same skill as Boldark, encasing himself in a layer of magical frost. Seeing this, Taehyun ordered the Archer Goblins to hold their fire; arrows would be useless now. Instead, he exploited the fact that Pelsidium's magic defense was unchanged, ordering his Mages and Spirit Users to maximize their firepower.

Pelsidium ignored the barrage of spells, his entire focus on Grai. A cold sweat broke out on Taehyun's brow as he watched his guardian barely fend off the relentless hammer strikes.

---

A deep rumbling shook the Ice Palace. It had to be the Legion Commander Pelsidium's hammer. Larkan glanced up at the crumbling ceiling of his prison and sighed.

"So he finally made it to the last floor," he muttered to himself. "A meaningless endeavor. I don't know why he's so obsessed."

He had witnessed Pelsidium's overwhelming power firsthand during the fall of the Brynhart Kingdom. No Dungeon Master, regardless of their soldiers' rank, could possibly stand against him. The Keeper had felled the kingdom's Knight Commander with a single blow. This upstart had no chance.

Larkan shook his head and tried to focus on his book, but the words blurred. His gaze kept drifting back to the ceiling.

"…How irritating."

---

Pelsidium bellowed with laughter. "It's been a while since I've had such an enjoyable opponent!"

[Pelsidium has cast Battlefield Slaughterer.]

[Pelsidium's attack speed increases.]

The Keeper's hammer became a blur. Grai was drenched in sweat, his Fire and Ice Dragon Swords crossed to block the onslaught. Riel's healing was constant, but it was clear he was reaching his limit.

'At this rate, I'll be the first to fall,' Grai thought grimly. Mana bullets and flame spears continued to rain down on his opponent, but Pelsidium seemed unfazed. At best, the edges of Grai's enchanted blades managed to bite shallowly into the Mithril armor. Seeing that the other Shield Soldiers had retreated to a safe distance, Grai's eyes gleamed with determination.

"Storm Splitter!" he roared.

"Oho! This is quite surprising!"

In an instant, a whirlwind of ethereal blades erupted from Grai's swords, slashing at Pelsidium from all angles. The Keeper seemed to revel in the pain, a sensation he hadn't felt in millennia. Just then, Mederia unleashed a rapid-fire volley of magic bullets.

"This is a bit dangerous," Pelsidium grunted. He had been blocking her attacks, but her relentless fire was becoming a serious annoyance. He prioritized deflecting her shots and glared in her direction. "Your shooting is quite bothersome, wench."

"What?!" Mederia cried out.

"Begone!" With a powerful leap, Pelsidium launched himself toward her, hammer raised. She hadn't expected the heavily armored giant to be so agile and tried to dodge, but it was too late. The sheer force of the hammer's swing created a violent gust of wind that caught her.

"Ahhh!"

Mederia was thrown across the room, and Taehyun's jaw dropped. 'No way. He can jump like that in full armor?!'

The full plate armor alone had to weigh a ton, yet he'd leaped nearly to the ceiling. Taehyun bit his lip, his gaze snapping back to the struggling Grai. Right now, the Orc was his only hope.

"Riel, forget Mederia for now! Focus everything on Grai!"

"Yes, but my mana is almost gone! I won't be able to heal for much longer!"

"It's fine! Just give me one opening, and that will buy us the time we need!"

His most potent ranged attacker was now out of the fight. Riel's mana, along with that of his other casters, was critically low. If he didn't turn the tables soon, this was over.

'Just one opening. That's all I need.'

Taehyun clenched his fists, his eyes locked on Grai. As if sensing his master's desperate gaze, Grai let out a defiant roar and renewed his assault.

---

'I have to break that shield.'

Gritting his teeth, Grai focused all his attention on Pelsidium's shield. The Mithril buckler was still unscratched, but he sensed a possibility. As he parried the hammer with both swords, his eyes darted back and forth, tracking the weapon's trajectory. The path of each swing was becoming clearer, more predictable.

'The weakness of a Shield Knight is that by trying to both attack and defend, they master neither.'

Pelsidium was undeniably strong, but his technical skill as a knight was crude. He was swinging a hammer, not a sword, relying on brute force without any finesse. The patterns became sharper in Grai's mind until he saw it—an opening.

'There!'

He lunged, and the blade of his Fire Dragon Sword bit deep into the shield. Stunned, Pelsidium raised his hammer to retaliate, but in that same instant, the Ice Dragon Sword's Roar activated.

"Th-this!" the Keeper stammered.

Pelsidium faltered for a split second. It was all Grai needed. He brought the Ice Dragon Sword around and shattered the Mithril shield into pieces.

'Success!'

His Equipment Destruction skill had worked. A triumphant grin spread across Grai's face, but as his sword came free from the ruined shield, he lost his balance.

"You bastard! You dare touch my shield!" Pelsidium bellowed, seizing the opportunity. He brought his hammer down with all his might.

A sickening crunch echoed through the chamber.

"Agh!" Grai choked out.

His arm was pulp. Unbearable pain shot through him, his face contorting in a silent scream. 'This arm can't be healed. An arm for a shield.' It was a steep price, but without his shield, Pelsidium was now vulnerable to Mederia's magic bullets. The rest was up to her. Seeing the Shield Soldiers finally rushing forward, Grai staggered back.

---

[B-rank Hero Guardian Orc Swordsman Grai's Equipment Destruction has succeeded.]

[B-rank Hero Keeper Pelsidium's shield has been shattered.]

[B-rank Hero Guardian Orc Swordsman Grai has sustained a critical injury.]

[Grai's right arm has become irrecoverable.]

As the messages flashed, Taehyun understood the sacrifice Grai had made. "Riel! Heal Mederia, now!"

"B-but I'm almost out of mana!"

"It doesn't matter, just do it!"

A moment later, Mederia stirred, revived by Riel's healing. Taehyun ordered the Shield Soldiers to advance again and the archers to resume their attack.

"This was the most I could do," Grai rasped as he retreated.

"It was more than enough," Taehyun said, his voice grim. "Rest."

"Understood."

Grai's arm was horribly twisted. 'So the system was right, even Heal doesn't work. I'll have to deal with that later.' Taehyun let Grai fall back and sent in his melee troops, launching a final, all-out assault. Mederia, seeing Grai's mangled arm and feeling a pang of guilt for being taken out of the fight, fired her magic bullets with furious determination.

"Ugh. You bastards!" Pelsidium roared.

Without his shield, he was forced to endure the full onslaught. The once-impenetrable Mithril armor began to crack under the relentless barrage of magic bullets. He swung his hammer wildly, crushing melee soldiers, but the constant fire from the ranged units was a crippling distraction.

"Graaaaaah!"

In the end, unable to even use the special abilities tied to his shield, Pelsidium fell.

---

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