Final Life Online-Chapter 240: Sun Island X

The air heated around them as every turret locked onto their positions.

Aria shouted,

"TAKE COVER NOW!"

The entire team dove behind broken stone blocks and fallen pillars.

A moment later—

FWOOOOOOOM!

FWOOOOOOOM!

FWOOOOOOOM!

Dozens of red beams blasted down like a continuous laser storm.

The ground shook.

Stone melted.

Dust filled the air.

Rhys crouched with Puddle under his arm.

"You okay?"

Puddle nodded weakly.

"Puddle alive... barely..."

Lyra peeked over the edge of the broken pillar.

"They’re still firing! How long does this volley last?!"

As if answering her—

The beams suddenly stopped.

Smoke drifted upward from the floor.

Caria stood up, gripping her axe tightly.

"That was too close."

Sophia wiped sweat from her forehead.

"If we take another volley like that, we’re done."

Aria stepped forward.

"We need to destroy them before they recharge."

Rhys nodded.

"Then we go all out. No holding back."

He pointed upward at the huge swarm.

"Spread out. Hit them from every angle. Don’t give them time to aim."

Lyra grinned.

"Finally. My kind of fight."

Caria rolled her shoulders.

"I’ll smash as many as I can."

Sophia took a breath.

"I’ll freeze their movement."

Aria raised her hands again.

"I’ll mess up their aim."

Puddle floated up, trembling but determined.

"Puddle... shoot everything!"

Rhys activated his buffs.

"Go!"

The team scattered.

Aria unleashed powerful wind bursts, pushing groups of turrets off balance.

Sophia followed with ice magic, freezing several in place.

Lyra moved so fast she left afterimages, slicing through turret after turret.

Caria smashed two out of the sky with one swing, then caught her spinning axe, threw it again, and broke three more.

Puddle spun in circles, firing Light Bullets nonstop.

"PEW PEW PEW—GO AWAY SKY TOASTERS!!"

Rhys leapt from platform to air-step, using Water Blade to cut three in half.

He followed with Whirlwind Slash, wiping out another cluster.

They were finally getting control of the fight.

But then—

A deep mechanical hum filled the air.

Aria gasped.

"Wait... something’s happening!"

The remaining turrets—about thirty of them—pulled together into a tight formation.

Their red cores glowed brighter than before.

Sophia’s face went pale.

"Oh no... they’re combining their charge!"

Caria shouted,

"Rhys! What do we do?!"

Rhys looked up at the growing glow.

A single giant beam was about to fire.

He grabbed his sword tighter.

"We have one option."

Everyone looked at him.

Rhys yelled:

"WE DESTROY THEM BEFORE THEY SHOOT!"

Rhys didn’t wait for anyone to respond.

He dashed forward immediately.

"GO! NOW!"

The others followed without hesitation.

The fused turret cluster kept charging, the red light growing hotter and brighter. The entire sky looked like it was about to explode.

Lyra used her speed skill again.

She shot upward like a rocket, cutting one turret on the edge of the cluster.

Caria jumped after her, throwing her axe with full strength.

It spun through the air and smashed two more turrets apart.

But the cluster barely shrank.

Sophia yelled from below,

"They’re protecting the center ones! Aim for the middle!"

Aria raised both hands and unleashed a massive burst of wind.

It pushed the outer turrets aside just enough to open a gap.

"Rhys—NOW!"

Rhys leaped through the opening.

He activated Swift Cut and Water Blade at the same time.

Blue energy exploded around him as he slashed at three of the center turrets.

CRASH!

CRACK!

BOOM!

They broke apart—but the light was still charging.

Puddle flew up beside him, shaking but brave.

"Puddle help too! BIG LIGHT!"

She fired a rapid barrage of Light Bullets straight into the core cluster.

BANG! BANG! BANG!

Several turrets exploded, but the glow kept getting stronger.

Sophia shouted from below,

"It’s almost fully charged! We’re running out of time!"

The remaining turrets began vibrating.

A thin red beam gathered between them, ready to fire down at the team.

Caria grabbed her axe out of the air and glared.

"Fine! I’ll break it myself!"

She jumped high and slammed her axe into the cluster—

BAAM!!

Only two turrets remained.

Aria focused every bit of wind she had left.

"Rhys!! Finish it!!!"

Rhys flew upward using a wind boost from Aria.

He raised his sword, mana gathering around it like a small storm.

He shouted,

"WHIRLWIND—SLASH!!"

The spinning attack tore through the last two turrets.

BOOOOOM!!

The entire cluster exploded in a huge flash of red and blue light.

A shockwave burst outward—but Aria’s wind barrier caught most of it.

Pieces of metal fell from the sky.

Silence followed.

Slowly, system text appeared in the air:

[ Stage 2 Cleared ] 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝕨𝕖𝗯𝚗𝚘𝕧𝕖𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝕞

[ Preparing Final Stage of Entrance Gauntlet... ]

[ SKY SENTINEL COLOSSUS ARRIVING ]

A massive shadow appeared above them—huge, mechanical, and descending slowly.

Aqua stared up, horrified.

"...That’s not a turret."

Lyra whispered,

"...It’s a whole boss."

Rhys tightened his grip on his sword.

"Everyone... get ready."

The ground vibrated as the huge machine lowered itself from the sky.

The Sky Sentinel Colossus finally landed—its metal feet smashing into the platform and sending out a wave of dust.

THOOM...

THOOM...

It stood almost as tall as a building, with glowing lines of blue energy running across its body. Its head looked like a giant helmet with one huge eye that scanned the team.

Aqua hid behind Rhys.

"T-that thing is way too big..."

Caria stared up with her mouth half open.

"Okay. That’s unfair."

Lyra tightened her grip on her daggers.

"If it moves even a little, someone’s going to die."

Sophia stepped forward, trying to stay calm.

"It must have weak points. Look for glowing spots."

Aria floated slightly off the ground, wind swirling around her.

"And stay spread out. If it fires a beam like the turrets, we can’t all be in one place."

Puddle peeked from Rhys’s shoulder, eyes huge.

"U-um... maybe we run away...?"

Rhys shook his head.

"We can’t. If we fail the gauntlet, we start over."

Everyone groaned.

But the Colossus didn’t give them time to complain.

Its large eye glowed bright blue.

Lyra shouted,

"MOVE! It’s about to shoot!"

A giant beam blasted across the platform—

FWOOOOOOOSH!!

The team scattered.

The beam cut a long line through the stone floor, melting everything it touched.