[The Abyssal Dungeon - The Sanctuary Of Sin]
He braced for the onught of despair, the crushing weight of hopelessness he''d felt within.
But... nothing.
No wave of exhaustion, no blurred vision, no monstrous figures lurking in the shadows.
It was as if the curse had simply... vanished.
Rel''s brow furrowed in confusion, his eyes widening with surprise.
"What...?" he muttered.
Maledictus Nihilus recoiled, his eyes widening in disbelief.
"Impossible!" he roared. "No mortal can resist the Void''s embrace!"
At that moment he realised something...
Rel raised his weapon, the dark aura radiating from it intensifying.
"Like you said..." he dered, "I am not of this world."
haha...HAHAHA...HAH
Maledictus threw back his head and let out a cackle that echoed through the chamber like the screech of a thousand ravens.
"Surprised, art thou, piteous wretch?" he mocked Rel with disdain.
"Did thou truly believe thy feeble struggle could defy I the Arch Bishop?"
He raised his obsidian de, the malevolent aura surrounding it pulsating violently.
"Your defiance amuses me," he hissed, "yet ''tis naught but a fleeting spark against your remnant."
SWANGGGGG!
A second de formed in his hand one made of dark magic.
"Thou art... but a moth drawn to a me!"
With a terrifying cry, Maledictus lunged, his dual des shing in the dim light.
Maledictus lunged, his dual des whistling through the air. Rel, however, reacted with lightning speed, narrowly dodging the attack.
The bishop''s momentum carried him forward, his obsidian sword plunging deep into the stone wall.
Seizing the opportunity, Rel activated one of his abilities.
[Standard Ability: Trickster at Arms [Grade 5] Has Been Activated!]
He unleashed a sh projectile of ck aura towards Maledictus''s exposed back.
BANG!
The attack struck the bishop, but instead of the expected impact, a shimmering shield of magic deflected the blow.
"Dishonorable!" Maledictus roared, his voice echoing through the chamber.
With a flick of his wrist, he transmuted his second de into a massive crimson hammer and swung it down towards Rel.
Rel narrowly dodged the attack, then quickly sheathed his de and switched to his silver bow.
[Special Ability: Deadeye [Grade 9] Has Been Activated!]
[Standard Ability: Piercing Shot [Grade 9] Has Been Activated!]
TAK! TAK! TAK!
Three aura-infused arrows shot forth with blinding speed. Maledictus stood still, a familiar sensation piercing his bones.
CRACK...
"It ''tis the same," he rasped, ripping out the arrows, "soul of qi... a perfect bnce"
With a gesture, he conjured four massive portals in the ceiling, his gaze fixed on Rel.
"Your destiny ends here."
"...!"
____________
Dark Benediction: Rain Of des
____________
SHING!!!
A torrent of obsidian des poured from the portals, their edges glowing with dark energy.
Rel barely had time to raise his weapon in defence...
But on the other hand, he smiled.
[Special Ability: Mitigation''s Phenomena [Grade 1] Has Been Activated!]
The rain of des met an invisible barrier, each one shattering upon contact with a deafening SHING!
The shards ricocheted harmlessly away, leaving Rel unscathed amidst the storm of obsidian.
Maledictus Nihilus watched as the obsidian shards ttered harmlessly to the ground, his surprise quickly giving way to a cold fascination.
"An ability that maniptes a field of space yet fabricates it as... energy?"
He reflected aloud, his voice echoing through the ruined chamber.
"A force of input... and a force of output... a field of repulsion..."
A low chuckle rumbled from his chest, a sound as unsettling as the grinding of tectonic tes.
"A power I once sought... but never grasped."
Rel, sensing a shift in the bishop''s demeanour, did not let his guard down.
Instead, he advanced, the unseen barrier rippling around him like a heat haze.
He unsheathed his sword, the dark aura clinging to it like a shroud.
"Your power is an illusion," Maledictus hissed, his eyes narrowing as he studied the shimmering distortion around Rel.
"A fleeting trick... easily dispelled."
Rel said nothing, his eyes narrowed in concentration as he advanced.
The unseen barrier rippled around him, a subtle distortion in the air that Maledictus couldn''t quiteprehend.
With a snarl of frustration, Maledictus dismissed the portals above, the rain of des ceasing abruptly.
He retained his obsidian sword, realizing their futility against this unseen defence was not in the des themselves, but in how they were being delivered.
DASH!
He lunged again, this time with a calcted feint to the left, followed by a lightning-fast thrust aimed at Rel''s exposed side.
But as his de neared the unseen barrier, it met an unexpected resistance, as if plunging into a soft cushion.
The force of the impact reverberated back through his arm, a strange tingling sensation numbing his fingers.
"...?"
Maledictus staggered back, his mind widening in disbelief.
Rel seized the opportunity, his de moved as he countered with a series of strikes.
Each blow was met with the same yielding resistance, the bishop''s des rebounding harmlessly away.
Frustration twisted Maledictus''s features as he realized the futility of his attacks.
He lunged, his long de shing in the dim light.
CLASH!
"Enough!"
He roared, leaping backward. He raised his arms, channelling the dark energy that pulsed beneath his skeletal body.
"If brute force cannot pierce your defences, then perhaps this will!"
HWONG!!!
He extended a skeletal hand, and a swirling vortex of darkness formed from his palm.
The temperature plummeted as he shot out ofplete darkness...
WAM!!
Rel braced himself, his dark aura ring in response.
The vortex mmed into the invisible barrier, sending shockwaves through the air.
The force of the impact was immense, but his attack was no match, the dark energy passed by harmlessly around its edges.
Maledictus stumbled backward, unfazed by exertion. Rel, on the other hand, felt a wave of exhaustion wash over him. His muscles ached, his lungs burned, and his grip on his sword wavered.
"Your strength wanes, little one,"
Maledictus taunted, his voice a chilling whisper.
"The Lord Of Destruction shall im your soul."
Rel gritted his teeth, refusing to yield.
He knew he couldn''t oust the bishop in a battle of stamina.
He needed to find another way to break through his defences.
Rel had no time to waste, he infused his sword with aura once more.
There has to be something keeping him alive, he thought. He''s undead; there''s nothing he can hide within that body.
But for now, I''ll have to chip away at him bit by bit.
"Though there''s no time for that," he realized, a new strategy forming in his mind.
[Special Ability: Mitigation''s Phenomena [Grade 1] Has Been De-Activated!]
"Let''s see how fast he can react with that massive body."
[Special Ability: Clockwork of Time [Grade 3] Has Been Activated!]
[Time is slowing down!]
The world around Rel slowed to a crawl.
Maledictus''s movements became sluggish, his swings ponderous.
If Rel''s perception of time matched his own, the bishop wouldn''t be able to react to anything given that he''s undead.
Rel held his sword in one hand, gathering a massive amount of aura as lightning crackled around the de. With a burst of speed, he dashed towards Maledictus.
________
"Divine Severance"
________
[Special Ability: Clockwork of Time [Grade 3] Has Deactivated!]
"What?!"
Time returned to normal, but Maledictus was too slow to react.
With one swing of Rel''s de, a massive aura-infused crescent sh filled the room, striking the bishop square in the chest.
BANGGGG!!!!!
The aura sh sent Maledictus flying, mming him into the wall with immense force. Rel''s ck lightning continued cracking around the bishop''s skeletal frame, sending shockwaves through his bones.
"WHAT?! THIS... FEELING... NO!" Maledictus roared, his voice filled with pain and disbelief.
As the bishop writhed in agony, Rel watched the tattered robes flutter around his body, revealing nothing that could be sustaining his life.
"Was he immortal?" Rel wondered, his mind racing. "But that can''t be the case if the source isn''t in his body... then!"
A realization struck Rel. As his attack subsided, he swiftly drew his silver bow, a n forming in his mind.
[Special Ability: Deadeye [Grade 9] Has Been Activated!]
[Standard Abilty: Piercing Shot [Grade 9 Has Been Activated!]
An arrow materialized on the bowstring, its tip darkening into an ominous ck as Rel pulled it taut.
TAK!
The arrow soared through the air, aimed directly at Maledictus''s skull.
The bishop remained helpless against the wall, each attempt to move met with a paralyzing jolt of lightning.
Maledictus, with a faint blink of his eyes, caught the arrow in mid-flight.
"Thy... piece shall not fall," he rasped, crushing the arrow in his bony hand.
CRUSH!
His gaze locked onto Rel, and an image flickered over his vision, a man whose face triggered a wave of memories and emotions so strong that Maledictus mistook Rel for him.
"Blue eyes... ck hair... A sword... everything reminds me of HIM!"
BANG!
He mmed his hand against the wall in frustration, then, ignoring the jolts of pain from the lightning, he plunged his obsidian de into the ground and rose to his full height.
"Thy kind will be extinguished."
He ripped out his de and gripped it an unorthodox manner, like a dagger.
SUHUOOHHHH
Dark violet energy surrounded him as skeletal hands erupted from the floor, walls, and ceiling.
Theytched onto Maledictus''s body and his de, fusing with him.
TATATATAT
Rel watched in horror as the bishop transformed into a massive, skeletal figure that nearly touched the ceiling.
The obsidian de sprouted jagged, bone-like extensions,pleting his full metamorphosis.
"I will not fall," Maledictus dered, his voice echoing with a terrifying resonance.
"Come and fight me... REMENANT!"
_
To be continued!
_