Floor ??? - Labyrinth Of The Deathly Embrace
The Knight staggered back, his heavy boots sliding across the dirt. He blinked in disbelief.
"Me? Pushed back… by this weak little brat?" he muttered to himself, anger rising like bile. "A moment ago he could barely stand, and now he's stronger? He's even using fire magic, but he's no mage; mages don't fight with their fists, they call it barbaric. That means… it has to be an artifact. Something that boosts strength and heals wounds. Those things are rare. You either risk your life in the deepest dungeons or pay a fortune… and this kid has one? How?"
He clenched his teeth. "Doesn't matter. Even with an artifact, a brat like him can't use it properly."
The Knight straightened up and shouted, "That sudden power; you're using an artifact, aren't you, boy?"
Adonis's cheek twitched. He tried to keep his face calm, but the Knight saw it immediately.
"Bingo," the Knight said with a smug grin.
"Hand over the artifact and I'll let you live," he added coldly.
Adonis cursed inside his head. Damn it, how did he figure it out so fast? At least he doesn't know it only has three charges… and I've already used two. If it comes to it, I'll burn the last one on him. I just have to end this quick.
He quietly slipped the glowing shard back into his pocket.
The Knight noticed the motion. "Last chance, boy. Give it to me."
Adonis said nothing. Instead, he kicked off the ground and rushed forward; faster than before.
The Knight threw a hard punch, but Adonis suddenly aimed his palm at the earth. A short burst of flame exploded beneath him, launching him high into the air. He spun once, then hovered above the Knight for a split second. His right palm glowed red-hot, smoke pouring off it. With a shout, he thrust his hand down and released a thick, roaring blast of fire straight onto the Knight.
BOOM!
Adonis landed a safe distance away, breathing hard. He knew that blast wasn't enough to kill someone like this. When the smoke cleared, the Knight stood completely unharmed, wrapped head to toe in shimmering red energy; his Aura.
So that's Aura… this just got a lot harder, Adonis thought.
The Knight's face twisted with rage. He dropped into a fighting stance and threw a straight punch. A massive red fist made of pure Aura shot forward like a cannonball. Adonis barely dodged it; the energy fist smashed into the ground behind him, sending dirt flying.
Another giant fist came, then another. The Knight started punching rapidly, sending a storm of oversized Aura fists. Adonis twisted and dodged each one; trees behind him exploded into splinters.
Then, out of nowhere, sharp pain stabbed his side. Adonis looked down and saw a glowing red lance made of Aura stuck deep into his stomach. The Knight smirked and slowly twisted it. Adonis grunted, blood trickling from his mouth. He grabbed the lance with both hands and pulled, but it wouldn't budge; the energy had twisted into his flesh.
Adonis dropped to his knees.
The Knight laughed, confident he had won. He charged forward, pouring Aura into the gauntlet on his right hand, ready to finish the boy with one crushing blow.
But something felt wrong. The weight on his right arm was suddenly gone. He glanced down; his gauntlet had vanished.
A chill ran down his spine.
WHAM!
A punch stronger than anything before smashed into the side of his face. His jaw shattered like glass. The impact sent him flying through half a dozen trees before he crashed into the ground with a thunderous boom.
Slowly, the Knight; pushed himself up. His Aura had protected him from the worst, but blood poured from his cheek and mouth. He spat out broken teeth and groaned.
Adonis was already there, standing over him.
"Yuuu… bassstarrd…" the Knight slurred through his ruined jaw. "Imma… f-fuggin… kill… yuuu…"
Adonis gave a small, cold smile; then vanished from sight.
BOOM!
Another devastating punch crushed what was left of Knight's face. The Knight swung wildly with his left gauntlet, but that one disappeared too; suddenly appearing on Adonis's hand. Adonis drove the stolen gauntlet straight into the Knight's nose. The Knight collapsed.
Adonis climbed on top of him and rained down punch after punch after punch; each one harder than the last. Blood splattered across the dirt.
Finally, The Knight threw up both arms in terror.
"P-pleasshh… sssspare… m-mee…" he whimpered, tears mixing with the blood on his face. "I'm… ssshhorry…"
Adonis stopped, fist raised and burning with fire.
"The people you killed," he said quietly. "when they begged you to stop, to spare their lives… did you listen?"
The Knight went silent. He knew what was coming.
Adonis pulled back the flaming gauntlet. "No. You didn't."
Just as the final blow came down, a powerful kick slammed into Adonis's side and sent him tumbling away.
He rolled to his feet, clutching his ribs, and looked up.
Another knight stood there; same armor, but older, black-haired, with a neat black beard and cold eyes. In his hand he held a long black lance shaped like a drill.
The new knight broke a glowing potion and splashed it on the Knight on the ground. Light flashed, and the broken jaw, missing teeth, and ruined face healed in seconds.
"Get up, Ghislain," the older knight said, voice sharp with disgust. "Letting a child do this to you is disgraceful. You've shamed yourself, the House of Fugard, and the young master."
Ghislain stood up, trembling with rage. "Don't interfere, Gray! I'll kill him myself; I'll—"
"And let him humiliate you again?" Gray cut in. "No. This fight is over. We end the boy together and erase the shame."
Ghislain growled but said nothing.
Adonis reached into his pocket for the shard… and felt only broken pieces. The artifact was cracked and dark; no glow, no power left.
Despair crashed over him like cold water. Everything he had fought for, everything he had endured; it was over.
He let the broken pieces fall to the ground.
If I'm going to die here, Adonis thought, at least I'll take one of them with me, knowing that running was pointless—the two knights were far stronger and faster. They would catch him in an instant.
He stood ready to fight, his heart pounding. Suddenly, a sharp, burning pain exploded in his chest. Knight Gray had moved so quickly that he was already right in front of Adonis. Gray's metal lance, shaped like a spinning drill, had pierced straight through Adonis's chest.
Adonis coughed violently, blood spilling from his mouth. Gray lifted him higher, the drill still buried deep inside. The pain grew worse with every inch Adonis was raised, twisting and tearing through his body.
"Quick! Kill him, Gray! Don't let him heal!" Ghislain shouted urgently.
In that moment, Adonis teleported away. He vanished from the lance, leaving Gray and Ghislain staring in surprise.
"He can teleport too?" Ghislain thought to himself, shocked.
Adonis reappeared a short distance away. He tried to stand tall, but his legs gave out. He dropped to his knees, hands pressing against the ground. More blood coughed up as he gasped for air. Slowly, his healing ability kicked in. The large, gaping hole in his chest began to close, flesh knitting itself back together.
"Be careful, Gray," Ghislain warned as he pushed himself up from the ground. "The boy is strange. He can use fire magic. Who knows what other tricks he has?"
"Tricks or no tricks," Gray replied coldly, taking a fighting stance. "I'm ending this once and for all."
Adonis forced himself to stand again. He stared at Gray, focusing completely, waiting for the slightest sign of movement. In his mind, he planned desperately: "He's too fast. I have to time it perfectly. The moment he moves, I'll teleport to the other one. Before I die, I need to take at least one of them with me."
He clenched his right fist inside the Gauntlet, feeling the heat build. The air grew tense and silent. No one moved at first. Then, Adonis caught a tiny shift in Gray's posture—the signal of an attack.
In the same instant, both acted. Adonis teleported just as Gray lunged forward toward where Adonis had been standing.
Adonis appeared in mid-air right in front of Ghislain. He charged his right hand with the hottest flames he could summon, pouring every bit of his remaining strength into the Gauntlet. With a roar, he unleashed a powerful punch straight into Ghislain's face.
The impact was devastating. Ghislain flew backward like a cannonball, crashing through trees in a straight line. The destruction was massive—trees snapped and fell, and the loud crashes echoed for miles.
But the force was too much for Adonis's own body. His right hand exploded from the overwhelming power, bones and flesh shattering. Intense pain shot through him. He felt drained, weak, and exhausted from pushing far beyond his limits.
Distracted by the agony and fatigue, Adonis didn't see Gray coming. The lance drill pierced him from behind, bursting out the front of his chest. Gray reached through the wound, grabbed Adonis's heart, and ripped it out with his bare hand. Then, he pulled the lance free, holding the still-beating heart.
Adonis gasped, knees buckling. He collapsed face-first into the dirt, lifeless.
Gray left the body there and hurried to where Ghislain had landed. He helped Ghislain up from the rubble.
"Why are you here?" Ghislain asked weakly. "Where is the boy?"
"The boy is dead," Gray said calmly. "I ripped his heart from his chest."
Ghislain felt a mix of relief and frustration. He was glad the threat was gone, but angry that he hadn't been the one to end it. In his thoughts, he grumbled: "If it were me, I would have made him suffer longer, let him feel true despair before dying."
Aloud, he asked, "What about the other half of the halo?"
"It wasn't on the boy," Gray replied.
"It wasn't with that other knight either," Ghislain said. "So, what do we do now?"
They stood in silence for a moment. Then Gray spoke: "We should report this to the young master."
Suddenly, both knights felt it—a chilling, sinister presence. It was dark, foreign, and utterly vile. It shook them to their core, like nothing they had ever sensed before. The energy seemed to come from right behind them.
They turned slowly and looked.
There stood Adonis. The two massive holes remained in his body: one in his chest where his heart had been, and another through his stomach. His eyes were blank white, no pupils visible, his right hand is gone. Dark purple energy, which had only leaked slightly before, now poured out furiously in thick waves, surrounding him like a storm.
The two knights stared in horror. Deep inside, their instincts screamed a clear warning: Do not fight this. If you do, you will die.