The air crackled with dark energy as Skellith's laughter echoed through the ruins of Frostveil. Nikos steadied his breath, gripping his sword tightly as the eerie glow of Skellith's eyes bore into him. The clash had begun, and there was no turning back.
Ali bared his fangs, his fur bristling as he crouched low. "Yeah, uh… I'm starting to think this guy might be a tiny bit stronger than the average demon."
Zara's expression remained steely, her piercing blue eyes never leaving Skellith. She reached for her twin daggers, their edges glimmering faintly with an enchantment meant to counteract dark magic. "We fight smart. Don't engage recklessly."
Skellith raised a single hand, and the very air around them seemed to darken. The shadows stretched unnaturally, twisting and coiling like living entities. Then, with a flick of his wrist, tendrils of black energy erupted from the ground, lashing toward them like serpents.
Nikos reacted on instinct, raising his blade and slicing through the nearest tendril. The energy recoiled, dispersing into nothingness, but more surged toward him. He dodged one, ducked another, and barely managed to sidestep a third.
Zara moved with an assassin's grace, slipping between the tendrils as if she had already memorized their movements. Ali, surprisingly nimble despite his usual bravado, leaped over an incoming strike, landing neatly on a fallen stone pillar.
Nikos gritted his teeth, locking eyes with Skellith. "Is this all you've got?" he taunted, twirling his sword and shifting his stance.
Skellith merely chuckled, his voice laced with amusement. "You talk boldly for someone standing at the edge of annihilation."
With a wave of his hand, Skellith summoned something far worse than mere shadow tendrils. The earth trembled violently, and dark glyphs formed in a circle beneath him. From the depths of the cursed land, figures began to rise—dark warriors clad in armor of obsidian, their eyes glowing red with unholy fire. They carried massive weapons, twisted and jagged, exuding the same ominous energy as their master.
Zara's breath hitched. "Void Sentinels…"
Ali's tail stopped wagging. "Oh, I really don't like that name."
Nikos tightened his grip on his sword, feeling the weight of the battle ahead. The Void Sentinels—Skellith's personal warriors—were unlike any common foot soldiers. Each one was crafted from pure darkness, fueled by the souls of fallen warriors who had dared to challenge him in the past.
"Destroy them," Skellith commanded, and the Sentinels surged forward.
Nikos met the charge head-on, his sword clashing against the first Sentinel's massive axe. The impact sent a shockwave through his arms, but he didn't waver. He pivoted, using his opponent's momentum against it, and slashed across its torso. The dark warrior staggered, but did not fall. Instead, the wound sealed itself almost instantly, as if the shadows themselves refused to let it perish.
Zara moved like a shadow herself, ducking and weaving between the Sentinels. Her enchanted daggers cut through the dark energy, leaving trails of shimmering light in their wake. She struck swiftly, severing a Sentinel's arm, but just like before, the darkness reformed.
Ali, meanwhile, had opted for his usual strategy: evasion. He darted between attacks, yipping as an axe nearly cleaved him in two. "Okay, okay, let's all just take a breath and—WHOA, that was way too close!"
Nikos's frustration grew. Conventional strikes weren't enough. Skellith's power allowed these warriors to regenerate almost instantly.
Then it hit him.
"These things are feeding off his magic!" he shouted. "We have to break Skellith's control over them!"
Zara's eyes flickered toward Skellith, understanding dawning in them. "We take him down, they fall with him."
Easier said than done.
Skellith stood at the center of the battlefield, untouched, his power radiating outward like a cursed storm.
Nikos inhaled sharply. He had no choice. If they were going to stand a chance, he needed to tap into his full strength.
Something deep within him stirred—a power he had only begun to understand.
The air around him grew heavy. His heartbeat slowed. The world sharpened.
Then, with a surge of energy, his sword changed.
A brilliant, ethereal glow enveloped the blade, its steel shifting into something otherworldly. The markings along its surface pulsed with raw energy, and the air around it vibrated.
Zara's eyes widened. "Your blade… it's awakening."
Ali's ears perked up. "Well, that's new."
Nikos didn't have time to question it. He tightened his grip and lunged forward, slashing at the nearest Sentinel.
This time, the reaction was different.
Instead of healing, the darkness shattered. The Sentinel let out an unearthly wail before dissolving into mist.
Zara took the opening, her daggers flashing as she darted past Nikos and charged straight for Skellith. "Keep them busy!" she called out.
Ali, not wanting to be left behind, bounded after her. "I hate this plan! But I also love it!"
Skellith, seeing their approach, finally moved. He lifted both hands, and a torrent of dark energy erupted toward them. Zara barely managed to twist out of the way, while Ali tumbled to the side with a startled yelp.
Nikos pushed forward, cutting down another Sentinel with his now-radiant blade. "Zara, now!"
Zara threw one of her daggers, aiming directly for Skellith's chest. But at the last moment, Skellith caught it midair, his fingers closing around the glowing weapon as if it were nothing.
He turned his gaze toward her, amusement flickering in his eerie yellow eyes. "A valiant attempt."
Then, with a pulse of dark energy, he sent Zara flying backward. She crashed into a crumbling stone wall, coughing as she struggled to regain her footing.
Nikos's fury ignited. He charged toward Skellith, his sword crackling with power. The two forces clashed—light against darkness, raw energy colliding in a blinding explosion.
The ground quaked. The ruins trembled.
For a moment, nothing else existed but the battle.
And then—Skellith finally took a step back.
A first.
Nikos's eyes blazed with determination. He wasn't just fighting anymore.
He was winning.
But the battle was far from over.
Skellith straightened, the amusement in his gaze replaced with something colder.
"Interesting," he murmured. "You are stronger than I expected."
Then, with a single motion, he lifted a hand—and the sky itself began to darken.
Something powerful was coming.
And Nikos knew, with chilling certainty, that this was only the beginning.