The Guardian of the Empty Flame lowered his halberd and began walking toward Boran. The ground shook with each step, and the void leaking from the cracks in his armor left dark traces in the air. Boran raised his shield; his hands were trembling for the first time, but he didn't back down.
Boney Stark quickly took position. The Guardian's focus on Boran had given him an advantage. He drew his bow and fired an arrow. The arrow deflected off the Guardian's armor but succeeded in catching the knight's attention.
The Guardian turned his head toward Boney. The void within his helmet intensified. He raised his halberd, and a dark wave erupted from the weapon's tip, advancing toward where Boney stood.
"Boney! Run!" Boran shouted.
Boney rolled to the right. The section of wall struck by the dark wave vanished as if it had never existed.
Boran seized this opportunity and lunged forward. He attempted to strike the Guardian's leg with his shield.
"SSB!"
[You dealt 26 damage]
The Guardian staggered for a moment. Meanwhile, Boney Stark kept firing arrows, though none were dealing damage. When the Guardian recovered, he turned and brought his halberd down on Boran. Boran raised his shield just in time. When the weapon struck the shield, the entire arena trembled.
[You took 115 damage]
[Health remaining 335]
[Thorn dealt 49 damage]
Boran staggered from the impact on his shield, the pain spreading from his arm to his shoulder. The Guardian's attack was so powerful it knocked the wind out of him. The muscles in his right arm were burning, and he felt a tingling in his fingers. Still, he kept a firm grip on his shield — dropping it now would mean death.
Boran straightened up, bringing his shield back to ready position. The void sensation created by the Guardian's presence made it difficult to breathe, but a yellow bar had appeared above the Guardian's head. Only 5 percent of the bar was filled.
Boney Stark quickly shot an arrow. The arrow ricocheted off the Guardian's armor, creating sparks.
The giant knight suddenly glided forward; as it moved, dark traces leaking from its armor hung suspended in the air. An energy wave burst from the tip of its halberd, cutting through the air. Boran ducked just in time, and the wall section hit by the wave dissolved into nothingness. The knight hesitated, the cracks in its armor widened, and the darkness seeping from within intensified.
In the center of the arena, an energy that devoured light suddenly gathered. Boran started running backward, but when the dark wave spread, his vision went completely black for several seconds. When his sight returned, he found the Guardian right in front of him. He didn't have time to raise his shield.
[You took 135 damage]
[Health remaining 200]
[Thorn dealt 49 damage]
His chest was burning. The last blow had left a deep pain in his ribs; every breath brought a stabbing sensation. His knees trembled slightly, but he pulled himself together — he couldn't show weakness now. There was a metallic taste in his mouth, and the numbness from the Guardian's last strike still hadn't left his left arm.
Boney aimed at the Guardian's head and fired his arrow. The arrow fell short and missed its target. However, it struck one of the voids in the Guardian's body, and the knight momentarily staggered.
[You dealt 100 damage - Critical!]
Boran and Boney exchanged meaningful glances; the same awareness gleamed in both their eyes. The cracks and voids in the Guardian's armor weren't just weaknesses, but also opportunities. In this brief exchange, they understood they had discovered a strategic weak point that would change the course of the battle. Without words, they grasped how to exploit this opening in the Guardian's seemingly impenetrable defense.
The Guardian raised his halberd and launched a powerful attack. Boran rolled to the side; the dark wave erupting from the weapon's tip passed over his head. He retreated behind his shield, trying to regulate his breathing.
Just then, Boran lunged forward, delivering a hard strike with his shield. The Guardian leaped back as if expecting this move; the void leaking from the cracks in his armor intensified further.
Boney Stark seized this opportunity. He drew his bow and targeted the widest crack in the Guardian's armor. The arrow hit its mark perfectly. The Guardian staggered, and the darkness within his helmet wavered for a moment.
[You dealt 100 damage - Critical!]
"It's working!" Boran shouted. "Aim for the cracks!"
As the Guardian recovered, Boney fired another arrow. The arrow struck another weak point, forcing the knight to step back. The darkness leaking from his armor now flowed erratically.
[You dealt 100 damage - Critical!]
The Guardian suddenly stopped. The darkness leaking from his armor was now uncontrollable. The knight raised his head, and the void within his helmet became so intense that Boran and Boney had to close their eyes.
A metallic creaking was heard, followed by a deep, muffled sound that filled the arena. The Guardian's armor began to separate piece by piece. First the breastplate cracked and broke away, then the pauldrons and vambraces rose into the air. Each piece began to slowly rotate around the Guardian, as if controlled by an invisible force.
What emerged from beneath the armor was unlike anything Boran had ever seen. The Guardian's true form was like a piece torn from the depths of space — a deep, black void where one could see infinity when looking into it. This form constantly changed, undulated, and flowed while rotating within itself.
The armor pieces suspended in the air had now formed a complete orbit. Each piece rotated around the Guardian at different speeds and heights, performing a cosmic dance around the dark essence. The void leaking from the cracks in the armor had intensified further, connecting each piece like thin, black threads.
Boran gripped his shield tightly. The Guardian's new form had revealed the entity's true power. The air in the arena had grown heavy, making it difficult to breathe. With each breath, an ice-cold liquid filled his lungs. The void's presence was so intense that even gravity was affected — small pieces of stone and dust particles began slowly rising into the air.
The blue flames in Boney Stark's eye sockets flickered. The skeleton gripped his bow more tightly. The armor pieces rotating around the Guardian served as both defense and attack mechanisms — they could strike from any direction at any moment.
The void at the Guardian's center suddenly expanded and contracted. With this movement, the surrounding armor pieces accelerated. The pieces were rotating so fast they almost appeared as a continuous ring. Dark traces leaked from the edges of each piece, leaving long, black marks in the air.
Boran understood well what this transformation of the Guardian meant — the real part of the battle was about to begin. The knight's armor was no longer a restriction but had become an extension of his power. Each piece moved as if alive, taking shape according to the void's will.