Through the spinning armor pieces, the void that formed Guardian's essence focused on Boran. The gaze was so intense that Boran felt time stand still. Within the void, he saw the death of distant stars, the birth of galaxies, and the infinite cycle of the universe. It wasn't just a guardian, but the void itself; a being that had existed since the beginning and would exist until the end. At least that's what Boran thought.
The armor pieces suddenly stopped. Each piece hung suspended in the air, as if preparing for the next move. The darkness in Guardian's essence intensified and began absorbing the arena's light. This was like the calm before a storm — both of them could sense something big was coming.
Boran took a deep breath. He raised his shield and looked at Boney. From the skeleton's posture, it was clear that he too understood the significance of this change. Guardian would now fight at full power, and if they wanted to survive, they would need to move more carefully and coordinated than ever before.
A rumble rose from the depths of the arena, and Guardian's armor pieces suddenly sprang into motion. The pieces began spinning around the arena at tremendous speed, each one a potential death threat.
"IS:B!" Boran shouted.
Boney began firing arrows in rapid succession, but the armor pieces spinning around Guardian formed a perfect defense. The arrows either ricocheted off the armor pieces or were caught mid-air and broken by them. The dark essence at the center was completely protected by this defense system.
Guardian's essence expanded and one of the armor pieces suddenly shot toward Boran. Boran raised his shield at the last moment; the piece deflected off his shield, rustling his hair as it passed over his head. But this was just a feint. The second piece was coming for his knees.
[10 Damage taken]
[Remaining health 190]
"The damage reduction is really helping!"
Guardian's center rippled again and this time three armor pieces moved simultaneously. The pieces drew complex patterns in the air as they came at Boran. Each attacked from a different angle, trying to leave no escape route.
Boran raised his shield and blocked one of the pieces. He managed to roll away from another, but the third piece struck his shoulder. Despite the IS(Iron Stance) ability still being active, the impact was severe. He felt a sharp pain in his shoulder.
[45 damage taken!]
[Remaining health 145]
"This won't work! IS went into cooldown!" said Boran, gritting his teeth in pain. "We need to find an opening... a weak point..."
Boney was analyzing the situation. Guardian's armor pieces were in constant motion, but there was a pattern. Before each attack, the void at the center would slightly vibrate, and the pieces' movement would change for a brief moment.
Boney's last arrow ricocheted off Guardian's flying armor. The skeleton lowered his bow and began thinking quickly. He was out of arrows, but he had another option.
"Hey Boney!" Boran called out while dodging another armor piece. "No ammunition left? Keep attacking!"
The blue flames in Boney Stark's eye sockets flared. With some hesitation, he grabbed his left arm and removed it in one motion. Using the arm like a bow, he threw it at Guardian who remained stationary in the center. However, as soon as he shot it, an armor piece came and shattered the arm mid-air.
Boney Stark looked sadly at his arm as it shattered and fell to the ground. Just as he was wondering what to do next, he saw his skeletal arm reappear with a white light.
[35 damage taken!]
[Remaining health 110]
Boran looked at the spinning armor pieces. If he could reach the character panel, they could use the emergency exit. But he couldn't find a moment to either open his mouth to say "Character panel" or make a selection with his hand. There wasn't even time to breathe between Guardian's attacks. He had to stay alert at all times; a moment's distraction meant death. He swallowed with a growing wave of hopelessness inside. Maybe this time there really was no escape.
He looked at the arena walls sinking into darkness. There seemed to be no way out. Guardian's essence was growing stronger with each passing second, the void expanding. For a moment, Boran felt like he was falling into an endless pit. The feeling was so strong it made him nauseous.
[40 damage taken!]
[Remaining health 70]
Boran's eyes narrowed. An idea had come to him — risky, perhaps foolishly dangerous. But he had no other choice. He could use the Taunt ability.
If he used Taunt, all of Guardian's armor pieces would focus on him. This might seem literally suicidal — his already precarious health points would be in even more danger. But it would also give Boney Stark the opening he needed. Guardian's center would be vulnerable while directing the armor pieces at Boran.
"Boney!" Boran called out, determination in his voice. "Get ready. I'm going to draw all the pieces to me. When that moment comes... focus on the center," he said. "Please don't miss!"
The skeleton warrior's blue eyes flared. He understood. Boran took a deep breath. This move would either save them or end everything. He gripped his shield tightly. Now or never...
Boran let out a roar-like scream. His voice echoed throughout the room.
Suddenly all the armor pieces stopped moving. Guardian, standing in the center, slightly raised his hand and pointed at Boran. Suddenly all the armor pieces began spinning rapidly again and attacked Boran in a swarm.
"IS:B!"
The armor pieces were hitting so rapidly that to Boran, it looked like being sprayed with a fire hose.
[5 damage taken!]
[5 damage taken!]
[5 damage taken!]
[5 damage taken!]
[5 damage taken!]
[5 damage taken!]
Boran held his shield tightly, staying as close to the ground as possible. Meanwhile, Boney had placed his arm back on the bowstring and was running toward Guardian in the center, with no armor pieces to stop him.
When Boney approached the center, gravity suddenly disappeared. His feet lifted off the ground and he began floating in the air. The void above Guardian, looking like a black hole, was slowly pulling Boney toward itself.
As Boney continued to drift, he felt more resistance as he got closer to the void at Guardian's center. Five meters away, the blue flames in his eye sockets flared. In one motion, he used his left arm like an arrow and shot it with all his might.
The arm spiraled toward Guardian's essence. The void instantly pulled it in, but something unexpected happened. Instead of dissolving and disappearing inside the essence, the skeletal arm continued spinning. Guardian's silhouette-like body began to tremble. The dark essence was trying to digest the arm but couldn't succeed.
Boran watched from behind his shield. The armor pieces were still attacking him, but Guardian's movements had begun to become irregular. With each tremor, some pieces deviated from their orbits, while others hung suspended in the air.
The dark essence at Guardian's center became turbulent. The skeletal arm continued spinning inside like a foreign object, disrupting the essence's order. Guardian's silhouette bent, expanded, contracted. The balance between void and matter was breaking down.
Boney Stark tried to withdraw but the gravitational force was still pulling him toward the center. The black hole-like structure at Guardian's peak began to expand. The dark essence, unable to destroy the skeletal arm, was trying to push it upward, toward the greater void.
At that moment, a deep, metallic howl rose from Guardian's body. The sound was so powerful that the arena walls trembled. The armor pieces hung suspended in the air, stopping their assault on Boran. Guardian's silhouette bent backward, its dark essence churning.
"Run!" Boran shouted, noticing the situation and running toward Boney. "It's going to explode!"
Guardian's center was now out of control. The skeletal arm was spinning increasingly faster inside the essence, causing more chaos with each rotation. The black hole above expanded, stretching toward the arena's ceiling. Guardian's silhouette began to break apart, the dark essence stretched between up and down.
Boran caught Boney just in time and pulled him back. The howl rising from Guardian's body turned into a scream. The dark essence merged with the void above and suddenly...
The explosion created a moment where time stood still. First there was silence, then a tremendous noise. The dark essence split into a thousand pieces, each piece scattering at the speed of light. The armor pieces melted in the air, void waves licked across the arena walls.
Boran and Boney threw themselves to the ground. The explosion's shock wave passed over them. Darkness and light danced, void and matter collided. Guardian's body completely shattered, the black hole collapsed in on itself.
When silence returned, only a burn mark remained in the arena. Nothing was left of Guardian — no armor pieces, no dark essence, no silhouette. Even Boney's thrown arm had vanished.
Boran slowly stood up, checking the surroundings. "Are you okay?" he asked Boney.
The skeleton warrior nodded. The blue flames in his eye sockets were still burning, and his newly appeared arm was working perfectly.
The darkness on the arena walls was slowly receding, returning to its normal appearance.
"I guess the void couldn't handle your arm," Boran said thoughtfully. "Maybe your... different nature... I mean, your skeletal structure, didn't align with its essence. Or maybe we were just lucky."
As the arena returned completely to normal, Boran took a deep breath. Guardian of the Empty Flame had been defeated, but this victory brought some questions with it. Why had Boney's arm created such an effect? He chose not to think too much about it for now.
[Remaining health 10]
Boran let out a laugh, covered in blood and sweat. He was in great pain and felt like he might faint at any moment, but he was also happy. When his laughter stopped, he only said, "Being a tank is really hard."
He raised his left hand to fix his disheveled hair, but as his hand passed in front of his eyes, he noticed something; the tip of his pinky finger was missing.
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