After uttering those words, Adam's surroundings suddenly changed. Everything became warped as if he was getting sucked into something.
("What…?") [Adam]
Within moments, he found himself in an unknown area. The sky was purple mixed with the twinkling lights of stars, and the floor beneath him turned into blackened earth.
"What is this…?" [Adam]
Shifting his foot, he quickly realized the ground beneath was sand.
"Welcome to my realm." [Left Horned Guardian]
"Your realm?" [Adam]
The area felt completely different from earth. The smell of the air, the sounds of nature, and the view was otherworldly.
"Careful, Adam. I think you're in a zone." [Krino]
("Zone?") [Adam]
Suddenly remembering Aurora's teachings, Adam began to recognize the realm he was in.
("This doesn't feel like a zone though.") [Adam]
"As much as I hate to say it, you may have been dragged into something even stronger than a zone. This is going to be an uphill battle." [Krino]
The guardian smiled as Adam looked around in bewilderment.
"You shouldn't be surprised just yet. There is still more to show." [Left Horned Guardian]
The black sand around Adam suddenly rose. Many clumps came together, forming human-like silhouettes.
"Uh-oh. Looks like this fight is going to be annoying." [Krino]
The silhouettes quickly solidified. It didn't take much to see that they were copies of the guardian.
"What do you think, hybrid?" [Left Horned Guardian]
"Hm." [Adam]
Nodding his head, Adam raised a finger.
"First of all, stop calling me "hybrid". Second, I don't think these copies are going to be as strong as you." [Adam]
The guardian frowned.
"Didn't take so long to figure it out, huh? How about this?" [Left Horned Guardian]
Waving his hands for a moment, the sand beneath Adam began to suck him in.
"Wow, so original." [Adam]
Crossing his arms, Adam made an unamused expression as he sank.
"Implode." [Adam]
An explosion occurred beneath the sand, allowing Adam to escape the hole.
"Hrm…" [Left Horned Guardian]
The guardian seemed to be displeased.
"Anything else?" [Adam]
Hearing that one line made the guardian snap.
"Get him!" [Left Horned Guardian]
The clones immediately went into a mad sprint. Within seconds, Adam found six clones encroaching his position.
"I'm guessing this is the part where I come in?" [Krino]
Without replying, Adam reached for the sky.
"Balance the scales, Krino!" [Adam]
"Knew it." [Krino]
Lightning flashed and thunder roared. Within an instant, the mighty longsword, Krino, appeared in Adam's hand.
"An ethereal blade…" [Left Horned Guardian]
The guardian stared at the sword with unease. It appeared he was afraid of it, just like the clones who no longer dared to come closer.
"What's wrong? Scared?" [Adam]
Lightning cracked around him as he approached the guardian.
"I refuse to die like this." [Left Horned Guardian]
Raising a hand, the guardian thrust it into its chest.
"Argh!" [Left Horned Guardian]
"What?!" [Adam]
The guardian's face twisted in pain as it rummaged around its chest. Unsettling noises emitted from the guardian as it suddenly tore a black heart out.
"That's…! Adam, stop him!" [Krino]
Heeding Krino's words, Adam started sprinting. However, he fell as the guardian's clones tackled him to the ground.
"Oof!" [Adam]
Adam struggled to get them off, but the copies were persistent.
"Oh, my lord! Please grant me the strength to surpass this trial given unto me! I give you my heart as tribute!" [Left Horned Guardian]
A rumbling resounded from above.
"Get off of me!" [Adam]
Finally knocking the clones off, Adam witnessed a gargantuan hand part the sky.
"What… the hell…?" [Adam]
A massive hand engulfed in flame lit up the sky. It appeared to reach for the guardian, in which it touched the black heart with only a finger.
"Let you be blessed." [???]
A voice boomed across the sky, causing the hand to vanish into a cloud of smoke.
"AAARGH!!" [Left Horned Guardian]
The guardian let out a deafening cry as it was set aflame. Flaming tongues lashed out as it turned black and solidified itself into the guardian's skin.
("He's… burning?") [Adam]
Adam watched as the guardian writhed in pain. The flames slowly died down as the guardian's skin hardened, leaving it as a statue.
"...Hell of a blessing that was." [Krino]
Just as he spoke, the statue shattered. Black pieces fell to the ground, revealing the guardian within.
"Ngh…" [Left Horned Guardian]
Letting out a grunt, the guardian took a moment to look at itself.
"…This is my lord's blessing?" [Left Horned Guardian]
The guardian seemed amazed at its new appearance. Its singular horn had become longer, and its skin a dark shade of gray. Its eyes shone a purple so dark it may be mistaken as black, and its body was engraved with flame-like markings.
"If that doesn't scream boss fight, I don't know what does." [Krino]
The guardian looked at the remnants of the statue it once was, and reached out to it.
"Form, Katamara." [Left Horned Guardian]
The statue shards levitated. It then pieced itself together until it formed an obsidian black short sword.
("Krino? Is that a soul weapon?") [Adam]
Krino remained silent for a moment.
"I… have no clue." [Krino]