For half an hour, I've been on this golden staircase.
Each step feels like I'm carrying a boulder on my back.
My muscles ache, and every movement sends a sharp pain through my body. But despite the pain, I keep going.
Suddenly, a shadowy figure appears beside me. It's me, or rather, a version of me from the past.
The one who lost the fight with the knight, the one who died. He smirks, "Giving up yet? You were always weak."
I ignore him, focusing on my climb. But he continues, "Remember how you fell? How you couldn't even protect yourself? You think you can change anything?!"
I grit my teeth, still refusing to respond.
He laughs, a cold, hollow sound that sends chills down my spine.
"Look at you, struggling to climb this staircase. Do you really think you can reach the top? You, who couldn't even stand up to a knight?"
"Shut up," I mutter under my breath, but he doesn't stop.
"You're just as weak as you've always been. You're just fooling yourself."
"Shut up!" I snap, my voice echoing through the vast emptiness.
He taunts, "Then why are you still climbing? Why haven't you given up?"
"Because you're a fool," he adds, "A fool who doesn't know when to quit."
"Shut up!" I yell, my voice echoing off the golden walls.
He continues, "Or maybe, you're just too scared to face the truth. That you're nothing more than a failure."
His words sting, but I refuse to let them get to me. I keep climbing, each step a testament to my resolve.
But then he says something that makes my blood boil. "You'll always be a failure. You'll never be good enough."
That's the last straw. The pain, the humiliation, the rage... it's all too real, too raw. I snap back, "Shut up! You know nothing about me!"
Suddenly, a sensation I've never experienced before courses through me.
It's a surge of raw, untamed power. My rage intensifies, consuming me, fueling this inner storm, making it grow stronger. It's as if a dormant volcano has awakened within me, ready to erupt.
As the rage consumes me, the shadowy figure vanishes, leaving me alone with my rage.
Despite the gravity that seems to be pulling me down, I persist. Time seems to stretch, each moment an eternity.
And then, I see it. The end of the golden staircase. I've finally reached the top.
As I take my last stride, a brilliant aura of light envelops everything, then disappears. It's not gold, but a swirling mass of darkness and light, a reflection of the storm within me.
I'm standing at the top of the staircase, panting heavily.
***
Asher lays on the ground, the knight sitting on his throne, spear in hand.
Then, something strange begins to happen.
A strange energy courses through him, a sensation he's not consciously aware of.
A faint heartbeat breaks the silence. It's there, but it feels distant, like it's not his own.
Something flows within him, a warmth spreading across his body. Then, his finger twitches.
Changes start to happen to his body. His hair, once short and neat, grows longer, wilder, taking on an untamed look.
His eyes open abruptly, their usual amethyst hue replaced by a chilling crimson.
His body hardens, muscles becoming more defined, transforming him into a formidable figure.
The ground beneath him trembles, and an ominous energy surrounds him, crackling like black lightning.
His hand pushes him up, standing tall.
The knight watches as Asher rises, his grip tightening around his spear.
With a swift movement, Asher launches himself towards the knight.
The knight, taken aback, speaks in a voice as cold as ice. "This is interesting," he says, his eyes narrowing as he studies Asher. "I have never seen a human like you before. Are you perhaps..."
His sentence is cut off as Asher lands a punch with a force capable of shattering the surroundings.
The knight, however, is not easily defeated. He wields his spear with a proficiency that speaks of years of training, launching a series of attacks at Asher.
But Asher, moving with a speed and agility he's never possessed before, dodges them all and distances himself from the knight.
Their gazes meet, a silent challenge passing between them. The knight is the first to break the silence.
He spins his spear and launches himself at Asher. But Asher is ready. He dodges the attacks, running circles around the knight, before punching the ground to break the momentum of the fight.
Then, something unexpected happens. Asher, acting on an instinct he didn't know he had, mutters a single phrase:
"Flame burst." A black flame erupts from him, engulfing everything in its path.
The knight barely has time to react, shielding himself with his spear as the flames roar around him.
The heat is intense, but he remains unscathed, his eyes never leaving Asher.
The knight spins his spear and positions himself, his gaze never leaving Asher.
"Void Spear Art: First Form, Blood Moon Eclipse," he announces.
Behind him, a blood-red moon materializes, casting an eerie glow that bathes the room.
The room transforms, weapons of all shapes and sizes sprouting from the ground like a grotesque garden, a silent testament to countless battles fought.
Then, with a swift movement, the knight strikes at Asher with the spear.
Asher falls to the ground, the impact sending a cloud of dust into the air.
The knight looks back at Asher, expecting to see him wounded. But to his surprise, Asher is unscathed.
He's still standing, his body swaying slightly. The knight's surprise deepens as he notices the sword in Asher's hand.
It's unlike any sword he's seen before, its blade resembling flowing blood, a chilling crimson that seems to pulse with a life of its own.
The knight releases his death aura, a chilling energy that fills the room.
"This is more like it, kid," he says, a cruel smile playing on his lips. "Entertain me more. Show me what you've got!"
With that, he launches his attack, spinning his spear and striking at Asher. But Asher is ready.
He parries the knight's attacks with his blood-like sword, their weapons clashing in a deadly dance.
The knight's attacks are fierce and relentless, but Asher matches him blow for blow.
His movements are precise, his attacks growing stronger with each passing moment.
The clash of their weapons sends shockwaves through the room, making the ground tremble and crack.
As the battle rages on, the room is slowly being destroyed.
The ground is littered with debris, the walls are scarred from the impact of their attacks, and the air is thick with dust and tension.
But neither of them seem to notice. They are completely focused on each other, their fight the only thing that matters.
The fight between the knight and Asher intensifies, each blow more powerful than the last.
The knight, however, feels his armor and weapon weakening under the relentless onslaught.
He knows they won't hold out much longer.
Deciding to end the fight with one final attack, he speaks up in the midst of their battle.
"It is time to end this," he says, distancing himself from Asher.
"Human, as a last sign of respect for you as a knight and your enemy, I will use this one last attack and hold nothing back. Make sure to receive it well...kid!"
With that, he announces his final move.
"Void Spear Art: Second Form, Dimensional Rupture."
The knight's attack cracks the space around them, causing everything to tremble.
Asher, sensing the imminent danger, instinctively unleashes his full strength.
His sword is enveloped in an aura thicker than darkness, a tangible manifestation of his resolve.
He mutters a single phrase, his voice barely audible over the chaos: "Endless Abyss."
The "Void Spear Art: Second Form, Dimensional Rupture" of the Knight of the Void and Asher's "Endless Abyss" collide, creating a powerful impact that shakes the very foundations of the hidden dungeon.
A cataclysmic explosion ensues, strong enough to obliterate anything in its path.
When the dust settles, the room is unrecognizable.
The ground has been carved into a crater, the once majestic statues reduced to rubble. The throne, once a symbol of power, barely stands amidst the destruction.
As the dust dissipates, a figure emerges from the wreckage.
It's Asher. His body returns to its normal state, his jet-black hair short and his eyes a deep amethyst.
Exhausted, he collapses to the ground, the Knight of the Void nowhere to be seen.
The last thing he hears before losing consciousness is the system's voice:
[Congratulations, host. You have slain the Knight of the Void...]" followed by a barrage of notifications: "[Level Up!]"