As the Black Knight approached Thanatos, the aura of dark energy swirling around the Undead Knight suddenly flared, colliding with the knight in a burst of malevolent power.
The clash sent the Black Knight flying backwards, crashing into the stone wall with a THUD, pinned in place by the sheer force of the impact.
The chamber shuddered under the force of the collision, dust and debris raining down around the two combatants. For a brief moment, all was silent.
The transformation Thanatos underwent was dramatic and chilling.
His once bulky armor had sloughed away, replaced by a sleek, form-fitting cloak of the darkest black, its hood obscuring his face in shadow.
Beneath the cloak, one could make out the sleek, bare lines of his Undead body, now light, agile, and seemingly made for speed and silence.
His sword, once a massive cleaver of death, was now a thin blade, nearly translucent in the low light, honed to a razor's edge for swift, precise strikes.
With his gaze still fixed on the Black Knight, Thanatos flexed his arms, studying the changes in his body.
The pale, ethereal glow that now emanated from him made him feel like a weapon, honed to perfection, ready to strike. He thought to himself:
'So this is it. The trump card I created for Undead Knights. When there are no more options and they are thrown against the ropes, abandoning all defenses and focusing solely on offense, they take on the Eviscerator form.'
Thanatos continued to ponder, his mind racing as he contemplated the significance of his transformation.
'Most Undead Knights never have the chance to take on this form. They are typically felled before they can complete the transformation. Even among those who might survive long enough, many believe the cost of losing all defenses too great a risk.'
'And yet, Undead Knights who fail to take advantage of their innate skills are making a grave mistake. The powers of Rage and Fortify, the skills in question, can be immensely powerful when used correctly. Rage allows the user to descend into an attacking frenzy, a state of heightened fury, while Fortify can strengthen defenses, especially when in the Eviscerator Form, where our focus is solely on offense.'
'In the end, monsters are still monsters. I shouldn't expect too much from them,' his thoughts finally came to a close.
With that, he refocused his attention on the Black Knight, preparing to end this once and for all.
Thanatos uttered the word "Fortify" with grim determination, his voice echoing through the chamber.
As the word left his lips, a green shield of light shimmered into existence around him for a brief moment, its protective energy empowering his currently less formidable defenses.
The shield dissipated almost as quickly as it had appeared, but its work was done.
'So this is how skills work,' he thought to himself.
'I don't remember it being this way though,' he reminisced, his mind struggling to recall the details of his past. 'My memory is still vague.'
The frustration at his incomplete memories fueled the fire within him.
Suddenly, the Black Knight began to stir, its body rising in that all-too-familiar, jerky manner.
Thanatos' icy stare remained fixated on the Undead monstrosity.
The Knight let loose a thunderous roar, unleashing a torrent of wind that would have easily sent him flying earlier.
But Thanatos stood resolute, his body barely moving as the winds buffeted him.
The lack of response only served to fuel the Black Knight's rage, its eyes turning a malevolent shade of red as it locked its sights on its prey.
In a sudden, unexpected development, fingers began to emerge from the Black Knight's back, clawing their way out of the undead flesh with a slow, insidious insistence.
As more fingers wormed their way out, they coalesced into a hand, then an arm, as if something were forcing its way out from within the Knight.
The Black Knight let loose a cry of pain, a guttural, animalistic sound that echoed through the chamber, a stark contrast to its earlier roars of rage.
It collapsed to the ground, writhing in agony as the creature inside continued to emerge from its body.
Thanatos remained still, his cold, calculating gaze never wavering from the sight of the Black Knight's torment.
He watched the twisted spectacle unfold as if it were merely a play he had seen countless times before, his expression devoid of any emotion or reaction.
It was as if he were made of stone, unshaken by the macabre scene in front of him, as if he were biding his time, waiting for the perfect moment to strike.
As the creature finally freed itself from the Black Knight's twisted form, it stood before Thanatos, a chilling mirror image of the knight that had fallen prey to its emergence.
The new creature's features were identical, from the ravaged flesh and bones to the crimson eyes that blazed with fury.
Standing tall, the doppelgänger stared at Thanatos with a gaze that carried a hint of recognition, as if it knew this was not the first time the two had crossed paths.
The air around them seemed to crackle with an unseen electricity, the tension palpable as the two foes locked gazes.
In a flash of blinding speed, Thanatos closed the distance between him and Charlotte, his ethereal form moving with a preternatural swiftness.
He leaned in close, his lips grazing her ear, and whispered something, something that seemed to fade into the air.
Charlotte's eyes widened, as if registering the instructions, and she slowly began to rise from her prone position on the floor, her body trembling slightly but her gaze steady.
Slowly, Thanatos began making his way toward the monsters. His approach was measured, each step deliberate and precise.
His feet made no sound as he moved, as if he were a ghost or a figment of imagination.
The crimson light in his eyes pulsed with a strange intensity as he locked eyes with the Undead Knight before him, his gaze promising an inexorable end.
Charlotte, for her part, positioned herself out of sight, the darkness of the chamber concealing her from view.
But Thanatos could feel her presence, a throbbing, living pulse amidst the thrumming energy of the room.
As Thanatos observed the unfolding scene with a hawk-like focus, the fallen Knight unexpectedly began to stir.
It rose with a shudder, the once-mangled limbs now whole and hale, as if the wounds had never been inflicted in the first place.
The Knight, now rejuvenated, handed one of its swords to its doppelganger, the blade seemingly passing from one soldier to the other with an unholy grace.
Thanatos let out a slow, steady breath, his expression betraying nothing of what he might be thinking or feeling in that moment.
'It's time for the climax of this battle, and this time, I won't hold back at all. I'll give it everything I've got,' he thought.
And with that, a single word resonated continuously in his mind, which he uttered.
"Rage."