Denim arrived in the Second Circle of Hell, Lust. The air was thick with a suffocating heat, and the ground beneath his feet was slick with blood. Before him stood the Guardian of Lust, a demonic succubus with a whip made of flames.
**Guardian of Lust**
Lilith
*Lv. 70*
- **HP:** 80,000/80,000
- **Abilities:**
- **Flame Whip:** A fiery lash that inflicts burn damage over time.
- **Allure:** Charms the target, causing confusion and reducing defenses.
- **Infernal Dance:** Summons firestorms that sweep across the battlefield.
"Oh what a fearsome opponent, one after another."
Denim gritted his teeth and held his sword tightly, eyes narrowing as he assessed his opponent. This would be a battle of speed and precision.
**System Notification:**
*Skill Activated: Phantom Rush*
- **Effect:** Increases movement speed and attack power for 10 seconds.
- **Cooldown:** 3 minutes
Denim surged forward, avoiding the first crack of the Flame Whip by a hair's breadth. He struck at the Guardian with a powerful slash, but she retaliated with a quick snap of her whip, scorching his arm.
The burn seared his flesh, but Denim pushed through the pain, focusing on his next move.
**System Notification:**
*Skill Activated: Void Slash*
- **Effect:** Infuses the sword with void energy, dealing increased damage and ignoring a portion of the enemy's defense.
- **Cooldown:** 2 minutes
Denim's sword glowed with void energy as he swung it, cleaving through the Guardian's defenses. She screamed, summoning a firestorm that engulfed the area.
**System Notification:**
*Skill Activated: Shadow Barrier*
- **Effect:** Creates a protective barrier that absorbs damage.
- **Duration:** 30 seconds
- **Cooldown:** 5 minutes
The barrier shielded Denim from the worst of the flames, but the heat was still intense. He needed to find a way to neutralize her abilities.
**System Notification:**
*Skill Activated: Shadow Dance*
- **Effect:** Allows the user to move through shadows and swap positions with a doppelganger, enhancing speed and evasion.
- **Duration:** 5 minutes
- **Cooldown:** 1 hour
Denim and his doppelgangers moved in unison, striking at the Guardian from multiple angles. She lashed out with her whip, but her attacks grew more desperate as her health dwindled.
**System Notification:**
*Skill Activated: Curse of the Abyss*
- **Effect:** Increases attack power by 20% but gradually consumes the user's HP by 0.5% per second.
With his power boosted, Denim's strikes became even more ferocious. He pressed the attack, ignoring the burning pain that gnawed at his body.
Luckily, this boss trial was still possible to be defeated given that he had altered quite a little of his approach in fighting this boss and assess it's attack patterns.
Finally, after another long and arduous battle in whittling the boss last strand of HP with one last coordinated strike, Denim and his doppelgangers brought down the Guardian of Lust. She collapsed in a burst of flames, her body disintegrating into ash.
**System Notification:**
*Guardian of Lust Defeated*
- **Proceed to the next circle**
A new portal appeared, glowing with an infernal light. Denim, panting and scorched but victorious, stepped through, ready to face whatever awaited him in the next circle of hell.