Elias' shout vibrated through the cathedral as Crusader struck Darius. The rogue's body crumpled against the wall, leaving behind a smear of blood on the racked stone. Max's heart pounded in his chest, and a cold sweat washed over him as he stared at Darius's nearly empty HP bar.
"Darius, hang in there!" Elias yelled, his voice strained as he blocked another crushing blow from the Crusader. The shield in his hand trembled under the force of each impact, and Max could see the pain in his leader's eyes.
"We need to take this bastard down, fast!" Vera yelled, her hands glowing as she prepared another healing spell for Darius. But Max knew that healing wouldn't be enough. They had to kill the Crusader before it killed them.
Max tried to think fast of something, anything, a new spell, a tactic, anything that could turn the tide. The Crusader kept pushing, its corrupted armor blocking each of their attacks as if they were nothing more than annoying insect bites.
"Think, Max, think!" Max kept telling himself, his fingers tightening around his staff. The Fireball had barely done any damage against the Crusader, and his other spells were either too weak or completely useless. The Crusader had turned into a walking nightmare, each of its steps shaking the cathedral's foundation.
Seraphina fired more arrows, aiming for the joints in the Crusader's armor, but the creature blocked the shots with a fast movement of its shield. "It's like fighting a damn fortress!" she cursed, drawing another arrow.
Max's gaze focused on his spell list. "I need something powerful, something that can punch through that armor… Solar Flare? No, it'll blind everyone. Brazilian Agony? Yeah, right, like it has any hair to burn." His eyes widened as his eyes settled on a spell he had never dared to use in battle before.
"Hellstorm." The word slipped from his lips like a curse. It was a spell he had created, one that was dangerously unstable, but right now, they had no choice.
"Elias, keep it busy for a few more seconds!" Max shouted, already feeling the heat building in his palms. The spell was complex, requiring an immense amount of concentration and mana. It was risky, but it was their only shot.
Elias grunted in response, bracing himself as the Crusader kept attacking. The force of the blows sent Elias back, his boots leaving deep prints on the stone floor.
"Hurry up!" Vera screamed, her voice covered in panic as she watched Darius struggle to his feet, blood pouring from a wound on his side.
"Almost…there…" Max whispered through gritted teeth. His vision blurred from the intensity, and the air around him was getting warmer.
The Crusader, sensing the buildup of power, turned its focus on Max. It let out a deafening roar, charging toward Max with terrifying speed.
"Not today, asshole!" Max shouted, thrusting his hands forward. "Hellstorm!"
The spell erupted from his hands, and a wave of fire and molten rock tore across the battlefield like a living creature. The Hellstorom slammed into the Crusader, engulfing it in an inferno that burned with the fury of a thousand suns. The heat was unbearable, and Max could feel his skin blistering.
The Crusader let out a painful scream, the sound twisted and inhuman as its armor melted away. Blackened metal and charred flesh revealed the twisted, corrupted essence beneath. The creature fell, its massive weapon dropping to the ground with a loud clang as it tried to shield itself from the relentless firestorm.
Elias didn't waste a second. With a fierce cry, he charged into the flames, his sword glowing with divine light. He swung with all his might, the blade going through the Crusader's exposed chest, cutting deep into its core. The Crusader's scream reached an even higher pitch, its body shaking violently as Elias drove the sword deeper.
With a last roar, the Crusader exploded in a blinding flash of light. The force of the blast sent Max and the others flying back, the air knocked out of their lungs as they hit the ground. The heat disappeared almost immediately, leaving behind nothing but silence and the smell of burnt flesh.
Max gasped for breath, his vision shaking as he struggled to sit up. His entire body ached, and he could feel his mana reserves dangerously low, but he was alive. Somehow, they had survived.
Elias slowly got to his feet, his armor dented, almost destroyed, from the battle. He looked around. The Crusader was gone, reduced to a pile of ash in the center of the cathedral. But the cost had been high.
"That… was insane," Seraphina said, her voice trembling as she leaned against a broken pillar, her bow clutched tightly in her hands. "We almost didn't make it."
Max let out a shaky laugh, wiping the sweat from his brow. "Almost? I'm pretty sure I died at least three times back there."
Elias sheathed his sword, his eyes still locked to the pile of ash where the Crusader had fallen. "We're not done yet. The dungeon's core is still ahead."
Max groaned. "Well, I'm all out of big spells, but I've still got a few tricks up my sleeve. Let's finish this."
Vera rushed over to Darius, finding him sitting against the cracked wall, blood pouring from a hole in his side. The rogue's breath was shallow, his usually sharp eyes now dull and unfocused. Vera was kneeling beside him, her hands glowing with healing light as she desperately tried to stop the bleeding.
The magic wasn't working fast enough. The wound was too deep, the damage too severe.
Darius coughed, blood pouring out of his mouth. "It's no use… This is… the end for me," he whispered. "Don't waste… your mana… on me," he grabbed Vera by her wrist with a trembling hand.
Max stood frozen, his heart pounding in his chest as he watched the life drain out of Darius. Elias approached knowing there was nothing more they could do.
Darius's grip on Vera's wrist tightened for a brief moment before he let go, his hand falling limply to his side. With a final, pained breath, he pulled a small dagger from his belt, holding it up weakly. "I won't… let the curse take me," he muttered. "Better… to go on my own terms."
Vera's eyes widened in horror as she realized what he intended to do. "No, don't—" But it was too late. With the last of his strength, Darius plunged the dagger into his own heart, ending his life before the curse could claim him.
Vera gasped, her hands trembling as the light in them faded. The cathedral was silent.
Elias lowered his head, placing a hand on Vera's shoulder as she broke down in tears. "We need to move on," he said quietly. "We'll honor him later… but we have to keep going."
Max couldn't help but think of how easily it could have been him lying there instead of Darius. "I should consider retirement."