Out of the gate crawled a creature that was most definitely supernatural in nature.
It crawled on all fours, its front limbs unnaturally long. I couldn't even see part of its face, as if part of it was forever obscured.
Its skin was black like obsidian, and its hind legs were thick, almost resembling that of a cat.
It dragged a giant sword across the ground, the sparks flying as it did so.
The sword itself had a silver blade with a curved guard that was brown in color. The handle was also brown, and the guard was a deep gray.
It held the weapon in a reverse grip. Its bladed tail swayed menacingly. The Warden stopped just a few feet short of us, letting out a loud roar.
The roar itself was deep, almost sounding like there were multiple things roaring at us.
"Oooh! It looks like the Warden is ready! Very well then, begin!" The announcer said, swiping his hand down.
"I'm surprised these monsters are abiding by the rules and not attacking us out the gate." Kaido said, readying his sword like a lightsaber.
The Warden stared at us, circling the arena. The crowd watched in silent anticipation, observing both our moves and the Warden's.
Kaido narrowed his eyes, dashing forward and leaping into the air.
The creature swung the greatsword at him, which Kaido managed to block. He got sent toward the crowd, but a barrier separated him from them.
I looked at the creature, watching it prowl slowly. It then moved at me like a shadow; it was a blur. Why was something so big, so fast?
I dodged out of the way of a sword swing, blocking the following strike of its claws.
I got sent flying into the wall, hitting it with a crash. However, I didn't feel any pain or fear.
I stepped out of the smoke with Kaido, our eyes glowing slightly. We were grinning. For some odd reason, despite this new and mythical beast that stood before us like a brick wall. We felt alive.
No more were the mundane ways of our old world!
"Let's go!" We both said in unison, dashing to either side.
The creature looked both ways, a white, toothy grin forming on its face.
My arms were bleeding, but I didn't regenerate for a reason. I only had enough blood to make a sword, but that's okay.
The blood began to form into a simple sword, hardening.
I and Kaido dashed at the creature, swinging both our blades at it.
The Warden leaped into the air, swinging the greatsword at me. I blocked the attack, getting sent flying back once more.
I dug my sword into the ground. "Something that big shouldn't be agile at all."
I watched Kaido charge the monster, their blades connecting. Surprisingly enough, Kaido stood his ground but did get staggered.
[Scanning Creature...]
[Due to you being the original Sin of Envy and a vampire, you have the Envy Variant: Devourer.]
[It follows by the notion, "If I can't have it, nobody can."]
[This variant has two sides to it. One being you are able to destroy attributes, skills, or the abilities of opponents if you see them as better than you.]
[The second part, you are able to steal the aforementioned traits for yourself, adding them to your arsenal and leaving your opponent defenseless.]
[These will evolve over time.]
[However, you can only fixate on one target, leaving you vulnerable in group situations.]
[There are also other abilities to this, but you must keep using Envy to unlock them.]
[You currently have the skill named Spiteful Drain. Which targets a singular ability, skill, or attribute of a person or creature and strips it away entirely. You may choose to either destroy this attribute or add it to yourself.]
[As you use Envy, you will be able to take more of what you do not have.]
"I'll take that strength." I mumbled.
Suddenly, black vines shot from the ground and coiled around the creature.
It struggled against the vines, the crowd gasping at the unexpected display.
The vines disappeared as the Warden growled. Lifting up its greatsword, still with relative ease.
It moved with the same swiftness that belied its size.
It leaped into the air, spinning around sideways and bringing down the greatsword.
I dodged back, narrowing my eyes. "It's lost a decent portion of its strength... It's using momentum."
Kaido appeared beside it, swinging his blade upward and slashing its side. For a moment, I swore the blade extended a little.
I leaped into the air, kicking its chin and watching as its head reeled back. I wasn't expecting to sap that much strength.
It growled as it snapped its head forward. It then did something odd. It used its tail to slash open an area in space, a dimension filled with a pink and blue background. I couldn't tell what I was looking at.
It crawled, latching itself onto the air, which I didn't know was possible, but whatever.
"Looks like it's begun its hunting tactics, folks!" The announcer said as I made my way to Kaido.
We both looked around, looking for any sign of where the creature might be. I then saw a small fissure above us, my eyes narrowing.
"Aim our swords upward." I said, raising my sword in the air, Kaido doing the same.
We saw the creature come from above, dropping down and trying to stab us, but we were faster.
We stepped to the side, its sword driving itself into the ground as it fell onto our swords. These things weren't that smart, huh?
"Ooh! With a strategic finish, they have murdered the Rift Warden!" The announcer said, as the crowd let out a roar of cheer.
The final one awaits us.