The Skeleton Awakens
A gigantic skeleton rose from the void, its empty eye sockets glowing crimson. Its ominous light devoured the dimension like a darkened storm. The very earth cracked beneath its feet with each step, and a guttural growl reverberated through the air.
While the blood-soaked ground, the still recovering Hangfang lay sprawled on the ground. He wheezed, and his body shook with fatigue. He gripped his sword with determination, mustering the power to rise. "I can't die here… not yet," he murmured, shaking breath.
The skeleton let out a terrible roar, its massive bones charging towards me. Hangfang activated Blood Healing, sucking up what was left of the serpent's blood around him to regain a little vitality. The healing came slowly, but enough to give him the strength to evade the skeleton's first crushing blow.
The skeleton's spiked arm slammed into the ground, blasting a crater and sending shockwaves rippling through the dimension. Hangfang rolled to the side, just missing the debris, and brought up his own slash with his blade, targeting the skeleton's ribcage. The blow landed, but it didn't do much more than leave a scratch.
The Fierce Battle
The skeleton responded with a wild swipe of its arm. Hangfang attempted to trigger Smoke Path, but his impairment held him back. The blow hit him square in the chest, throwing him back and slamming him headfirst into a sharp wall of the dimensional rift. As he tried to roll himself up, blood sprayed on the floor.
"You won't… bring me down that easily," Hangfang hissed, tightening his hold on his blade. He activated Soul Devour, pumping dark energy into his weapon. He charged towards the skeleton, slashing at the joints with a burst of speed. The blade landed true, cutting one of its bony arms.
The skeleton shrieked in rage, black vapors streaming from the shattered limb. It raised a second arm and released a torrent of spiked projectiles. Hangfang tried to dodge as best he could, but several spikes grazed him, ripping through his already battered armor.
Gathering the last of his strength, Hangfang activated Smoke Path and avoided the torrent, reappearing behind the skeleton. He rammed his blade into its spine, the impact forcing a crack to sound out through the emptiness. The skeleton lurched but soon regained its balance, turning its huge body in his direction.
The Skeleton's Final Form
Its eyes burned a fierce red as it roared, releasing a pulse of dark energy that reverberated throughout the dimension. Its broken arm healed itself, and serrated spikes burst from its body. The being had reached its final stage.
Hangfang stood almost upright, ready for the next onslaught. The skeleton lunged, moving with terrifying speed, its spiked arms aimed at stabbing him. Hangfang weaved left and right, relying on Smoke Path to keep track of the unending assault.
It was a gamble, but he activated Soul Devour once more, his blade radiating dark power. Hitting the skeleton's leg, he succeeded in cleaving it at the knee. The creature collapsed, but still on the ground it struck at Hangfang with its spiked arms, catching him across the shoulder.
The impact sent him sprawling into a puddle of his own blood. His vision began to blur, his body grew heavy. The skeleton rose once more, its ruby eyes boring into him as it readied the kill blow.
The Arrival of Xiao Yi
Just as the skeleton's spiked arm fell to deliver the fatal blow, the void stirred, and a frigid wind swept across the battlefield. A brilliant blue-white light broke through the darkness, freezing the ground beneath the skeleton.
Shattering from the void was Xiao Yi, her form brimming with frozen energy. The sheer intensity of her aura made the skeleton stop dead in its tracks, its jagged arm frozen in place, mid-strike.
The skeleton was frozen under Xiao Yi's gaze. She held her palm out, and a torrent of frozen blue-white energy shot forward, crystallizing the creature in place. The skeleton let out a roar as the crimson glow in its eyes dimmed, the frost spreading across its body.
The creature exploded the ice but Xiao Yi was unfazed. She raised her other hand, conjuring a storm of frozen energy that spun in a whirling cyclone around her. The temperature inside the dimension dropped, the ground beneath her feet fissured and froze.
The skeleton charged at her, but Xiao Yi acted like lightning. She stood before the creature, palm illuminated with focused frozen energy. With a single blow she punctured the skeleton's chest, freezing it from the inside out.
The skeleton screamed one last, creaky roar before shattering into a million frozen pieces.
Hangfang's Recovery
Xiao Yi looked down at Hangfang, who lay on the ground unmoving. She crouched down beside him, placing her glimmering blue hand over his chest. "You've overdone it again," she said quietly, a mixture of anger and concern in her voice.
Hangfang's wounds closed up as her frozen energy réchauffé his body, stabilizing him. He opened his eyes and looked weakly up at her. "You… always arrive at the last moment," he stammered weakly.
Xiao Yi got him up on his feet, her face softening. "Somebody has to clean up after your messes."
With the dimension collapsing around them, Xiao Yi invoked a frozen light portal. Lowering herself into a seated position, she stepped Supporting Hangfang, she stepp
ed on through it, out of the debris pit.