Kael barely had time to breathe after his brutal battle with the undead warriors. His wounds still burned, and the weight of the relic sword in his hand felt heavier than it should. He didn't know why, but something about the weapon unnerved him—its energy pulsed faintly, like a heartbeat in his grip.
But before he could dwell on it, he sensed another presence.
A gust of wind swept through the chamber, cold and unnatural. Kael's instincts screamed danger. He turned, gripping his sword tightly, just as a dark figure emerged from the shadows.
The man wore a tattered black cloak, his face hidden behind a metallic mask with eerie, hollow eye sockets. Two glowing symbols flickered on the sides of the mask, their meaning unknown. In his hands, he wielded a twin jagged daggers wreathed in faint, ghostly energy.
"You don't belong here," the masked figure said, his voice low and distorted.
Kael steadied himself. "Neither do you."
The masked man tilted his head. "I was born in the dark. You? You're just another lost soul stumbling where you shouldn't be."
Without warning, he lunged.
Kael barely dodged in time as the ghostly blade slashed past his face, its energy slicing into the stone behind him like it was paper. The shockwave sent dust and debris flying, forcing Kael to roll away before counterattacking.
Their weapons clashed, a deafening ring echoing through the chamber.
Kael's strength met the masked man's speed. Each swing of his daggers was met with lightning-fast parries. The masked warrior moved like a shadow—unpredictable, precise. Kael barely had time to process his attacks before the next strike came.
A knee slammed into Kael's ribs. He staggered back, gritting his teeth. Before he could recover, the masked warrior thrust forward. Kael twisted his body at the last second, the spectral blade grazing his shoulder.
Blood dripped.
Kael's eyes burned with determination. He refused to lose here.
"Not bad," the masked warrior said, stepping back for a brief moment. "But you rely too much on brute strength."
Kael wiped the blood from his lip. "And you hide behind tricks."
The masked man let out a low chuckle. "Maybe. But tricks keep you alive in this tower."
Kael rushed forward, his sword igniting with flames as he swung down with full force.
Sparks crackled through the air as Stormreaper lunged, his twin daggers glinting with raw lightning energy. Kael barely had time to react before the rogue warrior closed the gap between them, moving at inhuman speed.
He's fast!
Kael raised his sword just in time, but the force behind Stormreaper's strike sent a jolt through his entire body. The impact rattled his bones, and before he could counter, Stormreaper twisted midair, his second dagger slicing toward Kael's ribs.
Kael ducked, feeling the static hum of the blade scrape past his shoulder. If that had connected... He didn't need to imagine the damage.
Stormreaper didn't let up. Like a storm given form, he danced around Kael, twin daggers flashing like bolts of lightning. Each step left behind a brief afterimage, a testament to his terrifying speed.
Kael gritted his teeth. "You're fast, I'll give you that." His grip tightened on his sword, flames flickering to life along its edge. "But let's see how well lightning plays against fire!"
He slammed his foot down, unleashing a surge of flames that spread like a wildfire, forcing Stormreaper to retreat. The rogue skidded back, flipping through the air and landing effortlessly on the dungeon's cracked stone floor. He smirked.
"That's more like it."
Without warning, he vanished again—only to reappear behind Kael.
A sharp pain tore through Kael's back as one of the daggers grazed him, electricity searing his skin. He roared, spinning around with a wide arc of fire, but Stormreaper dodged with unnatural reflexes.
He's too quick.
Kael exhaled sharply. Fine. If Stormreaper relied on speed, then Kael would just have to slow him down.
Gathering heat in his core, he slammed his sword against the floor, sending a wave of molten energy outward. The dungeon rumbled as the temperature spiked, and the very air shimmered with intense heat.
Stormreaper's feet barely touched the ground before an eruption of fire nearly swallowed him whole. He flipped over it, barely avoiding the searing flames, but Kael had anticipated that.
With a roar, he thrust his sword forward, launching a concentrated blast of fire straight at Stormreaper mid-air.
The rogue twisted mid-flight, crossing his daggers. "Lightning Veil!"
A crackling shield of electricity formed around him, absorbing the brunt of Kael's attack, but the force still sent him crashing into the far wall. Stone shattered on impact.
Kael took a deep breath. His fire burned hotter now, the embers swirling in the air like tiny infernos. "Give up?"
From the debris, Stormreaper's laughter echoed. Slowly, he stood, wiping blood from the corner of his mouth. His daggers sparked violently.
"Not even close."
Before Kael could react, Stormreaper disappeared. No, he didn't just move fast—he became lightning itself, zipping across the battlefield in a blinding streak of white and blue.
Kael's instincts screamed at him. Dodge!
But before he could move, Stormreaper reappeared directly in front of him, his body still crackling with electricity.
"Thunder Fang!"
Twin daggers struck like fangs of a storm, cutting through the air with a deafening boom.
Kael barely managed to block, but the sheer force sent him skidding backward, boots digging into the stone. His arms ached from the impact.
Enough playing around.
Kael took a deep breath, focusing all his energy into his blade. Flames roared to life, turning from bright orange to an intense crimson. He raised his sword high.
"Inferno Slash!"
A wave of fire erupted from his blade, surging forward like a firestorm. Stormreaper had no time to dodge this one.
The explosion rocked the dungeon, fire and lightning colliding in a brilliant clash of energy.
As the dust settled, both warriors stood on opposite ends of the battlefield, breathing heavily, weapons still glowing with power.
Then, slowly, Stormreaper grinned.
"Heh. Not bad."
Kael smirked, wiping sweat from his brow. "Same to you."
Their battle wasn't over yet. But in that moment, respect burned between them like fire and lightning.
Kael lunged.
The ground beneath him cracked from the sheer force of his takeoff, his body a blur of molten heat. His blade, now wreathed in deep crimson fire, carved a burning arc through the air as he swung at Stormreaper.
Stormreaper met him head-on.
CLANG!
Twin daggers clashed against Kael's sword, and the resulting shockwave obliterated the ground beneath them.
Fire and lightning howled against each other, illuminating the battlefield in a dazzling explosion of red and blue. Sparks and embers flew like shattered stars, and the dungeon walls trembled as their battle reached its peak.
Kael pressed forward, his strength pushing Stormreaper back. His flames roared hotter, twisting into a raging vortex around him.
"Incinerate—"
Stormreaper suddenly twisted his body, breaking away at the last second. Kael's sword struck only air, and before he could react—
"Volt Crash!"
A blast of lightning struck Kael's exposed side, sending shockwaves rippling through his body. The sheer voltage locked his muscles in place for a split second—
A split second was all Stormreaper needed.
He vanished in a flash of blue light.
Then—
SLASH.
Kael coughed blood.
Stormreaper reappeared behind him, his dagger buried deep in Kael's shoulder.
But Kael grinned through the pain.
Stormreaper's eyes widened. "What—"
Kael's flames suddenly swallowed them both.
BOOM!
A violent explosion tore through the dungeon. The entire floor collapsed, sending chunks of stone plummeting into the abyss below. The air turned suffocatingly hot, filled with thick smoke and glowing embers.
From the flames, Kael staggered forward, his body covered in burns and wounds. His breath was ragged, but his grip on his sword was still firm.
Stormreaper emerged as well, his cloak torn, his body crackling with stray bolts of electricity. He wiped blood from his mouth and smirked.
"Heh. You're still standing?"
Kael exhaled, steam rising from his skin. "You talk too much."
And then they charged again.
Their blades met midair, creating a deafening shockwave that sent debris flying in every direction. Their movements became a blur of flashing steel and raw elemental fury—each strike met with an equal counterattack, neither side yielding an inch.
Kael's sword swung down—Stormreaper dodged and retaliated.
Stormreaper's daggers flashed—Kael barely blocked in time.
Back and forth.
Faster.
Stronger.
The room around them was disintegrating from the sheer intensity of their battle.
And then—
A sudden BOOM echoed through the chamber.
Everything froze.
The entire dungeon rumbled, the walls vibrating with an unseen force.
Then—
A voice.
"Enough."
The temperature plummeted instantly.
The fire vanished. The lightning faded.
And from the shadows—he appeared.
A tall, hooded figure, draped in flowing black robes that swayed as if moved by an invisible wind. His presence alone suffocated the air, pressing down on them like an unseen weight.
His glowing silver eyes pierced through the darkness, locking onto both warriors.
Stormreaper took an unconscious step back. "Tch…"
Kael, still gripping his sword, exhaled. His flames had vanished, as if snuffed out by an unseen force.
The hooded figure spoke again, his voice ancient and unyielding.
"The Forgotten Tower does not exist for your petty duels."
Kael clenched his fists, still breathing heavily. "Who… are you?"
The figure's gaze turned to him.
"I am the Warden of the Forgotten Tower."
His next words echoed with undeniable power.
"And you will go no further unless you earn the right to ascend."
Kael and Stormreaper, battered and bloodied, exchanged glances.
This fight was over.
For now.