Chapter 22: General Kaelstrife

  I didn’t even have time to wonder if this was the General Kaelstrife who brought countless glories to Tepan on the battlefield a thousand years ago. All my focus was on dodging. He continued slicing through the air with his glaive in wide arcs, from wall to wall.

  I wish I've had a moment to use some of the items in my second inventory - Skyroot Powder for enhanced stamina regeneration, in particular - but Kaelstrife left me constantly occupied.

  I threw myself backward, using Dash Step several times in rapid succession to evade his strikes, but the pressure was relentless. He moved unnervingly fast for someone – or something – that was supposed to be dead. His armor clinked faintly with each step, the sound filling the corridor.

  Then, he suddenly stepped back and lowered his stance, his glaive pointed directly at me. The green light along the glaive flared brighter and began crackling.

  He was charging an attack, and whatever it was, I didn’t want to find out how it worked. But escape was problematic. The narrow corridor hemmed me in, and turning to run would only leave my back wide open. In short, dodging might be nearly impossible in this confined space.

  Determined to cancel his attack, I decided to use Horizon for the first time. I swung Nightfall horizontally and it released a crescent-shaped wind strike, aimed directly at Kaelstrife. It was as wide as the corridor, chipping some of the bricks on the walls as it flew forward. But once it hit him, it barely did anything. A bit of Kaelstrife's HP dropped, but he was still channeling his ability.

  With no other choice left, I activated Moon Barrier, gripping Nightfall tightly. The barrier materialized around me instantly.

  Meanwhile, Kaelstrife’s glaive burned even brighter before he lunged, turning into a blur of motion, the tip of his glaive leading the charge, leaving a streak of green light in its wake.

  The impact was devastating.

  The glaive struck the barrier, and the force of the collision reverberated across the corridor, cracking the walls and the ground around it. The floor beneath me trembled, fractures spidering out in every direction and I questioned whether Moon Barrier could even withstand the assault as Kaelstrife’s wasn’t done – he kept pressing forward, seemingly pouring even more power into his charged attack.

  The answer came quickly as the barrier crackled, fissures spreading across its shimmering surface like splintering glass.

  I didn’t have time to hesitate. Activating Wind Rush a millisecond before the barrier shattered, I leapt, air magic propelling me higher - just over Kaelstrife’s charging form beneath me. The ground splintered further in his wake as he barreled forward, nearly reaching the end of the corridor from which I had originally entered.

  I landed in a crouch, Nightfall in hand, and scrambled backward, trying to create space. But he recovered too quickly. He adjusted his stance and then launched himself toward me, his armored body soaring through the air.

  The motion was so sudden that instinct and Wind Rush took over. I dropped and rolled beneath him, bracing for a devastating follow-up – but it didn’t come.

  Rising to my feet, I glanced back at him, confused. He had landed near the far end of the corridor, close to where I’d first seen him, and turned to face me again, his glaive at the ready.

  I was surprised at first, but then, looking past him, it clicked.

  Whatever lay beyond him, shrouded in the darkness at the far end of the corridor, was something he had to guard. And the only way to find out what it was would be to get past him.

  Easier said than done. I’d already told myself that fighting impossible enemies shouldn’t be my priority. The only likely outcome would be death and a wasted run, bringing me closer to my inevitable confrontation with Goren.

  Then, an idea popped into my mind. I didn’t have to fight him…

  I glanced back at the pressure tile on the floor. If I could lure him into stepping on it, he’d plummet into the trap, leaving the coast clear for me to investigate whatever he was guarding – likely something that would help me defeat Gaelith and Erebus.

  I glanced at Kaelstrife, but he wasn’t charging at me this time. He stood close to the area he was guarding, as if waiting for me to make the first move. He wasn’t going to come unless I forced him.

  I sighed, knowing I had only a minute left on Wind Rush. I couldn’t afford to waste another second waiting for him.

  I moved forward quickly, Nightfall aimed at him. As soon as I got close enough, Kaelstrife reacted, his glaive slicing through the air with a sharp whistle. I dodged to the side, narrowly avoiding the blade as it smashed into the stone floor beside me, leaving a visible crack.

  He advanced, swinging his glaive again in a precise diagonal arc. I used Dash Step, evading the attack as I retreated a few paces. Step by step, Kaelstrife followed, his attacks unrelenting and his combos eerily precise. But I managed to stay ahead, locked in a constant state of dodging.

  The continuous use of Dash Step was taking its toll on my mana bar, and the system was kind enough to remind me of that.

  [Mana: 39%]

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  Another notification followed.

  [Wind Rush Expiring. Time Remaining: 00:00:24]

  Twenty-four seconds left. Not much, but the pressure tile was right behind me now.

  Kaelstrife raised his glaive and lunged at me with another roar.

  This is it.

  I backflipped, my heart racing as I avoided the tile, using the last burst of Wind Rush to propel me higher and farther. A rush of air seemed to physically carry me just beyond the trapdoor as Kaelstrife’s boots and glaive hit the ground.

  There was a sharp, mechanical click, followed by the groaning sound of stone grinding against stone. The ground beneath him gave way, the trapdoor collapsing beneath him, and then he dropped, vanishing into the darkness below.

  The trapdoor slammed shut, sealing the pit once more.

  I stood there, panting and clutching Nightfall, adrenaline still coursing through my veins as I tried to catch my breath.

  It worked! It actually worked! I couldn’t believe my eyes.

  Carefully, I stepped around the pressure tile and moved forward. The corridor was dead silent, the only sound being the soft thud of my boots against the stone floor.

  Was that really the legendary General Karl Kaelstrife? And if it was, how had he ended up here as an Undead, guarding…what? Had his king sent him to deliver the treasures to Gaelith? But that wasn’t what history taught us. History claimed Kaelstrife died an honorable death on the battlefield, fighting the usurper.

  I glanced ahead toward the end of the corridor, anticipation building within me. Whatever he had been protecting had to be significant. Maybe something –

  A sound cut through my thoughts. The groan of strained metal grinding against stone. I froze, every sense sharpening. The sound was coming from beneath me.

  “No way…” I whispered as the noise grew louder, like something massive was forcing its way upward. My grip on Nightfall tightened as I slowly backed away.

  Then, the ground beneath the trapdoor exploded.

  Stone fragments shot outward as Kaelstrife erupted from the floor, his glaive leading the way. The force of his emergence sent a shockwave through the corridor, knocking me backward. Momentum carried me into a roll, and I quickly pushed myself back to my feet.

  I stared at him as he stood there, menacingly, his glaive aimed directly at me.

  His stance shifted, lowering himself as his glaive began charging up the same attack form before. Moon Barrier was still on cooldown. What could I –

  A fiery explosion slammed into Kaelstrife’s back, sending him staggering forward and breaking his charge. His health bar dropped too – about a fifth gone from the unexpected attack.

  I blinked in surprise, glancing past him to see Yana, her sword ablaze with her fire magic. She returned.

  “Are you okay?” she called, sounding worried.

  “I’m fine.” I managed, a weak smile tugging at my lips. “Just in time, as always.”

  Her gaze shifted to Kaelstrife, narrowing as she read the name. “Kaelstrife? Like the general?”

  I only managed to throw back a simple “Yeah,” as Kaelstrife recovered and lunged at me, his glaive slicing through the air with terrifying speed.

  I wanted to dodge, but Wind Rush was on cooldown, and without it, I doubted I could. Desperate, I activated Bladesurge, hoping the enhanced stats on Nightfall would be enough to block the incoming damage.

  They weren’t.

  The impact sent a shockwave through my body, the sheer force throwing me backward into the wall.

  [Health: 64%]

  A third of my HP gone in a single strike – even with the block. That’s why I hated blocking. But there was no doubt that without it, I’d already be dead.

  He closed in on me again, but Yana darted toward him with Blade Rush. Her sword struck first, glowing with fire, but he turned just in time to parry her strike and counter with the other end of his weapon.

  Yana recovered quickly, and they exchanged blows in rapid succession. Yana’s strikes, infused with bursts of magic, scorched Kaelstrife’s armor. She was faster, reducing his health to half, and for a moment, it seemed like she might gain the upper hand.

  But then Kaelstrife roared, his body radiating the all-too-familiar darkness. Suddenly, his movements became faster, his attacks stronger.

  He began incorporating new moves, spinning his glaive quickly, striking with both ends. Yana blocked as best as she could, but his blows were too powerful, still dealing damage.

  I knew I had to do something. I couldn’t watch her get killed. Not again. Not if I could do something about it. I didn’t want her to get involved in this, but there was nothing to do about it now.

  I quickly opened my second inventory, selecting a Spark Bomb. The item description flashed in my mind: 50% chance to stun afflicted targets for 5 seconds.

  “Yana, dodge!” I shouted, lobbing two bombs toward Kaelstrife in succession to increase the odds of a stun.

  She leapt back just as the bombs erupted in bursts of lightning, jolting Kaelstrife. His health bar dipped to around a third, but to my dismay, the stun didn’t take.

  He turned, his eyes glowing red through his visor as he targeted me.

  “Damn.” I muttered, just barely dodging with Dash Step. But he followed up immediately, his glaive coming straight at me. I braced for death.

  But the blow never landed.

  Yana darted in, her sword intercepting the glaive with a metallic clang. “Go!” she shouted, straining under the weight of the strike.

  I didn’t hesitate. Using Dash Step to gain distance, I selected my last Spark Bomb and hurled it at Kaelstrife, warning Yana again.

  She rolled out of the way as the bomb hit its mark. My heart pounded as I wondered what are the odds of a stun failing three times in a row.

  But this time, the lightning enveloping Kaelstrife triggered the desired effect. His movements stopped, and we both knew this was our chance, the understanding between us silent.

  I activated Flame Sword and rushed him with Blade Rush, enhancing the attack with a Time Delay Swing, dealing some nice damage with the guaranteed critical hits. Sparks flew as Yana unleashed a flurry of her own strikes, her sword glowing as she landed her blows, and we brought him down on his knees.

  Kelstrife’s HP bar dropped rapidly until it reached 0%.

  I stepped back, my breathing heavy, sweat dripping down my forehead as I stared at his still form. I hoped that I landed the last hit, but it was too close to tell. Either way, for some reason the system notification didn’t appear for neither of us it seemed.

  Before we could question it, a scream escaped Kaelstrife’s mouth – a sound so distorted and inhuman it made my skin crawl. Then, the aura of darkness around him seemed to come alive, growing and writhing around his body violently.

  “Step back.” Yana said sharply, grabbing my arm and pulling me away.

  We watched as the darkness stopped growing and instead, Kaelstrife’s entire body ignited on fire. But not just regular fire – it was dark fire.

  Above him, the text changed: Dark Undead General Kaelstrife – Level ???

  His health bar regenerated in an instant, filling to 100% as his body grew larger, his armor shifting and warping.

  Before we could react, he rose to his feet, his glaive blazing with the same dark fire that consumed him. With a roar, he drove the blade into the ground, summoning a massive explosion of dark fire around him.

  We flung backwards, engulfed in dark flames, dying instantly.

  [Health: 0% - You Have Died]