13 (XIII) Clear Skies
Vitani stepped forward, each step leaving a trail of blazing footprints behind him as he approached the destroyed temple. His gauntlets erupted as two flaming lions formed around his fists.
Samael shook his head as he took a step forward, falling as he caught himself with his new sword and knelt once more. Nathan elbowed his sister as Kaitlyn ran up behind him, and her hands lit up again.
Sam gritted his teeth as he watched Vitani's back while he approached the boss of the Dungeon. The Lich was a hulking skeleton, floating as darkness flowed out from underneath its tattered robe.
In one hand, it held a massive orb that emitted an eerie glow as the souls of its victims spiraled within. It gripped a humongous scythe in its other hand, raising it into the air as dozens of luminous green beams shot out of it.
Etherial screams could be heard as the beams of light penetrated the crypts and mausoleums surrounding the graveyard, destroying them in an instantaneous explosion.
From the rubble of the destroyed resting places, hulking Skeleton Knights burst out, their bones clacking together as their armor banged against their skeletal bodies.
The dozen undead knights dashed forward and engaged Vitani. He rapidly blocked each of their attacks, the flaming lion heads roaring as he punched their armor, leaving deep dents.
He grabbed a sword flying at him, the heat from his hands melting the weapon as he pulled the skeleton toward him, clutching its head and crushing it through its helmet.
Not a single attack landed from the Skeleton Knights as they engaged the Virtue of Pride. He weaved through their attacks effortlessly, unleashing devastating counterattacks as the monsters vanished.
The Lich wailed loudly, raising its scythe as the energy reappeared atop it, ready to summon another wave of undead.
Samael took a deep breath, turning back to the twins and smiling at them, offering them a silent thanks before he stood, sighing heavily. He slid his sword into the bright orange, red, and gold scabbard that appeared on his back.
His gaze was locked on the combat knife embedded in the wall of the temple, and in an instant, he vanished from his spot in front of the twins, reappearing on the wall with his hand clutching the knife's hilt.
Purple lightning danced along his arms and legs before he vanished again, reappearing in the air before the Lich, his knives covered in a bright plasma clashing with the massive scythe.
He unleashed a volley of attacks midair as he clashed with the Lich's weapon as it blocked each of the attacks. Each of Samael's slashes leaving a searing wound on the scythe.
The Lich unleashed another wail, knocking Samael away as it swung its scythe through the air, raising its orb above it as a dozen etherial spheres shot out of it toward the young man.
Sam flipped through the air, regaining his composure as he slashed through the spectral blasts, landing on a headstone and instantly vanishing as two shots destroyed it.
The young man danced through the air, electricity flashing along his path as he darted past the remaining attacks, and vanishing as he launched himself from the ground toward the Lich, reappearing behind it as he slashed both knives down through the tattered robe.
It caught aflame as the Lich roared loudly, spinning as it swung its scythe, missing as Sam flew into the air, pulling both weapons back as thunder rumbled above.
Sam gritted his teeth as his combat knives disintegrated in his hands. He reached behind his back, gripping his newly acquired sword as he floated high above the battlefield.
Vitani turned, seeing the young man flying the air and clicking his tongue, "Tch!"
He unleashed an ear-shattering roar of his own as he brought his hands together and pulled them behind him, the laconic flames combining into a sphere within his palms.
The flames dancing from his eyes exploded, growing immensely as he threw his arms forward, unleashing a blazing inferno before him, shooting it at the Lich.
The humongous fireball flew through the graveyard, melting everything in its path as it transformed into a massive flaming lion that sprinted toward its target.
With a blazing roar, the lion leaped through the air toward the Lich. The humongous skeleton turned around, holding out its orb, quickly creating a defensive wall composed of its collected spirits.
The lion collided with the spirit wall, clawing as it slowly destroyed the defensive barrier. As it continuously attacked the wall, the Lich's sphere started to break as cracks formed along its surface.
High above, the thunder roared once more, lightning dancing across the clouds as Samael unleashed a howl of his own, a gigantic lightning bolt firing down from the heavens and colliding with the young man's sword as he drew it.
He rapidly flew down at the Lich, yelling as the undead raised its scythe to block the attack. As Sam's sword collided with the scythe, electricity sparked as a magical barrier appeared protecting the scythe.
The young man gritted his teeth, glaring into the eerie green flames flickering inside the eye sockets of the Lich's skull, exerting everything he held as both of the barriers produced by the undead faltered.
"Raarrrrrgggggghhhhhhh!" Samael shouted, coating his sword with plasma as he destroyed the barrier, crashing into the ground and panted heavily in front of the Lich.
Its massive weapon split as both parts of the scythe fell to the ground. The next instant, the sphere it held burst into thousands of tiny black shards, unleashing countless ghastly wails.
The Lich stumbled backward, landing on the ground, its hooded cloak burning slowly, revealing the searing slash splitting the skeleton in two. It reached forward toward Samael before it separated, collapsing into two piles of bones that slowly burned away before vanishing into smoke.
Vitani sighed, shaking his head and releasing his power as the fires around him dissipated in an instant before he turned around, walking away in silence.
Kaitlyn and Nathan ran past him, rushing toward Samael as he sat on the ground, panting heavily. They rushed toward him, wrapping their arms around his waist, hugging him tightly, tears streaming down their cheeks.
"Its alright... I'm not hurt..." He breathed heavily, smiling as he dropped his sword to the ground and patted both of their heads consolingly.
The young man looked up at the sky as the clouds suddenly parted, the full moon brightly illuminating the graveyard as a series of windows appeared.
╔══Task Requirement to kill the Grand Lich has been completed.══╝
╔══Congratulations, you were able to keep up with the Virtue of Pride and showed him that you were not some 'welp' to be tossed to the side and be ignored.══╝
╔══Reward: Midnight Cloak══╝
╔══The Virtue of Pride has been bested for the first time and lost their prey to another. You really showed him whose boss!══╝
╔══Reward: Sword of the Setting Moon══╝
Samael grinned as each notification vanished, his jacket glowing as it was replaced with a pitch-black variant that fell to his knees. Silver trim gleamed as it spread across the seams, creating an intricate design across his back.
A black, blue, and silver scabbard appeared across his back opposite the other as ice formed in his hand and started to create the sister blade.
