Shadow Lion

Adonis looked on nervously at the Shadow lion before him; he knew that even though the lion was malnourished, it still had enough power to kill him.

"I can't run away now, so I have to find a way to kill it in one hit."

Adonis looked at the entire cavern and started to make a plan.

He used his ki and 'Electric Flicker' and ran to the left side of the cavern. The Shaodw lion followed him with its eyes and prepared another blast. Adonis ran behind a pile of bones and the lion blasted another dark ball.

The pile of bones exploded and flew in every direction, however, Adonis prepared something when he was behind it. 'Flame Pillar' was used on his blade and shot right at the lion, the Shadow lion immediately blasted a few more dark balls but the fire burst through it and struck the lion.

...Or at least that's what would've happened if the Shadow lion didn't have a natural barrier around it to protect its body.

The 'Flame Pillar' extinguished and Adonis was shocked seeing this.

'SHIT! Are you serious right now?!!'

Adonis ran again, but the Shadow lion didn't keep still this time as dark magic started to form around its feet and they launched at Adonis matching his speed.

'They're able to keep up with me?!!'

Dark magic formed around its claws and swiped at Adonis, he was able to block with his sword enhanced by 'Flame Blade' but he was still knocked away into the walls of the cavern.

"Kurgh...uhh"

Adonis's body was more durable due to his ki, but the lion's attack was still strong enough for him to be in pain.

The lion leaped again, but Adonis was a step ahead as he used 'Electric Flicker' and ran up the wall, pushed himself off the ceiling, and used the momentum to break the Shadow lion's barrier. The barrier started to bend at the attack of the flaming blade, but the lion wasn't going to sit and wait, so it used dark magic to create a shockwave and push Adonis away.

Adonis was sent flying and fell at the center of the cavern, he quickly got up as there is no chance to rest during a life-and-death battle. The Shadow Lion shot several dark balls directly at Adonis, Adonis used more of his Anima to add more power to his 'Flame Blade'. The blade started to turn a fiery red; he swung the blade but unleashed his control over it before the slash was done, therefore a massive blade of fire that tore through the ground was launched toward the lion and easily destroyed the dark balls. The lion focused their breath and created a massive dark ball that it blasted at the fire, the two elements were equally as powerful, so it caused an explosion making smoke appear.

Adonis covered his face and braced his feet on the ground to make sure he doesn't fly away. Once the explosion subsided, the Shadow lion launched forward again, seemingly more angry as this fight keeps on going. This time, dark magic gathered around the lion's fangs, and it bite down on Adonis. Adonis used 'Flame Blade' again to fight against the attack. A power struggle formed as the lion used its strength and dark magic while Adonis used his ki and fire magic to beat the other. 'All of a sudden dark magic started to flow out of the lion's body naturally; this powered up the bite enough that the lion won as it crushed Adonis's sword and sent him flying into the cavern's wall again.

Adonis's brain was on overdrive at this point, not only to keep Adonis conscious but to also find a way to beat the Shadow lion. The lion leaped toward Adonis planning to finish him off, but then Adonis used 'Stun Pulse' to stop the lion momentarily as he looked around the cavern to find something he could use, his eyes locked on to the stalactites on the ceiling if the cavern. As if his mind and body became one he used 'Electric Flicker' and placed his foot on the wall, ran up the wall, and used his ki to launch himself at the stalactites one by one, breaking them using his one of the swords that he decided to steal from his assailant's corpses and adding a bit of fire to make sure they broke and fell.

All the stalactites on the ceiling fell in order from left to right and fell on the Shadow lion, making its barrier waver greatly. Adonis appeared on the other side of the cavern, high up the wall. He looked down at the lion and the weakened barrier, he immediately shot off the wall at the lion and used 'Flame Blade' to make sure the kill was assured. The lion's body started to emit more dark magic and by instinct, it immediately turned around and swiped its dark-covered claws at Adonis. Fire and dark met in the middle and the two forces clashed once again, but Adonis was slowly being pushed back as he was in the air and his momentum was rapidly dying down.

'DAMN IT!! FUCK!!! I GONNA DIE AT THIS RATE!! I'M NOT GONNA LOSE THIS CHANGED LIFE OF MINE SO EASILY!! ALL I NEED IS MORE FIREPOWER!!!'

'Wait...more firepower?'

Adonis immediately thought of a crazy idea but had no choice but to put it to use at that moment.

'FLAME BLADE X FLAME PILLAR'

Adonis is not only dual-casting but also combining those two spells.

A large eruption of fire made both the Shadow Lion and Aodnis fly back. The lion's claws and foot were blown apart, causing it to roar in anger and pain. Adonis flew back to the wall but this time he flipped and landed on it with his feet. His sword was broken again, due to it not being able to handle such power, so he replaced it with another one of his assailant's swords. He immediately used 'Electric Flicker' and ran toward the lion, appearing right under it. Adonis used 'Flame Pillar' and struck the still weakened barrier and finally broke through it, and the rest of the fire struck the lion, sending it flying into the wall.

Adonis jumped up and prepared to finally finish the Shadow Lion, but the lion began emitting more dark magic and created a shockwave that halted Adonis's jump. The lion came down from the wall and struck Adonis with its claw, but Adonis had his sword up in time. Adonis hit the ground so hard that he blacked out for a second, before forcibly walking himself up with pure willpower.

Adonis got up on his feet and yelled, making it seem he was completely taken over by his instincts. The Shadow Lion roared back due to its neverending anger, if heard from an outside perspective it would be hard to differentiate the two's screams.

The Shadow Lion and Adonis ran toward each other and began a long exchange, the battle they were having could perfectly be called a life-and-death battle as a single moment of hesitation or misstep can cause their deaths.

This continued for a few minutes but for them, it felt like hours. The Shadow Lion kept emitting more dark magic therefore making it stronger, but Adonis kept getting weaker as became more and more exhausted.

Soon, the exchange ended as the Shadow lion blasted multiple dark balls at Adonis, Adonis was so exhausted he could only use his ki now, but he still found something within him to keep on going. He dodged and ran closer to the lion, sliding under a strike from the lion's claws and was gonna cut the lion's heels, the lion then sent a shockwave again making Adonis tumble and get hit with the paw of the lion making him fly. The lion prepared a dark ball and shot at Adonis while he was descending, the dark ball hit directly and slammed him into the wall, the dark ball then exploded.

Adonis was injured beyond belief, most of his bones were broken, he was bleeding profusely from his body, and most of his skin was torn apart showing his mangled-up muscles. The fact that he was still alive was a miracle in itself.

The Shadow Lion slammed his paw into Adonis's body, causing him to cough up blood. The lion opened its mouth wide ready to eat Adonis whole.

'I can't move...I can't do anything now...'

'I guess...this will be my...end...'

'I...wish...I could...say...goodbye...to my family...before...I...'

'...'

'...'