Chapter 6: The Fall of a General
The iron doors groaned as they were forced open by a strength that made the very foundations of the second floor tremble. From the billowing dust emerged a nightmare clad in rusted, ancient plate armor. General Grave-Walker stood nearly fifteen feet tall, his body a stitched-together mass of high-ranking warrior corpses, held together by sheer necromantic will. In his right hand, he dragged a colossal Greatsword—a jagged slab of black iron that left a deep furrow in the stone floor.
[Target: General Grave-Walker (S-Rank - Lower Tier)]
[Health: 100% / 100%]
[Warning: The target possesses the 'Soul Crushing Aura'. Mana consumption increased by 20%.]
The pressure was suffocating. Any normal F-Rank hunter would have had their heart stop instantly from the sheer killing intent radiating from the General. But Zayn stood his ground, his golden eyes reflecting the dull glow of the Boss's visor.
"An ant... leading shadows?" The General's voice was like grinding boulders. He lifted his massive Greatsword with one hand, pointing it at Zayn. "You have trespassed into the King's sanctum. For that, your soul shall be fed to the abyss."
"I've heard enough from dead men today," Zayn replied, his voice calm but lethal. "Kael! Hounds! Flank him!"
At his command, the shadow hounds blurred into motion, streaks of violet-eyed darkness circling the giant. Kael, the shadow Lich-Knight, raised his phantom staff, casting [Necrotic Chains] that erupted from the ground to bind the General's legs.
CLANG!
The General swung his Greatsword in a massive arc. The wind pressure alone sent the shadow hounds flying, their forms flickering as they struggled to maintain their shape. With a single stomp, the Grave-Walker shattered the shadow chains as if they were made of glass.
"Weak!" the General roared, lunging toward Zayn with a speed that belied his massive frame.
The Greatsword descended like a falling guillotine. Zayn activated [Shadow Camouflage] at the last millisecond, sliding through the General's shadow and appearing behind his back. He lunged, his claws glowing with concentrated mana, and slashed at the gaps in the armor.
SKREEE!
His claws left deep gouges in the metal, but the necrotic flesh underneath healed almost instantly. The General spun around, his armored elbow connecting with Zayn's chest.
Zayn felt the world spin. He was sent flying across the cathedral, slamming into a stone pillar that collapsed on top of him.
[System: Internal damage detected. Abyssal Armor absorbed 60% of the impact.]
[Regeneration initiated. Mana levels: 45%]
Zayn pushed a heavy stone off his chest and stood up, spitting out a mouthful of dark blood. The pain didn't discourage him; it fueled the "Predator" inside. He could feel his heart beating faster, his blood turning into liquid fire.
"Kael! Full distraction! Do not let him focus!"
Kael understood. The shadow knight began raining down bolts of dark lightning, forcing the General to guard his visor. Meanwhile, the shadow hounds bit at the General's heels, sacrificing their forms to slow him down.
Zayn didn't move. He closed his eyes, focusing all his mana into a single point. He remembered the Bone-Eater, the Shadow Crawlers, and the Lich. He didn't just want to kill this General; he wanted to consume his concept of strength.
[Unique Skill: Absolute Predation is evolving...]
[Temporary Skill Unlocked: 'Sovereign's Strike'!]
Zayn's right arm began to transform. The obsidian claws grew longer, and his skin fused with the dark mana of his shadows, turning his entire arm into a limb of pure, destructive void.
The General, frustrated by the shadows, let out a [Death Roar]. The shockwave dissipated Kael and the hounds back into Zayn's shadow, leaving him alone.
"Now, little ant... die!" The General raised his Greatsword for a final, overhead strike.
Zayn didn't dodge. He sprinted forward, a streak of black lightning. As the Greatsword came down, Zayn leaned his body at an impossible angle, the massive blade grazing his shoulder and tearing his flesh. He ignored the pain. He jumped, his void-arm aimed directly at the General's chest piece—the location of his Mana Core.
"Sovereign's... STRIKE!"
Zayn's arm pierced through the thick S-Rank armor like it was wet parchment. His hand sank deep into the cold, dead heart of the General.
For a moment, time stood still.
"What... are you?" the General gasped, the red glow in his eyes flickering out.
"The one who will eat your King," Zayn whispered.
[Skill Activated: Absolute Predation!]
[Devouring S-Rank Mana Core...]
[Extracting 'General's Command' Trait...]
A massive surge of energy erupted from the General, flowing directly into Zayn. It was like trying to swallow an ocean. Zayn's veins turned black as the S-Rank power forced his body to evolve further. The General's massive body began to crumble, turning into thousands of dark particles that were pulled into Zayn's shadow.
[DING!]
[S-Rank Boss Defeated!]
[Level Up! Level Up! Level Up! Level Up! Level Up!]
[Current Level: 32]
[Shadow Extraction Successful!]
[You have obtained the shadow: 'General Ignis'.]
[Rank: General (Locked - Requires Level 50 to fully manifest).]
Zayn fell to his knees, his body steaming with dark vapor. He felt a terrifying strength coursing through him. His [Abyssal Armor] had evolved, now showing faint, glowing runes on his skin.
He looked at the iron doors leading to the third floor. They were now open.
"Thirty-two levels," Zayn said, his voice now carrying a heavy, metallic resonance. "The second floor is finished."
He stood up, and as he walked toward the exit, his shadow didn't just follow him—it expanded, covering the entire floor of the cathedral. From that shadow, Kael and the hounds rose, followed by a new, massive silhouette that towered over them all.
The "Bait" was gone. The "Monster King" was rising. And the third floor was about to find out what it felt like to be hunted.
[System: Main Quest Updated.]
[Reach the Surface: 40% Complete.]
[New
Goal: Locate the 'Abyssal Gate' on the 5th Floor.]