Bang!
A skeleton exploded, all of its bones, initially held together by aether, flying across the cavern under the impact of Nero’s glaive. A small crater formed in the wall, not that anyone would lament the destruction of the otherwise pristine hall.
Dozens of other skeletons had already been crushed by Nero - the ones that had escaped the marble mausoleums - yet one remained, the blue flames in its eye sockets burning bright.
Incidentally, this particular skeleton was also using a spear, which attracted Nero’s attention even more. But the blue fire and use of a spear were where the similarities ended between the two. This particular skeleton, fully armoured with heavy metal plates covered in elaborate designs, was a heavyset fellow and was slightly shorter than Nero.
As a result, his speed was not as great as Nero’s, yet his barbaric brute strength was so immense that Nero dared not exchange a single blow with him, even with his glaive.
Instead, he had killed all the other skeleton warriors one by one, resulting in an ultimate showdown between himself and the fierce skeleton. The skeleton, almost as if aware of Nero’s intentions, did not pressure him as much as he could have.
Yet when it was only the two of them left, there was nothing left to do but fight each other. Nero would be lying if he said he wasn’t looking forward to this fight - especially because there was one thing that made these skeletons unique from every other foe he had fought recently.
Despite their demonic appearance, they did not have the slightest hint of cursed energy about them. Instead, the deep blue fire raging within their eye sockets gave off strong aetheric signatures, as if the fire was purely aetheric.
These skeletons also showed the slightest hint of sentience, for they vaguely knew how to work in teams, and especially tried to avoid damaging the many mausoleums around them.
"Looks like it’s just you and me," said Nero, enjoyment coursing through his body. It wasn’t like he wasted time just to have fun. He was on a mission, and he wouldn’t compromise it for such a reason. That didn’t mean he couldn’t enjoy himself while
"Time to see whose blue flame is stronger," Nero said, covering the blade of his glaive in flames. The fire in the skeletons’ eyes flickered, almost as if he was acknowledging Nero’s words.
Then the fight began. Nero did not dare have a direct confrontation with the skeleton, but that did not mean that their weapons never met. Instead of a direct block, or a direct attack, Nero focused on diverting all of the skeletons’ attacks.
The glaive had an advantage of strength, but now it finally began to show its weakness. Because of its weight distribution, it was not easy to manipulate it so freely. When Nero used his spear, its every motion flowed from one to the next, seeming flawless and natural, as if each action naturally led to the next. Such movement avoided abrupt changes in direction, yet provided the flexibility any situation desired.
With a glaive, this effortless flow was compromised. What it provided in terms of strength, it took away in terms of manoeuvrability. Nero hadn’t felt the significance of such a change before, but against an enemy wielding the spear, Nero almost felt like everything he was doing was wrong.
He had always trained in the spear, fought with a spear, and envisioned his future using a spear. The glaive, despite its many advantages, was just not as potent and versatile a weapon as a spear would be in Nero’s hands.
After all, even though he trained in many weapons, it was natural for him to be better in some than others.
But now was not the time for reflection and realisation - that would come after his victory. Now was the time to conclude this fight, however enjoyable as it may have been.
Nero lunged forward, glaive spinning in a tight arc. Blue fire licked along its blade - hissing as it flew through the air, leaving a trail of frost across the marble.
With a shout, he swept low, ice blooming in his wake. The strike met the skeleton’s spear with a sharp crack, sparks and frost flaring at the point of contact. The undead knight didn’t falter. Its hollow sockets glowed with a colder, deeper blue, one that pulsed not with the power of frost, but of death held in check. Despite meeting Nero’s attach head on, the skeleton did not move a single step back.
Instead, the skeleton moved with uncanny precision, spear jabbing like a viper, each thrust aiming for the heart. The teen barely dodged, breath misting from the sheer chill radiating from his armoured adversary. He countered with a sweep of his glaive, the ice-fire surging as it grazed the skeleton’s chestplate - frost spreading across it, bones creaking beneath it, but the knight didn’t fall.
With a sudden burst of speed, the undead drove its spear down in a two-handed thrust. Nero caught the blow on the haft of his glaive, skidding back. The ground beneath his boots cracked with ice. Around them, ice began to cover the marble and the mausoleum, making the ground slippery.
Nero didn’t pause, and the two met again and again, forces born of cold but driven by wildly different souls: one living, burning with a concentrated will; the other dead, bound by something ancient and unyielding.
Neither was lesser in skill, nor were they lacking in will. There was not an ounce of hesitation. It appeared as if the two were equal in all regards - but that wasn’t true. Nero was definitely smarter, so from the very beginning of the fight, his goal had never been to directly take the skeleton down. Instead, he was prepping the environment, creating the perfect opportunity for his victory.
Unfortunately, just as Nero was beginning to feel like he was ready to strike down the formidable revenant, there was a change.
All of Perilith suddenly felt muted. It was only a split second, barely perceptible. It wasn’t even enough for Nero’s glaive to fall through the air onto the skeleton. Then came the shift, as Perilith itself tingled with energy.
The aether began to circulate around Nero and the skeleton both as certain chains began to loosen. To Nero, the loosening made no difference, yet to the skeleton it made all the difference in the world. Its aura... went from that of a Neophyte to an Initiate.
Nero’s entire body tingled with danger as an unbelievable thought took hold in his mind, yet he could not focus on that. Instead, Nero changed tactics. He no longer fought safely and steadily, as if shepherding the skeleton towards a safe victory for Nero. No, now was the time to risk it all.
He withdrew his cryoflame as he rushed forward, using his body as bait. Were it any other moment, the skeleton wouldn’t have hesitated at all, yet amidst the transformation, amidst the loosening of its chains and the return of its energy, it wasn’t able to react properly.
The sudden gain in strength reduced its combat ability rather than raise it - but that only happened for a split second. If Nero had waited at all, the skeleton would have gotten used to its strength, but he hadn’t, so the skeleton didn’t.
Still, the skeleton attacked, if only a little slower and more awkwardly than expected. Nero took advantage of that tiny opening, dodging the spear by mere centimeters as he rushed forward.
The skeleton tried to withdraw its spear, but a bright white light suddenly shone in its eyes. Now, the skeleton had no real eyes, so a light, no matter how bright, would not make it flinch. But the light of the Virtuous Aeon had a purifying mercy that not everyone could handle - though Nero himself still didn’t know what the big deal was.
The skeleton flinched, as if its very essence had been burned by the light, unable to adapt to the sudden change. It tried to reach, but it was too late. This close to its body, Nero attacked faster than the skeleton could react - despite the fact that the skeleton had actually become stronger over the course of the single second that passed.
The glaive shot into the skeletons face, cutting its blue flames and smashing its head entirely.
The skeleton fell down, entirely limp, and Nero stood over its corpse, breathing heavily. Although it had seemed that Nero had ended the fight in a single exchange, in truth Nero had taken a huge risk. If the skeleton hadn’t been off its peak form, Nero wouldn’t have been able to dodge its final attack, and instead would have been pierced by the spear.
He wouldn’t have been able to come close enough, and he wouldn’t have been able to finish it off. To an outsider, it might seem like Nero could have ended the fight at any time based on how quickly the fight ended, but the truth was that Nero simply took advantage of an opportunity as soon as it came.
But he didn’t have time to savour the victory. Something had changed, and Perilith was no longer a place they could stay. He needed to get back to the others as soon as possible. But first...
Nero took out Radix Augmentation from his case, and looked down at the skeleton.