Dust settled.
Kaizen panted, watching the crater in the wall.
'Did I get him? Is it over? Do I get the XP?'
CRUMBLE.
A stone fell. Then another.
A hand, gauntleted in black steel, gripped the edge of the crater.
Sir Cassiel pulled himself out.
He looked terrible. His helmet was gone, revealing a face that was half-handsome paladin, half-bruised mess. But his eyes... they weren't black anymore.
They were glowing with a furious, unstable gold light.
[BOSS PHASE 2: ACTIVE]
[Attribute: Heavenflare Trigger]
The katana in his hand ignited. It wasn't fire. It was pure, searing light that crackled like electricity.
"You..." Cassiel spat blood onto the floor. "You possess... significant impact."
Kaizen patted the Rusty Pan.
"You're not so bad yourself, huh?" he whispered to the cookware. "Who knew rust was the ultimate armor?"
Cassiel stepped forward. The floor melted under his boots.
"But impact is not enough!" Cassiel roared. "You cannot bludgeon away my sins!"
He charged.
This time, he didn't vanish. He didn't use speed. He used raw, overwhelming power.
WHOOSH.
He swung the katana. A wave of golden light slashed through the air.
Kaizen rolled.
BOOM.
The pillar behind him disintegrated.
'Okay, don't block the energy beams. Got it.'
Kaizen scrambled to his feet. He was dancing now. Weaving. Ducking.
Cassiel was a storm. Slash. Thrust. Cleave.
Kaizen parried what he could.
Clang.
[2x]
Clang.
[4x]
But it was getting harder. The pan was slippery with sweat and blood. Cassiel's strikes were wild, erratic.
'I can't catch them all,' Kaizen gritted his teeth, barely deflecting a strike that aimed for his ear. 'His angle is changing too fast.'
He watched the blade coming.
'If I could just nudge it...'
Kaizen thought desperately.
'I don't need a fireball. I don't need lightning. I just need a tiny push. Telekinesis. Just a finger's worth of force to push his blade two inches to the left so it hits the center of the pan.'
No other magic would work. Fire would just make the pan hot. Ice would make it brittle. And all of the elements are weak against light magic!
He needed Kinetic Arts. He needed to control the momentum. Axiomancy!
'I need to learn that. If I survive this, I am learning how to move things with my mind.'
CLANG.
He caught another strike. The vibration rattled his soul.
[8x]
"Give up!" Cassiel screamed, stumbling. The 28x hit from earlier was taking its toll. He was wobbly. His breathing was ragged. "Let me wallow in my darkness!"
"No!" Kaizen shouted back.
He spun around, placing the pan on his back just as Cassiel swung a horizontal chop.
BONG.
[12x]
Kaizen used the impact to propel himself forward.
"You're acting like a brat, Cassiel! 'Oh, I killed the kids, I'm irredeemable!'"
Kaizen ducked under a wild haymaker.
"They were dead anyway! The demons had them! You saved their souls!"
"I ENDED THEIR LIVES!"
"YOU FREED THEM!"
Kaizen jumped. He slammed the edge of the pan into Cassiel's shoulder.
[15x]
Cassiel dropped to one knee, groaning. The golden light flared, burning Kaizen's skin, but he didn't stop.
"You want someone to blame?" Kaizen panted, circling the staggering boss. "Fine! Blame the demons! Blame the gods! Blame the game developers!"
"I... I cannot forgive myself..." Cassiel wept, his katana lowering. "I am... a monster..."
He looked so small. The giant armor looked too big for him now. He was just a broken man crying in a ruin.
Kaizen stopped dancing.
He walked up to the kneeling Paladin.
He looked at the D-Rank Boss. He looked at the tears.
"You can't forgive yourself?" Kaizen asked softly.
He raised the Rusty Pan. It was glowing white-hot with stored kinetic energy.
"That's fine."
Kaizen gripped the handle with both hands.
"Then I'll do it for you."
Cassiel looked up, eyes wide.
"I forgive you, you idiot."
WHAM.
Kaizen swung down with everything he had.
The pan connected with the top of Cassiel's head.
[CRITICAL HIT]
[Multiplier: 15x]
The Paladin's eyes rolled back. The golden light shattered into a million sparkles. He didn't fly across the room this time.
He just slumped forward.
Face first. Into the floor.
Thud.
Silence returned to the temple.
Kaizen stood over the unconscious boss, chest heaving, holding a smoking pan.
"Therapy session over," Kaizen wheezed. "That'll be five thousand crowns."