"Spirit is the most... powerful... attribute..." Kaiser said, his gaping mouth still widening as he tried to absorb more of Sam's spirit, "Just... give in..."

"I agree," Stark nodded, his staff pointing forward, "But... I need it more than you do."

Bind of Silk! Thorny Vines of Fate! Sharp Crystals of Death! Piercing Skeletal Spikes!

Stark unleashed every spell he could think of in one breath, all flying toward Kaiser.

Threads of white silk burst from his staff, twisting like serpents.

Vines covered in dark thorns shot from the ground, followed by crystal shards gleaming with deathly energy.

And underneath it all, the ground rumbled as something far more dangerous waited to emerge.

Kaiser, of course, retaliated immediately.

Blood Claws! Blood Immunity!

He slashed through the silk like it was nothing, crimson light bursting from his claws.

The vines were torn apart just as easily, their green thorns falling to dust.

Then, a blood-red barrier appeared around him, shimmering with life energy and blocking the five crystals of death that followed.

The shards shattered against it harmlessly.

"Just let yourself... be taken..." Kaiser's mouth grew even wider, his voice echoing across the dark chamber.

"You cannot... win—"

He didn't finish his sentence.

The ground exploded beneath him.

Fifteen skeletal spikes erupted from below, piercing upward with deadly precision.

They came without warning, bursting through the cracked tiles and crimson mist.

That was Kaiser's mistake, assuming the only danger came from what he could see.

He saw the silk. He saw the vines. He saw the crystals.

But the spikes? They were hidden, cast after everything else, waiting underground.

Swash!

Ten out of the fifteen spikes hit their mark, stabbing through Kaiser's body.

He didn't flinch. Blood didn't even spill.

But the numbers told the story.

-72,000! -72,000! -72,000!

Each strike dealt massive damage, cutting deep into his health bar.

Yet Kaiser's expression, or whatever could be called a face behind that bone mask, remained unchanged.

His jaw was still open, still trying to suck away Stark's spirit.

The [Status Meter] above Stark's head showed his spirit being drained at a steady pace.

But before Kaiser could react—

Blazing Meteor!

The spell name echoed through the clearing as a massive fireball descended from above.

Kaiser didn't even have time to lift his staff.

BOOM!

The impact shook the ground.

Fire roared through the ruins, throwing chunks of bone and stone everywhere.

-1,576,320!

The number flashed across the screen, the largest yet.

Kaiser actually stumbled back for the first time, forced to close his mouth from the pressure.

Ding!

["Spirit Devour" has stopped.]

"Oh?" Stark muttered, lowering his staff slightly.

It seemed closing his mouth also ended the spirit-draining effect.

The faint red line connecting Stark and Kaiser vanished instantly, along with the draining pressure.

[Kaiser, Spirit Devourer: 2,151,560/8,000,000]

Only about two million HP left. Two or three more solid spells and Stark could finish it.

'This is my chance.'

He raised his staff again, readying [Elemental Spears]—

But Kaiser suddenly gripped his staff tighter.

His other hand, the one ending in long blood-colored claws, moved upward.

And—

SLASH!

He slashed his own face.

The sound of tearing bone echoed through the place.

The mask split cleanly in half and fell, hitting the floor with a sharp crack.

Behind it wasn't a face. It was simply a mouth, a massive, horrifying mouth that stretched across his entire head.

"..." Stark didn't react much, 'Second phase.'

It wasn't surprising. Bloodline bosses almost always had at least two phases, sometimes three.

That was what made them terrifying, the sudden shift in power, the unpredictable attacks.

He just hadn't expected the transformation to happen this early.

Kaiser's body shuddered.

He slowly rose again, his new mouth opening wider than before.

"I... will..." he began, but the words melted into a gurgle as his jaw expanded unnaturally.

Fwish!

[Strong Spirit Devour: 7%... 16%... 23%...]

"Damn," Stark muttered, "this ain't looking good."

The status meter filled much faster than before, and on top of that, Kaiser's strength spiked.

The crimson mist surrounding the area began to flow into his mouth, fueling him with energy.

His body pulsed with dark red light, and the air itself seemed heavier. Then Kaiser attacked.

Blood Meteor! Blood Spikes!

A crimson meteor crashed from above, glowing like molten rock.

Stark jumped aside just in time to avoid it, but the ground shook violently on impact.

Before he could recover, spikes erupted from below, each dripping with blood.

They slammed into his [Unbreakable Magic Barrier], cracking it like glass.

'He's copying me?' Stark thought, dodging sideways as more spikes shot from the ground.

Ding!

[You have permanently lost 5 Spirit.]

He ignored the notification.

The [Status Meter] above him reset to zero, only to begin rising again just as quickly.

Kaiser could keep draining him forever if he didn't stop him soon.

And worse, Stark was still bleeding.

[Strong Bleeding] ticked away at his health, cutting his HP by half already.

He didn't have long left.

Mist Illusion!

Kaiser raised his hands, and crimson mist filled the entire clearing.

The world turned red.

Figures began appearing all around Stark, identical copies of Kaiser, each radiating killing intent.

"I... will... win..."

Torrent of Lightning!

Bolts of electricity shot from Stark's staff, piercing through three of the illusions.

They vanished instantly, bursting into smoke. But there were still more.

'Enough,' Stark thought, his patience gone.

He stopped retreating. His grip tightened on his staff.

'All or nothing.'

Instead of backing away, he charged forward, full speed, straight at Kaiser.

With his high Agility and all his boosts active, Stark moved like a blur.

The clones all turned toward him, raising their staves.

Thorny Vines of Fate!

Dozens of vines burst from the ground, tearing through the illusions and shredding them one by one.

'They can't fight back,' Stark realized as he ran, 'Only the real one can attack.'

Sure enough, the true Kaiser swung his claws to block the vines, cutting them apart.

"Die...!" Kaiser growled.

He lifted his staff again.

Blood Spikes! Mist Spears!

Spikes burst from the ground, forcing Stark to leap sideways mid-run.

A moment later, several crimson spears of condensed mist shot toward him.

He dodged most, but a few still hit, cutting deep.

Crack!

His [Unbreakable Magic Barrier] shattered completely.

"Foolish..." Kaiser's voice echoed.

He raised his claws high.

"Die... and be devoured..."

He was ready to cleave Stark apart.

Even without spells, those claws could tear through armor and bone. But Stark grinned.

'Close enough.'

He pointed his staff upward.

Elemental Spears!

Five magic circles appeared around him, glowing bright orange.

Normally, he'd be able to choose elements depending on the enemy, but this time, he didn't waste time thinking.

'All fire.'

The [Mist] attribute clearly wouldn't work, and the others were uncertain.

The reason he chose [Fire] instead of the [Water] and [Earth] was because [Blazing Meteor] worked before, so why would he risk it?

Fwish!

Five fire spears formed and shot forward instantly.

"Huh—"

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Each hit dead center, exploding in bursts of flame that lit up the whole room.

-1,573,920! -1,573,920! -1,573,920!

Each spear dealt as much damage as [Blazing Meteor].

Five of them hit almost simultaneously, impossible to dodge, impossible to counter at this range.

Kaiser staggered backward, his body shaking violently as his HP bar drained completely.

[Kaiser, Spirit Devourer: 0/8,000,000]

For a moment, time seemed to stop.

Then Kaiser froze in place, the crimson light around his figure fading out.

'I win,' Stark thought, lowering his staff, a grin forming on his face.

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