Before the Final Face-Off

The phoenix covered the night's sky in flames, its whole body was covered in flames itself.

Kamiya had provided Hitori with two defense walls but even Kamiya was not sure if they would be able to survive the attack's impact.

On the phoenix meteor impact, all of the debris flew up high in the air. Kamiya closed his eyes for a second, the flames took over the roof, walls collapsed, stones blew into pieces, and the ground ended up with a big hole in it.

The next second Kamiya opened his eyes, all that he could see were stones, bricks, debris, dust, and fire. The dust had blocked his view.

"Hitori," he quickly raised his wand and lifted his wrist before he would chant the spell.

The area where Hitori was supposed to be was covered in stones, dust, and fire. Kamiya was not even sure about Hitori's condition.

"Water pulse," he swung his wand down, and multiple sickles of water were headed towards the dust-covered area.

He swung his wand down again, "Water splash!" splashes of water in irregular shapes fell on the dust and fire. It did not take Kamiya long to clear the dust and fire.

What Kamiya exactly feared had happened. Hitori was not where he was supposed to be. The walls Kamiya created were nowhere to be found either.

Kamiya used levitation to go even higher, only a few feet, to get a clear view of Hitori. It was empty, Hitori's spot was empty. A few stones had taken Hitori's place though.

He landed back on the wall, and brought his wand in front of his lips, "Hito-" he stopped midway when he realized something important.

If Hitori was killed by the phoenix boss in this attack, then one thing would have happened. Yes, if he is dead… he would leave something behind, the game would leave something behind which would include player Ryu's name.

Kamiya brought his wand down. The phoenix was still struggling to get up from the ground it had stuck its head in.

'This is the best chance.' Kamiya thought. In a few seconds, he climbed down the wall.

He jumped over a stone that stood in its way, "If Hitori is dead…" he ran towards the spot Hitori was before the crash, "Then I would have received a notification."

Saying- Player Ryu has left the duo. Player Ryu has left the dungeon. Player Ryu is dead. Player Ryu has logged out of the game.

But nothing like that popped up, "He is not dead yet," Kamiya shot another splash of water but nothing seemed to happen, "Where are you?!" he jumped over a collapsed wall.

Kamiya heard some sort of robotic sound of a click. His eyes adjusted to the dust, and he saw a yellow light in the middle of the dust.

[Ryu Level twelve

HP: 41/75]

The bar glowed in yellow light.

A smile spread on Kamiya's face in relief, "We got to finish this, friend, our first dungeon as a duo,"

Squawk!

"Hito-" the bird's scream interrupted Kamiya. He glanced behind him, the bird was rising.

He quickly stepped back and ran in the other direction, away from the phoenix.

Its giant fifteen-feet long wings blew all of the debris away. The dust that covered the roof, mixed with the air. The fire that lit the ground, was extinguished like a candle's flame.

"Kamiya! Run," before Hitori's voice would reach him, the air took Kamiya with it and banged him on a wall.

[HP: 97/120]

He still had a lot of health points with him.

Kamiya raised his eyes at the giant figure that lifted itself off the ground. The fiery wings that supported it the most, those dagger-like claws that helped it hunt its prey, and finally the giant thirty-five-feet long body that made him this dungeon's boss… Well, it's intelligence too.

Kamiya used a levitation spell to fly up in the air to get away from the boss as quickly as possible. His eyes caught the Phoenix's yellow health bar.

[Boss Phoenix level seventeen]

[HP: 66/155]

'Tch.' Kamiya clenched his wand in his hand. He lifted his wand, and directly pointed at the phoenix.

"Shinigami no Noroi," he made sure his wand does not move while he casts this spell. A cold expression appeared on his face, his lips parted to chant the spell. No emotions reflected in his eyes. All he wanted was… the phoenix's death.

"Kor-" he spotted something that made him stop. He stared closely at the phoenix that was rising in the sky, "A… katana?" a frown appeared on his face.

He moved his eyes to the ground, he caught a yellow health bar moving around the ground and shining below him, "Hitori,"

"I am fine, thanks!" Hitori raised his hand, "We need to regroup,"

The deadly expressions wore off Kamiya's face. He looked down at Hitori, he headed to the backside of the dungeon while the bird made its way back to the sky.

"It is low on health, we need to finish it right now," Hitori explained as if Kamiya did not know this already.

"How to, is the problem." Kamiya went into deep thought. He was five levels higher than the boss, he should have been able to take down the boss on his own but still, the phoenix had gained the upper hand.

Hitori turned around and shot the boss with the purple bullets, only a few of them touched the phoenix and barely had any effect.

"Water beam," Hitori raised his hands, "Water pulse, bubble beam," he changed his spell from one to another within a second.

Squeak!!

The bird let out a whistling sound. It flapped its wings and lifted its body higher in the sky.

From behind Hitori, Kamiya had slowly risen from the ground, his bluish-purple robes were covered in dust. His glasses sat tightly on his eyes, and his wand sat tightly in his hand.

"No. Why again?" Hitori snickered, he saw his katana, still stuck in the bird's stomach.

It has not been even five minutes since the boss had used its trump card but yet again, it was soaring up in the sky, getting ready for another meteor crash.

He spoke as he slowly turned around, "Kamiya, could you please use the defense walls–?" His words caught up in his mouth. Kamiya raised his wand at Hitori with a dead-serious expression.

Cock.

A gun cocked. Kamiya did not even bother to look down at the purple gun that was pointed at his guts.

"Wand… DOWN," Hitori muttered with a pause.

"Move AWAY, Hitori," those words escaped Kamiya's mouth like a snake's hiss.

Hitori glanced behind him, he saw what exactly Kamiya had pointed his wand at. Without hesitating, he quickly took a few steps away from Kamiya.

"What do you-"

"Shinigami no Noroi," as expected, Hitori's eyes went wide in surprise. For the first time, fear sparked in Hitori's deep blue cold eyes.

Hitori's eyes went blank in fear. His gun would not stop shaking, 'Why does he… know that spell?'

He lifted his red eyes at the phoenix, "Koros," Kamiya hissed once again.