The Hollowed Sentinel

The ground trembled beneath Mephisto's feet.That metallic sound—like a thousand rusted chains being dragged across stone—grew louder with each second. The very darkness recoiled, shrinking back as something vast and ancient pushed its way through.

Then it emerged.

A colossus.

The Hollowed Sentinel.

[Boss Encounter: The Hollowed Sentinel]

[Level: 5]

[HP: 100%]

[Threat: High]

[Status: Void-Corrupted Guardian]

Its body towered above—twisted steel fused with decaying flesh. A once-noble knight, now a monument to corruption. Rusted plates clung to bone and sinew, its helm cracked open and leaking tendrils of Void like smoke from a furnace. One hand gripped a jagged greatblade, the other a shattered shield that pulsed with sick, rhythmic beats—like a heart long dead, still trying to live.

Its very presence was suffocating.

And Mephisto...had no weapon.

[Passive Item: Ring of the Hollow Pact]

[Effect Active: +5% Strength | +5% Agility | +5% Physical Attack]

The ring pulsed faintly on his finger.

The warmth that surged through him wasn't comforting—it was hungry. His muscles coiled, breath sharpening, every nerve on edge.

The Sentinel stepped forward.

The floor cracked.

Then it charged.

A mountain of steel and shadow moved like a beast.

Mephisto dove aside, barely ahead of the descending blade that shattered the stone floor. The impact boomed through the chamber, raining debris.

He rolled, breath knocked from him. Pain shot through his ribs.

No time to recover.

A screech of metal—The Sentinel turned and swung wide.

Mephisto ducked low, the blade missing him by inches. Wind howled past his head. He launched forward, fists clenched, and drove a punch into its side.

It felt like punching a tower.

The recoil numbed his arm.

But—

[Critical Hit: Weak Point Detected]

[Boss HP: 96%]

A crack—just under the ribs. Vulnerable.

He grinned. Just slightly.

The Sentinel responded with a guttural growl, raising its shield like a hammer and bringing it down in a brutal arc.

Mephisto leapt back as it slammed into the ground, splitting the stone floor in two.

Already moving, he rolled behind a toppled pillar, hand snapping out to grab a jagged shard of stone.

Crude. Broken. But sharp.

He didn't need elegance.

He needed blood.

The Sentinel raised its blade again.Mephisto lunged forward.

The sword came down in a devastating cleave. He slid beneath the arc, sparks spraying from his boots.

And then—He struck.

He jammed the shard deep into the crack in its armor. The jagged tip pierced corrupted flesh. A burst of black ichor sprayed out, sizzling on contact with the ground.

[Critical Strike: Vital Point Struck]

[Boss HP: 87%]

The colossus staggered.Mephisto pressed in. He slammed his elbow into the embedded shard, twisting it deeper.

The Sentinel roared. Its shield swung wildly, crashing into Mephisto's ribs and flinging him like a ragdoll.

He hit the ground hard.Bones cracked. Breath vanished. The ceiling spun above him.

[HP: 41%]

He spat blood, tasting iron and ash. Every breath burned.

But he stood.

Still alive.

Still grinning.

The Void inside him pulsed stronger now—ravenous, whispering.

It didn't recoil from violence.

It thrived in it.

The Sentinel limped forward—joints grinding, sword dragging. It was wounded.

But so was he.

It raised its blade again.

Mephisto sprinted in.

They clashed—steel against flesh, shadow against soul.He ducked, grabbed a fallen chain, and whipped it forward, wrapping it around the boss's blade arm.

The Sentinel roared and lifted its sword—but the chain held. Twisted metal tangled with rusted joints.

With a violent yank, Mephisto forced the sword down. It slammed into the floor, stuck fast.

That was his moment.

He vaulted onto its arm, climbing its twisted frame like a beast.The Sentinel flailed, but he moved fast—grabbing onto the helm, tearing the shard free from its side.

He drove it into the exposed neck.

[Boss HP: 58%]

The Sentinel screamed—a piercing, metallic shriek of agony.Void ichor sprayed, black and boiling, hissing as it splattered across Mephisto's face.

He didn't flinch.Didn't stop.He twisted the blade.

The Sentinel dropped to a knee.

The floor shook with the weight.

Mephisto leapt off, landing in a crouch. His muscles were torn. Breaths ragged. Blood dripped from his side.

But his eyes—cold. Focused.

The boss still moved. Barely. It dragged itself upright, one arm shattered, sword trembling in its grip.

A final strike.

Mephisto stepped forward, dragging the chain behind him like a serpent.

The shard—chipped and soaked—hung loosely in his hand.

His shadow stretched wide behind him.

Like wings unfurling.

The Sentinel raised its sword high.

Mephisto moved.

A blur—vanishing from sight.

He struck low, wrapping the chain around its neck, then leapt—pulling with all his strength.

The Sentinel buckled.He came down like a hammer, driving the shard straight into the gap between helm and collar.

[Boss HP: 3%]

The Sentinel convulsed.Void energy exploded from the wound, blinding white and black, flickering like shattered lightning.

Mephisto stumbled back, blood soaking his hands.The colossus tried to rise—one final tremor of resistance.

But it was already over.

He stepped forward, silent, eyes shadowed.The blade came down one last time.

[Final Blow—]

[System Alert—]

[—]