ch5. Boss Battle

The Fallen Warden's greatsword howled through the air, leaving a trail of dark energy as it swung down toward Jeremy.

"OH SHI—"

Jeremy rolled to the side just in time. The blade slammed into the ground, sending a shockwave of raw force through the ruined cathedral.

That would've killed me. Instantly.

The Warden slowly turned, its burning red eyes locking onto him once more. It moved like a corpse that had forgotten it was dead—jerky, unnatural, yet impossibly powerful.

Jeremy didn't hesitate.

"MORDIS, GO!"

Mordis charged forward, his bony frame moving with surprising speed. His newly evolved Bone Blade gleamed in the dim light as he slashed at the Warden's armored leg.

CLANG!

The blade barely left a scratch.

Jeremy's stomach dropped.

"Oh, that's just great."

The Warden kicked Mordis with a brutal force, sending the skeleton flying across the cathedral. He crashed into a pillar, his bones rattling as he struggled to stand.

Jeremy clenched his fists. I need a plan.

This wasn't just some zombie or skeleton—this was a boss.

"Analyzing the Enemy"

A system prompt flickered in Jeremy's vision.

[Scanning…]

[Dungeon Boss: The Fallen Warden]

Level: ???

HP: ???

Traits: Undead Knight, Guardian of the Seal, Cursed Blade

Abilities: ???

Weaknesses: ???

Jeremy frowned. No health bar? No level? That meant two things:

1. The system thought he had no chance of winning.

2. The Warden was way above his level.

"Okay. That's fine. I love impossible fights," Jeremy muttered.

The Warden moved, raising its greatsword again. This time, the blade burned with dark flames.

Jeremy's instincts screamed at him.

"MOVE!"

The sword came down—but not as a normal slash. The impact erupted in a wave of black fire, tearing through the cathedral floor.

Jeremy barely managed to leap behind a fallen column. The flames licked at his cloak, sending a chill through his entire body.

[You have been inflicted with Necrotic Burn. HP -15/sec.]

"OH COME ON!"

He slapped his arm, trying to shake off the cursed flames. They faded, but his HP had already dropped to 195.

I can't take more than a few hits from this thing.

He needed a way to fight back.

He pulled up his skill list.

Gravebind? No, the Warden was too strong for it.

Necrotic Infusion? Maybe, but Mordis wasn't strong enough to make a real difference yet.

Graveborn Armor? It might let him take one more hit, but that wasn't a solution.

Then, an idea hit him.

"…Wait."

He glanced at the environment. The cathedral was ruined, with massive pillars still standing. Some were cracked, weakened by time and decay.

A trap.

Jeremy grinned.

"Alright, Mordis, round two."

The skeleton had already recovered, shaking himself off like a dog made of bones.

Jeremy pointed at the tallest, weakest pillar. "Hit that one."

Mordis didn't question it. He rushed forward and slashed at the base of the pillar.

The Warden noticed.

With unnatural speed, it turned and charged at Mordis—sword raised to cut him down.

"NO YOU DON'T!"

Jeremy activated Necrotic Infusion—not on Mordis, but on himself.

[Necrotic Infusion Activated: Strength +5, Agility +5]

Power surged through him. His muscles felt lighter, his movements sharper. He sprinted forward, faster than before, and jumped onto the Warden's back.

The undead knight staggered, momentarily unbalanced.

"MORDIS, NOW!"

Mordis slashed again—this time, with everything he had.

The weakened pillar cracked… then collapsed.

The massive stone pillar came down directly onto the Warden.

BOOOOM!

Dust and rubble exploded outward as the boss was buried alive.

Jeremy hit the ground, coughing from the dust cloud. His HP had dropped again—probably from impact damage—but he was alive.

He slowly stood up, staring at the pile of broken stone.

"…Did we do it?"

Silence.

Then—

CRACK.

The rubble shifted.

Jeremy's blood ran cold.

From beneath the fallen stone, red light flared.

A deep, unearthly growl rumbled through the cathedral.

[Phase 2]

Jeremy stared.

"…Oh, fu—"

The Fallen Warden erupted from the debris, its body now wreathed in black energy. Its armor was cracked, its movements more feral, and in its hands…

It held two swords now.

Jeremy groaned. "Yep. We're screwed."

The Warden roared.

The real fight had just begun.