Yami walked deeper in the dungeon, his boots making little noise on stone as ice-cold as ice. The blue lights in the walls, wildly flaring, provided just enough illumination to be able to perceive things, but as he walked deeper in, he could have sworn he felt as though he was being watched.
The air smelled pungently of wet mud and another thing—a fouly smell.
"That's a bad omen," Yami complained. "Either something's dead or someone is tailing me."
He gripped his scythe tightly in his hand, its black blade shimmering with a faint glow. The powers of the god of death still exceeded his imagination, but there could be no denial about one thing—every kill makes him stronger.
And that would suggest one thing.
He needed some opposition.
As if in answer to his thought, slow and thundering footsteps thumped down the hallway before them. Coming to a mid-path pause, his crimson eyes narrowed in concentration, as a figure emerged out of darkness.
It was a Ghoul, a rotting, zombie-like being with glowing blue eyes and claw-like fingers. Its jaw remained open in a grotesque, unnatural pose, and jagged, broken teeth lined rows in its mouth.
Yami sighed. "Perfect. Undead. My favorite."
The Ghoul let out a raw scream as he lunged at Yami, claws aimed straight for Yami's throat.
SHING!
Yami sidestepped in a flash, his scythe flashing through the air in a clean arc. The arm of the Ghoul flew away, smashing horribly upon impact.
But it didn't stop.
Instead of screaming in pain, the creature twisted its head, its glowing eyes blazing in rage. Then, in horror for Yami, severed arm twitching and moving towards him on its own accord.
"…Okay, that's gross," mumbled Yami.
Before the arm could hit him, he swept his scythe across and bisected it in two. The Ghoul charged once again at peak velocity, its remaining claws extended at his chest.
Yami exhaled. "Persistent, yes."
At the last possible instant, he raised his outstretched hand—dark mist churned about his palm before firing out in the form of a skeletal hand. It took hold of the Ghoul in mid-air, bringing it to a dead halt.
"Let's see if this works." Fisting his hand and crunching bones in hand, he slew the Ghoul in hand.
A horrible, crunching noise as zombie-like creature dissolved in a cloud of dust, another glowing fragment being left behind.
"Soul Absorbed. Reaper's Will +2%."
Yami felt his typical surge of energy course through his system. His fists clenched upon the scythe.
His strength was growing.
"Huh. So, they're slower to kill, but they pay better." He grinned. "That works for me."
Just as he had extended his hand for the opening, the torches in the walls blazed wildly and there arose a thundering, echoing roar in darkness of the dungeon.
Yami turned his head gradually.
"…That didn't sound like a Ghoul."
Suddenly, the whole dungeon vibrated and a gigantic stone entrance before him opened in a tremendous way.
From within darkness there regarded him a radiant reddish pair of eyes.
Then, stepping out in faint torchglow, there came forth a gigantic form—a Dungeon Guardian.
It was a monolith of armored darkness, nearly three meters in height, grasping in its gauntleted hand a humongous rusting axe. Its helmet had no face, but instead a hollow space in place thereof.
Yami's smirk increased.
"A mini-boss in already?" He grasped his scythe and it vibrated in his hand with evil power. "Man, this dungeon is really making us welcome."
The Dungeon Guardian raised its axe overhead, the air shaking at the weight of the axe.
Then, with deafening scream, came crashing down hell-bent on destroying Yami in place.
Yami didn't move.
Not yet.
He waited for the last second before, in a flash of darkness energy, he vanished.
The axe struck the stone and divided it in half.
Reappearing behind The Guardian, he had a sneer on his face. "We shall see how much damage is needed for you to fall dead." With that, he charged in, scythe in hand, looking to chop his way past the first real trial in the dungeon.