The staircase from the last trial opens into a vast chamber unlike anything they've seen so far. The walls are made of interwoven bones, skulls half-buried in the structure, whispering faint echoes. A cracked red carpet, soaked with dried black stains, stretches across the floor like a road of blood.
At the end of the hall rests a massive throne of skulls and femurs, sharp edges jutting outward like fangs. On it sits a knight clad in rusted black armor, his body skeletal yet emanating crushing weight. His greatsword leans against the throne, its blade chipped but radiating unnatural menace.
The air is silent, except for the steady drip… drip… drip of blood leaking from cracks in the ceiling.
As they step forward, torches lining the bone walls burst into pale-blue fire one by one. Shadows climb the pillars, stretching long.
The knight stirs. Bone fingers grip the hilt of his greatsword. Empty sockets flare with a ghostly blue fire. His voice rasps through the silence:
"Three challengers. Only one leaves worthy."
The king steps down from his throne, dragging his sword, sparks flying across the bone floor.
Plamen clenches his fists, bone-breaker aura faintly pulsing. His heart pounds. He knows this isn't a mindless beast — this is something far older, sharper.
The duel begins.
The king swings his sword with terrifying weight. Each strike isn't wild but precise, aimed at exploiting Plamen's openings.
Plamen retaliates with Pressure Fists and boosted martial arts. Every blow shakes the chamber, but the knight doesn't stumble.
Plamen tries a Muay Thai knee, but the king anticipates and counters with the flat of his blade, sending him sprawling.
Blood trickles from Plamen's mouth. His fists tremble. But rage ignites. He activates Bone Breaker Aura, pressure rolling like a storm. He charges, fists slamming the king's chestplate, denting it.
The king staggers for the first time.
But with one brutal swing, he sends Plamen crashing into the wall.
The knight lowers his sword. "Not enough. Next."
Kamen steps forward, teeth gritted. He summons skeletal arms from the ground, their bony fingers reaching for the knight.
The Forgotten King studies him like a teacher observing a student. He sidesteps the first wave, then slams his blade into the ground, shattering the skeletal arms before they can grasp him.
Kamen shifts, creating dozens of arms at once, trying to overwhelm.
The king steps between them with fluid motion, cutting each one down with minimal effort.
He counters by forcing Kamen into melee — where Kamen is weakest.
A crushing blow nearly pierces Kamen's chest, but he narrowly blocks with summoned bones. His arms shake under the force.
The king pauses. "Penance… in bones. Yet you fear the weight you carry."
Enraged, Kamen summons a massive skeletal titan hand from beneath the floor, trying to engulf the king. For a moment, it works — until the king shatters it with a single overhead slash.
Kamen collapses to one knee. The knight turns away. "Not yet. Next."
Alex steps forward, shadows swirling at his feet. His eyes narrow, his jaw tight.
Shadow Dash. His body flickers, darting from place to place, afterimages trailing him.
The king reacts instantly. He swings, not at Alex — but at where Alex is about to be. Every dash, every flicker, countered before it begins.
Alex feints left, dashes right, appears behind the king — only for the knight's blade to already be waiting.
He dives into the shadows, emerging for a strike — but the king kicks him, sending him sprawling across the floor.
The knight fights as if he's seen Alex's every move a thousand times before.
Alex wipes blood from his mouth, smirking through the pain. "You read me like a book… but I'm not finished yet."
He dashes high, then vanishes into shadow, reappearing low. For the first time, his blade grazes the king's armor. The knight halts, tilts his head slightly, as though amused.
"You have teeth. But alone, you are nothing."
The Forgotten King slams his greatsword into the ground. Cracks spread through the chamber. His voice rises, echoing off the bone walls:
"You fight well alone. But can you fight as one?"
He charges them all at once.
Plamen meets him head-on, fists glowing, blocking the first swing.
Kamen sends skeletal arms to grab the king's legs, holding him in place.
Alex dashes through the shadows, striking from the blind spots.
For the first time, the king is forced back. But he adapts quickly, breaking free, cutting through summoned arms, slamming Plamen into the ground again.
Plamen roars, pushing through blood and pain, fists flaring with raw force. Kamen chains the skeletal arms into the walls, pinning the king for just a second. Alex seizes the opening, shadow dashing above and slicing across the king's helmet, cracking it.
The knight drops to one knee. His armor is shattered, bones cracked. Yet instead of anger, a faint pride lingers in his empty sockets.
He kneels, planting his sword into the ground. His voice echoes:
"Strength… forged in unity. Do not waste it."
The pale-blue fire in his skull flickers out. His body collapses into dust. The throne behind him crumbles.
From the dust of the knight's body, a cracked bone crown materializes. It floats, glowing faintly, before splitting into three fragments. One lands in each of their hands, pulsing with power.
Plamen clenches his fragment tightly, breathing heavily. Kamen wipes sweat from his brow. Alex lowers his head, silent, shadows flickering at his feet.
Together, they look at the staircase opening beyond the throne.
Another trial awaits.
But this one left more than scars. It left a lesson.