I stepped out of the dungeon, smelling the fresh air.
But I couldn't because of the smell of blood on me.
[Host, you have to take a shower]
'You don't need to remind me.' I thought as I looked at the bag where Grimm is.
"You're alive, little buddy."
"Paaa"
Grimm might be cute and all in the game, but in real life, he's different.
Don't get me wrong, he's still cute, but the power he unleashes is horrifying.
In the game, Grimm was shooting little fireballs, but after teaching him some moves, he now shoots lasers.
The only problem is that he bites a lot.
There was one time I brought him into the path of pain by accident.
Which led to shooting the metal alive thing and made me fall into spikes.
[If I remember correctly, there was one time you almost lost your-]
'We will not talk about that. You hear me.' I felt annoyed because of that guy who kept laughing while I went through pain.
I kept walking in the streets as some people chuckled about the blood that was everywhere around my body.
I stopped as I looked at them.
"What are you laughing about?" I asked normally, but from their view, it was something else.
"S-sorry."
"Nothing"
'Huh?' I was confused as to why they got scared.
[Host, right now, you look like a murderer, and you even unleashed your killing intent.]
'What? But I didn't even feel like killing them.'
[True, but your body is the one reacting, not you.]
I froze at what he said.
When I was in the Hollow Knight world, I didn't use my mind to think in all battles.
Like in the fight with the mantis lords.
The first lord gave me quite a headache, but I managed to defeat him by remembering his fighting style.
But the battle with the other two was different.
-Shing-
-Shing-
"Tch, can't give a man a break, right?" I said with a grin.
Both of them kept moving, leaving marks around my body.
'I can't see them moving.' I tried to see their form at least, but whenever I tried, they disappeared.
I couldn't take this battle for too long.
"Fine, you want to fight this way, then I will play my way." I said with annoyance as I destroyed the ground below me, making a shockwave.
I wasn't thinking I was doing what my body could.
One of the lords went to me, readying his spear at my chest.
I dashed at him, making the spear miss my chest.
I grabbed his head and then smashed it on the ground.
"Bitch don't try me, I'm the hollow knight version of Kenpachi Zaraki." I said to the last lord as I kept walking toward her.
[Please shut the fuck up]
She dashed at me, stabbing my shoulder, but I didn't budge, or my body didn't.
I looked at her with a twisted smile.
"Heh, told you."
I started the beating, which took 2 hours.
"Ok, ok. I give up, stop." The one on the throne said with worry about her sister.
"Fine." I stopped as she got up from the ground and went to her throne.
'Well, that was easy.' I thought as I felt my body hurt.
[Yeah, don't do that again because your body will break.]
'Ok.' I thought as I continued to walk, but the gate wasn't opening.
[Look behind you]
I looked behind me, and the moment my eyes saw it.
I knew I was cooked.
The three Mantis Lords—three sisters—stand upon their seats, their forms elegant, their blades resting across their shoulders. They wear no armor, only their natural, crimson shells, signifying their power and dedication to combat. They are watching me with a mixture of solemn respect and lethal focus.
'Oh, God, WHY.' I always knew, but I didn't want to believe it.
'Haaa, well, I got no choice.'
I stepped forward, tapping the ground twice with the chipped tip of the Nail. The sound echoes, a small challenge in the cavernous space.
The Mantis Lord on the center throne nods, a gesture of acceptance. With the rustle of chitin and silk, she drops silently to the floor, her twin, scythe-like blades raised. The other two sisters remain seated, awaiting their turn.
The battle begins.
The single Mantis Lord is a blur of scarlet and steel. She does not scream or roar; her movements are precise, a dance honed by centuries of tradition.
She executes the signature Dash-Slice, gliding across the floor faster than a breath, her blades carving twin arcs of light. I was impossibly small and quick, ducking beneath the slice, responding with a focused Upward Slash, seeking the soft spot beneath her jaw.
She leaps high, clinging momentarily to the ceiling. Before I can react, she drops, not directly, but spinning with the deadly Circular Blade attack, sending two razor-sharp projectiles hurtling toward the floor.
I used the Mothwing Cloak, darting between the spinning blades, then immediately used the momentum to launch a Vengeful Spirit spell. The ghostly energy strikes the Mantis Lord mid-air. She stumbles upon landing, her shell ringing, but recovers instantly, ready for the next pass.
The single combat is too easily decided. The two remaining Mantis Lords look at each other, a silent acknowledgment passing between them. I was too skilled for a sequential duel.
With matching cries, the two remaining sisters drop from their thrones, landing perfectly beside their recovering sibling.
The music swells—a frantic, beautiful melody of drum and string—and the three Mantis Lords move as one unit.
The battlefield becomes a grid of danger:
The two outer Lords leap and cling to the walls simultaneously. They launch their Blade Projectiles, forcing me to dodge a perfect cross pattern of spinning steel.
Before the projectiles return, the center Lord rushes forward, forcing me to parry her attack. Just as I was about to recover, the two outer Lords dropped from the ceiling in a rapid, synchronized Downward Slice, flanking me perfectly.
'Shit.' I thought as I managed a quick Shade Dash through one of the sisters, escaping the trap.
I was battered and running low on Soul energy, and saw the briefest opening. The sisters separate, preparing to launch the Triple Scythe Attack.
Knowing this is the only moment, I charged the central sister.
The three Lords launch their scythes. I ignored the whizzing projectiles, focusing on the one nearest sister. I unleash the last of my Soul energy in a channeled Great Slash, cracking her shell.
She staggers, falling to her knees.
The other two sisters pause, their blades still. They do not attack. Their honor is absolute. They wait, accepting the outcome.
I turned my back on the fallen sister and looked at the other two. They met my gaze, a silent verdict passing between them.
The two remaining Lords stand straight. They nod slowly, profoundly, acknowledging the immense strength and skill of the victor. They step aside, allowing me passage into the deepest parts of their domain—the passage they had guarded for so long.
'Hey, system.'
[Yes, Host.]
'Make a timer for 8 hours.' I thought as I fell to the ground, breathing heavily, then I felt my eyelash heavy.
[Goodnight, Host]
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If someone want to know how I'm doing. I'm fine (No I'm not) Totally feeling relaxed (HELP). (Wish me luck in these quizzes)