The Acolyte of Spirits and Curses

Chapter 154: The Hollow Crown [7]

Dark Moon: Third Form - Fallen Eclipse

Brandon thrust the spear upward with both hands.

A concentrated sphere of crushing dark energy formed at the tip and detonated against the phoenix’s chest.

*THOOOM*

A portion of the bird’s radiant plumage simply went dark and withered, as though an eclipse had fallen across that section of its body.

"SCREECHHH!" The phoenix reeled as more golden blood flowed freely from the multiple wounds.

It tried to create distance, beating its wings furiously to climb higher into the chamber.

Klein did not allow it "Nuh uh."

Dark Moon: Fourth Form - Half-Moon Rend

He swung the spear in a sharp, rising diagonal arc.

A half-moon blade of compressed dark energy tore free and dashed after the fleeing phoenix.

The attack caught the bird across its right side, rending deeply through its flesh and flame.

A large section of its torso was laid open in a single clean cut.

"CREEEKKKK!" The phoenix’s cry this time was more painful, as more golden blood rained down onto the platform below.

It gathered every remaining flame into its core, and its entire body blazed white-hot as it prepared a final, all-consuming attack.

Dark Moon: Fifth Form - Full Moon Eclipse

He raised the spear vertically above his head.

Mana poured from both cores at once, forming a perfect, massive circle of absolute blackness behind him... like a full moon swallowed by shadow.

The circle compressed into the spear tip in a single breath.

When Klein brought the weapon down, the released energy simply expanded.

*SWOOOSHH*

A domain of pure eclipse swallowed the upper half of the chamber.

The phoenix’s flames and the light of its golden eyes were smothered under the crushing dark.

For a moment the 35th floor was silent and lightless except for the deep crimson glow of Klein’s spear as it pierced straight through the center of the phoenix’s body.

The enormous bird trembled violently in midair.

Golden blood erupted from the wound like a torrent.

The eclipse domain held for several long seconds, crushing every remaining ember and stripping the energy from the phoenix’s plumage.

Klein twisted the spear savagely.

The blade, still wreathed in the residual power of the Full Moon Eclipse, tore sideways through the phoenix’s core.

*THOOM* A second explosion of golden blood sprayed outward.

The eclipse domain collapsed.

Light and heat rushed back into the chamber in a sudden wave.

The phoenix, no longer able to fly, plummeted.

Its massive body crashed onto the platform with a heavy, wet impact that sent stone flying in every direction.

Klein landed lightly several meters away with the spear still gripped firmly in his hands.

The last of the phoenix’s light guttered out beneath him with its wings half-spread.

"...Reborn already," he muttered under his breath. "I don’t have all day."

A few seconds passed in silence...

The golden blood beneath the corpse ignited, and light returned in thin veins that spread outward across the corpse.

The feathers, which had gone dull, began to glow from within.

A faint smile appeared on Klein’s lips "...There it is."

The torn flesh where his spear had pierced began to close, burning itself back together.

The broken wings twitched, then lifted slightly as fire traced along their edges, reigniting feather by feather.

Flames erupted outward in a sudden surge, swallowing the entire body in a pillar of gold and white heat that forced the air to distort violently.

The phoenix rose from the fire in a single, powerful motion.

Its eyes burned brighter than before, locking onto Klein immediately as if it remembered exactly who had brought it down.

"SCREEECHHH!"

Klein rolled his shoulder once and lifted the spear slightly as the returning heat washed over him.

*SWOOOSH*

The flames crashed down in a roaring wave, swallowing the space where Klein was standing only a moment before.

Klein used his barrier skill and created a blue dome around him, protecting himself from the onslaught of flames.

The phoenix screamed again and dove straight for him with its wings folded inward as it drove down with overwhelming force, intending to crush him outright.

Klein stepped into it.

His foot planted hard against the fractured stone, and in that single instant, everything around him seemed to narrow...

And he thrust that spear forward.

The tip cut into the descending mass of flame, piercing through the outer layer before meeting resistance deeper within.

*THANG*

The heat surged violently around him, flames wrapping across his shoulders and arms as the phoenix’s momentum continued downward, trying to overwhelm the strike through sheer pressure.

*sleesh*

His grip twisted sharply and the blade tore through burning flesh, opening another deep wound across its underside as the creature’s momentum carried it past him.

Golden blood sprayed in a wide arc, and the blood hissed as it struck the heated stone.

Klein pivoted immediately as the phoenix slammed into the platform behind him and the impact sent a shockwave outward that rattled the already fractured ground.

The creature rose again almost instantly.

It beat its wings once, sending blades of compressed flame ripping across the platform in overlapping arcs that left no clear path through.

Klein’s eyes tracked them, and he moved through the gaps, dodging them effectively.

By the time the last wave passed, he was already within range again.

The phoenix turned and opened its head as a concentrated mass of flame began to gather at its core.

*feen*

Klein plunged the spear on the ground, and using the momentum, he launched himself upward

The blast tore across the platform in a blinding surge, missing him by nothing more than a narrow margin as he cleared it entirely.

He landed on the phoenix.

His boots struck against burning feathers, and the force of his descent drove him down onto its back as the creature shrieked violently.

Klein’s hand shot out immediately, gripping the base of its right wing.

Up close, the heat was suffocating as flames flickered across his arms and shoulders.

His fingers dug in past the outer layer of fire, finding the point where the wing anchored into the body.

A grin spread caross his lips.

"Today’s dinner is Phoenix Fry."