Val's breath was shallow as he steadied himself, his senses heightened in the frigid air of the vast chamber.

Before him stood the guardian, towering and ominous, its form shifting between solid stone and shadows that seemed alive, writhing and whispering as if drawing energy from the darkness itself.

As Val stepped forward, the guardian let out a roar that reverberated through the chamber, rattling loose stones from the walls and ceiling.

Shadows twisted and thickened around its form, and with a snap of its enormous arms, the guardian summoned a surge of dark energy. The room itself seemed to react, the stone beneath Val's feet trembling violently as if the ancient vault was straining under the guardian's fury.

The guardian didn't hesitate. It flung one colossal arm forward, releasing a wave of jagged, dark energy that tore through the air with a hiss, aiming directly for Val. He barely had a second to brace himself, throwing up a shield of Void energy just as the attack struck. The impact jolted him backward, his boots scraping against the stone floor as he struggled to stay upright. The force of it sent shockwaves through his arms, vibrating down to his bones.

"Shit," he muttered, gritting his teeth as he pushed against the attack. The shield buckled, and cracks began to spiderweb across the surface before it shattered, sending splinters of dark energy shooting past him.

One shard grazed his cheek, drawing a thin line of blood that trickled down his face.

"Do not falter, Val," Deleo's voice whispered urgently in his mind. "Focus. It's gauging your every move."

"I'm doing my best, Deleo," Val hissed, his chest heaving as he fought to catch his breath. "This bastard's strong."

The guardian's hollow, blazing eyes fixed on Val as though it understood his exhaustion and reveled in it. Dark tendrils snaked along the floor, moving with predatory intent before lashing out to ensnare his ankles.

Val felt the cold bite of the shadowy chains as they tightened around his heels, sending a chill through his legs that crept up his spine. He tried to kick free, but the tendrils coiled tighter, immobilizing him.

"Not good…" Val grunted, tugging at his legs, but the shadows held firm.

With a triumphant growl, the guardian yanked on the tendrils, pulling Val off his feet and slamming him to the ground.

His back hit the hard stone floor with a sickening thud, and a burst of pain exploded along his spine. The guardian swung him through the air, the shadows jerking him like a rag doll, slamming him first into the wall and then onto the ground again.

"Kuuak!"

Each impact drove the breath from his lungs, and blood sprayed from his mouth as his body collided with the unyielding stone.

"Get up, Val!" Deleo's voice was sharp, tinged with an urgency that cut through Val's daze. "It won't stop until you break free!"

Val coughed, tasting blood as he struggled to focus. His vision swam, but he forced himself to draw on the Void, channeling its cold energy down to his legs.

The dark tendrils hissed and recoiled as the Void's energy surged through them, allowing him a brief moment of freedom. He dropped to one knee, breathing hard, his body throbbing from the brutal assault.

But the guardian was already preparing its next move. The shadows around its fists coalesced into massive, hammer-like shapes, crackling with dark energy. It raised both arms high, then brought them down with earth-shaking force.

Val barely managed to roll out of the way, the hammers slamming into the ground where he had been kneeling just moments before.

The impact sent a shockwave through the chamber, dislodging chunks of stone from the ceiling that crashed down around him. Dust and debris filled the air, making it hard to see, hard to breathe.

He staggered to his feet, wincing as pain radiated through his ribs, every breath a reminder of his bruised and battered body. "Damn it… this thing is relentless," he muttered, wiping the blood from his mouth.

"It was created to be," Deleo said, his tone laced with a strange mix of sympathy and warning. "But you have the advantage. You must find a way to turn its own power against it. Keep moving, don't let it gain control."

Val gave a short nod, gritting his teeth as he prepared for the next assault. He dodged to the side, but the guardian moved with surprising speed, the shadow-hammers swinging toward him in wide arcs that left no room for escape.

One hammer clipped his shoulder, sending him sprawling back with a fresh wave of pain that jolted through his entire body.

The ground beneath him trembled as he pushed himself up, panting. The air was thick with dust and the oppressive energy of the guardian, making it feel like he was breathing through sludge. His pulse pounded in his ears, each beat a reminder that his strength was waning, his stamina pushed to the breaking point.

A low, mocking growl rumbled from the guardian as it watched him struggle to rise. With a swift, vicious motion, it slammed its fist into the ground, sending a pulse of dark energy through the floor that cracked the stone and created a shockwave racing toward him. Val barely had time to brace himself before the wave hit, knocking him back with bone-jarring force. He hit the ground hard, the breath knocked from his lungs as the stone floor bit into his skin.

"Val!" Deleo's voice was insistent now, a thread of alarm woven through his words. "Its energy is laced with the ruin stone's essence. If you can draw on the Void—merge it with the stone's energy—you may be able to weaken it."

Val's vision blurred as he struggled to his feet, his body screaming in protest. "Easier… said than done," he gasped, his voice strained.

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The guardian let out a furious roar, raising one hand and gathering the shadows around it into a condensed orb that pulsed with raw power. With a brutal flick of its wrist, it hurled the orb at Val, who barely had the strength to raise his arms in defense. The orb exploded on impact, the force ripping through his hastily conjured shield and sending him flying back, his body skidding across the floor.

"Urgh!" He groaned, blood dripping from his lip as he tried to push himself up again. His arms trembled, his muscles on the brink of collapse, but he couldn't afford to give in—not now.

"Hold your ground, Val," Deleo's voice was a steady presence in his mind, a lifeline in the chaos. "Draw on the Void, let it feed on the guardian's energy. But do not let it consume you."

With a fierce determination, Val gritted his teeth, calling on the Void once more. He felt its cold, relentless power surge through him, a dark force that spread through his limbs like icy fire. He extended his hands, channeling the Void into a shield that shimmered with an otherworldly darkness, meeting the guardian's next attack head-on.

The guardian's fist crashed into the shield, and Val grunted as the impact jolted through him, his muscles straining against the sheer power of the blow. Cracks spread across the shield, but he held firm, pouring every ounce of his strength into maintaining it.

The guardian let out a snarl of frustration, drawing back for another strike. Its eyes glowed brighter, the shadows around it swirling with renewed intensity as it launched a barrage of smaller tendrils, each one tipped with a razor-sharp edge. They slashed at Val from every direction, cutting through his defenses and drawing shallow cuts along his arms and legs. Blood splattered onto the stone floor, each wound a reminder of the brutal toll this battle was taking on him.

He staggered, his breaths coming in ragged gasps, but he refused to back down. "Focus, damn it!" he hissed through gritted teeth. "I can do this."

"Yes, you can," Deleo's voice urged, calm but commanding. "Draw the Void into yourself, but keep control. Balance its power against the guardian's fury. You're close now—don't lose sight of the stone."

Val took a shuddering breath, his gaze fixed on the ruin stone that pulsed at the far end of the chamber, just beyond the guardian.

Summoning every last bit of his willpower, he advanced, one slow step at a time, each movement a battle against the agony that wracked his body. The guardian lashed out, each attack more vicious than the last, but Val kept moving, his focus unbroken.

The shadows twisted around him, clawing at his skin, slicing through his defenses with each brutal hit. Blood seeped from countless wounds, dripping onto the stone floor, but he pushed forward, his heart pounding with a desperate resolve.

Finally, he reached the center of the chamber, the ruin stone glowing ominously just within reach. The guardian loomed above him, its eyes blazing with an ancient wrath as it raised both arms for a final, devastating strike. Val braced himself, pouring every remaining shred of energy into a shield, his body trembling from the strain.

With a thunderous roar, the guardian's fists descended, crashing into Val's shield with a force that sent shockwaves through the chamber. The shield buckled, cracks spreading across its surface, but Val held on, his gaze locked on the ruin stone, his mind focused on a single thought: victory.

With a final, defiant surge, he released the Void, channeling its power into a concentrated blast that collided with the guardian's strike.

The impact shattered the shield, sending shards of dark energy flying in every direction, but the guardian faltered, its form flickering asthe Void's energy collided with its own dark essence. The guardian staggered, its massive arms lowering as its shadowy form began to flicker and waver, as if the very force that held it together was unraveling.

Val's vision swam as he dropped to one knee, chest heaving, his body a mass of bruises and shallow cuts, his own blood trickling down his arms and legs to mix with the dust and stone.

"You're almost there, Val," Deleo's voice echoed, quieter now, but edged with fierce encouragement. "The ruin stone—its power can finish what you've started."

The guardian let out a guttural growl, a sound that reverberated through the chamber, and staggered toward Val with a renewed desperation. Its form was now more a shifting cloud of darkness than a solid creature, but its eyes still burned with relentless fury. Dark tendrils whipped toward Val in a last attempt to crush him, snapping like deadly vipers through the air.

Val grit his teeth and forced himself to stand, his legs barely holding him up. "Alright, you oversized shadow," he muttered, his voice rough. "This ends now."

Summoning the last remnants of his strength, Val focused on the ruin stone. Its light pulsed with a faint, alluring glow, seeming to call to him, as if recognizing his resolve. He reached out a trembling hand, the Void's power still simmering in his veins as he took a cautious step closer, his gaze never leaving the stone.

But just as his fingers brushed the surface, the guardian lunged, its tendrils wrapping around his waist and legs, pulling him back with a brutal yank. Val grunted in pain as the tendrils tightened, cutting into his skin, but he managed to grip the stone's surface with his free hand, holding on with a death grip.

The stone's surface felt cold, impossibly ancient, and as his fingers connected with it, a surge of raw power shot through him, lighting up every nerve in his body. The Void within him reacted instantly, latching onto the stone's energy like a ravenous beast. Dark and light energy collided within him, a storm of power that felt both invigorating and destructive.

"Be careful, Val!" Deleo's voice warned, sharp with urgency. "The ruin stone's energy is strong enough to consume you if you don't maintain control."

Val's vision blurred as the two forces warred within him, one side threatening to tear him apart, the other seeking to steady him. Gritting his teeth, he forced his focus back to the guardian, which still struggled to maintain its form, barely clinging to existence.

He summoned every ounce of strength left in him, channeling the ruin stone's energy into his palm and releasing it in a powerful blast toward the guardian.

The chamber erupted with light as the blast struck, tearing through the shadowy form in a surge of energy so intense it sent cracks racing up the walls, dust and fragments raining down.

The guardian's form flickered, the shadows dissipating like smoke caught in a breeze. Its eyes dimmed, and it lowered its arms, a low rumble echoing from its chest—a sound that held something akin to respect.

"You have proven your strength, bearer of the Void," it intoned, its voice a fading whisper. "The stone is yours… for now."

He staggered, his vision tunneling as exhaustion set in. His hand still clung to the ruin stone, the pulse of its power now soft, steady, and welcoming. Blood trickled down his face, a reminder of the brutal battle, but a flicker of satisfaction crossed his weary expression as he felt the stone's power resonate with the Void within him, a strange but harmonious connection.

"You did it, Val," Deleo's voice was a soft murmur, calm now, but still filled with pride. "You faced the guardian, and you overcame it. The stone is yours."

Val managed a faint, tired smile as he let the ruin stone's energy seep through him, feeling a familiar sense of completeness that accompanied each stone's retrieval. The pain of his wounds and the weight of exhaustion remained, but beneath it all was a quiet satisfaction—a sense that he had proven himself, not only to the ruin stone but to himself.

"Yeah," he whispered, his voice rough but steady. "But next time… remind me to bring a damn shield."

Deleo chuckled, his voice a comforting presence. "Duly noted. Rest, Val. The Void may linger, but for now, it is at peace. You've earned a reprieve."

Val nodded, leaning against the cold stone of the vault wall, the ruin stone cradled carefully in his hand, its light a beacon in the darkened chamber.

As his vision dimmed, a voice cackled suddenly via the Mind Link - it was Dr. Lewis.

Val! Are you okay? Where are you? We heard that there was quite a ruckus from the vault?

Before he could respond, his vision suddenly dimmed into the darkness.