The Corrupted Syndicate

As Mavislin and Zenos battled Arakaali, Mattheos raced alongside them, only to discover he had entered a spacious room instead of a hallway.

Just as he processed his surroundings, the marble door behind him slammed shut, sealing the rabbit within, leaving him trapped and alone in the unfamiliar space.

Mattheos whipped his head around, quickly conjuring a small spark to illuminate his newfound surroundings.

To his surprise, neither Void nor Abyss had lied about this place being a buffer zone. It lacked the grandeur and menace of Arakaali's chamber or the Wendigo's lair. Instead, he stood in a simple, dimly lit room—four stone walls enclosing him in a space that felt eerily ordinary.

There was no looming threat, no intricate design. Just darkness and cold, rough stone, as if the room itself were merely a waiting space for what was to come.

"Who dares wake me from my slumber..." echoed a female's voice as the rabbit felt a breeze rush through between his ears.

Mist seeped from the cracks in the stone walls, swirling ominously before converging in front of Mattheos. Instinctively, he dropped into a battle stance, muscles tense.

As the mist thickened, a sudden blast of energy rippled through the room, nearly knocking him off his feet. When the haze cleared, a tall, imposing figure stood before him.

The entity had long, wild obsidian hair cascading over an unnaturally pale complexion, her skin almost translucent in the dim light. Two black, feathered wings unfurled from her back, their span casting dark shadows on the walls.

It wasn't until Matt locked eyes—no, the void where her eyes should have been—that he realized with a jolt she had neither eyes nor legs. She was floating, suspended in the air like a ghostly apparition.

"Oi... Since when did I sign up to be a ghost hunter?!" exclaimed Matt, a rush of goosebumps running on his back.

The eyeless woman opened her mouth, unleashing a piercing screech that echoed through the chamber. As her lanky, tree-branch-like arms fell from their crossed position over her chest to hang at her sides, the force of her scream was like a sonic blast.

The sheer power sent Mattheos hurtling backward, slamming into the closed marble door behind him with a painful thud.

"I'm going to feel that for the next few weeks..." groaned Matt as he quickly stood up.

Without giving the giantess a second chance, Mattheos surged forward, his blade hovering over his shoulder as he closed the distance. With a leap, he twisted his body midair, swinging his weapon in a wide arc, aiming to cleave into the ghostly figure's front.

But before the blade could connect, the apparition unleashed another bloodcurdling howl, the sonic boom that followed knocking his attack back effortlessly.

Cursing under his breath as he was hurled through the air, Matt quickly adjusted, twisting in midair to regain his momentum.

With a growl of determination, he propelled himself forward once more, his blade now pulsing with dark energy, crackling with tendrils of amber flame as he prepared for a second strike.

"Fourth Sin; Chaos Bloodspiller, Satan!" shouted the rabbit as he carved two slashes onto the ghostly being.

The enemy unleashed a final wail of agony as the twin crescent wounds ignited in indigo flames, the searing heat consuming the ghostly figure from within. Mattheos landed lightly on the stone floor, exhaling a satisfied sigh.

He rested his blade on his shoulder, watching with a grim satisfaction as the amber flames devoured his opponent, their flickering glow dancing in his eyes. But letting down his guard proved a costly mistake.

The ghost, though consumed by the fire, wasn't finished. Her skeletal hand twitched, and with a sudden surge of movement, she lifted her long, bony fingers, reaching out with a predatory swipe aimed at the unsuspecting rabbit.

"What in the?!" shouted Matt as he jumped away from the giant hand.

Mattheos skidded across the stone floor, shifting from the left side of the field to the ghost's front in a blur of motion. With a swift, precise maneuver, he raised his blade just in time to block the ghost's clawed hand from sending him on a first-class flight to the heavens.

The impact was immense, so much so that the ground beneath him cracked under the pressure, but he stood his ground.

With a growl of frustration, Matt knew he had had enough of this relentless undead foe. The Sin of the Corrupted Syndicate surged to the surface. His body crackled with raw energy as he tapped into his Alter form.

In one fluid motion, he unleashed a massive swing of his blade, infused with dark power. The force of the strike cleaved the ghost clean in half, her form dissipating into nothingness as the room trembled with the force of the attack.