I Can Purify Corruption Through Intimacy in the Apocalypse

From everything Lucien had heard, a Stage 4 Hollow wasn't always defeated by a critical wound. Hunters had a name for what often followed: the second phase.

Much like the bosses in video games, they became more aggressive. Their attacks grew faster, their openings shorter, and it wasn't unusual for entirely new patterns to appear.

If that's what's happening...

A deafening roar cut through the courtyard before he could finish the thought.

"GRAAAAAAAARGH!!"

The Hollow Knight's voice echoed through the courtyard with enough force to make the air itself seem to tremble.

The faint smile vanished from Lucien's face.

His eyes remained fixed on the armored giant as it continued thrashing about in place, greatsword and shield whipping through the air in wild, explosive arcs. Even at a glance, he could tell the movements were noticeably faster than before, yet speed wasn't what unsettled him most.

There was no rhythm anymore.

The measured swordsmanship from earlier had vanished, replaced by raw, unpredictable violence.

Should we just wait it out?

The question lingered in his mind as his eyes flicked briefly toward the others. Sylphie was already kneeling beside Kira, healing the injuries he'd taken during the last exchange while Thane remained close enough to shield them if necessary. Isolde stood with her staff half-raised, her expression tense, and although Ava had fallen back toward the group as well, she hadn't stopped watching Lucien once.

He barely noticed.

If the Hollow Knight was forcing its body this far beyond its limits, perhaps it would exhaust itself before long.

...Assuming I have any idea how long this state lasts.

Almost as though the thought itself had reached it, the Hollow Knight suddenly fell still.

The abrupt silence was somehow more unsettling than the frenzy had been.

Lucien narrowed his eyes, studying the armored giant from head to toe before a faint crease formed between his brows.

...What?

Something about the armor looked… off.

A low metallic groan echoed through the courtyard.

Krr... krk...

The plates began to bulge outward, most noticeably around the helmet. Thin cracks spread across the visor, widening little by little as the steel strained under the pressure from within until—

CRK!

The faceplate split apart.

Another fracture raced across the helmet, followed by the harsh screech of twisting steel as the front of the helm burst apart. Jagged fragments scattered across the cobblestones, ringing sharply against the stone.

From where he stood behind it, Lucien couldn't see what had been revealed beneath the ruined helmet. He only caught glimpses of blackened flesh through the widening gaps as the Hollow Knight's body slowly began to turn.

The smell reached him first.

A wave of putrid decay rolled across the courtyard, thick enough to make his stomach lurch.

"Ngh..."

His face tightened as he instinctively clamped a hand over his mouth, swallowing hard against the bile threatening to rise.

What the hell...? He grimaced. I thought the Spider Hollow would've made me used to this.

The Hollow Knight completed its turn with eerie slowness.

Only then did Lucien finally see what lay beneath the shattered helm.

The face was little more than a rotting corpse. One eye socket had been completely destroyed, leaving behind a mangled cavity where his dagger had pierced through, while the remaining eye bulged grotesquely from blackened flesh, threaded with dark veins and smeared with thick, tar-like blood. What remained of its jaw hung open at an angle no living person could survive.

Before he could fully process the sight, that ruined eye shifted and fixed itself directly on him.

Lucien went perfectly still.

Fuck—

The knight raised its shield and drew its greatsword back into a familiar stance.

That charge—!

The thought never finished.

BOOM!

The Hollow Knight exploded forward.

The charge came instantly, leaving barely half the time Lucien had come to expect from its earlier attacks. The moment he realized the difference, he threw himself sideways with everything he had.

"—Ngh!"

He almost made it.

The edge of the heater shield clipped his left side instead of catching him head-on, but the impact still felt like being struck by a charging horse. Pain burst through his ribs as he spun helplessly through the air before slamming into the cobblestones several meters away.

Groaning under his breath, Lucien instinctively lowered his gaze to the dark band wrapped around his left wrist.

A thin crack now ran across its surface.

...That's the first time it's activated today.

The sight made his expression tighten.

Without the Deflection Band absorbing part of the impact, that glancing blow would've been far worse. At best, his shoulder would've been dislocated. At worst...

He didn't bother finishing the thought.

Letting out a slow breath through clenched teeth, Lucien pushed himself upright just as Ava slid to a stop beside him. Her boots scraped lightly against the cobblestones, but her attention never left the Hollow Knight. The usual playful smile was gone, replaced by a calm, focused expression as she studied the armored giant's movement.

"Well?" she asked quietly. "What's the plan now?"

She spared him a brief sideways glance before looking back at the knight.

"Just so you know, dealing with him like this is going to be a lot harder even for me. He's completely unpredictable now."

Lucien let out a dry laugh.

"Since when did I become the planner?"

"Well..." Ava shrugged lightly. "I'm not exactly used to fighting in a group."

...And you think I am?

The retort stayed in his head.

Instead of answering, Lucien fixed his eyes on the Hollow Knight.

The telegraph had definitely become shorter.

He'd only seen the accelerated charge once, but assuming every one of the knight's attacks had sped up from this point onward was safer than gambling on the opposite.

His gaze drifted toward the others.

Kira had already recovered enough to stand, while Thane, Isolde, and Sylphie had regrouped around him. The half-dwarf met Lucien's eyes across the courtyard, saying nothing, yet the question was obvious enough.

What's the plan?

Lucien ignored it.

His attention returned to the Hollow Knight, more specifically to its shattered helmet.

If I can land Corruption Strike one more time...

The idea surfaced almost immediately.

Just as quickly, he dismissed it.

Even Ava had admitted that getting close had become significantly harder. The Hollow Knight no longer cared about protecting itself. Now effectively blind, it simply lashed out with relentless aggression, turning every approach into a gamble.

Ava and Kira could probably create another opening...

Lucien's eyes remained on the shattered helmet.

...and with the Hollowed Disruption Compound, they might even be able to stun it long enough to strike.

The problem was capitalizing on it.

If they were going to gamble on another opening, Lucien wanted all three of them attacking together—or one after another in rapid succession—so the damage could compound before the Hollow Knight had any chance to recover.

His gaze shifted from the knight to Thane as an idea formed in his head.

...Can they pull it off?

He wasn't entirely convinced.

Still, it was worth trying.

Lucien caught Thane's eye from across the courtyard and raised one hand just enough to avoid attracting the Hollow Knight's attention. He pointed toward the armored giant, mimed its charging motion with two fingers, tapped the center of an imaginary shield, and finished by making a quick downward slicing gesture behind it.

Draw it in. Brace for the charge.

We'll do the rest.

Thane frowned for only a moment before understanding dawned across his face. Giving Lucien a subtle nod, the half-dwarf leaned toward Isolde and Sylphie, exchanging a few hurried whispers while never taking his eyes off the Hollow Knight. Neither woman argued. Isolde's expression sharpened with understanding, while Sylphie gave a quiet, determined nod.

A few seconds later, Kira stepped away from the group.

Rolling one shoulder as if loosening up, he cupped his hands around his mouth and flashed the Hollow Knight a wide, challenging grin.

"Hey!" he shouted, his voice ringing across the courtyard.

"Over here!"

The bait couldn't have been more obvious.

The Hollow Knight's ruined head jerked toward Kira instantly. A faint smile tugged at the corner of Lucien's mouth as the armored giant shifted into the same stance it had used against him only moments earlier. The battered heater shield came forward, the greatsword drew back, and the entire suit of armor seemed to tighten as though coiling around the violence about to be unleashed.

Perfect.

Lucien flicked two fingers toward Ava, signaling her to follow, before slipping into motion beneath the concealment of Void Cloak.

The two of them slipped away at the same time, Lucien disappearing beneath the concealment of Void Cloak while Ava quietly broke off in another direction, each taking a wide route that kept them well outside the Hollow Knight's immediate reach.

Ahead of them, Thane was already moving into position.

The half-dwarf planted himself squarely in the knight's path, adjusting his footing until his heavy boots bit securely into the cracked cobblestones. One foot slid back, the other braced forward, and he lowered the enormous tower shield in front of him with deliberate care, angling it to absorb the coming impact without allowing the charge to drive him straight off his feet.

Several meters behind him, Isolde and Sylphie settled into place almost in unison.

Isolde's expression grew taut with concentration as she guided the tip of her staff through the air in smooth, practiced arcs. Luminous strands of Azure Thread intertwined slightly with Obsidian Thread trailed behind every motion, intertwining one after another until an intricate weave slowly took shape before her.

Beside her, Sylphie quietly closed her eyes.

She brought her hands together near her chest, and a soft prayer slipped from her lips, its gentle cadence nearly swallowed by the Hollow Knight's ragged breathing and the groan of shifting armor.

Watching everyone fall naturally into their assigned roles, Lucien felt his heartbeat steady.

This might actually work.