The Crusher and the Saw boss fight

The Crusher and the Saw

Cold iron chains bind the Crusher’s feet, while a massive hammer is chained to his hand. One arm and leg are thick with muscle, while the other pair are withered and frail. Born with this uneven body and stubborn by nature, he trained only his stronger side, becoming more fearsome with each passing year. Most who see him are too intimidated to notice the faceless creature perched on his shoulders. That creature is the Saw. Riding on the Crusher’s neck, he repeatedly cuts into his flesh with a bone saw, using the pain to drive him into a frenzy and send him charging at his enemies without restraint. All the while, the Saw’s shrill, manic laughter rings out, chilling anyone who hears it before the fight even begins. The Crusher, however, only grows more ferocious with every laugh.

The Crusher, Earthshattering Form

Only after the Saw is knocked off does the truth become clear: The Crusher has no head. The sinews and blood vessels in his neck coil like the rings of an old tree, while the flesh writhes as if searching for the head he lost long ago. Without the Saw controlling him, the Crusher only grows more savage. Sha-Chi boils through his body, his skin burns red, and black smoke rises from his flesh. Freed from the Saw, he seems to have broken free of a shackle. He unleashes years of pain and rage, never noticing that the hood hiding his severed neck has fallen away. He has even forgotten that he is headless. Perhaps as long as he does not realize it, he will never fall. When Soul finally defeats him, his body crashes onto the ice and his empty neck stares back from the reflection below. A piercing cold suddenly fills him. He has not felt cold in years, having spent all this time in a haze. So even without a head, one can still live? The thought comes to him only at the very end. Death follows before he can wonder any further.