Chapter 130 - PvP

  Both users' cries echoed across the crystalline field like a shockwave, snapping the serene atmosphere of the Eternal Garden into tense stillness. Kazue flinched, blinking rapidly as she looked back and forth between Adam and the unfamiliar woman on the opposite side of the clearing. Both had stepped forward at the same time, their arms raised, their voices overlapping with the exact same shout.

  “What…? What’s happening?”

  Kazue stammered, her voice trembling with disbelief. But neither Adam nor the woman, called Meera, answered her.

  Adam’s body moved on instinct. His left hand rose, fingers curling through the air as a flickering aura erupted from his palm. His Spectronomicon appeared, not in its usual skull-form but as a ghostly tome, pages fluttering with spectral whispers and trails of cursed script that coiled into the air. The aura around him pulsed darkly, flickering with strands of corrupt energy as he took a defensive stance, eyes locked on the woman.

  Across from him, Meera shifted just as fast, a sharp gleam flashing at both her hands. Two chakrams materialized—sleek, vicious discs of polished silver and glowing script—spinning lazily as she crouched slightly, like a predator preparing to strike. Her smile had vanished, replaced by a cold, unreadable focus. She hadn’t even blinked once. However, the fairies reacted with panic.

  “Stop!”

  Shouted Auralis, flitting between Adam and Meera with wings glowing bright yellow in alarm.

  “No violence is permitted in the Eternal Garden!”

  Thimerea joined her at once, positioning herself in front of Meera.

  “By the sacred law of Lady Arianka, all guests are under her protection and forbidden from spilling blood within her domain! Violation will result in your expulsion and permanent banishment!”

  Adam's fingers tightened around the edge of the book, but he didn’t release its power. Meera’s chakrams slowed but remained in her hands. For a moment, no one moved. The air itself felt rigid, stretched between two forces ready to tear it in half. But then Adam let out a sharp breath through his nose and, with a clenched jaw, willed the Spectronomicon away. It vanished in a shimmer of cursed mist, sucked back into the threads of his aura.

  A moment later, Meera lowered her arms and dismissed her weapons, both chakrams fading into sparks of golden light. Kazue exhaled loudly, realizing she’d been holding her breath.

  The fairies looked deeply relieved.

  “Thank goodness, that could’ve been really bad.”

  Auralis mumbled.

  “If there are no further outbursts, we will now escort everyone through the Crystal Path to Lady Arianka’s palace.”

  Thimerea said, flapping her wings to lift slightly above the group. The two groups joined, albeit with a wide and deliberate distance between them. The fairies floated in the center, leading the way with soft, glowing trails in the air. Adam and Kazue walked behind them, while Meera and her two fairies mirrored their pace on the other side of the path. Though the groups shared the same route, it was clear neither wanted to be near the other. The tension was palpable—sharpened glances and the occasional sideways glare passed between Adam and Meera like sparks waiting to ignite again.

  Kazue leaned toward Adam, lowering her voice as much as she could.

  “Who is she?”

  Adam didn’t look away from Meera as he answered under his breath.

  “A member of ‘Dragon Utopia’, she’s a Contractor. Tied to one of the gods.”

  Kazue froze mid-step.

  “Wait—what?”

  The girl couldn’t contain herself, and her voice cracked. Adam instantly slapped a hand over her mouth and muttered between his teeth.

  “Would you please not yell?”

  She nodded rapidly, cheeks red. Once Adam removed his hand, she leaned in again, whispering frantically.

  “That’s not possible! The third team wasn’t supposed to arrive until next week!”

  Adam’s expression remained unreadable.

  “Which leaves us with two possibilities.”

  Kazue blinked.

  “What possibilities?”

  Adam narrowed his eyes, still watching Meera from the corner of his vision.

  “Either we’ve already been here longer than we realize due to the time fluctuation, and the ‘Dragon Utopia’ team arrived during that time… or—”

  “Or what?”

  Kazue’s voice grew even softer.

  “Or they somehow arrived ahead of schedule, which is way worse.”

  Kazue blinked again.

  “Why is that worse?”

  Adam’s answer came without hesitation.

  “Because if it’s the first case, the others would at least have time to regroup and prepare for them. But if it’s the second, it means they’re already on the move—and no one knows.”

  The thought sent a chill down Kazue’s spine. She looked ahead at Meera, who walked with effortless calm, occasionally glancing at the flower-lined edge of the path, completely ignoring them. But now, with that knowledge, the girl couldn’t help but feel the weight behind her presence.

  As the group continued forward, their footsteps echoed faintly against the glassy surface of the Crystal Path, the translucent floor beneath their feet reflecting the vibrant colors of the garden and the sky above in a dizzying display of divine brilliance.

  The Eternal Garden stretched outward on both sides of the path. Trees with silver leaves rustled in a wind that couldn't be felt, and flowers the color of melted gems shimmered in the soft sunlight, their petals drifting lazily through the air like feathers from an unseen bird. Then, just as the trees began to thin and the ambient hum of divine energy grew stronger, the Crystal Path widened—and they saw it.

  Not the palace, not yet—but the gates. Towering, golden, and impossibly intricate, they stood at the far end of the path like a wall between worlds. Each panel shimmered with divine radiance, alive with shifting glyphs and symbols that twisted and danced in silence. The doors seemed more like a veil of power than solid metal, woven strands of gold and light pulsing with the energy of actual flames.

  And in front of the gates stood a single figure… At first glance, it appeared to be a woman, tall and elegant, her features partially concealed by a long, flowing cloak that shimmered in pale hues. But what drew Adam’s gaze immediately were her wings—four great constructs of luminous gold, spread slightly behind her in quiet vigilance. He knew them. They were the same as those of the paladins, or to be more precise, what he had seen on the Paladin Paragon back in Uldroth.

  The group stood in tense silence as they approached the gates. At the center of it all, directly in front of the threshold, stood the lone winged figure, her posture regal, her presence unmistakably divine. Her face was shadowed beneath a glimmering hood, and the slow beat of her wings stirred the air like the rhythm of a sacred hymn waiting to be sung. For a moment, no one dared to speak, but then—

  “Euphemiaaa!”

  Auralis suddenly called, fluttering forward with childlike excitement. The tension shattered in an instant.

  The supposedly stoic guardian jolted upright, her wings twitching in surprise before she spun midair like a startled bird. Her previously ominous expression melted in a heartbeat into one of pure joy, bright eyes wide with delight. She gasped, placing both hands over her heart, and then giggled as she began to float gracefully toward the group, her radiant wings keeping her aloft with slow, controlled flaps.

  “Oh my stars, guests? Real guests?”

  She squealed, her voice sweet and sincere, not a trace of threat or grandeur.

  “It’s been ages! Ages and ages! Look at you all! Oh, this is exciting!”

  Kazue blinked.

  “Wait… what?”

  The fairies, Thimerea and Auralis, twirled midair with joy and zipped around the guardian in circles.

  “Yes! Euphemia, we brought them here! They wish to see Lady Arianka!”

  Euphemia’s smile widened, and she clasped her hands together.

  “Oh, that’s wonderful! It’s been so dull lately, I was starting to think Lady Arianka had forgotten I existed!”

  Adam didn’t move at first. His eyes tracked Euphemia carefully, still wary despite her enthusiasm. Something was unsettling about how quickly she had gone from divine sentinel to hyperactive hostess. The angel-like figure floated closer, one hand on her chest.

  “Welcome, welcome to the gates of the Celestial Courtyard! I am Euphemia the Second, former Queen of what is now the Human Empire, and the first human to be blessed by Lady Arianka herself! It is my honor to guide the souls of the faithful into her sacred haven!”

  Adam's brow furrowed slightly at that. He waited for her to finish her introduction, then cleared his throat and spoke calmly.

  “I’m sorry, if I may ask… You said you guide the souls of the faithful. What do you mean by that? The Eternal Garden outside… it felt empty. We saw only the fairies.”

  The boy asked. Euphemia blinked, as though confused by the question. Then she laughed gently, spinning once in the air.

  “Oh, the garden? That’s just a personal project of Lady Arianka. A hobby, really. She loves flowers and aesthetic beauty. But the true sanctuary is here. Within. All the faithful who served her in life, all who prayed and obeyed her doctrines—this is where their souls come after passing.”

  She said with a dismissive wave. As she spoke, the golden gates behind her began to open, not with a mechanical groan, but with a silent shimmer, as if reality itself was parting. The light intensified, and beyond the veil of gold, they saw it.

  A city… A place of impossible beauty. White marble streets gleamed with radiant polish, flanked by immaculate gardens filled with crystal roses and luminous trees. Floating bridges arched over streams of stardust. The sky itself was a living canvas, shifting softly between hues of sunrise and dusk. And drifting lazily across the city were small, glowing clouds—clusters of light that pulsed gently like slow heartbeats.

  “They’re so pretty…”

  Kazue whispered. Upon hearing this, Euphemia beamed.

  “Those are the souls of the virtuous, they live here in peace for all eternity. No conflict, no pain, no fear. Just the divine order and harmony of Lady Arianka’s will.”

  She said, arms outstretched as she led them forward. Still humming, Euphemia began to sing as she glided ahead of the group. Her melody was soft and cheerful, her tone sincere, and it carried on the wind like a lullaby across paradise.

  The group followed. They passed glowing fruit trees that offered no scent yet made the air sweeter with their presence. Soft grass formed complex patterns beneath their feet that shimmered with every step. There were fountains that sang instead of flowing, and gentle statues of mythical beasts that occasionally blinked or shifted slightly as if alive. Birds of pure light soared overhead, leaving trails of shimmering particles that never fell. Kazue spun on her heel to look in every direction, awe plain on her face.

  “This is incredible…”

  Even Meera slowed her steps to admire the scene. Her brows furrowed in thought, as if she too was trying to understand what kind of place this was. Adam, however, stayed quiet, eyes narrowed as he scanned every inch of what should have been paradise; it had the same feeling as the city of Celestia Sanctum, too perfect, disturbingly so.

  And finally, rising in the near distance, the palace revealed itself.

  A masterwork of sacred design, the castle wasn’t just large—it was perfect. Its towers reached into the sky like prayers made of stone, and its walls shimmered like moonlight caught in glass. Each brick glowed faintly, humming with divine energy, and the rooftops glittered with what appeared to be pure silver. Titanic statues of winged women flanked the entrance, their faces serene and hands extended in blessing.

  Kazue stopped walking, staring with wide eyes.

  “That’s it! That’s… Arianka’s palace.”

  She whispered. Euphemia, still floating ahead, twirled with joy mid-song.

  “Yes, yes! You’ve made it! Come, come, she will surely be delighted to know she has guests!”

  But Adam wasn’t smiling, because while Euphemia’s joy was real, and the palace was beautiful… something deep inside him whispered that what waited behind those doors would not be anything like what they had seen so far.

  The entrance to Arianka’s palace loomed ahead like the gates of a divine dream given form. Euphemia fluttered toward it with unrestrained joy, humming softly as the massive double doors shimmered in response to her presence. With a casual wave of her hand, the golden gates parted, revealing the grandeur that lay beyond. She floated backward into the palace, waving for the others to follow.

  “Come in, come in! Oh, I’ve been looking forward to this moment!”

  The interior was more overwhelming than even Kazue had expected. The entrance hall stretched wider than most coliseums, supported by endless rows of radiant pillars, each one etched with a script that shimmered as if alive. The ceiling arched far above them, lost in a haze of golden mist, with floating lights drifting gently through the air like oversized fireflies. The floor was so polished it reflected their steps like a shallow pool, giving the illusion that they were walking on light itself. Adam scanned the surroundings silently, noting that the room could easily house giants without issue. It wasn’t just big—it was built for something beyond human scale.

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  Euphemia stopped in the middle of the chamber and spun in place before gently settling onto the floor.

  “Alright! This is where we pause. From here on, only one of you can go in at a time.”

  She said with a clap of her hands. That caught all three of them off guard.

  “What?”

  Adam asked, already frowning.

  “Why only one?”

  Kazue tilted her head.

  Meera’s eyes narrowed slightly, but said nothing.

  “Well… Technically, the rules don’t say that. But Lady Arianka hasn’t exactly been… well, let’s say she’s been a little off lately. She hasn’t left her room in a very long time, and we aren’t really allowed near her chambers anymore. So, just to be safe, I think it’s best if we keep the audience small and polite. One by one. Less overwhelming for her, you know?”

  Euphemia said while smiling sheepishly, her wings twitching. She clapped again with exaggerated energy.

  “So! Who wants to go first?”

  All three of them answered at once.

  “Me!”

  They turned to each other in perfect synchronization, eyes narrowing with varying degrees of competitiveness and awkward tension. Euphemia blinked, then burst out laughing, spinning midair with delight.

  “Oh dear, this is perfect! Well then, I suppose we’ll have to let fate decide!”

  With a flick of her wrist, Euphemia summoned three glowing orbs of different colors—blue, pink, and silver—and let them spin in the air before zipping into the hands of each contestant.

  “Whoever gets the heart-shaped shimmer wins!”

  They all looked down. Adam had a plain blue glow. Meera’s orb flickered faintly with light. Kazue’s blinked rapidly and then exploded into a glittery burst of confetti in the shape of a glowing heart.

  “I won?! I won!!”

  Kazue squealed with joy, practically hopping in place.

  “Haha! I never win random draws, my gacha luck is always horrible!”

  She turned to Adam, beaming.

  “Wish me luck!”

  Before the boy could say anything, Euphemia had already floated back to Kazue’s side.

  “Well then, my lady of luck, come with me! Let’s not keep the goddess waiting!”

  With a snap of her fingers, the doors at the far end of the chamber opened ever so slightly, bathed in radiant light. Still vibrating with excitement, Kazue followed Euphemia with barely a backward glance. She was halfway across the room before Adam could so much as lift his hand to warn her. And just like that, she was gone—leaving him alone in a silent hall with Meera.

  The air instantly changed. For a moment, neither of them moved. Neither of them spoke. The glowing orbs of light above cast long, shifting shadows across the reflective floor. The distant echo of Euphemia’s cheerful humming faded beyond the next set of doors.

  Eventually, Thimerea and Auralis, who had been flitting around nearby, floated down in front of Adam and Meera with innocent smiles.

  “Well, we’ll leave you now. There’s still work to do in the garden.”

  Said Auralis happily.

  “Yes, we hope you both enjoy your visit with Lady Arianka!”

  Thimerea added, bowing midair. They waved their little glowing hands, then shot off into the air, giggling and twirling until they disappeared into a flash of divine light.

  Adam sighed… He had exactly two seconds to appreciate the quiet before he sensed the faintest change in the air behind him.

  He turned his head just in time to duck—narrowly dodging a curved blade that sliced through where his neck had been a heartbeat ago. He rolled backward, momentum pulling him into a defensive crouch.

  Two glowing chakram hovered in Meera’s hands, gleaming like the halos of angels weaponized into razors.

  “What the hell are you doing?! Violence is forbidden here!”

  Adam hissed, clearly confused. Meera smiled, cold and amused.

  “Oh, don’t look at me like that. If you’re so confident the rules protect you, why don’t you just stand still and let me hit you?”

  Adam’s eyes narrowed.

  “If we’re caught, we’ll be expelled. You know that.”

  She twirled a chakram on one finger like a coin, graceful and infuriatingly casual but with clear bloodlust.

  Her movements were fast—too fast. She was on him again in a second, her blades whirling. Adam invoked [Spectral Mist Step] mid-dodge, his body turning to vapor just as one chakram passed through him. It dispersed harmlessly through his ghostly form, but the heat of the divine energy still left a sting. He reformed on the far side of the room, breath sharp.

  “You’re enjoying this.”

  “Of course I am.”

  Meera said with a laugh.

  “I’ve been dying to test you ever since your name popped up on our priority list.”

  Adam’s mind raced, priority list? What was she talking about? But even so, this was insane—fighting inside a divine realm, right outside the throne room of a goddess? Something was wrong.

  He reached out mentally, and Malzaphir chuckled in the depths of his soul.

  “Oh yes, I figured you’d notice, vile human.”

  The archdevil said, voice purring with amusement.

  “She’s not just having fun. Her god is whispering to her right now. Telling her she won’t be punished as long as she doesn’t get caught.”

  Adam’s fists clenched.

  Of course. Divine contractees always had loopholes. And if her patron had enough sway to bend the rules beneath Arianka’s nose… He’d have to survive long enough to exploit that same system himself.

  Meera’s chakram whirled like twin suns through the air, carving cleanly through a marble pillar behind Adam as he dodged with a sidestep that turned his body into mist. The air hissed from the heat and velocity of her assault, leaving scorch marks in elegant curves across the pristine floor. Chunks of marble clattered down, the sound echoing through the grand, sacred hall.

  Adam gritted his teeth and reformed, his body whole once more, just meters away.

  “Stop it! You’re going to get us both thrown out if you keep damaging the palace.”

  The boy barked. However, Meera’s laugh rang like a bell—carefree, amused, and maddeningly pleased with herself.

  “Then stop dodging, and I won’t have to aim so wide.”

  She sang, her voice light with mockery.

  “Or is Adam Scholar only good at running away?”

  Another slash came from her chakram, the motion so fluid it felt more like part of a dance than an attack. Her movements weren’t just efficient—they were beautiful. Each step was deliberate, flowing from her hips to her shoulders with the grace of a trained performer. There was no wasted energy, no hesitation, only the spinning arcs of deadly steel orbiting her like extensions of her will.

  Adam tried again to backpedal, spectral mist trailing from his boots as he activated [Spectral Mist Step] repeatedly to phase through incoming strikes. But the path of destruction Meera carved behind her was growing. A statue of Arianka shattered under one swing of her weapon, a line of sacred symbols along the far wall crumbled with another. Every time Adam thought he had enough room, she closed the gap with terrifying precision.

  He wasn’t staying idle, though. At one point, he conjured defensive limbs—six insectoid legs formed of translucent bone and cursed sinew erupted from his back, reaching forward to block one of her strikes. But the moment the chakram met them, they were sliced clean through, scattering pieces of hardened matter across the floor like discarded shells.

  Still, Adam refused to retaliate. His mind was moving faster than his body, calculating angles, escape paths, and the time it would take before Kazue and Euphemia returned. He didn’t need to win. He just needed to endure.

  Meera halted abruptly after one particularly forceful exchange, her feet sliding to a perfect stop with the grace of a dancer finishing a routine. She stood there, one arm extended, breathing calmly through her nose as her chakram returned to her hands with a soft chime.

  “Is that it?”

  She asked with a small, disappointed shrug.

  “All that mystery and dread, and you’re just a misty little coward? I was told you were dangerous, that hunting you would be fun. But maybe I need to push you harder.”

  Her voice shifted—low, dangerous. Around her, the air began to change. A golden haze rippled outward from her feet, licking up her legs like sacred flame. Symbols written in a language not meant for mortals bloomed across her exposed skin, pulsing with divine rhythm. The chakram in her hands started to vibrate, glowing with heat, not of fire, but of purpose.

  Adam’s eyes widened. A system window appeared before him, flickering ominously:

  The message itself was enough. But then came the voice. Malzaphir chuckled from the depths of Adam’s soul, his presence like cold breath on the back of the boy’s neck.

  “Oho… how fun. She’s calling him. You’d better brace yourself, vile human. The god she serves doesn’t believe in restraint.”

  The chamber trembled and started as a faint vibration beneath Adam’s feet—subtle, almost imperceptible. But then the glow around Meera shifted, deepened, and surged upward like a pillar of flame ascending from the soul. It wasn’t merely divine light—it was a blazing torrent of sacred fury, roaring through the vaulted air like the scream of a sun. Runes etched in golden arcs ignited across the floor beneath her, spinning like wheels of judgment.

  From the center of that inferno, Meera’s silhouette expanded. Not physically—but in presence, in spirit, in resonance with something far greater than herself. And then… it descended.

  An immense figure unfurled above and behind her, not stepping into reality but pressing through it—cracking the fragile membrane between mortal space and higher realms. The form was impossible to ignore, seared into the air like a vision of a god sculpted from solar fire and unyielding grace.

  It was him, Zha’vrin. His image loomed like a divine sculpture carved from flame and ritual. Four majestic arms flowed in patterns of divine mudra, while a fifth hand hovered open in a gesture of eternal awareness. His eyes—six of them—shimmered with closed serenity, each opening one by one as if waking from meditation to gaze into Adam’s soul. His crimson hair floated as if submerged in light, and behind his head bloomed a lotus mandala of burning sigils, each spinning faster than the last.

  Meera stood beneath this towering avatar, her body ringed in a thousand threads of golden fire that wrapped around her arms, legs, and neck like sacred silk. Tattoos pulsed on her skin with the heat of devotion, and her eyes—wild, alive, ecstatic—flared with inhuman intensity. Her chakram spun beside her hips like twin stars orbiting a living sun.

  The moment the woman’s transformation was completed, her form glowing with divine wrath and elegance, Adam knew the real battle was about to take a horrible turn. That grin—wide, wicked, thrilled beyond reason—spread across her face like a challenge written in fire. Her chakrams spun around her in widening arcs, now twice their previous size, crackling with searing golden heat. The sound they made wasn't a whistle—it was a roar, like chainsaw wheels ripping through the fabric of the air itself.

  Then came her cry, clear and triumphant.

  “Deathroll Chakram!”

  And with that, the wheels were unleashed. The flaming rings surged forward in a straight line, tearing through the space between them like divine sawblades, and Adam barely managed to dive to the side in time. The heat singed his coat, and sparks chased his back as the chakrams screamed past him—but they didn’t stop.

  They curved midair, bending reality as they looped back toward him with deadly precision. He ducked low, rolled forward, then pivoted mid-slide to leap away from the floor, barely slipping through two intersecting chakrams by inches. The rhythm of the assault was relentless. One after another, the wheels twisted back into orbit and shot toward him again, forcing him to dodge in tighter and tighter corners. At one point he was practically crawling beneath blades of light, hands scraping against polished tiles, his every nerve on fire from the heat and momentum.

  Then it happened… Out of his peripheral vision, too late to block, he saw Meera’s figure suddenly appear from a blind spot—her body already in motion, that grin still plastered across her face, her chakrams orbiting wildly behind her as she twisted her frame for a punch. She didn’t speak. She simply drove her fist straight into Adam’s ribs with a devastating blow, the full silhouette of the god Zha’vrin behind her mirroring the movement with all four of its spectral arms. It was like being struck by an avalanche of celestial stone.

  Adam’s body shot backwards, spinning through the air like a ragdoll. He crashed through one of the marble pillars with a deafening crack, the impact carving trenches across the polished floor. He tumbled until he finally slammed into the far wall, where the momentum finally ended.

  And still, he didn’t stop. From his back, dozens of translucent spectral hands erupted in sequence, cushioning him just before the final impact with the wall. They slowed him, absorbed the worst of the shock, and then vanished almost immediately, flickering out like smoke.

  Adam collapsed to the floor, panting hard, blood running down the side of his face from a cut on his forehead. He had called on dozens of specters in those few seconds like an emergency net, but it was already clear that even they couldn’t linger in this place for more than a breath. Pantheon Eternal did not welcome the undead.

  Everything was against him.

  Slowly, with a groan that sounded more like a growl, Adam forced himself to his knees. His body screamed. He spat blood and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand.

  From deep within his mind, Malzaphir chuckled. The sound slithered around his skull like oily silk.

  “Well? What now, vile human? All those lovely tricks of yours seem rather impotent here, don’t they? This place rejects your kind. Your talents. Your very essence. Meanwhile, hers? Hah! She’s on sacred ground.”

  The devil’s voice teased. Adam coughed again, smearing red across his chin, but he smiled anyway.

  “I can’t afford to give up, it’s clear she won’t stop unless I make her, fortunately, I still have one last card to play.”

  He said quietly, standing a little straighter. Malzaphir paused.

  “Oh? And what would that be?”

  “You.”

  There was silence for a heartbeat. Then laughter—uproarious, unhinged, howling through Adam’s bones.

  “I already told you, I don’t take orders, I’m not your ally. If I help you, it’ll be because I want to. And right now… I don’t.”

  The archdevil said, voice dripping with mirth. Adam exhaled slowly, steadying his footing.

  “You’re lying.”

  That made Malzaphir laugh even harder.

  “Excuse me?”

  “You’re the Architect of Lies, right? So lie better.”

  Adam said with sarcasm.

  “Because I know exactly what you want. You’re bored. You want to have fun. And what can be funnier for a devil to show another god that his contractor is better than theirs?”

  And with that, Malzaphir’s laughter turned darker. Thicker. Satisfied.

  “…You’re getting better at this.”

  Across the fractured marble, Meera advanced again, her gait calm and confident, like a predator savoring the hunt. Her chakrams floated around her hands in graceful arcs, their golden edges spinning with lethal rhythm. The flames around her dimmed slightly, not from a loss of energy, but from control—complete and arrogant control. She tilted her head, eyes gleaming with mischief and condescension.

  “That's all you’ve got? I expected more from the system’s little freak. You’re making this too easy.”

  She called out, her voice playfully sharp and laced with mock disappointment. Then she raised a foot and stepped toward him again, the heels of her sandals tapping against the stone with an almost musical beat.

  But then she froze… The very air around Adam twisted. A deep, resonating hum pulsed from beneath his feet, vibrating through the ruins of shattered pillars and walls. The ground beneath him cracked—not from the damage he had sustained, but from the force suddenly erupting from within him. And then it hit.

  A concussive shockwave of crimson and black energy exploded outward, blasting dust and debris in every direction. The entire chamber quaked. The remaining fragments of divine marble rattled in place as the presence of something ancient and unnatural took hold of the room.

  Adam didn’t move. He stood with his arms slightly spread, his back hunched forward, and from behind him, towering in a display of overwhelming force, the form of Malzaphir descended like a god of nightmares unfurling from his throne of lies.

  The sky above them, if it could still be called that, darkened to a blood-washed black. From the space just behind Adam’s shoulders, two massive clawed arms emerged in spiraling bursts of devilish light. Tendrils of violet and obsidian flame coiled around his body, twisting through his limbs, wrapping around his core like armor made of wrath. Above his head, the archdevil’s true silhouette revealed itself, massive and regal, seated in a meditative pose—legs crossed, hands clasped, six infernal halos orbiting his crown. His third eye opened wide, casting a vertical scar of burning red across his ethereal face.

  Every one of Malzaphir’s eyes locked on Meera; every one of them smiled.