The cracks in the Infernal Armis had changed everything. What had begun as a test of strength between Arthur and Gideon now carried implications that neither combatant had anticipated. The artifact's divine consciousness recoiled from the Grey like a living thing experiencing pain, and that fear manifested as desperate, escalating aggression.
"If your power threatens the very existence of my weapon," Gideon said, his voice carrying notes of genuine alarm mixed with growing fury, "then I will ensure you cannot use it."
But even as he prepared to escalate their confrontation, new threats materialized from the dimensional distortions surrounding the crater. Three figures emerged from spatial tears that opened like wounds in reality itself.
The Vampire Venerables moved with predatory grace that spoke to centuries of accumulated power, their enhanced capabilities placing them at the absolute peak of Immortal-rank.
