Campe thrashed within the illusion, her massive form shuddering as it slowly transformed into white ash, the particles scattering into the Tartarus atmosphere until nothing remained. In her horror, she swung her claws and tail violently, and one powerful, blind swing caught Hades and sent him crashing into the wall.
Argh!
Hades groaned in agony. The impact tore his wound open wider, and dark ichor flowed freely down his side. He pushed himself up, using the rough wall for support.
'Soul flare!'
He summoned a searing, light-green flare of energy and hurled it toward the rampaging monster. The imminent danger shocked Campe's system, jolting her mind clear of the 'Gleam of Nightmare' spell. Instinct took over and she unleashed a torrent of dark green flame at full power. The two opposing fires collided in a blinding, sizzling clash.
'Huh!! I am tired of this shit,' Hades' body and mind were pushed to their absolute limit. 'Every plan, every calculation fails against her. Whenever I am close to winning, her primal instinct pulls her back from the brink.'
As the flames from both sides cooled, Campe, enraged, slammed her tail toward him. Exhausted and injured, Hades couldn't dodge in time. The blow smashed him into the wall again, and before he could recover, her tail coiled around him, binding him tightly. She began to constrict.
Crack! Aaahhhh!!!
A rib shattered, and the broken bone pierced his own organs. Black ichor poured from the wound as if she were squeezing an orange for its juice. Hades screamed in unbearable pain, his consciousness flickering. But with his last shred of strength, he gasped, "You left me no choice... 'Life Harvest.'"
A Twilight Flame ignited along his arm. A stream of tiny, glowing orbs surged from her tail and flowed into his chest. His injuries healed at a rapid and visible pace, while Campe's grip weakened dramatically, her strength draining away.
Startled by the sudden weakness, she tightened her grip one last time and raised a claw to slash at his face. The wound she opened closed instantly. She was too weak now.
Slowly, Campe began to thin out, desiccating. She didn't even have the strength to stand. Then, her body started to convert into white ash, exactly as she had seen in her illusion. She screamed and struggled, but it was useless. Her entire form dissolved into a pile of fine, white ash.
Hades absorbed her vast reservoir of divine and demonic energy—enough to elevate him to the level of a God King. Having already gained a profound understanding of his divinity when he created the Twilight Flame, this surge of power now nurtured his soul, body, and divinity, elevating him.
Suddenly, he felt a powerful block preventing his full ascent. He only reached the peak of God Chief level. He looked inward at his divinity and found the source: his own Underworld divinity was stopping him.
"One task is completed," he murmured to the power within him. "Soon, I will complete the other and become worthy of you."
As he turned to leave, an intense, heavy pressure slammed down on him. He had felt this before; it was the unmistakable presence of a Primordial.
A heavy, echoing voice boomed through the chamber. "Congratulations, Hades."
"Thank you, Lord Tartarus," Hades said, straining to remain polite and composed under the weight. "And my apologies... for killing your daughter."
"You do not have to apologise. I understand the demands of the Underworld. I never held much attachment to her... or to emotions," the voice replied, its tone utterly neutral. It paused. "But there is a problem. Campe guarded the final prison. Now, she is gone."
"What prison, lord Tartarus?" Hades asked.
"Do not play the fool, boy. I know you know of what I speak," Tartarus said, a flicker of annoyance in its cosmic voice. "I, too, hold a Divinity of Sin. I know what SIN you have committed, HADES." The Primordial emphasised the words, making them ring through the very air.
Hades was surprised by the revelation of a Sin Divinity but focused on the larger issue. "Do you mean the 'Greatest Sin of the Primordials'?"
"Yes. It concerns our greatest sin. And its seal is soon to break, releasing it upon the world," the voice replied, now tinged with a trace of concern.
Hades's eyes widened. "What!? Haven't you been maintaining the seal? How can it be breaking?"
"I have, for aeons. But my energy is now depleted from the effort. I will soon fall into a slumber for a million years, perhaps a billion. I can hold it no longer." Tartarus paused. "This is my proposal: I will grant you full control of Tartarus and aid you in completing your second task. In exchange, you will become the new guardian in my absence."
'Let's think,' Hades calculated swiftly. 'If I refuse, the seal breaks and all realms plunge into chaos. Everyone would be forced to intervene anyway, and I would lose the backing of a Primordial. If I accept, I still must deal with the threat, but I gain control of Tartarus and the support of its master. The outcome is the same, but the rewards are greater if I agree.'
"I will take the role of guardian," Hades stated.
"This is a great help to me. Thank you, Hades." The pressure lessened deliberately, and the voice lost some of its overwhelming heaviness.
"You do not have to thank me, Lord Tartarus. This is a burden for all of us to carry. If my generation does not step forward, then who will? I should be the one thanking you for bearing this responsibility for eons." Hades laid on the flattery with smooth, cheesy words.
"Hmm... I will remind you, this is a grave responsibility. A single mistake could cost everything..." With this final warning, the immense pressure and the primordial voice faded away into the depths of Tartarus.
Hades took a breath, flapped his powerful wings, and flew upward, leaving the abyss behind.