Campe thrashes within the illusion, her massive form shuddering as it slowly transforms into white ash, the particles scattering into the Tartarus atmosphere until nothing remains. In her horror, she swings her claws and tail violently, and one powerful, blind swing catches Hades and sends him crashing into the wall.
Argh!!
Hades groans in agony. The impact tears his wound open wider, and dark ichor flows freely down his side. He pushes himself up, using the rough wall for support.
'Soul flare!'
He summons a searing, light-green flare of energy and hurls it toward the rampaging monster. The imminent danger shocks Campe's system, jolting her mind clear of the 'Gleam of Nightmare' spell. Instinct takes over and she unleashes a torrent of dark green flame at full power. The two opposing fires collide in a blinding, sizzling clash.
'Huh!! I am tired of this shit,' Hades' body and mind 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 cool, Campe, enraged, slams her tail toward him. Exhausted and injured, Hades can't dodge in time. The blow smashes him into the wall again, and before he can recover, her tail coils around him, binding him tightly. She begins to constrict.
Crack! Aaahhhh!!!
A rib shatters, and the broken bone pierces his own organs. Black ichor pours from the wound as if she is squeezing an orange and its juice. Hades screams in unbearable pain, his consciousness flickering. But with his last shred of strength, he gasps, "You left me no choice... 'Life Harvest'."
A Twilight Flame ignites along his arm. A stream of tiny, glowing orbs surges from her tail and flows into his chest. His injuries heal at a rapid and visible pace, while Campe's grip weakens dramatically, her strength draining away.
Startled by the sudden weakness, she tightens her grip one last time and raises a claw to slash at his face. The wound she opens closes instantly. She is too weak now.
Slowly, Campe begins to thin out, desiccating. She doesn't even have the strength to stand. Then, her body starts to convert into white ash, exactly as she saw in her illusion. She screams and struggles, but it is useless. Her entire form dissolves into a pile of fine, white ash.
Hades absorbs 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 nurtures his soul, body, and divinity, elevating him.
Suddenly, he feels a powerful block preventing his full ascent. He only reaches the peak of God Chief level. He looks inward at his divinity and finds the source: his own Underworld divinity is stopping him.
"One task is completed," he murmurs to the power within him. "Soon, I will complete the other and become worthy of you."
As he turns to leave, an intense, heavy pressure slams down on him. He has felt this before; it is the unmistakable presence of a Primordial.
A heavy, echoing voice booms through the chamber. "Congratulations, Hades."
"Thank you, Lord Tartarus," Hades says, 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 replies, its tone utterly neutral. It pauses. "But there is a problem. Campe guarded the final prison. Now, she is gone."
"What prison, lord Tartarus?" Hades asks.
"Do not play the fool, boy. I know you know of what I speak," Tartarus says, 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 emphasises the words, making them ring through the very air.
Hades is surprised by the revelation of a Sin Divinity but focuses 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 replies, now tinged with a trace of concern.
Hades's eyes widen. "What!? Haven't you been maintaining the seal? How can it be breaking?"
"I have, for eons. 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 pauses. "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 calculates 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 states.
"This is a great help to me. Thank you, Hades." The pressure lessens deliberately, and the voice loses 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 lies 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 fade away into the depths of Tartarus.
Hades takes a breath, flaps his powerful wings, and flies upward, leaving the abyss behind.