The cavern shook violently as shadows and illusions collided with raw steel. Igron's Domain of Trickery and Deceit had reached its full scope — walls, floor, and ceiling became warped, multiplying his phantoms into dozens of copies that mirrored every strike. Chains slithered like serpents, striking from every angle.
Veyrith, crimson aura blazing in berserk intensity, sliced through illusion after illusion, each swing of his sword cleaving through layers of deception. Sweat and blood streaked his face, yet his eyes burned with unyielding focus.
"Igron! How much longer will you dance with shadows?!" Veyrith roared, deflecting a barrage of phantom chains with his sword.
Igron's smirk gleamed beneath his hood. "Until my mission is complete! Every strike you make… every move you react to… buys him time! Kairo's path must remain clear!"
Veyrith's grin flashed, wild and exhilarating. "Then let us see whose will is stronger! I fight for the battle itself, Igron! Every clash, every parry, every trick you throw… I savor it!"
The two collided in a storm of shadows and steel. Sparks flew as chains met sword, illusions disintegrated under berserk strikes, and shockwaves shattered the cavern walls. Each clash was a test of skill, perception, and raw power — neither willing to yield.
Igron's Domain twisted further, phantoms striking from behind, above, and below. Veyrith countered with a whirlwind of swordsmanship, moving faster than the eye could follow. Yet each strike brought him closer to exhaustion; the Domain forced him to constantly adapt, drain, and anticipate.
"I see it now," Veyrith panted, sweat dripping, crimson aura flaring brighter. "The lengths you'll go to for freedom… and the lengths I'll go for this thrill!"
Igron's eyes glinted. "Good… then endure, Veyrith! Fight, and let the chaos itself mark the path for him!"
With a final surge, Igron unleashed a massive wave of illusions, merging reality and trickery so completely that even the shadows themselves seemed alive. Veyrith fought with everything, sword flashing like lightning, aura roaring, but the domain's pressure forced him into a defensive storm.
At last, Igron allowed a brief opening. He stepped back, chains rattling, illusions fading slightly. "The path is clear," he said, voice calm, almost whispering. "Go… before the real storm begins."
Veyrith, still standing despite exhaustion and bleeding from multiple cuts, breathed heavily. "You… trickster… don't think I won't catch up," he said, a smirk breaking through the weariness.
Igron nodded once, eyes focused elsewhere. "Then fight me again… after he faces Hades."
Beyond the shattered corridors and roaring chaos, Kairo's crimson aura blazed brighter, chains coiling and Bone Blade humming. The path to the Gravekeeper now lay completely open, ready for the next step of his plan.
Hell trembled, but the Red-Eyed One advanced, unstoppable, as the clash behind him became the perfect diversion.