The weight of Hades' gravity pressed relentlessly, but Kairo refused to yield. His crimson eyes blazed with determination as he discarded the chains and Bone Blade, letting them clatter to the scorched floor behind him. Every ounce of physical encumbrance gone, he focused purely on the Gravekeeper's power coursing through him.
The ground trembled as Kairo whispered incantations in the language of the dead. Bones erupted violently from the cracked floor, twisting into jagged spears, spikes, and skeletal serpents that writhed through the air. His aura flared crimson, the very essence of death bending to his command.
"You may weigh me down," Kairo hissed, his voice low and resonant, "but even death obeys me!"
The bone constructs surged forward, a tide of relentless strikes aimed at Hades' form. Shadows twisted, smoke swirled, and the throne room seemed to hold its breath. Hades' gravity continued to press, yet the bones moved with fluid precision, forming a barrier and then attacking with calculated intent.
Hades' gaze, deep and unyielding, met Kairo's. "Clever," he said, voice echoing through the chamber like rolling thunder. "You think you can bend death itself against me?"
Kairo's aura flared brighter. Bones wrapped around his arms, spinning like whips and hammers simultaneously, striking at angles designed to test and probe Hades' defenses. "I don't think," Kairo said, teeth clenched. "I know."
The first clash began — bone meeting shadow, Gravekeeper magic against godly authority. Sparks of energy, fragments of skull and stone, and surges of supernatural force erupted in every direction. Kairo moved like a storm incarnate, the Bone Blade abandoned, chains cast aside, yet every attack carried lethal intent.
This was no longer survival. This was a statement. The Red-Eyed One had arrived to challenge the king of Hell on his throne, and even gods would feel the weight of what was coming.