The crushing force of Hades' light shield pressed down relentlessly, warping space around Kairo. Each step, each swing of the Bone Blade, seemed measured by divine weight, as though the very air conspired to hold him down.
But the Red-Eyed One refused to kneel. Crimson aura flared brighter, bones erupting in spirals around him, piercing, twisting, forcing the shield to constantly adjust. With a final surge of will, Kairo's magic struck a gap in the shield's weave.
He roared, summoning the Bone Blade back into his hand. The weapon gleamed crimson, humming with Gravekeeper energy, as if eager to strike through the impossible. Kairo pushed upward, muscles straining against the light-infused gravity, and finally, he stood fully upright, aura blazing like a storm of fire and death.
The throne room trembled as Hades' shield pulsed, reacting to the Red-Eyed One's defiance. "Impressive," Hades intoned, voice echoing like thunder. "You survive my will… but do not mistake persistence for victory."
Kairo's crimson eyes glowed brighter. "Persistence isn't enough. I am the storm that breaks barriers!"
He surged forward, chains whirling at his back, Bone Blade slicing through the shimmering barrier. Bones erupted from the floor and walls in perfect synchronization, piercing at every angle, hammering the shield, testing its limits. Light bent and twisted under his assault, sparks flying as divine force collided with bone and aura.
For the first time, the Red-Eyed One had momentum. The shield wavered, cracking faintly under the relentless barrage. Kairo's aura flared higher, bones spinning like whips, Bone Blade glowing like molten crimson, and he advanced, unstoppable, toward the throne where Hades waited.
The chamber shook. Shadows writhed. The Red-Eyed One was no longer kneeling, no longer weighed down. He had risen, defying the absolute force of the Abyss, and the battle for Hell had truly begun.