The throne room shook as Kairo surged forward, Bone Blade humming with Gravekeeper energy. Crimson aura flared around him, bones erupting from the floor and walls, forming whips, spikes, and skeletal serpents that lashed toward Hades' throne.
Hades' light shield flared in response, bending the bones' paths with invisible force. The very air warped, light shimmering and twisting as though reality itself obeyed him. Gravity pressed down with renewed intensity, forcing Kairo to stagger beneath the weight.
"You persist," Hades intoned, voice low and resonant, "but you cannot break perfection."
Kairo gritted his teeth, spinning Bone Blade and summoning spiraling bone constructs. "I'm not breaking perfection. I'm carving a path through it!"
The first collision erupted in a deafening shockwave. Bones slammed into the shield, sparks of divine energy spraying in every direction. Each strike left cracks in the light barrier, but Hades countered instantly, slashing with beams of concentrated light and summoning sharp, spear-like projections that threatened to pierce Kairo from all sides.
Kairo twisted midair, redirecting bone whips to deflect the spears, then slammed the Bone Blade into the floor, sending a shockwave of bones spiraling upward. The shield flared violently, bending, reshaping, but a small fracture had formed near the throne's edge.
Hades' eyes narrowed. "Clever… but cleverness alone cannot defeat the Abyss."
He struck, light beams slicing through the spikes of bone, knocking Kairo back. Crimson energy flared as Kairo recovered, summoning a dome of bones to absorb part of the impact. Every step forward was a battle, every movement a negotiation with divine pressure and shielded light.
Kairo's aura surged, crimson flames licking the edges of his shielded bones. I will find a crack… and I will drive through it.
The throne room trembled under their clash. Shadows twisted, flames danced, and the air was thick with the scent of ozone and scorched stone. For the first time, both combatants were testing limits — Kairo's ingenuity against Hades' absolute authority.
The first cracks had formed, but the battle had only just begun.