"He is mine now. And through him… so shall you all be."
The dome trembled. The abyss pulsed.
The real test had arrived.
For a moment, the silence was unbearable. It wasn't the silence of safety, nor even the silence of despair. It was a silence so heavy that every breath they took sounded like a scream against it.
Rick's knuckles bled as his grip tightened around his blade. His mind replayed the last moment—the way Devil had been dragged into the Watcher's maw, his final plea echoing like a curse: If I fall… then kill me before I kill you.
Piu's hands shook on her staff, tears burning trails down her face. She wanted to shout, to deny, to scream that it wasn't over. But every word stuck in her throat, drowned by fear and grief.
Sun's golden fire sputtered at his fingertips, his body trembling under the weight of exhaustion. Yet his eyes blazed, wild with defiance. "It's not over," he whispered to himself. "It can't be."
Babasaheb, calm though wearied, closed his eyes. His silver aura wavered, flickering like a candle in the wind. "Prepare yourselves," he said, his voice steady but grave. "What comes next is not Devil… and yet it is."
The void pulsed again. And from the abyss, a figure stepped forward.
It was Devil. His form was unmistakable—broad shoulders, crimson eyes, the jagged scar that crossed his cheek. But something was different. Shadows laced through his veins like black fire, spreading across his skin in twisting patterns. His eyes no longer held the fury or despair of before; they glowed, unblinking, suffused with something inhuman.
Yet when he opened his mouth, the voice was his. Weak. Strained. Barely his own.
"Run."
The single word ripped through the silence like a blade.
Piu gasped, stumbling forward. "Devil! You're still there! You can fight it—"
His body convulsed violently, shadows surging across his chest, his neck, his face. He screamed, a sound so raw it tore through the dome itself, sending cracks spiderwebbing across the silver barrier.
Rick pressed his blade against the floor, steadying himself. "I'm not running," he snarled. "If you're still in there, Devil, then I'll pull you out—even if I have to cut that monster out of you with my own hands!"
The Watcher's laughter rolled across the void, low and endless, a sound that pressed against their skulls and threatened to drive them mad.
"Through him, you shall break. Through him, you shall fall. Hunger does not wait—it devours."
The dome shuddered violently, silver light dimming. Babasaheb stretched out his hands, sweat beading across his forehead as he forced his magic to hold. "I cannot… keep it steady much longer," he admitted. "If you fight him here, the barrier will shatter."
Piu's voice broke. "Then what do we do?!"
Devil staggered closer, his movements jerky, pulled by invisible chains of shadow. His crimson eyes flickered between desperation and the void's endless hunger. His hands clenched at his sides, claws of shadow sprouting from his fingertips.
"Kill me…" he rasped, his voice breaking, tears welling in his corrupted eyes. "Kill me… before he does."
The dome cracked again—this time, nearly split.
Rick stepped forward, blade trembling in his grip. His heart raged against the choice. "I can't… I won't kill you."
But Devil's body lurched forward, smashing against the barrier. Cracks spread like lightning. His hand pressed against the dome, the shadows around him flaring violently.
Behind him, the Watcher loomed. Its maw twisted into something resembling a smile.
"Choose," it whispered, voice sliding into their minds like poison. "Kill your friend—or I take you all through him."
The dome screamed under the strain, every fracture glowing with failing silver light. Babasaheb gritted his teeth, his body trembling as he poured every ounce of strength into holding the barrier.
But it was not enough.
With a sound like glass shattering underwater, Devil's hand—wreathed in living shadow—slipped through the dome.
Rick's eyes widened. His blade snapped up, but the hand didn't strike. Instead, it reached for him. Fingers curled, not to attack, but to grab his wrist.
"Rick…" Devil whispered, his voice broken, pained, human. "If I fall—end it."
Rick's grip shook. He wanted to shout, to deny, to pull him through. But before he could answer, the shadows roared. Devil's hand twisted, claws erupting from his fingers, and the Watcher's voice thundered:
"Your hesitation feeds me."
The dome split, light exploding outward.
And with it—the war truly began.
The barrier shattered into silver shards, dissolving into the abyss. The protective glow was gone, leaving them naked beneath the Watcher's gaze. The void itself pressed against their skin, their lungs, their souls.
Shadows surged inward like a flood. Tendrils lashed out, curling around Piu's staff, snapping it aside. Another wrapped around Rick's blade, dragging it toward the ground. Sun's fire flared, searing away one tendril—but three more lashed across his chest, forcing him back with a cry of pain.
Babasaheb raised his hand, a final surge of silver light erupting from his palm. The shadows recoiled briefly, hissing. But the effort sent him staggering to his knees. "I… cannot hold him back," he gasped. "The Watcher has anchored itself inside Devil. If he falls, so do we all."
Devil stepped forward, now fully inside the dome's ruins. His body twitched with every step, like a puppet jerked on invisible strings. Shadows chained his limbs, but his face—his face was torn between agony and rage.
"Run…" he whispered again, his voice almost gone. "Don't make me…"
His eyes flared crimson-black. His body jerked upright. And in the next instant, he moved.
Faster than Rick could blink, Devil appeared in front of him, claws slicing through the air. Rick barely raised his blade in time. Steel met shadow with a scream of sparks, the impact hurling him backward.
Piu screamed his name, rushing to his side, but Devil was already turning. His claws slashed toward her throat.
Sun roared, golden fire exploding from his hands, colliding with Devil in a burst of light. For an instant, the shadows shrieked, recoiling. Devil staggered back, his face twisting in torment.
But the Watcher's laughter returned, louder now, filling the void.
"Fight him… kill him… or fall with him."
Rick scrambled to his feet, blade trembling. His heart screamed against the choice. But Devil was no longer holding back. His claws rose again, shadows swirling into a storm.
And in his corrupted eyes, Rick saw it—his friend's silent plea.
End me.
The next strike fell.
The abyss roared.
And in that moment—the choice was theirs.