The world began to change.
Nilus's Hellscape spread outward like a stain across reality. The air warped first, colors draining and twisting as if the world itself were being peeled away to reveal something far darker beneath it. The ground beneath their feet trembled as the oppressive force of the Hellscape pressed down on everything within its reach.
But it didn't fully take hold.
A shimmering sphere surrounded Calvinel and the others, the boundary of his Soul Chamber pushing back against the invading domain. Inside the barrier the world remained stable, reality holding together under the strain. Calvinel gritted his teeth, every muscle in his body locked with effort as he forced the domain outward. For the moment, the bubble of his Soul Chamber held.
But it was obvious who was winning.
Nilus tilted his head slightly, studying the phenomenon with open curiosity. "What is this?" he said, his tone thoughtful rather than irritated, his eyes settling on the struggling knight below. "Someone that actually managed to bring out their Soul Chamber?"
The Hellscape continued pressing forward, the edges of Calvinel's domain slowly being forced inward. Nilus watched the shrinking boundary with a calm, almost academic interest before continuing, "I'll say it, I'm impressed."
His gaze sharpened slightly as he examined the structure of the domain more closely.
"But what is with this refinement? It's practically brand new. Did you just get it?"
He was right, of course. Calvinel had only awakened it a few days ago and had used it once. There had been no time to refine it, no time to strengthen it through practice. Now he was forcing it to stand against someone far more experienced.
"Come on you damn knight!" Amara shouted from behind him. "I can't die here so keep going!"
Calvinel's breathing had already become ragged.
"Ugh… ughh…"
His hands trembled violently as he held them forward, trying to maintain the boundary of his Soul Chamber. Sweat ran down his face as pain and exhaustion crashed through him. His breathing grew faster and faster, each breath shorter than the last.
Slowly, the blue color in his eyes began to fade, draining toward a dull gray under the crushing strain. Even the deep black of his hair seemed to lose its color slightly as the exhaustion hollowed him out.
"Death from my Hellscape is quick," Nilus said calmly from above. "So stop fighting back and let yourselves die a quick death instead of drawing it out."
Calvinel's Soul Chamber was barely holding together now. The protective sphere continued shrinking, the boundary warping and bending as the Hellscape pressed harder against it.
Annabel stared at it, panic clawing through her thoughts.
*What can I do? What can I do!? Goddess nothing's coming to mind! I have no defense against this!*
Her mind raced desperately for something—anything—that could help.
Then a voice spoke.
"Whoa, what's going on here Nilus?"
Everyone froze.
They all turned toward the source of the voice. Standing on the ground beneath Nilus was another demon. The moment they saw him, their hearts sank.
"Drimus?" Nilus said, glancing down at him with mild surprise. "What are you doing here?"
That brief shift in his attention weakened the pressure of the Hellscape slightly. It was barely noticeable, but Calvinel felt it immediately.
With a strained push he forced his Soul Chamber outward just enough to hold the boundary in place—just stopping the Hellscape from swallowing them completely.
Drimus casually raised the iron sword in his hand, blood dripping slowly from its edge.
"We're finished with our side," he said plainly. "Everyone's dead. Lord Armada's already at the coliseum."
The words landed like a physical blow.
"What?" Clara muttered, her voice tight with disbelief as her eyes instinctively turned toward the distant coliseum rising above the city.
"N-no… no they… they're in?" the Guard Commander said, staring in stunned disbelief.
Nilus looked down at Drimus again, his expression tightening slightly.
"That doesn't explain why you're here."
Drimus nodded once.
"I'll tell you," he said. "Bring me up first. Lord Armada said I have to make sure only you hear it."
Nilus let out an annoyed breath. Even while maintaining his Hellscape and the telekinetic barrier around himself, he extended his power downward and lifted Drimus up through the air until the two of them hovered face to face.
"Hurry up and tell me," Nilus said impatiently. "Maintaining all of this is straining."
Drimus leaned in slightly as if he were about to whisper something important.
Then he asked calmly, "Can you do all this with no arms?"
Nilus blinked in confusion.
He didn't get time to think about it.
Drimus moved instantly. His iron sword flashed upward in a brutal swing, slicing cleanly through both of Nilus's forearms. The blade tore through porcelain flesh with a sharp crack, severing both arms and leaving jagged edges spraying dark blood into the air.
Nilus screamed.
The Hellscape collapsed immediately. Without his focus to sustain it, the warped environment shattered like glass and the world snapped back to normal. At the same time Nilus's telekinetic hold on himself failed, sending him dropping from the sky.
Drimus landed lightly on the ground beside him.
"Looks like you can't," he said casually.
Behind him, Calvinel's arms finally dropped. The knight collapsed forward onto the ground, unconscious the moment the strain disappeared.
Everyone else stood frozen, shock and confusion written across their faces as they struggled to process what had just happened.
Nilus gritted his teeth and turned his cracked porcelain face toward Drimus.
"You… you filthy traitor!" he screamed.
Before he could do anything else, Drimus stepped forward and drove a brutal kick straight into Nilus's face. The impact sent cracks spreading across the porcelain surface of his skin.
"Filthy is a compliment to a lust demon," Drimus said casually. "You know that."
Then he turned toward the others.
"I'm on your side now."
He gave them a wide smile, followed by a wink and an exaggerated thumbs-up.
Then he raised his iron sword and brought it down in a clean vertical strike. The blade split Nilus's head down the middle, the porcelain structure shattering apart under the blow as fragments broke away and the body collapsed lifelessly.
Drimus rested the sword on his shoulder and looked at the group.
"So let's all get along and stop this invasion, okay?"