Sirius took the light spirit while Orion engaged the dark one, their tigers working in parallel despite the hatred between masters. Coordination born from years of training in similar styles rather than any remaining affection.
Ten seconds of combat before both spirits fell, efficiency born from desperation and skill that hadn't been completely eroded by exhaustion.
The rewards: four artifacts and a pile of crystals that would have made them happy under different circumstances. Now they just felt like a small payment for huge suffering that couldn't be compensated.
SIXTH CHAMBER
Four spirits materialized, a mix of light and darkness that attacked perfectly coordinated to the level of shared consciousness or central control. All of them touching the threshold of low Gold-rank power, actually threatening despite the soldiers numerical advantage.
