The Fifth Gate fractured into six floating arenas, each combatant pair hurled into their own space. Basim landed opposite Lacolone in a field of floating shuriken. Valgor faced Thano on a jagged diamond plain. Jessica stood over Maria's fallen guns; Maria rose again, aura glowing gold. Maya and Alister's chains rattled in a cathedral of blood-glass. Five Pillars, five duels, one purpose.
Basim's silhouette blurred, daggers singing with Whispercall. Lacolone floated his katana but fought barehanded, Driftform flickering. Basim whispered the Assassin's creed: "Nothing is true…" Lacolone answered: "…everything is forged." Thunderbrand arced through his fist. Blade against invisible blade.
Basim hurled a storm of spectral daggers, each aimed at nerve points. Lacolone Veilwarded with a crimson dome; daggers dissolved to light. Basim moved like water — Riftquake under each step. Lacolone Driftformed behind him, hand inches from his throat. Basim smiled: "Assassins embrace death, not run from it." Ethics cut deeper than steel.
Thano's fists hammered the diamond plains. Valgor's Thunderbrand sent lightning through fissures. Whispercall let him read micro-movements. Driftform blurred him inside Thano's guard. Riftquake pulsed from his palm into Thano's chestplate. Earth met storm.
Maria conjured new spectral pistols from pure soul energy. Jessica's Veilward reformed into gauntlets glowing violet. Maria spun like a ballerina, bullets ricocheting in perfect arcs. Jessica intercepted with Thunderbrand elbows. Riftquake buckled the floor, shifting trajectories. Dance resumed — deadlier than before.
Alister's blood chains whipped through the cathedral, each link engraved with past victims. Maya Driftformed between chains, leaving data-ghosts behind. She decoded his chain sigils mid-fight. Veilward shield spun, sparks of Whispercall flickering. Alister: "Every chain is a confession." Code met ritual.
Ghali Salah stood before a sealed sub-gate while Eden watched. He channeled all Five Pillars into his staff. Glyphs exploded like falling stars. Eden: "He's… rewriting the lock." The Sixth Gate trembled, revealing more Saints waiting. The scholar became a key.
Basim drove twin daggers into Lacolone's Veilward. Lacolone closed his eyes; all five Pillars spiraled into one point. His aura became a dark-white storm. "Soul Fusion — Storm Seraph Form." Basim staggered, whispering "Impossible…" Spirit and flesh fused as one.
Basim split into multiple shadows, each attacking from a different timeline. Lacolone's Whispercall locked on the real Basim. Driftform uppercut — blue lightning slammed through a shadow. Riftquake cracked open the floating arena. Basim used Thunderbrand to propel himself away midair. Assassin danced on the edge of time.
Thano's punch finally shattered Valgor's Veilward. Valgor grinned through blood, unleashing Riftquake from his heart. Thunderbrand lightning netted Thano's arms. Driftform spin kick crushed Thano's diamond gauntlet. Whispercall revealed Thano's core weakness. Cracks spread even in stone.
Jessica channeled Riftquake into her fists; shockwaves tore Maria's bullets mid-flight. Maria countered with Golden Soul Burst from both pistols. Jessica vanished with Driftform, reappearing above. Thunderbrand elbow smash met Maria's crossed arms. Veilward shielded both from collapse. Respect born inside war.
Maya deciphered Alister's blood chain pattern, turning it into a digital virus. Her staff glowed as Whispercall injected code into the chain. Links dissolved into butterflies of data. Alister roared; Riftquake pulsed from his chest. Maya Driftformed behind him, planting a virus spike. Chains broke; truths surfaced.
Elito's hologram loomed above every arena again. "Humanity is a toxin," his echo boomed. Basim glanced up mid-fight: "Maybe he's right…" Lacolone: "Or maybe the toxin is despair." Each combatant momentarily reflected. Philosophy cut through gunfire.
One by one, all heroes ignited their Five Pillars to max. Thunderbrand storms, Veilward domes, Whispercall halos. Driftform halos flickered like meteors. Riftquake ripples shook entire arenas. Eden shielded his eyes, whispering: "This is beyond fighting…" Soul control ascended.
Basim vs. Lacolone — daggers and storm fists collided. Valgor vs. Thano — hammer fists cracked the world. Jessica and Maria's duel became a blur of streaking light. Maya and Alister locked staves and chains. Ghali Salah tore open a secondary portal. Four duels; one crescendo.
The Sixth Gate flared, drawing energy from every clash. Glyphs spiraled around Eden's hands involuntarily. He saw visions of the Seventh Door cracking. Elito's voice: "Open all, and I awaken." Ghali Salah steadied himself, eyes glowing. Mystery deepened with every strike.
All arenas trembled as if sinking. Basim halted mid-lunge, sensing something older rising. Maria's pistols flickered to ash. Alister's chain crumbled entirely. Valgor and Thano looked up as code rain fell. The battlefield itself began to die.
Above the Sixth Gate a massive spiral opened, revealing the shadow of a colossal throne — the Seventh Door manifesting. Everyone's Pillars flickered, unstable. Elito's hologram cracked, revealing a vast golden eye inside.
"The final Gate awaits.
Choose your side."
All roads now led to the Seventh. And only one would emerge whole.