Adam's smile widened. It was not a pleasant expression—not cruel exactly, but hungry. The smile of someone who had been bored for a very long time and finally found something interesting.
"The easy way," Adam said, still crouched in front of Dagon, "is I snap my fingers and you stop existing. No pain. No suffering. No final thoughts. Just... gone." He demonstrated by snapping once, producing a sound that echoed through the ruined arena. "Like that."
Dagon's eyes tracked the snap. His breathing was still ragged, but something was rebuilding behind his ancient gaze. Fear was fading, replaced by the cold calculation of a being who had survived eons.
"And the fun way?" Dagon's voice was steadier now.
Adam's grin grew. "The fun way is you get back up. You throw everything you have at me. Every spell, every divine power, every trick you've learned in however many billions of years you've existed. And I show you, piece by piece, why none of it matters."
Dagon rose.
