“I can’t let you complete your Shadow Trial,” Nameless interrupted. His tone was even, unreadable. “I’m going to ask you to let Berserker go.”
Zagreus’ thoughts shattered like glass.
Normally, he wouldn’t feel betrayed like this.
But there was a chance—just a chance—that the man standing in front of him was his brother. And now that same brother was saying he would betray him?
Zagreus was stunned.
It took him a few moments to come to terms with the reality.
And then the anger came.
Zagreus clenched his fists and turned toward the demon beside him.
“Give me—”
“Silence.” Nameless Death’s voice echoed, but this time it carried weight. His Concept, [Truth], bent the world around his words.
Zagreus choked mid-sentence.
His mouth opened but no sound came.
His thoughts tried to rally, to push for more strength from the demon, but even that was cut off. He couldn’t even think.
His thoughts had been silenced.
The “Silence” spread across the area like a ripple.
Asmodea froze mid-motion, her lips parting to speak. But nothing came. Leonora faltered too, stunned and unable to speak or even channel her magic.
For a moment, even the sound of the wind disappeared.
Then something flared.
Asmodea’s eyes burned the shade of red.
She drew deeply from her own blood, tapping into the power she had received from her God.
Her skin shimmered, scales forming across her forearms and cheeks.
Her pupils narrowed into slits, burning with draconic power.
Nameless Death’s eyes narrowed. That wasn’t her own strength. It came from something ancient… something dormant within her.
“I see,” he said quietly. “You borrowed power.”
His hand lifted.
“Sleep.”
Two Concepts merged—[Truth] and [Eternal Sleep]—and collided with her like a wave.
She resisted, claws scraping against the dirt as she fought the effects. But the weight was too much.
She collapsed seconds later.
Leonora had already slumped to the ground, and Zagreus followed shortly after, his eyes locked on Nameless Death with fury until the moment his vision dimmed.
Finally, silence reigned.
Nameless Death turned toward Berserker.
“I believe you already know why I’m doing this,” he said. “But just in case, let me make it clear. I’m only helping you because of what I saw inside the Sacred Gate.”
Berserker didn’t look impressed. “And what makes you think I need your help?”
“Because of that.”
Nameless Death’s gaze shifted past Berserker’s shoulder.
A storm of energy was tearing through the distance, pushing clouds aside as it approached. The sky groaned under its weight.
Barbatos.
He had sensed the disturbance, the betrayal, the attacks on Asmodea, Zagreus, and Leonora.
Now he was coming to take down the Berserker and Nameless Death.
“If he makes a move, you’ll be crushed,” Nameless said calmly.
“I’m not afraid of a challenge—”
“But protecting the Site is more important,” Nameless cut him off.
Berserker didn’t argue.
His expression remained unchanged, but the slight shift of his feet was enough. It was a reluctant agreement.
He lifted his shoulders in a loose shrug.
“So what’s the plan?”
“For now, let’s return to your base. We need to leave before Barbatos arrives.”
“And what’s stopping you from attacking my medium once we get there?”
Nameless Death met his gaze.
He could’ve given a logical answer. Something about balance, consequences, the risk of destruction of the universe if he harmed the Berserker’s medium.
But Berserker already knew all of that.
So he said something else.
“Why are you asking that? Are you afraid of me?”
A vein ticked in Berserker’s forehead.
Nameless added, “Besides, you still haven’t given me a reward for defeating you last time. Or this time. So think of this as repaying your debt.”
Berserker didn’t respond immediately. But he didn’t argue either.
He had known this moment would come eventually. It was part of why he hadn’t taken the earlier fight too seriously.
Why he had been so confident when speaking to Karax, the ant. Because he’d planned for this.
He extended a hand. “Grab on. We’ll teleport from here to my base.”
Nameless Death eyed the hand with a mildly weirded out expression.
Berserker rolled his eyes, noticing his reaction.
“The teleporters you rigged around the jungle are useless for this jump. I know you placed them for quick escapes, but they can’t reach my base. Just grab the damn hand.”
Instead, Nameless placed his hand on Berserker’s shoulder.
Berserker’s lips twitched. “Of course.”
Then—
“St…op…”
The voice was quiet, almost cracked, but it reached them both.
Nameless Death turned sharply.
Zagreus.
He was standing. His knees were shaking, but he was upright. His mouth was open. His voice still worked.
He was resisting [Silence].
Nameless could see it now. The scales on his arms, the glow of red slit-like eyes, blood burning under his skin.
He was using his dormant power of draconic blood, pushing beyond what he should’ve been able to endure.
“Don’t… you dare…”
He was glaring straight at Nameless Death with gaze full of fury and betrayal and grief all tangled together.
Nameless turned stared at him for a moment, then turned away.
Without a word, he reached out with his mind.
Leonora’s unconscious body floated up into the air as his telekinesis took hold.
Berserker frowned.
“What are you doing?”
“She’s coming with me.”
Nameless adjusted Leonora’s position midair, making sure her head wasn’t slumped awkwardly.
Berserker gave him a strange look.
“Are you planning to accept her mother’s offer—”
“No.”
Berserker didn’t press. He rolled his shoulder instead and muttered something under his breath that sounded suspiciously like, “Should’ve expected that.”
They vanished a moment later.
As soon as the space they had occupied was cleared, the ripple holding down the area disappeared.
The ‘silence’ faded.
The air seemed to snap back to its proper tone.
Zagreus gasped in a full breath. His chest heaved.
The pressure on his throat, and thoughts vanished.
He dropped to one knee, sweat dripping from his chin. His arms were still scaled.
But the compulsion was gone. The [Silence] had been lifted.
Across from him, Asmodea remained motionless. Whatever power she had tapped into before being hit with [Eternal Sleep], it hadn’t been enough.
Before he could crawl over to check on her—
The ground exploded.
A force like a meteor slammed into the clearing. Dirt, stone, and loose metal shards shot upward as a crater formed in the center. Dust swallowed the area for a few seconds, then scattered with a pulse of divine aura.
Barbatos had arrived.
His descent had broken the terrain into cracked lines and fractured stone.
“Locate them,” Zagreus snapped. “They couldn’t have gone far away.”
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