The ancestor chamber was silent except for the slow, steady ripples in the blood pool. The Bloodreaver ancestor floated above the wooden plank in deep meditation, his breathing so faint that he looked half-asleep. If anyone entered right now, they would believe he was harmless.
Knight appeared behind him, stepping quietly out of the shadow. He carried the Del Rey ancestor still unconscious, still frozen in the exact posture he had been in when he attempted to stab the Bloodreaver ancestor in the back earlier.
His blade was raised, arm extended, body angled forward.
Knight placed him silently on the same platform behind the meditating ancestor. Romothese looked like a statue ready to strike.
Then Knight lifted two fingers.
A soft essence ripple pulsed outward, soundless but sharp, and struck the Bloodreaver ancestor on the forehead and undid the shadows binding the Del Rey ancestor.
His eyes snapped open.
His body jerked up as he jumped back, summoning blood and fire around his arms in pure instinct. His expression shifted from confusion to alarm. He spun around, expecting to see an ambush.
And the first thing he saw was another demon behind him, blade raised, only a breath away from stabbing him.
"What—!" The Bloodreaver ancestor’s voice cracked with shock.
Romothese blinked awake at the same exact moment, gasping as his body resumed motion. His eyes widened as he saw the Bloodreaver ancestor glaring at him with killing intent.
He looked lost... but had no time to speak.
Before either ancestor could react further, Knight vanished, slipping into space again. A heartbeat later, he appeared outside the chamber and punched.
BOOM!!
The narrow walls of the chamber shook violently as a blast hit from outside. The impact thundered through the whole structure.
Cracks spread across the ceiling. Dust poured down.
Another hit.
And the roof finally gave way.
The chamber collapsed in on itself, sending debris and blood-soaked stone down onto both ancestors. They both jumped back in surprise, leaping in opposite directions as the wooden plank shattered under falling rubble.
The Bloodreaver ancestor didn’t wait. His ears caught the distant sounds, explosions, screams, fire, and the unmistakable roar of deathmist spreading across the city. His expression sharpened, fury flooding his eyes.
He shot upward, wings of blood-fire bursting behind him as he prepared to fly out of the collapsing chamber.
But Romothese, still confused and trying to understand how he woke up inside a ruined chamber facing an enemy ancestor, reacted in panic.
"You...!" he barked and shot forward, blade blazing with blue flame.
He attacked without thinking, guided only by the chaos of waking up in an ambush.
The Bloodreaver ancestor snarled and blocked the strike with a wall of swirling blood, the liquid hardening into a crimson shield.
They clashed once, just once but that was enough to send them both flying out through the gaping hole where the roof had been.
The moment they burst into the open sky, every demon in the city looked up.
And froze.
The Bloodreaver ancestor hovered in the air, his entire body wreathed in red flames and spinning blood. Across from him floated, the Del Rey ancestor, covered in blue fire that crackled wildly.
Both ancestors. Together.
But not as allies.
As enemies.
The atmosphere shifted instantly.
The Phantom paused mid-fight with Primus, turning his head with interest. Even Steve and North briefly slowed their movements, staring upward.
Dorian’s expression twisted. Several grandmasters below looked stunned.
The Bloodreaver ancestor finally saw the city, deathmist spreading across rooftops, buildings burning, the Phantom standing like a titan in the sky, demons struggling everywhere. His jaw clenched.
A deep roar tore out of his chest.
His blood aura surged outward in a massive wave.
He had seen enough.
Before he could command his fire, Primus shouted from above, voice echoing across the city:
"You fucking Del Reys have joined hands with the Phantoms! You traitors!"
The entire demon army stirred.
Gasps. Shock. Rage.
Dozens of faces turned toward the Del Rey ancestor with sudden hatred.
Even the Bloodreaver ancestor’s face twisted when he heard Primus’s words. He glared at him like he was looking at the lowest form of filth.
"Romothese," he roared, "how dare you collude with the Eternals and attack my family! I will kill you and drink your blood!"
Romothese looked helpless. Confused. Still half-dazed.
"I—what are you talking about? I didn’t....this is...something is wrong—"
He tried to fly back, body igniting with blue flame as he prepared to retreat and clear his thoughts.
But I couldn’t allow that.
I tightened my control on space and froze it around him. The space locked like invisible chains, trapping him mid-motion. He couldn’t move an inch.
His eyes widened in pure horror.
"What, why can’t I ?!"
I flicked my wrist and hurled him toward the Bloodreaver ancestor like a thrown weapon.
Romothese crashed forward helplessly, unable to stop himself.
The Bloodreaver ancestor saw it as an attack.
He roared again, summoning his sword, a heavy crimson blade wrapped in swirling blood-fire. He swung at Romothese with lethal intent.
"Die, traitor!"
Romothese barely managed to lift his blue-flame blade to defend. The two swords collided with a harsh ring as blood-fire and blue flame clashed violently.
The sky cracked with sound.
A shockwave burst outward. Romothese, forced into the fight, shouted, "This is a misunderstanding! Orobas, listen—"
But the ancestor pressed harder, cutting off his words.
"There is no misunderstanding," he growled. "You tried to strike me from behind. Do you think I am blind?"
Romothese’s face crumpled in realization but it was too late.
Their struggle intensified. The Bloodreaver ancestor shaped blood into swirling whips, shields, and sharp spears, using liquid force to block and bind. His sword burned red as living blood circled around it in violent spirals.
Romothese fought desperately, using blue flames as both shield and blade, his attacks sharp, burning, trying to create distance. He wasn’t fighting to win; he was fighting to survive.
Every clash sent more heat across the sky. Every collision lit up the battlefield. Every roar from the ancestors pulled the attention of demons.
Primus and Steve kept pressing their assault on the Phantom. The wound Steve had carved into its back was already knitting itself together, black flesh pulling in and sealing as if time itself was reversing.
I sent a mental message to both of them.
’Finish it now. The Envoy will arrive soon.’