Room Three was blinding.
White walls.
White ceiling.
White floor.
Every surface polished to such perfection that light reflected infinitely between them, creating a sterile brilliance that erased shadows.
Or tried to.
In the center of the room—
A throne.
Simple.
Elegant.
Radiating pure light.
A clap echoed.
Slow.
Measured.
They looked up.
Asmodeus.
He sat casually on the throne, legs crossed.
His presence heavier than before.
Sharper.
Refined.
His missing arm—
Replaced.
A metallic construct seamlessly integrated into his shoulder.
Not crude.
Not mechanical.
It shimmered with prismatic veins of light running through it, humming softly with controlled brilliance.
"As I thought," he said calmly. "You have made it this far. I should give you that."
Eryndor stepped forward without hesitation.
Storm flickering faintly around him.
"Cut the bullshit, Asmodeus."
His voice was flat.
Cold.
"Today I will be your death."
Kaelus exhaled slowly.
"Well. Looks like he wanna get his get back."
Darius folded his arms.
"Type shit."
Rein stood behind them, still recovering, eyes focused on the throne.
Stellar remained unconscious, resting against a pillar from the previous chamber.
Asmodeus rose.
Light intensified around him.
His metal arm flexed once.
"I expected nothing less."
Then—
They vanished.
No wind.
No sound.
Just absence—
And impact.
Fist met fist mid-room.
The collision detonated the air like compressed thunder.
Shockwaves rippled across the white surfaces, fracturing the reflections.
They separated.
And clashed again.
Kick for kick.
Elbow for elbow.
Palm for palm.
Eight Fold Flow ignited within Eryndor.
His body moved in layered rhythms.
Each motion fed into the next.
Strike into redirect.
Redirect into acceleration.
Acceleration into compression.
Asmodeus adapted instantly.
His movements were clean.
Efficient.
Now that he was a mid-level deity, his control had deepened.
Not just over light as an element—
But over its structure.
Light bent at his will.
Not beams.
Not flashes.
Structure.
He adjusted density.
Intensity.
Refraction angles.
Every strike he threw was layered with manipulated photonic mass.
It wasn't just speed.
It was structured impact.
Eryndor drove a punch into Asmodeus' ribs.
Light condensed at the point of contact.
The blow was partially absorbed, redistributed.
Asmodeus countered with his metal arm.
Light surged through it and struck like a compressed star fragment.
Eryndor blocked—
And still felt his bones vibrate from the force.
"It's been a few weeks," Eryndor said mid-exchange.
They collided again.
"And you're already a mid deity? From an arcane master?"
Asmodeus smiled.
"I do represent what I am."
Their fists collided again.
The room trembled.
"I know better than to underestimate you."
They vanished again.
Appeared near the ceiling.
Clashed.
Dropped to the floor.
Traded twenty, thirty, fifty strikes in seconds.
Eight Fold Flow adapted continuously.
Eryndor twisted his torso, redirecting light strikes using storm torque.
Palm to chin.
Knee to ribs.
But Asmodeus' structural control over light made overpowering him nearly impossible.
As a mid deity, he could adjust the elemental framework mid-strike.
Shift density.
Alter trajectory by refraction.
Rein clenched his fists watching.
"He's controlling the elemental lattice itself…"
Kaelus nodded faintly.
"Mid-level deity privilege."
Asmodeus swept Eryndor's legs.
Eryndor flipped backward.
Asmodeus appeared mid-air.
Spinning kick.
Eryndor blocked with crossed arms—
The impact blasted him into the wall.
A crater formed.
Even with the block, the force traveled through him.
His body shook.
He wasn't fully healed.
He felt it.
Asmodeus landed lightly.
"You're impressive," he admitted calmly.
"But you are not whole."
Eryndor pushed off the wall.
Wiped blood from his lip.
Before he could move again—
Asmodeus spoke.
"I have something I think you would want to know."
Eryndor paused.
Just slightly.
Asmodeus tilted his head.
"You see… I've seen your child."
The room went still.
"And your wife."
Lightning flickered faintly around Eryndor.
Asmodeus continued casually.
"I tried to capture your child."
Kaelus stiffened.
Rein's eyes sharpened.
"But your grandfather prevented me."
His smile widened faintly.
"Head on? I stand no chance against Zephyr."
Darius' eyes narrowed.
"As expected."
Asmodeus shrugged slightly.
"He's a high deity after all."
He flexed his metal arm.
"But that doesn't mean I couldn't damage him."
Lightning crackled louder.
"I played a trick."
The white walls began vibrating faintly.
"You can't fool a high deity's perception easily."
His eyes gleamed.
"But the trick I played did."
Wind started swirling violently.
"I attacked him from a blind spot."
Darkness began creeping along the edges of the room.
"I left before he could retaliate."
Lightning struck the floor.
Cracks spread through the white structure.
"But I did receive information."
Eryndor's face changed.
No smirk.
No calm.
Just rage.
Raw.
Unfiltered.
Lightning exploded from his body.
Wind tore through the chamber.
Darkness radiated outward in waves.
"You dare go after my family…"
His voice shook the room.
"I'll kill you."
His hair lifted upward.
Electricity snapping violently around it.
Wind howled so fiercely the throne cracked behind Asmodeus.
And despite the room being pure light—
Darkness crept in.
Darius folded his arms tighter.
Kaelus glanced at him.
"Bro, you good?"
Darius exhaled slowly.
"I am connected to Eryndor's domain."
His eyes flickered faintly.
"I am its shadow."
He swallowed once.
"I can feel his rage."
The air trembled.
"And I can feel his power rising significantly."
The white floor fractured further.
"Asmodeus will surely be erased."
Rein stared wide-eyed.
"I can feel his aura pressing on the entire Room Three."
Asmodeus watched calmly.
Unmoved.
"You know it's futile to get angry."
His voice remained steady.
"It's just a small burst of power."
He flexed his metal arm again.
"You're still weak."
He stepped forward.
"And beneath me."
Silence.
Wind stopped.
Lightning paused mid-air.
Darkness froze.
Eryndor vanished.
Not blurred.
Not sped up.
Vanished.
Dead silence filled the chamber.
No one saw it.
No ripple.
No wind displacement.
No light distortion.
Asmodeus' eyes widened—
For the first time.
He felt it.
Impact.
His body lifted from the ground instantly.
Sent flying across the room.
He crashed into the far wall with such force the white structure shattered like glass.
And the only thing echoing in the chamber—
Was the sound of something breaking.