As Helios and Sephiroth stepped into the Underworld, the oppressive atmosphere hit them like a tidal wave. The air was dense, suffog, and carried an eerie chill that seeped into their bones. Almost immediately, Sephiroth’s movements slowed, and he ched his hand, his usually effortless strength noticeably diminished. He g his hand and then turned his pierg gaze to Helios.

  “What is this?” he asked coldly, his tone ced with irritation.

  Helios smirked, his expression calm as he tinued walking. “Wele to the Underworld, where the living are unwele. This curse weakens anyone alive. Your strength, your reflexes, even your resilie’s all dulled down to keep you on the same level as the damned.”

  Sephiroth’s grip tightened around the hilt of the Masamune. “Iing. A handicap. How quaint.”

  Helios chuckled but didn’t respond. Instead, he motioned for Sephiroth to follow him. They moved through the dark, winding passages of the Cave of the Dead, the faint whispers of lost souls eg off the walls. Every step seemed to amplify the weight pressing down on them, but her man showed signs of slowing.

  Despite the oppressive atmosphere, the journey was eerily uful. The typical Heartless that roamed the Underworld seemed absent, and Helios walked with an uling fidence, as though he were familiar with the path.

  Sephiroth’s gaze swept over the dark corridors. “No ambushes, no obstacles… You’ve been here before.”

  “Enough times to know my way around,” Helios replied casually. “Hades isn’t oo bother with the little stuff when he knows we’re heading straight to him.”

  The path eventually opened up into a massive chamber, its walls lined with jagged obsidian spires. In the ter was the Underdrome, a colossal arena carved into the very fabric of the Underworld. Its dark, weathered walls pulsed faintly, as though alive, and the air buzzed with an ominous energy.

  Helios and Sephiroth stopped at the edge of the arena, their eyes sing the space. Then, in a puff of bck smoke, Hades appeared. The God of the Underworld stood with his usual smug grin, his fiery blue hair casting flickering light across his sharp features.

  “Well, well, well,” Hades drawled, his voice oozing mockery. “If it isn’t the kid again. And look, yht a friend! I gotta say, I wasn’t sure you were serious about this whole ‘introdug a buddy to the tour’ thing. But hey, points for itment!”

  Helios smiled faintly, unbothered by the sarcasm. “I figured you’d appreciate some ertai.”

  Hades chuckled darkly, his fmes fring slightly. “Oh, I appreciate it, all right. I mean, look at this guy!” He gestured to Sephiroth. “Tall, dark, and gloomy over here looks like he walked straight out of a nightmare. What’d he do to you, kid? Steal your lunch money? Kick your puppy? Or, oh, wait—don’t tell me.” Hades leaned in, his grin widening. “He cut you up within an inch of your life, didn’t he?”

  Helios’s smile didn’t waver. “You’re n.”

  Hades threw his head bad ughed, his fmes bzing a vibrant red for a moment. “Oh, that’s rich! Mortals, am I right? Betraying each other over the pettiest things. Gotta love it.”

  Helios’s expression turhoughtful as he looked at Hades. “Speaking of betrayal… You’re not pnning to stop at the Underworld, are you?”

  Hades raised an eyebrow, clearly intrigued. “And what makes you say that?”

  Helios shrugged. “You’re ly subtle. You rule the Underworld, but you’re clearly not satisfied. If you were, we wouldn’t be standing here. So, what’s ? Mount Olympus? The mortal realm? The whole universe?”

  Hades smirked, though the fai hint of irritation flickered in his eyes. “You’ve got quite the imagination, kid. But hey, I’m fttered you think I’m that ambitious.”

  Helios’s grin widened. “It’s not imagination—it’s observation. I’m good with faces, and yours screams dissatisfa. Gods are greedy, after all. Just like mortals are petty.”

  Before Hades could respond, Sephiroth’s voice cut through the air like a bde. “Are you two done?” His tone was cold, his patience clearly wearing thin. “I romised a challenge, not a bickering match between fools.”

  Hades’s fmes fred red again, his expression twisting into a scowl. “Fools?” he repeated, his voice rising. “You’ve got some nerve, pal—”

  He stopped himself, taking a deep breath as his fmes returo their usual blue. “You know what? Nah. Not worth it. Why should I get worked up over a dead man walking?”

  Sephiroth’s lips curled into a faint smirk, but he said nothing. “Let’s not waste any more time,” Helios said, his voice calm. “You wanted a shht? The’s get started.”

  Hades’s griurned, and he gestured toward the ter of the Underdrome. “Oh, don’t you worry, kid. The show’s just about to begin.”

  Sephiroth surveyed the dark expanse of the Underdrome with an air of disdain, his sharp eyes taking in every detail of the bleak arena. The battlefield itself was a circur stoform, eerily simir to the Colosseum above. However, instead of solid ground surrounding it, an inky bck abyss stretched out endlessly in all dires, exuding an uling aura. The faint whispers of lost souls seemed to rise from the depths, creating an oppressive atmosphere that g evero resolve.

  The stands surrounding the ptform were filled with the souls of mortals who had ended up in the Underworld. Uhe jubint crowds of the Colosseum, these spectatroaned and murmured, their faces etched with despair. They cked the energy to cheer or jeer, their hollow eyes fixed on the proceedings like prisoners resigo their fate.

  Hades stood off to the side, his fiery hair flickering with amusement as he snapped his fingers. A puff of bck smoke engulfed Sephiroth, and in an instant, he was transported onto the stoform. He stood motionless, his Masamuing lightly in his hand as his gaze swept the arena.

  “Alright, folks,” Hades announced, his voice dripping with theatrical glee. “Let’s get this party started! Tall, dark, and gloomy over here is stepping up for the first round. And iher er…”

  Another snap of Hades’s fingers, and a massive aterialized in a swirl of smoke. The creature towered over Sephiroth, its grotesque form covered ihery gray skin. One massive eye gred down at him, filled with rage and primal hunger. It carried a crude club made from a gree trunk, which it smmed into the ground with a deafening thud, sending small tremors through the ptform.

  “The Cyclops!” Hades boomed. “Big, bad, and ready to smash! Let’s see if our pale friend here hahe heat!”