The arena trembled as Hades stood from his throne, his fme-like hair fring brightly. The God of the Underworld spread his arms wide, his booming voice eg through the Underdrome.

  “Ladies, gentlemen, and dearly departed! For the final act of tonight’s spectacle, you’ll get to witness something truly historic.” He poioward Helios and Sephiroth, a wicked grin stretg across his face. “That’s right, folks. I’m gonna personally hahese two s! Don’t blink, or you might miss their spectacur demise!”

  Helios wasn’t listening. His attention was on Vi’s unscious form, his crimson cloak and golden gau a gring reminder of how out of pce he was in this world. Helios quickly retrieved the small, golden mirror Zeus had given him. The mirrleamed faintly, its intricate lightning bolt design catg the dim light of the arena.

  Sephiroth noticed Helios kneeling beside Vi and raised an eyebrow. “What are you doing?”

  “Buying us a way out,” Helios muttered, prying open Vi’s eyes with one hand while holding the mirror iher.

  The mirror’s surface shimmered, drawing in the faint glow of Vi’s crimson gaze. A pulse of energy surged through the artifact, the refle rippling like water before returning to its still, golden sheen.

  Helios breathed a sigh of relief. This’ll be enough to prove it to Zeus.

  “Are you done?” Sephiroth asked, his tone impatient.

  Helios stood, tug the mirror away. “Yeah, yeah. You’re wele, by the way.” He turo Sephiroth, his expression grim. “So, what’s your pn? Because if it’s taking him down in this state, we’re royally screwed then.”

  Sephiroth g Hades, who was still busy grandstanding to the crowd, then back at Helios. “Do you have anythio give?”

  Helios shrugged, exhaustion weighing heavy on his shoulders. “Not really. Which is why my pn is to run.”

  Sephiroth’s eyes narrowed, his tone sharp. “Cowardice?”

  “Survival,” Helios corrected, stepping closer. “Think about it: we’re spent. This curse is eating us alive, and Hades is a god. We ’t win this fight, but we might be able to outrun him. Barely.”

  Sephiroth didn’t respond immediately, his gaze hardening as he sidered their options.

  Before either could say more, Hades disappeared from his throne in a puff of bck smoke, reappearing on the arena floor before them. His grin widened as he cracked his knuckles, fmes lig at his hands. “All right, kiddos. Pytime’s over.”

  Hades wasted no time, spraying a torrent of fmes across the ptform. Helios and Sephiroth leapt in opposite dires, narrowly avoiding the searing fire. The heat was intense, even from a distance, and the acrid smell of burning stone filled the air.

  “Split up!” Helios shouted, summonio shield himself as another wave of fmes swept toward him.

  Sephiroth didn’t o be told twice. He teleported to the far side of the arena, reappearing behind Hades and sshing downward with Masamuhe bde met resistance as Hades turned, his arm engulfed in fire as he caught the sword mid-swing.

  “Cute trick,” Hades said, his grin unfaltering. With a surge of strength, he shoved Sephiroth back, fmes erupting from his hands and f the swordsman to retreat.

  Helios seized the opening, firing a Water at Hades. The torrent streaked across the arena, but Hades waved a hand, summoning a Fre that intercepted the attack. The resulting steam explosio Helios stumbling backward, the shockwave rattling his already frayed nerves.

  “Is that all you’ve got?” Hades taunted, ung a series of Fireball Pitch attacks. The fiery projectiles arced through the air, their heat singeing Helios’ skin even as he dodged.

  Helios ched his fists, his mind rag, ‘We’re not going to st long like this.’ Gritting his teeth, he made a decision.

  “Sephiroth!” he shouted, running straight toward the fmes with reckless abandon.

  “What are you doing?” Sephiroth called back, his voice sharp with disbelief.

  Helios ignored him, diving through the wall of fire. Paihrough his body as the fmes scorched his skin, but he pushed forward, summoning the bde of light from his split keybde.

  “Surprise, you rown torch!” Helios yelled, thrusting the glowing bde forward.

  The light exploded outward, momentarily blinding Hades. The god staggered, cursing loudly.

  Helios used the opening to summon Blizzaga, p all his remaining magito the spell. The icy projectile struck Hades square in the chest, frost spreading across his fiery form and eng him in a yer of shimmering ice.

  “Sephiroth, now!” Helios screamed, his voice hoarse because his throat was burned.

  Sephiroth didn’t hesitate. In one fluid motion, he sheathed Masamune and grabbed Helios, hoisting him into the air as his single bck wing unfurled behind him. With a powerful beat of his wing, Sephiroth took to the skies, his speed and teleportation propelling them toward the arena’s edge.

  The crowd of souls groaned in protest as the two fighters fled, their cries eg through the arena.

  They had almost reached the exit when a deafening roar filled the air. A pilr of red-hot fmes erupted from the frozen Hades, shattering the id sending molten shards flying. The fmes shot upward, scorg the ceiling of the Underworld and bathing the arena in a hellish light.

  Hades emerged, his form wreathed in fire and his expression twisted in fury. “Oh, you’re not getting away that easy!”

  The god disappeared in a fsh of bck smoke, reappearing ahead of them to block their path.

  Sephiroth veered sharply, his wiing furiously as he dodged another spray of fmes from Hades. Helios g tightly to him, his vision swimming from exhaustion and pain.

  “We ’t outrun him forever!” Helios shouted over the roar of the wind and fire.

  “Then e up with something,” Sephiroth snapped, his tone icy.

  Helios closed his eyes, his mind rag despite the haze of fatigue. Think, Helios. You need a pn. Something big.

  He opened his eyes, fog on the dark ceiling above. “Take us higher,” he said suddenly.

  “What?” Sephiroth asked, gng at him.

  “Just trust me!”

  Sephiroth growled but obeyed, asding rapidly as Hades followed, throwing fireball after fireball in their dire.

  When they were high enough, Helios raised his keybde, eling the st of his strength. “Hold him off for just a sed!”

  Sephiroth nodded, spinning in mid-air to face Hades. He unleashed a flurry of Shadow Fres, the dark orbs exploding around the god and f him to slow his advance.

  Helios focused, bining his light and dark energies. The two opposing forces swirled around him, crag with unstable power.

  “Hades!” Helios shouted, drawing the god’s attention.

  Hades looked up just as Helios unleashed the bined energy in a massive bst. The attack struck the ceiling of the Underworld, causing the stoo crad crumble.

  “Sephiroth, go!” Helios yelled.

  Sephiroth didn’t hesitate. He dove downward, weaving through the falling debris as Hades screamed in frustration, the colpsing ceiling f the god to retreat momentarily.