The circle above the Black Spire split again.
Not a line this time. Not a whisper of silver light. It opened like an eye, round and merciless, pouring pale fire onto the battlefield below. The first Custodian's steps already shook Hell's floor, but the second presence made the obsidian itself whine like tortured metal.
Noa pulsed hard in my gauntlet. His voice was steady but urgent.
"My Lord,a second Custodian confirmed. Choir resonance—tripled. Estimated probability of victory at current level: thirty-nine percent."
I licked blood from my teeth and smirked. "Thirty-nine is higher than zero. That means we fight."
Selena's laugh carried frost. "Finally, something interesting."
Nana raised her shield, her muscles trembling under the weight of the Custodian's last blow. "My Lord, say the word."
Rena's eyes gleamed under the dark visor of her armor. "I will cut whatever stands in your way."
Zereth's voice rasped like stone cracking. "We bleed now, or we bleed later. Better here."
