The void's eyes blazed white-hot, the darkness stretching across his face like a shadow that refused to be swallowed by light. He stared into the swarm of eyeless beings—The Demigods of Insanity.
They stared back. There were hundreds, maybe thousands, their faces hollowed, eyes clawed out long ago, yet they seemed to see him clearly, their necks snapping in unison to follow his every move.
The void's hands slowly rose, palms facing the ground as if gripping the very shadows beneath him. The air grew heavy, thick with the hum of madness that vibrated through the colosseum walls. Then, with a flick of his wrist, patches of darkness burst forth from the ground, swirling tendrils of blackness wrapping around clusters of Demigods. Those caught inside screamed silently as they thrashed against their bindings, but it was no use—the darkness held firm.
The void stepped forward, the blade in his hand glimmering with a crimson hue, almost like it was bleeding. He didn't waste time. He moved, the edge of his sword cutting through the eyeless figures with ease. Heads fell, torsos split, dark ichor spilled out from their wounds, evaporating before it could touch the ground. But for each one he cut down, two more stepped forward, crawling from the shadows of the colosseum's grand walls.
One of the Demigods raised its hand, fingers splintering into thin threads of purple glass that cracked the air like whips. The void ducked, the air above him screaming as it split from the force. He surged forward, his blade humming, and carved a path straight through the Demigod's chest. There was no blood, no resistance—just the sensation of slicing through smoke. It collapsed inward, folding into itself before vanishing completely.
Suddenly, he stopped. His head tilted to the side as if listening to something distant.
"Requiem of the dead," the void's hoarse voice hummed again as a chill swept through the arena, the air growing stale and cold. From nowhere, voices began to whisper. Soft at first, like a distant choir, but growing louder with each passing second. The voices were filled with longing and regret, whispers of forgotten dreams and unspoken fears. The Demigods paused, their eyeless faces turning upwards, mouths slightly parted as if drinking in the song.
They began to claw at themselves, nails digging deep into flesh, tearing apart their own limbs, their own faces. The whispers grew louder, the melody more haunting, as the Demigods of Insanity turned their violence inward, ripping themselves apart with desperation.
But not all were affected. Without warning, dozens of Demigods rushed forward, melding into one another, limbs and torsos fusing with grotesque speed, creating a singular monstrosity. Its frame towered above the void, a pulsating mass of fused flesh and carved-out eyes. Its many mouths opened, and a sound burst forth.
"Abyssal Echo…"
The void felt it—the disruption. The whispers of Requiem shattered, splintered like glass. The fused Demigod lurched forward. The void moved, his body gliding just inches out of its reach, his sword flickering in the dim light. His eyes—those twin flames in the void—narrowed as he rotated the blade, the steel melting into thick, dark-red liquid, bubbling and stretching at his will.
He swung his blade wide, and the crimson liquid burst from its edge, spreading out like spilled ink, creeping along the ground, pooling at the feet of the Demigods.
"Carnage's Symphony…" the hoarse voice whispered. The mist bled from the liquid, a crimson fog that expanded outward with eerie silence. It wrapped around the Demigods, shrouding them in a red veil. From within, screams and whispers of agony leaked out, the sounds warped and distant. The void stepped into the mist, his form blurring in and out of sight as he moved.
To any observer, it would have been impossible to follow. The void's movements were seamless, his blade appearing and disappearing in flashes of red light. Each strike was a song, each swing a note in the twisted melody of Carnage's Symphony. Demigods collapsed one after another, their bodies falling apart as if disassembled by invisible hands.
The amalgam howled, swinging its massive limbs blindly through the fog, cracking stone pillars and tearing through the ground. The void ducked, weaving between its attacks like wind slipping through fingers. He closed the distance in an instant, blade flashing. One arm fell, then another. The creature screeched, pulling back, but the void didn't stop. His blade danced through the air, carving lines of crimson light, each cut precise and deliberate. The mist followed his movements, swirling around the creature's wounds, eating away at its flesh.
In one big swing, the void brought the sword down, splitting the creature from crown to chest. It staggered back, limbs flailing, before collapsing into the ground, its body folding in on itself, disappearing into shadow.
The remaining Demigods began to move, their bodies twitching and shifting, pulling toward each other like they were made of blackened threads that stitched together with a snap.
Three towering figures stood where dozens once had—hulking, twisted amalgamations of limbs and faces. The void didn't wait. He moved forward, his blade humming with anticipation, shadows curling off its surface like wisps of smoke. His hand clenched tighter around the hilt, and with a single step, he vanished. And then he was there—right in front of the nearest giant. Its malformed head turned, mouths along its chest screaming with a sound that had no place in reality.
"Death's Embrace," the void used as his sword became weightless in his hands, and with a single slash, it cut through the giant's chest like wet paper. Shadows splintered from the wound, spiraling into the void's body, knitting together cuts and bruises with threads of darkness.
The second Demigod moved next, its form shimmering with a purple hue. The void's body shuddered... His hands trembled, his feet felt like lead. A thick, suffocating fog filled his vision—purple and viscous, wrapping around him like chains. His limbs jerked without his command, and then the laughter came.
He staggered, his void-face flickering for a moment as if the darkness wanted to peel back and reveal something beneath. His chest shook with uncontrollable mirth, his hands clutching at his sides.
The second Demigod wasted no time. It struck with its elongated limbs, claws plunging straight through the void's torso. Dark liquid splattered onto the stone, sizzling with a hiss. But the void did not fall. He only laughed louder, the sound echoing through the endless colosseum, bouncing off the eyeless statues that watched in silence.
The Demigod hesitated, confusion rippling through its form. Its hand was still impaled through the void's chest, trapped there by something unseen. And then it noticed—its arm was stuck, enveloped by a creeping darkness that gnawed at its flesh, blackening it inch by inch. In a panic, the Demigod yanked back, severing its own limb with a wet snap.
The void straightened, his torso mended itself, threads of shadow knitting the wound closed, and the liquid that had spilled retracted back into him, defying logic. He tilted his head, void-eyes fixed on the Demigod's bleeding arm. There was no pause—he blurred forward, the ground cracking beneath him, his blade cleaving through the creature's form with a streak of boiling crimson.
The third Demigod roared, its mouth stretching far beyond its own jawline, dislocating in a grotesque manner. Black mist poured out, coiling around the void's legs, stopping him.
The second Demigod, now missing an arm, tried to strike him from behind. The void didn't even turn. His hand stretched out, palm open as shadowy spikes erupted from the ground, piercing through the Demigod's chest. It screeched, writhing as dark veins spread across its body, pulling it apart from the inside out. Its form crumbled, scattering into ashes that were swallowed by the void.
The void turned his gaze back to the last Demigod standing. The creature staggered back. The void stepped forward, his blade dragging across the stone, leaving a trail of blackened cracks.