Without a word Yotaizan disappeared, Josh being enveloped in a splash of red and black that left him beside Corinne as soon as it washed over him. Yotaizan walked forward from behind them. "Then we need to aid the angels in destroying the rift. If he thinks the rift is about to come down, he'll make a point to come out here to stop us."

Boel didn't remark, his focus entirely on trying to break past the layers of darkness on the relic to pull it free from a distance. 

"Payback!" Wry shouted, firing a single thin beam from his finger toward the dark knight in the distance. This one carried a very significant explosive payload, enough to crack mountains after it landed fully like one long, continuous explosion.

“I can carry it too,” Corinne said quietly from beside Christian as she arrived. Behind her, demons crumpled to ash under the weight of a wave of flame, her right hand still smoking.

Sanvi followed his gaze to the newcomers, spotting Corinne, and another black clad knight. Her eyes narrowed, as she didn’t know these two. They had not been the ones brought by Justine, but as she watched, a holy knight shimmering in blessed light charged forward, wielding a book of spells and directed one straight towards the wall of the gateway. A shimmering ray of light impacted the crude structure from his hand.

“Let’s get going, no stalling, no time to stand around and stare,” Josh said. “We have a world to save.”

Sanvi reached out, catching a relic as it fell, and clutched it close to her. "Boel let's go," she said hurriedly.

Josh bowed to the two angels before him, grateful to fight alongside them.

Corinne watched as his hand shook, wanting to help. "We head in, then," she said.

Christian nodded. He started walking for the doorway. Once he and the others passed the doorway there was a loud creak. They were locked in now. Locked in with Solthurax surely waiting for them ahead. In spite of the carnage outside the interior of the castle was utterly silent. Footsteps echoed alongside the brief fumbling in the dark before dim rows of torches lit themselves and guided the path ahead. A familiar but detested voice rung through the hallway.

"In case there was any doubt, it's a trap." Taunted Zadyn.

"Running was never an option." Yotaizan commented, taking the lead in traversing the castle. The others were too valuable or too unprepared for whatever Solthurax opened with, so it was best he take on whatever was thrown at them.

"Liar," Corinne growled, staying beside Christian as they walked. Her offer to help hold the shard remained. Nerves gripped her stomach as she watched Yotaizan walk ahead, but she trusted in him to be able to handle whatever came at them.

Josh focused more magic into the light to keep the darkness at bay around them, keeping quiet. He'd make this demon pay for taking Azzuro from him.

With each footstep the group drew closer to the great doors that separated them from the throne room. The darkness that followed them seemed to be drawing closer and closer. Christian stopped at the doors.

"No need to knock." Zadyn's voice jested.

Christian took a deep, if shaky breath and pushed the doors open with a slow creak. A dark misty haze wafted from the doorway which chilled him to his core. There he was, sat comfortably upon an ill-gotten throne with his head resting on his palm. In spite of his invasion being thwarted he wore a smile, as he always had. Then Christian noticed something in his peripheral vision. Above them, hanging from the ceiling in chains in the middle of the room: Bodies. King Edward Du Sang, a smaller, human-sized Titania and Azzuro. The fourth was unfamiliar to him, but he recognised him from descriptions he'd heard years ago - Creature Of The Night. Rosso's blade had been pierced through Azzuro's abdomen though there was no sign of blood. He knew this was mere trickery; they'd burned Azzuro's body. Nevertheless the display struck a nerve. The darkness behind the group advanced and ushered them through the doorway which slammed shut behind them in an echo. Zadyn sat up and vaguely nodded a greeting, "A persistent bunch, aren't you? Chasing death for half a decade in pursuit of the crown to a dead kingdom." His eyes rested on Corrine , a glint in his gaze and very briefly raised an eyebrow as if in intrigue.

Yotaizan wished that he could hone in and achieve his battle trance, but with this many people involved it'd be too risky. He'd have to fight with as much focus and clarity as he could naturally achieve, then. "Your head is what I'm here for." His sword of air weaved itself into his free hand once more. "A twice-dead kingdom has no value to me."

(I meant to edit earlier but Corinne’s flames are still orange)

“Our prophecy has yet to be fulfilled,” Corinne stated, her flames joining Christian’s as they twined together around the shard.

Josh was growing antsy just talking. They should do something, anything.

The flames reflected in Zadyn's widened eyes. The whisper within the shard started to become more shrill as it came through the emerging cracks. There was a blinding flash followed by utter darkness. Christian found himself knocked off his feet as a sharp pain hit his back as he landed on the ground. When he picked himself up and the light had returned there was... something weaving through the air violently above them. Black and snake-like, as if the essence commanded its own will. Its chaotic patterns did not seem aimless, though. It slowly but surely made its way towards Zadyn's side of the court - then it suddenly darted downwards. 

Zadyn wheezed and clutched the arms of the throne hard enough to chip them. Then he fell limp for a moment. His eyes opened, now a fierce amber and looked upon the group with disdain before his face twisted itself into a grin, "My gratitude." He chuckled before forcing himself up from his seat, "I had forgotten how it felt to be more than a husk." The air above them crackled and blurred with heat. A rift tore itself open bearing relentless flames within. Hell. The ground shook violently and the foundations of the castle threatened to give way.

"Free! You've set me free!" Zadyn cackled triumphantly, "The furnace beckons me home! At long last, I may punish my siblings and expand my holdings. You've merely doomed your descendants to an even worse fate." His skin ignited and started to crumble to ash as the monster within forced its way free with a bellow. The rift seemed to slightly distort the edges of his form, as if slowly he was trickling back into Hell, "Come, disciples. your souls too belong to Hell." He unfurled his wings and let loose a wave of flame towards the group, his power now at its zenith.

"Observe the edges. It seems our task is to survive." Yotaizan quietly stated, extending an arm toward Corinne. His wind would do little against Solthurax at their current levels, only serving as fuel to his flames. Instead, he used his energy transference to slowly filter his power into Corinne in hopes she could hold against him.