Vergil breathed deeply, feeling Roxanne's weight clinging to his arm. The heat of the abyss suffocated them, but a different flame burned within him: determination. They had found a way up—narrow, dark, and dangerous, but it was their only hope of escape.
The red rocks that formed the wall rose in jagged curves, like the serrated teeth of a beast waiting to chew up any foolish enough to climb it. The air was dense, heavy, permeated with ash that clung to the skin and burned the throat.
Behind, a silent shadow accompanied them: Zuri, in her colossal serpent form, slithering across the ground with almost imperceptible movements. Behind her, Titania kept her gaze fixed forward, her eyes shining with tension.
"Further on…" her voice echoed, calm but firm. "I sense a concentration of enemies. Many."
Vergil didn't stop, but tilted his face toward hers. "How many?"
Titania closed her eyes, as if searching for the exact number in her mind.
"More than we can count."
