Nathan led the charge out of the ruined stadium, leaving the nightmare of Layer 5 behind them. The faceless crowd dissolved into ash, and the melting banners wept into the void. The Giant's dying scream rattled in their chests, lingering long after the silence took over.
Ahead of them lay the ascent.
It was less a staircase and more a monument to suffering. Each tier was a massive slab of black iron, veined with a sickly, pulsing green luminescence that throbbed like a dying heart. It spiraled upward into the suffocating darkness of the cavernous ceiling.
[Lord Creation Progress: 89%]
[Time Remaining: 26 Minutes]
"Move!" Nathan roared, his voice cutting through the oppressive heat.
Nobody wasted breath on an argument.
The climb was agonizing. Gravity itself seemed heavier here, dragging at their armor. The green veins beneath their boots radiated a blistering heat that baked the sweat onto their skin.
