In the barrier control chamber, all was darkness. The Duke's hybrid form continued to disintegrate despite his desperate attempts to draw more power from the Eternal Rift. Gluttony watched with those depthless black eyes, observing the creature's struggles with detached curiosity.
"You fight admirably,"Gluttony acknowledged, Klaus's voice layered with those alien resonances. "But your resistance only prolongs the inevitable."
The Duke's once-magnificent form had been reduced to less than half its original size. Opalescent fluid hardened and shattered wherever Gluttony's darkness touched it, turning to ash that floated momentarily before dissolving into nothing. Despite this, the hybrid creature continued to rebuild itself, drawing energy directly from the threshold.
"The Opposition... will not... be denied," the Duke's fractured voice declared, his mechanical components straining to maintain cohesion. "Those Who Wait Beyond... already approach."
