The massive, subterranean amphitheater was buried miles beneath the surface of the world, entirely sealed off from the natural sky. It had been designed by the King of the High Pantheon to be a lightless, inescapable slaughterhouse. The sprawling floor of solid black celestial steel was a masterwork of hostile architecture. The void metal was fundamentally parasitic. It was actively attempting to siphon the magical stamina from the surrounding air, creating an oppressive, heavy environment that tasted of ancient rust and inevitable decay.
Standing in a perfect, suffocating circle around Valeria and Lucian were the twelve elite executioners of the Iron Court.
