"She's gone into the zone again," Hera murmured, her tone both awed and concerned.

Selene's blade shimmered in the dim light, her silver eyes glowing faintly as she cut through the Shadow Court's soldiers with unerring precision.

Her movements were almost inhuman, each strike delivered with lethal accuracy.

To the untrained eye, she appeared as a blur, her form flickering like a phantom. Shadow soldiers dropped around her quickly, their weapons just missing her as she moved through the chaos.

"Selene, you're pushing too hard!" Abyss, who was close to her, called out, her voice tinged with panic.

But she didn't respond.

She looked surprisingly calm, and extremely focused. Her blade moved like an extension of her will, severing limbs and piercing through enchanted armor with ease.

"She's completely detached," Hera said, her grip tightening on her spear. "That's the zone. She shuts everything out—emotions, pain, even reason. It makes her unstoppable, but it's dangerous."

Adrian frowned, his fiery chains sparking as he watched her carve through the enemy ranks. "Can we snap her out of it?"

"Not until she wants to," Ava replied, her golden light flickering. "The zone's a double-edged sword. She's more powerful than ever, but if she doesn't stop soon, it'll take a toll on her body."

Selene's focus shifted as a group of heavily armored shadow knights advanced toward her. They moved in unison, their shields locked together in a defensive formation.

"Do you think you can stop me?" she muttered, her voice devoid of emotion.

With a flick of her wrist, she hurled a small, violet dagger at the formation. The blade struck the center knight's shield and exploded into a burst of violet light, shattering their defense.

In an instant, she was upon them.

Her blade flashed as she cut through their ranks, her movements a seamless blend of speed and precision. The knights fell one by one, unable to match her relentless assault.

But the toll of her zone began to show. Her breathing grew heavier, and a faint tremor ran through her hands as she dispatched the last knight.

"Selene!" Adrian called out, his fiery chains lashing out to clear a path to her. "Pull back! You've done enough!"

She turned to him, her glowing eyes flickering. For a moment, her detached expression softened, and she nodded.

But before she could retreat, a shadow beast emerged from the smoke, its massive claws swiping toward her. Adrian's chains snapped out, wrapping around the creature's neck and yanking it away.

"I said pull back!" Adrian barked, his chains igniting as he tore the beast apart.

Selene hesitated, her blade lowering as she took a shaky breath. The glow in her eyes faded, and her expression returned to one of quiet determination.

"Fine," she said, her voice steady but tired. "I'm pulling back."

Adrian steadied Selene as she stumbled slightly, her silver eyes losing their earlier glow. The detached calm of the zone had given way to a visible trembling in her hands.

He grasped her shoulders gently, his fiery chains flickering faintly at his sides. "Selene, are you alright?" he asked, concern etched into his voice.

"I... I'm fine," she insisted in a firm but unconvincing tone. Her hands shook as she gripped her blade tightly, her knuckles white.

Adrian studied her carefully but chose not to press further. "Good. Rest for now. You've done enough."

Selene hesitated, her gaze dropping to the ground before she gave a small nod.

Without another word, she moved back toward the safer parts of the battlefield, her steps slower and more deliberate than before.

Meanwhile, the fight raged on elsewhere. The western flank was ablaze with chaos as Eris and Abyss waded into the thick of the Shadow Court's forces.

Eris darted between clusters of shadow soldiers, her emerald daggers spinning in her hands. Her powers thrummed through the battlefield, invisible tendrils of discord seeping into the minds of their enemies.

"You're not real allies," she whispered mockingly. "He stole your glory. She covets your power. Why should you fight together?"

The effect was immediate.

A group of shadow soldiers turned on one another, their weapons clashing as mistrust consumed them. Their formations crumbled as chaos spread, weakening their lines.

"Too easy," Eris muttered with a smirk, flipping one of her daggers in the air before catching it with a flourish.

Abyss, meanwhile, stood at the center of a growing army of phantoms. Her violet blade hummed with necrotic energy as she moved gracefully among the fallen.

One by one, the phantoms of dead Zarpha soldiers rose, their translucent forms armed and ready.

"Why succumb to death when you can serve me? Arise," Abyss commanded. "Arise, and fight alongside me." The spectral warriors charged into the fray, their presence unsettling the Shadow Court's forces.

"I hope you're not stealing all the fun," Eris called over her shoulder as she dodged an incoming arrow, her tone light despite the chaos.

Abyss raised an eyebrow, her violet eyes glinting faintly. "I thought you preferred your enemies to tear themselves apart?"

Eris grinned. "Fair point."

The two worked seamlessly together, Eris spreading discord and Abyss summoning reinforcements to exploit the confusion.

Shadow soldiers fell left and right, unable to mount a coordinated defense against the pair's relentless assault.

The tide of battle seemed to shift in Zarpha's favor, but the victory was short-lived. From afar, a deep, guttural voice thundered across the battlefield, shaking the very air.

"Seismós!" (Earthquake)

The ground trembled violently, cracks spreading like spiderwebs beneath the combatants' feet. Eris and Abyss exchanged a sharp glance, both of them bracing as the earth shook beneath them.

"Get ready!" Abyss shouted, her blade glowing brighter as she prepared to defend against whatever came next.

Without warning, a massive explosion erupted from the ground, sending a shockwave rippling through the battlefield. The force of the blast sent the goddesses flying, their forms crashing into the rubble of nearby buildings.

Adrian felt the ground give way beneath him, and he stumbled, barely catching himself with his fiery chains. "What the hell was that?!" he shouted, scanning the battlefield for the source of the attack.

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