There's only one obstacle left

Dante walked through the emptiness of the Eighth Circle, the air thick with an invisible rot filling his lungs with each breath. The ground, once solid and imposing, now stretched in ripples, as if space itself were dying. The sky was a black canvas marred with patches of color, devoid of stars or moon. Everything was a distorted reflection of reality, lifeless and purposeless.

The heat of Hell seemed to have dissipated here, replaced by an uncomfortable sense of emptiness. Dante was aware that this would be the most difficult cycle of his journey yet. The environment was not only physically desolate but spiritually oppressive—a place where even the very concepts of life and death seemed twisted. He knew that here, he would face something that would transcend the brutal battles he'd fought before.

It didn't take long for the first threatening presence to make itself felt.