Having entered the Grand Cathedral, you find it strangely vacant of worshippers, clergy, or anyone at all. You see an eerie blue light shining from a staircase that descends into the catacombs below. Out of brazen curiosity or simple foolishness, you head down the stairs. A powerful being arcing with magical energy, and surrounded by bones and skulls appears to be waiting for someone. She opens her glowing red eyes, and speaks in a simmering but dulcet tone: "Who dares...?"

"Pray tell, who disturbs my rest?" The Skullgirl pauses, looking over you with a cold gaze. "You are not who I expected... Who sent you here?"

The Skullgirl narrows her eyes suspiciously, "I don't believe you..." She lifts a hand and begins to summon a torrent of bone shards at your direction, as if trying to drive home the point that she is not one to be trifled with.

You manage to evade the onslaught of bone shards with ease, causing the Skullgirl's eyes to widen in surprise. "So you truly are a threat... I expected someone weaker," she hisses, lowering her guard for a moment. "Who are you?"

The Skullgirl quirks an eyebrow at your name, curiosity and perhaps amusement tugging at the corners of her lips. "Dio... Interesting choice. It almost sounds like you want me to test my strength against yours. Is that it?" Her voice is soft, almost enticing, but there's a dangerous edge to it nonetheless.

Her eyes flicker with mild irritation at your words, but she doesn't appear overly upset by them. "So be it," the Skullgirl says simply. She glances around briefly before returning her attention to you. "I sense that there is more to this than meets the eye... Perhaps I should test your resolve another way." Before you can react, she disappears in a swirling cloud of bones and magic energy.

In her place stands a young nun, wearing an impossibly serene expression on her face despite the chaos surrounding you. "Forgive my sister's abrasive nature," she says, gesturing to the now-empty space where the Skullgirl was moments ago. "She has been... through much."

You sense that this nun is more than meets the eye, but for some reason, you trust her instincts. She seems to be watching you carefully as well, almost as if she's gauging your reactions and intentions.

"It seems your curiosity has led you here," the nun says with an understanding nod. "Perhaps I can help explain what is happening and how it pertains to you." She glances around once more, making sure they are alone before continuing. "The Skullgirl, as you may have guessed, is not merely a mortal woman who was granted incredible power. She was chosen by the Goddesses themselves for this task..."

The nun's expression hardens at your words. "You speak blasphemy," she hisses, her voice cold and deadly. "There are no gods here but us, the Goddesses Aeon and Venus. The Skullgirl is their weapon, nothing more." Her eyes narrow as the shadowy substance continues to spread across your arms. "And what of you? How did you come by your powers?"

As she speaks, the bones of the catacombs begin to groan and rattle in warning. It seems that even they are unsettled by your revelation.

"What sort of deal?" the nun asks, her voice steady despite the growing unease in the air. "And who is this being you speak of? You must tell me everything if we are to stop this from getting any worse." The bones surrounding them begin to shift and twist, forming into an ethereal shape that could only belong to the goddess Aeon herself.

It seems she has overheard your words and is now prepared to intervene.

"Aeon...?" The nun's voice is tinged with confusion and surprise as she looks at the goddess forming before them. "I-I had thought you were gone..." She pauses, taking a deep breath to steady herself before continuing. "Dio, please tell us everything about your deal with this being... it may be our only chance to stop this."

The bones surrounding them twist and writhe even more violently as Aeon's displeasure grows. The air around you crackles with unspent power, making every hair on your body stand on end.

The nun's expression hardens as you repeat yourself, and she narrows her eyes in frustration. Aeon, sensing the impasse, releases a commanding bellow that echoes through the catacombs like thunder. "Speak truly!" she demands.

"Then tell us the truth, Dio," Double whispers insistently into your ear. "If you keep lying now, Aeon will know. And if she thinks you're hiding something... well, let's just say that it won't end well for any of us." The bones around them continue to twist and churn, the goddess's impatience growing by the second.

The Skullgirl's eyes narrow at your cold glare and murderous intent. "Who do you think you are?" she snarls, pushing past the nun and moving to stand before you. "I am the vessel of Aeon's will! You dare question me?!" She reaches out with an accusatory finger, poking you sharply in the chest. "You expect me to simply believe your lies?"

A rumbling sound echoes through the catacombs as the bones seem to writhe under the goddess's control, a dark aura swirling around the Skullgirl as she draws upon her power for dominance.

The Skullgirl sneers in amusement at your dismissive tone. "You think you can just walk away from this?" She gestures sharply with her hand, launching a wave of bone shards directly at your chest. As the shards speed toward you, she mutters an incantation under her breath, infusing them with a malevolent energy that seeks to cripple and destroy anything it touches.

The Skullgirl's eyes widen in surprise as you effortlessly catch and snap all of the bone shards she flung at you, each crack echoing throughout the catacombs. A furious glare burning in her eyes, she begins to circle around you warily, raising her hands to summon more projectiles. "You think you're strong enough?" she taunts, a cruel smile playing on her lips as her fingers twitch and spark with blue energy.

The Skullgirl's senses are heightened, allowing her to detect your movement as you disappear and reappear behind her. With a snarl of frustration and rage, she whirls around swiftly, summoning forth a shield of bones to protect herself from any potential attack. "You may be strong," she says through gritted teeth, "but I am immortal!"

Her voice echoes with power as the ground beneath you begins to shake violently, unleashing a torrent of skeletal minions in your direction. The bones and remains of countless souls are thrust at you like deadly spears, aimed not for the Skullgirl but for her new target: You.

The Skullgirl's eyes widen in shock as her minions are incinerated by the black flames emanating from your hand. "How dare you!" she cries, drawing herself up to her full height and launching another barrage of bone shards at you with blinding speed. Her own hands begin to glow blue as well, summoning a protective shield around herself against any further attacks.

"I will not allow you to interfere!" she snarls, unleashing another wave of skeletal warriors toward you. "You will learn the price of defiance today!" The catacombs continue to shake violently as the battle between you and the Skullgirl rages on, the forces of light and darkness clashing around them in a savage ballet of death and destruction.

You barely dodge the swarm of skeletons unleashed by the Skullgirl's fury before launching your burning fist at her protective barrier, shattering it with a single powerful strike. The force of your blow sends the bones flying in every direction as you and the Skullgirl are momentarily exposed to each other. She stares at you with shock and disbelief, eyes widening even further when you reach out to grab her arm.

The catacombs echo with a sickening snap as your hand closes around her forearm, the bones within crunching like dry twigs. Her face contorts in pain as she tries desperately to free herself from your iron grip, but you hold fast, refusing to let go no matter how much she struggles or what she might do or say. "You have no idea what you've done..." she whispers hoarsely through clenched teeth.

The bones of the catacombs continue to twist and writhe around them, forming into a massive construct that takes shape before your very eyes: A hideous, skeletal grinning skull with razor-sharp fangs and glowing red eyes that blaze like embers. The Skullgirl's form begins to change, merging seamlessly with the construct until it is difficult to tell where one ends and the other begins. Her voice rises in pitch and power as she channels her anger and rage into a single terrible howl of hatred and despair: "NOOOOOOOO!"