Dark flames erupted from the crater as Adam pulled himself from the shattered stone. He spat blood aside, his eyes blazing with renewed fury. The impact had cracked two of his ribs, but pain only sharpened his focus.
Tiamat's massive form towered above the battlefield, her scales reflecting the deep blue-green of primordial seas. The dragon goddess raised one clawed hand, and the space between her and Marduk began to compress. What had been kilometers of distance started to collapse.
But Marduk spoke a single word: "Simtu." Order. The compressed space snapped back to its proper dimensions, and Tiamat's spatial manipulation unravelled like cut rope.
The goddess snarled and swept her other hand outward, trying to liquify the golden ground beneath Marduk's feet. The stone began to soften, but the god planted his boots and spoke again: "Šutēšubu." Foundation. The ground hardened instantly, more solid than before.
