286 THE FARADAY CAGE
Power surged through Hera's form, concentrating in her hands—the same hands that held Leo in an unbreakable grip.
Then, she crushed him.
All of her divine energy, all of her devastating force, condensed into a single moment of annihilation. Leo's body convulsed as Hera's destructive might consumed him.
"You should be honored to die by Hera's hand. Few ever earn such a privilege," Dassa declared.
"No…," Petunia and Sujira cried.
Leo's gaze flickered to them. For the first time and probably the last time, he felt helpless.
"I'll be back for you two", he murmured.
And then, with a final surge of divine power— Leo exploded. The sheer force of Hera's crushing energy ripped through him, disintegrating his body into nothingness.
Leo was gone.
Silence followed.
Ramses exhaled, staring at the empty space where Leo had once stood. "Is he dead?" he asked.
Godmother hesitated, her eyes narrowing.
"He's dead," she answered. But deep in her mind, something gnawed at her.
"What's wrong?" Ramses pressed, sensing her doubt.
"Killing him was... easier than I expected."
Ramses frowned. "What do we do with these two women? Kill them now?"
"We keep them in prison for now," Dassa said. "I have a feeling this business with Lilleo Gullee isn't finished yet. These women may still be useful."
Then Dassa looked around where Leo was killed. She was looking for the Giga Codex.
"Where did he drop the Giga Codex? Its impossible he could take it with him", Dassa cried.
But the Giga Codex was gone.
Ramses cursed under his breath. "Damn it. That bloody bastard, he took our Giga Codices with him."
"How is that even possible? He's dead", Dassa cried.
The Domain of Chess collapsed, sealing its fate with Leo's death. Ramses and Godmother stood victorious—holding Petunia and Sujira as prisoners.
For now.
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[Debauchery City]
The demon army surged into Debauchery City, unleashing a torrent of chaos and devastation.
The city's defenders, caught without the protective embrace of their magic walls, faltered under the relentless assault. Scattered groups of soldiers clashed with demonic raiders, but the resistance crumbled as the invaders looted and burned with abandon.
Terrified citizens fled, seeking refuge beyond the city's ruined gates.
Debauchery City had fallen to the demon invasion.
At the heart of the demonic forces stood their leader, Lord Argun, his power swelling with every death and drop of blood spilled on the battlefield.
"Blood… I need more blood", Lord Argun cried and laughed.
"There is more blood in the city than we've ever had. This is a great victory a great harvest", Harith replied to him.
Through ritual magic, the carnage in the city became sacrifices of blood that fed into Lord Argun's strength, elevating his already formidable abilities.
This was blood magic.
"Lord Argun," Harith, his trusted lieutenant, said with awe, "By the rate of your blood harvest, your ascension to the Man Tier is imminent. But be warned—Destiny's Retribution is inevitable."
Upon reaching Man Tier, all mages and even demons must suffer Destiny's Retribution, a trial that cements the mage's ascension into the powerful magic realm, or not. Failure rate was high.
"Ah, Destiny's Retribution," Lord Argun mused. "Even Lord Bael, with all his might, could not escape its wrath and failed."
The atmosphere suddenly became gloomy at the thought of the death of Lord Bael by his own Destiny Retribution.
Suddenly, Agathae interjected, eager to prove his worth.
"It's only lightning," he said with a confident smirk. "We can divert it and lessen its impact."
"Silence, human!" Harith snapped, disdainful. "Your kind knows nothing of our ways."
But Lord Argun raised a hand to quiet him. "Let him speak. Agathae, how do you propose to weaken Destiny's Retribution?"
Agathae, drawing upon knowledge from Earth's science, explained, "We could construct a Faraday cage—a metal enclosure to channel the lightning safely to the ground. Then the impact on you would be weakened."
"A Faraday cage?" Lord Argun repeated, intrigued.
"Yes," Agathae continued. "A network of metal can absorb and redirect the lightning energy away from you. It won't eliminate the lightning's power entirely, but it could save you from the worst of it. Helping you survive."
Harith scoffed. "You're seriously listening to this human drivel?"
"There's no harm in listening," Argun replied. "Agathae has proven insightful before. Where can we find enough metal for such a cage?"
Before Agathae could answer, Argun winced, clutching his chest. Power surged through him as the long-anticipated ascension began.
Ascension into Man-Tier after a bountiful feast of blood.
"This is bad… It's happening now!" Harith cried in alarm. "We aren't ready yet!"
"Gather all the iron chains!" Agathae barked, seizing the moment. "Link them into a web and form a cage!"
The demons listened but did not move. It was not up to a human half demon to command the army.
"Do as he says," Argun commanded, his voice strained but firm.
The soldiers scrambled to obey, dragging every chain they could find and linking them into a rough, makeshift dome. Argun, glowing with divine light, levitated above the ground as his magic erupted into its final transformation.
Finally, Lord Argun's power surged to the Man Tier of Cakra, a level of divinity few had ever achieved.
The skies darkened in response, swirling with wrathful clouds. Destiny's Retribution approached, a harbinger of divine punishment for the gifted and fortunate.
Lightning crackled and gathered overhead, a spear of celestial fury ready to strike Argun.
"Lord Argun!" Agathae shouted. "The Faraday cage is ready, you must shield yourself beneath it now!"
With a wave of his hand, Argun raised the tangled web of chains into the air, forming a dome above him. His magic anchored the structure, holding it steadily without scaffolding.
Then, Heaven unleashed their fury.
A massive bolt of lightning struck the cage, its energy scattering through the metal and into the ground.
The chains glowed white-hot as they absorbed the brunt of the assault, but not all the energy was diffused. Lord Argun's body, still exposed to part of the divine punishment, convulsed as the lightning coursed through him.