---
Yet somehow Sekhmet knew it.
Dickoff's confidence shook. Only slightly.
But Sofia and Natasha both noticed it.
He had been using the borrowed power as though it made him untouchable. Now every passing second had become visible inside his mind. Six minutes. Thirty seconds. Twenty-nine. Twenty-eight.
He could no longer enjoy the strength. He had to use it. He could not waste another moment trying to frighten Sekhmet or prove how much stronger he had become. The chaos stones around the hall were already gone. Every open case now held only gray powder and cracked remains. The storage rings on the broken table had become empty pieces of metal. The entire remaining wealth of Iron House had been consumed.
There was no more fuel.
There was no second chance.
This was the highest point the artifact would take him.
If he failed before the time ended, nothing remained.
Dickoff's breathing became rougher.
"No," he said. "You will not survive that long."
