The sky tore open.
It wasn't like the Angel I met in the North. That was a delivery driver. This... this was the Regional Manager.
A beam of blinding light slammed into the square, scorching the stone. The heat was intense. The crowd screamed and scrambled back.
From the light emerged a creature of pure, geometric terror. It was forty feet tall, composed of interlocking golden wheels and burning wings. It didn't have a face, just a single, unblinking eye of blue fire that stared directly at me.
[ENTITY DETECTED: Seraphim-Class Auditor.]
[Authority Level: Divine.]
[Objective: Deletion.]
"TARGET ACQUIRED," the Seraphim’s voice vibrated the wood beneath my knees. "ANOMALY: DUKE ARTHUR. SENTENCE: FORMAT C:"
Malakor stepped back, a triumphant smile on his face. "Behold the justice of the System! Watch as the monster is purged!"
The Seraphim raised a hand made of light. A sphere of destructive energy began to charge. It was enough power to vaporize the platform and everyone on it.
I looked at the energy sphere. It crackled with white fire.
It looked... delicious.
I looked at Isabella. She stood up in the royal box. She raised her hand.
Suddenly, a massive pulse of purple magic shot from the palace balcony, hitting the Paladin guarding me. He flew backward off the platform.
"Order 66," Isabella shouted, her voice magically amplified. "Cut the feed!"
It was a distraction. A moment of chaos.
But it was enough. The Paladin who flew off the stage dropped the key to the cuffs. It skittered across the wood, landing inches from my knee.
I didn't wait. I didn't try to pick it up with my hands.
I liquefied my right hand.
My wrist dissolved into blue sludge, slipping right out of the metal cuff.
[CONNECTION RESTORED.]
[Mana Flow: 100%.]
[Limiter: REMOVED.]
The feeling of power hitting my core was like plugging a toaster into a nuclear reactor.
"Malakor!" I shouted, standing up. My hand reformed instantly, but I didn't stop there. "You made one mistake. You brought a heavy asset to a liquidation sale."
The Seraphim fired. The beam of white destruction roared toward me.
I didn't dodge.
I expanded.
"Hostile Takeover: ACTIVATED."
ns216.73.216.10da2
and then Add to home screen.