Page 178 of Stars in Aura

The chamber cracked under the might of their battle, pillars splintering, the cosmos wailing as divine steel collided with Witchmen-forged brutality.

Then Ki’Remi found his opening.

A feint, a pivot, a move he’d put to use in the forests of Alloria.

He found the weak point and meted a fatal thrust straight through Zavei’s mighty chest.

The god’s golden mote blood exploded across the obsidian floors.

Zavei fell to the floor, where he choked, his hands trembling as he gazed down at the blade buried in his heart.

His lips parted, disbelief and shock dilating his eyeballs.

Followed by a slump of his body as he slid to the ground, eyes sightless as he stared into oblivion before his celestial form shimmered and imploded into gold dust.

Somayeh’s scream almost fractured the cosmos.

She descended upon Ki’Remi, her power unleashing in a fury of astral wrath, her form glowing with celestial vengeance.

Before she could strike, Issa intercepted her.

With a single, soaring leap, she fell on Somayeh, her presence eclipsing even the heavens, her hands wreathed in white-hot divinity.

Somayeh’s fury warped into fear.

Issa’s voice cut through infinity itself.

‘You are the reason my father suffered. You and your machination led to the shattering of my family. We were cursed and cast from the heavens because of you.’

Her palms blazed.

Somayeh attempted to retreat.

Issa did not let her, flicking a coil of pure white energy around the goddess of war.

‘Just like you shackled and humiliated my family, I do the same for you. Now, Somayeh, you will suffer eternity in Hades.’

Issa released a final, searing pulse of raw celestial judgment, with Ki’Remi’s witchmen potency and love powering her, as did all her rage from the past years of suffering.

Somayeh screamed a sound that would never be forgotten, not even by the gods.

Then, she was gone, imploding into auriferous particles that rained onto the exquisite tiles and glimmered into non-existence.

Silence fell over the throne room.

The remaining war generals observed in stunned horror.

In a rush of wrath, they raced toward Issa, weapons drawn, attempting to overwhelm her.

Her face was calm and cold as ice.

Issa lifted a hand, and they all dropped.

Weapons clattered to the obsidian floor. Divine bodies convulsed, then stilled.

Not dead but unconscious, drained of their strength, shackled by her relentless force.

Ki’Remi turned to Issa.

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