Thora had faced numerous challenges in her life without batting an eye. She had only recently been captured and enslaved by the Willguard, yet she had remained unfazed throughout the crisis.
Yet, the moment her gaze met that of the sentinel before her, she froze.
She became acutely aware of the fragment bearers hovering behind her. After everything they had been through, she couldn’t allow them to get hurt.
Thora clenched her fists. A surge of emotions ran through her, violent and unrestrained. Her gaze lost focus. Bright lights flooded her mind as six beings flashed into existence. The Big Bang. The maelstrom of emotions. Rage.
Intense, burning rage that threatened to consume her whole.
Suddenly, warmth spread across her tattooed arm, cutting through the storm. Her eyes snapped back into focus, then widened.
The sentinel had already unleashed a beam of powerful energy, surging straight toward her.
As she reached for her power, something answered.
An overwhelming surge of power flooded her body. The world before her flashed purple... then slowed.
She raised her hand. It glowed with a bright purple light. Her tattoos burned a red radiance, and she could feel it... it was resisting Solvath’s hold on her.
’Wh-what is this?’
Purple light. There was no mistaking it; it was Solvath’s power. But ever since she awakened... this was the first time she was using it again.
Thora clenched her fists, grounding herself, then lifted her gaze.
’With this then...’
She stretched out her arm. Power gathered instantly in a dense and violent orb. It shot forward in a beam of pure force, colliding against the sentinel’s.
The two energies clashed for a brief moment, then the purple beam tore straight through his.
The sentinel’s gaze sharpened, but it was too late as the beam reached him.
Thora’s eyes widened as the light swallowed him. His body disintegrated into dust a moment later.
’Whoa.’
Her heart was pounding hard as a grin slowly spread across her face. Who the hell knew she had this kind of power all this while!?
The ground and walls suddenly shook as an explosion rang out. Thora snapped out of her daze, turning to make sure the fragment bearers were safe.
Nodding to herself when she saw they were unharmed, she hastily made her way through the lab, gathering the other fragment bearers and keeping them close as she shielded them from any lingering danger.
By the time she was done, she paused and scanned the entire area.
The battle had broken many parts of the walls and ceiling, leaving the space fractured and unstable, yet there was no more trembling. The battle had ended.
She stared as the Evoli emerged, bloodied, from the broken walls, slowly approaching her.
’Only four.’
Her gaze shifted past them briefly before returning.
"There’s one missing."
One of the Evoli shook her head, her expression darkening as she spoke.
"He’s dead."
Though she barely knew them, Thora couldn’t help but feel a faint pang in her chest. She exhaled slowly, giving them a small nod.
Turning to Thomas, she saw the Inscriber gently cradling a young girl in his arms.
Holding herself back from commenting, she spoke.
"Where’s the weapon?"
Thomas nodded and quickly pointed towards the corner of the room, where a large door stood.
Thora hastily approached the door, offering a silent prayer that they had killed the last of the Willguard here.
With that battle fought, there was every chance the domain god was already aware of their presence. They had no more time left.
She opened the door a moment later, bursting into the room, only to freeze as her gaze landed on the shattered pod in the center.
’Where...?’
The Evoli burst in behind her, but she ignored them, scanning the room carefully.
A faint light caught her attention, and she quickly turned. There was some sort of corridor at the corner of the room, partially obscuring her vision.
Silently gesturing to the Evoli, she slowly walked towards it, only to stop at its entrance.
Her eyes slowly widened.
’What... what is this...’
A bald man with countless tattoos emblazoned across his body was hunched over the still bodies of multiple sentinels, their limbs ripped apart as blood pooled beneath them.
She watched as the man took a deliberate bite out of a leg. His gaze was hollow, his face completely expressionless, as though he were eating chicken without the slightest hint of interest.
Yet, Thora felt a primal danger, unlike anything she had ever felt before, radiating from him. Solvath’s power or not, she would not survive.
’He hasn’t seen us yet.’
Thora silently gestured to the other Evoli to back off. However, a frown appeared on each of their faces, as though they disdained the very idea.
Thora’s eyes widened as one suddenly shook his head and stepped forward.
"No. The Evoli doesn’t run fro—"
Crimson blood burst into the air as the Evoli’s severed head hit the ground. The bald, tattooed man, who had been hunched over the Willguard corpse, was now standing before the Evoli.
The man slowly licked his bloodied arm, tilting his head slightly.


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