bdsm-fiction Page 101
Page 101
Amidst the chaotic vortex of elements, the obsidian figure remained standing. Although its surface was somewhat damaged, with scratches and fragments appearing on its smooth surface, overall, Bane suffered almost no substantial damage.
“I think you haven’t been taught a lesson in a long time,” Bane roared. “Today I’ll show you what the power of God is!”
Then four trailing white smoke were the first to respond, with the "long sticks" with stabilizing fins at the tails leaving afterimages as they plunged into the turbulence, flashing four lights.
Bane roared furiously, his cries of pain mingling with the swirling energy of his soul, extinguishing the elemental turbulence and allowing his colossal form to reappear on the sea's surface. Four molten pits, each more than half a meter deep, stood out starkly against the nearly perfect obsidian colossus.
"I want……"
Before the saint could even utter a complete sentence, the dragon, its phantom form elusive in its elemental form, was already upon him—Cassaros's tactics were clear: don't give Bane time to think. Only under relentless pressure could the god of strife be prevented from using those divine spells that required chanting or wind-up animations.
The dragon, much smaller than the Obsidian Colossus, spun, leaped, and danced, unleashing a barrage of attacks in an instant.
The obsidian colossus raised its hand and threw a punch, deflecting the dragon's wing slash that came from the front. However, it couldn't dodge the dragon's hind claws slashing upwards and its tail whipping around. Stone chips and sparks flew everywhere, and a series of collisions and explosions stirred up waves again, making the Zantir fleet behind the colossus, which had just emerged from the miniature tsunami, sway precariously.
63. God of Conflict
"Is this what you call 'divine power'?" Casalos sneered, deliberately provoking Bane. "You can't even touch a single scale of mine, how pathetic!"
Bane withstood the dragon's melee attacks and the strange power that invaded the statue's interior and destroyed the soul power brought by the sacrifice. His left fist, which was under his abdomen, swung backward and elbowed into the chest cavity of the giant dragon that had spun behind him and continued to attack.
"I am a god, you foolish dragon!"
"You're the best"
Chapter 316
Fool?"
The saint's elbow strike, imbued with all his strength, struck like a gust of wind, a burst of flame, a ripple of water, or a cloud of sand, easily burying itself within, yet only causing ripples, failing to affect the dragon's movements in the slightest.
Casalos had already anticipated every move Bane's sluggish "Gundam" form would make. However, its chaotic elemental state made it immune to almost all physical attacks. Bane's elbow strike, which lacked the power of his soul for concealment, simply passed through the dragon-shaped form made of elements and had no effect.
A powerful slash cut a meter-long shallow wound into Bane's neck, the instantaneous dragon breath blasted the saint's head to the side, while the claw strike and tail sweep could only leave shallow cracks on the surface of the obsidian.
“You have no self-awareness about your own power. Without divine power, what difference is there between you and a target?” Casalos continued to provoke, shaking the scales outlined by the elements.
Bane's counterattack was finally enveloped in an amber-green light, the power formed from the souls of Baal's followers, which could easily threaten the life of an ancient dragon.
But Casaloz had already transformed into lightning and leaped hundreds of meters away, giving Bane no chance. A long-charged, fan-shaped, frigid dragon breath, carrying a crackling force, swept across, freezing the sea and Bane.
"Let's see how much magic you have left!" Bane's voice came from beneath the ice. "It seems you really don't understand the current situation..."
Unstable magical energy began to surge around the frozen sea, making the already chaotic magic even more active, just as Isis had left midnight.
Iron Dragon exited its high-consumption elemental state, opened its scales, and spewed pulse flames backward to climb rapidly. Then it suddenly turned and plunged down, taking out four 200mm rockets from its belly and firing them at the already cracked ice.
As the obsidian colossus roared and broke free of the icy restraints, it was struck by a barrage of rockets.
The fuse at the very front is triggered upon impact, igniting the propellant charge in the middle of the projectile. Under the constraint of the shaped charge liner, the combustion spreads along the inverted cone-shaped surface of the propellant charge, generating a shock wave that sweeps across the projectile wall axially, concentrating the pressure onto the tantalum-copper alloy liner. It is like kneading clay into a ball, then stretching it into a strip, and penetrating into the obsidian along the direction of tension.
Originally fragile obsidian, under the constraint of a mysterious force, became harder than steel. The armor-piercing bullet, capable of penetrating the high-quality homogeneous steel armor produced in Dragon Territory at a height of one and a half meters, only penetrated half a meter into Bane's body, leaving four more molten pits.
“Incredibly tough…” Casalos clicked his beak, somewhat surprised by Bane’s defensive capabilities: the ultimate “weapon of the final battle” created by Melkor by sacrificing all of Baal’s followers in Faerûn was quite interesting…
Unfortunately, while Bane was a bit dim-witted, he wasn't as dim-witted as the Terasque behemoth. Casalos never had the chance to load it with a multi-ton super-heavy armor-piercing projectile specifically designed for anti-fortification purposes. Furthermore, the technology to integrate magic and even fiery destructive processes into these industrial creations had not yet been mastered.
After observing and confirming Tom's state, the God of Loyalty has not yet grown to a level where it can fight Bane head-on. It can only re-enter the mixed elemental state and rely on the calculations of the pseudo-Laplace's demon to fight the saint. Occasionally, it will seize an opportunity to distance itself and then launch another round of effective attacks.
"Don't waste your energy, you dragon cub," Bane sneered. "You think this will stop my plans? The Tablet of Destiny will be mine, no matter how much you struggle!"
Twenty minutes later, a layer of the surface of Bane's obsidian colossus saint was sheared away, making its appearance much thinner. Casalos also exhausted the armor-piercing rockets he carried in his belly, and his dragon magic power gradually calmed down amidst the high-frequency elementalization.
The lion-headed giant finally grew to be about the same size as the obsidian colossus and strode to the cliffs on the shore of Dragon Bay.
"If you don't come soon, I'm going to run away..." Casalos muttered to itself, having been stalling for time, waiting for Tom to arrive.
Iron Dragon glanced at the newly appeared lion-headed giant on the battlefield, ignoring Tom's nod and Bane's "please" roar. It turned into lightning to create distance, then surged upwards, soaring into the clouds without looking back. The battle was far from over; it needed to assess the situation and take the opportunity to recover, preparing to rejoin the fight at any moment.
“You stole the Tablet of Fate,” Tom shouted, his voice booming across Tanris. “You are the culprit who has plunged the kingdom into chaos?”
The golden lion-headed giant was majestic and awe-inspiring, his image made even more sacred by the power Tom gained through sacrifice. Blue flames flickered in his eyes, symbolizing duty and justice. Though forced to descend to the mortal realm, Tom still displayed the majesty befitting a god.
“I can’t take all the credit,” Bane said calmly, turning back to look at Tom on the cliff. “I’ve received a lot of help. I guess you already know that the Bone Lord is my ally. But of course, the AO’s overreaction has also contributed significantly to the current chaos…”
Bane's tone held a hint of smugness when he mentioned the Lord of Bones. The involvement of this god of death made Bane's plans much smoother. His mockery of the AO revealed Bane's disdain for the gods.
"Excellent." Casalos hovered high in the sky, watching the two divine saints locked in confrontation, a cold smile playing on his lips. Bane's mouth was as infuriating as ever, having thoroughly provoked Tom, but this suited Casalos perfectly. The time was aligning, giving Isis and the others more time.
Confirming his suspicions from Bane's foul mouth, the God of Duty clenched his fist, stepped off the cliff, and entered the sea. He raised his right hand above his head, gathering a beam of light. A suit of armor materialized out of thin air on the body of the lion-headed giant. Then, the giant hand swung down, and a burning greatsword appeared in his right hand, while a shield with a holy emblem appeared in his left hand.
Tom charged forward, stepping on the water, his greatsword aimed directly at Bane.
The god of strife remained motionless, only sighing, "You are the one who has no idea what you are doing, Tom. If you kill me, your poor city will also disappear from Faerûn."
"A lie!" Tom's charge faltered, and he began to advance steadily forward. Although he didn't stop completely, Bane's "threat" had clearly touched a nerve.
Bane laughed: "Guess why that dragon didn't just kill me in Shadow Valley? You should have felt the power of the Death Dragon God Nur on it. I was utterly helpless then... I witnessed Mystra's destruction in Cormir. She wanted to return to Asgard, so Heim killed her." The Obsidian Saint smiled, "The power that erupted from her death destroyed everything within a radius of tens of kilometers. I must say, it was quite pleasing to me."
High in the sky, Casaloz trembled with displeasure upon hearing this. Bane, true to his title of God of Strife, could drag Casaloz into a new controversy with a single casual remark—the Harpists' Alliance was widespread throughout Faerûn, and Tanris was teeming with their spies. If this reached Storm Silverhand's ears, Casaloz would be "become" the one who deliberately released Bane's remnant soul, causing Elminster's disappearance, and leading Storm Silverhand to mistakenly believe Midnight and Eden were the masterminds behind Elminster's murder…
Tom gripped the hilt of his sword, staring at Bane in astonishment.
“I came to Tanris only to retrieve what is mine,” the Dark Lord lied. “There is no need for any conflict between us.”
"You mean the Tablet of Destiny that's in my temple?"
“I personally placed it in your temple just hours before AO banished us from the divine realm,” Bane said, his face grim but a hint of mockery in his eyes. “How ironic that a disloyal servant stole a treasure that is now hidden in the temple of duty.”
Tom's face tightened: "Go back, Bane. The slate belongs to AO, and I swear I will serve it faithfully..."
"Forget about empty words of praise," Bane sneered. "You know me too well."
"that
Chapter 317
"Prepare to defend yourself!" Tom roared, swinging his sword down. Bane's jet-black shield appeared out of thin air, blocking the attack. The artifacts collided and shattered simultaneously, dissipating into magical energy into the air.
The sound of metal clashing against obsidian echoed across the sea, splitting its surface and churning the air into a storm, with visible magical ripples spreading everywhere. Crew members on the decks of Zantir's fleet collapsed, while Tanris used the breakwater to shield himself from the waves. The aftershocks of the battle between the two gods were already an unbearable pressure for mortals.
"Heh, this is God..." Casaroz felt the dragon magic within its body stirring slightly again, and it glanced south once more. There, Ilminster had already led Isis and Midnight to the clock tower, and the holes in the web of fate had been completely mended.
On the sea, Santyr's fleet bypassed the area where the saints were fighting, and the soldiers on board were preparing to land at Tanris. On the city walls, Tanris's defenders had already erected ballistae, and large catapults were in operation. War between mortals was imminent.
Iron Dragon's gaze swept over the ships, its indigo pupils flickering slightly. Then, it folded its wings again and swooped down, rejoining the battle. Its target, however, was not the Saint, but a Zantir warship, its most conspicuous flagship.
"Since things are already messed up like this, fixing them wouldn't make the original timeline completely different, so let's just make it even more chaotic..."
On the deck of the target ship, Casalos spotted a familiar figure: Cyric, the rogue he had spared in Shadow Valley. The coincidence of fate elicited a short, mocking laugh from Casalos.
"Goodbye, future three-time champion, Mad God Syric!"
A fiery breath descended from the sky, engulfing the flagship. The iron hull melted under the intense heat of the breath, the sound of seawater rushing in mingling with the roar of scorching steam. Casalos didn't stop, continuing its flight to the next ship.
64. Kill God!
The moment Cyric died from dragon breath, the pseudo-Laplace's recently sorted-out "fate" was like a mischievous child poking it with a bamboo pole and stirring it wildly, until it was all stuck to the spider web on the bamboo pole, making it impossible to distinguish one from the other.
Casalos, however, paid little attention, simply clearing out the Zantyr fleet ship by ship. Deduction is not language; it should not presume to know destiny. Whether it be the cosmological constant or foresight, it is merely a fulcrum it strives to maintain its footing in the chaotic sea of fate.
"Whoa, that damn dragon..."
This was the scream of a nearly terrified Santyr soldier on the fourteenth ship as Casaloz swept overhead. He dropped the ballista's winch and scrambled into the cabin, the terrifying experience of facing the dragon's might vividly etched into his soul.
Casalos responded with a sphere of fiery dragon breath that easily pierced the wooden deck, melted the iron shell, and ignited the steam boilers. The soldiers on board were ignited by the sudden heat, their screams filling the air before being engulfed by the leaping flames.
Nothing is more suitable for reaping dense, living forces than blazing flames. This ancient, primordial power is a blessing from Asgras and the key to Casalos's courage to plunge into this turbulent vortex.
"Another one taken down. How much does Bane hate me now?" Casalos circled halfway in the air, then readjusted his angle and lunged at the next warship.
On the sea, the battle between Bane and Tom was reaching its climax. The lion-headed giant's massive physique remained as solid as a rock under the attacks of the obsidian colossus, though its surface already bore many cracks. Meanwhile, Bane's saintly body was being forced back step by step by Tom's heavy punches, occasionally even being knocked back several steps by bending over—Cassaloz's advance to engage in battle had a significant weakening effect on Bane.
Bane's voice held a hint of anxiety, as He was forced to use prophecy to strike at Tom's sore spot: "It seems I'm not the only one forced to make sacrifices, Tom, you loyal and protective king. How many believers' lives have given you strength? Probably not as many as the ones I've sacrificed!"
Tom angrily took a step back, then with a swing of his hand, conjured another flaming greatsword and slashed down: "Don't compare me to you, Bane! My followers sacrificed themselves for their duty, they dedicated themselves to protecting Tanris, I remember every single one of their names..."
Just as Tom was losing his composure in his anger, Bane delivered an uppercut to the God of Duty's chin, causing the golden lion-headed giant to stumble and nearly fall.
“That sounds nice,” Bane sneered. “We’re all the same, Tom!”
Bane's voice trailed off as he abruptly looked up at the distant sea, where warships were being ignited one after another by dragon breath. Casalos had already destroyed a third of the Zantir fleet, but he was being held back at sea by Tom.
"Milko, give me more power!"
Amber-green light rose from the Santyr fleet, scattering in the air like countless fireflies. Those were souls, the spirits of the Santyr sailors and soldiers, drawn from their shattered bodies by Melkor, the god of death, to be used once more by Bane.
Each point of light seemed to be drawn by invisible threads, converging towards Bane's obsidian colossus. They burrowed into the cracks in Bane's body, repairing the damaged parts and simultaneously infusing the obsidian colossus with new power.
"You think you've won?" Bane sneered. "All the dead soldiers will become my strength!"
Tom steadied himself and glared at Bane: "You're hopeless!"
As the two gods continued their battle, Casalos increased the frequency of its attacks—life killed by the flames would no longer generate "souls." It needed to destroy more ships to more effectively limit Bane's power.
Iron Dragon accelerated its dive and barrel roll, unleashing bursts of short breaths just enough to destroy warships. Before the amber-green light stream ceased its surging, it destroyed seven more warships. The number of amber-green specks dancing on the sea surface began to decrease, and Bane's power growth slowed as a result.
"Bann, the voters of Nur have already seen through your tricks and sent your pathetic followers, whom you deceived and abandoned, to the afterlife before you even got there!"
Tom shouted, and his deafening roar echoed throughout the entire sea.
Upon hearing this, the obsidian colossus abruptly turned its head, a glint of rage flashing in its crimson eyes. "Damn reptile! I should have crushed you to dust long ago!"
Seizing the moment when Bane was distracted, Tom slashed his greatsword at the obsidian colossus's abdomen. Blue flames crackled around the golden blade, leaving a deep gash.
"Your opponent is me, Bane!"
"Tom, are you blind? That dragon is cutting off my retreat! It's killing my soldiers, destroying the army I've assembled! I am your comrade!"
"No, you are a sinner!"
Casalos, having skimmed the sea, no longer lingered in battle. It rapidly ascended towards the clouds, drawing near to the eternal sun that had appeared with Tom's arrival, its golden light illuminating Casalos's body. The layers of overlapping, water-like silver scales shimmered in the sunlight.
The iron dragon spread its wings, took a deep breath of the fresh air above the clouds, and felt the dragon magic flowing in its veins become active again.
The battle among the saints took a new turn. Bane, now empowered, gradually turned the tide, while Tom's power rapidly waned. The obsidian colossus recovered some of its injuries with the infusion of soul power, while Tom barely held on by constantly draining the power offered by his followers. The two colossi, controlled by divine souls, driven by divinity, and powered by mortal souls, fought fiercely, tearing at each other and leaving wounds on one another.
Amber-green light flowed from every wound on the obsidian colossus, while blue mist continuously dissipated from the golden lion-headed giant. This battle was ultimately about who could hold out the longest, who could conserve more power, not who could deliver the fatal blow.
"Whoever exhausts their strength first will be eliminated by the opponent." Casalos didn't even need to analyze—
Chapter 318
The sacrifices of Baal's followers across the entire continent, plus the souls of the fleet's soldiers, versus the self-sacrifice of a single city's followers—the outcome was already predetermined.
Iron Dragon took a deep breath, channeling the dragon magic that surged within him once more, and summoned again the higher elemental beings of the four basic elements. He then used the pseudo-Laplace's demon to take control of them, fusing them together and embedding them into his dragon body. The dragon's body once again entered a mixed form of the four elements: wind, fire, water, and earth.
Casalos's form, blurred by the sunlight in a colorful halo, streaked through the clouds, breaking the sound barrier and leaving a roar behind. Boiling dragon magic flowed through the blood vessels in its chest, infusing the energy of the "elements" into its lungs, then converging along the trachea and throat into its mouth, where it swirled, compressed, and condensed, mixing its various colors into a white incandescent substance.
The golden lion-headed giant caught a glimpse of the silently falling meteor, then spread its arms and launched a final charge at Bane, entangling the obsidian colossus.
"Just admit defeat, Bane. This time, you're doomed."
“Ridiculous! You think you can take me?” Bane struggled, but Tom’s strength was no less, and he held him tightly. “Let go! I command you to let go!”
Tom didn't respond, but instead tightened his grip on Bane, creating a perfect window of opportunity for Casalos to attack.
With a thunderous roar, Casalos unleashed the Chaos Elemental Orb he had been accumulating for so long. The incandescent orb, barely balanced under the precise control of the pseudo-Laplace's Demon, flew out like a guided missile, striking precisely the back of the Bane Obsidian Colossus.
"No!"
Bane's roar was drowned out by the blinding light and deafening explosions. The cracks on the surface of the obsidian colossus rapidly widened, amber light shooting from each fissure. The saint's body began to crumble, disintegrating from the inside out with the power of the chaotic elements.
Even in his dying moments, Bane uttered his final curse: "Foolish insects, do you think this will stop me? I will destroy all of Tanris with my death! The entire sea will be turned into a wasteland, and the stone tablets will still be in our hands!"
Casalos exited his elemental state, disbanded his higher elemental powers, and returned to normal. He spread his wings and hovered gracefully in the low sky: "Then you'd better open your eyes wide and see clearly, you fool who was used as cannon fodder by Melkor."
It wagged its tail toward Tanris. A golden, hemispherical barrier was slowly rising, enveloping the entire city.
"That is……"
“The Holy Bell,” Casalos sneered, “it seems Isis and Midnight did a good job. This farce you and Melkor orchestrated is over.”
After the Blazing Flame's slashing effect was triggered, Bane died in a fit of rage, his soul unable to escape, exploding like a megaton-level nuclear explosion.
Tom knelt on one knee on the sea, conjuring a shield in front of him.
The shockwave from the explosion spread out like ripples, whipping up high waves. Casalos's scales reflected the light of the explosion like a meticulously polished mirror. It did not retreat or hide, but faced the apocalyptic storm head-on.
“The power is not as terrible as I imagined,” Casalos assessed in his mind. “Although the kill radius looks like a megaton-level nuclear explosion, the nature of the Saint’s death explosion is more like a super-powered thermobaric bomb.”
Thermobaric explosions differ significantly from ordinary explosions. Through pre-dispersed explosive charges, they distribute the severely excess energy concentrated at the blast core evenly over a defined spatial area. This drastically reduces the peak value of the overpressure front, which decays with the square of the distance, while simultaneously filling in the attenuation zone over a large area. In other words, they smooth out peaks and fill valleys, achieving widespread destructive power with limited energy.