300 RETURN OF SUJIRA
A cascade of stone surged toward Emperor Ramses, crashing with relentless force.
"Magic Missile."
Ramses' magic defense activated immediately, forming a shimmering dome of energy around him shattering the powerful stones on impact.
But the barrier wasn't created by his magic—the magic came from an ancient artifact, a relic of divine craftsmanship. Ramses was richly geared.
"Even if you've reached me, defeating me won't be so simple! I am the Emperor of Koresh, I have all kinds of treasures at my disposal," Ramses roared, his voice defiant.
The cloaked figure standing before him didn't flinch. "Is that so?" came the reply, laced with quiet menace before adding, "Let's add velocity and explosion."
The figure raised an arm, and with a subtle gesture, a barrage of explosive stone projectiles battered the shield. Each impact sent ripples of energy across the dome, which flickered and dimmed under the assault.
"Your shield will not last long under my rain of stones", Leo said to the emperor.
"This magic… you will not have enough magic to cast too many of those. In the end, you will not defeat me", Ramses protested.
But more spells came crashing on Ramses's shield.
Soon, cracks spiderwebbed across its surface, and with a shattering wail, the shield collapsed. Ramses was thrown to the ground, his eyes wide with disbelief.
"How—how did you break my artifact's power?" he stammered.
"No matter how strong your shield is, it would eventually crack under my unlimited attack", Leo replied.
"Unlimited? How can there be limitless magic… that's not possible", Ramses replied angrily.
"And the rain of stone is only the beginning", Leo added.
"Impossible."
Leo took a step forward, and the air grew colder. "Now, you die," he added before he cast another spell, a big one.
The heavens above blazed as flames coalesced into a titanic meteor, its size dwarfing the landscape. The fiery mass hurtled toward Ramses, but as it descended, it morphed—flames shifting into razor-sharp nail of brimstone poised to obliterate its target.
Ramses would be killed immediately except for the robe he wore which grafted a powerful enchantment protecting him.
"Damnit, another rare artifact", Leo protested.
But Ramses wasn't relieved. He knew that his artifacts could only protect him to a certain extent.
Although Ramses had a special mean to create the powerful chess domain, he wasn't a powerful mage. His magical abilities were meagre at best.
Most of the time, he depended on Godmother to protect him.
"No… no! Someone help me! Mother, save me!" Ramses screamed, his voice breaking with despair.
But Zorana wasn't here. Her soul was in hibernation after her battle with the Demon King Argun. She needed time to recover.
But this wasn't the time to rest. Zorana's own son needed her. Desperately.
In that desperate moment, the sky split open, and a radiant golden hand emerged, shimmering with divine power. It caught the descending brimstone nail.
"Huh, mother… I am saved", Ramses cried with relief.
But Zorana's magic wasn't without cost. The impact with the brimstone nail pierced the celestial hand until it too shattered, scattering into fragments of golden light.
For a moment, silence reigned.
Then, out of the light, a woman appeared, her form faint and wavering. It was Godmother, Zorana, Ramses' real mother.
"Mother… why did you come out? Your condition is too fragile without a physical body!" Ramses cried, rushing to her side.
Zorana was currently in the form of a ghost. After Dassa's death, she lost her host and returned to her true form- a ghost.
"If I hadn't come out, you'd be dead, my son," she said, her voice firm yet strained.
Leo watched the scene with a flicker of amusement, his posture unyielding, his aura of menace undiminished.
"So, you are the bitch who possessed Dassa?" Leo asked Zorana. She didn't answer that question.
"What do you want from us?" Zorana asked, her voice cracking as she knelt beside Ramses holding his faltering legs.
Zorana knew they have lost this battle. Despite possessing an army of demon souls, those demons were occupied in other chess pieces. They couldn't return to the King's chess piece to help them.
There was only one road left for them. Diplomacy.
"What can we trade for our lives? Name your price," Zorana asked.
Leo's voice was cold, almost amused. "Your son will relinquish control of Debauchery City and the Koresh Kingdom. And you… you will release every soul and demon you've bound to your will."
Ramses bristled, his fists clenching. "No! That's worse than death. We'll lose everything! Without the demon ghosts, I couldn't even protect myself."
Leo stepped closer, his tone icy. "It's not as if you have a choice."
Zorana's expression darkened as she weighed their dire situation.
Her mind churned with the sharp instincts of a strategist at work. She was after all a Grandmaster in chess and she was about the best person around when it came to strategy.
Zorana began to brainstorm.
"Who is this cloaked figure from the infamous Sodom City?" she asked herself.
"Who are you?" she asked Leo.
"Huh, don't you recognize me?" Leo replied the obvious, while his face was cloaked and concealed. He pulled down his cloak to show himself.
Then, realization struck Zorana like a bolt of lightning.
Her voice was a whisper, yet it carried a razor's edge. "I know who you are now, you… we killed you in my secret vault", Zorana cried.
"Yes, it was him… but why is he alive?" Ramses asked in shock.
Then Zorana understood. "You… you have the same constitution as the girl Dassa … you can summon doppelgangers?" she asked.
"Huh… mystery solved, but no points to you," Leo replied.
Zorana guessed again about Leo's identity. There was only one main character in Sodom's army who hasn't yet appeared in battle.
"You're the Demon of Gullee," she said, her eyes narrowing. "Who would have thought, like your name… you indeed are a true practitioner of demon magic."
Leo's lips curled into a faint smile, neither confirming nor denying her words.
"Now, return Sujira's soul to me", Leo demanded.