For a few seconds, Hephaestus and Lina couldn't even comprehend what had just happened.
Lina's lips parted, but no words escaped. Her entire body trembled, her golden eyes locked on Alex as if seeing a monster in human skin.
Hephaestus staggered back, muttering, his voice breaking with disbelief. "A mortal… a mortal just destroyed my greatest work… how could it be?"
The once-glorious hall, filled with divine weapons forged over millennia, now lay in ruins. The ground was cracked, the walls burned, and nothing but broken fragments of weapons remained.
And amidst the wreckage, Alex stood.
His left arm was gone, ripped away in the explosion. His entire body was bloodied, his clothes torn and singed. He leaned slightly, his breathing rough, but his eyes—his eyes were calm, almost mocking.
Inside his mind, his voice echoed bitterly. 'Hey, useless system, why didn't you warn me that something like this would happen?'
The reply came immediately, cold and annoyed.
