230 I AM THE CULPRIT
He thrust his arms forward—KHROOM!
A massive plasma beam shot through the sky, slamming into Anubis with annihilating force.
The Jackal God raised his Scepter of Judgnt—
CRE—AAK… CRACK!
The ancient divine weapon shattered—yet did not fully break.
Even so, the force behind the blow was far beyond anything Dan could have unleashed a month ago.
"You've grown stronger again…I admit that," Anubis snarled, surprise finally cracking his arrogance.
A month ago, Dan had already been troubleso.
Now, he was sothing else entirely.
"How often do I get the chance to clash with an S-Rank skill?" Dan said, grinning. "I wouldn't miss it for anything."
He had already done the math.
Halo's Judgnt was originally Rank B.
Each level of Heart of Ra boosted its effective output—five levels translating to roughly five rank tiers. His Core of Electricity, currently at level eight, should theoretically push it to another eight ranks.
But power was never that simple.
Halo's Judgnt required multiple cores to function properly—Genesis, Blood, and Electricity. The enhancent had to be divided across all three.
After accounting for the split, the result beca clear.
In theory, Halo's Judgnt could now reach 6A Rank—one full tier below Rank S.
Yet it was still not enough to overwhelm a god outright.
"Arrogant," the Shadow of Anubis sneered. "You are still far from defeating a god—even a re shadow."
"Maybe," Dan replied calmly. "But don't forget—I carry the blessings of Ra. You can't hurt here… but I can hurt you."
He wasn't wrong.
In the daylit desert of Anu, beneath the twin suns, Dan's regeneration was limitless. Wounds sealed the instant they ford. Burned flesh re-knit almost imdiately. Shattered bones re-grew as if they had never broken.
Here, Black Halo was invincible.
"Then why do you think we ca with five shadow gods?" Anubis thundered.
The alien deities had not co unprepared.
Every god had strengths—and counters. Their differences gave versatility to challenge even Dan's daylight invulnerability.
"Leave the half-breed to ," bood the Shadow of Ra, stepping forward like a living inferno.
The desert itself seed to bow to its heat.
Both he and Dan carried the blessing of Ra—the curse of eternal regeneration under the twin suns.
Their battle was an endless loop… neither could kill the other during the day… but they could lock each other in endless combat.
The Shadow of Ra's eyes ignited—ZRAAAGH!
A spear of pure solar annihilation tore through Dan, nearly disintegrating his entire upper torso.
But the light hadn't even faded before Dan's body reford, regenerating whole and his scales shining again.
"Damnit….fighting bloody Ra is pointless," Dan hissed.
He aid to break away, to strike another target…. But the Shadow of Ra was already there, moving faster than light itself, forcing Dan back into combat with him.
"There would be no escape.No changing targets. You shall fight ," Ra had claid him.
----
Black Halo darted through the air, his plasma cutting across the sky in blazing arcs…but no matter how he twisted, dove, or teleported, the Shadow of Ra stayed on him like a second skin.
Every ti Dan tried to break away—ZRAAANNG!
A solar spear or beam tore through his body, forcing him back into combat.
He healed instantly… but he could not escape.
anwhile, Lord Nicaesa's golden projection fought alone against four alien gods—the serpent Wadjet, the lioness Sekht, the ram-headed Khnum, and Anubis himself.
Their combined onslaught was rciless.
BOOM!Wadjet's tail slamd into the golden hamr.
CRAACK!Sekht's claws ripped its edge apart.
SHATTER!Khnum crushed its head with a single ram strike.
The Anima Hamr fractured….then exploded into golden dust.
Nicaesa's projection staggered and crashed into the sand.
"No!" Dan roared, and for the first ti, desperation cracked through his voice.
He didn't even try to defend.
Ra's divine plasma spear crushed into him, vaporizing half his torso….but he healed mid-fall and ignored the pain completely as he dove toward his uncle.
The Shadows realized Nicaesa was near death.
They turned their attention to Dan, leaving only Anubis hovering over the fallen general, preventing Dan from reaching him.
The lioness, ram, and serpent gods surged toward Dan in a three-pronged assault. Under the twin suns he regenerated endlessly…but he was not immortal.
If they destroyed him in one simultaneous strike before regeneration could trigger…
He would die.
"Damnit… this is bad," Dan muttered, his breath shaking already anticipating their moves.
But he didn't care.
He blasted straight past the three gods, taking every hit as he was CLAWED, IMPALED, CRUSHED, and SHREDDED…but his body healed instantly as he ramd through the dust towards Lord Nicaesa.
Anubis' Scepter of Judgnt fell over him suddenly.
With a quick movent, he cast out a powerful plasma beam over the scepter breaking it without rcy.
Then he scopped up Nicaesa's body.
"No… do not save ," Nicaesa coughed, blood spilling down his chin. "Save yourself…"
"Don't talk." Dan's voice cracked. "We're getting out of this together."
He flew toward the desert, but then—WUUUUUMMMMM—The five colossal pyramids surrounding them began to spin.
Slowly at first.
Then faster.
Then violently.
A shimring wall of force surged up from their edges transforming into a colossal, rotating cage of divine power.
Dan slamd into it—BOOOOM! ….and was thrown back hundreds of ters, skidding across the sand with Nicaesa in his arms.
Nicaesa grabbed the front of Dan's armor, his eyes heavy with resignation.
"We cannot escape," he whispered. "The pyramid barrier… it seals even space. Dan… leave . Now."
The words cut deeper than any alien strike.
And the five Shadows closed in.
Dan and Nicaesa had run out of options.
Their combined strength couldn't contend with all five Shadows—not together. And although Dan bore Ra's healing blessing, even that ant nothing if his body was destroyed faster than it could regenerate.
"Dan… you must leave," Nicaesa said quietly.
"I'm taking you with ," Dan insisted.
Nicaesa saw the familiar stubbornness in him. If Dan chose to stand and fight, nothing could move him. Yet staying ant only one end:
capture… or death.
"There is only one way I survive this," Nicaesa said.
"What way? Tell …we'll do it," Dan replied instantly.
"You must leave without ."
Dan opened his mouth to argue, but Nicaesa continued before he could speak. "Their target isn't . It's you."
The truth struck harder than any spell.
Dan was not Nicaesa's shield…he was his downfall. The fortress's ruin, Nicaesa's helpless position… all of it hinged on Dan being here.
"If I never ca to Anu, Fortress Myrone would still be around…. Thousands of good people would not have died", Dan told himself.
As Dan faltered, a sudden force grabbed him. A massive hand hurled him toward the space rift.
"No—!" Dan scread.
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