Horus fell to one knee, breathing heavily, though his wound was already healing again.

  “I’ve already told you, Horus. You don’t stand a chance against me. My illusions are perfect,” Gurzil said as he landed behind the Egyptian god along with his phantoms.

  Horus began to laugh.

  “Have you lost your mind, Horus?” Gurzil asked, confused.

  “I was wondering,” Horus replied as he stood back up, “how a trick that looks so advanced doesn’t seem to worry you about losing your manna. And the fact that you keep attacking me with simple strikes instead of using secret techniques—combined with that last attack—has allowed me to decipher your ability.”

  “Oh really? I’m all ears,” the Berber god said with a malicious smile.

  “Have you ever heard of ghosts, Gurzil?” Horus asked.

  “Are you going to turn gnostic now that you know you’ve lost?” Gurzil mocked.

  “Ghosts,” Horus continued, “are beings that exist in parallel dimensions. They can interact physically and visually with those in another dimension, but those people cannot touch them.”

  Gurzil grimaced.

  “All you did was place yourself in a parallel dimension and reflect yourself with illusions that move in sync with your true self in that alternate plane. That’s why, even if this planet were to explode, I wouldn’t be able to touch you. And since you aren’t actually sustaining yourself here, you don’t consume manna and can fight for a very long time. Am I wrong?” Horus said with a triumphant smile.

  “And even if that were true, how would that change the outcome?” Gurzil asked.

  “Well, unfortunately for you,” Horus replied, “I specialize in hunting ghosts and invisible vermin like you.”

  At that moment, Horus removed his eye patch. Beneath it was an eye surrounded by a deep scar. The hidden eye was a different color—white, in contrast to the red of his right eye. Though he wore a mask, his eyes were clearly visible through its openings.

  Horus forced his left eye open and suddenly saw everything tinted red. Behind the illusions, Gurzil was standing clearly in view.

  “I see you now!” Horus shouted, and like an arrow he lunged forward, grabbing the Berber god by the throat as the illusions vanished.

  Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.

  “How is it possible that you can invade my personal dimension?” Gurzil gasped as he was strangled by the falcon god.

  “My left eye, known as the Wadjet, can see everything—even enemies hidden in alternate dimensions or taking refuge light-years away,” Horus replied.

  Horus yanked Gurzil out of his parallel dimension. It was as if a pane of glass shattered in midair when Gurzil was pulled free, before Horus slammed him into the ground.

  “Damn it… you made me dirty my hands with your rotten cloak,” Horus muttered in disgust.

  He pulled a cloth from his armor and wiped his hands, his expression full of contempt.

  Gurzil rose in fury and raised his axe, which became engulfed in fire.

  “I won’t allow you to humiliate me!” the Berber god roared, gripping the axe with both hands.

  He swung the weapon and hurled himself at Horus with savage force, shouting:

  “Azeggway Weccem (Ax Strike)!”

  But when the axe reached Horus, he simply stopped it with the same cloth he had used to clean his hands. With a slight pressure, the axe shattered into hundreds of pieces.

  “This is impossible! That axe was the body of an ancient Libyan giant!” Gurzil screamed in horror as he stared at the unshaken Horus.

  The Egyptian god calmly put the cloth away and walked toward Gurzil. His scepter began to glow with overwhelming intensity.

  “Nubian gods, Berber gods, Ethiopian gods, gods of Punt, gods south of the Great Desert… and gods of Lel,” Horus said. “I’ve had great friends and rivals among them all. But I don’t remember vermin as weak and cowardly as you, Gurzil.”

  Gurzil staggered to his feet and began to raise his power.

  “You think I’m a coward? I’ll blow myself apart right now and erase this stupid planet along with all of you!” he screamed in rage.

  “That,” Horus replied coldly, “is the very definition of cowardice.”

  At that moment, both gods felt the shockwave from the massive explosion caused by the clash between Sekhmet and Tania. The tremor rippled through the entire region.

  “Impossible! That girl shouldn’t have been able to fight after falling into my illusion!” Gurzil shouted in terror.

  “I suspected you were behind that girl’s uncontrollable power… but she isn’t weak or cowardly like you,” Horus said.

  Gurzil drove his fingers into his own chest, and his body began to glow crimson. The temperature around them rose dramatically.

  “One more step and we’ll all disappear!” Gurzil threatened.

  “Well, if you want to die,” Horus replied calmly, “I’ll show you a real explosion first.”

  A golden sphere of energy formed at the tip of Horus’s scepter. In an instant, he vanished, moving so fast Gurzil couldn’t even perceive it. Horus raised his weapon skyward and shouted:

  “Xesef Neter (Divine Punishment)!”

  He struck Gurzil in the temple with his scepter, and upon impact, a massive nuclear-like explosion of pure golden light erupted.

  The blast expanded violently, illuminating the entire sky. A colossal earthquake shook the land, and the dimensional barrier trembled wildly.

  When the explosion faded—leaving no smoke, only light—Gurzil was gone, completely erased by Horus’s strike.

  The Egyptian god straightened and spread his wings.

  “Damn it… I should’ve asked him where Areophagus was,” he muttered.

  Less than three and a half hours remained before Anpiel’s execution.

  If you’d like to support the story, a follow or rating helps a lot.

  The next part will be released tomorrow.