Umaru began levitating off the ground and stopped once he was two meters above the ground. He then brought something to his mouth.

“Have you government scums still learned nothing? You can send endless waves and I will crush every single one of your soldiers. I suggest you fall back if you know what is good for you! I am a merciful man but even I have limited patience.”

Ali learned that there were projection crystals like the one used by Umaru to project one’s voice over a large area. This saved the need for a person to shout loud enough for the other side to hear. Umaru appeared to be in his element while speaking to the enemy forces but the supports that went out with the teenager looked nervous from where he stood.

Do they know something we don’t?

“You must be the one they call Umaru the Lightning God. How big must one’s ego be if a mortal dares to call himself a god? Tell you what! Go back to your base and hide like a coward. If we cannot find you, we cannot kill you. Fair?”

“You dare to underestimate me? Let me show you the last mistake you have made in this life!”

Umaru levitated higher and higher until he was at least ten meters off the ground. Lightning formed around him before the bolts were sent in the direction of the attacking side. The sight reminded Ali of the waves that crashed on the sand, only the lightning replaced the water and the enemy soldiers were the sand pebbles. The attack initially covered a wide area but they eventually converged at a single point.

“What’s that? Is that a tower?”

In the distance, a large tower-like structure stood tall between Umaru and the attacking forces. All the lightning was converging at its tip. Ali was certain the structure wasn’t there before so either it was erected quickly or the enemy hid it very well. Regardless, the lightning couldn’t hit any of the enemy soldiers regardless of how much Umaru released.

Wait! Why isn’t Umaru stopping?

Ali turned his attention to the levitating teenager who was screaming as though he was in pain. The two supports tried to cast spells on him but nothing they did made a difference. Lightning appeared to surging out of the teenager with no sign of stopping.

Is that tower responsible for all this?

Ali found himself unable to look away as Umaru’s body burst into flames, likely overexerting from all the lightning he was releasing. The flame grew bigger and bigger until it fully engulfed the teenager. In a matter of seconds, the teenager went from the lightning god to dust that blew away with the wind.

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“Now, I am not a freeloader. Allow me to return to you the generous gift your lightning god has bestowed on me!”

The tower grew red hot before a tsunami wave of lightning was redirected at the base. Ali tried to get loose but the ramparts were too cramped. Further panic within the garrison’s ranks created a situation where he couldn’t get loose. Given how quickly lightning traveled, Ali was readying himself for his death. Then, he felt a hand that lifted him easily and pulled him. He turned his head to see Kamis hauling him like a sack of potatoes as the two of them descended straight down the rampart on the other side. Moments after Kamis landed, the lightning reached the ramparts, causing an intense burning smell to fill the air. Ali coughed intensely to get the the smell out of his system.

“That was some quick thinking there,” said Caala.

After the young man spoke, there was deathly silence, as though the four of them were the only survivors. No one doubted that anyone hit directly by the lightning had no chance of living. The cramped conditions on the ramparts was likely the main contributor to their high casualties. The group quickly went through the opened gate to scale the second rampart to see that it too was deserted. A quick look around was enough confirmation that anyone on the ramparts was dead. The group spent the next few minutes getting through the third gate where those within the base were going about their business as usual.

“What’s with your looks?” asked one of the soldiers sitting by a cooking fire.

“Umaru and most of the garrison are dead,” said Kamis. “The enemy will descend upon us in moments. We must defend the innermost rampart!”

Ali watched as the expression on the soldiers went from a smile to disbelief to horror. The soldiers then went to the nearest watchtower to sound the alarm. By the time everyone gathered at the innermost rampart, reality had dawned on everyone. More than eighty percent of the garrison was eliminated and the remaining twenty or so percent wasn’t enough to defend the entire rampart.

“We’re dead, aren’t we?” said one soldier. “We cannot possibly hold off an enemy that’s at least five times our size, especially if the lightning god is dead.”

A scream got everyone’s attention. They turned to see enemy soldiers already scaling the walls and engaging in combat. Given how thin they were spread out, the garrison struggled to plug the holes. Before long, the innermost rampart had fallen, forcing Ali and his group to abandon it. The four of them ran through the base, looking for a location to make their final stand. By now, many of the tents were set aflame and the smoke only caused more chaos. Ali briefly saw the commanding officers offering their surrender to the attacking forces as he ran past the center of the base.

They will likely be publicly executed like so many others. Or maybe they hope they get lucky.

“So this is where you were hiding?” said a familiar voice.

Ali saw in his peripheral vision a hand reaching out from darkness and approaching him. Because he was distracted earlier, he had no time to respond.

“Ali!” shouted Kamis who was close by.

Then, he found himself swallowed in darkness.