Reest was buckled on one knee, paralyzed by the backlash of his own exertion. He could only watch as the condensed sphere of white-hot annihilation he had just fired whistled back toward him. He was drained, unable to move a muscle, let alone cast a spell to intercept the incoming inferno.
“This is outrageous!” The Marquess roared from the hovering platform, swinging his hands. His refined, humanoid form couldn't contain his fury any longer; it cracked as a suffocating, violent black fire enveloped him.
[Due to high risk of death, the duel has been stopped. The winner is Aure…]
The blue notification flashed before my eyes, but before I could even finish reading it, it distorted, collapsing into a cloud of glitching, colorful pixels.
What the hell?
Down in the arena, the orb crashed into Reest.
There was no sound at first, just a blinding flash that erased everything. Then came the roar. The explosion surged upward, transforming into a spiraling tornado of devastating fire. The inferno surged in all directions, licking at the edges of the arena.
Yet, despite its overwhelming power, the inferno didn’t last. The flames died out abruptly, revealing the center of the impact.
Reest stood there.
He wasn't ash. He wasn't even burned. He stood amidst the darkened earth completely unharmed, as if the attack had simply passed through him.
“How…” Aurelion muttered the word through gritted teeth. That single word took the last of his remaining powers as his legs gave out. He stumbled forward, barely managing to catch himself before his face hit the packed earth.
He had given everything, survived the impossible, and reflected a god-tier attack... for nothing.
“ATTACK IMMEDIATELY!” the Marquess yelled, voice far too deep and hoarse for anything humanoid.
Down in the arena, Reest stood with his head lowered. But at the command, the demon snapped to attention.
He flapped his wings, the air cracking around him, and surged toward the defenseless Aurelion. A fresh sphere of blazing orb began to form above his palm.
“The Pantheon will stop the duel,” V exclaimed, his voice rising in panic as he felt the air around me grow heavy. “Please, Your Lordship! Don’t break the rules or there will be punishment for both of us!”
I ignored him. I looked toward the arena, my focus narrowing to a single point. Reest was only a step away from Aurelion, his hand extended, death hovering inches from my unconscious Angel.
“What are they waiting for…” I hissed, already trying to channel more of my divine power into my spectral body.
But before I could, the arena froze as though time itself had stopped.
A pillar of blinding white divine energy slammed down, enveloping Reest. It was brighter than anything I had seen and immensely more domineering. It plucked the demon from the ground as if he were a toy and instantly moved him back onto the Falvan platform.
Aurelion, however, didn't get transported. The moment Reest’s charge was halted, my Angel simply vanished.
[Duel Verdict]
The deity who challenged you has broken the laws and intervened directly in the duel. They have paid the appropriate price for this transgression; thus, the result stands and the winner is Reest.
However, due to the forceful alteration of the laws, you shall be compensated. 10,000 Divinity Points (50% of the divinity spent to intervene). 1,000 Divinity Points.
Additionally, your Angel will be healed completely.
If you feel this judgement was unjust, you may seek The Five.