265 THE SIGNAL !!!!
"Ah, how did that miss your heart?" Aseran cried, his voice filled with frustration.
"Ha, you are exactly where I need you to be", Leo told him.
Aseran was shocked by his response. "Is this the words of someone responding upon their death?" he asked himself.
"Don't be arrogant, you are finished Lilleo Gullee," Lord Aseran screamed.
Leo didn't respond. Instead, he tightened his grip, a powerful jolt of energy surging into Aseran's body.
"Touch of Immobility."
"What is this?" Aseran screamed while his body went rigid, collapsing to the ground, completely immobilized.
Leo used Aseran's desperation against him.
Knowing he must win this battle quickly Aseran must make a critical strike. When Aseran thrust his sword into Leo's chest to kill him, he unknowingly placed himself within Leo's reach.
Leo did not attempt to evade Aseran's thrust on purpose but evaded injury to the critical organs of his body, leaving enough room for the Touch of Immobility to work at this distance.
Leo with blood still dripping on his body grabbed Aseran with his other hand. Suddenly, magic and energy were sucked from him like a vacuum.
"Touch of Consummation."
The soldiers watched in horror as Aseran's body withered, his flesh shriveling and collapsing inward.
The spectral form of Hera, born from the sacrifice of life and magic of countless warriors, was drawn back into him, their stolen essence spiraling toward Leo's outstretched hand.
His Consummation Touch ensnared them, devouring their power as Aseran let out a final, choking gasp.
"No,…. This is not possible."
Hera's apparition wavered, dissolving into the ether like mist beneath the morning sun until she was no more.
The battlefield fell silent. The battle was won. The soldiers erupted in cheers, their cries of victory rolling across the battlefield like thunder.
Then, a deep, resonant blast cut through the air.
A warhorn.
The triumphant shouts faded as all eyes turned toward the horizon.
"What is that sound?" Petunia asked, her voice uneasy.
This was the trouble Aseran warned about.
General Nahum's expression darkened. "The Koresh army's war cry," he said grimly. "War has come to Sodom City."
Bara approached Leo with concern in her eyes. "Are you alright?"
Leo exhaled sharply, wiping blood from his chin. He gazed into the distance, where dark banners rose against the sky. A smirk tugged at his lips.
"Guess the orgy will have to wait," he muttered.
-----
[The Governor's Residence of Sodom City- before the Koresh invasion of the city]
"What should we do now?" Governor Zeru's voice was tense, his fingers drumming anxiously against the table.
"The Koresh army is camping outside our city, and our forces are crippled without the support of the Deghad and Toledo families," he continued his rant.
General Nalum frowned, arms crossed. "It doesn't make sense. Why are they just sitting there? They should have attacked by now."
Leo sat back in his chair, silent until now.
He was still recovering—his body bore the lingering pain of his battle with Aseran Deghad and the spectral terror of the Mother of Hera.
"They're waiting for something," he said at last.
Governor Zeru turned to him sharply. "Waiting for what?"
Leo exhaled. "A signal from inside the city, perhaps. They tried to incite civil war and riots inside Sodom causing chaos from within, to conquer our city with ease."
"Those evil bastards."
"But those plans failed?" the governor asked.
Leo paused before replying to him, "Perhaps… they don't know yet they have failed. Maybe they need confirmation that their scheme worked before they strike."
A heavy silence fell over the room.
General Nalum's jaw tightened. "Then what do we do? We can't face the Koresh army head-on in our current state."
Leo considered their options, his gaze steady. "We may have a chance—if we take them by surprise and catch them off guard."
-----
[At the camp of the Koresh Empire expeditionary army against Sodom city]
"Lady Dassa, why are we waiting here?" General Eoshomon's voice cut through the stillness of the camp, his tone edged with impatience.
His armored hand rested on the hilt of his sword, his gaze fixed on Lady Dassa, the special envoy of the emperor, who stood at the edge of the camp, her eyes locked on the distant horizon.
Dassa didn't turn to face him immediately.
Her attention was elsewhere, her mind seemingly miles away. The faint glow of Sodom City's spires flickered in the distance, a dark silhouette against the blood-red sky.
She was waiting—waiting for something only she seemed to understand.
"I have it all planned," she said at last, her voice calm but firm. "We wait for the signal from our operatives. When it comes, we move."
The General frowned, his brow furrowing beneath his helmet. "A signal? How? No one can get in or out of Sodom City now. The enemy has sealed every gate, every passage. Your spies are trapped, just like the rest of us."
Dassa finally turned to him, her piercing eyes meeting his. There was a flicker of something unreadable in her gaze—confidence, perhaps, or something darker.
"We have ways of communicating that don't require them to return here," she said, her voice low but steady. "Ways you wouldn't understand."
Eoshomon opened his mouth to protest, but before he could speak, a scout came rushing into the camp, his breath ragged and his face flushed with urgency.
"Flares!" he exclaimed, pointing toward the city. "Flares in the sky—over Sodom!"
Dassa's expression shifted instantly.
She moved swiftly, her long cloak billowing behind her as she strode to the edge of the camp. Her assistants followed, their hands already busy with scrolls and instruments. The flares were faint but unmistakable—bursts of light in varying colors, each one carefully timed and spaced.
The General watched as Dassa's team worked, their movements precise and practiced. They measured the colors, the intensity, the intervals between each flare.
It was a code, he realized—a language only the Temple of Hera could decipher.
"Is it from your operatives?" Eoshomon asked, stepping closer. "What does it say?"