Silence fell across the courtyard for one heartbeat after the Gods finished speaking.
Then Darius's hair fell forward, crimson strands obscuring his features as shadows pooled beneath.
His whisper emerged barely audible, meant for no one except himself.
"If I must fall..."
His breathing stayed controlled despite everything.
"Then let me fall from a height so great..."
A pause, his hands clenching where they hung pinned.
"That the entire universe will remember the sound of me breaking!"
WHOOSH
Power exploded from his frame despite the seals holding him, despite the weapons piercing through his body, despite everything designed to keep him contained.
The chains wrapped around his torso shattered like glass, fragments scattering across blood-stained stone.
The weapons holding him trembled, then began pulling free as his body lifted despite their resistance.
SHLK SHLK SHLK
Swords and spears tore from flesh with sounds that made several watching Demigods turn away.
