...Corona, meanwhile, caught Ungar's arm on his next strike, her staff flashing with a glyph of golden light. The force sent him skidding backward, boots digging trenches in the scorched ground. "I see now," she said, her voice cool and even, "why he keeps you close." Ungar dropped into a crouch. "Keep watching. It gets better." Lupus slammed Massamale into the ground again, her body cracking the earth beneath them. She didn't get back up this time — her aura dimmed to nothing, her eyes closing as she slipped into unconsciousness. Corona raised her staff, the air around her vibrating with dangerous intent. She looked down at Massamale's still form, then back up at Lupus and Ungar. "You've taken my blade," she said evenly, "but the hand that wields it is still steady." Lupus and Ungar both faced her, standing side by side now, purple lightning and shimmering afterimages weaving together in the heat-distorted air. Corona's eyes narrowed, and the golden rings of her staff began to spin faster. "Let's see how steady you are when the sun itself turns against you."
A quick intermission:
"قالت عائشة: كان رسول الله -صلوات الله وسلامه عليه- يخصف نعله، ويخيط ثوبه، ويعمل بيده كما يعمل أحدكم في بيته، وكان بشراً يفلي ثوبه، ويحلب شاته، ويخدم نفسه."
("Aisha said: The Messenger of Allah… would repair his sandals, sew his clothes, and work with his own hands like one of you in his house; he was a human being who mended his garment, milked his sheep, and served himself.")
The Sealed Nectar (Ar‑Raheeq Al‑Makhtum) by Ṣafī‑ur‑Raḥmān al‑Mubārakpūrī.
Lupus began to charge up an attack, "GET READY FOR A FIST OF THE BLUE DRAGON!" Corona yelled: "Filthy cur in your place, you fight only for ego, you are beneath a goddess!" Lupus laughed: "You think I fight for my pride alone, you know nothing. I fight for my family, my children, my wife, my friends, everything I've built. I need to be the strongest so I can always protect them and their property. With all my heart and soul. I will never give up. I will never give in. If I ever claimed that I wanted to sit upon the Throne of God then even the best isn't good enough. I must strive to be better. I must never stop." Lupus began to sweat as he was breaking down. Ungar began to shout to stop. But Corona overpowered him; it looked as if Lupus would be defeated. Corona smiled but as the smoke cleared Imam al-Tayyib stood there holding a knocked-out Lupus in his arms. Ungar looked up: "The Imam?" The Imam smiled looking down at Lupus: "You did great Lupus, I'm so proud of you. I took a lot to say what you just said, you spoke from the heart." The Imam flew down to Ungar, "Make sure to heal him old friend." Lupus' wife Ashley landed, she was in tears with three of her children behind her, "Lupa, Jr. and Kazan." The Imam insisted: "Don't worry you're husband is fine." The Imam turned around and walked slowly towards Corona.
He walked slowly towards her. And he said, "My most noble student has yet to arrive, the Fisherman, she has long since surpassed me, if you can defeat me then perhaps you have a chance against her." Corona laughed: "Is that some kind of joke?" The Imam didn't say another word not for a moment he whished his arm to the side and the clouds parted, yet the rain began to fall. A voice seemed to whisper, "Every drop of water was brought down by an angel larger than this world, yet they all fit in the same space, within the same intellect." He looked to the sky with a stoic yet peaceful and sirene expression. "He smiled, my my, they've come." In the distance Lupus' wife Ashley, his daughters Lupa and Kazan, an anthromorphic white dog with a slobbering happy face, "his name was Tik," along with Uvia, the Rainbow-Rangers and...….. Bairam. Ungar was concerned "Bairam?" Uvia replied: "I revived him from the Demon World." Lupus slowly woke up after Ungar had healed him. He looked to his side, he noticed the blue cloth clad saint, he said as he got his bearings, "the Imam..."
The Imam walked closer, Corona at first smirked. But then she began to grow angry, she didn't know why but something about this man began to make her madder and madder until she unleashed her fury, "TAKE THIS MONGREL!" The Imam disappeared, he appeared behind her swiping her in the back with his palm she flews backwards but after she caught her balance she went on the offensive. The rain was falling harder now, each droplet shining like quicksilver as it struck the shattered battlefield. Corona's aura flared violently, her body wreathed in a corona of molten light. Her staff spun like a wheel of judgment, the rings clashing together with a sound like the tolling of a thousand bells. She roared and rushed forward, the world bending under her speed. Her strikes came in torrents—staff spinning, light exploding, each blow meant to shatter mountains.
The Imam did not retreat. His movements were small, precise, like ripples crossing still water. A single hand parried entire storms of force, a tilt of his wrist turned searing blasts into scattered sparks. Where her fury was fire, his defense was water—endless, calm, and impossible to grasp. Corona's scream shook the sky. She leapt high, her staff spinning so fast the rings melted into a singular blazing sphere. She hurled it down like a miniature sun to end everything in its path.
The Imam raised both hands at last. His palms opened, and the falling star of her strike slowed—not stopping, but held as if caught in invisible currents. For a heartbeat, the battlefield was drowned in gold and silver, light and rain colliding in a blinding storm. When the brilliance faded, they stood facing each other across a scorched crater. Corona's chest was heaving, her knuckles white around her staff. Her hair clung to her face in wet strands, and though her aura still burned, her shoulders sagged from exertion. The Imam was breathing evenly, his robe marked by ash, but his gaze was unshaken. He had not pressed forward. He had not struck back. For a long silence, only the rain spoke. Corona finally lowered her staff, just an inch, but her eyes still smoldered with defiance. "You… are no man," she hissed. "You are a wall that refuses to break." The Imam inclined his head ever so slightly. "And you," he said softly, "are a flame that refuses to fade." They stood, locked in that truth—two forces unyielding, neither victorious, neither defeated. The battlefield held its breath, waiting.
The storm did not end. He put out his hand and Corona rushed towards him but the closer she got to him the further she got away from him. A clear paradox. Ungar was stunned. Lupus looked over at Bairam, "Great I'm going to have to deal with that afterwards." Meanwhile in the air Corona became more and more desperate to the point where she unleashed a giant ball of fiery energy "TIME TO DIE! WITNESS MY TRUE POWER INSECT!!" Down below Imam al-Tayyib simply replied: "OK!" with a calm face. The ball of energy was launched at the Imam but he simply kicked it upwards almost hitting Corona and using tears to stream from her eyes, "HOW DARE YOU, YOU BASTARD?! WHAT ARE YOU SOME KIND OF MONSTER?!" The Imam flew towards her and they began to fight at cosmic levels of speed it actually began to break apart reality. Ungar couldn't believe it, "Like myself both of them are capable of destroying this universe the atoms are slowly drifting apart."
In the battle the Universe began to shake more and more the Commander was holding Talus ransomed in the distance before his court-hearing he ran up to the balcony in terror. "What the hell is this?! Who are these fucking people?!" Talus behind the back of the commander spit out a loogy the loogy grew legs and jumped off the side of the balcony out of the sight of the Commander. Back at the battlefield, Lupus began to leap into the battle not to fight but to mock Corona who was becoming frustrated the Universe stopped being torn apart but Talus flew up. And mocked her, "Well, well, I guess the Saint is more than you can handle. Guess what… you don't have a chance." Corona growled. Lupus had the shit eating cocky grin on his face he was famous for, he gestured in upward motion with his head, and before she could react the Imam slammed down on her head with his elbow. Causing her to crash into the earth. When she lept up she threw out her arms which stablilized all of the atoms in an instant. For some reason something unprecedented happened the Imam grew angry, he flew into a rage. "What did you just do?!" Corona was surprised: "The atoms were bothering me so I forced them to submit, there isn't an atom in this Universe that moves without my permission." Al-Tayyib's fist began to shake as he flew into a rage. "How dare you…" A flash of memories flew across his mind. He said finally: "YOU'RE CREATOR DENIED YOU THAT RIGHT!" Corona was surprised: "You don't have that ability?" The Imam shook his head: "No… I couldn't do it if I tried…" Corona laughed: "Don't be jealous, just beca…" the Imam interjected: "I'M NOT JEALOUS!" He continued: "I wouldn't do it if I could (may the Creator forgive us) I wouldn't even dare to try I only know I cannot do it by necessity." He looked forward: "YOU… APOLOGIZE!!!! YOU'RE LORD THAT DID GIVE YOU THAT RIGHT!!!!"
"Listen Church lady, I'm not taking shit from you, you here me. Fine you're not jealous, but you're a zealous cook, shut up!!!" The Imam grew calm and began to chant, placing his fingers together and finally he unleashed an incredible attack: FIQH AL-QADAR (THE LAW OF POWER). The attack flew straight upwards and created a light that began to shatter the clouds above them straight into outer space. It shot Corona into the stratosphere, it was clear that this fight was over.
The sky was still burning silver from Fiqh al-Qadar when the ground trembled again — not from Corona, but from something deeper. A hollow boom echoed through the air, metallic and cruel. Ungar's helm snapped toward the horizon. "That's not her. That's… war engines." From the north ridge, Federation dreadnoughts emerged from the clouds, their hulls bristling with sigils and cannons. They weren't here for Corona. They were here for Talus. The boy was already bound in their grip, shackled in energy chains. He was dragged into view on a floating dais of iron light, guarded by armored Centurions whose visors glowed red like burning coals. Above them, the Federation Commander stood on a high platform, cloak snapping in the storm wind. His voice carried across the battlefield, augmented by vox-runes. "Imam al-Tayyib. Lupus. Ungar. Stand aside. The prisoner Talus is Federation property. He will answer for his crimes before the Tribunal. Resist… and you join him in chains."
Talus spat blood, grinning through swollen lips. "Don't listen to him! These bastards don't want a trial — they want me erased!" Lupus snarled, purple sparks still dancing across his scarred body. "Trial? That's a slaughterhouse dressed in law." Ashley held her children close, fear in her eyes — not of Corona this time, but of the endless Federation machine. "They won't stop until they have us all." Ungar's voice rumbled low, like a thunderhead. "Then they don't leave here alive."
But the Imam raised his hand. Calm, steady. "No, Ungar. This is not rage. This is rescue." His eyes turned toward Talus. "He is one of us. And no covenant of stars abandons its own." The Commander sneered, raising his hand. The dreadnought cannons began to glow. "Then you've chosen rebellion." Bairam stepped forward, his voice a growl. "Rebellion? No. Justice." The air thickened as the Federation fleet powered its weapons. Lightning licked the sky. The ground cracked. And for a moment, all was silence — waiting for the first strike. Lupus's grin returned, wild but steady. He rolled his shoulder, his voice sharp as a blade: "Well then… let's go save our brother." The Imam lowered his head, whispering something only the rain could hear. Then he raised his hand, pointing at the Federation line. "For our friend." The ground erupted as the heroes surged forward, the covenant of stars charging as one.
FUN FACT: This final part of the Corona vs. Imam al-Tayyib battle can be read as an Ismaili critique of the Twelver Shia view that the Imams and Prophet Muḥammad have ontological authority over the cosmos (e.g., "controlling every atom of the universe").
Here's the breakdown:
Corona embodies the Twelver position
She declares: "There isn't an atom in this Universe that moves without my permission."
This parallels the Twelver mystical-philosophical doctrine (found in later Shi'i metaphysics and some Sufi-influenced thought) that the Imams, as perfect manifestations of divine will, exercise cosmic sovereignty — not just religious leadership but direct governance over existence itself.
Her attempt to force atoms to submit symbolizes this absolutist interpretation of wilāya (guardianship).
The Imam's rejection of atom-control
Imam al-Tayyib reacts with fury: "How dare you… YOUR CREATOR DENIED YOU THAT RIGHT! … I wouldn't do it if I could (may the Creator forgive us)."
This represents the Ismaili theological stance: the Imam has immense spiritual authority, but his power is always derivative, never independent of God. He guides by knowledge (ʿilm) and esoteric unveiling, not by cosmic micromanagement.
For Ismailis, attributing direct control over atoms to the Imam risks shirk (associating divinity with creation), since only the Creator sustains existence.
The paradox of the Imam's strength
Throughout the battle, the Imam's power is portrayed not as domination of matter but as calm mastery, restraint, and spiritual poise. His defense is likened to water: endless, patient, reflecting the Ismaili ideal that true Imamate is inner authority and guidance, not raw metaphysical coercion.
His final attack, Fiqh al-Qadar (The Law of Power), signifies lawful order (qadar), not arbitrary control of atoms. It frames his role as the interpreter of divine wisdom rather than a cosmic puppet-master.
Corona's downfall as doctrinal critique
Corona's fury, her tears, and her inability to comprehend why the Imam refuses atom-control illustrate the criticism of Twelver excess: in trying to ascribe total cosmic power to the Imams, they reduce divine transcendence and inflate human intermediaries.
Her defeat is not only physical but theological — she is undone by her claim of absolute authority over creation, which the Imam exposes as illegitimate.
Balance of Creator and Guide
The Imam's final insistence that the right to control atoms belongs only to the Creator reflects the Ismaili doctrine: the Imam is ḥujja (proof of God), the living teacher who connects creation to the Divine, but he never replaces God's role as the sustainer of existence.
The scene dramatizes the boundary between exalted spiritual leadership (Ismaili view) and ontological sovereignty (Twelver mystical view).
A New Looming Threat:
The battle was far from over Hermes began to fly towards the battlefield she made a quick detour to lower some of the defense at another part of the city from the move she adopted from Sun Wukong she rode at a dizzying speed. "Don't worry guys, I'm coming!!" As she zip throug the air in another plane for existence. A figure known by many names who we covered before Vados was performing experiments on the goddess Qora harvesting her dream aura. Through a device. He replied to her: "How does it feel, Qora, knowing that the Apollonians have abandoned you?" Qora coughed up some blood and grimly replied: "What can I say I have no hope. There is no God." As soon as she said those words a dark force appeared, a giant eyeball, "How sad, its funny when a man's bones are broken beyond repair they finally give up on their illusive fairy tails." Qora was scarred, her tormentor Vados was frozen in time, "was this something else? Not related to him?" The noice became clearer, "I would like to make a deal, to save the world from that monster, Hermes?!'Qora was shocked.
Far away, in a shadow-cloaked chamber, the figure known by many names—Vados—stood over the restrained goddess Qora. Strange instruments hummed as they siphoned her luminous dream aura into a crystalline device. His eyes glinted with cold amusement. "How does it feel, Qora," he sneered, "knowing the Apollonians have abandoned you?" Blood trickled from Qora's lips. Her voice was hoarse but steady.
"What can I say? I have no hope. There is no God." The words trembled in the air. Suddenly, a shadow bloomed. The chamber darkened as a monstrous eye materialized, vast and unblinking, its voice rumbling through the walls. "How pitiful," it intoned. "When bones are shattered and spirits crushed, mortals finally let go of their childish fairy tales." Qora's heart raced. This was no work of Vados—her tormentor himself stood frozen, paralyzed mid-motion.
Her breath caught. Was this something beyond him? The voice grew sharper, clearer, crawling into her mind. "I would like to make a deal… a chance to save the world from that monster—Hermes." Qora's eyes widened, terror mingling with disbelief.
"…Hermes?!"
The voice laughed, "Think about it, take all the time you need." The creature disappeared, before Qora could fully gain her bearings. Vados laughed and said: "You're adorable. Making declarations like that. Truly girl, and I am speaking honestly I found your declaration 'there is no God,' laughable. You say that because you are in pain and you have given up hope. You are a fool. I live as if I never pondered the thought for even half a moment on, 'is God dead, is God real, is God a falsehood, if God is a reality has he failed or neglected us or abandoned us.' This does not matter to me in the slightest, let God rule Heaven if he's up there I desire the world below, all that matters is power. That is what separates someone like me and someone like you… (Vados stared up at the wall with a blank stair and continued) ..."I fight to uphold my eternity to hold onto the world in a limitless way. I have sided with the Void and the Demons because they know better than anyone what it means to achieve power. Once I grow stronger, I will destroy them as well or I will subjugate them until I am their master. There is nothing that can stop me. Let your Apollonians (the Gods of Olympus) reign down hell on this fortress even if they can locate it in the Dream Realms. For I have already won. Soon I will stand before everyone as their liberator. They will be reduced to slavery, and then they need not fear if they ever erred. Once I achieve primacy the people will be free from choice, and I will have achieved my rightful place as ruler of this world. It's a win-win we have different intentions, but in the end me and the people of this world have a common interest."
Qora spit in his face, she gritted her teeth and said, "I changed my mind I honestly don't give a damn if there's a god or not. All I care about is wiping that smug smirk off your face, you arrogant prick." Vados wiped the sweat from his face and laughed, "Pout all you want soon the beast will awaken and this world will bow before my will, I promise you that." A large egg with an eye in the middle of it had tentacles begin to protrude from the egg one of them went directly into Qora's mouth, it wasn't killing her but sucking out some of her magical energy.
The Coming of Gabriel:
Gabriel had once been a golden knight of promise, the pride of the Order of Saint Ardent. Raised in the monastery since childhood, he had been taught that every stroke of the blade was a prayer, every duel a liturgy of devotion. When he rode into battle with his comrades, his golden hair shining beneath his helm and his sword Radiant Oath in hand, the soldiers of the Order felt invincible. He fought not alone but as one among brothers. There was Edmund, his dearest friend, whose broad shoulders and calm presence steadied Gabriel in even the darkest moments. Lucien, the cynical lancer, always found a way to laugh and taunt the enemy, lifting spirits when fear threatened to overwhelm them. And Alaric, the scholar-knight, carried scrolls alongside his blade, determined to record their battles as sacred scripture. Together they formed a living hymn, a harmony of steel and devotion.
The Bond with Talus
On one campaign, the Order crossed paths with wandering warriors, and among them was Talus. Talus the demon but not yet a demon-clansman joined the order but his conversion was not honest. Gabriel remembered the first time he sparred with him: sparks flying, the clang of steel ringing across the camp. The other knights had stopped what they were doing just to watch the duel. Gabriel fought with precision and discipline, each strike measured like the toll of a bell. Talus fought like fire itself—reckless, free, and laughing as though combat were nothing more than a game. Neither yielded, neither faltered. And when their swords finally lowered, Gabriel saw in Talus not just a rival, but the brother he never truly had.
Yet the seeds of discord were planted early. Gabriel believed discipline was the highest joy, that order and law gave meaning to the sword. Talus, however, spoke often of freedom, of fighting with the heart rather than the rule. It was a contrast that fascinated Gabriel, but also unsettled him.
The rift deepened during the campaign against a cult devoted to a minor river god. When the deity rose from the waters, its colossal form made of steel-colored currents, the knights fought desperately to bring it down. Gabriel had leapt forward, Radiant Oath blazing as he drove it toward collapse. But Talus stayed his hand. With words rather than steel, he spoke to the river god, offering mercy. The deity dissolved back into the waters, retreating in sorrow. The soldiers cheered Talus's miracle, but Gabriel's heart hardened. "Your softness will doom us," he told him later, fury burning behind his words. "A god that lives may strike again." Talus only answered with calm laughter. "Even gods can change, Gabriel. Mercy is not weakness." Edmund tried to stand between them, but the wound between their spirits had already begun to spread.
It was in Black Hollow that the Order's fate was sealed. The cult had lured them into a valley surrounded by cliffs, and when the knights entered, the ambush came swift as thunder. Arrows rained down from the ridges, and false priests unleashed fire and storm upon the trapped knights. Gabriel remembered the chaos as vividly as if it had happened yesterday. Lucien charged ahead, mocking the enemy even as he was struck down. "Tell the saints I died laughing!" he had cried before disappearing under a wave of spears. Alaric, wounded and bleeding, burned his scrolls so that the cult would never twist their record. His last words were little more than a whisper: "The record ends here…" And then Edmund. Loyal, steadfast Edmund. He had stepped in front of Gabriel when the arrows fell, shielding him from a fatal strike. When Gabriel caught him in his arms, Edmund's blood soaking through his gauntlets, his friend's last words carved themselves into Gabriel's soul:
"Don't blame Talus… mercy is not weakness…" Then his hand went limp. His eyes closed. Gabriel was left cradling his brother's body, surrounded by death. In Talus' own mind the intention behind this was not mercy, it was because these warriors were not a significant challenge. He was just as selfish back then as he was until Daniel and Hermes warmed his cool heart.
The Birth of the God-Slayer:
When the battle ended, Gabriel alone remained standing. His comrades lay in the hollow, their blood seeping into the cursed soil. He dragged himself to the ruined chapel of Saint Ardent that stood at the edge of the battlefield. Kneeling before the shattered altar, he plunged Radiant Oath into the ground and pressed his forehead against the hilt. In that moment, grief and rage fused into oath. "If false gods steal our lives, I shall cut them down.
If mercy betrays justice, I shall sever it.
If even my brother strays, I shall strike him down. There will be no mercy for Apostates, Apostasy will be punished by the sword as will Heresy and the Deviants in Creed."
The candles flickered. The stained glass shattered, and crimson light spilled over his armor. To the survivors who saw him emerge from that chapel, he was no longer just Gabriel of Saint Ardent. He was the God-Slayer, a knight who would cut down deities themselves if they dared to stand in his way. From then on, his path was sealed. The laughter of Lucien, the scholarship of Alaric, the loyalty of Edmund, even the brotherhood he once shared with Talus—all of it was gone, leaving only the blade and the vow. This was the Gabriel the world came to know: a warrior forged from grief, driven by the memory of comrades lost, and blinded by an oath that promised justice but delivered only endless blood.
A quick intermission:
"天下大势,分久必合,合久必分.
周末七国分争,并入于秦;及秦灭之后,楚汉分争,又并于汉.
今殿下虽承汉室之裔,而漂泊无依,若欲图王霸之业,宜先择明贤,广结英才.
益州险阻,沃野千里,可为根本;荆州近据江山,控带南北,可为资助.
东结孙吴,北拒曹操,待天下有变,则乘机而起,号令天下,谁敢不应?
此帝王之业成矣.
此乃卧龙之策,殿下意下如何?"
"The empire, long divided, must unite; long united, must divide. Thus it has ever been.
In the end of the Zhou, seven states contended, until they were united by Qin. Yet when Qin perished, Chu and Han contended, until they were again united under Han.
Now, though you are a scion of the imperial house, you drift homeless and without foundation. If you wish to achieve the work of kingship, you must first choose the wise and gather heroes.
In the west, the land of Shu is rich and defensible—it can be your base. In the south, Jing Province controls the rivers and the lands between north and south—it can be your support.
Make alliance with Sun Wu in the east, resist Cao Cao in the north. When the empire grows weary of chaos, you may seize the moment, raise your standard, and call upon the people. Who would dare not answer?
Thus the enterprise of restoring the Han may be accomplished.
This is the strategy of the Crouching Dragon. What does my lord think?"
The Three Kingdoms.