Under the swirling gray clouds, amidst the terrified gazes of millions, a towering, eagle-headed giant stood in the heart of the city. His colossal frame, nearly 300 meters tall, dwarfed the tallest skyscrapers, casting them into insignificance.
Such a monstrous being, a literal embodiment of divine might, was something humanity's modern civilization could not hope to contend with. Just a glimpse of him was enough to inspire both reverence and fear.
Faced with this overwhelming presence, the fifteen armed helicopters dispatched to investigate the strange phenomenon decided to retreat. However, their earlier act of aggression had already drawn the attention of this proud and petty demigod.
Surrounded by a radiant golden glow, Giovanni, the Son of the Golden Eagle, tilted his head back and exhaled.
A gust of wind, seemingly born from the heavens themselves, swept through the dense urban landscape. In an instant, the concrete jungle was torn asunder, and the fleeing helicopters were reduced to shredded metal, scattered like leaves in a storm.
This act of divine destruction silenced the city, leaving its millions of inhabitants frozen in stunned horror. And then, as the enormity of the catastrophe sank in, chaos erupted.
Screams, cries, and desperate shouts filled the streets as panicked crowds surged through the city, trampling one another in their blind desperation to escape. Civilization's fragile veneer cracked under the weight of terror, and order gave way to primal chaos.
Giovanni, however, paid little attention to the humans' plight. After briefly marveling at the sheer density of the city's population, he turned his focus back to the black-scaled dragon before him.
"Well, mortal," Giovanni's voice boomed across the city, dripping with arrogance. "Do you see the futility of resisting me? This is your final chance to bow before me and accept your place as my mount."
The dragon's golden eyes narrowed. "You are the first being bold enough to say such things to me."
"Oh?" The demigod tilted his avian head, amused. "It seems you fancy yourself important. Go on, tell me of your lofty lineage. Perhaps your origins might warrant my consideration."
"You are unworthy of knowing," the dragon replied coldly.
Giovanni's laughter echoed like thunder. "Unworthy? A mere beast dares speak to me this way? Know that you have sealed your fate!"
Still calm, the black dragon raised a clawed hand and summoned a blade.
The air crackled as an ancient, rune-inscribed sword materialized in the dragon's grasp. Its appearance alone seemed to warp the atmosphere, dyeing the gray storm clouds a faint crimson.
A palpable aura of slaughter emanated from the blade, carrying with it the echoes of gods' cries and demons' wails. The mere presence of this sword shattered the oppressive divine aura that Giovanni had radiated, disrupting the swirling vortex above the city.
For a moment, the eagle-headed demigod was dumbfounded. Then his expression shifted from confusion to glee.
"A divine weapon!" Giovanni exclaimed, his eyes blazing with greed. "To think a mere beast would possess such a treasure. Fate must truly favor me today!"
Ignoring the demigod's ravings, the dragon gripped the sword firmly and swung.
A blinding arc of gold and crimson light cleaved through the air. The slash, modest when it left the blade, expanded into a devastating crescent that spanned hundreds of meters as it approached Giovanni.
"Pathetic!" Giovanni sneered, raising his spear to block the attack.
But the sneer vanished as the divine blade cleaved through his weapon with effortless precision, severing it in two. Before Giovanni could react, the same attack slashed across his chest, splitting his massive body and scattering golden ichor into the stormy skies.
"Impossible!" Giovanni roared, his voice laced with pain and disbelief.
His enormous form trembled as his severed torso attempted to knit itself back together. The pain of the wound was secondary to the shock of being injured by what he had considered an insignificant opponent.
"You... you only struck me because I underestimated you," Giovanni growled, his body mending through sheer divine will. "But it won't happen again! One blow is all you get!"
Golden flames erupted around the demigod, manifesting his wrath in physical form. His golden feathers, now tinged with red from his own blood, radiated an almost blinding brilliance.
"You talk too much."
The black dragon's voice was cold and disdainful as it raised its clawed hand once more. This time, an iridescent chain materialized, shimmering like a galaxy in motion.
The Starforge Chains snaked through the air, their ethereal glow illuminating the battlefield. The moment they appeared, Giovanni's expression twisted in disbelief.
"Another divine weapon?! This is absurd!"
The chains moved with unnatural speed and precision, weaving through the air to encircle Giovanni. The demigod tried to escape, attempting to tear open the fabric of space itself, but found that the chains had already sealed off every path.
"Damn you, lizard!" Giovanni bellowed, his voice reverberating across the ruined city. "You dare?!"
With a roar, he hurled the broken remnants of his spear toward the dragon.
The air crackled as the weapon, imbued with Giovanni's divine might, tore through space, aiming straight for its target.
But before it could reach the black dragon, the chains tightened around the demigod, binding his arms and legs. The broken spear fell harmlessly to the ground as Giovanni struggled against his restraints.
The chains glowed brighter, constricting around the demigod's massive form. Despite his immense strength, Giovanni found himself unable to break free.
"You've sealed your own fate, bird," the dragon said, its tone devoid of sympathy.
As the demigod's struggles grew more frantic, the chains began to siphon his power, their radiant glow growing stronger with every passing moment.
In the face of such overwhelming power, Giovanni's arrogance finally gave way to fear.
"No... NO! I am the son of a god! I cannot—!"
But his words were cut short as the chains pulsed one final time, their brilliance reaching a blinding peak.
When the light faded, all that remained of the Son of the Golden Eagle was a pile of charred feathers and a shattered divine core, lying lifeless amidst the ruins of the city.
The black dragon loomed over the remnants of its foe, its golden eyes cold and unyielding.
"Let this be a lesson to any who think themselves invincible," the dragon muttered, its voice echoing across the silent battlefield.
For the first time in his life, Giovanni, the son of a god, had learned what it truly meant to be mortal.
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