Ray hadn't even figured out what was happening before a cloud of black mist sprayed right into his face.
Moments later, the fog dispersed. He was still himself, but the mischievous gleam in his eyes had dimmed; the slight hunch from years of research was gone, and he now stood tall and straight, his entire demeanor transformed.
Ray flexed his arms and legs with visible excitement, then shouted gleefully,
"I know swordsmanship! And spear fighting too! Hahaha—!"
Thea covered her face. Yep, still the same goofball. She could understand his excitement, though — this was quite a "perk." If this were a game, he'd be bombarded with pop-ups like [Proficiency Gained: Melee Weapons, Sword Mastery, Spear Mastery…]. Given how obsessed he was with the Knights of the Round Table, this gift suited him perfectly — and probably aligned with the will of those heroic spirits as well.
The magic she'd used was a dual-phase spell. The first step was the caster's selection process; the second depended on compatibility between the summoned hero and the recipient. If their traits didn't align, the inherited skills would be minimal.
Looks like Ray matched Sir Gawain's archetype perfectly — tall, handsome, the textbook "prince on a white horse." Their attributes must have synced right up.
"Do any of you want it?" Thea asked, glancing around at the others. With results like this — instant mastery of multiple combat skills — even she felt a little tempted.
But, unsurprisingly, the rest declined. As Cold put it bluntly, "I'm not a knight, and I don't want to be one."
Thea's gaze swept across their faces — and yes, she had to admit, true knightly virtue was practically extinct among modern humans. The more knowledge people gained, the less reverence they felt. Facing a ten-meter-tall being radiating divine aura, most people would instinctively rebel against the mind-control vibes.
Hmm? Her eyes suddenly landed on Hawkgirl — and Thea froze.
"You? You're not feeling anything strange?"
That shouldn't be possible. Kendra was Horus's priestess — likely the only one alive besides Vandal. She should've been summoned to his side immediately. Why wasn't she affected? That violated every principle of divine resonance.
Caught off guard by Thea's sharp tone, Kendra blinked, thought for a moment, and hesitantly replied,
"I… think I heard a voice whispering something, but it was really faint. I thought it was just… stress or something. Did something happen?"
Hawkgirl had always been a little intimidated by Thea, and seeing her now — radiant with divine power, declaring war on gods — terrified her even more. It took every ounce of her courage just to answer.
Thea was puzzled at first, but once she heard that the voice was faint, realization dawned. Horus had tried to summon his priestess right away — but her power was too weak. She couldn't even hear his full command, and the whole process collapsed before it began.
Talk about dumb luck. Weakness had saved her life. Thea couldn't help but sigh. Just compare it to Vandal's fate after summoning Horus into the mortal world — that god wasn't exactly gentle with his followers.
Or perhaps it wasn't malice at all — divine morality simply didn't match humanity's. To Horus, brainwashing mortals was "for their own good." "I just need a bit of your life force to descend into this world — isn't that a fair exchange for your existence?" From such a perspective, conflict was inevitable.
"Professor, lead your team — we're taking down that false god! Captain, have the ship's weapons provide cover fire!" Thea barked orders. Whether Horus liked it or not, she was labeling him an evil god first — a classic Justice-League move. She knew he wasn't truly malevolent, more neutral than anything, but propaganda mattered in battle.
"As for the rest of you — join the ground assault!
Comrades! For humanity's freedom and the will of democracy — strike down this false god!
May peace reign eternal after today!"
After her rallying cry, Thea poured a massive surge of magic into the legendary team, granting each of them a Light Return spell — if mortally wounded, they'd instantly teleport back to her position.
From a bird's-eye view, the battlefield below was neatly divided in two.
To the east: Horus's army of brainwashed citizens — half-naked, in archaic gear, a chaotic mix of archers, spearmen, swordsmen, and even a few twin-horse chariots racing across the sands.
On Thea's side: far fewer troops, but perfectly disciplined, organized into tight formations of shining knights.
At their head rode Ray Palmer — encased in metal armor beneath his knight's plating — clearly living out his "Rohan charge" fantasy, sword raised as he gave a very theatrical pre-battle speech that looked straight out of The Lord of the Rings. Thea sighed. "Is he role-playing right now?"
"Are you ready?" Horus's deep, resonant voice rolled across the battlefield. "Ready to face your inevitable defeat?"
"Thank you for giving me time to prepare," Thea called back. "I will win. I stand for justice — for freedom! Humanity will never be slaves to the gods!" By the end, she was shouting with all her strength.
"I admire your conviction," Horus replied evenly, "but it is meaningless."
Then he began to invoke divine power.
"Desert — rise! Let your sands obscure the light of the sun!"
The desert on his side began to seethe and churn. Great waves of yellow sand billowed upward, climbing to the skies and blotting out the sun. Hundreds of massive obsidian hawk-headed warriors marched in unison at the vanguard, followed by the armed citizens banging weapons against shields, advancing with thunderous momentum.
Smart move, Thea thought. Cutting off my sunlight to weaken my power source. Clever... but useless.
She drew on her magic, soaring ten thousand meters into the air.
"Spirits of wind in the sky! Spirits of earth beneath the soil! Creatures of the sea and the will of all free beings — heed my call!
Let light and justice protect this land!
Let the brilliance of humanity pierce this endless night!
Let the world once again be bathed in light!"
Her incantation unleashed an overwhelming torrent of energy. Elemental beings from every direction surged forth, crashing into the towering hawk warriors in a cataclysmic clash.
"Charge!" cried Ray Palmer, sword blazing, leading the knights in a wedge formation straight into the enemy ranks.
Neither Thea nor Horus made another move. Their minds were locked on the battle below — a war not just of strength, but of belief.
"Miss Thea…" Firestorm drifted up beside her, voice hesitant. "Uh… isn't this… a bit too much bloodshed?"
Thea glanced at him — impressive, he'd flown up ten thousand meters too.
"War always costs lives," she said flatly. "But don't worry — mine are all conjured illusions. They'll respawn. His soldiers, though… once they fall, they stay dead."