Is that how you use a Gorgon?

"I hope there'll still be some scraps left for Stetmann."

When Augustus looked back, even through his reinforced visor, even with his eyes half-closed, the world before him was nothing but a sheet of white, as though he had been struck by snow blindness.

Thousands upon thousands of streaking points of blue molten fire fell toward the earth, blazing with pulsar-like radiance as overlapping shockwaves swept across the land.

A dense, scorching rain of golden light fell from the sky, while flames soared from the ground, raging all the way from one end of the horizon to the other. A sea of light boiled and rolled, countless solar hurricanes rising from it to devour everything.

At last, an incomparably thick pillar of light descended. The earth was pierced through, and lava burst forth like a geyser, shooting straight into the clouds.

No need for cremation. There might even be some ashes left.

It was already night, yet the sky remained brilliantly lit. Everything—whether soldiers' armor or a stone on the ground—was shrouded in the intense light that had yet to fade.

Though Augustus was already far enough from the center of the strike, the air here still hissed with heat. Countless thunderous explosions rang in his ears every moment, making his head swim.

"Hybrid Destroyer signatures detected. Marking locations."

A soul-shaking roar erupted behind Augustus, followed by the furious rattle of Gauss weapons and several massive explosions. The nauseating stench of charred flesh in the air grew even stronger.

They were still retreating, making their way up a long slope. At its end lay a straight chasm five miles long and a thousand feet deep, its interior a sea of plasma fire glittering blue. Even at its narrowest point, it was utterly impassable.

The worst part was that this natural