The strange deflection of the bullets had a simple explanation.
It was the divine protection of the silver bracelets.
Their power automatically attracted incoming attacks, shielding the wearer from stray fire. With Diana wearing the bracelet and holding the Divine Shield in front of her, the redirected bullets were drawn toward the shield's surface like iron filings toward a magnet.
Every round struck the shield instead of her body.
But the fortress had more defenses.
Clack!
On the high wall surrounding the courtyard, a heavy machine gun swung into position under the control of a soldier. Its thick barrel aimed directly at Victor and Diana.
A moment later, purple energy flashed.
The machine gun exploded into fragments of twisted steel.
Victor snapped his fingers lazily.
One by one, the heavy weapons mounted along the wall shattered like brittle biscuits. Metal debris rained down into the courtyard, turning the area below into a horrifying slaughter zone.
Steel fragments sliced through flesh.
Blood sprayed everywhere.
The soldiers stationed in the front yard collapsed instantly, their bodies torn apart as smoke filled the air.
A few survivors crouched in corners, staring in terror as Victor casually fired lasers from his fingers.
Their bladders failed them in fear.
"Devil! He's a devil!"
Victor frowned slightly.
He pointed toward the courtyard.
Silence followed.
Then the fortress alarm began screaming.
The siren echoed across the massive steel structure built against the mountain.
Heavy footsteps thundered through corridors as more soldiers poured out of the fortress, armed with rifles and grenade launchers.
Diana leapt forward.
Her battle cry rang across the courtyard as she swung the Lasso of Truth. The golden rope flashed like lightning, striking enemies like a whip.
A dozen soldiers were thrown aside instantly.
She moved through the crowd like a hunting leopard.
Bullets whizzed past as she twisted and dodged, her lasso snapping out again and again. Every strike sent another soldier crashing to the ground.
The constant stream of reinforcements ran into her like waves crashing against an unbreakable dam.
Inside the command office above the courtyard, Ismail pulled a pistol from his desk drawer.
He stared out the window with a frown.
Through the smoke he watched soldiers flying through the air as if struck by invisible missiles.
But there were no explosions.
Instead he saw flashes of gold.
"…A rope?"
His eyes narrowed in confusion.
"It's the Lasso of Truth."
A calm voice suddenly spoke behind him.
Ismail turned around in shock.
Ares stood there silently, gazing out the window as if he had been present the entire time.
He recognized the artifact immediately.
"Your Majesty!"
Ismail straightened quickly.
"I sense my father's presence," Ares murmured.
His eyes narrowed slightly.
"It seems my sister has arrived."
Zeus had once fathered a demigod daughter with the Amazons.
Diana.
Ares had searched for Paradise Island for thousands of years but had never managed to locate the hidden sanctuary protected by Zeus.
Now its champion had come to him instead.
"And she brought a mortal with her," Ares said thoughtfully.
"A man."
An Amazon princess traveling beside a mortal male.
That alone was unusual.
"But this mortal…" Ares continued slowly.
"He seems somewhat interesting."
…
Gunfire erupted again in the courtyard.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
A few remaining soldiers desperately opened fire.
"Move," Victor said calmly.
The bullets struck the ground near his feet.
His eyes flashed purple.
Two beams of terrifying energy shot forward.
Buzz!
The blazing lines of destruction swept across the battlefield.
Human bodies, steel structures, and concrete walls were sliced apart effortlessly. Everything in the beams' path melted like butter under a scorching blade.
Diana swung her lasso upward and caught the edge of a rooftop, pulling herself into the air.
But when the laser swept across the structure she had grabbed, the turret collapsed instantly.
She released the rope and dropped back down.
Boom!
The four watchtowers at the corners of the courtyard collapsed one after another.
No more soldiers rushed forward.
Victor's laser had carved a half-mile path of devastation through the base. Anything standing above waist height along that line had almost certainly been cut apart.
Victor turned his gaze toward the mountainside behind the fortress.
His eyes narrowed.
"Something's coming."
A blazing fireball appeared in the distance.
It streaked through the sky like a meteor, roaring as it descended toward them.
"Is that… a demon?" Diana asked.
Even from hundreds of meters away, her vision allowed her to see the approaching figure clearly.
Boom!
The fiery shape slammed into the courtyard.
The impact created a massive crater.
The shockwave blasted the scattered corpses across the ground like dry leaves while intense heat melted patches of stone into glowing magma.
Sulfurous smoke filled the air.
From within the cloud of steam and flame came a deep, monstrous voice.
"You have impressive courage."
The smoke slowly cleared.
A towering figure stood in the crater.
His skin was dark red and covered in thick muscle that burned with flames. His eyes glowed with crimson light, and a pair of massive curved horns extended backward from his skull.
A five-pointed star tattoo covered his chest.
The creature radiated terrifying power.
"You slaughtered every soldier in my base," the demon growled.
Victor looked at him in surprise.
"Sabac?"
He recognized the demon immediately.
Victor had expected someone with supernatural abilities to appear after wiping out the entire base.
But he hadn't expected this particular figure.
Even though Kahndaq was the right place, the timing was wrong.
Clang!
The deafening crash of impact echoed through the courtyard.
Sabac shot forward instantly.
His speed was astonishing.
Diana raised the Divine Shield just in time, but the impact still hurled her backward through the wall of a nearby building.
Boom!
She ripped her arm free from the collapsed wall and pushed the bricks away.
Her eyes locked onto Sabac.
The Sword of Vulcan gleamed in her hand as excitement flickered across her face.
"This is the first time I've ever seen a demon," she said eagerly.
"Do you know him?"
Sabac scowled.
The two of them were ignoring him completely.
But what concerned him even more was the wound across his chest.
A deep sword slash cut through his skin, nearly reaching the bone.
Molten blood flowed from the injury like lava.
Yet before a single drop could hit the ground, the wound closed instantly.
His regeneration was terrifying.
"Where did you get that sword?" Sabac demanded.
It was the first time he had ever been injured since gaining his powers.
The woman in front of him was weaker than he was.
But she was faster.
And the blade in her hand had somehow pierced his supposedly indestructible body.
"The sister of the God of War…" Sabac thought.
"As expected of Zeus's daughter."
He clenched his fists and glanced toward Victor.
Perhaps he should leave Zeus's daughter to Ares while dealing with the mortal himself.
"You can think of him as a powerful demon lord," Victor said casually.
He examined Sabac with interest.
Apparently Ares hadn't been killed during the ancient war after all.
That meant events had unfolded differently.
Sabac was one of the greatest enemies of both Black Adam and Shazam.
Black Adam and Shazam possessed the power of six gods.
Sabac possessed the power of six demon kings of hell.
"The six letters of Sabac represent different powers," Victor continued calmly.
"The strength of Satan, the invulnerable body of Aym, the cunning wisdom of Belial, the flames of Beelzebub, the ruthless courage of Asmodeus, and the flight of Crateis."
As a rival to Shazam and Black Adam, Sabac was extremely dangerous.
His strength might even rival Ares in his current weakened state.
Fortunately, none of those powers enhanced speed.
Victor smiled faintly.
"Boy," Sabac snarled, his demonic face twisting with rage.
"You've cost me a lot of soldiers."
His massive arm lifted slowly.
Hellfire erupted from his palm.
"I'll make sure your soul rots in hell forever."
The demon lunged forward.
A tidal wave of infernal flames surged toward Victor.
"Die!"
....
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