Kael points dramatically in a specific direction, his voice echoing with a mix of excitement and gravity. "The dead and alive, the ancient one," he proclaims. At his signal, workers outside, braving the tempestuous weather, set up a massive crystal. Soon, a live video feed appears inside, visible to everyone.
Grinning, Kael stands confidently, reveling in the growing tension. 'They're getting nervous. This place, Aerolithia, is forbidden by most nations for a good reason. It's a land infested with zombies that can neither leave nor die. Darius himself set up the crystal connections near it,' he muses internally.
"How about we zoom in?" Kael suggests, the crystal shifting as the workers make it float higher. The screen displays an area where lightning strikes with increased ferocity, and the winds howl with unstoppable force. The land is overrun with zombies – a grotesque mix of monsters, humans, and other races, aimlessly crawling.
Then, amidst the chaos, something colossal becomes visible on a broken structure. A giant undead creature towers over the landscape, its presence ominous and intimidating. One arm and part of its face are skeletal, a stark contrast to its muscular yet decaying body. Its skin is a horrifying patchwork of necrotic flesh and exposed bone, with a massive, gaping hole in the center of its chest. Inside this cavity sits a large, purple-glowing cube, crackling with strands of lightning as if it had been forcefully implanted. The cube pulsates sinisterly, synchronizing with the giant's thunderous, unnatural heartbeat.
The creature wields an enormous staff, topped with the glowing core of a high-grade beast. The staff radiates ominous shades of red and black.
Queen Celeste, her fingers rhythmically tapping her seat, contemplates the colossal figure on the screen. 'Fulminheart, the Ancient Giant of Aerolithia. Its existence keeps these lands shrouded in mystery. Our explorations have barely scratched the surface,' she thinks, her gaze unwavering from the screen. 'An enigma, truly. To slay such a giant would require an army, and even then, the outcome is uncertain. Its control over the undead, its resilience, its ability to sense life from afar... all these make it a formidable foe. The unknown aftermath of its potential death deters any offensive action.'
Lilith, leaning nonchalantly in her seat, watches Willowmist intently. Her gaze is cold, analytical, yet undeniably curious. 'Inviting a witch to such an event... What were they thinking?' she muses, her disdain for witches evident in her internal monologue. 'Their existence, their practices... it's all so abhorrent.'
The air between them seems charged, an unspoken rivalry or disdain simmering just beneath the surface. Willowmist, in contrast, meets Lilith's stare with a gaze that's equally cold but laced with a hint of mischief, as if enjoying a private joke at Lilith's expense.
Her eyes then shift back to the screen, pondering the giant's resilience. 'Fulminheart, a being beyond ordinary comprehension. Even with high-grade magic, it refuses to stay dead, adapting and growing stronger with each resurrection. It's why I've forbidden any attacks on it. Holding this auction here, with me in attendance, is a daring move. Even Ugroth, with all his bravado, wouldn't dare confront it. Is this man unafraid of me?' she wonders, a smirk playing on her lips, reflecting her intrigue and amusement at the unfolding events.
Kael slams his cane onto the floor with a resounding thud, commanding the attention of everyone in the room. "Now, I know you're all confused. Fulminheart is no joke, after all, but do not worry, the undead will not attack us," he declares confidently, holding up the Dragon's Eye Sniper. "They won't have a chance to." As he speaks, a hole opens in a window, and the platform moves Kael towards it, positioning the sniper so half of it protrudes outside.
Turning to address the audience, Kael continues, "It would normally take a couple of minutes to charge the sniper up as it gathers mana. However, for the sake of time, we charged it in advance." He casually twirls his cane as he paces. "Fulminheart is a perfect opponent for this weapon. As we know, it can detect any living organism that gets near, 300 miles is its range of detection."
He snaps his fingers, and a holographic projection of Fulminheart appears. "This is a visual representation of what happens. As soon as it detects someone, it automatically activates its lines of defenses." The hologram illustrates multiple layers of domes around Fulminheart. Pointing at the layers, Kael explains, "To break them, it takes a single precise and powerful strike."
Approaching the Dragon's Eye Sniper, he gently touches the orb. It begins to glow faintly red, and the metal of the sniper pulses before settling down. A small holographic screen with data and a scope appears. Kael zooms in, locking onto the target. 'Oh shit, this is fucking incredible. How did Eira make this? Seriously, I get that I gave her hints in equations she would've created in the future, but she's damn amazing. Killing Fulminheart won't be impossible since the cube is keeping him alive. He wants to die but has no control over his body. We need to destroy his entire body and seal the dungeon core – that's what the cube is. We need to seal it before it regenerates his body. Zeke should be just outside his detection range by now.'
Kael addresses the audience again, "Now, ladies and gentlemen, it would be too simple to just attack a defenseless body." He taps his earpiece, saying, "Go ahead." Everyone turns to the screen as they witness a colossal burst of energy emanating from the giant
The giant undead creature, Fulminheart, emanates a sense of dread and power. The image captures the creature's imposing stature and the menacing aura it exudes, accentuated by the stormy backdrop with lightning strikes, adding to the ominous atmosphere.
Queen Celeste watches the screen, her strategic mind racing. 'What is wrong with this group? They appear out of nowhere, create an auction, and now they're breaking a G.U.T.H agreement?' Her fingers continue their rhythmic tapping, a sign of her deep contemplation.
Lilith, meanwhile, taps her chin thoughtfully. 'Should I intervene now? No one would question it, but with a witch and an orc here, there's a high chance other species I have no influence over are present...' Her gaze remains fixed on the screen, her mind weighing the potential consequences and strategies.
Kael, brimming with anticipation, announces to the captivated audience, "Unlike other guns, this one does not require ammunition. A magic bullet is created within it before each shot." He meticulously adjusts the Dragon's Eye Sniper, following the instructions given to him. 'Okay, just like Eira instructed me. First, turn this on, shift this switch here, and now, confirm it on the display.' He meticulously follows each step.
As Kael confirms the settings, the orb at the heart of the sniper begins to spin, glowing intensely. The barrel of the gun shifts colors, gradually glowing a bright, vibrant blue. "Now, let's see this beauty in action," he says, his voice filled with a mix of excitement and confidence. He secures the sniper, holding it tightly. 'The shock absorbers Eira installed should prevent the recoil. She's most proud of that, so I should be able to hold it without issue,' he thinks to himself, steadying his stance.
'Here goes nothing,' he mentally braces himself and pulls the trigger. For a moment, everything falls silent except for the quiet humming of the gun, a tension-filled 15 seconds. Suddenly, a blast of pure energy erupts from the barrel, producing a prolonged, resonant "buuuuuuum" sound. The shot, a powerful beam of bright blue energy, pierces through the clouds, annihilating anything in its path. The speed of the projectile is breathtaking, leaving a stunning, elongated streak of light across the sky, visible even to the zombies below.
The beam travels the 1000 miles to its destination at an astonishing speed, effortlessly breaking through the first few shields surrounding Fulminheart. The giant, sensing the imminent threat, pumps more mana into its defenses. The ground around it trembles, the black-red energy of its magic clashing violently against the bright blue shot. As the connection between the bullet and the Dragon's Eye Sniper is severed, the bullet still carries enough momentum to break through the magic, causing the clouds to shiver and the mountains to fracture. The bullet expends all its energy in this colossal collision, the giant left standing there, its body slowly recovering from the partial hit.
The audience, still in a state of stunned silence, watches the screen, unable to tear their eyes away even though the attack has ended. Kael, steadying his trembling hands, holds the Dragon's Eye Sniper with awe. "O-oh fuck... t-that was insane... t-that shot cleared an entire landscape..." he mutters under his breath, visibly shaken by the weapon's overwhelming power.
Queen Celeste, taking a deep breath, reflects on the weapon's capabilities. 'This gun is no joke. A national-grade weapon, indeed. The firepower is immense. It managed to break through all of Fulminheart's shields without number 7 exerting any personal energy. Such artifacts are exceedingly rare and incredibly powerful.'
Lilith, sitting back in her seat, releases a sigh of relief. 'It's powerful but not as catastrophic as I feared. Still, this is a weapon of mass destruction that anyone could use. It doesn't require the strength or knowledge of a warrior or mage. Its accessibility makes it the 5th most dangerous weapon I've encountered.'
Zagrax, his excitement barely contained, clenches his trembling hands, his nails digging into his palms. 'It's mine, it's mine, it's mine! No one else can have this,' he thinks, his mind racing with plans to acquire the sniper.
Kael, regaining his composure, slams his cane onto the ground, drawing the audience's attention back to him. "Now, settle down, everyone. I can see you're all a bit surprised, but the show is not over," he announces confidently. He retrieves a bag filled with hundreds of mana stones and feeds them into the Dragon's Eye Sniper. "To shorten the charging time, mana stones can be used," Kael explains as the sniper absorbs the energy, its aura intensifying with each stone.
He twirls his cane, adding, "I've mentioned it doesn't require conventional bullets. Inside the weapon, there are seven specialized bullets. One was for the demonstration, the other six come included. Please note that we will never manufacture more bullets for this model."
The audience watches intently as Kael allows the sniper to cool down. The anticipation in the room grows palpable. "Before the zombies climb the mountain, let me show you why everyone here will want this," Kael declares, aligning the Dragon's Eye Sniper once more.
Kael, fiddling with the Dragon's Eye Sniper, is filled with a mix of anticipation and curiosity. 'Now this is going to be insane. Eira wouldn't tell me the full extent of its power, only said it'd be a surprise. With double the high-grade mana stones, the impact should be phenomenal,' he thinks, his grin widening.
"Now, hold onto your seats," he announces to the audience. At his command, seat belts suddenly appear and securely fasten each person to their seat. 'Eira, your creation will undoubtedly be remembered throughout history. Shame we can't keep it,' Kael contemplates with a hint of regret.
He pulls the trigger, but initially, nothing seems to happen, except for a low humming sound. Mana begins swirling around the sniper, and Kael notices the flow of dragon blood within the weapon. 'So that's where the dragon blood is,' he notes. Before he can react further, without even a sound, a white flash of incredible intensity is emitted from the gun. Kael grits his teeth and uses Umbra to anchor himself to the ground.
The flash is so bright that the dark, stormy sky transforms into a sunny day, visible for hundreds of miles. Unlike the previous shot, this one doesn't cause destruction in its path; instead, everything it touches simply ceases to exist, vanishing without a trace.
Fulminheart, the undead giant, doesn't stand a chance. The bullet flies straight through him, reducing him to ash instantaneously. All that remains is the dungeon core, floating mid-air, surprisingly undamaged amidst the blinding light.