Apophis slowed, hovering in silence for the first time since the battle began.
She reached toward the seal, and the air distorted around it, like touching a soap bubble about to pop.
Her eyes scanned it again. She could feel it now. The damage was worse than she had imagined.
This wasn't just from time, most of the damage come from her.
All those centuries spent thrashing against it… biting, coiling, screaming, trying to break free.
Every ounce of effort she had poured into escaping… had hollowed it out. And now, the energy flooding this dimension, the golden power radiating from the system, was eating away at what little stability remained.
She hovered closer. 'To think I spent all that time and energy trying to destroy this… and now I'm the one trying to reinforce it.'
Her fists clenched, fury burning in her chest. "All this time… Bastard! Damn it!!!"
