The manmade miniature sun existed for only a heartbeat but still  it cleansed the Holy City of nearly all life. Many of those that had fled through the Ring died, too, since the Ring did not stop the blast.

When the blinding light faded, the Ring remained. The city remained. The machines remained.

Thousands of miles away, across the surface of this world, the machines came to life. The nuclear strike did not go unnoticed and would not go unanswered.

On the frozen plain, the Envoy disassembled itself. In moments, it reassembled, not as the Envoy but as the Inquisitor.

END OF PART TWO

Chapter 67

Chapter 69