[i]Well[/i], the Lichemaster thought dimly and somewhat abcently, shutting off the pain, [i]that simplifies things.[/i]

He vaguely recalled doing some other offensive spell at point black range... Had he grabbed some of that mana right out of the snake-person and inverted the gravity field or something? Certainly they were both moving in opposite directions fasted than he was falling, so perhaps he had. (Oops, the darkness spell had gone, never mind. So had the [i]Gate XXV[/i].) Or maybe he shot a gravity bolt, something like that. Either way, jolly well done, him.

Yes, blowing stars up was a LOT easier than killing deities in most respects. More energy typically required, but so much more straightforward. The Lazerblasters (and almost certainly the Shardan) could actually just do it by a modification to the configuration of their standard warheads. The Aotrs would need to dig into their big box of tricks, granted, but sun-exploding was quite possible...

Actually, the Lichemaster thought distractedly, vaguley aware he was somehow on the floor and the world was spinning around a lot, the Lazerblasters... Or at least that singular one they were all most utterly afriad of (and that everything SHOULD be) could probably [i]conceptually[/i] kill the star-virus out of hand... Mind you, at that point, the entire universe was likely already at risk of being ontologically, conceptually and meta-conceptually and probably retrocausally obliterated (if they were lucky), which was not a happy thought for anything that existed, had existed or could conceptually exist or just tangentially percieve or interact with any reality, so hopefully that level had not been realised yet. He really hoped the Good powers had ultimately SOME sort of plan that didn't involve trying force or that wouldn't just make the situation more likely, but then again, they were idiots, so who knew?

Was this precognition or just prediction? No, must be the latter, the Lichemaster concluded muzzily, after all the former couldn't work in that... 

Oh, wait, was he supposed to be doing something?

Right, right, more immediate problem, fur-nest night. Really, what kind of a name was that anyway; that sounded like a celebration for small mammals about to hibernate.

He felt a sort of odd thunk on his leg. Looking down he saw an trick arrow with a clamp on his leg. Capital, that would be Bowblast, hovering inside the still-open Gate True, doing the rescueing thing.

Now if he didn't miss his guess... Ah, yes, that would be Yeller. With... Oh, his badness. 

*	*	*	*	*	*	*	*

Yeller skidded to a halt as he exited the Gate True. Bowblast had snagged The Boss. The Furnace Knight was flying back down... Looking a bit, if anything, confused; clearly whatever The Boss did to his flying didn't last long, but it had taken him by surprise momentarily.

He grinned (or at least his eyeglows brightened in the lich equivalent). He hefted what he was carrying over his shoulder, a two-metre giant wand, over a foot in diameter, surfused with half the magical energy of all the present High Command members and every offensive enchanment they could throw on at short notice, making Death Despoil's over charged [i]Fireball[/i] look compartively weak.

He swung the weapon at an angle, not at the Furnace Knight, but unmistakably towards the computer-like device Unlucky had seen earlier, noting at least one cowering noncombatant comfortably in the blast zone.

"Hey, Sir O'Hiss! 

"Scale of one to ten! How important IS that?"

With a thundrous discharge, the magical burst released, streaking at horrendous speed towards the machine, leaving a trail of blasting sparks.

The Furnace Knight intercepted, as Yeller had expected he would (and seemed, HAD to), opening his mouth to eat all the magical energy from the attack and swallowing it, just as he had with the Boss's [i]Fireball[/i]; but the distraction afforded the Aotrs the moments to pull back into the Gate.


.

.


Or would have, if that had been the only intention.


.


.

The Furnace Knight had, by Yeller's estimation of his reaction speed, [i]just[/i] enough time to comprehend, far too late to be able to react, that the magic was mostly overcharged illusions and pointless buffs. 

Layered on top of the active missile shields of a Foul Skream-Special, hand-made, SK-X-TN Anti-Tank Snake Warhead.

"TN" for "Thuamic Negating." 

A warhead that was built entirely from exotic materials that absolutely ignored any kind of paranatural effect, defensive, offensive or otherwise.

And which detonated now right in the Furnace Knight's surprised, still-open maw.