Proving Grounds. Net Zero, #13

In a war-torn future where gods command from the shadows, human avatars Ariel and Jenna are sent to secure weapons powerful enough to defeat the Kaigan-a biomechanical threat consuming worlds. But their mission becomes a brutal trial as a merciless AI weapons dealer subjects them to escalating tests: drone swarms, chemical warfare, orbital bombardment, and the looming threat of planetary annihilation.
Joined by Ares, the reluctant God of War, they survive apocalypse after apocalypse-only to be punished by their divine patroness, Persephone, for sins of defiance and desire. As battle lines blur between duty, rebellion, and divinity, Ariel and Jenna must decide what kind of war they're truly fighting. and who they're willing to become to win it.