The sky cleared. No more stones. No more screaming arcs. Just wind and dust. The next wave never came.
For a moment, nobody moved. Emerald spears still braced. Sapphire bows still drawn. Everyone waiting for the next shadow to fall. It didn't.
Across the boundary— into the fire light.
The catapults stopped. Crews had already stepped back. Some frames were damaged from the earlier volleys. A few bodies lay scattered near them. But nothing close to what lay on Izz's side.
Roah didn't relax. He counted. Broken formations. Exhaustion from aura use. The Emerald Battalion aura type was not meant for defense. The defense formation they had come up with was merely a formation born out of countermeasure, used when needed.
Medics were already dragging the wounded back. Dead lined in rows. Too many. Far too many for something that lasted barely half an hour.
Linh clicked his tongue.
"…That's it?"
Roah's gaze stayed forward.
"They weren't trying to break us," he said quietly.
