The courtyard stank of blood and smoke. Kael's body lay sprawled in the center, a dark titan finally brought low, but his fall did not end the battle—it only lit a fuse.
The horns had summoned more soldiers, their boots pounding against the stone passages that fed into the courtyard. Luv staggered to his feet with Ayu's support, his side bleeding heavily, each step a war against dizziness. His dagger was still in his hand, though his fingers trembled around the hilt.
Ayu glanced at the gate—shadows flickered closer, torches bobbing in the darkness like a river of fire. She clenched her jaw. "If we stay, we're buried here."
Luv spat blood, his voice a whisper but sharp. "Then… we burn our way out."
As if on cue, a nearby storeroom door burst open, spilling barrels of oil across the stones. In their clash, weapons and lanterns had been knocked over; the courtyard reeked of fuel. Ayu's eyes narrowed—opportunity hidden in chaos.
She holstered her empty pistols, snatched up a torch from the wall, and held it high. "Move when I say."
The first wave of Crimson Fang soldiers stormed in, screaming battle cries, swords flashing. Ayu hurled the torch into the oil. Flames roared to life instantly, sweeping across the courtyard in a hungry blaze. The air exploded with heat, screams rising as men caught fire, their armor glowing red-hot before they collapsed in writhing heaps.
The fire spread fast, devouring wood, cloth, and flesh alike.
"Now!" Ayu barked, dragging Luv toward the narrow west gate. Soldiers tried to block them, but the fire's fury worked in their favor—confusion and terror shattered the enemy's formation.
Luv found his rhythm again, weak but deadly. Every soldier who lunged at them fell with a dagger slash—throats, arteries, quick brutal kills that cost little motion. Ayu shielded him with stolen steel, cutting down anyone who came too close. Together they carved through the chaos like shadows slipping through fire.
The courtyard was an inferno now, smoke rising in choking black plumes. The crack of collapsing beams echoed like thunder. Flaming debris rained from above, striking soldiers and sending them screaming into the blaze.
As they reached the west gate, a squad of elite guards rushed to block the escape, shields locked tight.
Luv leaned on Ayu, blood trailing with every step, but his eyes still burned. "Break them… and we're free."
Ayu's smile was fierce. "Then let's break them."
She kicked open a barrel at their feet—more oil. Without hesitation, she slid a lit torch along the stones, igniting a wall of fire between the guards and themselves. The soldiers recoiled, coughing and blinded, their formation shattered. Luv and Ayu plunged through the gap, blades flashing.
The west gate yawned open before them. Beyond lay the night, the wilds, and freedom—but only if they could outrun the storm behind them.
Behind, the fortress burned like a funeral pyre. Kael's empire was crumbling, but the horns still sounded—more enemies converging.
Ayu tightened her grip on Luv's arm, pulling him into the shadows beyond the walls. "Don't you dare die on me now," she hissed.
Luv coughed, blood in his teeth, but managed a faint grin. "Not till I see the dawn."
The flames consumed the courtyard, swallowing their enemies in an ocean of fire. Luv and Ayu vanished into the night, fugitives hunted but unbroken.