Ernos stood frozen inside the massive prison of ice.
But he wasn't still.
Flames burned beneath the frozen surface.
Small cracks began spreading across the ice.
It trembled.
Something inside was pushing back.
The heroes were exhausted. Injured. Shaken.
But still standing.
And then—
Asher slowly lifted his head.
His eyes were different now.
Not wild.
Not broken.
Focused.
Controlled.
He rose to his feet.
His voice was calm… but commanding.
"Together."
Everyone looked at him.
Fear still lingered in their faces.
But so did hope.
"We strike at the same time."
Sebastian stepped forward, jaw clenched.
He nodded.
Then he shouted:
"ALL UNITS — ATTACK!"
Energy ignited across the battlefield.
Fire.
Lightning.
Ice.
Wind.
Pure force.
Hundreds of heroes surged forward in one united assault.
One final strike.
One final chance.
The attacks were seconds away from impact—
CRACK.
The ice exploded.
A massive wave of fire burst outward.
Ernos roared.
The sound shook the cavern to its core.
The ground split.
And then—
A shadow descended from above.
BOOM.
A violent shockwave blasted everyone backward.
Bodies were thrown into stone walls.
Dust and debris filled the air.
Silence followed.
As the dust slowly settled…
They saw him.
Lord.
His enormous dark wings stretched across the cavern.
He stood behind Ernos.
Wrapping him.
Shielding him.
Almost… embracing him.
The wings absorbed the remaining attacks.
Ernos' flames calmed beneath the shadow.
Lord slowly turned his head.
His glowing eyes locked onto Asher.
And in that moment—
Everything inside Asher shattered.
Time froze.
Memories collided violently in his mind.
His mother.
His father.
Vincent.
Julian.
Oliver Mark.
Riven.
Every loss.
Every scream.
Every failure.
Stacked on top of each other.
As if someone forced all his trauma into one unbearable second.
His head felt like it would split apart.
Asher dropped to his knees.
"Stop… STOP!"
But it wouldn't stop.
The pain intensified.
Lord's gaze never left him.
As if this was intentional.
As if Asher's suffering was part of the design.
Asher screamed.
Energy around him destabilized.
The air warped.
Stone cracked beneath his feet.
And then—
Lord spread his wings fully.
He lifted Ernos effortlessly into the air.
A violent gust tore through the cavern.
Heroes shielded their faces as debris scattered everywhere.
Within seconds—
They were gone.
Lord and Ernos disappeared into the darkness of the upper tunnel.
Silence consumed the battlefield.
Only rubble.
Only wounded survivors.
Asher breathed heavily.
The voices slowly faded.
The pressure in his mind lessened.
He forced himself to stand.
And then he saw him.
At the far end of the cavern—
On a broken stone platform—
Vale.
Still lying there.
Unconscious.
Unmoving.
Asher walked toward him slowly.
Each step heavier than the last.
The battle was over.
But the war had just become personal.