The wyvern's gaze locked onto Erebus.
"It looked like it was waiting for the general to react," one soldier murmured. Others nodded, the truth hanging heavy in the air.
"Everyone, take cover!" Alessio's voice cut through the rising tension like a blade.
The alchemists surged forward, their hands glowing as they conjured another massive barrier, barely holding back a fresh onslaught of flame. Two men screamed—their bodies thrown back, skin scalded and blistering under the hellfire.
"Push harder!" one of the alchemists barked, sweat pouring from his brow as he fought to maintain the weakening shield.
Then—an eruption of motion.
In a blink, the wyvern shrieked, its cry echoing across the sky as one of its eyes burst in a spray of ichor.
"Look!" Amenhotep pointed skyward.
"One of the eyes is down!" Lu Yin shouted, already orchestrating another precision strike on the opposite side.
"Two down. Four more to go," Erebus growled through clenched teeth. The beast roared in rage and soared higher into the ash-laden sky, its body becoming one with the storm clouds above.
Dawn loomed on the horizon, casting a faint gold behind the suffocating clouds. Then—silence. The creature vanished from sight, swallowed by the thick soot and swirling blackness.
Erebus wasted no time. He launched himself into the sky, his flare gun raised. A crimson light streaked upwards—a signal: Prepare for attack.
From the ground, the soldiers watched the sky crackle with chaos. White lightning lanced through the clouds, illuminating bursts of orange flame. Then—a pulse of faint, eerie violet.
"What the hell is happening up there?" someone muttered, their hand tightening on their weapon.
"Lu Yin! Where do you think you're going?" Alessio snapped, catching sight of the lieutenant mounting a pegasus, strapping a heavy sack to its flank.
"What do you think? I'm going after the general," Lu Yin called back, his tone grim.
"He's insane!" Zeraf laughed nervously.
"This isn't the time for jokes!" Alessio barked.
Lu Yin didn't wait. He soared into the sky, ascending into the thick clouds where colors flashed like a chaotic aurora.
"It's going to pour soon," he muttered, tightening his grip on the reins as the pegasus bucked and neighed.
"Come on, big boy. Higher!"
And higher they climbed—until the leathery outline of the wyvern's wings emerged, slashing through the fog like blades.
The scene above was a battlefield between titans. Erebus fought alone, each of his attacks countered by infernos. The wyvern was blind in four eyes, but it still thrashed with furious precision.
Lu Yin steadied himself. His heart thundered in his chest, knowing he could be struck from any direction. But Erebus—he danced with death in the heart of the storm.
Unlike Triglav, who had retreated from Amanécer, or Dabbah, who'd instinctively avoided a trap, this creature fought with primal instinct. No strategy. No fear. Just wrath.
Erebus spotted a fleeting opening and raised his flintlock—but the wyvern dived into the cloudbank before he could fire.
"Damn it!" he hissed, lowering the weapon.
Then—a scream of flame.
It struck his left arm, engulfing it in searing fire. The enchanted armor held for a breath, then buckled, melting against his skin. He roared, the agony wrenching from him a cry more beast than man.
His vision blurred. His focus wavered.
The wyvern vanished.
Then—impact.
"Commander!" Lu Yin's voice rang out in panic.
Erebus spun just in time to see Lu Yin trapped between the wyvern's jaws, the charred remnants of his pegasus tumbling down through the clouds.
The world stopped.
"This is your chance!" Lu Yin shouted, eyes locked on Erebus.
No hesitation.
Erebus surged forward like a bullet, void energy igniting around him as the wyvern reared back to finish the job.
"NOW!" he bellowed.
"See you in the abyss," he mouthed.
He raised the flintlock, aimed straight into the gaping maw of the beast—and fired.
Silence.
Then—detonation.
The sky exploded.
The wyvern's body ruptured in a blaze brighter than dawn. A shockwave pulsed outward, tenfold the force of a dynamite blast. For a heartbeat, it felt like the heavens had opened.
Chunks of flaming flesh rained down. Soldiers on the ground screamed and dove for cover. Erebus hurtled through the storm and caught Lu Yin's arm mid-fall, dragging him back from the brink of death.
"Lieutenant Lu Yin, reporting to the general," Lu Yin saluted, barely catching his breath. "The monster's been annihilated."
Erebus gave a weary nod, a faint smile tugging at his bloodied face. "Good work."
But his eyes hardened again. There was no time to celebrate. The next threat was already stirring.
The surviving soldiers regrouped under cover, watching with awe as their leaders returned. Cheers rose into the air, weak but heartfelt.
"We can always count on the general!" one shouted.
"Lieutenant Lu Yin showed real guts today!" another added proudly.
"Enough!" Alessio snapped. "Save it for when the war's over."
His gaze fell on Erebus's burned arm, the smoldering armor fused with flesh.
Lucky, he thought. Damn lucky it wasn't worse.
"Everyone, back to camp! Gather the dead. Tend to the wounded. We move for Amanécer at first light. This battle's over—but the war has just begun."
The soldiers turned without argument. Their faces bore the same story—exhaustion, grief, and a growing numbness to horror.
They were tired.
Tired of running.
Tired of burying friends.
Tired of watching blood soak the soil.
But they moved. Because tomorrow, they would fight again.
And Erebus… Erebus would lead them straight into the fire.