The Citadel of Ash was in turmoil. News of Valerius's son's exile and Captain Vorlag's betrayal had reached Aethelgard. Aethelgard was plunged into chaos and distrust. The time for the final attack had arrived.
Kaito met with the Queen of Ash in the throne room. The Queen was dressed in her full obsidian war armor. Beside her, Zylpha and Lysandra awaited deployment orders. Elora was tending to the Replication Core.
"The Spectre has set the table," the Queen said, her voice resonating with absolute power. "The Conclave is broken. Valerius has exiled himself. Now, we will reclaim what is ours."
The Queen unfurled a runic map of Aethelgard's center.
"The last bastion of resistance will be the Cathedral of the Forged Light." If we take the Cathedral, we take the will of the city. But the Cathedral has one final protocol of defense: the Oath of the Eternal Flame. It's a ritual that can seal all Shadow magic in the city for a century, even me.
"The Oath requires a Sacrificial Core," Kaito chimed in, using the knowledge gleaned from Ren. "They need the heart of a high-ranking Paladin. It's an ancient ritual."
"Exactly. But the location of that ritual is known only to a man who has sworn the most sacred oath. Grand Commander Ren," the Queen said, her gaze fixed on Kaito.
"He's no longer the Commander. He's my prisoner," Kaito retorted, feeling the weight of the impending order.
The Queen gave him no choice. "I need the exact location of the Sacrificial Core in the Cathedral. Go. Use it. Leave none of its loyalty to the Light."
The Last Bloodletting
Kaito headed for the confinement cells, a place he had avoided since their last devastating psychic confrontation. Ren was chained in a silent chamber, his body inert. The desecration of his memories had left the Paladin in a catatonic state, awaiting the end.
Kaito knelt, feeling the trembling, faint trace of his brother's Lightforged through the Bond.
"We have won, Ren," Kaito transmitted through the bond, voiceless. "Valerius has fallen. The city is ours."
Ren didn't respond, but Kaito felt a pang of agony as he heard the silent echo of Valerius's name in his brother's mind.
"Tell me where the Sacrificial Core is in the Cathedral. It is the final act of betrayal I ask of you."
Ren resisted. For the first time in weeks, the Paladin, though powerless, opposed an absolute will.
"No! It's the final oath. You can't take that!"
Kaito understood the move: Ren didn't care about his life, but about the memory of his faith. The location of the Core was the last sacred secret protecting the Light.
Kaito couldn't afford to fail the Queen. He had to be crueler than ever, demonstrating his rise to absolute power within the Shadow.
Kaito activated Chaos, but not to cause pain. He used the most intimate manipulation he had perfected: poisoned love.
Kaito didn't send him rage; he sent him a fabricated memory of the happiest moment of his childhood, distorted. Kaito projected an image of his father, laughing at Ren's faith and promising him that the day Kaito was corrupted, Ren's Light would become useless.
"Your sacrifice didn't save me, Ren. It only gave me a stronger tool." And your faith... your faith is the reason for your loneliness," Kaito relayed, shattering the last foundation of his brother's morale.
The psychic assault was the final override. Ren's psyche shattered completely. The Paladin's resistance dissolved, and Kaito felt the map of the Cathedral, including the detailed location of the Sacrificial Core, flow into his mind.
Kaito had gained knowledge, but victory was an icy void. He had crossed the final line, sacrificing his brother's last hope for power.
The Unfolding of the Shadow
Kaito returned to the throne room with the information. The Queen, who had felt the intensity of the final psychic battle through the Lasso, smiled triumphantly.
"You have brought him. Your hold on the Paladin is total, Spectre. Now, prepare."
The Queen rose to her feet. At her signal, the floodgates of the Citadel of Ash opened. Shadow Demons, Forge Commanders, and Kaito's inner circle (Zylpha, Lysandra, and Elora) prepared for deployment.
"Zylpha, you will lead the vanguard. Lysandra, you will secure the communications array. Elora, you will hold the Core. And you, Kaito..."
The Queen approached and placed her hand on Kaito's face, a gesture of absolute pride and possession.
"You will go to the heart of the Cathedral. You will use the information to deactivate the Oath of the Eternal Flame and open the gates to me. Today, you will not be the Spectre. You will be the Conqueror of Light."
The Shadow Army marched toward Aethelgard. Kaito, with the news of the final betrayal in his mind and the promise of power in his veins, crossed the threshold. The war for Etherea was about to end.