Chapter 120: Ashes And Iron

The air inside the Ironhold felt heavier than the reinforced steel walls that enclosed it. 

The whole structure seemed to exhale with every tremor from above, the distant thud of armored vehicles rolling over loose rubble echoing through the underground maze like the heartbeat of a dying giant. 

Somewhere, water dripped — a slow, methodical tap-tap-tap that only heightened the silence between each boom.

Emily stood at the center of the command room, staring at the flickering tactical display. 

The holographic map was riddled with red markers, each one representing a Covenant advance team converging on their position. It was less of an encirclement and more of a gradual suffocation. 

They weren't just coming — they were sealing off every possible exit as they approached.

The Ironhold was more than just a bunker; it was a symbol, a scarred remnant of the early Resistance days when they had dared to believe they could hold their own.