Student Council War 7

The Crimson Labyrinth breathed with stillness. A deceptive calm.

It had been days since the Hollow Echoes were scorched into ash, but the true war had only just begun.

Above ground, battle lines twisted and coiled like vipers. Rayne's forces regrouped after their staggering loss, while Layla struggled to hold what ground remained in the Gloomroot Narrows. We knew Rayne wouldn't stop. And neither would I.

Because this time, the battlefield wouldn't be just terrain. It would be a crucible.

And the Phoenix would answer.

Layla's squad was battered. Her soldiers, depleted. Their advance through the Gloomroot ridge had slowed, each step dogged by illusions cast by Rin and mana disrupters placed by Nyx.

But she kept moving.

"We hold until dusk," she said, wiping blood from her brow. "We can't afford to fall back now."

Behind her, Liora Nowa finished drawing the runes. "This field's prepped. If they cross it, they burn."