Chapter 7: Flames on the Ridge

Smoke clawed at the sky in thick, black spirals, turning night into a storm of ash and orange. From atop the Dorsai Ridge, Alex watched the valley below ignite. The Sovereign's strike team had arrived in force—drones, mechanized hounds, ground infantry in mirrored visors.

The air was chaos.

Behind him, rebels rushed to hold the defensive line, crude barricades assembled from steel scraps and fallen trees. Kaito shouted orders into a relay unit, voice hoarse from overuse. Somewhere in the east trench, Lia's voice crackled over the comms:"Evacuation convoy cleared—three klicks east. Minimal injuries. Civilian load secure."

Relief flickered across Alex's face. Brief. Cold.There was no room for it now.

"Seraphine," he called.

She was crouched beside a wrecked transport, reloading her plasma bow. Her hair was singed at the tips. Her face was dusted with soot and blood—not hers. "Here."

"Ready for Phase Two?"

She glanced up, and despite the warzone around them, her smile was crooked with mischief. "Born ready."

Alex nodded and tapped his earpiece. "All units. Phase Two: Black Echo. Detonations on my mark."

The line crackled. "Understood."

"Three… two… one—Mark."

The ridge exploded.

Charges buried in the valley floor went off in coordinated succession, ripping craters into the oncoming Sovereign line. Screams, metal shrieks, and the sound of falling rock rolled over the battlefield.

But the Sovereign weren't fools. Moments later, their counter-offensive surged.

Dozens of blue-laced hunter drones swarmed the sky, tracking heat signatures. A mech tank rumbled into view, targeting the rebel artillery nests near the ridge's edge.

"We're going to lose the ridge," Kaito growled, eyes wide. "They brought a full division."

Alex inhaled sharply. Then tossed his pistol to the side. "Then let's give them a reason to regret it."

He pulled out a curved blade, old and humming with blue kinetic coils—the Dagger of Karsin, gifted by an old ally turned ghost. Beside him, Seraphine drew her dual blades, flicking ash from the tips.

"We cut through," he said. "Straight to the tank. Disable the targeting core."

Seraphine grinned. "And live?"

Alex met her gaze. "We have to."

They charged.

The slope was madness—bullets, screams, fire, blood. But Alex moved like a shadow laced in thunder. Every movement was precise, every enemy he felled another second bought for the rebels behind him. Seraphine matched him step for step, blades spinning in a violent dance. They reached the tank's side in under forty seconds.

But time was treacherous.

The tank's cannon turned toward them.

"Now!" Alex shouted.

Seraphine jumped, launching herself off a burned-out car and plunging both blades into the top hatch. Sparks exploded. Alex followed, sliding beneath the turret and driving his dagger into the primary coolant tube.

A pulse of energy rolled outward.

The tank sputtered, then died—its systems shorting out in a shriek.

Then silence.

Around them, Sovereign troops hesitated. The front line was broken.

Rebels surged forward from the ridge with renewed force, rallying behind the collapse.

From the edge of the chaos, Kaito's voice rang out:"Push! Push now! While they scatter!"

And they did.

By dawn, the ridge was scarred, but it was theirs.

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Far from the frontline, inside the mobile command shelter, Alex stood over a cracked table. His coat was torn. His hands bloody. His voice steady.

"We held them tonight," he said, speaking into the comms recorder. "But they'll be back, and stronger. We need more allies. We need the Undermarket. The old guilds. Even the desert clans."

He looked up. Seraphine leaned in the doorway, wiping blood from her cheek.

"You looked like a demon out there," she said softly.

He chuckled tiredly. "Takes one to fight one."

She stepped forward. Close. "You're bleeding."

He shrugged. "Add it to the list."

Then she touched his hand—just briefly. Warm. Gentle.

"You keep trying to save everyone," she murmured. "Just don't forget to save yourself."

He didn't answer.Couldn't.

Because deep down, he wasn't sure that was part of the plan.