Chapter 19: Battle under Bleeding Skies

The wind roared as Nora rose into the air, feathers blazing under the blood-red dawn. Her wings pulsed with fury—raw, divine, terrifying.

Below her, the battlefield paused.

Even Ravik hesitated.

“You’re a myth now,” he growled, raising the railgun again. “Let’s kill it properly.”

She dove.

The blast seared past her, scorching the clouds, but she was already beneath it—wings folding, feet slamming into his chest.

Ravik staggered, but didn’t fall.

“You think wings make you a god?” he snarled, swinging the weapon like a club.

“They make me remember,” she said, parrying with her blade. “Every scream. Every lie. Every grave.”

He struck her side—armor cracked—but she twisted, grabbed his arm, and drove a dagger into the gaps.

Blood spilled.

But he laughed.

“Too late,” he whispered. “The Æther strain... survived.”

She froze.

“What?”

“There’s another vault,” he hissed. “Deep ocean. Far east. You destroyed a prototype. The real god still sleeps.”