Blades hovered inches from the companions' necks, and the tension had reached its peak when the warehouse walls suddenly shook from a massive explosion behind them. This time it wasn't an energy blast, but a calculated breach through the wall.
From the dust, Engineer Belon charged in — no longer the calm man they knew. He wore light tactical armor and led thirty men armed with crystalline shard launchers.
Belon (shouting):
"Stand down, you shadow-scum! Crystallis is not a battlefield for your twisted vendettas!"
Miron (turning in shock):
"Belon? You cowardly engineer! You risk your life for strangers who stole our energy?"
Belon:
"They took it with my knowledge, Miron — but you're the one trying to steal this city's future with your madness!"
A violent battle erupted within seconds. The warehouse became a human grinder. Belon's men rained charged glass fragments onto Miron's squad, while Miron's rebels fought back with the desperation of the doomed. Amid the chaos, the crystal pillars supporting the ceiling began to crack under the energy pressure and tremors.
Nirar (shouting while pulling Ortenos):
"The place is collapsing! Move to the northern corner!"
As they ran, a massive slab of the glass ceiling fell, separating the companions from the main battlefield. Ortenos, Romelius, Picos, and the bleeding Nikos found themselves trapped in a distant corner, cut off from Belon and Miron by heavy debris.
Picos (trying to move rubble):
"We're trapped! Nirar, can you hear me? Belon?!"
Darius (bandaging his father's wound):
"Father, hold on… we'll get out of here, I swear!"
Nikos (weakly):
"Don't worry about me, son… listen, the fighting hasn't stopped on the other side."
Meanwhile, at the heart of the chaos, a projectile explosion shattered part of the upper ceiling. Miron fell from above, crashing hard onto the ground. His leg was badly wounded, leaving him unable to move.
Belon didn't hesitate. He leapt over the rubble and stood over the injured Miron, pointing his weapon at his chest.
Belon (breathing heavily):
"The game is over, Miron. Your so-called revolution is nothing but collective suicide. You'll regret every drop of blood spilled today. You're not a hero — just a failed rebel leading the helpless to their deaths."
Miron (laughing bitterly, blood running from his mouth):
"Failed? Because I refused to obey your corrupt ruler? Belon, you're a brilliant engineer — but a loyal servant to Medon XVI. How do you sleep at night knowing the fuel for your inventions is paid for with the blood of the poor?"
Belon (coldly):
"Order protects everyone. Yes, there is injustice — but the chaos you spread is far worse. Everyone must follow the ruler for Crystallis to survive. I'll deliver you alive to rot in the dungeons of the Tower of Silence and serve as a warning to others."
Miron's laughter turned into frightening hysteria.
Miron:
"Deliver me? You think you're leaving this place? Me, Medon, you, and this wreckage — we'll all be erased before we realize it. I will never serve the murderer of my family, and I won't let you take me as a trophy to your master."
Belon:
"You're delirious from the pain. I'll end this fight, help my friends trapped because of your stupidity, and then I'll watch your face tremble before the execution platform."
On the other side of the rubble, despair began to creep into Ortenos's heart. He tried using his sword to break the crystal barrier, but the warehouse's magnetic field weakened the blade's energy.
Ortenos:
"Romelius, is there a way out? Time is passing, and Nikos is losing too much blood!"
Romelius (placing his hand on the wall, eyes closed):
"Be patient, my son… listen — metallic sounds are approaching from behind the debris."
Suddenly, the rubble began to move. Thermal axes broke through the crystal wall from the other side — Belon's men, sent to circle around and rescue them.
Leader of Belon's men (shouting through the opening):
"Friends! Are you there? Step back from the wall — we'll make a controlled blast to open a passage!"
Nirar:
"We're here! Hurry — we have a wounded man!"
While Belon's men worked desperately to carve a path, the voices of Miron and Belon rose in the background with curses and threats. Outside, the city began to glow with red alarm lights, announcing that the official authorities were approaching — and that the conflict was no longer between a rebel and an engineer, but a matter of survival for everyone.
The chapter ended with Belon's men pulling Ortenos and his companions through the opening, while Miron continued laughing hysterically in front of Belon, as if he still held one last card yet to play.