Scene: Outskirts of Halron – Dawn Before the Storm
Mist clung to the ruined fields outside the once-proud city.
Kaien stood with his commanders in the early morning light.
Armor worn. Cloaks soaked in dew.
Swords clean—but only for now.
Ahead of them, across the shattered bridges and collapsed walls—
Halron's outer bastions.
Converted into divine strongholds.
New banners hung from the towers—Irelia's flaming sigil.
And waiting behind the gates?
Hundreds of elite knights.
Dozens of corrupted priests.
And one new horror yet unseen.
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⚔️ The Plan – Quick Strike, Cut Deep
Kaien spoke, voice low but sharp.
> "We hit fast. We hit hard.
We don't get bogged down.
Our goal isn't to conquer—it's to send a message."
He looked every squad leader in the eye.
> "They thought taking one Flamebearer would be enough to scare us.
Today, we show them what fear really looks like."
---
⚡ Squad Assignments:
Reinhard and Donovan: Break the gate and hold the main front.
Aziel and Monku: Flank from the ruined aqueduct tunnels, cause chaos inside.
Marcus and Nikolai: Disable divine seals powering Halron's inner wards.
Kaien, Seris, and Lyra: Lead the vanguard strike into the heart of the fortress.
---
🏴☠️ Build-up Tension – Before the Attack
Marcus: "You know, back home, we played capture the flag. This is basically that… but with more flaming death."
Lyra: Silent. Focused. But her hand hovered near her glyph.
Seris: Eyes locked on Kaien. Trust burning hotter than fear.
Kaien:
Felt the weight of every life behind him.
The flame in his crest hummed low, steady.
He didn't need rage anymore.
He needed resolve.
---
💥 Battle Begins – Subtle at First
A single arrow whistled through the air—Aziel's signal.
Then—
BOOM.
The eastern wall exploded inward.
Monku and Aziel charged the breach, howling like madmen, explosions trailing behind them.
Gate squads scrambled.
The fortress roared to life.
---
⚔️ Kaien Leads the Vanguard
Kaien surged forward, crest blazing.
Seris moved beside him, red-black aura dancing around her daggers.
Lyra followed, warding sigils sparking beneath her boots.
Together they cut a path—
Divine knights falling like dominoes.
Kaien fought like fire given form—
Blades too slow, spells too weak.
He didn't look like a rebel.
He looked like a storm.
---
⚡ Mid-Battle Tension – Halron's New Secret Weapon Appears
From the main hall emerged a knight unlike the others.
Commander Rhagur, the Hollow Flame.
Once a hero. Now corrupted beyond recognition.
His body stitched together with divine brands.
His blade fused with cursed relics.
And worst of all?
A piece of Replica's shattered crest burned inside his chest.
Kaien's breath caught for a half-second.
Seris: "He's... part of you."
Kaien: "Not anymore."
---
🛡️ Duel Set-Up – Kaien vs. Commander Rhagur
Rhagur's voice was broken, half-snarled:
> "You killed the perfection I was built to protect.
Now I'll kill the imperfection you refuse to abandon."
Kaien raised his sword, steady.
> "Good.
Come see why imperfection survives longer than puppets."
---
🧨 Squad Splits
While Kaien faced Rhagur—
Reinhard and Donovan held back divine reinforcements.
Aziel and Monku ignited supply depots inside the walls.
Marcus and Nikolai disrupted Halron's core defenses.
Lyra and Seris covered Kaien's flanks—but Lyra's glyph flickered unpredictably mid-battle.
---
🩸 Final Build Up
As Kaien clashed with Rhagur—
For the first time in this war,
the Flamebearers didn't just fight for survival.
They fought like they were winning.
And the gods?
They started to realize they might have birthed something they couldn't kill.