Chapter 118

Chapter 118
The wind blew fiercely over the fortress walls, carrying the smell of blood and dust. Kaien's body lay motionless on the cold stone floor, his black armor reflecting the pale moonlight. Castian stood there for a moment, his breath ragged, the weight of the battle still present in his muscles. The sword in his hand trembled slightly, not from fatigue, but from the magnitude of what had just happened. The last bastion of Feng's tyranny had fallen.

In the courtyard below, the sounds of combat began to cease. With Kaien's death, the soldiers who still resisted lost all morale. Some threw their weapons to the ground, surrendering without resistance, while others tried to flee towards the gates, only to be captured by the rebels. Mei led the remaining fighters, ensuring that surrendering enemies were not unnecessarily killed.

Xia Lin, her swords stained with blood, looked around, assessing the situation. Her gaze met Castian's atop the walls, and for a moment, the silence they shared spoke more than any words. Finally, she ran up the stairs, reaching him.

"Is he dead?" she asked bluntly, looking at Kaien's fallen body.

Castian nodded, his expression serious.

"It's over."

Xia Lin observed the corpse for a moment, her eyes hard, but there was something else there… a shadow of relief, perhaps. Kaien represented not only a powerful enemy but also a symbol of everything she had lost in the past.

"Then we've won," she murmured, more to herself than to him.

Before Castian could respond, hurried footsteps echoed through the corridor, and Mei appeared at the entrance to the wall, her eyes wide and alert.

"We need to get out of here now!" she exclaimed. "The fortress is collapsing!"

Castian's eyes narrowed.

"What? What do you mean?"

Mei pointed to the sky, and that's when he saw it: magical cracks glowing with a reddish hue were beginning to form in the corners of the walls, snaking like living roots. The ground beneath their feet vibrated slightly, and a deep sound, almost like a distant roar, echoed from the depths of the fortress.

"Kaien must have had some kind of destruction spell tied to his life," Mei explained, pulling Castian by the arm. "When he died, it triggered the fortress's ruin. We don't have much time!"

An explosion echoed from the corridors below, and one of the side towers collapsed, scattering debris across the courtyard. Shouts echoed among the rebels as they tried to escape the unstable structure.

Castian cursed. They needed to get out immediately.

"Xia Lin, help the others evacuate!" he ordered, already running after Mei. "Let's clear a path to the main exit!"

Xia Lin nodded and disappeared down the stairs, shouting orders to the rebels.

With each step, the fortress shook more violently. Sinister cracks came from the walls, and stones began to fall from the ceiling. Castian rushed through one of the main corridors, dodging falling debris while Mei guided him along the fastest route to the gates. Dust filled the air, making it difficult to see more than a few meters ahead.

They reached the courtyard, where the rebels were gathering amidst the chaos. Many were wounded, leaning on each other as they tried to run for the exit. Some desperate enemy soldiers joined the flight, leaving their weapons behind.

Xia Lin appeared beside them, dragging a wounded rebel.

"Most are out, but some are trapped in the catacombs!" she said, panting. "The exit tunnel collapsed!"

Castian felt a weight in his chest. They couldn't leave them behind.

"Where is the other exit?" he asked Mei.

She hesitated for a second, then pointed to a set of iron doors partially buried under debris.

"There! But the opening mechanism is in the next room!"

Castian ran to the doors, tearing rubble from the path with his bare hands. He could hear voices from the other side, muffled shouts pleading for help.

Without a second thought, he turned to Mei.

"Go ahead with the others! I'll open the doors and get out after!"

"What?" Mei frowned. "You can't stay behind!"

"I won't! But if we don't unlock this, they'll all die! Now go!"

Mei hesitated, clearly against the idea, but there was no time to argue. With a quick nod, she ran to help the others escape.

Xia Lin stayed by Castian's side, crossing her arms.

"If you think I'm leaving you alone, you're mistaken."

He didn't argue. He just nodded and entered the side room.

The mechanism was a set of ancient gears attached to a huge lever. Castian grabbed it and pulled with all his might, but the structure was already weakened. The metal groaned, resisting for a second, before finally giving way. The iron doors began to open slowly.

The trapped rebels on the other side hurried out, some helping the wounded as they ran to freedom. Castian and Xia Lin exited the room and followed the last of the fugitives.

Behind them, the fortress was collapsing. The structure that once represented the absolute dominion of Feng and Kaien was now nothing but ruins, swallowed by its own destruction. The main gate split in half, and the side towers toppled like dead giants.

Finally, when everyone was far enough away, the entire structure crumbled, raising a huge cloud of dust and ash.

Silence fell over the battlefield.

The rebels looked at the ruins of the fortress, exhaustion weighing on their shoulders, but also a sense of victory. They had won. The symbol of fear and oppression was now nothing but rubble.

Castian wiped the dust from his face and looked around. He saw Mei, panting but unharmed. Xia Lin beside him, staring at the ruins with an unreadable expression. And beyond them, dozens of warriors who had fought by his side until the end.

He took a deep breath and raised his voice so all could hear.

"Today, we brought down an empire!"

A victorious cry echoed through the valley.

The fortress of shadows had fallen.

But the war was not yet over.