The village walls trembled under the drumbeat of war. On the horizon, the Flame Emperor Sect's forces advanced like a creeping wildfire—legions of crimson-armored cultivators, siege towers belching black smoke, and fire demons tethered by chains of molten ore. Above them soared the Ashbringer, his molten armor glowing like a dying star, his laughter carried on the scorched wind.
Mei Ling stood atop the watchtower, her hands clenched around the Spirit Gathering Array's control stone. The artifact hummed beneath her palms, its energy weaving a shimmering dome over the village. Behind her, Kang barked orders to the militia, his voice raw from hours of preparation.
"Archers to the eastern wall! Qi cannons loaded! And someone get those damn children into the underground chamber *now*!"
Yan Mei materialized at Mei Ling's side, her scarred face grim. "Scouts report three siege constructs. They'll hit the northern gate first."
Mei Ling's gaze didn't waver from the advancing horde. "And the Ashbringer?"
"He's waiting," Yan Mei said. "He wants you to burn the Array's energy before he strikes."
The first fireball struck.
---
**The Siege Begins**
The northern gate erupted in flames as a magma cannonball slammed into the barrier. The Spirit Gathering Array flared, dispersing the worst of the impact, but the shockwave knocked archers from their posts.
"Loose!" Kang roared.
Frost-tipped arrows blotted out the sun, piercing fire demon hides and quenching siege-tower flames. Militia cultivators manned the qi cannons, their blasts tearing through the front lines. For a moment, the tide seemed to stall.
Then the Ashbringer raised his hand.
The fire demons *howled*, their bindings shattering. Unleashed, they surged forward, a tsunami of fangs and flame. The Array's dome buckled under their assault, cracks spiderwebbing across its surface.
"Reinforce the northern gate!" Yan Mei leapt into the fray, her daggers slashing through demon flesh.
Mei Ling poured her qi into the Array, her vision blurring. "Hold… just hold…"
---
**The Fall of the North Gate**
Kang met the first wave at the breach, his warhammer slick with demon blood. "You want this village? Come and *die* for it!"
A fire demon lunged, its claws raking his chest. Kang laughed through the pain, crushing its skull. "Is that all you've got?"
The Ashbringer landed behind him, silent as emberfall.
Kang turned, too slow. The Ashbringer's blade pierced his heart, molten steel sizzling through flesh. "Your chief's defiance ends here."
Kang gripped the blade, yanking the Ashbringer closer. "He'll… burn you… to ash…"
The warhammer fell. The gate collapsed.
---
**Retreat and Ruin**
Yan Mei dragged Mei Ling from the watchtower as fire rained. "The Array's failing! We need to fall back!"
"No!" Mei Lung tore free, her hands bloody from the control stone. "We can't abandon the gates!"
"We already have!" Yan Mei pointed. The northern district was a funeral pyre. Militia fighters fell beneath flame-wreathed swords, their screams swallowed by the inferno.
A child's cry pierced the chaos—Little Fen, trapped beneath a burning beam. Mei Ling lunged, qi flaring to shield the girl. The Array's dome flickered, its energy diverted.
The Ashbringer's voice boomed: "*Now.*"
A second magma cannon struck the unprotected southern wall. Stone melted. The Array shattered.
---
**The Last Stand**
Yan Mei rallied the survivors in the village square. "To the relic chamber! The underground tunnels—"
"Are already overrun," the Ashbringer said, descending like a vengeful god. His blade leveled at Yan Mei's throat. "Traitors burn first."
A dagger flashed. Yan Mei's blade found his armpit gap—a weakness she'd memorized years ago. The Ashbringer roared, his blood hissing as it hit the ground.
"You taught me that," she spat.
The militia surged, a final, desperate push. Qi cannons fired at point-blank range. Fire demons fell. But for every sect soldier slain, three more took their place.
Mei Ling clutched Little Fen, her qi nearly spent. Above, the Ashbringer's laughter mingled with the village's death rattle.
"Li Tian…" she whispered. "Where are you?"
---