The night air was heavy, almost suffocating, as Ash stood at the edge of the abandoned district. The city behind her was finally calm, but ahead, shadows gathered one last time. The remnants of Seraph had chosen their ground well—isolated, silent, perfect for a final confrontation.
Haru's presence at her side was steady, his scars catching the faint glow of the streetlamps. "This is it," he murmured. "No more running. No more traps. It ends tonight."
Ash tightened her grip on her blade. "For Ayin. For us. For everything they took."
The words hung in the air like an oath.
From the shattered factory ahead, figures emerged—armored, disciplined, carrying the cold efficiency of Seraph's training. But at their center walked a man whose presence silenced the night. Broad-shouldered, eyes cold with the calm of a predator. The last commander.
"You burned our network," the man said, his voice carrying easily across the distance. "You destroyed what we built. But you cannot kill what we are."
Ash's heart thudded, but her voice was steady. "You're wrong. Tonight, we erase you."
The silence shattered.
Seraph operatives surged forward, and the world became motion, steel against steel, shadows colliding under the pale moon. Haru was a storm—controlled, deadly, his movements honed by years of survival. Ash fought beside him, their rhythm seamless, a dance of fire and shadow.
Every strike was a memory. Every clash a ghost laid to rest.
The commander cut through the chaos, his blade sparking against Haru's knife. "You think love makes you strong?" he sneered, forcing Haru back. "It makes you weak."
Haru gritted his teeth, meeting his eyes with fire. "No. It makes me unstoppable."
Ash struck from the side, her blade carving through the commander's defense. The fight was brutal, unrelenting, but together, they pressed him back—step by step, shadow by shadow.
At last, Ash's blade found its mark. The commander staggered, shock flickering across his cold eyes as he fell. Silence swept the field. The last of Seraph crumbled in the night.
Ash stood trembling, breath ragged, staring at the fallen man. Haru's hand found hers, grounding her.
"It's over," he whispered.
Ash looked into his eyes and finally believed it. "It's over."
The night seemed to exhale, the weight of years lifting at last. And for the first time, Ash allowed herself to think not of survival, but of tomorrow.