The crumbled wall groaned as dust and debris cascaded into the chamber, filling the air with choking clouds. Kaela's eyes burned through the haze, every sense sharpened to a razor's edge. Around her, the rebels pushed forward, their faces etched with determination and exhaustion.
The Ashen commander, wounded but unyielding, roared a command that sent his remaining soldiers into a frenzy. The clash intensified—steel struck steel, bullets tore through the smoky air, and the shouts of battle echoed like thunder.
Kaela ducked beneath a sweeping sword strike, her heart pounding louder than the war cries around her. Her arms ached from the relentless combat, but surrender was not an option.
Ava's voice cut through the chaos. "Kaela! They're breaking through the east flank!"
Kaela's gaze snapped toward the breach—where a group of Ashen reinforcements surged like a tidal wave, desperate to reclaim lost ground.
"No time to hesitate," Kaela growled. "We hold here, or it's over."
Joren nodded grimly, readying another explosive, his hands steady despite the turmoil.
The rebel lines buckled momentarily, but Kaela's fierce presence galvanized them. She roared a battle cry, her sword flashing like lightning as she cut down the nearest enemy.
The air was thick with heat and blood. Flames licked the edges of the chamber, casting a hellish glow that mirrored the fire burning inside Kaela's chest.
Suddenly, a heavy blow slammed into her side, knocking the breath from her lungs. Pain exploded through her ribs, but she gritted her teeth, refusing to fall.
The breaking point had come.
It was do or die.