Chapter 89 – The Blade’s Risk.

The dim amethyst light at the tip of Aurelia-Elysia's staff barely illuminated the four corners of the hidden crypt.

Kael lay upon a blanket spread across the cold stone, his left arm immobilized by two wooden splints and thick bandages soaked in arnica ointment. The vanguard's breathing had grown slower and deeper, soothed by the effect of a sedative Aurelia had made him swallow. He was out of immediate danger, but he would not be able to raise a heavy shield for the next ten hours.

Aurelia sat leaning against the granite wall, eyes heavy with exhaustion, recovering the mana spent during emergency triage. Near the frozen entrance, Seraphina wiped dust from her spectacles, flipping through the silver grimoire to check the worn pages of her summons.

Diana was kneeling in the center of the room.

With the tip of the black claw on her index finger, the Commander traced out the tactical layout of the Iron Throne Chamber in the dust on the floor.

She scratched the four enemy positions into the stone with firm, calculated lines:

The Gravitational Guardian in the rear generated the crushing field that pinned feet to the floor. The two Resonator Archmages floated on the flanks, emitting static hums that unraveled long-range spell matrices. And at the center, the Steel Titan operated with the kinetic hammer that bypassed armor protection and shattered bones through vibrational shock.

The logical conclusion in Diana's mind was cold and direct.

Kael could not fight. Aurelia was down to half mana. And Seraphina's summons were too slow to evade the hammer's shockwaves.

If the entire group stepped back into that open chamber, someone would die.

I can do this, Diana thought, staring at the markings on the floor. If I break this ice alone, I can teleport straight to the chamber's ceiling, drop down onto the Gravitational Guardian before it activates the pulse, burn its core with black fire, and keep distance from the Titan while finishing off the two mages.

It was a risky plan, but mathematically viable. She had enough mana reserves to teleport repeatedly and the Dragon Chestplate to absorb shrapnel.

Diana wiped the dust from her hand against the side of her trousers, straightened her jacket collar, and stood up from the floor.

She drew her black steel dagger, walking toward the wall of ice sealing the fissure.

That was when a blue and silver silhouette moved in the dark.

***

Rhea took two quick steps and stopped right between Diana and the wall of ice.

The hybrid girl did not draw her daggers, but crossed her arms over her chest, planting her boots in the gravel. Her silver ears were flattened in a rigid line, and her amber eyes met Diana's with a stubborn resolve the Commander rarely saw from the wolf girl.

“Out of the way, Rhea,” Diana said in a low voice to avoid waking Kael.

“You're planning to shatter this ice and walk into that room alone, aren't you?” Rhea countered, not budging a millimeter.

Diana furrowed her brow, the golden rings in her pupils narrowing.

“Kael has a broken arm,” Diana explained in a logical tone. “Aurelia needs time to restore her mana, and Seraphina's summons were shattered on the first strike. Taking the three of you back into that chamber right now is putting the squad at risk of needless annihilation.”

“I didn't ask about them, Diana.” Rhea took half a step forward, closing the distance between them. “I asked about you.”

“I have enough mana and mobility to work around the terrain,” Diana gestured with her dagger. “I can destroy the gravitational core before it anchors its rods into the ground. It is the cleanest decision.”

“It's an idiot's decision.”

Diana froze for an instant. It was the first time Rhea had used that tone with her since the day they met in the Dust District.

***

Rhea uncrossed her arms, drawing both Dragon Daggers from their belt sheaths. The dark blades gave off a faint gleam in the crypt's gloom.

“You spent months telling me I'm your scout,” Rhea said, her voice shaking slightly, but keeping steady resolve in her eyes. “You bought my freedom, treated my wounds, and gave me these weapons. You taught me how to fight without fear.”

The wolf girl brought her face close to Diana's, the tips of her ears nearly brushing the amethyst circlet on the Commander's brow:

“If you break this ice and go fight alone to 'protect' me, you are telling me I'm still that useless slave who needed saving from a cage. I am not an ornament to be tucked away in a hole while my leader bleeds on the other side of the wall.”

Diana stared at Rhea.

The Commander saw the determination in the girl's amber eyes. There was no fear of gravity, nor of the two tons of iron in the Titan's hammer. There was only absolute refusal to be left behind.

Diana felt an uncomfortable twinge deep in her chest.

She realized she was slipping into the same old flaw from her previous life on Earth: the toxic habit of thinking carrying every burden alone was the only way to ensure nothing went wrong. She thought she was being pragmatic, but deep down she was only trying to avoid the pain of seeing those she protected get hurt.

Diana let out a slow breath through her mouth, lowering the point of her dagger.

“That automaton's gravity cuts your speed in half, Rhea,” Diana said, her tone softening. “If you take a hit from that hammer, your daggers won't stop the impact.”

“I know.” Rhea flashed a small, sharp smile, showing her white fangs. “But I don't plan on getting hit. You use your teleportation to draw the Titan's attention from above, and I race through the wall shadows to sever the core's cables before it finishes spinning its gears.”

***

Aurelia-Elysia sat up against the stone behind them, resting her staff on the ground with a tired yet determined smile.

“I can cast a barrier at the threshold the moment you enter,” Aurelia said, adjusting her dragon mantle. “I can't maintain prolonged shields inside because of the mages' static, but I can provide cover for you to cross through the doorway.”

Seraphina closed the silver grimoire with a crisp snap, pushing her spectacles up her nose:

“And I have enough mana to summon two quick crystal wolves. They won't withstand the hammer, but they can snap at the archmages' feet and break the concentration of their resonance spells for three seconds.”

Kael grumbled from his makeshift bed, cracking open one brown eye and holding his arm splint with his right hand. “If I could... I'd get up and throw my shield at that scrap pile's head... But beat the hell out of it for me, Commander.”

Diana looked at each of the four squad members inside the cramped stone crypt.

The solo plan was discarded in the dust on the floor.

She turned back to the wall of ice, extending her right hand covered in black claws.

“The rotation changes,” Diana instructed, her dark gaze glowing with steady golden rings. “Seraphina releases the wolves at the entrance to disrupt the archmages' scepters. I jump straight into the upper arc to draw the Titan's swing. Rhea, you slip underneath in the wake of my leap and slice the central rod of the Gravitational Guardian.”

Rhea tightened her grip on the dragon daggers, squaring up shoulder to shoulder with Diana before the frozen barrier.

“Ready whenever you are, Diana,” Rhea said.

Diana channeled mana into the tips of her fingers, preparing the snap that would shatter the wall of ice.

There was no more hesitation in the room. The Arcane Greed Faction was ready for round two.