Miles slowly raised his trembling hand.

Blood dripped from his fingers.

His breathing was rough.

Heavy.

Broken.

Yet when Clarissa grabbed his arm and pulled him upward, the battlefield itself felt different.

Like the balance had shifted.

Like death itself had arrived for the enemies standing there.

Clarissa looked directly into Miles' exhausted eyes.

Wind moved violently around her flowing red and black robes.

"I have seen many battles."

Her voice was calm.

Cold.

"I have seen countless fighters."

Her eyes narrowed slightly while looking at the blood covering him.

"But I have never seen a true warrior like you."

A faint smile appeared on her face.

"Maybe that is why you are too far for ordinary people to reach."

Miles chuckled painfully while holding his wounded side.

"I lost to them…"

The moment those words left his mouth

BOOM!

Clarissa suddenly stomped her foot onto the ground.

The dust shifted beneath her.

The atmosphere froze instantly.

"Lost?"

Her voice echoed across the battlefield like thunder.

"You won a billion times against these cowards."

Her eyes slowly moved toward the remaining assassins.

Cold enough to freeze blood.

"These cowards have no right to live."

Then

Her voice turned commanding.

Absolute.

"Disciples."

The wind exploded violently around the battlefield.

"Kill each and every one of them."

"No one leaves this ground alive."

FWISH!

FWISH!

FWISH!

Five shadows suddenly appeared from different directions.

Fast.

Unbelievably fast.

The assassins barely reacted before the slaughter began.

One disciple landed directly in front of three armed men.

The attackers instantly fired.

But the disciple disappeared from their sight.

A silver flash crossed the air.

Three heads separated from their bodies almost simultaneously.

Blood sprayed violently.

Another assassin screamed and charged with dual knives.

A second clan warrior moved forward calmly.

CLANG!

The knives collided once.

Then

The attacker's arm flew through the air.

Before the scream even finished, the sword pierced directly through his chest.

Another disciple spun gracefully through the battlefield like flowing water.

A chain attacker rushed him recklessly.

The disciple ducked low.

One clean upward slash

The chain snapped.

The man collapsed in two pieces.

Screams erupted everywhere now.

The assassins who earlier surrounded Ghost confidently were suddenly retreating.

Panicking.

Terrified.

One killer tried escaping toward the exit.

A female clan warrior appeared directly before him silently.

The attacker froze completely.

Her blade moved once.

Only once.

A thin red line appeared across his throat.

He collapsed instantly.

The battlefield became pure massacre.

Inside the Citadel war room, nobody spoke anymore.

Every general stared at the screen in stunned disbelief.

President Maxwell slowly exhaled.

Even his eyes remained fixed on Clarissa and her disciples.

An agent suddenly looked at another screen and spoke nervously.

"Star Harbor just lost 9.8 million dollars, Mr. President."

Maxwell did not even blink.

"We can compensate 9.8 million dollars."

His eyes remained on the battlefield.

"But we cannot compensate thousands of innocent lives."

General Victor Wraithbourne looked completely shaken.

"Since when does Graveyard have samurai and ninjas?"

Maxwell slowly answered without looking away.

"They are not Graveyard."

Wraithbourne turned instantly.

"What?"

Maxwell spoke quietly.

"Have you heard of the place where the mountain meets the ocean?"

Wraithbourne's expression slowly changed.

Realization.

"You mean that place…"

His voice lowered unconsciously.

"They came from there?"

…

Inside Sterling Security's operation room

The atmosphere completely changed.

One agent suddenly stood up excitedly.

"There are no interruptions anymore!"

Another agent checked the feeds quickly.

"Everything is back online!"

The woman who had tears in her eyes moments ago smiled in relief now.

Monica finally released the breath she had been holding.

"Good work."

Her eyes turned colder while staring at Rehman's feed.

"Let us see who saves that bloody coward now."

Charles checked another monitor immediately.

"The medical team is already moving toward Boss."

A sudden wave of relief spread through the operation room.

Some agents even cheered loudly.

Others smiled weakly while wiping their eyes.

Because Ghost was still alive.

Monica immediately picked up the communication line.

"Mr. Winslow."

Her voice became sharp.

"Hit the blow."

…

Back at the battlefield

It took less than a minute.

Less than a minute for the disciples of the Phoenix Clan to completely erase the swarm of killers from existence.

Bodies covered the ground.

Blood flowed between broken concrete.

Silence slowly returned.

Only the sound of wind remained.

Miles slowly lifted his head toward the balcony.

"It is time."

Then he spoke calmly into comms.

"Snipers."

Instant response came.

"Roger Boss."

BANG!

BANG!

BANG!

Sudden sniper shots exploded across the battlefield.

The armed men stationed on the balcony were instantly struck down.

Bodies collapsed over the railings.

One fell directly onto the lower floor.

Rehman instantly stood up from his chair in shock.

Another surviving man rushed from inside carrying the detonator carefully.

"Bhaijaan!"

He handed the detonator toward Rehman

BANG!

A sniper round pierced directly through his skull.

The body collapsed instantly.

But

Rehman caught the detonator before it hit the ground.

Then

CLICK.

He pressed the trigger tightly.

Raising it high in the air.

His eyes had become completely insane now.

"If I die…"

His voice echoed wildly.

"The button gets released."

His thumb remained tightly pressed.

"And thousands of your people die inside the city!"

Everything froze.

The battlefield.

The operation room.

The war room.

Even the wind itself felt still for one terrifying second.

Another man rushed onto the balcony from inside the abandoned facility.

His breathing was hurried.

But his face carried excitement.

"Bhaijan!"

He almost laughed from relief.

"Your uncle is out now!"

Rehman Nawwar instantly turned toward him.

The man quickly held up a live feed device.

"He is already on the helicopter with our pilot and men."

The screen displayed the coastline near the sea.

A helicopter sat ready near the water.

Several armed men surrounded it.

And inside

An older man escorted heavily by Al Qiyan members.

Rehman slowly looked at the screen.

Then smiled.

Then laughed.

"You lose Ghost."

His voice echoed proudly across the silent battlefield. 𝘧𝓇𝑒𝑒𝑤ℯ𝑏𝓃𝘰𝑣ℯ𝘭.𝘤ℴ𝘮

"My uncle is out."

His eyes slowly turned toward Miles Sterling.

"Though the helicopter could have looked better."

He mocked while still gripping the detonator tightly.

"But your entire country bent before Al Qiyan today."

A dangerous satisfaction appeared in his face.

"My people will be proud of me. My father will be proud of me"

The armed man beside him suddenly spoke again.

"Some General is on the line."

A stern voice came from the other side.

"Rehman."

"Your demands have been fulfilled."

"Now disarm the bombs."

Rehman smirked proudly.

"What is the hurry General?"

He slowly walked toward the balcony railing while looking below at the battlefield.

"Tell these people to back away from here."

"And send me a helicopter too."

His eyes moved toward the old helicopter on the feed.

"Make sure it does not look this run down."

Silence came from the radio.

A strange silence.

Long enough for Miles' tired eyes to narrow slightly.

Then

Miles smiled faintly.

"Grand Master."

His voice was calm despite the blood covering him.

"Stop playing General."

Rehman froze.

"How long were you planning to hide?"

Inside the Citadel war room, several officers instantly looked at each other in amusement.

President Maxwell slowly narrowed his eyes.

Then

From the shadows near the battlefield entrance

A figure calmly walked forward.

A radio rested casually in his hand.

Long coat moving with the wind.

Presence terrifyingly calm.

Lucian Winslow.

The Grand Master.

Even Rehman's expression changed for the first time.

Lucian looked at Miles with faint curiosity.

"How did you find out?"

Miles exhaled slowly.

Pain visible across his face.

"I saw you arriving…"

A faint chuckle escaped him.

"When I almost died."

Rehman's eyes moved rapidly between them now.

Confusion.

Suspicion.

Anger.

"What is the meaning of this?!"

His grip tightened around the detonator instantly.

"Do you not care about your people Ghost?!"

"If I release this trigger they die!"

Miles looked at him quietly.

Almost pitying him now.

"You know what Rehman…"

His exhausted smile widened slightly.

"I want to laugh at your condition."

"But I am too tired."

Rehman's expression darkened instantly.

Miles slowly raised his eyes toward the detonator.

"You cannot even save your uncle with that thing in your hand."

"How exactly are you planning to save yourself?"

A cold silence followed.

Then Miles spoke the words slowly.

"Believe me…"

"You have no power to release the trigger… not yet."

A dangerous shift appeared in Rehman's face.

"Hey…"

His voice became unstable.

"What do you mean?"

He immediately raised the detonator higher.

"Do not think I am making empty threats!"

Then he quickly pointed toward the live feed again.

"Look!"

"The helicopter is taking off!"

"WAVE TO YOUR UNCLE!"

Everyone looked toward the feed.

The helicopter blades rotated violently.

The aircraft slowly lifted from the ground.

Higher.

Higher.

Moving above the coastline.

A smile slowly appeared at the corner of Rehman's lips.

Victory.

Relief.

Pride.

Then

Miles calmly spoke into comms.

"Mr. President."

"Show him the fireworks."

Inside the war room, President Maxwell slowly turned toward the Navy Admiral standing nearby.

The Admiral instantly grabbed communication controls.

"Base to Sea Dragon."

Static answered briefly.

Then

"This is Sea Dragon Admiral."

The Admiral's expression hardened.

"Sea Dragon."

"Take the shot."

Several officers inside the naval command center immediately moved.

"Target locked."

"Launch in three."

"Two."

"One."

Far beneath the ocean surface

A submarine missile system ignited.

BOOOOM.

The missile launched upward violently through the sea.

Cutting across the sky like a streak of death.

And on the very same live feed Rehman was proudly watching

The missile struck.

A sudden explosion swallowed the helicopter completely.

FIRE.

METAL.

SMOKE.

The aircraft shattered instantly in the air.

Burning wreckage rained directly into the sea below.

The smile vanished from Rehman's face.

Completely.

The battlefield itself felt colder.

Then

Lucian Winslow laughed softly.

"What a poor man."

His eyes remained on the burning wreckage.

"Just came out of prison."

"And now sent directly to hell."

Rehman's entire body trembled now.

Not from fear.

From rage.

Pure rage.

"You made a huge mistake!"

His voice exploded violently.

"YOUR PEOPLE WILL FACE CATASTROPHE NOW!"

His arm instantly rose upward.

And

He released the trigger.