Chapter 79: The Fall of the Black Fog

I move.

It is not a run. It is a launch. My legs scream as I push off the obsidian floor, propelling myself toward the paralyzed General. The golden-silver flame wraps around my arm, extending the reach of my dagger. It is not a weapon of steel anymore. It is a lance of pure will.

Kuro-Kiri tries to reform. The black fog swirls frantically around the exposed green crystal in his chest. He screams. It is a sound of grinding metal and rushing wind.

"You are too slow," I say.

I drive the dagger home.

The blade sinks into the green crystal. There is no resistance. It is like piercing water.

The reaction is instant.

A blinding flash of white light erupts from the point of impact. It swallows the green sickness of the crystal. It swallows the black fog of the General's body. It swallows the red light of the Nexus.

For a heartbeat, there is only white.

Then the sound hits us. A crack like a mountain breaking in half.

I am thrown backward. Kizawa catches me. We skid across the floor, his arms locking around me to absorb the impact. We hit the wall hard.

"Mizuki," he gasps. "Are you intact?"

"I am fine," I say. I scramble out of his grip. "Look."

The light fades.

Kuro-Kiri is gone.

The black fog is gone. The towering samurai armor is gone.

In the center of the room, lying on the cracked stone, is a small, grey stone. It is dull and lifeless. It crumbles into dust as we watch.

"He is gone," Hachiro says. He lowers his fists. The green light of his chi fades, leaving him looking small and exhausted. "You did it. You actually dusted him."

"We did it," I correct him. I look at Kizawa. "Your cut opened him up. I just closed the door."

Kizawa sheathes his swords. The click is loud in the sudden silence. He leans against the wall, his face pale. The exertion of the Void Style has taken a toll.

"It is not over," Kizawa says. "That was just a shadow. The King is still down there."

"But the General is dead," Erima says. She walks over to the pile of dust, prodding it with her toe. "That counts for something. It buys us time."

Yogawa peeks out from behind a pillar. He looks at the empty space where the monster was. He adjusts his glasses, trying to regain some shred of dignity.

"The structural integrity of this room is compromised," Yogawa says. "The magical backlash destabilized the supporting pillars. We need to leave."

"He is right," I say. The floor is vibrating beneath my feet. "The Nexus is collapsing."

We run.

We sprint out of the command center, back into the red-lit streets of Torchlight. The Grak-ta are in a panic. They saw the flash. They felt the tremor. They are running in circles, clutching their spears.

"Stop!" I shout.

They freeze. They look at me. They see the golden light still flickering in my hair. They see the woman who killed a General.

"The enemy is dead!" I yell. "The Black Fog is gone!"

A murmur runs through the crowd. Hope. Disbelief.

"But the city is unsafe," I continue. "We need to move. We need to regroup."

A Grak-ta warrior steps forward. It is the medic who healed Kizawa.

"Where do we go, Goddess?" he asks. "The Spire is broken. The Nexus is falling. We have nowhere."

I look at Kizawa. He looks back. We share a silent thought.

"We go up," Kizawa says.

"Up?" Hachiro asks. "Back to the surface? But the lift is gone."

"Not to the surface," Kizawa says. "To the upper tunnels. The old mines. It is defensible. It is away from the Abyss."

"It is a good tactical decision," Erima agrees. "Choke points. High ground. We can hold them off there."

"Lead them," I tell the medic. "Gather your people. Take the food. Take the weapons. Leave nothing for the King."

The medic nods. He barks orders. The panic turns into action. The Grak-ta are soldiers. They know how to follow commands.

We watch them go. The evacuation of Torchlight begins.

"What about us?" Hachiro asks.

"We are the rear guard," Kizawa says. He draws his swords again. "We make sure nothing follows them."

I stand beside him. My flame is dim, but it is there.

"We hold the line," I say.

We stand at the gate of the Nexus. Behind us, the city empties. Ahead of us, the darkness of the Abyss churns.

The Spinner King is watching. I can feel his gaze. He is angry. He is hungry.

But he is also afraid.

We hurt him today. We took his General. We took his prey.

"He will come for us," Kizawa says.

"Let him come," I say. "We are ready."

We stand together in the red light. The broken boy. The empty girl. The strategist. The brawler. The scholar.

We are not a team. We are a weapon. And we are pointed straight at the heart of the dark.