I. The Fire of the North
The roar of metal still dominated the horizon. The northern streets of Edenfall were stained red and black, a mixture of fire, blood, and emptiness.
Akihiko stood before Draven Kroll , both covered in ash, both not taking a single step back.
The commander of the Iron Wolves brandished his blazing saber, which continued to glow with an uncanny heat. Each strike melted the asphalt, warping matter in its path.
Akihiko dodged by millimeters, his katana tracing lines of darkness that sliced through the air and absorbed some of the heat.
Draven smiled from behind his mask.
"You're strong, but you fight with restraint. What are you afraid of? Destroying your own city?"
Akihiko stared at him.
"I'm not afraid of destroying... only of losing what can still be saved."
The commander attacked, his blade striking like a bolt of liquid fire. Akihiko responded by unleashing a blast of vacuum that ripped through the ground between them.
The impact created a shockwave that toppled nearby buildings.
The silence that followed was absolute. Only the echo of burning metal remained.
Draven fell to his knees, breathing heavily. His armor had begun to crack.
"Damn it... how can the void devour steel?"
Akihiko lowered his sword, panting.
"Because you're not fighting against emptiness... you're fighting against someone who controls it."
The wind blew, scattering the dust. Akihiko advanced, but just as he was about to finish him off, he heard a metallic whirring sound coming from the sky.
Three drop pods descended from an air transport, landing between them with a deafening roar. Soldiers in reinforced black armor emerged.
Draven struggled to his feet. "Looks like my men arrived before you finished the job, kid."
Akihiko frowned. Too fast...
II. The South Bridge
The south bridge was ablaze in a hell of crossfire.
Kaede and Sael held out as best they could while the Wolves' troops pushed forward from the other side. Enemy drones coordinated their attacks with surgical precision.
Kaede launched a slash into the air.
— "Space Technique – Illusory Fragment."
A series of projections of his figure appeared along the bridge, confusing the shooters. Sael took advantage of the situation to advance through the shadows and eliminate several enemies in melee combat.
"Kaede, cover the left flank!" Sael shouted.
"I've got it," she replied, though her breathing was becoming increasingly labored.
Sael's communicator vibrated again.
— … Incoming signal from the command center.
He looked at it suspiciously.
"The channel is encrypted, but the source... it's not one I recognize."
Kaede watched him.
"Don't open it yet."
"If it's a fake message, I'll know," Sael replied, and accepted the transmission.
A female voice emerged from the device, distorted by interference.
— "Reinforcements are arriving in the north… but Edenfall is compromised. Someone within the council is giving away its coordinates."
Sael pressed the communicator.
— Who's speaking?
Silence. Then the voice repeated a single phrase:
— "Trust only Akihiko. The others… are marked."
The channel was cut off.
Kaede looked at him, her face hardened.
"This just got worse."
III. The Council of Edenfall
In the central tower, representatives from the different divisions of Edenfall were arguing frantically. Screens showed the live battles, but the orders were contradictory.
Councilor Varren , a gray-haired man with a shrewd gaze, raised his voice.
"We can't keep sending reinforcements! If we deploy all our weaponry, the city will be defenseless in the center."
Another council member slammed his fist on the table.
"Our men are dying!"
Varren watched him with a faint smile.
"Let them die. The chaos will give us the excuse to restructure power."
Beside him, a hooded figure—the same one from the previous chapter—handed him a device bearing the Wolves' symbol.
"Everything is going according to plan," he murmured.
Varren nodded.
"Edenfall will be reborn under a new leadership."
IV. Collision
Akihiko blocked another of Draven's blows, this time reinforced by his soldiers.
The air vibrated with the intensity of the combat. Akihiko's katana emitted black flashes that distorted the surroundings; each clash caused a resonance that split the ground.
"Void Technique - Reverse Horizon!" he shouted, unleashing a shockwave that disintegrated part of the troops.
Draven raised his lightsaber and pointed it toward the sky.
"Alpha Bombardment, now!"
A loud bang was heard in the distance. Missiles began to descend on the north.
Akihiko looked up. There was no time to escape.
He closed his eyes, focusing his energy.
— "If emptiness is to protect… then it will devour fire."
The ground cracked beneath his feet, and a barrier of darkness emerged, enveloping him and the entire northern zone.
The missiles struck… and vanished.
Only silence remained.
V. The Silence of the Void
Kaede and Sael watched the explosion from a distance. The northern sky had darkened completely, as if a black storm had descended upon Edenfall.
—… Akihiko. —Kaede murmured.
Sael lowered his gaze.
"If he survived... the Wolves will also know not to underestimate him."
The wind blew ash toward the bridge.
Kaede sheathed her sword. "Let's go back to the center. There's something rotten inside the council... and I want to know who's feeding it."
🕯️ End of Chapter 282
Edenfall burns both inside and out.
The north has been consumed by Akihiko's emptiness, and within the council, a betrayal threatens to destroy everything they've built. As the fires subside, a new war begins: the struggle for control of Edenfall's inner workings.