Chapter 80: Mouren's Last Stand
The battlefield lay in ruins, shattered bodies strewn across the ground. The last echoes of combat had faded into silence, replaced by the soft hum of flickering energy barriers and smoldering wreckage.
Raizen stood amidst it all, his chest rising and falling in controlled breaths. His Draconic Aura still flickered around him, embers of gold dissipating in the night air. The elite commander was down, his forces scattered, but Raizen knew this wasn't the end. Mouren wouldn't go quietly.
The system pulsed.
[Mission Update: Eliminate Mouren's Final Holdout]
[Objective: Crush the remnants of House Mouren before reinforcements arrive]
Liana's voice crackled through his earpiece. "Raizen, we intercepted communications. Mouren's last forces are regrouping at their fortress on the western plateau. If they get reinforcements from their off-world allies, this war will drag on."
Kain knelt beside a fallen enemy soldier, inspecting his gear. "They're stalling. Buying time for an escape or a counteroffensive."
Joran cracked his knuckles. "Then we finish them before they get the chance."
Raizen's golden eyes gleamed. "Agreed. We end this tonight."
The fortress loomed in the distance, a relic of Mouren's once-unshakable dominance. Towering walls, automated defenses, and a final desperate garrison awaited them.
Raizen and his forces moved with precision, navigating the rocky terrain under the cover of darkness. Liana disabled the outer perimeter security, and the moment the defenses flickered, they struck.
Explosions ripped through the courtyard as Joran's heavy artillery blew open the gates. Raizen surged forward, Draconic Step activating, launching him into the heart of the enemy stronghold.
The defenders were desperate but disciplined, raining fire down from the battlements. Raizen weaved through the gunfire, closing the distance in the blink of an eye. His fists tore through enemy lines, enhanced by Draconic Overdrive, each strike a devastating force of nature.
Inside the command hall, Mouren's last officers gathered in a desperate bid to coordinate a retreat. The moment Raizen stepped through the doors, silence fell.
A single man stood at the center—a Mouren patriarch, his expression hardened, eyes filled with loathing. "You think this ends here?" he growled.
Raizen tilted his head, his golden gaze piercing. "It does for you."
The Mouren leader lunged, a final act of defiance, but he was too slow, too weak. Raizen caught him by the throat, lifting him effortlessly before slamming him into the command table. The impact shattered the console beneath him.
The system pulsed.
[Final Mission Complete: House Mouren Eliminated]
[Reward: Draconic Ascendancy Stage 4 Unlocked]
Raizen stepped back, exhaling as his power surged anew. The battle for dominance was over. Mouren had fallen.