The explosion shook the entire bay.
Heat.
Smoke.
Metal fragments flying everywhere.
But Asher stayed calm.
He dropped down behind a fallen crate, using it as cover as the shockwave rolled past him. The Knight dove behind the same crate, landing beside him with a rough grunt.
For a few long seconds, neither of them moved.
Only the sound of burning metal and collapsing machinery filled the air.
Finally, Asher let out a slow breath.
"…Well," he said calmly, "that was loud."
The Knight coughed once. "Loud? It nearly killed us."
Asher shrugged lightly. "Yeah, but it didn't. So I'm counting that as a win."
The smoke slowly cleared.
Pieces of the Prime Warden were scattered across the bay—chunks of armor, shattered cables, melted plating. A huge crater sat where its torso used to be, still glowing faint blue.
The head lay several meters away, visor flickering weakly.
The Knight leaned forward. "Is it… gone?"
Asher stood up, brushing dust off his shoulders.
