Location: Highway 97 / Route 666 Time: 11:30 AM

  The Oregon desert seethes. Henry’s plan is a double-edged sword: he has convinced Gun that the only way to recover the rockets and punish Dante is through a lightning strike, using Henry himself as the "tip of the spear."

  The War Council

  Inside a fortified tent in Chemult, Gun leans over a metal table. Freya is at his side, her eyes fixed on a comms radio catching the static from Dante’s patrols.

  — "They’re in Sunriver," Gun growls, pointing at the map. — "Dante set up a 'Nest' in an old amphitheater. He has the LAWs aimed at the road. If I send my armored trucks, he’ll turn us to ash before we get within a mile."

  Henry takes a step forward.

  — "I’ll go on foot, across the rooftops and the rocks," Henry says. — "Dante watches the asphalt, but he doesn’t watch the sky. If I disable the first rocket, you move in with the rest of the 250 men."

  The Leap of Faith

  The scene cuts to Henry navigating the ruins of Sunriver. It is a parkour paradise. He leaps from the balconies of abandoned luxury cabins to ancient pine trees, moving with a speed that none of Gun’s soldiers could ever match.

  Below him, Highway 97 is a blue anthill. Thirty cyan motorcycles circle the amphitheater. Dante Korthas stands at the top of the stage, sitting on a throne made of tires, with an M72 LAW rocket launcher propped on his shoulder.

  — “?Vengan, cobardes!” Dante screams into the void of the road. — “?El asfalto tiene un nuevo due?o!”

  Henry positions himself on a steel beam above the stage. He spots the rockets: they are arranged in a crate marked "666." Henry readies his serrated combat knives.

  The Chaos Begins

  Henry doesn’t attack Dante first. He cuts the suspension cables of a massive stadium spotlight. The heavy metal falls directly onto two bikers, crushing their machines and creating the perfect distraction.

  Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

  BAM!

  Henry lands in the center of the stage. He is a blur of motion. He kicks a rocket launcher away and slits the operator's throat in one fluid movement.

  —“?INTRUSO!” Dante roars, leaping from his throne and unfurling a drive chain.

  Dante’s chain cuts through the air with a metallic hiss. Henry dodges with a roll, but the jagged tip of the chain tears a piece of his suit. The fight is a dance of death: Dante’s mid-range reach against Henry’s visceral close contact.

  Dante whips the chain, trying to entangle Henry’s legs. Henry uses the frame of a broken amplifier to gain height, performs a backflip, and strikes Dante with a double kick to the chest.

  — "You talk too much, Dante," Henry says, wiping blood from his lip. — "But without that bike, you’re just a man with a piece of junk in his hand."

  The Lead Verdict

  Back at the amphitheater, Dante is cornered. Henry has disarmed him, snagging the Argentine’s chain in a steel pulley. Henry raises his knife for the final blow but stops at the sound of a heavy engine.

  Gun has arrived.

  Gun’s armored trucks smash through the Rodoviários barricades. Soldiers leap out, firing electric batons and brandishing knives. Gun climbs down from his jeep, walking calmly among the blue-clad bodies. He sees Henry holding Dante by the throat.

  — "Good work, Henry," Gun says, drawing his Magnum. — "Now, get out of the way. I want to see the color of his eyes when the lead goes in."

  Henry looks at Dante. The Argentine is laughing, his face covered in blood. — "?Ustedes son todos fantasmas, che! ?Gun, el batedor te va a matar pronto!"

  Gun aims his weapon. Henry lets go of Dante and steps aside.

  KABOOM!

  The Magnum shot echoes through the amphitheater. Dante falls. Gun holsters his weapon and looks at the twenty recovered rockets.

  — "Henry," Gun says, placing a hand on the Brazilian’s shoulder. — "You’ve proven your worth. Today, we cleared Route 666."

  Henry feels a chill down his spine. He looks at Dante’s body and then at the horizon. The noose is tightening.

  Location: Dungeon Corridors – Abandoned Sawmill Time: 03:00 AM (Post-attack on the Nest)

  Gun’s convoy returned to Sawmill in celebration, but the "Demi-God," exhausted by the adrenaline of victory, retired to his quarters with Freya, leaving the management of the Sawmill in the hands of his new General. Henry carries the ring of master keys on his belt—the metal that was once his prison is now his authority.

  Henry walks through the damp corridors. The rank-and-file guards stomp their feet in respect as he passes. They see Dante’s blood on his face and dare not question his movements.

  He reaches the maximum-security cell block. The silence is absolute until the metallic sound of the first key turning in the lock echoes like thunder.

  Solomon cell gate swings open. The old master stands up, his eyes gleaming in the shadows. Henry says nothing; he simply hands Solomon the Hidden Blade that had been confiscated.

  One by one, the doors open:

  Vane massages his wrists, restoring circulation.

  Kol steps out of the darkness like a bear waking from hibernation.

  Elena adjusts her boots, ready for the shadows.

  Mika, Leo, and Tara take their positions, forming a semicircle around their field leader.

  Kane is the last to exit, looking at Henry with a smirk.

  Henry walks up to Kane and hugs him tightly—the embrace of someone who endured two months of hell to reach this second. Pulling back, Henry looks at the group. They are without their primary weapons, but they are together.

  — "Where are the others?" Solomon whispers.

  — "Piro is at the bar in Chemult, tending to Gun’s drinks. Beck is at the armory, maintaining the machines," Henry replies, his voice now heavy with an authority he never had before. — "They’re safe for now."

  Henry looks toward the corridor exit, where moonlight cuts across the Sawmill courtyard. He clenches his fist, feeling the weight of the keys.

  — "The game has restarted, brother! I’m going to get our weapons back," Henry says to Kane, but his voice reaches everyone. — "Time to execute the Executors."

  The camera slowly pulls away, showing the eight Heretics and Solomon emerging from the corridor shadows into the courtyard, while in the background, the Sawmill sign creaks in the wind.

  End of Chapter