The battle erupted around us with brutal force, the sound of gunfire deafening, mingling with shouts, and the chaos of men scrambling for cover. I stayed close to Dante, my heart racing as we ducked behind the nearest barricade. The flash of gunfire lit up the dark, shadowy space, illuminating the determined faces of Dante's men as they fired back at Viktor's forces.
I had no time to think. No time to second-guess. The moment I had entered this world, I knew it would come to this. Viktor was a monster, and there was only one way to end it.
"Stay down!" Dante shouted, pulling me further behind cover as bullets whizzed past us. He was calm and collected, his movements sharp as ever.
But I could see the tension in his jaw, the flicker of something darker in his eyes as the stakes climbed higher. His body was a wall of steel, protecting me, but I couldn't help but feel the weight of everything on him—the pressure, the responsibility, the anger of all the wrongs done.
I gripped my gun tighter, eyes scanning the battlefield. The chaos was overwhelming, but my focus was clear. Viktor had made the mistake of thinking he could play with our lives and get away with it. Not this time.
I heard Viktor's voice again, loud and taunting. "You're just as predictable as your father, Dante. This was always going to end like this—your blood, spilled on the ground, your empire, crumbling."
Dante's face hardened, his anger simmering just beneath the surface. He stepped forward, his gun aimed, and fired without hesitation. The blast sent a man collapsing to the ground, but it wasn't Viktor.
"Where is he?" I whispered, the question slipping out before I could stop myself.
"He's here. Somewhere. And when I find him, he's dead," Dante growled, his eyes scanning the compound, calculating, hunting. His grip on me tightened slightly as if anchoring me to him, as if I could somehow anchor him, too.
We moved quickly, sweeping through the compound with tactical precision. But Viktor's men were relentless. The moment we cleared one corner, another wave seemed to appear, forcing us to adapt, to fight. Every corner turned felt like another layer of hell.
I shot, never hesitating, taking down enemy after enemy. My movements were swift and deliberate, my heart synced with the rhythm of the violence surrounding me. I was no longer that timid woman from days ago. I was hardened. I had to be. For Dante. For everything that was on the line.
But then, a scream pierced the air, sharp and terrified.
Dante's head whipped around in the direction of the sound, and my heart clenched. I could see it—his fear. His men had been hit hard, and the ambush wasn't over yet. Viktor's forces were closing in on all sides, trapping us.
"Elizabeth—stay behind me!" Dante ordered, but his voice had a hint of desperation in it now.
I wasn't going to hide. Not now. Not when the end was so close. I stepped forward, my eyes locked on Dante's. "I'm not staying behind," I said, my voice firm. "We're doing this together."
His eyes flashed, searching mine, weighing the decision. And then, without another word, he nodded. His jaw set with determination, his focus entirely on the task ahead.
We pushed forward, knowing the heart of this storm was approaching. And then, I saw him.
Viktor.
He stood in the shadows, a few paces ahead, his cold eyes gleaming in the moonlight. The sight of him—this monster who had caused so much pain—sent a rush of adrenaline through me. He was the reason I had fought so hard, the reason I had endured so much.
Dante and I moved toward him, the distance closing. Viktor's lips twisted into a sneer when he saw us coming.
"I knew you'd make it this far," he said, his voice dripping with malice. "But you're too late. Do you think you can defeat me, Dante? You always have this… arrogance. This belief that you're untouchable."
Dante's gun was steady in his hand, but there was a flicker of something darker in his eyes. "I'm not untouchable, Viktor," he said, his voice low and controlled. "But you? You're dead."
Before Viktor could react, the first shot rang out, the sound deafening in the stillness that followed. It came from Dante's gun, a clean shot. Viktor stumbled back, a look of shock crossing his face as he reached for his weapon.
But it was too late.
Dante's second shot was faster and sharper, and Viktor crumpled to the ground in a heap, his face frozen in an expression of disbelief.
I stood frozen for a heartbeat, the weight of it all crashing down on me. The danger was gone. The man who had hurt us, who had destroyed so much, was no more.
Dante turned to me, his eyes filled with a mixture of relief and sorrow. "It's over."
I nodded slowly, my throat tight, the gravity of what we had just done sinking in. The battle wasn't just over. The war was over.
But as the noise of the world seemed to fade away, one thing became clear: we had won, but the cost had been high. The future was uncertain, and we still had to navigate what came next.
But for now, we had this moment. Together.