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On Union’s deck, Zellion is battered by the Cinder King, unable to land a clean hit. Realizing he must stop trying to outfight and instead outlast, Zellion embraces the blows, then grapples. When the king’s heat drain unexpectedly works due to renewed faith in Zellion, Zellion uses the contact and his quadrupled weight to topple them both off Union, breaking their fall on the king.

On the ground, the Cinder King continues to beat Zellion, but Zellion keeps rising, using endurance as defiance. Meanwhile, Elegy and Rebeke enter Union’s command, where Charred guards allow them through. Confronting armed operators watching the duel, Rebeke argues the Cinder King’s strength is a lie and calls out his habitual cheating, which the staff quietly acknowledge.

Rebeke urges the operators to seize their moment: with the king off the city and the sun rising, they can fly away. She announces the discovery of sunheart recharging and denounces further sacrifices. Revealing her cinderheart, Rebeke declares herself the Sunlit One who now controls the Charred, offering freedom without coercion.

Persuaded, the lead operator takes the controls and launches Union, abandoning the Cinder King in the mud. As the city pulls away, Elegy and Rebeke attempt to organize a rescue for Zellion, but Union is on lockdown for an hour by the king’s order and cannot dispatch ships.

The Dawnchaser, Zellion’s vessel, lies destroyed and cannot be used. With Union fleeing and rescue impossible, sunlight advances toward the two men on the ground. Elegy holds a grieving Rebeke, thanking Zellion for giving her someone to fight with, as they leave him behind to face the coming sun.