Within minutes, Fort Vanguard was surrounded.
Emergency vehicles flooded the lower base and the desert roads around it. Rescue teams rushed toward the wreckage with stretchers, med kits, and cutting equipment. STF soldiers dropped in from transports, spreading through the ruins to pull survivors from collapsed sections of metal and concrete.
Smoke still rolled from what remained of the airbase.
Stark checked his comm and grimaced.
Steel noticed immediately. "Uh oh. What does it say?"
Stark looked at the message. "It's from Optimus."
Steel already knew that wasn't good.
Stark read it out loud. "What happened down there? Sending STF your way."
Steel let out a tired breath. "Yeah. He's gonna have a field day with this one."
Before Stark could answer, the rubble shifted.
Everyone turned.
Out of the burning remains of Fort Vanguard, the demon walked.
Chunks were missing from its rocky body. Cracks across its frame pulsed weaker than before, but the red energy inside it still burned. Its steps were slower now, heavier, but it wasn't dead.
And it was moving toward Merchant Valley.
Voltron's damaged frame sparked as he stepped forward. "It appears he intends to destroy Merchant Valley next."
Steel glanced at him. Voltron's armor was cracked, one side of his body dented, several mechanical parts exposed.
"You're badly damaged," Steel said. "We can finish him."
Voltron didn't look away from the demon. "No."
Steel frowned. "Voltron,"
"These parts can be replaced."
The cyborg moved before anyone could stop him.
Steel cursed under his breath, then started running. Stark, Boomer, and White Flash followed. The demon saw them coming and suddenly picked up speed, pushing through the desert with frightening power.
Boomer's eyes widened. "He still has that much speed?"
A white blur flashed past him.
White Flash appeared for half a second beside Boomer and smirked. "You're just too big, old man."
Then he was gone.
White Flash zipped toward the demon, becoming a streak around its legs, shoulders, and blind spots. He struck from every angle, forcing the creature to turn, stumble, and veer off course before it could reach the valley.
For a moment, it worked.
The demon swung at empty air, missing again and again as White Flash kept pulling its attention away from Merchant Valley.
Then the demon adapted.
Its glowing eyes tracked the pattern.
White Flash came in for another pass,
The demon intercepted him.
One massive arm snapped out and caught him mid-motion, sending him flying across the desert like a comet. He hit the ground hard, rolling through sand and broken debris before disappearing into a dust cloud.
"White Flash!" Stark shouted.
Steel didn't wait.
He slammed into the demon from the side and anchored himself down, arms locking around its body with every bit of strength he had. His boots dug trenches through the desert as the demon fought to keep moving.
"Now!" Steel roared.
Boomer came in with his sword raised, Kia flaring around his legs as he drove forward. His blade landed with heavy, brutal slashes, each hit cutting deeper into the demon's cracked stone body.
Voltron stayed back and opened fire.
Artillery rounds and heavy shots hammered the demon from range, forcing it to stagger as smoke and sparks burst across its frame. For the first time, the creature looked overwhelmed.
But it still broke free.
With one violent surge, the demon threw Steel off and pushed through Boomer's next strike. It tried to charge again, but Voltron moved in.
The cyborg rushed forward and drove his energy sword straight into the demon's back.
The demon roared, rolling across the desert to shake him loose. It came up swinging, throwing a massive punch toward Voltron's head.
Voltron caught it.
The impact cracked the ground under him, but he held.
Then he twisted, shifted his weight, and flipped the demon with a clean takedown, slamming it into the desert floor hard enough to send a shockwave through the sand.
The demon scrambled to get back up.
It spun into a kick—
Voltron dodged.
As he moved past, he planted a bomb directly onto the demon's damaged body.
His voice came through cold and flat.
"Detonating."
The explosion hit point-blank.
Voltron was launched backward, crashing hard across the desert. The blast tore through the demon's lower body, blowing both of its legs apart in a violent burst of fire and molten rock.
The demon collapsed.
Its red glow flickered.
Then faded.
For a long moment, nobody moved.
The desert was quiet except for the distant sirens behind them and the crackling fires of Fort Vanguard.
Steel stood slowly, breathing hard as he stared at the demon's body.
Stark walked up beside him, RPG still hanging loosely in one hand.
Boomer lowered his sword.
White Flash appeared again, bruised and covered in dust, but alive. "So… did we win?"
Voltron pushed himself up from the ground, sparks falling from his damaged frame.
"The target has been neutralized."
Steel looked back toward the ruined base, then toward Merchant Valley in the distance.
"Yeah," he said quietly. "But this was way too close."
No one argued.
Because Fort Vanguard was in ruins.
Merchant Valley had almost been next.
And whatever sent that demon had proven one thing clearly:
The Empire's strongest walls could still break.