A holo from the Lightbringer flares to life, showing a battered Lysander with Cicero au Votum at his side. Lysander accuses the Raa and Darrow of treachery, claims an assassination attempt from the Garter, and cites Rhone ti Flavinius’s death. He then unveils Cassius’s mutilated, hanged body and demands Darrow’s surrender as proof of unity. Diomedes denounces the lies, and Gaia calls Lysander a deceiver, but Lysander dismisses Atlas’s exposure and ends with an ultimatum.

The Moon Lords reject surrendering Darrow, affirming guest-right. Darrow warns Diomedes that the broadcast was to justify war. Moments later, particle cannons from the Lightbringer and allied ships lance Demeter’s fields; an atmosphere bubble bursts and the Plutus shieldDome roars under sustained fire. Missiles skim through shield gaps toward the House of Bounty as the assembly turns from shock to disciplined evacuation.

Defenses intercept most missiles, but the blast shears buildings and kills Moon Lords. Structural failures ripple through the House; a pillar at the exit starts to collapse. Darrow dashes forward, braces the pillar with his shoulder, injuring himself. Diomedes, Grecca au Codovan, and two Olympic Knights join to hold the load, then all throw themselves clear as the arch collapses behind them.

Outside, the House of Bounty and the great hand of Demeter give way, dropping debris into the abyss. Guided by Gaia, the survivors descend stairs into a sealed aperture within the statue, riding a modern lift down. As bombardment pounds above, Darrow grieves Cassius, while the Moon Lords stand grim and silent.

In the bunker, medici triage the wounded. Torn between shelter and duty, Diomedes chooses to head for the garages and tunnels to aid those still trapped on the surface, and most Moon Lords follow. Gaia, bleeding, orders Darrow to carry her so she can fly; he hoists her and runs to join the rescue effort.