Kaladin tends Skar’s ankle wound while the battle rages on the Tower. As Stormlight fatigue sets in, he notices Sadeas’s forces pulling back despite having the advantage. Realizing something is wrong, he orders wounded bridgemen prepared for retreat and rushes to observe the withdrawal up close.

At the chasm, Kaladin sees Sadeas’s honor guard unharmed and his Plate pristine. With the arrival of a second Parshendi force, Dalinar’s army becomes surrounded and without bridges. Sadeas crosses away and, watching the Tower, remarks that Dalinar’s honor would get him killed, then rides off, confirming the deliberate abandonment.

On the Tower, Dalinar and Adolin fight back-to-back as Sadeas’s planned retreat snaps shut, cracks spreading through their Plate. Adolin initially condemns the trust placed in Sadeas, but when Dalinar takes responsibility, Adolin instead supports him, affirming the Codes and the effort to improve Alethkar. Dalinar’s guilt dissolves; he chooses identity over expedience.

Dalinar rallies the terrified soldiers with a speech: they fight not for glory but to avoid becoming lesser men. Summoning Oathbringer, he declares he is not ashamed of who he has become. With Adolin and the Cobalt Guard steadied, they charge into the Parshendi, resolved to meet death with honor, Dalinar’s last thoughts turning to Renarin’s uncertain future.