As soldiers prepare a dawn assault, Robin argues the only decisive act is to destroy Babel itself, crippling England’s silver-dependent power so others can resist. The room grasps the implications: to be effective, the chain reaction must be thorough and sustained, meaning those who trigger it will not escape. After weighing persecution and captivity against death, Professor Craft, Meghana, Ibrahim, and Juliana choose to stay with Robin; Victoire and Yusuf decide to flee.

Robin tells Abel to withdraw before the Guards overrun the barricades and gives him a written account to circulate after the end. Abel agrees to shepherd Victoire and Yusuf out. Victoire, fearful their sacrifice will be dismissed as a mere setback, says goodbye; Robin asks her to write to Ramy’s parents. They part in pained brevity.

Through the night, those who remain stack hundreds of silver bars at structural points to maximize destruction and deny salvage. Waiting for the hour, Professor Craft steadies them with classical meditations on death, though fear persists. When Juliana spots troops moving early, they disperse to their stations. Ibrahim, terrified, still commits; no one turns back.

At six, alone in the lobby amid pyramids of bars, Robin repeats the activation—“Fānyì. Translate.”—across the stacks. The building groans as the chain reaction spreads; shelves topple and the ceiling cracks. In the rising cacophony, Robin marvels at the bars’ “song” and reflects on translation as attentive listening, recalling first days with Ramy. As sunlight lances through collapsing floors, he closes his eyes, imagines his mother’s face, and awaits the falling tower.