Darrow marches Mars in full view to Minerva’s walls, baiting them into a formal duel while masking his true plan. Mustang imposes strict terms: both armies withdrawn, grass burned to ash, and a ring formed for the champions. With the Proctors descending to spectate, Darrow steps forward to fight Pax, while decoy Howlers remain with Mars to allay suspicion.

The duel is savage. Pax’s size, armor, and shield batter Darrow, who refuses to signal his hidden plan because he wants to earn a personal victory. Exploiting speed and guile, Darrow blinds Pax with mud, knocks away the axe, and finally drops him, proving to Mars why he leads.

At Darrow’s howl, the trap springs. Sevro and the real Howlers, with select Diana fighters, cut themselves out of the bellies of dead horses littering Minerva’s killing field and slip through the open, slow-closing gate. Simultaneously, more Diana soldiers scale the far wall. The Proctors revel from above as Minerva, caught watching the duel, is overwhelmed within minutes.

Mustang flees across the churned, smoking field. Darrow mounts to pursue, joined by Vixus and Cassandra, wary of their malice away from his core allies. In the woods, Darrow discovers Mustang submerged in a mud pit, hiding her golden eyes.

When Vixus leers and threatens cruelty, Darrow leads him away from Mustang’s hiding place, choosing to protect her despite the war. The victory cements Mars’s dominance and Darrow’s fearsome ingenuity, yet his restraint toward Mustang hints at a moral line he refuses to cross.