Navani reaches the map room amid chaos as officers report that every Radiant in Urithiru has fallen unconscious and Fused and Regals are flooding the tower. Battalionlord Teofil briefs her: Stormform Regals advance from below, Heavenly Ones strike from balconies, Soulcasters are down, and the enemy holds the Oathgates. Barricading seems futile given lightning, stone-walking Fused, and limited materials.

Navani identifies the crystal pillar as the key and decides their only hope is to retake it to restore Radiants. She orders an immediate, in-for-all assault to carve a path to the basement while withdrawing from upper floors to muster at the grand staircase. Teofil executes the plan, assigning a harrying force and confirming losses, including Heavenly Ones seizing a lone Shardbearer’s Plate. Surrender remains a contingency if the enemy merely occupies.

Dabbid slips in as Navani addresses a visible garnet vein. The Sibling answers, calling her a slaver but admitting partial corruption: the tower’s suppression has been inverted to affect Radiants instead of Fused. The Sibling notes that Radiants at higher Ideals or a Bondsmith using the Surge of Binding might still function.

The Sibling fears the “Lady of Pains” (Raboniel) will soon alter them further. Urged by Navani, the Sibling reveals a failsafe crafted by a past Bondsmith that could halt the corruption, but it requires a great deal of Stormlight. Navani commits to help as Teofil’s forces begin the desperate push toward the pillar.