The fall of Ivanova did not happen with a single scream.
It happened with the sound of ancient gates finally giving way.
The massive inner palace doors trembled violently beneath the final impact from Draco's siege force.
The iron reinforcements that had protected generations of kings groaned under unbearable pressure, cracks splitting through the structure like fractures across bone.
Then—
the gates burst inward.
A thunderous sound exploded through the palace courtyard as shattered wood and iron crashed across the marble floor.
Smoke rushed inward first.
Then soldiers.
Draco warriors flooded through the entrance in disciplined formation, their dark armor gleaming beneath torchlight as they spread rapidly across the inner palace grounds. Their movements were not chaotic.
Not reckless.
Controlled.
Efficient.
Like predators entering territory they already intended to own.
The remaining Ivanovan guards tried to resist.
Steel collided violently.
