Chapter 220

Dieno the Mink, a legendary soldier, is about to be executed by beheading at a Herdazian outpost but escapes through cunning and athleticism. Cornered on the fort's wall with nowhere to go, he prepares to jump to his death—until a massive greatshell emerges from the fog, changing everything.

Dieno lies bound at an execution block in a Herdazian-controlled courtyard, facing beheading for his crimes. He uses wit to distract the judiciary overseeing his execution, asking for increasingly elaborate deaths to buy time. When the headsman looks away, Dieno slips his bonds, yanks the chain held by an assistant, and throws the youth off-balance. As the headsman swings his axe, Dieno is pulled away by the falling assistant; he lands on the youth, breaking his ribs, and escapes beneath the execution platform. The narrow wooden beams prevent the bulky singer warforms from pursuing him effectively. Dieno flees to the fort's wall and scrambles to the top of the battlement, but finds himself surrounded with no escape—a fifty-foot drop to stones below and soldiers closing in on all sides. He reflects that his failed mission to rescue Herdaz has cost him dearly, and he acknowledges he has done all he could. As he prepares to jump, the ground trembles; a colossal greatshell emerges from the fog, towering over the entire fort.