For Boyd, the war was always coming. He didn’t always know it, but he felt it deep in his core. But he never expected the first battle to be at home.

While the world looks to him as its ultimate Hero, Boyd faces a different kind of pressure from the people he loves most. His Devoted refuse to wait for a perfect future that may never come, forcing him to confront a truth he’s long avoided: even a demon who can face down the world’s greatest threats can’t control time, or the life he’s building beyond the battlefield.

As alliances solidify and the world reluctantly unites under his protective wing, Boyd steps into a new role. Not a ruler, but a force that keeps its leaders in line. Old Bonds deepen, new ones are forged, and even the most unlikely allies find their place at his side. But peace is fragile, and the enemy he drove into the shadows has not been idle.

The Authority returns stronger than ever, its reach stretching farther than Boyd can defend. For every city he can protect, dozens stand vulnerable. When the inevitable first strike comes, it will only prelude a war that could leave the world in ruins—win or lose. Just like Boyd knew the war was coming, he is certain he cannot save everyone from it. But, he has to ask himself what survival will cost.

When the enemy finally reveals himself, hidden in the last place anyone thought to look, Boyd is given one chance—one clean shot—to end it all.

Will the Dashing Devil finally claim victory and secure the future he’s fought for? Or will the war leave nothing behind but ashes for him to protect?