When tidings of the Worm's demise reached Haftvad, his heart swelled with torment and his head burned with tempestuous rage. He rushed with all speed to reclaim his coastal fortress, only to find King Ardashir already standing victorious upon the high battlements, his grip on the citadel as firm as a lion's tread. The host of Haftvad gathered like a dense mountain beneath the walls, yet they stood bewildered and stricken with grief before the triumph of the Sasanian monarch.
From the heights of the walls, Ardashir called out to the besiegers, declaring how molten lead had been poured down the gullet of the idolized creature, sundering its dark magic and bringing its empire to ashes. As if by divine decree, the wind shifted against Haftvad's forces. Encircled on every side, Haftvad and his eldest son, the cunning commander Shahoy, were captured alive. Ardashir descended from the battlements, mounted a noble steed with a golden bridle, and commanded two tall gallows to be erected along the shores of the sea.
Bound alive upon the wooden frames, Haftvad and Shahoy were showered with a rain of arrows from the imperial archers, serving as a terrifying warning to all enemies of the crown. The vast treasures within the fortress were handed over to the troops, enriching the entire army. Riding onward to Ardashir-Khurrah, the King founded a splendid Fire Temple, breathing fresh glory into the sacred traditions of Mehregan and Sadeh. Having brought justice to the realm of Pars and garrisoned Kerman and Gur, Ardashir set out in supreme triumph for Ctesiphon.