The battlefield between the Second and Third Hills had become a pressure point where both Qin and Wei understood the truth whoever controlled this narrow stretch would decide the fate of the entire campaign.
Wei's war banners still fluttered in the distance, but their confidence had already begun to fracture.
At the rear of Wei's formation, the man known as one of the Fire Dragons of Wei, Go Kei, stood atop his war chariot with an expression colder than steel.
His gaze swept across the battlefield.
"So the Third Hill has fallen…"
A faint snarl formed at the corner of his mouth.
"Then I will carve a path through Qin myself."
He raised his hand.
"Zhu Gui. Ma Gui."
Two commanders immediately stepped forward.
Both were 5000-man commanders veteran killers forged through countless battles.
"You will form the vanguard," Go Kei ordered without hesitation. "Break through the Qin line. Crush them. And bring me the head of Duke Hyou."
Both men slammed their weapons against their armor in acknowledgment.
"As you command!"
Without delay, the two commanders surged forward.
Their 10,000-strong vanguard roared as they advanced like a spearhead tearing into the battlefield.
At the Third Hill on Qin Command Position...
High above the captured Third Hill, Hyou Ren stood calmly amidst the newly raised black banners of Qin.
Below him, the battlefield was still unstable. Wei's army had not yet fully collapsed, and Go Kei's movement signaled a far more dangerous phase of the war.
Hyou Ren's eyes narrowed.
"He's trying to pierce through directly…"
Behind him, Mo Yun, the instinctive commander who had captured the Third Hill, knelt briefly in acknowledgment.
"General. Your orders?"
Hyou Ren did not hesitate.
"Intercept them."
Mo Yun's eyes sharpened.
"As you command."
Without another word, Mo Yun descended from the Third Hill with his elite forces, moving like a hunting pack released from its leash.
Wei Vanguard Assault.....
Zhu Gui and Ma Gui led the charge at full speed.
Their forces crashed into the battlefield with overwhelming momentum, cutting through scattered Qin soldiers attempting to regroup.
"Break them! Do not let them reform!" Ma Gui roared.
Zhu Gui swung his weapon downward, crushing a Qin infantryman in a single blow.
"The path to Duke Hyou is ours!"
But then….
A horn sounded from above.
Not from Wei.
From Qin.
Zhu Gui narrowed his eyes.
"…What is that sound?"
A shadow fell across the battlefield.
From the direction of the Third Hill
Qin forces were moving.
Fast.
At the center of the Qin restructuring formation, Hyou Ren's voice cut through the chaos like a blade.
"Lu Shen. You take the central formation. Hold the line and stabilize the battlefield."
Lu Shen stepped forward immediately.
"Yes, General!"
"Bao Jun," Hyou Ren continued, turning slightly, "you will take the right wing. Follow Mo Yun's advance and prepare the second wave assault."
Bao Jun gripped his glaive tightly.
"Understood."
"Tian Hao. Left wing. Do not allow any Wei flank movement."
Tian Hao gave a sharp nod.
"Leave it to me."
The Qin army shifted like a living machine.
Cold.
Perfectly aligned.
Wei's advantage of momentum was beginning to dissolve.
Mo Yun's forces descended from the Third Hill like a storm breaking loose from a cliff.
Zhu Gui's eyes widened as the first Qin wave struck.
CLANG!
Steel collided violently.
"From the hill…?!"
Ma Gui clicked his tongue.
"They've already reorganized this fast…?"
Mo Yun's expression remained calm, almost instinctual.
"Die commander of Wei," he said simply.
The Qin counter-assault began to press forward.
Behind him, Bao Jun's second wave formation was already forming up, tightening the net around Wei's vanguard.
At the same time, Lu Shen's central formation stabilized the entire battlefield, preventing Wei from exploiting any weakness.
Tian Hao's left wing sealed off escape routes.
Wei's vanguard had charged in as a spear
But now found itself inside a tightening cage.
Wei Rear....
Far behind the clash, Go Kei observed everything with narrowed eyes.
"…They anticipated it."
His expression darkened slightly.
"So this is Duke Hyou's influence…"
He slowly lifted his weapon.
"No… this is not just him."
A pause.
"This is the son as well."
Go Kei turned his gaze toward the battlefield's center, where Qin formations were converging like iron chains.
"Very well."
He raised his hand once more.
"Advance the main army."
The war horns of Wei blared across the plains.
A deeper, heavier sound than before.
The true army was moving.
At the Third Hill, Hyou Ren stood watching the battlefield unfold below.
Mo Yun was engaged.
Lu Shen held the center.
Bao Jun pressed the right.
Tian Hao sealed the left.
And beyond it all
Wei's true monster, Go Kei, was finally stepping forward.
Hyou Ren's grip tightened slightly on his sword.
"…It's beginning."
Far in the distance, the earth trembled.
A new wave of Wei forces surged forward like a tidal wall of steel.
And at its center
Go Kei moved.
The final phase of the battlefield had begun.