The battlefield was gone.
The deafening clash of steel...
The cries of charging cavalry...
The thunder of war drums...
All of it slowly faded behind the retreating Qin army.
Only the steady rhythm of horse hooves remained.
Thud...
Thud...
Thud...
No one spoke.
Thousands of Qin soldiers marched in complete silence.
Not because they had been ordered to.
But because every man knew...
The Great General they had followed for decades was dying.
At the center of the column rode Ouki.
Though blood continuously seeped through the gaping wound in his chest...
His back remained perfectly straight.
His massive glaive still rested across his shoulders.
To any stranger looking from afar...
The Great General appeared untouched.
Only those close enough could hear the increasingly shallow rhythm of his breathing.
Shin tightly gripped the reins.
His hands were stained red.
He could not tell whether the blood belonged to himself...
Or to General Ouki.
"...General."
His voice trembled.
"We're almost there."
Ouki gave his familiar laugh.
"Kokokokoko..."
"It appears..."
"...you have become quite the capable horseman."
Normally, Shin would have argued.
Normally, he would have shouted.
Normally, he would have laughed.
But today...
He couldn't force out a single smile.
His vision blurred.
"...Don't joke..."
"...Please..."
"You'll be fine."
"We'll get you back."
"We'll call every doctor in Qin if we have to."
"We're not losing you..."
His voice finally broke.
"...We're not..."
Ouki remained silent for a long while.
The corners of his lips lifted slightly.
"...Shin."
"...Yes..."
"You have finally become..."
"...a man."
Several riders behind them...
Tou quietly rode without saying a word.
For decades...
He had stood behind Ouki.
He had watched him laugh.
Watched him conquer battlefields.
Watched him overwhelm entire nations through sheer presence.
To Tou...
There had never been another sun besides Ouki.
Now...
For the first time...
That sun was setting.
"...General."
It was the only word he could manage.
Ouki slowly turned his head.
"Tou."
"Yes."
"You have become..."
"...far stronger than I imagined."
Tou lowered his head.
"I merely followed the path you paved."
"Kokokoko..."
"You have always underestimated yourself."
The smile on Ouki's face remained unchanged.
"I have never considered you..."
"...my shadow."
Tou's eyes widened.
"I have always considered you..."
"...my equal."
Silence.
Even the surrounding officers stopped breathing.
Tou slowly clenched the reins.
"...General..."
"The Ouki Army..."
"...belongs to you now."
The words struck harder than any weapon.
Rokuomi's eyes immediately turned red.
Kanou lowered his head.
Ryuu Koku bit his lip.
Every veteran officer of the Ouki Army froze where they rode.
Ouki looked at each of them.
"You have all served me well."
"I leave the future..."
"...in your hands."
Unable to contain himself any longer...
Tou lowered himself deeply upon his horse.
"...I swear it."
"The Ouki Army..."
"...shall never disgrace your name."
For the first time...
The ever-composed Tou allowed tears to fall.
Behind the escort...
A thunderous rumble approached.
Dust billowed into the sky.
Soon...
A massive figure burst through the ranks.
"MOVE!"
The Qin soldiers immediately parted.
"General Moubu!"
Moubu's horse finally came to a halt beside Ouki.
His breathing was heavy.
His armor was shattered.
Blood covered nearly every inch of his body.
He looked toward Ouki.
For several moments...
Neither man spoke.
Two monsters.
Two Great Generals.
Two men who had carried Qin upon their shoulders.
Finally...
Moubu lowered his head.
"...It was my failure."
The surrounding soldiers froze.
No one...
Had ever seen Moubu bow his head.
"If I had not underestimated Zhao..."
"If I had not fallen into Chou Sou trap..."
"You..."
Ouki chuckled.
"Kokokoko..."
"So..."
"...you are capable of admitting fault."
A faint smile appeared on Moubu's face.
"...Only before a man worthy of hearing it."
Ouki slowly shook his head.
"No."
"You misunderstand."
"This defeat..."
"...belongs to Zhao."
"It belongs to Riboku."
"It does not belong to you."
Moubu clenched his fist.
"But…"
"You survived."
Ouki interrupted.
"And because you survived..."
"Qin still possesses its greatest spear."
Moubu slowly looked up.
Ouki's eyes met his.
"There will come a day..."
"...when Qin will require overwhelming strength."
"When that day arrives..."
"...do not hesitate."
"Smash everything before you."
For the first time in many years...
Moubu smiled.
"...Leave it to me."
The procession continued.
As the sun slowly descended...
Another rider quietly approached.
Hyou Ren.
Lu Shen rode at his side.
Neither attempted to move closer until Ouki noticed them.
"Kokokoko..."
"So..."
"...the young dragon finally arrives."
Hyou Ren respectfully inclined his head.
"General Ouki."
"It is an honor."
The surrounding soldiers instinctively fell silent.
Even Tou glanced toward Hyou Ren.
Ouki observed him carefully.
Despite the blood loss...
His eyes remained as sharp as ever.
"...You have changed."
Hyou Ren smiled faintly.
"I learned from watching great men."
"You arrived..."
"...at precisely the right moment."
"I merely fulfilled my duty."
"No."
Ouki chuckled.
"You changed fate."
Those words stunned everyone nearby.
Even Moubu turned toward Hyou Ren.
Ouki continued.
"When I first heard of the Hyou Army..."
"I believed another talented commander had appeared."
"But today..."
"I finally understand."
His smile widened.
"You are not merely talented."
"You possess..."
"...the qualities of a Great General."
The surrounding officers looked toward Hyou Ren in astonishment.
To receive such praise...
From Ouki himself...
Was almost unimaginable.
Hyou Ren remained composed.
"I still have much to learn."
"Kokokoko..."
"Good answer."
Ouki slowly lifted one trembling hand.
"The era ahead..."
"...will be unlike anything Qin has ever known."
"Riboku."
"Chu."
"The Six States."
"Every battlefield will eclipse today's."
His breathing grew heavier.
"When that day comes..."
He looked directly into Hyou Ren's eyes.
"...Do not simply win battles."
"Win..."
"...the era itself."
For the first time...
Hyou Ren lowered his head deeply.
"I swear it."
"I will carve a road worthy of Qin."
Ouki laughed one final time.
"Kokokokoko..."
"I almost wish..."
"...I could have fought beside you."
Even Lu Shen, who had remained silent throughout the journey, felt his chest tighten.
The greatest general of Qin...
Acknowledging the future standing before him.
The procession continued beneath the crimson evening sky.
No one noticed...
The blood dripping from Ouki's armor had begun to slow.
Not because the wound was healing.
But because there was little blood left to give.
Shin felt it first.
The weight against his back...
Had become noticeably lighter.
"...General?"
No answer.
Shin's heart pounded.
"...General?"
A faint chuckle answered him.
"Kokokoko..."
"...Patience."
"There is still..."
"...one final task."
Slowly...
Very slowly...
Ouki's hand reached toward the massive glaive resting across his shoulders.
The weapon that had crushed countless enemies.
The symbol of one of Qin's Six Great Generals.
Its weight alone was enough to overwhelm ordinary men.
The soldiers around him instinctively held their breath.
No one spoke.
No one moved.
Every eye followed the legendary glaive as Ouki slowly lifted it from his shoulder.
His gaze settled on the young man guiding his horse.
"...Shin."
Shin turned, tears still clinging to his face.
"...Y-Yes?"
Ouki smiled.
"...Come closer."
The Great General raised the glaive with what remained of his strength.
The air itself seemed to grow heavier.
The soldiers around them realized...
They were about to witness a moment that would be remembered for generations.