The smoke of battle slowly dispersed across the Sanyou plains.
The once orderly Wei formations had become fields littered with broken banners, shattered chariots, and countless fallen soldiers. The fierce struggle between Qin and Wei gradually came to an end as horns echoed across the battlefield, signaling the close of the second day's fighting.
At the center-left battlefield...
Wei soldiers gathered around the lifeless body of General Gen Pou.
The old strategist who had served as one of Ren Pa's Four Heavenly Kings lay motionless upon the blood-soaked earth. His eyes remained open, as if even in death he could not accept that all of his countless schemes had been overcome.
Silence spread throughout the Wei ranks.
One by one, the surviving officers lowered their heads.
"General Gen Pou..."
"He has... fallen..."
The news spread across the battlefield with astonishing speed.
Gen Pou was dead.
Far behind the frontlines...
Inside the Wei headquarters.
A bloodied messenger rushed into Ren Pa's command tent before dropping to one knee.
"Report!!"
The headquarters fell completely silent.
The messenger steadied his breathing.
"General Gen Pou... has been slain!"
No one spoke.
Not a single officer dared to move.
Even Ren Pa remained perfectly still.
"..."
Only after several moments did he slowly close his eyes.
"So..."
"It has finally come."
His voice held neither anger nor disbelief.
Only quiet acceptance.
"He lost."
Standing nearby, Rin Ko remained expressionless, his sharp eyes fixed upon the campaign map.
"So Hyou Ren succeeded."
"He truly broke through Gen Pou's battlefield."
Ren Pa slowly nodded.
"I underestimated him."
"I believed Gen Pou's experience would be enough."
"But Hyou Ren..."
Ren Pa looked toward the distant battlefield.
"A commander who can adapt in the midst of battle..."
"...is among the most dangerous opponents."
Rin Ko folded his arms.
"So Qin possesses another commander worthy of notice."
Ren Pa gave a faint smile.
"Indeed."
On the Wei left wing...
Kaishibou had just finished crushing another Qin formation when a messenger rode desperately toward him.
"General!"
"General Gen Pou has fallen!"
Kaishibou stopped his massive glaive in mid-swing.
"..."
"What?"
"He was slain by General Hyou Ren."
Kaishibou frowned deeply.
"So..."
"The old fox finally met someone who could outplay him."
He looked toward the distant center battlefield.
"I expected Mou Gou's army to make progress..."
"I did not expect Hyou Ren to be the one who brought Gen Pou down."
On the Wei right wing...
General Kyou En calmly watched his archers retrieve their arrows when another messenger arrived.
"Report!"
"General Gen Pou has been slain."
Kyou En slowly raised his eyes.
"..."
"By whom?"
"The Qin commander... General Hyou Ren."
Kyou En remained silent.
"So..."
"the rising star of Qin..."
"...has now slain Gen Pou as well."
His gaze shifted toward Qin's center.
Within the Qin camp...
The weary Hyou Ren removed his helmet as Bao Jun approached carrying a sealed battlefield report.
"My lord."
"The reports from the other battlefields have arrived."
Hyou Ren accepted the scroll and quietly read through its contents.
His expression gradually hardened.
"..."
"The right central battlefield..."
"General Domon..."
"...has fallen."
The officers around him lowered their heads.
Bao Jun nodded grimly.
"He encountered Rin Ko."
"General Ei Ri was still marching to reinforce him."
"But before the two armies could unite..."
"Rin Ko struck."
"The battle was decided before General Ei Ri arrived."
Hyou Ren slowly closed the report.
"I expected as much."
He looked toward the distant Wei camp.
"Against Rin Ko..."
"Sending only one general was never enough."
"If Qin wished to stop him..."
"General Domon and General Ei Ri needed to engage him together from the very beginning."
"Only then would they have stood a chance."
"They made the mistake of arriving separately."
"And Rin Ko punished them for it."
The surrounding officers remained silent.
None could deny his assessment.
Rin Ko was not merely a powerful warrior.
He was one of Ren Pa's Four Heavenly Kings.
A man capable of deciding an entire battlefield through his martial might alone.
Hyou Ren folded the report.
"So..."
"We have slain Gen Pou."
"But Wei has taken General Domon's life."
"The scales have shifted..."
"But they have not tipped."
"This war..."
"...is far from decided."
Night descended upon the Sanyou plains.
Inside the Wei headquarters...
Ren Pa stood alone before the campaign map.
Several Qin and Wei pieces had already been removed.
Among them...
The piece representing Gen Pou.
Ren Pa quietly picked it up before setting it aside.
His eyes swept across the battlefield once more.
"The balance..."
"...has shifted."
The officers watched in silence.
No one dared interrupt his thoughts.
After several moments...
Ren Pa reached forward.
He moved several pieces across the map.
A faint smile slowly appeared.
"So this is your answer, Hyou Ren."
"Very well."
"If you have disrupted my battlefield..."
"Then I shall reshape the war itself."
Rin Ko glanced at the new formations appearing across the map.
A smile appeared upon his own face.
"So that's your next move."
Ren Pa chuckled softly.
"Qin believes killing Gen Pou has given them the advantage."
"They have won today's battle."
"But tomorrow..."
His eyes sharpened.
"I shall show them why I am Ren Pa."
Outside the headquarters, messengers mounted their horses and rode into the darkness.
War drums echoed throughout every Wei encampment as fresh orders spread across the entire army.
Watching the flames flicker across the map, Ren Pa smiled.
"The real battle..."
"...begins tomorrow."