The Zhao Battlefield.
The battle had reached a complete stalemate.
Neither side had managed to gain a decisive advantage.
The Duke Hyou Army repeatedly slammed into Zhao's formations, only to withdraw moments later before striking another section of the battlefield.
To the Zhao soldiers, it appeared completely random.
General Ri Haku desperately shifted his troops each time Duke Hyou changed direction.
"He's here!"
"No, he's attacking the left!"
"Now the center!"
"What is that monster aiming for?!"
Despite the constant fighting, one strange fact became increasingly apparent.
Duke Hyou was not pursuing Zhao's generals.
Every opportunity to charge toward Ri Haku or Gaku Ei was ignored.
Instead...
He mercilessly carved through Zhao's ordinary soldiers.
Entire companies were erased before Duke Hyou abruptly changed direction once again.
From a distant hill overlooking the battlefield...
Hyou Ren silently watched every movement.
Beside him, Ri Yue narrowed her eyes.
"...He's changed."
Hyou Ren nodded.
"Duke Hyou has already understood."
Ri Yue turned toward him.
"The purpose of this battle?"
"Yes."
Hyou Ren's gaze never left the battlefield.
"This was never meant to be decided in a single day."
"The Coalition Army is observing us just as much as they are fighting us."
"They are testing the strength of Qin's commanders."
Ri Yue slowly understood.
"And Duke Hyou..."
"...is doing exactly the same."
Hyou Ren smiled faintly.
"He is ignoring the generals because defeating one commander today changes nothing."
"What matters is learning how Zhao reacts."
"How quickly their officers reinforce one another."
"Which commanders hesitate."
"Which ones overcommit."
"How they communicate."
"Every charge Duke Hyou makes forces Zhao to reveal another piece of their hand."
Ri Yue watched Duke Hyou suddenly abandon another engagement before charging toward a completely different section of the battlefield.
"So every attack..."
"...is a question."
"And every Zhao movement..."
"...is their answer."
Hyou Ren nodded.
"Exactly."
"By the end of today..."
"We will know this battlefield far better than Zhao does."
Meanwhile...
Inside Zhao Headquarters.
Keisha continued observing the battlefield from atop his command platform.
His calm expression had begun to crack ever so slightly.
"..."
Another report arrived.
"Lord Keisha!"
"Duke Hyou has broken away again!"
"...Again?"
"He ignored General Ri Haku and has begun attacking another infantry formation!"
Keisha remained silent.
Moments later another messenger arrived.
"He has withdrawn once more!"
"...Withdrawn?"
"He isn't pursuing anyone!"
Keisha stared at the battlefield.
His sharp mind searched for a pattern.
But every conclusion contradicted the next.
"...No."
"...That cannot be it."
"If he intended to break through..."
"He would have committed already."
"If he sought my commanders..."
"He would have chased them."
"...Then what exactly are you trying to accomplish?"
For perhaps the first time since the battle began...
Keisha could not read his opponent.
His instincts told him Duke Hyou was moving with purpose.
Yet no strategy he knew could explain those movements.
The battlefield had become an unsolved puzzle.
And that uncertainty slowly began weighing on Zhao's commander.
Far away...
Hyou Ren quietly watched the confused movements within Zhao's headquarters.
"They still don't understand."
Ri Yue smiled.
"Not many commanders can understand how Duke Hyou fights."
Hyou Ren nodded.
"Because Duke Hyou himself probably couldn't explain it."
"He simply follows the scent of the battlefield."
"And that instinct..."
"...is leading him to exactly where he needs to be."
Meanwhile...
The Chu Battlefield.
Unlike the struggle in Zhao...
The Chu battlefield exploded with overwhelming violence.
Thousands upon thousands of Chu soldiers stood shoulder to shoulder.
Their banners covered the horizon.
At the very center...
The giant known as Kanmei slowly rode forward.
His immense frame towered over every soldier nearby.
The battlefield gradually fell silent.
Kanmei raised his massive glaive.
Then his thunderous voice echoed across the plains.
"Soldiers of Chu!"
Every head turned.
"This day..."
"...Qin shall perish in battle!"
The Chu Army erupted.
"GRAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!!"
Kanmei continued.
"This battle shall most certainly be carved into the annals of history!"
"And among all who fight today..."
"The one who shall earn the greatest honor..."
"...is none other than..."
"My most trusted general!"
He pointed his mace forward.
"GENERAL RINBUNKUN!!"
"GRAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!!"
The roar of hundreds of thousands of Chu soldiers shook the very earth.
From Qin's ranks...
Tou merely smiled.
"So..."
"They've finally begun."
The two armies collided.
BOOOOOOM!!
The impact echoed across the plains.
General Rinbunkun personally led Chu's vanguard.
His enormous mace swept aside Qin soldiers with terrifying ease.
Each swing crushed shields and shattered spears alike.
"Advance!"
"Break their formation!"
Fighting beside him were two young commanders whose talents were already impossible to ignore.
Commander Kou Yoku.
Commander Haku Rei.
Kou Yoku charged fearlessly into Qin's lines.
"Hahaha!"
"So this is Qin?"
"I expected more!"
His sword danced wildly as Qin soldiers fell before him.
Nearby...
Haku Rei calmly remained upon horseback.
Without wasting a single movement...
He continuously released arrow after arrow.
THWIP!
THWIP!
THWIP!
Every shot claimed another Qin officer.
No arrow missed.
Within moments, Chu's advance began creating numerous openings.
Watching from the Qin side...
Mouten smiled.
"So those two are the future of Chu..."
The Gakuka Unit immediately moved.
"All cavalry!"
"Strike their weak points!"
"Don't meet them head-on!"
"Split them apart!"
The Gakuka cavalry surged forward with incredible precision.
Rather than charging Rinbunkun...
They attacked the seams between Chu's formations.
Entire companies were thrown into confusion.
Kouyoku immediately noticed.
"Hah?!"
"Trying to outsmart me?"
He redirected his troops toward Mouten.
Their forces soon became locked in an intense struggle of tactics and swordsmanship.
Elsewhere...
A deafening roar erupted from the Tou Army.
"MAKE WAY!!"
The soldiers instinctively separated.
A massive cavalry force burst through Qin's center.
Leading them...
The First Army Commander of Tou.
Rokuomi.
"GYAHAHAHAHA!!"
His glaive effortlessly cut down every Chu soldier blocking his path.
The entire Rokuomi Army smashed through Chu's frontline like a spear.
Their destination...
General Rinbunkun himself.
Rokuomi pointed his glaive directly at the Chu general.
"So..."
"You must be Rinbunkun."
A savage grin spread across his face.
"I'll carve up that odd-looking face of yours..."
"...and send it as an offering to Doukin in the next world!"
The surrounding Tou soldiers roared.
Doukin...
One of Tou's veteran commanders.
He had fallen during the very first border clash when Chu invaded Qin.
His death remained a fresh wound within the Tou Army.
Rinbunkun simply smiled.
"So..."
"You seek revenge?"
"Come."
"I'll send you to join him."
BOOOOOOM!!
The two armies collided.
Rokuomi immediately engaged Rinbunkun.
Massive shockwaves burst outward with every exchange.
Neither gave an inch.
Then...
Another Qin banner appeared.
The Rinbou Army.
"Rokuomi!"
"We've come to assist!"
Rinbou charged directly into battle.
Without hesitation...
He joined Rokuomi against Rinbunkun.
Two of Tou's commanders now fought together.
Their seamless coordination immediately forced Rinbunkun onto the defensive.
Even Chu soldiers gasped.
"They're pushing General Rinbunkun back!"
"Impossible!"
Rokuomi laughed.
"See that?"
"Even your ugly face is starting to crack!"
Rinbou thrust his weapon.
Rokuomi swung his glaive.
Their attacks arrived one after another without pause.
For the first time...
Rinbunkun was driven backward.
Far behind the battlefield...
Haku Rei calmly drew another arrow.
His expression never changed.
His eyes ignored Rokuomi.
Ignored Rinbunkun.
Ignored the battle itself.
Instead...
They locked onto one man.
Rinbou.
The young archer slowly exhaled.
The bowstring reached its limit.
TWANG!!
The arrow vanished.
A single streak flashed across the battlefield.
Before anyone realized…
THUD.
Rinbou's body froze.
His glaive slipped from his hands.
A black arrow protruded cleanly through his forehead.
Silence.
His lifeless body slowly toppled from his horse.
Rokuomi's eyes widened.
"...Rin...bou?"
The battlefield stood still for a single heartbeat.
Then…
"RINBOU HAS FALLEN!!"