The battlefield had descended into utter chaos.
THOOM!! THOOM!! THOOM!!
The war elephants continued their merciless rampage through the Qin ranks.
With every thunderous step, dozens of soldiers were sent flying.
Massive trunks swept through entire formations, smashing men into the earth while their gigantic tusks impaled anyone unfortunate enough to stand in their path.
CRACK!!
SPLAT!!
The Kanou Army and Rokuomi Army were being torn apart.
From atop the elephants, Chu archers continuously unleashed volleys of arrows.
SHHHK!! SHHHK!! SHHHK!!
Those who escaped being trampled were immediately struck down by the rain of arrows from above.
The battlefield had become a slaughterhouse.
Kanou narrowly rolled beneath a swinging trunk before slashing at one of the elephant's forelegs.
CLANG!
His blade barely cut into the beast's thick hide.
The elephant ignored the attack completely and continued charging forward.
Kanou clicked his tongue.
"Damn monster..."
He looked toward Rokuomi, who was leading his men in desperate attempts to slow another elephant's advance.
"Rokuomi!"
"I wasn't aware Chu possessed such manner of beasts within its lands!"
Rokuomi cut down several Chu soldiers before answering.
"Neither was I!"
"If they had creatures like these all along, why haven't we ever heard of them?!"
Another elephant smashed through the Qin formation between them.
Both generals leaped away as dozens of soldiers were crushed beneath its feet.
Watching from the center of the battlefield, Tou quietly observed the charging beasts.
His sharp eyes carefully studied every movement.
"So..."
"So these are elephants."
His voice remained calm despite the chaos unfolding before him.
"I have heard stories of them."
"They originate from distant lands far to the south of Chu."
"Unlike any creature native to the Central Plains."
Tou continued analyzing the beasts.
"Their entire bodies are covered by hide so thick..."
"...that ordinary weapons are completely incapable of inflicting a mortal wound."
He watched spear after spear glance off their massive bodies.
Swords left only shallow cuts.
Arrows barely penetrated their skin.
"And judging by their savage temperament..."
"...these beasts have been trained specifically to attack humans."
Even Tou acknowledged that such a weapon of war was unlike anything Qin had ever encountered.
Moments later...
Tou noticed something unusual.
"...Hmm?"
The elephants...
...were beginning to retreat.
One after another, the enormous beasts turned around and slowly withdrew behind the Chu lines.
Tou narrowed his eyes.
"They're retreating..."
Just then, Ryuukoku rode up beside him, his expression filled with confusion.
"General Tou!"
"The elephants are pulling back!"
"If they were crushing us so thoroughly..."
"...why would they stop attacking now?"
Tou remained silent for a moment.
Indeed.
It made little sense.
The Qin formations were still in disarray.
Had the elephants continued charging, the casualties would have been far greater.
"...Why now?"
Far behind the Chu lines...
Karin stood atop her command platform, watching the battlefield with a satisfied smile.
One of her officers stepped forward.
"The elephant corps has completed its assault, General."
Karin nodded.
"They've done enough."
The officer hesitated.
"But General..."
"The elephants were overwhelming Qin."
"Wouldn't it be wiser to continue pressing the attack?"
Karin let out a quiet laugh.
"Heh..."
"You still don't understand."
She gazed across the battlefield as though admiring a carefully painted masterpiece.
"Ultimately..."
"...war is about charming people."
Her officers remained silent.
"The elephants have fulfilled their role magnificently."
"They appeared."
"They astonished the enemy."
"They spread confusion."
"They drew every eye on the battlefield toward themselves."
She slowly closed her fan.
"And the moment that magnificent performance disappears with the wind..."
Her smile widened.
"...is the very moment the board unveils itself."
She pointed toward the battlefield.
"...where the enemy already stands on the verge of checkmate."
Back at the Qin headquarters...
The dust stirred by the elephants gradually settled.
Tou calmly surveyed the battlefield once more.
Then...
His eyes sharpened ever so slightly.
"...I see."
The elephants...
...had never been the true attack.
They had merely concealed it.
As visibility returned, the true battlefield revealed itself.
To the north...
Chu banners.
To the south...
Chu banners.
To the east...
Chu banners.
To the west...
Chu banners.
During the chaos created by the elephant charge, Karin's armies had quietly maneuvered into position.
Without anyone noticing...
The Tou Army had been completely separated from the Mou Bu Army.
An enormous wall of Chu soldiers now stood between the two Qin forces.
Ryuukoku looked around in disbelief.
"...General..."
"We're..."
He swallowed.
"...surrounded."
Kanou and Rokuomi also realized the horrifying truth.
Every escape route had already been sealed.
Tou calmly nodded.
"We have been completely isolated."
"The Mou Bu Army can no longer support us."
"And we cannot support them."
Everything had unfolded exactly according to Karin's design.
Then...
The Chu war drums echoed across the battlefield.
BOOM!!
BOOM!!
BOOM!!
A deafening roar followed.
"CHAAARGE!!"
"Kill Tou!"
"Leave no Qin soldier alive!"
From every direction...
The Chu armies surged forward.
Wave after wave crashed into the Tou Army.
One wave.
Then another.
Then another.
There was no end.
The Tou Army fought desperately, cutting down enemy after enemy.
Yet for every Chu soldier who fell...
Two more immediately took his place.
Then five.
Then ten.
It became an endless tide.
Ryuukoku shouted orders without pause.
"Hold the left flank!"
"Do not allow the formation to break!"
"Protect General Tou!"
Kanou and Rokuomi each led repeated countercharges, but no matter how many enemies they slew, the Chu soldiers continued pouring in from every direction.
Standing calmly at the center, Tou cut down another charging officer with a single effortless stroke.
Blood splashed across the ground.
His expression remained as composed as ever.
"So..."
"This is your true battlefield, Karin."
Far away, atop her command tower, Karin smiled.
The curtain had finally risen on the battle she had prepared from the very beginning.