On the Seventh day.
The northern wall of Sai had fallen.
With a deafening crash, Zhao poured soldiers through the shattered breach. The exhausted defenders of Qin, who had fought without rest for days, watched in horror as countless Zhao warriors flooded into the city.
"We... we're finished..."
"The wall has fallen!"
"There are too many!"
Despair spread through Sai like wildfire.
Upon the battlements, Shin gritted his teeth until blood ran from his gums.
"Damn it...!"
Even Shoubunkun's expression darkened. Despite the miraculous resolve shown by Sai's citizens, their strength had finally reached its limit.
Riboku, observing from afar, quietly nodded.
"It is over."
The city that had resisted against impossible odds had finally broken.
Then...
The earth began to tremble.
BOOM... BOOM... BOOM...
Every soldier on the battlefield stopped.
Riboku narrowed his eyes.
"...What is that?"
Far beyond Sai, from the mountains leading toward Kanyou, enormous clouds of dust rose into the sky.
Moments later...
A deafening war cry echoed across the plains.
"OOOOOOOOOOHHHHHHHHH!!"
From the mountains descended an army unlike any seen before.
Thousands upon thousands of fierce warriors clad in furs and animal pelts rushed down the slopes.
At their head rode the Queen of the Mountain Tribes.
Yotanwa.
Behind her marched nearly one hundred thousand mountain warriors.
The impossible had happened.
"They've come!!"
"The Mountain King!!"
"They're allies!"
The morale of Qin instantly exploded.
Qin has sent a message to the mountain tribe for reinforcement but was responded that it will take 8 days.
Ei Sei stared in disbelief.
"Yotanwa...on the seventh day"
Even he had not expected her arrival to be so perfectly timed.
Yotanwa raised her blade.
"Crush them!!"
A hundred thousand voices answered.
"RAAAAAAAAAAH!!"
The mountain tribes slammed into Zhao's flank like a tidal wave.
Entire formations were instantly shattered.
Before Zhao could even reorganize...
Another disaster struck.
From behind Riboku's rear formations came the thunder of charging cavalry.
"Enemy from the rear!"
"They've broken through!"
"Who are they?!"
Thousands of cavalry banners appeared over the horizon.
At their front rode three familiar figures.
Hyou Ren.
Bao Jun.
Tian Hao.
The Hyou Ren Army had arrived.
They smashed into Zhao's rear with overwhelming momentum, cutting down soldiers before they could even turn around.
Ei Sei, Shin and even Yotanwa were left speechless.
"Hyou... Ren?!"
"Father...?!!!"
"Another Army...?!"
The battlefield had completely turned.
General Shinseijou quickly attempted to organize a defensive line for Riboku.
"Protect Lord Riboku!"
"Hold the rear!"
But before the formation could stabilize...
A single rider burst through the Zhao ranks.
Hyou Ren.
His black horse charged straight toward Shinseijou.
Their eyes met for only a heartbeat.
The next instant…
Slash!
Hyou Ren's sword flashed.
Shinseijou's head flew into the air.
The Zhao general died before even drawing another breath.
Seeing their commander fall instantly, Zhao's rear descended into complete chaos.
Hyou Ren surveyed the battlefield….
Two targets stood before him.
Far away, Riboku was already beginning his retreat.
Elsewhere...
Houken was also withdrawing from the battlefield.
At that very moment, Shin shouted from the breached wall.
"GENERAL HYOU REN!!"
Hyou Ren looked up.
Shin stood atop the ruined battlements.
Covered in blood.
Bruised.
But alive.
Shin pointed toward Houken.
"Houken killed Duke Hyou!"
Those words froze Hyou Ren.
For a brief moment...
He simply looked at his son.
Seeing Shin alive filled him with relief.
Then his gaze shifted toward Houken.
"...So."
Without another word...
He turned his horse.
"Houken belongs to me."
Elsewhere, Bao Jun and Tian Hao had already intercepted the Bushin.
Although Houken had lost one of his arms in an earlier battle, he remained terrifying.
His enormous glaive still swept across the battlefield with monstrous strength.
Neither Bao Jun nor Tian Hao could land a decisive blow.
"He's still this strong with one arm?!"
"What a monster!"
Houken roared as he forced both generals backward.
Just then…
A black blur flashed across the battlefield.
Hyou Ren had arrived.
Without slowing his horse, he swung his sword.
Instead of striking Houken directly...
His blade slid perfectly along the shaft of Houken's glaive.
Screech!
The sword glided upward with surgical precision.
Then…
Slash!
Several fingers from Houken's remaining hand were cleanly severed.
The glaive slipped from Houken's grasp.
His eyes widened.
In that split second…
Bao Jun attacked.
His glaive carved a deep line across Houken's chest.
Blood erupted violently.
Houken staggered backward.
Before he could recover…
Tian Hao lunged forward.
His glaive pierced straight through Houken's chest.
The Bushin coughed blood.
His body trembled.
Still...
He refused to fall.
Hyou Ren slowly walked toward him.
Looking into Houken's fading eyes, he spoke calmly.
"This is war."
"There is no such thing as fairness."
"You should have remained in the mountains, Houken."
A faint smile appeared on Hyou Ren's face.
"How ironic..."
"You will die exactly as my father did."
"You will feel exactly how he felt at his final moments"
"Surrounded."
"With no path left to escape."
Houken remained silent.
The man who had sought to transcend humanity had finally reached his end.
Hyou Ren raised his sword.
"For Milord Father Duke Hyou."
SHING!
One clean strike.
Houken's head fell from his shoulders.
The Bushin was dead.
Houken's body remained standing for a brief moment before collapsing to the ground.
The battlefield fell silent.
Dust drifted through the air.
The man who had terrified all of China...
The Bushin...
Had finally fallen.
Without a word, Hyou Ren bent down and seized Houken's severed head by the hair.
Then, before tens of thousands of soldiers from both Qin and Zhao, he raised it high above his head.
His voice boomed across the battlefield.
"I..."
"Hyou Ren..."
"HAVE SLAIN ZHAO'S THREE GREAT HEAVEN…. HOUKEN!"
He lifted the head even higher.
"HOUKEN IS DEAD!!"
For a heartbeat...
The entire battlefield stood frozen.
Every Zhao soldier stared in horror at the unmistakable face of the Bushin.
"...Lord Houken..."
"It... it can't be..."
"The Three Great Heaven... has fallen..."
Panic spread through the Zhao ranks like wildfire.
Their greatest warrior…. the man they believed invincible...had been slain.
Their morale shattered in an instant.
On the walls of Sai, the defenders erupted.
"Houken is dead!"
"The Bushin has fallen!"
"We've won!"
Shin clenched his fist and roared toward the heavens.
"Duke Hyou... Grandfather your death has been repaid!"
Even Ei Sei allowed himself a faint smile as he looked toward Hyou Ren.
"So... this is the man who inherited Duke Hyou's will."
Yotanwa watched silently before giving a small nod of approval.
"A fitting end."
Hyou Ren lowered his sword and turned his gaze toward the distant figure of Riboku fleeing across the plains.
His expression remained cold.
"This battle is not over."
He pointed his sword toward the retreating Zhao.
"Bao Jun."
"Tian Hao."
"Pursue Riboku."
"Do not let him escape!"
"Yes, General!"
The Hyou Ren Army charged forward once more.
At the same time, Yotanwa raised her own blade.
"Hunt them down!"
A thunderous roar answered her command as one hundred thousand mountain warriors surged after the fleeing Zhao army.
Behind them, the people of Sai erupted into joyous cheers.
Ahead of them, Riboku fled with what remained of the ZhaoArmy.
The Battle of Sai had been won.