The second day of the Battle of Choyou dawned beneath a sky covered in dark clouds.
After the inconclusive clashes of the previous day, both Qin and Wei had already begun adjusting their strategies.
Within the Qin headquarters, Duke Hyou Ren calmly observed the battlefield map.
"The enemy believes yesterday revealed our intentions."
A faint smile appeared.
"Today... we shall reveal an entirely different blade."
Beside him, Ri Yue nodded.
"Ryuuhan has become more cautious after yesterday. He will be expecting us to continue probing his center."
Hyou Ren shook his head.
"No."
"This time..."
"We shall break it."
The horns of war echoed across Choyou.
Thousands upon thousands of soldiers surged forward.
At the center battlefield, Lu Shen's army advanced instead of Tou.
Ryuuhan narrowed his eyes.
"So the Duke has changed his tactics."
The Lu Shen Army crashed violently into Ryuuhan's forces.
Steel rang across the plains as both sides immediately descended into brutal combat.
Meanwhile...
On Wei's Headquarters...
Rei Ou issued another command.
"Ranbihaku."
The massive warrior begin to advance wildly.
Just as on the first day, Ranbihaku's army charged directly toward Qin's flank like an unstoppable avalanche.
But this time...
Three banners emerged to meet him.
The banners of Mo Yun, Tian Hao, and Bao Jun.
Mo Yun smiled.
"His charge ends here."
Tian Hao raised his weapon.
"Surround him."
Bao Jun simply lowered his glaive.
"Advance."
Three veteran armies collided with Ranbihaku's assault, instantly locking the general of Reiou into an enormous struggle.
The attempt to crush Qin's flank had been anticipated from the very beginning.
Far away from the chaos...
Two armies quietly disappeared into the dust.
The banners of...
Duke Hyou Ren.
Ri Yue.
Rather than reinforcing Lu Shen...
They rode directly toward the gap of Ryuuhan's lines.
Watching from the headquarters...
Gohoumei's eyes widened slightly.
"...Interesting."
"They're ignoring Ruuhan."
The Qin cavalry pierced through the center like a sharpened arrow.
Their true objective soon became obvious.
The reserve army.
Jun Ei.
Jun Ei had remained behind the center as insurance against any unexpected breakthrough.
Instead...
He suddenly found two elite armies charging directly toward him.
"What?!"
"Duke Hyou Ren himself?!"
The reserve immediately scrambled into formation.
But it was too late.
The Hyou Ren Army struck first.
Their heavy cavalry smashed straight into Jun Ei's defensive lines.
At the same moment...
Ri Yue's cavalry swept around the side, cutting apart the reserve formations before they could stabilize.
The battlefield instantly descended into chaos.
Hyou Ren swung his sword.
One strike.
Three soldiers fell.
Another swing.
An entire line collapsed.
His soldiers roared behind him.
"Advance!!"
"Break their formation!!"
Jun Ei desperately attempted to reorganize his men.
"Hold the line!"
Yet every order disappeared beneath the overwhelming pressure.
The reserve army that was never intended to withstand a direct assault from one of Qin's Great Generals began collapsing at an alarming pace.
Ri Yue rode beside Hyou Ren before pointing toward Ryuuhan's rear.
"The path is open."
Hyou Ren glanced toward the battlefield.
"Go."
"I'll finish things here."
Ri Yue nodded.
"Understood."
Without hesitation, her cavalry peeled away.
Like a silver arrow, the Ri Yue Army disappeared around the battlefield before emerging behind Ryuuhan's army.
Wei soldiers stared in disbelief.
"The rear?!"
Before anyone could react...
Ri Yue attacked.
Her elite cavalry crashed into the back of Ryuuhan's army, throwing its formations into complete disorder.
Ruuhan immediately turned around.
"They've reached my rear?!"
His army was now under attack from both Lu Shen at the front and Ri Yue behind.
The entire center began to shake.
Meanwhile...
Hyou Ren continued carving his way toward Jun Ei.
The Wei general finally stepped forward.
"So..."
"The famous Duke Hyou Ren."
Hyou Ren raised his blade.
"You've chosen to stand your ground!?."
Jun Ei answered by drawing his sword.
"I will not disgrace my lord Reiou of the Wei Fire Dragons!"
The two generals collided.
Their weapons exploded against one another.
Jun Ei was skilled.
But against Hyou Ren...
The difference gradually became apparent.
Hyou Ren's blade battered through Jun Ei's defenses again and again, forcing the Wei general backward.
Finally...
A tremendous swing broke through Jun Ei's guard.
Blood sprayed into the air.
Jun Ei was thrown from his horse, crashing violently into the ground.
"Aghhh!!"
His armor was split open by the devastating strike.
Though still alive...
He had been grievously wounded.
At the same time under the fierce assault of Duke Hyou Ren personal army.
The remaining Jun Ei Army completely lost its cohesion and began routing in every direction.
Watching everything unfold...
Gohoumei finally moved.
"So this was your true objective..."
"If Jun Ei falls completely..."
"Our center collapses."
"But Jun Ei is placed there for a reason."
"He is the bait to lure out the predators that are hiding in the dark"
He calmly raised another command flag.
"Now is the right time"
"Gai Mou."
"Go."
At another part of the battlefield...
A monstrous smile appeared.
Gai Mou tightened his grip around his enormous glaive.
"So..."
"It's finally my turn."
His massive army immediately changed direction.
Thousands of elite Wei soldiers thundered toward the isolated Hyou Ren Army.
One of Hyou Ren's officers shouted,
"My lord!"
"Great General Gai Mou approaches!"
Dust covered the horizon as another Wei Fire Dragon descended upon them.
Hyou Ren looked ahead before chuckling.
"Hah..."
"Isn't this a bit unfair?"
"I'm fighting three Fire Dragons today."
His smile only widened.
"But..."
"War has never been fair."
He lowered his sword.
"Forward."
The collision between the two armies shook the battlefield.
The Gai Mou Army slammed directly into Hyou Ren's already-engaged forces.
The impact alone sent dozens of soldiers flying.
At the center...
Two monsters met.
Gai Mou laughed loudly.
"So you're Duke Hyou Ren!"
"I've heard plenty about you!"
Hyou Ren answered by charging.
"Enough talking."
Their weapons collided with enough force to shake the ground surrounding them.
BOOOM!!
Shockwaves spread across the battlefield.
Again.
Again.
Again.
Each exchange carried enough strength to kill ordinary men instantly.
Neither General yielded an inch.
Gai Mou's overwhelming brute force met Hyou Ren's refined yet equally terrifying martial might.
The duel became a complete stalemate.
Around them, both armies fought with unimaginable ferocity, yet neither side could overwhelm the other.
On that day...
Wei's attempt to eliminate Duke Hyou Ren by isolation had stalled.
Then...
Another horn echoed across Choyou.
Both Qin and Wei soldiers turned.
A new banner had appeared.
Tou.
Tou's personal army finally entered the center.
Tou immediately ordered the advance.
"Support Duke Hyou Ren!"
The appearance of another General threatened to crush Wei's exhausted center.
Gohoumei calmly assessed the situation.
"...Enough of this."
"At this rate Ryuuhan will be slain and Duke Hyou Ren will be freed from isolation"
He raised the retreat signal.
"The objective has failed."
The horns of Wei echoed across the battlefield.
One after another...
The Wei armies disengaged.
Gai Mou clicked his tongue before stepping back from Hyou Ren.
"Hmph."
"We'll finish this another day."
Hyou Ren rested his sword upon his shoulder.
"I'll be waiting."
As dust from the battles settled over Choyou...
The second day of battle of the central battlefield came to an end.
Once again...
Neither kingdom had achieved a decisive victory.
Yet Qin had accomplished its primary objective.
Jun Ei had been gravely wounded by Duke Hyou Ren and would not be returning to the battlefield anytime soon.
His army had also been routed by the combined assault of Hyou Ren and Ri Yue, depriving Rei Ou's of one of its key supporting commanders.
Conversely, Wei's carefully prepared trap had failed.
Using Jun Ei as bait.
Gohoumei had sought to isolate Duke Hyou Ren before crushing him beneath the might Gai Mou of the Wei Fire Dragons.
However, they had underestimated one crucial fact.
Duke Hyou Ren was not merely a brilliant strategist.
He possessed martial might worthy of standing toe-to-toe with Wei's strongest warriors.
Elsewhere...
Far from the center...
Another battlefield had erupted into chaos.
The banner of the Hi Shin Unit surged through clouds of dust as Shin led his men against a mysterious Wei commander.
Shin grinned as he raised Ouki's glaive.
"Whoever you are..."
"Come at me!!"
Across from him...
The unknown Wei general slowly smiled.
The soldiers around him instinctively stepped back.
A suffocating killing intent spread across the battlefield.
The third day had not yet arrived...
Yet for Shin...
His greatest trial at Choyou was about to begin.