A suffocating silence settled over the battlefield.
The Hourai formation had closed.
To the west stood Tian Hao's army, twenty thousand strong, their shields interlocked into an impenetrable wall.
To the east, Bao Jun's veterans lowered their spears in perfect formation, denying every avenue of escape.
To the south, the Hi Shin Unit stood shoulder to shoulder beneath hundreds of fluttering Qin banners. Karyo Ten and Kyou Kai rode along the line, ensuring there was not a single gap through which the enemy could break.
And to the north...
Duke Hyou Ren's fifty thousand soldiers advanced with measured steps.
Every route was sealed.
The remnants of the State of Ai had become prisoners within a battlefield of their own making.
Inside the encirclement, panic slowly began to spread.
An Ai officer pointed toward the western horizon.
"My lord... we've been surrounded!"
Another hurried over.
"Our scouts report Qin banners in every direction!"
"There isn't a single opening!"
The words spread through the ranks like poison.
"We're trapped..."
"There's no way out..."
"Have we... already lost?"
The Juuteki warriors, fierce men who had never feared death, now found themselves staring at walls of Qin steel on every side.
Even they could feel despair creeping into their hearts.
At the center of the trapped army, Duke Juuko remained motionless upon his horse.
His eyes slowly traveled across every Qin formation.
He understood immediately.
There would be no escape through maneuver.
Only one path remained.
Forward.
A slow smile appeared on his weathered face.
"So..."
He looked toward the distant figure of Duke Hyou Ren.
"A formation that leaves the enemy only one choice."
His warriors fell silent.
Duke Juuko raised his enormous glaive.
"It is the custom of the Juuteki people..."
"...to choose the strongest among us as Duke."
He turned toward the thousands of tribal warriors behind him.
"My brothers!"
"If we are destined to die..."
"...then let us die as Juuteki warriors!"
The army erupted.
"OOOOOOOOHHHHH!!"
He pointed his glaive directly toward Hyou Ren.
"There!"
"The only road left!"
"We shall smash through the center!"
He looked toward the royal carriage where Rou Ai remained under heavy guard.
"Protect Rou Ai-sama!"
"...the State of Ai will lives on!"
The Juuteki warriors beat their weapons against their shields.
"Break through!"
"Charge!!"
From atop his horse, Duke Hyou Ren watched the enemy formation begin to move.
Dust rose into the sky as thousands of Juuteki cavalry formed a massive wedge around their king.
The veterans of the Hyou Ren Army remained perfectly calm.
One of Hyou Ren's officers spoke.
"My lord."
"They've chosen exactly as expected."
Hyou Ren nodded.
"They are not fools."
He slowly drew his sword.
"The only way to escape Hourai..."
"...is to pierce the center before the walls close completely."
His gaze remained fixed upon Duke Juuko.
"But..."
"They have chosen the road I wished them to take."
He raised his sword.
"The center army!"
A deafening roar answered him.
"Advance!"
The earth shook.
Ten thousand elite veterans marched forward in perfect synchronization.
No frantic charge.
No disorder.
Only the steady advance of soldiers who had fought beside Hyou Ren for decades.
Upon the southern line, Karyo Ten and Kyou Kai watched both armies preparing to collide.
"As expected..."
"They're committing everything to the center."
One of her officers looked concerned.
"Should we reinforce Lord Hyou Ren?"
She shook her head.
"No."
"If we move..."
"...Hourai weakens."
"Our duty is to ensure not a single enemy escapes."
She raised her voice.
"Every company!"
"Maintain formation!"
"...cut them down!"
The Hi Shin Unit answered with a mighty roar.
"YES!"
Beside her, Kyoukai quietly observed the battlefield.
Her eyes never left Hyou Ren.
"Now..."
"The true battle begins."
The distance between both armies rapidly disappeared.
Three hundred paces.
Two hundred.
One hundred.
Duke Juuko stood in his stirrups and roared.
"JUUTEKI!"
His warriors answered as one.
"OOOOOOOOOOOOHHHHHHHH!!"
"CHARGE!!"
Thousands of cavalry surged forward like an avalanche.
Their horses thundered across the plains, shaking the earth beneath them.
The Juuteki warriors lowered their spears.
Their objective was simple.
Break the center.
Kill Duke Hyou Ren.
Escape.
The Qin veterans did not flinch.
Hyou Ren calmly lowered his sword.
"Spears."
Thousands of spearheads tilted forward simultaneously.
"Brace."
The first rank knelt.
The second lowered their shields.
The third prepared fresh spears.
Every movement had been practiced countless times.
The formation became a wall of steel.
The collision came with the force of a collapsing mountain.
BOOOOOOOOM!!
Spears shattered.
Horses screamed.
Men were hurled into the air.
The Juuteki charge smashed into Qin's center with tremendous violence.
For several heartbeats, the line bent under the pressure.
Then...
It stopped.
The Qin formation held.
Duke Juuko roared as he swung his enormous glaive.
One swing crushed three Qin soldiers from their horses.
Another sweep sent bodies flying.
"FORWARD!"
His elite warriors followed close behind, carving a bloody path through Hyou Ren's front ranks.
For the first time since the encirclement had closed...
A small opening appeared in Qin's center.
Watching from afar, Bao Jun narrowed his eyes.
"They're strong."
Tian Hao nodded.
"As expected of Juuteki's Duke."
Neither commander moved.
They trusted Hyou Ren completely.
Within the melee, Hyou Ren finally urged his horse forward.
His black armor was already stained with blood.
His sword remained lowered.
Calm.
Patient.
Watching.
An officer beside him spoke.
"My lord..."
"They're heading straight for you."
Hyou Ren's expression never changed.
"I know."
"Open the ranks."
The officer blinked.
"My lord?"
"Do it."
The command spread through the center.
To the astonishment of both armies, the Qin soldiers parted slightly.
A narrow path opened directly toward Duke Hyou Ren.
Seeing this, Duke Juuko laughed loudly.
"Hah!"
"So even Qin's great Duke wishes to face me!"
He spurred his horse forward.
The Juuteki warriors cheered wildly.
"Kill him!"
Within moments, the two commanders stood face to face.
The battlefield around them instinctively slowed.
Even the nearest soldiers hesitated.
Everyone knew.
This single duel would determine the battle.
Duke Juuko rested his massive glaive upon his shoulder.
"So..."
"You are Duke Hyou Ren."
"I've heard much about you."
"The man who slew Houken."
Hyou Ren looked at him without emotion.
"And you..."
"The strongest of the Juuteki."
Juuko smiled.
"They call me Duke."
"They follow only strength."
"If I fall..."
"...so too does my people."
Hyou Ren slowly raised his sword.
"Then today..."
"...your kingdom ends."
A fierce grin spread across Duke Juuko's face.
"Excellent!"
He pointed his glaive directly at Hyou Ren.
"Show me why Qin calls you Duke!"
Without another word…
Both men charged.
Their horses exploded forward.
Steel met steel with a thunderous impact that echoed across the battlefield.
CLANG!!
The shockwave alone forced nearby soldiers to shield their faces.
Juuko's immense strength drove his glaive downward like a mountain.
Hyou Ren caught the blow with his sword, the impact cracking the ground beneath his horse's hooves.
Juuko's eyes widened.
"...You stopped it?"
Hyou Ren answered with silence.
In a single fluid motion, he twisted his blade, redirecting the enormous glaive just enough to throw Juuko off balance.
For the briefest instant...
The Juuteki Duke guard was open.
Hyou Ren's eyes sharpened.
"This..."
"...is enough."
His sword disappeared.
A silver arc flashed across the battlefield.
SHING!
Time itself seemed to freeze.
Duke Juuko's horse continued running forward.
His body remained upright.
Then...
A crimson line appeared across his neck.
His head slowly separated from his shoulders.
For a heartbeat, it hung suspended in the air before spinning high above the battlefield.
Silence engulfed both armies.
Before the severed head could strike the ground…
Hyou Ren reached out with one hand.
He caught it effortlessly.
Raising the head high above his army, his voice thundered across the battlefield.
"THE KING OF THE JUUTEKI HAS FALLEN!"
He turned his horse toward every corner of the battlefield.
"THIS..."
"...IS QIN'S VICTORY!"
The roar that answered him shook the heavens.
"OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOHHHHHHHHHHHH!!"
The sound became a deafening wave rolling across the plains.
The Juuteki warriors stared in disbelief.
"The duke..."
"...has fallen."
Their charge collapsed instantly.
Some dropped their weapons.
Others turned in desperate panic.
Hyou Ren immediately pointed his bloodstained sword toward the fleeing enemy.
"There will be no escape!"
"Complete the encirclement!"
"Crush the rebellion!"
As Qin's horns sounded once more, Tian Hao's army, Bao Jun's army, and the Hi Shin Unit surged forward simultaneously.
The walls of Hourai closed tighter than ever before.
The final destruction of the State of Ai...
Had begun.