The battlefield fell silent.
For a brief moment, no one moved.
The soldiers of the State of Ai stared toward the center of the battlefield, unable to comprehend what had just happened.
Their Duke...
The strongest warrior among the Juuteki...
Had fallen.
Duke Juuko's head remained raised in the hands of Duke Hyou Ren.
The meaning was unmistakable.
The rebellion's final pillar had been shattered.
"Impossible..."
One Juuteki warrior whispered.
"How could he lose?"
Another soldier tightened his grip around his spear.
"He was the strongest among us..."
The confidence that had driven them forward moments ago disappeared.
The Juuteki warriors were not afraid of death.
They had charged into battle knowing that many of them would not return.
But they had believed that as long as Duke Juuko stood...
The State of Ai still had a chance.
Now that hope was gone.
From the rear of the battlefield, Karyo Ten watched the collapse begin.
She lowered her bow slightly.
"The moment Duke Juuko fell..."
"...the entire army lost its reason to continue fighting."
Kyoukai nodded.
"Their will has broken."
Around them, the Hi Shin Unit prepared to advance.
But Karyo Ten raised her hand.
"Not yet."
The officers looked surprised.
"My lady?"
She looked toward the battlefield.
"An army that has lost its commander is at its most dangerous."
"They will either surrender..."
"...or they will attempt one final desperate charge."
Her eyes narrowed.
"And desperate soldiers are often the ones who cause the most damage."
Her prediction was proven correct.
Within the Juuteki ranks, several officers began screaming.
"Protect Rou Ai-sama!"
"The duke has fallen, but the King of Ai still lives!"
"Break through!"
"Follow us!"
A final group of elite warriors gathered around the royal carriage carrying Rou Ai.
They formed a spearhead formation.
Their objective was clear.
Reach the nearest gap.
Escape with Rou Ai.
On the Qin side, a messenger immediately reported.
"My lord!"
"Several enemy elites are attempting to flee with Rou Ai!"
Hyou Ren looked toward the distant carriage.
"The man who began this rebellion..."
"He still believes he can escape."
His expression remained cold.
The final battle of the State of Ai became a massacre.
Tian Hao's army pushed from the left.
The Juuteki soldiers attempting to escape were crushed beneath an unbreakable wall of Qin infantry.
"Maintain formation!"
"Drive them back!"
"Do not allow a single enemy through!"
The veterans of Tian Hao's army advanced like a moving fortress.
On the opposite side, Bao Jun's army cut off every remaining route.
The Ai soldiers attempted to charge through.
But every time they broke one Qin formation...
Another appeared behind it.
Bao Jun watched calmly from his horse.
"They are fighting like cornered beasts."
An officer asked,
"Should we pursue them?"
Bao Jun shook his head.
"No."
"They are already trapped."
"The only thing left is to close the cage."
At the center, Hyou Ren continued advancing.
The head of Duke Juuko had already been delivered to his officers.
But the battle was not finished.
A commander was not defined only by defeating the strongest enemy.
He was responsible for ensuring victory.
"Advance slowly."
"Maintain pressure."
"Do not become careless."
His soldiers answered.
"YES!"
The Hyou Ren Army moved forward.
Every step pushed the remaining Ai soldiers closer toward defeat.
Meanwhile, Kyoukai reached Rou Ai's escape route.
The elite guards surrounding the carriage immediately noticed her.
"Protect Rou Ai-sama!"
Dozens of soldiers rushed forward.
The battlefield around Kyoukai seemed to disappear.
Only her target remained.
One by one, the guards protecting Rou Ai collapsed as Kyou Kai and her unit pushed forward.
No wasted movements.
No unnecessary strikes.
Inside the carriage, Rou Ai trembled.
The sounds outside grew quieter.
The screams of his soldiers.
The clash of weapons.
Everything disappeared.
Until only footsteps remained.
Slow.
Calm.
Approaching.
The carriage curtain moved.
Rou Ai looked up.
Kyoukai stood before him.
For a moment, neither spoke.
The man who had attempted to overthrow Qin's king....
Rou Ai's expression changed from anger...
To fear.
"So..."
"It's over."
Kyoukai looked at him coldly.
"Yes."
"The State of Ai has fallen."
Rou Ai lowered his head.
All the ambition.
All the dreams.
All the promises of power...
Gone.
Kyoukai turned toward her waiting soldiers.
"Take him."
They immediately seized Rou Ai.
The rebellion's leader had been captured.
Hours later...
The battlefield outside Kanyou was no longer a battlefield.
It had become the graveyard of the State of Ai.
The banners of Ai had disappeared.
The banners of Qin covered the plains.
Thousands of rebel soldiers surrendered.
The remaining commanders were captured.
The rebellion that had threatened the very existence of Qin...
Had been crushed in a single day.
At the center of the battlefield, Qin commanders gathered.
He looked toward the Hi Shin Unit.
"Thank you for the assist."
Hyou Ren looked toward the distant walls of Kanyou.
"The capital survived."
"That is what matters."
Kyoukai arrived with Rou Ai under guard.
"The leader of the rebellion has been captured."
A silence fell.
The man responsible for dividing Qin...
Now stood defeated before them.
Hyou Ren looked at him briefly.
"The rebellion ends here."
Former Qin capital, You.
The atmosphere within the city remained heavy.
Although the sounds of battle were far away, the people of You had been unable to rest.
The news coming from Kanyou had been unclear.
Some reports claimed the rebel army had broken through the defenses.
Others claimed that the royal court had already been forced into hiding.
Every day, the citizens waited in fear for the arrival of messengers.
Inside the palace of You, King Ei Sei stood silently as he looked toward the distant horizon.
Around him, his retainers waited anxiously.
The rebellion of Ai was not merely a battle.
It was a blade pointed directly at the heart of Qin.
If Kanyou fell...
If the rebels succeeded...
The future of the entire kingdom would change forever.
Then…
The sound of hurried footsteps echoed through the palace halls.
A messenger rushed into the chamber and immediately fell to his knees.
"Your Majesty!"
"Urgent news concerning the battle at Kanyou!"
Every person present turned toward him.
Ei Sei's expression remained calm, but his eyes sharpened.
"Speak."
The messenger lowered his head.
"The State of Ai's rebellion..."
"...has ended in complete failure."
Silence filled the chamber.
Then the messenger continued.
"Kanyou remains standing."
"The rebel army has been defeated."
"Their commanders have fallen, and Rou Ai has been captured."
For a moment, nobody spoke.
Then a wave of relief spread throughout the palace.
The kingdom had survived.
The throne remained secure.
Ei Sei slowly closed his eyes.
The danger had passed.
But the price of this victory was heavy.
A rebellion from within Qin itself had revealed the fragile state of the kingdom.
After a long silence, Ei Sei spoke.
"Send word to all provinces."
"Qin has endured."
"The State of Ai has fallen."
The officials bowed.
"Yes, Your Majesty."
Outside the palace, the people of You soon learned the truth.
The cheers began slowly.
Then they grew louder.
"Kanyou stands!"
"The King is safe!"
"Qin has survived!"
Across the city, soldiers raised their weapons toward the sky.
The rebellion that had threatened to tear Qin apart had finally ended.
And among those who had made this victory possible...
Was the army that had arrived like a storm upon the battlefield.
Duke Hyou Ren.
The Hi Shin Unit.
And all those who had fought beneath Qin's banner.