Savage Divinity

One of these days, I will learn to think before I speak and never make a fool of myself again.

Hopefully before I literally die of shame and embarrassment. Much as I love obsessing over plans for every conceivable possibility, the moment I find myself without one, I tend to go all out on the improvisation, which rarely ever ends well. Learning to Heal is the only reason I’m still alive after making so many bad decisions while under the gun, and I feel like I’ve made another. Demanding an Enemy surrender was ballsy enough as is, but now it sounds like I’m intentionally mocking them, when in fact I would very much like to put a diplomatic end to the hostilities here and now. I doubt it’ll actually happen, but I’ll never know unless I try, and I’m off to a terrible start. Ridicule is hardly the best way to convince my foes that it’s in everyone’s best interests to take a step back, but my foot’s already firmly ensconced in my mouth so there’s nothing to do except talk around it.

It would’ve been nice to have more time to think things through, but after Taduk finally remembered to tell us that the Central Citadel was under heavy attack, I’ve been running on all cylinders with no time to breathe much less consider all the angles. Time waits for no man, and much as I would love a week or two to rest and recuperate before diving right back into the thick of things, the calamity is upon us here and now. It’s time to nut up or shut up, but I’m not great at either of those things, so I gotta do what I gotta do.

The stifling silence does little to ease my humiliation, but at least it means the fighting has stopped, if only so everyone in the Citadel can collectively wince in second-degree shame. Yan’s muffled laughter doesn’t help either, but I love the sound of her throaty chuckle and the heat of her body pressed against mine, so I’d say it’s totally worth. It feels like an eternity since I’ve held her in my arms, and I am so grateful to have her in my life, much less be married to such an amazing woman. Yan was the first to notice I was hiding within my fugue state, but rather than out me and try to force me back to consciousness, she quietly let me know in no uncertain terms that she knew I was there, but would wait for as long as it took. Her tender love and quiet support showed me the foolishness of my ways and gave me the kick in the pants I needed to get over my fears and move on. I’m still terrified that everyone I know and love will one day learn I am a fraud, and only slightly less terrified that everything I’m currently experiencing is merely an illusion crafted by Zhen Shi, but Yan’s patience and love showed me just how stupid my behaviour was, hiding from everyone and everything just because I was afraid to lose any more. As if that weren’t enough, she’s also set me on the path towards understanding that I am neither my past nor my present, not a pretender or intruder, but someone who is neither and also both, Rayne and Rain combined, a person I have yet to truly figure out, and there’s nothing wrong with that.

What I do know is that I love Yan with all my heart, and cannot imagine a life without her. The same goes for Mila and Lin-Lin, even Li-Li and maybe Luo-Luo, though I’m still not sure where I stand with either one of them, but one thing is certain: I am a lucky man when it comes to love.

Everything else, not so much, but them’s the breaks, right?

“So, the infamous Legate Falling Rain finally sees fit to reveal his lofty presence, and his first call be to demand this Prince’s surrender. You be bold and insolent as rumours say. Very well. This Prince accepts your invitation to discussion, and hopes the Legate will not disappoint.” Speaking in a slow, ambling drawl that makes him sound cordially folksy, the Lord of Martial Peace reveals his presence atop the roof of the banquet hall, the same one the Legate used for his banquet way back when. Actually, now that I think about it, that wasn’t so far back, but it feels like an eternity has passed since I had to justify my continued existence before the Legate and all of the outer provinces. Most believed I was of more use dead than alive, a fondly remembered hero and martyr rather than a crippled eyesore with more authority than Martial power. I still don’t understand why everyone thinks a person who spends all their time learning how to hit people harder would make for a good administrator or commander, but I’ve long since given up on trying to find sense in oh so many of the decisions people make.

That being said, Gongsun Qi would appear to be the exception to the rule, brilliant tactician, outstanding Warrior, and able minister wrapped up in one. Though his methods are more brutal and merciless than I can stomach, one cannot argue against results seeing how he single-handedly put a stop to the cyclical rebellions of the West, saving Heavens knows how many lives in the process. What would I have done in his place? I’m not entirely sure, but considering the woes the West faced since inception, I’m not sure I could’ve done any better than the infamous Lord of Martial Peace. It wasn’t just a lack of food and water that caused strife in the West, but rather the need to conserve what they did have in order to prepare for the worst. It’s one thing to look down at a spreadsheet and calculate how we need to cut back to half-rations in order to survive, and another all-together to tell a man with starving children that they’ll have to eat even less than the meagre share they were already provided so that the vast majority of people could survive the next few months.

How many half-measures did he have to enact to save the lives of the many at the cost of a few? How many times did he dispatch soldiers to defend precious food and water from starving civilians who were sick and tired of watching their children go to bed hungry? The Prince of Barbarity, they called him, when in fact, the Emperor was the barbaric one, limiting the resources of an entire province it so desperately needed in order to secure a better price on precious ores. Small wonder Gongsun Qi turned against the Empire after having given so much of his life to the cause. I cannot imagine how he felt when the Emperor closed the borders not even a day after the Defiled broke through. Decades of hardship and sacrifice rewarded by bitter betrayal and abandonment, the fight given up without even making an attempt to save the West.

Then again, what else could the Emperor have done, aside from going back in time and being a better ruler to his people? What would I have done if I were in his place, having learned the Defiled had broken through into the outer provinces? I’m not sure. When the West fell, North and South were still reeling from months of uninterrupted assaults upon their respective Border Walls, and Central was so fractured that appointing a single Colonel General to command all their armies would’ve resulted in civil war. There was no way to send aid to the West without further weakening the remaining outer provinces, so the Emperor chose to sever a limb and cauterize the wound rather than fester or bleed out. Sure, things turned out better than expected since then, but only through a series of near miracles and unfortunate events, and though the outer provinces are finally united under one commander, that’s more of a fluke than anything else. Hideo’s betrayal and the death of the Southern Colonel General are the only reasons Shuai Jiao was able to snag the title of Commander General with minimal concessions. If Mitsue Juichi had never stepped down, Ryo Dae Jung would not have been left alone to bear the full weight of Shuai Jiao’s attentions. As for the North and South, Nian Zu was never one to covet power and authority, so he would’ve always acted in the best interests of the Empire, but Marshal Quyen Huong had to make concessions since his highest ranking officer fell in battle, making his entire province seem the weakest of the three.

Given how well things turned out for him, my gut tells me that the ascetic wannabe monk turned Commander General cannot be trusted. Despite his efforts to serve the people, Shuai Jiao has shown his true colours as a man of ambition and opportunity, something I should’ve already known. No one could have risen to his lofty heights without support aplenty, especially in the cutthroat political world of Central, so I’m sure Shuai Jiao has plenty of plans in place to ensure he keeps his lofty powers even after the Defiled threat is gone and he renounces his military rank as promised. Especially now that there’s no Ryo Dae Jung to stand in his way, the people of Central might even beg Shuai Jiao to keep his mantle of Commander General, or at least ‘step down’ and become the sole remaining Colonel General of Central, which might well have been his goal all along.

Ryo Dae Jung seemed like a good man, one who loved his wife and children dearly. A political animal, sure, but he never used his daughter to pressure me, even though I’m sure Ryo Da’in could’ve beat me black and blue any time she pleased, nor did he renounce me after my unfortunate crippling. For his loyalty, the Sword King was rewarded with an early, untimely demise, and I can only offer a quiet prayer for this good man and curse myself for not making it here a day earlier.

How much time did I waste, locked away in the Void? How much further would I be, had I not tried to run and hide from all my problems like the coward I am? I told the Abbot there can be no ‘wrong’ steps along the Martial Path, because regardless of our mistakes, they are still capable of altering our perception and perspective, but there are times when it feels like I failed and faltered a whole lot more than I should’ve. Who’s to say I won’t screw up again and get everyone in the Citadel killed? Despite my lofty title, I am no commander of soldiers or even an able administrator, just a child with the good fortune to be surrounded by people of talent and good conscience.

...Excuse me, inner monologue, but ‘child’? Ahem. No. I am old as fuck. Okay, not really, but never in all my years here in the Azure Empire, have I ever, considered myself a ‘child’.

Fucking Zhen Shi. How does he do it? How is he always whispering in my ear? No, not even whispers, because he only rarely feeds me direct lines like he just did. Instead, he silently tugs at my heartstrings and leads me deeper into the pits of self-loathing and despair before offering me that one final push to try and tip me over the edge. Such a loathsome and insidious foe is difficult to guard against, if not impossible, and I find it surprising he hasn’t turned more Imperial Officers to his cause. Maybe they’re more steadfast in their determination or I’m just weak and impressionable, but I keep falling for the same damn tricks time and time again. A sympathetic foe here, a sprinkle of doubt and uncertainty there, followed up with a big helping of contempt and general derision directed inwards, and bam, we got a stew cooking.

Is he here right now, hiding somewhere in the crowd, watching me even as he whispers lies into my ears? How much does he know about me and who I really am? Clearly, he doesn’t know about my past life’s memories, or at least doesn’t realize I identify myself as a transmigrator first rather than a native of these lands, else I’d have to imagine he’d take a wildly different approach. How easy would it be to drive a wedge between myself and the people of the Azure Empire? All he’d have to do is remind me of how different our morals and sensibilities really are and he’d have all the ammunition he’d need to turn me against them. Many of the people under him have been lured by the false promise of doing harm in the name of good. Gen, Yo Ling, Mao Jianghong, Goujian, and Gongsun Qi to name but a few, and I could easily see myself trying to conquer the Empire if given the right motivations. Or rather, if someone put the right spin on the right motivations to cloud my perspective and draw me deeper into sin until I had no choice but to stay true to my Path lest I be consumed by doubt and contrition.

That’s Zhen Shi’s Modus Operandi after all. When you stop and think about what he’s done, he doesn’t really seem all that scary. I even told him as much to his face, that I’d figured out his tricks and they would no longer work, but he just took a short breather until I let my guard down so he could hit me with the same damn moves to similar success. The worst part is, I have no one to blame but myself, because at the end of the day, Zhen Shi is neither a mind-reader or mind-controller, just an emotionally abusive and manipulative son of a bitch who knows how to get the reaction he wants. It’s so... normal and mundane, yet also almost impossible for me to defend against except by remaining ever vigilant against my own melancholic nature, which is easier said than done. I can’t just stop being gloomy and start being upbeat, because I’m just built different from the rest. The best I can do is surround myself with good people and hope I go before they do, because I fear for the day when Falling Rain has nothing left to lose, because it means I’ll also have nothing left to protect.

Introspective matters for another day, however, as right now, I have a battle to stop. The soldiers of Central are exhausted but not yet spent, their heads high and weapons in hand as I leave Yan and step off the balcony to meet my foe face to face. Grandpa Du is first to Send his objections, followed by Yan, Naaran, Hongji, and a whole host of others including even Shuai Jiao from afar, but I will not hide from my foe, not while he stands in plain sight. Fancy clothes, embossed armour, and honking big glaive aside, Gongsun Qi is not an imposing man, slim of build but broad of shoulder with the airs of a man who works with his hands. Not a scholar, not a soldier, but a craftsman and labourer, that’s the impression I get from him at first glance, one that is as far from the truth as humanly possible. The Prince of Barbarity is a superlative Warrior and tactical genius who is not to be underestimated, but as Zhen Shi was so kind to remind me, Gongsun Qi does not kill and slaughter for his own perverse pleasures.

Everything the Lord of Martial Peace does has been in pursuit of a goal, order and prosperity for his people. The internecine warfare in the Western Province cost him all his family and friends, and he has worked his entire life to ensure this would not happen to others, only for the worst to pass as the Defiled broke through and the Emperor abandoned his people. No, Gongsun Qi is not a monster by birth, but by circumstance and good intentions, a just and honourable man who walks his Path of Necessary Sacrifice with the firm conviction of a true believer.

Which is why I’m pretty sure he won’t kill me out of hand while we chat, but just to be safe, I pick out a spot on top of the gate-house where I reunited with Yan to stand while we chat. Cloud-Stepping slowly in that direction, I scan the surroundings for Concealed Wraiths or Demons, but it comes up clean, if not entirely safe. At only seventy metres or so away from the Lord of Martial Peace, we might as well be just slightly out of arm’s length given how quickly we both can move, but Imperial morale could use a boost, and what better way than to show them I am stronger than ever before. Slow, even steps bring me across the empty air in a calm, casual manner, and I spot more than one soldier’s gaze is filled with admiration or disbelief, both of which foster hope and jubilation amidst this grand trial and tribulation, one which has left many a soldier in despair.

If only I knew how I was doing this, then I too could share in that hope and jubilation...

Thankfully, this last thought strikes me as I land lightly atop the battlements, because if I think too much about Cloud-Stepping, there’s a good chance I could plummet from the skies. Every since refining my body into a Spiritual Heart, I’ve found that Chi is more responsive in every way shape and form, so I need to be careful about letting my thoughts stray. There’s no need to share with the entire class just how tenuous my grasp of Chi skills really are or the other downsides I’ve thus far discovered, so all this will have to remain as my little secret for now. According to Naaran, even though I have the raw power and ability to be considered a Peak Expert and perhaps even a Half-Step Divinity, my lacking comprehension means we’re not entirely sure where I sit on the scale of Martial Strength. Which is fine really. Strength isn’t the goal of cultivating the Dao, merely a side-effect that comes with it, so while my prowess cannot be measured through conventional means, I at least have enough strength to preserve my life and escape to safety if it should come to that.

It won’t though, because like I said, Gongsun Qi is still a man of honour, and he will hear me out before we clash again. “You think me insolent?” I begin, offering him a cursory salute of respect and receiving a polite nod in return, which was really more than I expected. “Is it insolent to speak the truth and say that you have over-reached and can no longer claim undisputed victory in this battle?The brave soldiers of Central stood firm and delayed your advance, while reinforcements from North and South will arrive within a matter of hours, hundreds of thousands of fresh and eager troops, while your soldiers are already flagging.” Not entirely true, as he still has plenty of Demons and weird, Demon-wearing power rangers on his side, as well as a large contingent of somewhat rested cavalry to contend with, but who knows. Maybe he forgot.

“To say this be true is a stretch, and even if it were, still insolent none the less.” Putting on the airs of an elder, Gongsun Qi sniffs and says, “A proper gentleman would not be so blunt.”

“Well, I’ve been called many things, but never ‘gentleman’, so you may be right about my insolence.” Give and take, establish a bit of banter so that he might consider my words that much more carefully. “That being said, there is nothing to be won here, not anymore. Either you stay and fight until my allies arrive to overrun you, or you withdraw and I hinder your retreat until my archers and lancers move into place and run roughshod over what’s left of your army. Those are two options left to us, but there is still a third: surrender now, and I will allow your army to leave untouched until such a time as we meet on the field of battle once more.”

Shoulders shifting as if thoroughly amused, Gongsun Qi shakes his head and smiles. “Even a single hour is enough for this grand army of Chosen to reduce your Citadel to ruins, much less the half-day afforded to us before Imperial reinforcements arrive. A bold child you be, but this Prince was no less bold in his youth, so out of appreciation for your Talents, he makes this offer but once; Join me, Falling Rain, for you have seen the Truth, and this Prince would be honoured to fight by your side.”

That... is actually a lot nicer than I expected from the Prince of Barbarity, and though I have no intention of actually accepting, I can’t help but wonder why he wants to recruit me as well. Zhen Shi tried very hard to bring me over to his side, whether it was as a Defiled, Chosen, or Demon, and while Goujian did his very best to kill me, Monk Vyakhya spoke like he wanted me captured alive. Now I’m getting offers from the Lord of Martial Peace, which really begs the question: why?

Reading me like an open book, Gongsun Qi smiles and Sends, “Fear not, Falling Rain. Though this Prince’s allies harbour malice and ulterior motives when making this same offer, my appreciation for you stems not from your talents, but your character. Rest assured, accept, and this Prince will guarantee your safety, for we be kindred spirits of like mind.” Going back to speaking out loud, his booming voice echoes over the Bulwark walls. “The Empire’s greatest woes stem not from the Defiled, but from the dog Emperor himself. You have seen the rot pervading the very roots of our society, a sickness you seek to treat and eliminate, but though your efforts and intentions are noble, there be a time when half-measures do more harm than good. There is no saving this rotten Empire, so we must destroy it and rebuild from the ashes, for only then can we set a foundation for a better society in which men of all stations are beholden to duty before all else, instead of reaping the rewards while those beneath them pay the ultimate price.”

That is the dream, but to hear it from Gongsun Qi only fills me with sorrow. Where did this man of noble spirit and lawful intent go wrong? What he’s describing is a world in which people of authority are held liable for their actions, before matters spiral too far out of control. Checks and balances for people in government positions essentially, which is hardly unreasonable given the rampant abuse and corruption, and it’s easy to imagine why he would want this. Battling rampant corruption and nepotism is how Gongsun Qi first rose to fame, in open combat against the local Magistrate of his home town. The Magistrate overstepped the bounds of his authority and lost himself to Defiled degeneracy, which eventually led to a full-blown rebellion and Defiled incursion in one. Had there been measures in place to oversee his actions, the Magistrate would have been removed and replaced long before matters spiralled out of control, but instead, Bai Qi was forced to help oversee the Purge which claimed the lives of everyone he knew and loved, including the parents who raised him.

Yet another tragedy borne of the Empire’s folly, one which does not need Zhen Shi’s meddling to garner my sympathy, but that doesn’t mean I’m ready to give up on humanity just yet. Choosing my words carefully so as not to say anything that might be construed as treason or rebellion, I reply, “Though your words are those of a man who serves a noble cause, you have chosen ignoble allies to help you achieve your goals. Rebellion is not the answer, nor is widespread genocide, for suffering can only beget more suffering. I can make no offers in the name of the Emperor, but should you surrender yourself to my authority, then I will do everything within my power to see you given a fair trial.”

One that will inevitably end with a quick drop and a short stop, which Gongsun Qi knows as well as I do. “This Prince’s allies claim that if left unchecked, you will grow into a force to be reckoned with, a carp destined to leap over the dragon gate, but you be no dragon yet. So pray tell, from where does your confidence stem? The pacifist monks of the Penitent Brotherhood? Even if they be daring enough to go against their Dao, their strength and numbers be far from enough to tip the scales of balance here. The rooster and tiger? Curious beasts both, but nothing this Prince and his allies cannot overcome with ease. Does your confidence stem from your Concealed Divinity backers? Ones who even now continue to deploy their Domains in subtle threat? Perhaps. Here in this Citadel, you have the most to lose in a clash between Divinities, yet are also most liable to wager it all, the shortsightedness of youth before the tempering of age, but know this; this Prince would welcome such mutual destruction, for doing so would only hasten the start of a new era, one without the Emperor’s boot resting on humanity’s neck.” Somehow appearing to loom above me despite remaining rooted in place, Gongsun Qi’s presence magnifies several-fold to appear more real and substantial, emanating threat and menace with little more than a snort and a raised eyebrow. “Then again, perhaps this Prince underestimated your hubris, and you truly think you alone are enough to threaten me. Oh, such arrogance is befitting of a man of your talents, but this Prince be more than happy to teach you humility.”

Pot, meet kettle. Shaking off Gongsun Qi’s oppressive presence with ease, I smile and say, “You are correct. The monks of the Brotherhood will not fight, nor will the rooster and tiger. I myself am far from enough to secure victory on my own, but I knew all this before setting out from the monastery.” Spreading my arms to either side in a muted flourish, I add, “Which is why I made sure not to come alone.”

At least one of the Divinities has a flair for theatrics, because as soon as the words are spoken, the deployed Domain Gongsun Qi spoke of dissipates into nothingness to reveal a veritable army of Peak Experts, ones who made their way here under a cloak of Concealment. Martial Warriors constitute one percent of humanity, and Peak Experts only one percent of Martial Warriors. With billions of citizens and millions of Martial Warriors in existence, the tens of thousands of Peak Experts seem rare and uncommon when scattered across the outer provinces, but at least fifty-percent of them now stand here in the heart of Central’s Citadel, in what might well be the largest gathering of Peak Experts in history.

So many familiar faces stand out from the crowd, like Mom and Dad moving in as close to me as they can, with Akanai and Husolt right behind them. Gerel is here too, looking more like the hero than I ever will, resplendent in his silver and black armour complete with a winged helm which leaves room to show off his magnificently manly hair-do which has grown so much longer since I last saw him. Other Peak Experts of the People are gathered around too, dependable shoulders who have held up the Heavens all this time, their comforting presence spoiled only by the familiar faces missing from their ranks. Ghurda and Yaruq are the only other former bannermen present, the rest either dead or not strong enough to make the cut into this army of Peak Experts, but there are others to make up for the absence. Dour and dependable Naaran, mischievous and nervous Argat and Jochi, jovial and light-hearted Vichear, these are but a handful of the Peak Experts hailing from the People, of which there are many more.

A formidable group by any measure, yet still lacking compared to the countless Demons and Peak Experts standing on the Enemy’s side, but my people are not the only ones to show up for this fight. The Warriors of the North are here in full force, and while I do not recognize most of their faces, I can still pick out more than I can name in one breath. The Society of Heaven and Earth are the most familiar to me, from Situ Matriarch Jia Ying and her brother Jia Yang, Han Patriarch BoDing standing as far from his estranged brother BoHai as possible, and three elder half-beasts whom I recognize as the true power behind the Leader of the Harmonious Unity Sect. Even the former Patriarch Situ Rang Min is here, with the few cronies who left with him, all being kept under the carefully concealed watch of the ever-vigilant MuYang. With him are the Templar Aspirants, the militant wing of Goujian’s former organization and a group who make Wraiths seem harmless and meek by comparison. Exarch Eriene and her husband Bralton, Fung’s father Tong Da Hai, Major General Man Giao of Shen Huo, Brigadier Xue Chang, Magistrate Chu Tongzu, and a whole host of other familiar faces stand out from the crowd, but none stand out more than Colonel General Nian Zu, perched atop the highest tower of the Bulwark and flanked by his loyal Famed Fifty.

A rare sight, to see all these distinguished Warriors in one place, though by my count they’re a few short of fifty. Noticing my attentions, gruff and contrary Binesi doesn’t miss the opportunity to shoot me a scowl, as if blaming me for having to come all this way when Luo-Luo and Liu Xuande were the ones who hatched this plan the moment they learned the Central Citadel had come under siege. Seeing opportunity in calamity, they brought their idea to Nian Zu who approved it at once, for this was a chance to catch the Enemy off-guard and deal a devastating blow which they would need years to recover from. Though the Defiled and Chosen handily outnumbered the Imperial army, the Enemy elites are generally lacking compared to their Imperial counterparts, generally reliant upon Demons to compete at the higher end of Martial strength. For this reason, Zhen Shi went to great lengths to preserve his Demons and keep them from harm, which Liu Xuande noticed and thought to take advantage of. With so many Demons and Peak Experts deployed to take the Central Citadel, the Imperial Scion wanted to make use of this opportunity to cripple the Enemy’s strength and slaughter as many of said Demons as possible.

A bold and costly gambit, one which would have failed miserably if Marshal Quyen Huong didn’t keep up his end of the deal.

Seated atop the biggest elephant I’ve ever seen, it’s clear the Southern Marshal is more than a mere penny-pinching bean-counter, even without the scintillating armour, honking big sabre, and even longer pike to really bring the point home. Though the banner flying proudly behind him bears his name and makes it easy to identify who he is, I would’ve recognized him even without it because I’ve seen his son Dienne riding that same elephant a few times over the last year. I once said Quyen Huong ruled the Southern Province like a King commanding his vassals, and seeing the army of Peak Experts standing vigil around him only cements the comparison in mind. Aside from Major General Inthavong and Broken Blade Pichai, I don’t really recognize any of the South’s elites, but it’s easy to see they handily outnumber the elites of the North by at least a third, which goes to show just how eager the Southern Province is to take vengeance for their fallen Colonel General.

Joined by their peers from Central, the gathered Peak Experts of the Empire unleash their Aura in a single, unstoppable wave, a basic expression of courage and defiance, but one so powerful it speaks to every man, woman, and child present. These Warriors have come from all across the outer provinces and Cloud-Stepped the last leg of the journey to be here, and like a sword drawn from its sheath, they are ready to draw blood. There is no mercy in them, no intention to give quarter, not until their boundless thirst for vengeance is slaked by the blood of the Enemy, a futile effort if there ever was one. I offered Gongsun Qi a chance to surrender, but I’m not sure if Nian Zu, Shuai Jiao, and Quyen Huong would’ve obeyed any order to stand down, not when they see this as a golden opportunity before them. These Peak Experts left the bulk of their forces behind and exposed themselves to the possibility of ambush and joining a losing battle of attrition to be here, because they believed it was well worth the risk. Though we’re all working with the same numbers and information, they like the odds more than I do and believe the Imperial Army will not only emerge triumphant in battle here today, but in doing so, will finally seize the upper hand in their endless crusade against the Enemy.

Me? I believe the same, that the Empire will emerge victorious in this battle here today, but at what cost? One I would not care to bear upon my shoulders, because I do not believe it is worth it. Even if we kill Gongsun Qi, Mataram YuGan and YuChun, and every Demon and Demonic Warrior present alongside the vast bulk of their army, all we will have done is expend our finite strength to delay the inevitable. More armies are gathering in the West, and I know Zhen Shi has yet to wholly commit to the war effort because he has yet to take direct control, instead leaving Gongsun Qi to fight this war for him. In Zhen Shi’s eyes, this is all still the prelude, for his true battle is against the Imperial Clan, and the outer provinces are merely a whetstone upon which to hone his forces. To make matters worse, if the Defiled are forced into retreat, then the outer provinces might see this as a reprieve and fall back into old habits, becoming segregated factions once again instead of working together as one part of a whole. The strength we have gathered here today is only possible because the outer provinces have an Enemy to unite them as one, and once the looming threat fades away, I fear that unity will be disrupted.

Better to let this army leave intact to keep steady pressure upon this brittle alliance of provinces, so that I might have time to forge it into something stronger, an unbreakable bond of humanity which we will use to defeat the Enemy once and for all.

Again, this wasn’t so much of a plan as instinctive direction, one I only realized just now. Turning back to Gongsun Qi, my smile slips from my face as I consider what might happen if he lets hubris overcome good judgment. I can see him doing the calculations now, measuring his strength against ours in a myriad of different ways to see if he can eke out the advantage and still win the day, but I cannot tell how he feels about his chances. What I do know is that he is conflicted, unsure of his next course of action and possibly under Zhen Shi’s influence, but I know there is nothing else I can say or do to sway his decision.

“Bold indeed,” Gongsun Qi eventually says, offering me another small nod of respect. “But perhaps not so insolent after all. There be a fine line between confidence and arrogance, so let this Prince gauge where you stand.” Slowly raising his left hand, he holds it high overhead for a single second, one that stretches into eternity as I realize what he intends, but it’s already too late to do anything about it. “All forces. Attack.”

And with that, the Lord of Martial Peace and Prince of Barbarity is upon me, and there is no more time to think.

There is no retreat, so I dive forward instead, knowing my protectors are but a step away, a step which might as well be a mile considering the circumstances. Unity lances out to pierce through empty air as Gongsun Qi casually avoids the counter thrust while landing atop the gatehouse and delivering a powerful slash which hurtles unerring towards my neck. Blocking is not an option, so I continue forward and slip to the side, or try to as my foe pivots to keep me locked in his sights. A quarter circle is all I can manage before this maneuver is no longer of use, because if I slow down long enough to continue circling around him, Gongsun Qi’s attack will arrive to separate my head from my shoulders. It’s a matter of angles, and he currently holds the advantage, so I dive upwards into the air in an effort to avoid this killing blow. Anticipating my actions even before I’ve decided upon them, he Cloud-Steps up over me to retain our difference in height, our feet so even we might as well be standing on solid ground.

But we aren’t, which is important, because so much of a Martial Warrior’s strength comes from contact with the ground beneath them.

I’ve used this effect many a time, pushing with my feet and rotating my hips to put more power into a swing, and while Gongsun Qi’s movements are unparalleled and wholly without a flaw, now that his feet are no longer touching the ground, the amount of power he can add to the swing is limited to what he can output with his upper torso combined with Amplification. Still a significant amount, but not something I cannot match through clever use of the Mountain Collapsing Stomp, which I unleash through Peace, drawing it from its sheath after releasing Unity instead of recovering from my failed counter.

Sword meets glaive in a crashing exchange. Muscles tear and bones crack as I come out on the losing end, but not so badly as to die from the first hit. Rather than resist even more, I go with the flow and Cloud Step away from the strike, bleeding and injured from a single exchange, but still alive and in the fight. Broke my hand, fractured my arm, tore my bicep and triceps both, and that’s just the worst of my injuries, which goes to show how greatly I am outmatched. My version of the Mountain Collapsing Stomp is nowhere near equal to Mitsue Juichi’s, but it’s still capable of amplifying my strikes to ridiculous levels, and yet my foe is still able to easily overpower my greatest hit with almost laughable ease. To make matters worse, it’s much easier to attack than defend, and unlike my earlier clash with the eyebrowed monk, Gongsun Qi has no protege to protect or weakness for me to exploit.

None of which is enough to make me admit defeat.

Feigning weakness and disorientation until the very last moment, I dodge and Deflect the hasty follow-up attack, one less than half as powerful as the initial strike due to the complications of aerial combat. Few Martial Warriors care to practice such maneuvers, which is why I chose to bring our match here, because any shared disadvantage lessens the disparity in our strengths. Reaching out as my foe’s glaive whizzes harmlessly by me, I loop three fingers around one of the nine rings inserted into the back of the blade, the bottom-most one closest to the base. Exhaling to release any and all tension, I give in to momentum and let the glaive carry me away from my foe even as he tries to grab my throat with a free hand. Releasing the ring at the apex of the swing, I Cloud Step down and away while flipping about, only to change directions and bolt back towards the safety of my allies with the Lord of Martial Peace hot on my heels.

Our minor exchange took place within the blink of an eye, so quickly most of the audience would’ve missed it, but my dependable grandmother slash Mother-in-Law is even quicker. Glaive and halberd collide in a thundering crash, one that is repeated more times than I can count in the span of a second, but then a series of deafening roars drown out all else, and my close brush with death comes to an end as the recently renewed hostilities come to a standstill once more.

Blood sprays and bodies fly in the silent aftermath, a high-pitched ring the only thing I can hear from being so close to the explosion. Even in the throes of Enlightenment, my eyes were not able to track what happened even though mentally I know it could only be one thing. A few steps away, a cloud of smoke dissipates to reveal none other than the Lord of Thunder, Lei Gong, his dishevelled beard standing on end as he cackles at the destruction he just unleashed. In his arms sits a massive bronze tube that is the source of his awe, sealed at one end, open at the other, and moulded in the shape of a sinuous, menacing dragon spitting hot fiery death at his foes. An appropriate look for a Runic Cannon, and I can see that the scales, claws, eyes, and even the nostrils all serve some sort of purpose in the myriad array of runes carved into the cannon’s frame, enabling the magical weapon to unleash a twenty kilogram projectile at close to half the speed of sound. All of this was only possible with OuYang Yuhuan’s genius efforts, my poached bell-maker’s attention to detail, and Luo-Luo’s uncanny ability to smuggle people and goods to anywhere she needs them. The Runic Cannon was to be her weapon of last resort, one she intended to use to defend the Districts, but upon seeing how dire the Central Citadel’s situation had become, she committed her hidden card to the battle out of fear and desperation, a decision I’m glad I didn’t have to make.

For in doing so, she has unleashed death and destruction on a scale few in this world have ever experienced before.

Even though Gongsun Qi was able to block and even Deflect the cannonball aimed at his body, the Defiled soldiers behind him were not fortunate enough to escape death. While the point of impact is barely larger than the cannonball is wide, the projectile’s momentum carried it far through the packed Enemy lines. Wherever it passed, death followed soon after as brawn and Runic Armour proved no match for dense iron and unmatched velocity, the cannonball bouncing down the line and pulping flesh and bone until its momentum was finally spent. Difficult to say how many it killed, given what little remains of those who stood in its path, but the number easily ranks in the dozens, if not the hundreds at a minimum.

And being the Number One Runesmith of the North, OuYang Yuhuan did not stop after making one, singular cannon.

Woodsman Yelu Shi. Radiant Fist Wugang. Daxian the Virtuous. Bastard Liu Gan. Each of them carry a cannon which they use to similar results, their concentrated fire wiping out an entire section of the Defiled army in the blink of an eye. Then, before the horror of what I’ve unleashed has yet to take root, they load a second cannonball into each of their weapons and fire again, and again, and again, slowed only by the need to load their cannons for another shot. A mundane cannon takes minutes to reload, to pack the gunpower, set the charges, and whatever else a regular cannon needs, but with a Runic Cannon, the cannonball only needs to roll down the length of the barrel and reach the base of the cannon before it is ready to be fired. Imperials stand frozen in shock and awe as five men kill thousands without blinking, racking up kills as easily as breathing and sending the once fearless Defiled fleeing in panicked droves. Lei Gong and Liu Gan even have wide smiles stretched across their rugged faces, the former luxuriating in the satisfaction of finally living up to his thunderous name while the latter relishes in his vengeance which was long since coming.

I didn’t even know the former leader of the Crossbone Corsairs had joined up with GangShu’s Azure Ascendants, but beneath his sadistically gleeful expression, I can feel his pain and resentment bubbling up. This is a man who hates the Empire almost as much as Gongsun Qi, but the difference is, Liu Gan hates the Defiled even more, which is why he killed his younger brother, Yo Ling. He saw what Defilement did to the only family he had left, and he chose to take a stand against it, even if it cost him everything he held dear.

Unable to spare the effort to kill me any longer, Gongsun Qi retreats and tries to rally an effective defence and maybe take out the cannon-bearing Warriors, but it seems Zhen Shi has already given up the fight and withdrawn all his Spectres, Demons, and Demonic Warriors. My part is done here, so I retreat under close guard to find Yan, hold her close to soothe my shaking nerves, and bear witness to what I have wrought. Men and women die in droves and countless Demons are formed in the aftermath, a horrific nightmare which shakes me to my Core, but even more frightening is how so many Demons are still unable to clear away the carpet of corpses forming on the ground. These efforts do deny me the ability to Devour the recently released Spectres and easily replenish my spent reserves of usable Heavenly Energy, and I have to wonder if this is coincidental or by ingenious design. How much does Zhen Shi truly know? Is he able to create Demons at will? How else will he deny me the power I require?

Within minutes, the booming roars of the Runic Cannons and the whistling howls of their deadly payloads are no longer able to drown out the screams of the dying, and I shudder to think what might happen once others uncover the secrets of cannon creation and start utilizing them en masse. I survived for almost an entire second against Gongsun Qi and the Empire has won the battle today, but at what cost? Only time will tell, and I fear history will not look kindly upon me once the implications become clear. Today, I have forever changed the face of war, and not for the better. No longer do Peak Experts represent the pinnacle of strength, their position taken away by cold iron etched with indecipherable inscriptions, which is both good and bad at the same time. I don’t know if the world is ready for this, but the outer provinces might well have been doomed without it, so I guess there’s no point arguing about my intent. Not that it even matters, as the road to hell is paved with good intentions, and I cannot help but wonder if I’ve taken yet another step down the wrong Path, the same path men like Yo Ling and Gongsun Qi sought to pursue. One which I know can only end in pain and suffering, but then again, isn’t that just life?

Suffering without end.

Woooo. Victoryyyy...

Chapter Meme

- End of Volume 38 -