Savage Divinity

The familiar rush of unobtrusive love and selfless affection surged through Song once more, and in spite of the dire circumstances with so many Half-Demons converging around her, she found her lips stretching into a smile as she basked in Rain’s warm presence.

There was no overarching statement accompanying his Natal Soul this time around, no intimate declaration of emotions at all, but Song was pleased to have his support here on the wall. The horde of Half-Demons were foes far too formidable for her to face in single combat, a force in which Peak Experts were as common as cabbages and deployed like rank-and-file. The pressure they emanated alone was almost too much for her to bear, a grim and murderous tinge of blood and violence in the air that had nothing to do with Aura yet left her trembling where she stood all the same. Though she still clung fast to hope, the battle had only just begun and her confidence was fading fast, for these were no mere tribals or Chosen. These were Half-Demons one and all, Defiled merged with Demons to bolster their respective strengths and mitigate their major weaknesses, a combination which resulted in something greater than the sum of their parts. In contrast, Song could only barely be counted as a Demon Slayer herself, though she lacked the confidence to fight a Demon unsupported in a one-on-one duel, much less deal with multiple Half-Demons working in concert.

Not that they cared to offer her the choice, as the Imperial Demon Slayers were vastly outnumbered by their Half-Demon foes. Their chitinous armour and Domain defenses rendered all attacks from normal weapons utterly useless, and even Captain-level Warriors with Spiritual Weapons would struggle to leave a scratch. Hardly out of the ordinary when facing Demons, and every basic soldier knew what to do in these circumstances, namely fight defensively and wait for help to arrive. This was all well and good when Demons were few and far between, but how could this prove effective against an entire army of Demons? Dozens of Enemy combatants fighting shoulder to shoulder in nigh-impervious armour, this was the challenge the Imperial Army faced, an unprecedented disaster which had every soldier and officer frantically fighting to survive while waiting for help which might never arrive. Order held firm for a single second after the Enemy Half-Demons engaged, and then the Imperial ranks devolved into chaos and anarchy, with soldiers being slaughtered in droves while their officers alternated between demanding they hold the line and pleading for assistance from Peak Experts. The growing hysteria was unnerving to say the least, and even though Song continued to fight the good fight and helped her fellow Warriors secure three kills on overconfident Half-Demons in quick succession, the air of terror sank deep into Song’s bones as sprays of blood and screams of the dying drowned out all other sights and sounds.

But then Rain arrived, or at least his Natal Soul did, and her heart warmed knowing he was here with her.

A much-needed boost of courage and confidence in this most desperate of times, though even Rain was affected by their dire circumstances, for there was an undercurrent of shame and regret in his emotions as if he blamed himself for matters getting this out of hand. How typical of him, expecting himself to have predicted the Uniter’s unprecedented Ascension and ability to guide a million plus Defiled through the process of partial Demonization, but such was his hubris and conceit. Everything that ever went wrong was his fault in some way, shape, or form, while his successes were merely expected and a matter of course. Some things would never change, and Song suspected Rain would retain this foible of his for as long as he should live, and perhaps even carry it over into his next life as well, for there was nothing more definitively Falling Rain than his penchant of taking credit for any and all disasters.

In contrast, the emotive medley which comprised his Natal Soul seemed to believe Song capable of calling the winds and summoning the rain, figuratively speaking of course. Aside from the wealth of Heavenly Energy surging into her Core, Rain’s Natal Soul gave her the equivalent of a quick pat on the head plus a smile of encouragement before sending her off with the expectation of slaughtering Half-Demons like chickens. Were it not for Mila’s burst of Radiant Chi burning the closest Half-Demons to a crisp and buying them a precious second to breathe, Song might well have died before even noticing Rain’s presence, one which disappeared as quickly as it had arrived. As far as she could tell, this meant Rain’s Natal Soul had finished merging with her own, without even taking a moment to indulge in her presence and profess his love and affection in any active manner. Though it shouldn’t have made a difference, she found herself mildly disappointed his Natal Soul hadn’t stuck around for a little longer, if only so she could luxuriate in the warmth and comfort that his presence brought about.

Curious that. Yesterday, Song would have expressed mild discomfort at the prospect of so intimate a connection with Rain, yet now she was upset because the moment had been too brief and succinct. It was the same as a hug from Mama, Papa, or Mila, a gesture of warmth and affection that made her feel safe and loved without any demand of reciprocation. It was… pleasant, to say the least, but over all too quickly, as if Rain was afraid to impose on her any longer than necessary. Thoughtful, but foolish, so hardly surprising, and she was unsure how to proceed from here.

The Energy of the Heavens continued to surge through her, and Song put aside her confusion to bask in the warm embrace of the Mother instead, one which guided her thoughts to show her how to best utilize Rain’s gift. One with the Sabre, One with the Self, One with the World, and One with the Heavens, Song’s spirits surged as she stepped forward to defend Mila whose Manifested Domain suddenly collapsed in upon itself. Setting so many Half-Demons ablaze had cost her dearly and left her so exhausted that she could barely hold her shield up, but the Enemy had Half-Demons to spare as the next wave of combatants charged headlong towards her in hopes of eradicating this threat before she had a chance to recover. They would have to get through Song first however, and while that might have been easy enough to accomplish a half-second ago, Rain’s timely gift had changed everything in the blink of an eye.

In Meng Sha, Song had taken a half-step along the Martial Path during her duel against Yuanyin, Developing a limited Domain denoted by the Path of her Unyielding Sabre. Wherever her blade went, her Domain followed suit, a quasi-Domain limited to her blade alone which was a part of her the same as any limb or organ. She was the Sabre, and the Sabre was she, but this newfangled Insight allowed her to see everything she’d missed the last time around. Her thinking was too limited and comprehension too shallow, but now she understood the error of her ways. Her Domain was not limited to wherever her blade went, but rather characterized by wherever her blade could reach. Everything within range of her sabre fell within her Domain, and here within it, her Will held true.

The first Half-Demon died without even meeting her eyes, his gaze too focused on Mila to care about a girl whom he deemed no threat. Song proved him wrong by carving through his torso from hip to hip with a casual wave of her sabre, and she followed through with the attack to separate a second Half-Demon’s arm, shoulder, and head from the rest of his torso. A sudden reversal to unleash a devastating chop caught a third Half-Demon off guard as her blade carved a furrow from crown to chin. A quick flick of her blade aligned her sabre with yet another foe’s ribs, and she needed only to hold firm as he impaled himself upon her blade. From there, she delivered a backhanded slash that killed two more Half-Demons with ease, just the latest step in this dance of death as Song stood between Mila and the Enemy to cut down every foe who dared approach, her body responding before her mind even registered the arrival of each new challenger.

It was so strange and surreal it almost seemed like a dream, for Song’s body felt as if she were moving slowly and without haste, her muscles relaxed and attitude carefree, yet she was moving faster than she ever thought possible. Internal Amplification made it so, but also Resonance for the lack of tension within her was critical to maintain these new speeds, a truth she knew without question, yet could not wholly explain in so many words. It just felt right and natural to move with sabre in hand, her Manifested Domain augmenting her abilities to the point where it was almost as if it were propelling her about from inside and out, yet it never felt forced or out of place. The Movements came easily as well, a lifetime of familiarity allowing her to instinctively know what to do next and the following moves thereafter, like a game of chess which she played out in her mind alone. Her blade sang as she recited poems from the Classics, striking her foes down with Sabre and Verse alike, and though the Enemy continued to pour in from all sides, she suffered none to pass through her Domain unscathed.

And all the while, her Emotional Aura billowed out to wash away the foul blight of blood and violence lingering in the air, for though war was most certainly a bloody affair, theirs was a noble cause. The soldiers of Shi Bei stood firm against humanity’s Enemies in hopes of securing a better tomorrow, and even if they should die today, then they would die with honor and courage in their hearts.

As Song gave herself over to Insight and fought like never before, she took note of how her allies rallied before the Enemy’s unforgiving assault. No longer were they being slaughtered in droves and were now able to hold their ground, though sadly not without great cost, and most who died did so to keep her safe. Much as it pained her to see so many sacrifice themselves to buy her a chance to fight back, this was what it was like to be a Peak Expert. No Warrior was an island, and her strength meant that the longer she survived, the more she would kill, and her allies knew this too. All she could do was accept their aid and honour their sacrifice even as she reveled in the sensation as the Heavens guided her along, fixing every last Movement and emotion into memory so that she could review it all again later. She was no true Peak Expert, not yet, for she was still immersed in the throes of Insight as the Heavens showed her where her Path would lead, but there would come a day soon enough when she would retrace these steps and claim this strength for herself.

Li Song, Peak Expert of the Empire, a title she would soon claim, and the prospect filled her with joy and satisfaction unlike anything ever before. This was her purpose in life, her aspiration, a dream she pursued not for the sake of others, but for herself, because for as long as she could remember, she’d always dreamed of becoming a Hero of the Empire, and now her dream had finally come true.

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The symphony of war shook Luo-Luo to the bone and filled her with dread and horror alike, but Lord Husband was there to hold her close and soothe away all her frights.

Not in body, which would have been preferable, but in spirit, and her heart soared as she soaked in his oh-so-lovable presence. So full of shy reverence and quiet admiration, with a heavy helping of obvious self-deprecation and hidden insecurity which made him all the more charming and adorable. They’d had precious little time to speak since Meng Sha, but now that Luo-Luo understood Lord Husband better thanks to their first joining of souls, she’d become aware of all his stray glances and nervous ticks which gave away his inner struggle. It was such a relief to learn that he wasn’t immune to her beauty, and even more reassuring to discover that he valued her intelligence and efforts so highly. In fact, the only thing holding him back from inviting her into his bed was his love for his beloved wives whom he felt he would be betraying by bringing yet another woman into his life, but Lin-Lin, Yan, and Mila all welcomed Luo-Luo with open arms, meaning all of Lord Husband’s guilt came from within.

Luo-Luo counted herself blessed by the Mother Above not just for having been betrothed to such a sweet and affectionate man, but also for her generous and acceptive sister-wives who welcomed her so, for this was a reward well worth suffering all her trials and tribulations.

There was more to glean from Lord Husband’s Natal Soul than a simple reassurance however, as she sensed a certain request associated with his presence. Not the yearning she’d hoped and dreamed of, but one she was all too happy to fulfill nonetheless. His request was not expressed in words, but through emotion, because he feared that voicing what he had in mind might lead her down the wrong Path and end in failure for them both. Instead, he held his tongue and expressed a sense of urgency and consideration regarding what he hoped she could accomplish, a silent plea given in the form of a desire for intimate connection. Not the romantic union between man and a woman, or even the close camaraderie of a friend or loved one, but a deeper, yet also broader connection that bridged the links between all humanity. A bond between strangers that rivalled the union between man and wife, a familial bond shared by anyone and everyone under the sun, one which pushed them all to work together for the greater good.

A bond Luo-Luo knew well enough, though only from an outside perspective, for this was the unity of Clan and Family she saw in the Scions of the Imperial Clan.

With that, the pieces all fell into place as Luo-Luo understood not only what Lord Husband wanted from her, but why he needed it as well. He’d touched upon it briefly in the aftermath of Meng Sha, his frustrations regarding his Natal Souls’ inability to merge with anyone unwilling to accept it. In essence, Lord Husband could only offer a helping hand, and it was up to the individual to accept it, for the soul was inviolable and even he was helpless to act if someone rejected his efforts. Whether they accepted him out of love, veneration, or even mistaken identity, it mattered not, only that they accepted his Natal Soul and allowed it to merge with their own eternal and inviolable soul. Then and only then could Lord Husband provide any assistance in the form of Heavenly Energy and Insight, but willing recipients were in the minority. Hence his need for Luo-Luo, hoping that she could use her music to not only lift the spirits of the soldiers of Shi Bei, but also convince them to accept Lord Husband’s mystical and miraculous assistance.

A most challenging request, one Luo-Luo had no earthly idea how to set out to accomplish, but as Lord Husband’s Natal Soul merged with her own and the Energy of the Heavens surged through her, a melody sprang forth within her heart and she could hardly wait to play it. Settling down with her zither upon her lap, she ran through her finger exercises to warm up and felt the strain and stress melting away as the Energy of the Heavens eliminated her aches and fatigue while filling her Core to the brim. That’s why she’d stopped playing in the first place, but now she was prepared to perform a symphony unlike any other before, one which she continued to write and revise within her thoughts even as she reached down to pluck the first note into existence.

Oh how her zither sang, its rich, dulcet tones Amplified and Reverberated to ring out over all of Shi Bei, a clear, clarion call to courage and heroism. For a single second, she left the note play out unimpeded so that it would have time to sink into the minds and hearts of these stalwart soldiers of the Empire. Then, the song took off with a cascading riff, one which accelerated and escalated in tempo and pitch, a defiant laugh in the face of overwhelming odds. No longer were they faced with trials and tribulations, but a calamity in truth, one which might well end in death for them all. There was no fear in her melody, no doubt or dread to be found, for this was a song of triumph and glory, but also a reminder of trials and tribulations past. Every Warrior here had overcome the odds to arrive here today, for they were all the Mother’s Champions, blessed by the Heavens Above to become Her soldiers in the war against the Defiled. That war was here now, and it was their duty to stand and fight, but Luo-Luo’s song was here to remind them that they did not stand alone.

The melody took on the aspects of a more familiar tune as Luo-Luo played an adaptation of the second movement of Rise to Glory, except this time, she focused not on her own story, but on Falling Rain’s. This was a man of humble origins who rose to prominence in service to the Empire, and now he was here in service to the Mother Above. There the Uniter stood in all his unholy depravity, having brought the army to its knees with a single compelling command, yet Falling Rain stood tall and responded with open contempt, for not even the Father Himself could bring the Mother’s Chosen Son to his knees. Now, the Father’s foul army of profane miscreations was poised to slaughter the Imperials to the last, and while Falling Rain was fighting with everything he had, he could not win this battle alone.

For no man, legend, or even Divinity stood alone, not here in this battle for the fate of the Empire itself.

These were the emotions Luo-Luo instilled into her song as she improvised a new melody from the foundation of the original, one which was technically inferior. The notes themselves had become little more than an afterthought however, for this was not a melody played on its own, but one supported by the music of the world itself. The clash of steel, cries of pain, shouts of triumph, and whimpers of despair, all this and more came together with the sounds of Luo-Luo’s zither to convey her vision of Falling Rain. Legate. Leader. Hero. Warrior. But above all else, today, he was the man who would lead the Empire to victory against the Enemy.

There was something different about her music today, a quality Luo-Luo only noticed thanks to Lord Husband’s efforts. While his Natal Soul helped her bridge a connection with the Heavens themselves, she noticed that she didn’t need the connection to convey her Will in any way, shape or form. No, the music itself did that, simple notes she plucked into existence with her fingers and nothing else. Any Chi she utilized was merely to make her song audible to all, but she didn’t need an audience to communicate with the Heavens, for music was the language of the soul itself. That’s why the animals so loved to hear her play, even the fearsome Rakky and cowardly Kukky Concealed nearby, who she only now noticed because of how her melody connected her to them in spirit, if not in mind. Pong Pong was here too, hiding in Lord Husband’s hair and emoting a warm impression of appreciation that bordered on affection, all too pleased by her musical contribution and happy to express it. This connection was also how she was able to move the heart of the Emperor himself with her music alone, for within that carefully crafted composition of notes was a letter to the Heavens themselves, written in a universal language understood by all.

It wasn’t just music that held this power, for anything and everything could hold within it the language of the soul itself. The cadence of a thousand soldiers marching to war, or the pitter patter of raindrops falling on a rooftop. The mating song of a common robin searching for a partner to love, or the howling wind rustling through the treetops overhead. Clashing swords and shrieking steel, courageous howls and screams of pain, piteous mewls and fearful chortles, all this and more spoke volumes to Luo-Luo as she took it all in, for she sensed in these sounds an objectionable dissonance, one overlaid atop the myriad voices of the Heavens and keenly felt by all. It wasn’t exactly a sound she could identify, but it was there all the same, a wrongness in her music that was not of her own making, for she traced it back to the Uniter himself as he stood and watched the battle unfold from the skies above Shi Bei.

On a whim, Luo-Luo followed her instincts and strummed out a discordant chord, one aimed not at the Enemy, but at the dissonance itself. The reaction was immediate as her notes cut off abruptly, dissipating into sudden silence without warning or explanation as the Uniter fixed his formidable gaze upon her and stopped her heart inside her chest. A moment stretched into eternity as the pressure built up inside her, and she feared she might well pass out and never wake, only for relief to arrive unbidden leaving Luo-Luo to gasp in sweet relief.

Glancing about to make sense of the madness, she saw no clues as to who might have rescued her, for Lord Husband and his protectors were all busy with the battle and no one of any importance was paying mind to Luo-Luo. No one aside from the animals at least, as well as the fearsome Uniter overhead whose steely gaze was still fixed upon her. Putting this mystery out of mind for now, Luo-Luo summoned what little courage she had left to her and ignored the Enemy mastermind as she went back to playing her zither, but she dared not glance in the Uniter’s direction much less challenge him a second time. Instead, she passed along what she’d learned to Lord Husband through Sending as she played, hoping he would have answers to provide, but he failed to even acknowledge her message much less respond in kind. Hardly unexpected considering he had a battle to oversee, so Luo-Luo focused on her music once again and gave herself over to the melody.

Lord Husband would lead them all to victory, of this, Luo-Luo was certain, for the Mother would not so readily abandon Her Chosen Son.

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To defeat the Enemy, you must first know the Enemy.

So read the first line of Huang Shaotian’s Three Hunting Strategies, the baseline for almost everything Akanai knew about battlefield tactics and command. In recent days, Liu Xuande’s Art of War had overtaken the Three Hunting Strategies in popularity, but only because the author still drew breath. Better to praise a living genius than fight against popular opinion for a dead one, because the dead would not thank you for your efforts, while Liu Xuande was not only a brilliant strategist, he was also an Imperial Scion with authority second only to little Rain. That being said, Akanai wholeheartedly believed that in time, the Three Hunting Strategies would reclaim its place as the number one treatise on warfare due to its simplicity.

The Art of War was beloved for exactly the wrong reasons, for it went into great detail regarding cutting edge tactics and stratagems to employ, but while these formations and maneuvers were undoubtedly effective, they were also new and unfamiliar. Given time and practice, commanders would soon learn the ins and outs of the Art of War which meant uncovering how to best counter it, rendering it less effective than it was now. Once these secrets were revealed to all, the Art of War would no longer sparkle so brightly, and the Three Hunting Strategies would shine brightest once again.

As one might expect from the title, there were only three topics covered in the Three hunting Strategies, but the author went into great length regarding how to adapt and improvise each strategy for any and all encounters. It didn’t list out all the possibilities for a commander to memorize, because doing so would have been impossible and unwieldy to boot, as perfect recall was not the same as instant recall. Instead it taught the reader how to think and what factors to consider when commanding soldiers on the battlefield, lessons which every commander should learn forwards and back. It was the difference between listing out the strategies in chess and when to apply them in contrast to teaching you how to play chess at a high level. The first was useful so long as your opponent didn’t know the strategies themselves, while the second allowed the reader to devise their own strategies.

Of course, the Three Hunting Strategies was merely a guidebook, and not everyone had it in them to become an outstanding general, but even the best generals were not infallible. A lesson Akanai learned many a time before, and one she learned again here today, for she had grossly misread her opponent. Little was known of the Uniter, save for the fact that the various Defiled tribes had gathered under his banner to wage war on the Empire. His motives were unknown and his methods far-reaching, for traces of his influence could be seen in all four outer provinces so long as you knew what to look for. Yo Ling in the North, Huanhuzi and the Mataram Clan in the West, the Canston Trading Group in Central, these were but the most notable forces nurtured by the Uniter’s attentions, each one a hidden knife prepared decades or even centuries in advance to help bring down the outer provinces in one fell swoop. Looking back on it now, Akanai was amazed the outer provinces were still standing, for if not for a stroke of luck, the North and Central might well have gone the way of the West, leaving the South to stand alone against the combined might of three provinces. Even more impressive were the Uniter’s actions after his plans fell through at Sanshu, decisively abandoning his efforts in the North and Central to instead regroup and attack from the West, a move which might well have worked out if the Spring and Autumn Consortium hadn’t come across little Rain’s book of ideas and discovered the secret of concrete just in the nick of time.

A most formidable foe, this mysterious Uniter, even without including his accomplishments as an exiled Imperial Scion infamous for his inhumane experiments, one whose name was still used to frighten children into compliance nearly eight-hundred years later.

Knowing all this and more, Akanai had pieced together an image of a brilliant and analytical commander, one with patience aplenty and the ability to coordinate troop movements over hundreds of kilometres. That last part was the most frightening, for commanding a single army was as easy as turning a hand, since you only needed to set the beat for them to march and fight by. Coordinating multiple forces in real time on the battlefield was a completely different beast, because any commander capable of such a feat would undoubtedly use it to his or her advantage in the chaos of the battlefield. Chen Hongji had used this to great effect in the Central Citadel, mounting a daunting defense which ultimately cost the Enemy fifty Defiled lives for every Imperial lost, a number which grew weekly as scholars studied and uncovered more from the reports of that fateful battle. When the Uniter revealed himself here in Shi Bei, Akanai immediately began preparing to counter just such an offensive, expecting an intricate and multi-faceted plan of attack that would push her to the limits and test everything she’d learned in her four-hundred plus years of life, a battle for the ages which historians would refer to when teaching the next generation of heroes and commanders.

However, when the Uniter finally deigned to act, it was not with the forethought and planning of a cold and calculating genius tactician, but the spontaneous impulse of an angry child with no care for cost or repercussions. Rather than spread his forces out to encircle Shi Bei, he sent them at the front wall in a singular mass without a care in the world for tactics or stratagems. Immediately, she knew she’d misread her opponent, because while the Uniter was a masterful schemer, it would appear he was not fond of thinking on his feet, a quality he shared with little Rain. Given enough time and information, Rain and the Uniter both were capable of devising the most intricate of plans that left little to no room for reprisal, but in the heat of the moment, they resorted to more simple solutions. While all things were meaningless before overwhelming strength, Akanai was much aggrieved to know that her defeat would be so unsightly to behold. To make matters worse, she was unable to make it to Mi-Mi and Li-Li’s side to get them away to safety, because she never expected her foe to waste his Half-Demons in so haphazard a manner and leave her no room to respond.

All she could do now was command her forces to counter-attack and sell her life dearly as a near-endless wave of Half-Demons fell upon her like starving scavengers. She was no easy meal however, as the initial wave discovered first-hand, her ax-lance darting out to skewer three Half-Demons in quick succession. A flick of her wrist and effort of Honing cleared their corpses from her weapon, but even this smallest of openings almost cost her dearly as the second wave surged into the gap left behind by the first. Unfortunately for them, Akanai’s husband was in fine form today as his staff swept them aside, breaking chitin and bones with equal ease as he set upon them with a fury unleashed after five decades of forebearance. Oh what a sight he was to behold as his ponderous form danced about with grace and agility unmatched, falling into familiar patterns as man and wife fought side by side on the battlefield once more.

All who dared approach were slaughtered without mercy, yet even killing multiple Half-Demons with every swing of their weapons was not enough to stem the tide of Defiled. The Enemy was determined to drown them in a sea of corpses, and Akanai was most displeased to admit that victory was too far out of reach. The Enemy forces would overrun them in a matter of minutes, if not seconds, and their fate would soon be sealed, a fate she might well succumb to first as Mao Jianghong endured the full force of her thrust without flinching and responded with a chilling lance of ice aimed directly at her midsection.

But where there is life, there is hope. Was that not what she told little Rain all those years ago, when he was but a spindly little child out on his first foray to the city? There was still life in Akanai yet, life in her husband and children as well, all of whom were in fine fighting form as they gave their all to battle. Baatar would never disappoint her, the son she acknowledged far too late but loved all the same. The traitor exile Ankhbayar held the upper hand in their exchange, his powerful physique and sturdy defenses turning every trade into a favourable one as he sought to overwhelm Baatar with sheer volume of attacks. In response, Akanai’s son and Disciple unleashed the Bloody-Fanged Wolf within, a persona of determined brutality and violence that even she would hesitate to engage in close combat against. This was why so many thought him Defiled, for they saw him at his worst and believed him unhinged, but this was a side of Baatar he would only ever show his enemies. You could scour the entire Empire from top to bottom and find no one more loyal and steadfast than he, which was why Akanai had gone to such great lengths to shelter him under her wing. The pup was dangerous yes, but never without reason, and only ever to those who’d wronged him. So long as the People accepted him, she believed he would one day become its most steadfast protector, a staunch guardian and worthy successor for her to pass her mantle onto.

Today, he proved her vision right as he laughed in the face of death and fought with his life on the line to defend the Empire to his last, a Hero and Living Legend she could not be more proud of.

Across the way was little Mila and Li-Li, and Akanai counted herself blessed to have two daughters who loved one another so. They were united even now in the face of overwhelming odds, guarding each other’s flanks rather than trying to make their way to safety because they knew their best chance was to stand and fight. It was all too easy to separate in the press of the crowd, making it more difficult for any guardians to find and extract them, so Mila and Li-Li stood side by side and faced down their fearsome foes without blinking. One stoic and undaunted, the other resigned yet unafraid, Akanai’s beloved daughters readied to sell their lives dearly, right up until the Energy of the Heavens erupted all around them and little Mila unleashed an invisible attack that incinerated everyone around her.

And nullified Mao Jianghong’s icy spear just as its tip pierced through the surface of Akanai’s abdomen.

A split second later and she would have been mortally wounded, but little Mila had done more than just save her mother. The bright-eyed, fiery-haired girl also blinded Mao Jianghong, burning his eyes inside their sockets until they burst like overcooked eggs, and Akanai was never one to waste a chance. Despite their close proximity, she utilized the Void-Shrinking Strike to appear before him and thrust with all her might, but for the second time, her ax-lance failed to pierce her foe’s defenses and glanced harmlessly off the traitor Guard Captain’s sapphire armour.

Twice now, her ax-lance had failed to find purchase against Jianghong’s armour, but twice was enough for Akanai to uncover the mechanism behind his superlative defense. It wasn’t the blue, gem-like armour itself, nor was it any act of Deflection or Domain Plating preventing her from landing a proper thrust. No, this was the work of Jianghong’s Blessing of Ice, one which minimized the friction of his armour and treated her Honed ax-lance like skates over a frozen pond. A soft defence as it were, denying her weapon any ability to find purchase against his armour and thereby causing the majority of its force to be directed away. It would be the same with any piercing or slashing attack, and she didn’t dare dream of grappling with Jianghong, for he radiated an icy cold which sapped away even the heat of the desert sun and warped the air around him as it numbed her limbs to the bone.

But no defense was impervious, and Akanai’s centuries of experience allowed her to instantly pinpoint Jianghong’s weakness. Without need for words or gestures, she simply moved away from the traitor Guard Captain as he restored his sight and sent her husband out to face him instead, while she took up the job of clearing the battlements with her ax-lance. There were rumours aplenty of how she was inferior to the Colonel Generals due to her inability to stand and fight, as every engagement she’d taken part in had seen her utilizing hit and run tactics. It wasn’t that she couldn’t fight toe to toe with her enemies, though that proved true in her clash against Bai Qi, but even against a lesser foe, the Ground Shrinking Strike was simply too effective not to use. Why draw out a fight if she could kill her foe in a single pass instead? This didn’t mean she lacked the ability to brawl with the best of them, but she left such matters to her rough and tumble husband in the past, or the pup in recent times so he could gain experience and one day stand on his own.

And so few remembered the Akanai of old, who first studied the Forms with a lumber axe in hand and only fell in love with the spear after joining the army, which was why her dear husband had crafted her an ax-lance as her first and only Spiritual Weapon.

Holding the polearm in one hand, she delivered an effortless swing more suitable for prodding sheep than slaughtering Defiled, yet six Half-Demons fell in the first pass, and five more on the return swing. Her husband put the full weight of his body into each and every attack, but Akanai lacked his imposing physique and had to rely on the sharpness of the blade instead. A lesson first learned chopping firewood for Old Sumila, and one she put to good use on the battlefield as her foes came apart at a touch of her blade and died as quickly as they arrived so that her husband could fight his duel unimpeded.

And what a duel it was as he hammered his staff against Jianghong’s armour and battered him about like a rag doll, her husband’s unbridled ferocity driving him to astonishing speeds unexpected from a man of his bearing. They called little Vichear the Sword Dancer, but even his graceful movements were no match for Husolt as he danced about the battlements and bashed the traitor Guard Captain to and fro. A wise man would have fled by now, but Jianghong was trapped here the same as Akanai and Husolt both, for the Enemy Half-Demons came in thick and fast with a reckless disregard for safety, both their own and that of their allies.

Despite the dire circumstances before them, Akanai found time enough to check on her children in the chaos of battle, for she was a mother first, wife second, and a Commander of soldiers third. The pup was still holding his own, but little Mila had fallen to her knees, though thankfully there was no sign of injury to be seen. The girl’s Chi was spent it would seem, unleashed in a singular burst when she lost control, but little Li-Li had stepped up to shoulder the Heavens in her place. Such superlative footwork and Movements were rarely seen even in Peak Experts, and Li-Li moved with the grace and confidence of a Warrior with ten times her experience, her hands and feet guided by Insight as Luo-Luo’s music sprung into existence. Immediately, Akanai was put in mind of the boy, who stood unConcealed atop the battlements looking ready to topple over in the breeze, but upon closer inspection, she realized there were forces in play which she could barely even perceive, much less recognize at first glance.

Natal Souls. The boy had unleashed them once more in hopes of turning the tides of war, and it was a testament to how dire the circumstances truly were that all their hopes hinged upon his success. There were simply too many Half-Demons for the forces of Shi Bei to resist, because even if she could cut them down like wild grass, her allies were unable to do the same and would soon fall to the Enemy’s blades. No soldier was an island, no matter how strong they might be, and without support, Akanai and her husband both would eventually be brought down through sheer weight of numbers.

But now, little Rain was giving it his all to match what the Uniter had done with his Defiled, taking Captain-level Talents like little Li-Li and turning them into Peak Experts with help from the Heavens Above.

Think what such help could do to a Warrior of her skill. The statement echoed inside Akanai’s mind and she recognized it as not of her own devising, but a thought inspired by Luo-Luo’s music. The boy had done so much for the Empire, created so many miracles that even Akanai had to admit that Central might well have been lost if not for his efforts. She still didn’t agree with most of his decisions, but she acknowledged his achievements all the same, even if she wholeheartedly believed that he could have done better and relied far too much on luck. Then again, who was to say she was right and he was wrong? While his decisions often defied logic, that also made little Rain’s actions nigh impossible to predict, so perhaps it was time to admit that adhering to the Three Hunting Strategies was not always the right decision for each and every scenario under Heaven. Huang Shaotian was merely a mortal after all, not an infallible god of tactical acumen, so who was to say he had all the right answers, especially after so many years had passed?

The boy had done good work in his life, come far on his own merits, so perhaps it was time to look past his youthful inexperience and trust him to see them through calamity once again.

The Energy of the Heavens converged around Akanai like a too-tight embrace from her adoring husband, and she welcomed it with open arms. She’d heard tales of how it felt to merge with the boy’s Natal Soul, but words failed to do the experience any justice. Even the allure of Insight revealing new Truths she’d been denied too long was unable to hold her full attention as she devoted part of her focus to unravelling the wealth of emotions contained within the boy’s Natal Soul. Little Rain had so much love and gratitude for her, and was oh so eager for approval, hungry for it in the way a starving man hungers for a mouthful of rice. This couldn’t be hidden from her, not with his soul bared as it was, and it pained her to remember all the times she’d bitten back her compliments for fear of giving the boy a big head. She never knew how much he looked down upon himself, how wretched and pathetic he appeared in his own eyes, and if she had known, she would have lifted him into her embrace and showered him with praise every day instead of beating him down every chance she had.

When he needed someone to build him up, she had taken every opportunity to take apart his pride and confidence. A most grievous mistake, for though he was similar to the pup on the surface, little Rain was a wholly different creature both inside and out. While proud and arrogant to the extreme, the boy’s pride stemmed not from himself, but from another source, a simple truth which Akanai had been too blind to see. The boy’s pride came from his perspective of things, because he dared to dream of a better world and held reality to those same high standards. Rather than accept things the way they were, he decided normal was not good enough and expected the world to change for the better. A kindred spirit to Old Sumila, who never begged or demanded for any help, and instead set out to feed and house orphans simply because she believed it was the right thing to do. Little Rain was the same way, except unlike Old Sumila, he looked down on others for not doing their part and made sure everyone knew it too.

That was arrogance at its finest, believing his vision above all others, a mindset made clear as Akanai merged with his Natal Soul. This arrogance made him seem overly confident, but it was confidence in his vision, rather than in himself, and she’d done more harm than good with her lessons in humility. Despite having achieved so much, little Rain still believed himself inadequate and incapable, which was why he was so delighted to have secured her help in these dark times, when in truth he was the one helping her. Oh what a fool she’d been to ruin so promising a seedling, for in the throes of Insight, she realized just how differently things could have turned out if little Rain had confidence enough to step forward and shoulder the Heavens himself. A mistake which could be rectified with time and love aplenty, but she feared she might not ever have the chance to make amends as the Energy of the Heavens surged up from within and her Path revealed itself before her. It was her fault little Rain was too fearful to act himself, so Akanai would bear the burden of failure herself and shoulder the Heavens in his place.

No matter the cost, a thought she kept firmly in mind as she took her next step, one made with the pride and confidence of a Warrior born.

Zhenni's Music

Chapter Meme