Chapter 320: Keep Going
"For the people of the realm—fight to the death!!"
"ROAR!!"
The answering roar from tens of thousands shook the very air, and Kiana grinned, radiant and proud. But in the next instant, her expression changed sharply as she turned toward Qixing Lake.
A great swirl of black clouds had gathered above the lake, forming a fearsome vortex that spun with unnatural force. At the same time, the whirlpools in the lake's water… abruptly stopped.
A moment of absolute silence fell.
But it lasted only a few seconds.
BOOM!!
The lake erupted.
A colossal geyser of water shot into the sky, instantly vaporized by an unbearable heat, transforming into a vast shroud of white steam that never returned to the ground.
From the now-exposed lakebed, a massive four-legged beast stomped forward—each step cracking the once-sodden mud into parched, scorched earth.
A wave of searing heat and monstrous, overwhelming pressure burst outward in all directions.
The Beast of Yang—Huodou—had arrived.
"ROOOOAAAR!!"
Its howl rumbled with furious wrath, laced with blistering heat.
In the blink of an eye, the mud across the entire lakebed turned to bone-dry, cracked earth. Grasslands along the banks withered into dust, blown away by storm winds. Even yellow sand rose from this lakebed—where it never should have existed.
And above, the vortex of black clouds spun faster—wildly so.
BOOM!!
Under the watchful gaze of hundreds of thousands, an invisible force plummeted from the heavens like a divine hammer. The earth quaked, mountains trembled, soldiers stumbled and fell, and even the reinforced steel siege structures groaned under the shock.
This wasn't some natural omen born with the beast.
After all, a creature of Pure Yang should evaporate clouds, not summon them.
No—this was the force of Kongming's Great Lunar Array, drawing in the yin energy of countless mountains and rivers. Though not sustainable, it rivaled the depths of the endless sea in intensity.
"ROAAAR—!!"
The beast howled again—but now with a tinge of pain.
Through the storm of dust, it dropped to its forelimbs. A bleeding gash split across its broad white back, nearly ten meters long. Its blood fell like molten lava, burning through soil and leaving charred, blackened craters in its wake.
…
Ten li away, atop the mountain:
"Ugh—!"
Zhuge Kongming stumbled a step back, blood trickling from the corner of her mouth. She wiped it away casually and let out a soft chuckle.
"As expected of a creature born of Heaven's Pure Yang… even the backlash from clashing with its essence almost overpowered me. But…"
"The wound is there now. The rest… is up to you—my brave warriors of Emberya Empire!"
…
"Well done, my unlovable little niece! You really stirred things up!"
"General Kiana! When do we go in?"
"Scared?"
"To be honest? My legs are shaking. But if I back down now, how could I face my ancestors or clan again?"
"Hahahaha! No rush—it's not our turn yet. Those injured or short of breath, get your qi in order. When the vanguard's done, it'll be our time to shine!"
"Yes, ma'am!"
…
At the front lines, Durandal stood on the high platform, overlooking the kneeling giant beast. Her lips curled into a cold smile.
"The first time we faced one of your kind, we lost a million civilians and 300,000 soldiers."
"But this time… it's a different story, monster."
She raised her sword high. It sang with a pure, ringing clarity.
"All troops! Fire arrows! Use talismans! Every ranged weapon—full barrage! KILL!!"
In the very next second, the skies rained destruction.
Glowing arrows. Spell-scrolls imbued with wind, fire, lightning, and ice.
Boulders. Ballista bolts. Flying spears.
A carpet of weaponry filled the heavens.
BOOM! BOOM!! BOOOOM!!!
This was not the past.
The Emberya Empire was now rich, with a level of production capacity far beyond that of a typical feudal kingdom.
So their firepower was overwhelming. And it wouldn't run out anytime soon.
"ROAAAAR—!!"
Somewhere within the thunderous explosions, Huodou's screams echoed—uncertain whether it cried from rage or pain.
Durandal, however, found the sound unbearable.
"Keep going. Don't stop until that thing can't even scream anymore."
BOOM! BOOM! BOOOOM!!!
…
Meanwhile, in the central command area, several experts from sects specializing in traps, explosives, and mechanical contraptions glanced at each other—then quietly tucked away their own strange weapons or concealed them beneath their robes.
It seemed… there might not be much left for them to do.
Even as the bombardment thundered on for dozens of minutes, a thought crossed the minds of several artisans in the central ranks:
"Better make this clear to our disciples back home… We're just humble inventors. Fireworks, tricks, gizmos. Totally harmless. We would never be a threat to the Empire. Really, trust us!"
…
The barrage had lasted quite a while.
Considering that the Emberya Empire hadn't yet undergone a full technological revolution, the sheer scale of this output was staggering. If the enemy weren't a single massive target, the consumption rate would've been far higher—and even the best-stocked arsenals wouldn't have lasted this long.
Now, after reserving a small portion of ranged firepower for contingencies, Durandal pointed her blade toward the smoke-covered battlefield.
"CHARGE!!"
"CHARGE!!"
"CHARGE!!!"
A tidal wave of iron-clad soldiers surged forward—blades, spears, halberds, and shields crashing in a tide of cold steel.
And like a fired arrow, Durandal leapt from the command platform, blasting through the smoke and plunging her sword straight into the beast's flesh.
"ROOOOOAR!!!"
Predictably, the monster—Huodou—reacted with a furious roar, lashing out without the suppressive fire holding it down. It barreled forward toward the incoming swarm of warriors.
"KILL!!"
BOOM!
"ARGH!"
"FORWARD!!"
The vanguard troops were elite. Many managed to leap directly onto the beast's back, aiming for its wound.
But even so, its stomps and ramming charges were deadly.
Its blood, too, scorched flesh like lava.
"ROOOAAARRR!!"
"It's breathing fire!! It's charging up—don't let it open its mouth!!"
Soldiers fell in droves—burned, crushed, impaled.
But even more poured in, climbing over Huodou like a living tide. Most couldn't land more than a single blow…
But when there are thousands, even one blow each becomes a storm.
"ROAR—!!"
BOOM!!
Just as Huodou opened its maw, preparing to unleash a fiery breath—Durandal slammed into it from the side, staggering the beast and cutting off its charge.
It quickly regained its footing, blood-red eyes locking onto Durandal's airborne figure. With a snarl, it lunged—mouth wide to devour her whole.
"You wanna eat me? Got the teeth for that?!"
Unafraid, Durandal summoned a burst of qi to her sword, launching herself straight into the mouth of the beast.
CLANG—!!
Her blade slammed into one of Huodou's fangs—but to her surprise, it didn't cut through. Not even close.
"…Huh?"
Durandal faltered for just a split-second.
And in that instant, a glint of cunning flickered in Huodou's eyes.
"ROAR!!"
It clamped its jaws shut with monstrous force.
SPLURCH—!!
A single arm—raised in defense—was impaled by the beast's fangs.
But Durandal did not flinch.
With her other hand, she thrust her sword deep into the soft tissue within its mouth, carving another fresh wound.
"ROOAAARRR!!"
In pain and rage, Huodou clenched harder—determined to crush her completely.
Her knees bent, body straining against its massive bite. Blood poured from her pierced arm. She was about to be—
WHOOSH!!
SHLICK!!
A streak of black light zipped past.
A long halberd speared cleanly into Huodou's unprotected eye.
A geyser of blood erupted from the wound.
The beast reeled in agony—jaws opening.
Without missing a beat, Durandal yanked her sword free and leapt back to safety.
Only then did she spot the weapon's shape.
Kiana's halberd.
She turned and looked back—there Kiana stood at the edge of the lakebed, thumb raised with a wide grin.
"Don't get careless, General!"
Though the words never reached her, Durandal's sharp eyes easily read the shape of Kiana's mouth.
"Got it," Durandal muttered with a smile.
Ripping a strip from her already-torn uniform, she hastily wrapped the bleeding wound on her left arm. With her right hand gripping her sword, she charged back in straight toward the beast now nearly buried in the rising tide of steel and flesh.
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[3] https://www.patreon.com/posts/140631608
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