Chapter 25: The Battle of Yi Ling: Part I

It had begun with one flickering match, one paltry arrow. Who could have thought that it would be the catalyst to seal Shu's fate? Accompanying the arrow was the breath of a hundred Pyrotroopers, their wrath descending upon the earth like the gods of fire themselves. Within seconds, the flames from Hell had devoured the forest, swallowing up the woodlands in a vengeful fury… the fury of the Wu Kingdom. No beast, fowl or human was safe from Sun Quan's ingenious retaliation. There was nothing that remained untouched. All foolish enough to set foot in Wu suffered the sweeping punishment orchestrated by Lu Xun.

No one would know for certain how many young men died. But it was enough that it was at once a spectacular and ruinous night… a night that future Chinese historians would condemn as one of Shu Han's greatest calamities.

The anti-Yoma division had managed to break into the forest, but the fires had already destroyed most of the camps within. Yue Ying reined in her terrified horse, and Miria did likewise. As much as the stallions adored their female riders, they were much too alarmed by the fire to move any closer. Dismounting, Yue Ying cocked Sapphire Crescent. "I'm going in to make sure my men and all the other officers are safe," she said, gesturing outwards. "If you can, try to retreat rather than engage! Our top priority is to save our boys!" She pointed a beseeching finger at Flora. "Hold the line here! I will return with as many reinforcements as I can… and expect the Stone Sentinels to be on the move very soon!" With that, she somersaulted into the wall of flame and disappeared.

"We came to fight Yoma, but we're saving humans from themselves instead," observed Miria. "That could be more futile than fighting even Awakened Beings." And at an accord, she and Flora advanced. Raising their swords, the women hurled themselves into the raging inferno, their eyes falling upon ruin upon ruin of Shu camps, charred corpses, and burnt wood. Those who had managed to stagger out into openings or clearings had collapsed from suffocation, their windpipes closing up painfully as they thrashed their life away.

"No," whispered Flora. It was too little, too late. The forest now resembled a mass grave, the screams and cries of their allies echoing into the late night, audible even above the terrible crackling of the inferno. No longer did the Shu troops even struggle; resistance had been totally smothered and trampled underfoot. With each step they took into the charnel grounds, the screaming grew quieter and quieter, as if every heartbeat killed yet another. Were the losses they had suffered too heavy… to engage in even a respectable retreat?

"Those goddamned pyromaniacs," snarled Helen, coughing. She kicked away the charcoaled corpse of a Shu sergeant. "Does Moony really expect us to find any survivors here?"

"Don't talk like that," demanded Clare. She braced herself as the flames from the trees and the grass began to lick at her fauld and cape. "And don't think about it either. We've got company." She sidestepped as two dark shapes lunged at them from the darkness. Wu soldiers? Had they walked into an ambush?

Miria gasped. "No… not now."

No. They were abnormally large, hulking, resembling hunchbacks. Could they be? "Yoma?!" growled Deneve in disbelief. As if in response, their reptilian eyes glowered, and they pounced on the silver-eyed protectors of Shu. "This is the worst time possible!" she cried, raising her sword and splitting one in half. "Do they love fire as much as those Wu bastards?"

"Roasting human flesh, cooked intestines… what could be better?" came an excited, impatient snarl. Another landed behind her from a nearby tree, and she simply spun, sending it to the same fate as its comrade.

They were surrounded. More wandering demons, or were the following the directives of an Awakened master? "And how many could there be? I bet we're just scratching the surface here." Helen quickly kicked away the other. "This must remind you of what you told us happened at Chi Bi, right? Flora!"

Flora gritted her teeth, splitting one of the assailants in half. The team defended their position desperately, their backs to each other. The conflagration shot up past the charred canopy, swallowing them up in a towering ring of fire. There was nowhere they could flee to. The flames… they are overwhelming. Distracted by the acute, suffocating heat, Flora coughed, and as if to exploit that momentary slip of concentration, the Yoma that had almost slashed apart her stomach lunged again. She struggled to regain her balance, and she managed to sidestep it and sever its legs. But another raised its claws, preparing to impale her skull from behind –

"Flora!" cried Clare.

A speartip suddenly emerged from the beast's chest, puncturing past its ribcage and bursting through its heart. The monster promptly fell to the grass, blood drenching its chest. Encouraged, Clare and Helen stabbed their Claymores into the monsters they had been struggling against, and stared up at the figure that smoothly withdrew its spear. Flora let out a gasp. "It's… it's you!"

"My Ladies!" cried Zhao Yun, his silver armour resplendent as always, even amidst the inferno that had destroyed his regiment. His face was tinged with purple and red, his hands bloody with the gore of human and Yoma. He had evidently fought fiercely, cutting a path for himself through both the Wu soldiers and Yoma that pillaged the encampments. "We must break out of here, or we'll all be burnt alive! Hurry! Are you alright?"

"We'll live," said Miria breathlessly. "But this ring of fire…" she looked up, the blaze dancing in her irises. "I suppose getting out of here is the top priority."

"Then we'll escape together. I know an open route to Liu Bei and the other generals. If we can rendezvous with them, we should be able make a respectable retreat." With that, Zhao Yun suddenly grabbed Flora by the waist and pulled her close. "Come with me!"

"Master Zilong!" cried Flora, her voice audible above the conflagration. "Please… be careful!"

"I cannot hold back. Especially when you and the others are endangered."

"You could get yourself killed," whispered Flora, hugging him tightly.

"Neither my spear nor my spirit can be broken." He let out a sharp, almost boyish cry and sprinted, planting his spear into the grass and hurling himself up, feet first. Using Dragon Spike as a spring, he vaulted himself out of the fire ring with a superhumanly high leap, clutching at her waist firmly as their bodies spun through the air together. She gasped. The high flames licked at his metal greaves, but they were too slow. His scarf was slightly burnt, but it didn't matter. Miria, Clare, Helen and Deneve followed, straining their herculean muscles to propel themselves up beyond the forest canopy. They landed narrowly outside the burning circle and hastily gathered themselves up. His hand still clutching his spear, Zhao Yun steadied Flora on her feet and glanced around. "We'll have to fight out way out of here. " His eyes were cautious. "This aura…"

Flora's hand found his fingers. "This Yoki…"

There is something… far more demonic than mere Yoma here.

From the expanse of flames that blocked them from the remainder of the extended camps emerged a tall man… in violent black armour. At his side was an engraved, ancient broadsword, dripping with purple blood. A frayed, ebony cape flowed behind him. His yellow eyes were slitted as he stared at the Shu survivors.

Flora gasped. "It… it cannot be."

I laid eyes upon him once before, more than a year ago.

But that was… when he was human.

"Zhou… Zhou Tai?"

*

It was as if he had emerged from the Hell of Unrelenting Pain itself. The flames behind him illuminated the blackness of his armour and heightened the brimstone around his tall body. Flora could not help staring as he began to walk forward slowly and grimly. That aura… that horrible aura emanating from him… Just how many people has he killed tonight? she thought in foreboding, beads of hot sweat dripping onto her chest.

His ebony cape suddenly blew the opposite way, revealing… grey? Who –

Behind his left shoulder stepped a young woman in a Claymore uniform. She did not fit with the sight of that sinister-looking man at all: her eyes were large, innocent, and two naïve hairtails draped past her shoulders. Her expression was sorrowful and regretful, but resolute.

"Cynth… Miss Cynthia!" cried Flora in disbelief.

"Number Fourteen?!" cried Helen, her expression as shocked as Deneve and Miria's. "So this is where you've been?! What the hell are you doing?!"

Cynthia stared at them sadly. "I was going to ask you the same thing."

As she spoke, another woman emerged behind Zhou Tai's right shoulder. Her hair was cropped, with bangs that lolled down her forehead. Her eyes were serious, severe… clear, and filled with steadfastness. Clare resisted blanching. Was she dreaming some bizarre nightmare? She pointed at the woman that that she had once saved, the loyal Number Nine who swore to stay by her side for the rest of her life. "Jean?"

"Greetings once again, Clare," smiled Jean sombrely. "I missed our journey to Pieta together, indeed."

Clare felt her resolve to fight melt away. "Why? What are you doing with him… why did the Organization assign you to Wu? Is it for the same reasons that we're serving Shu?"

"My mission, frankly put, is not one of combat," explained Jean. "It is to protect General Zhou from Awakening and murdering his own people. Cynthia has told me that on the night of Chi Bi, he was struck down by a Yoma, and was united with the flesh of a demon at Zhuge Liang's doing. Therefore, he is at an abnormally high risk of Awakening, and given my… experience of the actual deed, I am in a position to stop him more effectively."

Miria stared. "So… you are the ones who launched this fire attack on Liu Bei's forces… " She shook her head. "You've killed so many… although we can't speak any differently."

"We merely drew army out Liu Bei's to weaken it," said Zhou Tai. "Lady Cynthia and Lady Jean have only killed human beings when… absolutely necessary." He bowed his head respectfully. "I am certain you did the same, too."

"What happened to the Yoma who attacked this forest?" asked Miria tersely.

"I killed them." He stepped forward, clutching Duskstrike. "Now I challenge you." His deep voice was utterly impassive, but Cynthia knew better. He must have felt such regret, such guilt in pointing his sword against her friends. Nevertheless, Flora and the others had trespassed on sovereign territory, the Kingdom of Sun Quan. And as his most trusted general, he was honour-bound to repulse them by any means necessary.

And conversely, Liu Bei had given them their orders, too…

Silent for so long, Zhao Yun lifted his weapon, far less hesitantly than the women. "I will answer your challenge."

"Master Zilong – "

Miria bent her knees slightly, sighing. "So they're going to make it difficult no matter what. I will help Zilong against that dark-armoured man. Flora, engage Cynthia. Helen, Deneve, and Clare: I'll leave Jean to you. Your old friendship might just ease your blows on each other."

Jean closed her eyes. "You are a cruel strategist, Phantom. Really, you saw right through my heart." Cynthia looked at Zhou Tai, who nodded. The Wu warriors' unspoken assent was clear: they would engage in a fair fight: three individual battles to settle it, once and for all, as quickly and as painlessly as possible. This confrontation would determine whether Flora's squadron was worthy to survive this battle at Yi Ling, this catastrophic rout.

It would… determine the future of Shu itself.

In the burning forest that was once Liu Bei's central command, Flora approached Cynthia calmly, whilst Helen and Deneve moved beside Clare, squaring off against Jean. Miria and Zhao Yun stared at Zhou Tai, whose eyes narrowed coldly in return.

At a silent accord, the nine great warriors raised their weapons, dreading the worst. Would they all fall here, on this god-forsaken ground… slain by blades wielded by comrades?

*

Flora calmly met Cynthia's desperate strike with a defensive parry. The Rising Dragon General was no match for the Lance Marshal, and she knew it. The gulf of experience aside, Cynthia's swordsmanship was defensive in nature, and unable to account for the speed and power of Flora's offensive style. The first objective of Miria's strategy had succeeded: to utilize the Shu warriors' numerical advantage and divide their strength. They could afford to defeat Cynthia quickly, before moving on to Zhou Tai and Jean. But it would only succeed if Flora were willing to strike Cynthia down coldly… mercilessly. And that was simply impossible for a woman like Flora. "Why?" cried Cynthia, as her sword screeched against her senior's. "Why must we continue this madness?"

"Indeed. To think we are under orders to kill each other when we should be defeating Awakened Beings," murmured Flora, gently pushing Cynthia back. The poor girl was on the verge of crying, the memories of their fond farewell as fresh in her mind as if it were merely yesterday. "Our Grand General's desire to find Priscilla and defeat Isley is crumbling with every moment we continue fighting. If your reason guides you to fight even me, then I will ask no more. But if you are merely acting on the Organization's final orders, you are but a fool." she closed her eyes sadly. "Well. I suppose I am doing the same." Her lightning-fast Windcutter forced Cynthia back, slamming her against a burning tree. "If possible, I would have things return to the way they once were during Chi Bi… when Liu Bei and Wu were allies. And even Wei… did you know that Cao Cao is enjoying the protection of Lady Galatea?" She stared at the distressed Cynthia. "If only we could all unite… with no need to suppress one or the other…"

Cynthia lowered her head, tears forming in her eyes. "It's because… our Kings refuse to reconcile. So as much as I want this war to end, I cannot leave Wu. I will stay, and fight for this Kingdom." She looked into Flora's eyes. "That man, that warrior in black armour…you know him, from Chi Bi! He is the man I love." She began to whimper. "I adore him. And I promised that I would protect him, and save him from the Yoma curse that has tainted so many of us! He needs me! I won't leave him."

Surprise leaped into Flora's heart. "You… you are in love with him? The man you saved at Chi Bi?"

"Yes," cried Cynthia, swinging desperately.

Flora blocked, pushing against her blade harder. "Such purpose," she praised quietly. "But I also have someone I wish to serve… to protect. And until their dreams are realized, I will not relent." She forced Cynthia to give way with another swift attack. Seizing the moment, she swept up her feet with a smooth turn of her weapon, and Cynthia landed painfully on her back, groaning.

"How could the King have bypassed my advice? He will not listen to our advice of maintaining the alliance with Wu, and yet he refuses to accept our counsel on waging war against Sun Quan… what does he want?!"

Pulling herself back from a reminiscence of Yue Ying's forlorn words, Flora leaped away from a desperate counterattack and landed at a safe distance. Unable to pursue immediately, the younger woman simply stood back up and panted, keeping her sword raised.

My Lady Huang… what would you have me do? I am torn, truly torn as to what we must do now. Perhaps it is the grandest dreams that require the most ridiculous of actions.

I cannot ask for your advice now. But I believe that I share your ultimate hope.

I will make that hope come true.

Flora smiled, closing her eyes. "I cannot bring myself to hurt you, let alone kill you, Miss Cynthia. Not when your heart is so full of hope and fear for your beloved. I don't believe I've ever disobeyed an order before. But in extraordinary circumstances, we sometimes must do extraordinary deeds."

And with that, she relaxed her grip on her sword, and it fell uselessly beside her feet, thumping to the charred grass.

Cynthia stared at her in shock. "Miss… Miss Flora…"

"Our Grand General would much rather have us maintain our alliance with you," explained Flora. "That is the truth of the matter, and something I am willing to obey it to the death. What you choose to do to me now… is entirely up to you."

After several breathless moments of silence, Cynthia's lips slowly curved upwards. She dropped her own weapon, her eyes wide in joyful astonishment. Flames danced in her irises. "Miss Flora… is this really what you want to happen?" she mumbled, her voice brimming with gratitude.

Flora smiled and nodded. "Yes. That we will not fall by each other's hands."

*

Clare and Jean circled each other cautiously, hesitant to initiate the first attack. "I can't believe this," gritted Clare, her hand tensing behind her. "It feels like only yesterday that we left Riful's cave together. To go… to Pieta."

Helen had already moved to slash at Jean, but she was no match for the Ninth's far superior reflexes. She fell to one knee as Jean's sword cut across her legs, severing her sinews and tendons and incapacitating her for the time being. "It's a long time, truly," smiled Jean, answering Deneve's ambidextrous attack with a well-timed counterblow. Deneve staggered back and sprawled along the grass. "To tell the truth, I've lost track of exactly how long ago it was." She gazed at the woman who had brought her back from insanity and inhumanity. "I can see from the embers in your eyes that you've grown ever stronger… with the potential to surpass all of us."

"Don't joke with us!" roared Helen. "Meet my eyes! Fight me!!"

"Sit down," said Jean coldly, her sword battering away Helen's elongating arm with a casual sweep. She caught Deneve's blade and twisted, sending her crashing into Helen. Her face softened as she returned her gaze to Clare. "I wonder… what are you going to do?" Clare started, taken aback. "Will you fight me? Or will you pull back, in the hope that none of us pursue you?"

"Will you do so if we flee?" asked the younger woman.

"That is what we've been ordered to do."

Clare grimaced. "If we've really no choice, I'm going to fight. Even in this circumstance… I'll have to fight you… you, of all people."

Jean shook her head and sighed, as their swords brushed by each other. Despite having opened herself up to a potentially lethal attack from Jean, only a trail of blood left Clare's cheek. "Fate is both funny and cruel. But sometimes you can forget the simplest of things, Clare."

"What… what do you mean?"

Jean smiled. "I owe you my life. Have you forgotten already?" Clare felt Jean twist and leap behind her. "Do you think I would intentionally harm even a hair of your head? No, Clare. I may be of Wu… but my life is still yours."

Clare could not believe her ears as the older woman offered an irreversible conclusion. "So, if you really wish to defeat me, then I will gladly make it easier for you. That is, after all, the only choice I have left."

Clare retreated from her offensive stance, lowering her sword. How? How could she fight someone like this? To force herself to do so would render her nothing less than a monster, even viler than Priscilla and her kin.

Jean's eyes suddenly narrowed as she looked up at the sky, the dark heavens that the forest canopy once covered. Dawn was coming; the sun's rays were weakly kissing the empyrean and an ethereal light had descended upon the seared battlefield. Gargantuan shadows loomed over the forest as the morning star twinkled on the field of battle. And as the sun rose on southern China, an ancient, primeval moaning could be heard… the groaning of granite giants with eyes of gemstone and lapis lazuli. They also raised their bodies, emerging from the ground and throwing soil and husks of trees and grass off their massive shoulders.

In close proximity to Jean and Clare, Zhou Tai's eyes narrowed as he briefly lifted his sword off Miria's. She staggered away, recovering from the Wu demon's superior strength. "The enemy has reinforcements?" he muttered.

Miria looked up. "So… this is the situation the Grand General provided for."

Zhao Yun had been knocked back earlier, but managed to recover. He struggled back up; his voice was full of hope. "At last… Lady Huang has managed to reunite with the surviving officers. For they are now here!"

Clare and Jean looked up into the distant firmament as well, her silver eyes glistening with awe. Their capes billowing in the morning wind, Cynthia and Flora stood together, surrounded by the embers of the inferno, mesmerized by the colossi looming over Xiaoting.

The Stone Sentinels had arrived.