Chapter 55: Battle of Wu Zhang Plains: Nightfall of Hope

They had successfully defended the mountain pass. Now, they would seize the terrain along the riverbank as the next stepping-stone to ultimate victory.

Flora sprinted out of the West River Fort's splintered gates, slashing Durandal at a corporal before decapitating a charging Imperial Lancer. The dark horsemen trampled over her disadvantaged troops, impaling several at once, but she did not let it stop her. She murmured a short prayer and kicked away a lunging Man-At-Arms before pivoting and blocking a thrusting lance. The Imperial Lancer that had attacked her gurgled in astonishment as she quickly sliced off his arm in a smooth counterattack. She looked at Zhao Yun, who had been fending off score after score of infantry. "We're outnumbered – badly," he panted, glancing around. Hundreds of Shu corpses lay under the feet of Wei infantrymen, and the advance guard had moved to cut off Flora from her beloved comrade. Her hand moved to initiate the Windcutter. She managed to cut apart three pikemen with her manoeuvre, but two more replaced their comrades and stabbed their polearms at her chest. She struggled to bring Durandal back up in a defensive position, but it would prove unnecessary.

A womanly figure leaped down from the parapets of the fortress and slashed aside the two assailants, flicking blood cleanly off her blade. Surrounded by hooded Crescent Wardens, she stood, her slender form becoming discernable beyond the bastion's walls. "I am sorry for the delay. I am glad I reached you and Zilong in time."

"My Lady!" cried Flora, recognizing her auburn-hair and bright bindi. "We needed your aid! I thank you for coming."

Yue Ying decapitated a spearman then somersaulted, her heeled boots cracking the jaw of an archer. She sent an elbow into the face of a corporal, sending the bone of his nose into the back of his skull. She cocked her bladed bow, her eyes flashing bitterly. "Let us fight, then. We shall fight until every bone in our bodies is broken, and until our very hearts lie punctured and destroyed."

"My Lady," asked Flora uncertainly, "is something wrong?"

Yue Ying did not look at her, only stared at the Wei legion with burning eyes. "My husband has passed away. He died of illness… only a short while ago."

Flora and Zhao Yun gasped.

"No. Kongming? Gone? But who will lead the remainder of the battle?" asked an aghast Zhao Yun. "He is our most imperative commander!"

"As of now, King Liu Bei is on his way to reinforce us. My messenger must have been successful," said Yue Ying, clenching her fist. "And with my husband's departure, as Grand General of the Shu Army, I have assumed full command of the Northern Campaign." She glanced up. "We can do nothing except continue our struggle, and remain faithful to his final testament."

The gates had splintered before them as they mopped up the remaining troops and ran outside the citadel. A fresh division of Imperial Lancers awaited them, facing the entrance of the West River Fort. But there was more to come. Zhao Yun pointed to the skies in amazement as a strange roar drowned out the screams of the wounded and dying, and made itself heard over the battlecries of the Wei elite troops.

Then, Flora glimpsed it. "What… what is that?" she mumbled, unconsciously lifting Durandal into a defensive stance.

A terrifying… suit of blue armour… hovered above them, raising its trident and holding it out before them. "Do you wish to fight us here on the plains of Wu Zhang? Then I shall oblige," boomed a voice within that suit, behind that faceplate. "Grand General of Shu!"

"I am she," shouted Yue Ying, stepping forward and aiming Sapphire Crescent at the short, hovering figure. The Wardens followed her lead. Without another word, they fired, unleashing a hail of fireballs against the airborne machine-man. A gattling dissonance resounded through the night, and the Wei horses neighed in terror. The projectiles exploded in a hail of flame and brimstone upon impact, and several more loud reverberations rocked Wu Zhang. The air filled with sulphuric exhaust.

But as the wide sheet of smoke slowly cleared, it was evident that their foe had not even been singed by their collective firepower. His shining purple eyes intensified in their hue. "My name is Cao Ren, cousin of the Imperial Chancellor and Grand General of Wei. With this Talon-Class Northern Phoenix Battlesuit, I will put an end to Shu's antics, now and forevermore."

His thrusters intensified in their output, and he shot into higher into the empyrean, raising his bladed shield. "Behold! My Aegis Shield Cannon." A peculiar whirring sound made itself heard, and his shield began to glow. Without warning, a screaming missile larger than Yue Ying's prototypes shot forth and slammed into the ground below, tearing apart the unprepared Crescent Wardens instantly. The immediate grassland was instantly incinerated. Smoke and smog poured forth. Another warhead buried itself into the wall of the West River Fort, and the entire structure imploded.

Yue Ying gasped. "Our friends inside – !"

The little progress they had made had degenerated into a Pyrrhic victory. She swore as they somersaulted away from the initial blast, sprawling across the ground and closing the distance between them and the Imperial Lancers. "We have to defeat him – anymore and he'll destroy everything we have!"

"Leave that to me," growled Zhao Yun, sprinting forward. He flipped up and slammed his spear onto the ground with every ounce of his strength, hurling a hundred armoured warriors and horses into the air. The disciplined Wei division became a downpour of panicking men and neighing beasts. Yue Ying began to fire once again, splaying a hail of fireballs into the flailing, terrified Imperial Lancers. Many were slain by Yue Ying's gunfire, and yet more simply folded upon crashing to the ground, their suits of armour useless against gravity. "Only you remain against the three of us," snarled Yue Ying, glaring up at Cao Ren. She released another hail of flaming orbs upwards. "Surely you understand what that means."

Cao Ren swung his Dragon Fang electromagnetic pulse trident, a bolt of lightning shooting from its three tips. It enveloped the projectiles and detonated them in mid-flight. Choking smoke dispersed across the torn sky. Yue Ying's eyes narrowed as a miniature thunderstorm shot down from his weapon, striking with unnatural precision at the three warriors. Yue Ying reloaded and fired another round of flaming missiles, but he easily dodged them, blocking the last impact with his aegis. His rocket boots flaring, he descended to ground zero at an astonishing speed, and before Yue Ying could flip away, his trident was hurtling towards her chest. She blocked in desperation, flipping out her blade and pushing it against him. Her feet skidded along the grass as his far heavier weight bore down upon her lithe body. Flora dashed behind him, preparing to unleash her Windcutter. But it was far too late.

Cao Ren stabbed his weapon into Yue Ying's abdomen, eliciting a loud cry of pain from her. She glared at him and elongated her straight blade, thrusting it against his armour. But it clanged uselessly against his platinum, and he pushed forward, his defensive systems unbreakable. After a brief mêlée struggle, he bashed her away, sending her crashing into a wooden barricade by the riverbank. Yue Ying moaned quietly and slumped against the timber.

He turned to face Flora, his purple eyes focusing on her moving hand, and Dragon Fang began to charge again. "Your greatsword seems to be a most formidable weapon. But I won't be beaten by that alone."

Three bolts of lightning zigzagged towards Flora. She quickly invoked Durandal and executed her Windcutter, but the elemental attack simply flowed through the metal sword and continued its relentless route towards her. Her astonishment left her open to the shock that followed – a powerful current of electrical energy that coursed through her body, frying her nerves and mercilessly crushing the ventricles of her heart. Eyes clamped tightly in agony, she screamed, her high-pitched voice unable to drown out the crackling, and collapsed, her slender body visibly smoking and sizzling.

"Flora, no!" roared Zhao Yun. He charged and spun, his spear clashing against Cao Ren's massive gauntlets. The two warriors struggled momentarily, before Cao Ren bested Zhao Yun and hurled him away. "I will stop you here!" cried the younger knight, spinning his spear and narrowly deflecting two projectiles of light. "You've done enough for one man!"

"I am more than that," denied Cao Ren, his expression inscrutable behind that faceplate and those inhuman eyes. "I am the shield… that guides Wei forward!"

Zhao Yun felt his heart stop as the overpowering current struck, electrocuting his unprepared body and slamming him against the ground. His ponytail loosened and broke free, his long black hair spilling out behind him. Before he could recover, Cao Ren ignited his thrusters again and hurtled up into the sky, firing two missiles and three bolts of light at his adversary. Zhao Yun rolled out of the way, but the radius of the blasts were simply too far-reaching. Rattled, he struggled to an upright stance, but no sooner than he did, Cao Ren swept down, raising his Aegis Shield Cannon. "Overlord Blade," he muttered quietly, and the bayonet at the end of his escutcheon slid forth in a manner like Yue Ying's bladed bow.

Zhao Yun's eyes widened in shock as his opponent lunged, bristling with activated weaponry. That blade… it's as far-reaching as a longsword! He held up his spear, but was caught completely unawares when Cao Ren forced himself past his defence and plunged the bayonet deep into his abdomen. Gasping as the sword buried itself into his innards, he fell onto his knees as the Wei commander pulled away and leaped back, his violet orbs glinting in triumph.

Watching the calamity unfold before her eyes, Flora moaned in protest, her body twitching against her will. She reached futilely for her lover. Don't hurt him anymore, she begged in fearful silence. You promised. The little dragon promised he would not leave his phoenix.

"Zilong, pull back!" exhorted Yue Ying, as she lay helplessly against the wooden barricade. Releasing her broken ribs, she fumbled at her bladed bow, preparing a last-ditch attack. "Any more, and you really will not live to see the dawn."

"It cannot… end here," whispered Zhao Yun, struggling back up. "I… must… keep… fighting." Another twelve missiles smashed into his silver armour, and it began to split open, revealing his bleeding muscles and exposed bones. Blood poured from his mouth as he clutched at the spear he had planted into the ground in a desperate attempt to stay upright.

Cao Ren's expression – or lack of – remained unsurprisingly inscrutable. "Surrender," he said, "and I will spare you and the silver-eyed warrior's life."

"Shut up," coughed Zhao Yun, wiping his bleeding lips. "You crushed my armour… you crushed my body.

"But my spirit… is something you'll never touch!"

He charged, his unfastened hair trailing behind him as his circlet glimmered nobly. He aimed Dragon Spike at Cao Ren's head. "This is for Shu! For my King!" He bared his teeth. "For my Lady!"

"No!" cried the Marquess, her shoulders heaving. "No!!"

Lightning flashed across the black sky as Cao Ren effortlessly blocked Zhao Yun's suicidal charge and plunged Overlord into the champion's chest.

The younger man crumpled, falling silent and releasing Dragon Spike. Flora stared in disbelief and desolation as he slowly, heartbreakingly, slumped to the ground. He could not even whisper a "goodbye" to her even as their large, young eyes met one last time.

I'm sorry.

"Another enemy outlasted," proclaimed Cao Ren, raising his trident. A final bolt of lightning smashed into Zhao Yun's limp form, electrocuting him with a current of near-limitless energy and hurling him high into the heavens, tossing him like a rag doll into the night firmament. His eyes glazed over as he flew against the howling wind, his twitching hand still involuntarily clutching Dragon Spike. It was almost too quick to perceive. Spinning wildly, the hero of Chang Ban hurtled out of sight, borne by the current of the wind and the force of Cao Ren's power. In a mere heartbeat, he disappeared beyond the plains of Wu Zhang, and into the dark sky forever.

His body became one with the glimmering stars.

He never reappeared again.

It had been a long time since Flora heard herself scream so loudly.

"ZILONG!!"

"You'll pay for that," snarled a much more composed Yue Ying, rolling aside with the little strength she possessed. She aimed Sapphire Crescent at Cao Ren once more, her eyes wild in fury. But how can I defeat him? I don't know where he acquired his weapons systems, but they surpass mine by leaps and bounds. I cannot defeat him with my current equipment…

Flora shrieked in rage and hysteria, and Durandal screamed with her. The cracks in her armour pealed forth with cerulean light, and she sprinted with supernatural speed towards Cao Ren. He steadied his trident and braced for her attack, slashing his weapon twice at her and shooting forward two crescent beams of energy. Flora dispelled them both with a frenzied Windcutter, and as Cao Ren prepared to send a surge of lightning into her, she called upon Durandal to suffuse her with all the strength it possessed. She raised her sword high, tears flowing down her pale cheeks.

You promised… to stay by my side forever…

Durandal hummed, and a crack opened in Cao Ren's pauldron as she swung down and collided her blade with his shoulder.

Love hurts… Trust hurts… too much.

"Impossible. This cannot be happening to my battlesuit!" cried Cao Ren. Her sword, her glowing sword… it was miraculously breaking through, digging into his silver and chrome and chipping away at the processors within. How could she have done it? How could she have broken through his impregnable defensive systems?

Flora's whimper became a grim scream. "Why?"

The Wei commander's purple eyes widened as the indestructible frame of his Northern Phoenix crumbled before Durandal, folding in on itself as its platinum crumpled at her greatsword's angry touch. Within moments, the sword had reached Cao Ren's midsection, and in one terrific, spectacular slice, Flora cleaved open the armoured suit, shattering Cao Ren's two weapons and triggering a massive explosion within his armour. Lightning poured out of his body as he convulsed, reeling and staggering as his malfunctioning greaves lurched across the grass before collapsing.

The full extent of Durandal's might was obvious. He had been hewed into two pieces – severed circuits and conductors crackled within his exposed armour, and the damaged conduits within his suit had caused his body to implode – sparing nothing save his upper torso and arms. Despite such a shocking turnaround, he seemed already resigned to his imminent death as he released Dragon Fang and Overlord.

"A most impressive display of strength," he acknowledged quietly, his breathing growing fainter by the second. "I admit I underestimated you."

"I hate you!" wailed Flora, dropping Durandal and staggering back. Tears freely flowed from her eyes as she sobbed uncontrollably. She clutched her inconsolable face with her bloodstained hands, fingernails digging frantically into her skin. "You are a fiend, a cold-blooded murderer! You stole him away from me! You stole everything from me!" She did not mean a single word, but she spat them out regardless, as if in some foolhardy hope that they could bring him back.

She never even had the chance to say farewell.

*

They had traveled for several hours now, their progress rapid and unhindered. The smoke from the ravaged plains had become plainly visible from their altitude. "It is almost time," murmured Rigardo, gazing outwards towards the distant Central Plains. Standing on the shoulder of a flying Strossus, he nodded at Isley. "The battlefield approaches, Master. Shall we linger back before taking the spoils for ourselves?"

"Wait, but only for a short while. We must seize the early morning with certainty." Isley held Priscilla to him as he smiled down at the distant grasslands below. "This battle shall be decided upon our descent.

"Decided? No… it shall be belong to us upon our arrival."

*

Cao Ren breathed heavily and irregularly inside his crepitating armour. His faceplate finally slid apart with a click, and he looked at his adversary's tear-stained face. He nodded understandingly amidst the sputtering and flickering remains of his battlesuit. "If you hate me so, then it is fitting that you have beaten me and avenged your comrade. I concede this battle, and leave the fate of this land to you."

The violet light in his eyes also departed, and his irises shone with what was – astoundingly – utter serenity, the maturity of a man who had come to terms with himself and the world long ago. In a way, he almost pitied his younger foes, these children who possessed the much power to defeat him, yet stumbled naïvely from grief to grief, unable to find their way. He sighed and raised his broken helm to the night sky.

"Cousin… King Cao… you must strive on to realize your dream. I know you will succeed. But now, we must part ways." With that, the Grand General of Wei closed his eyes in gratitude for having served such a wise master, and for having fought such a worthy opponent.

The tears would not stop. Flora stared wildly at his silent carcass. The corpse-littered, burning battlefield was no longer filled with the cacophony that characterized it only minutes ago. Like the theatre of war, her heart felt empty, horribly empty. What Cao Ren done to deserve such a brutal death? What had he done to merit such wrathful vengeance?

Rising, Yue Ying gazed forlornly at the panting Marquess. "Flora…"

Too many have died already.

The riverbank lay before them. Beyond the opposing shore was a high hill on which the final Wei fortress towered.

Despite everything that had happened, they were so very close.

A low voice pulled her out of her grief. "Fear not, Lady Huang. We are here. Fear not, Marquess Flora. We are here to help." She whipped around, glimpsing ebony armour and a red dress. Two swords – Duskstrike and Excalibur – glimmered in the late hours of the night as Zhou Tai and Cynthia hurried towards the Shu Grand General. In return, she breathed a long-awaited sigh of relief. They had long abandoned their horses, and from their bloodstained hands, they were obviously forced to cut their own path through the plateau.

Thank the gods. They had not arrived too late.

"My friends," called Yue Ying. "You are a sight for sore eyes indeed."

"Both sides have suffered heavy casualties, I see," said the admiral sombrely. "But there is no rest for the living. We must go and cut down Sima Yi and Galatea."

"Wait, Tai. Something's wrong." Cynthia laid a hand on her husband's broad shoulder and looked at Flora compassionately. The wavy-haired woman stood alone, slowly bending down to take hold of Durandal once again. She visibly attempted to steady herself. "Marquess… are you alright?"

Flora raised her beautiful eyes, dashing away the remnants of her tears. "Yes." She gave a small smile for Cynthia. "Nothing's wrong. You are right. Let us go… and deal Wei a deathblow."

Silence.

An echoing rumble rapidly grew louder. From the ruins of the West River Fort galloped Liu Bei and the surviving reserve troops. The King of Hanzhong somersaulted from his horse and landed, staring somberly at the devastated Central Plains. "Excellent job, Flora and Yue Ying," he commended quietly. "To have Kongming pass away now was the most terrible tragedy I could have ever imagined. But he would not want us to grieve whilst the enemy remained at our heels." His eyes glimmered. "The enemy struck us in the flank, in accordance with Sima Yi's strategy. Without Zhuge Liang's directives, our weakened defence crumbled. Wang Ping and Zhuge Jun fell as they held the Wei reinforcements back long enough for me to escape. The main camp has been taken, and the only chance we have now is to seize Wu Zhang Fort.

"But I am not afraid, for that was our intention all along." He pointed one sword at the waters of the river. "Forward," was all he said, "forward – for our people and for our future. We cannot lose!"

Flora nodded, although her hands had not entirely recovered from their shaking.

You just don't realize the obvious, do you? My King.

I've already lost.