Vermilion Zhang: Beacons of War
The city walls of Vermilion Zhang, the northern bulwark of Yuan Xi's army, loomed like a colossal beast crouching in the sunlight, silent and majestic. The wind blew in from the sand sea, carrying the scent of metal and scorched earth, foreshadowing a bloodbath.
Dehya stood before the battle formation, her Blazing Glory Spear shimmering with an restless light in the sun. She felt the heat waves flowing in the air, the familiar pulse of the battlefield. Beside her, Candace held her scimitar, her expression solemn as a desert guardian. Cyno, shouldering his Sacred Relic Spear, gazed with eagle-eyed sharpness from beneath his visor, silently scrutinizing every weak point in the city's defenses.
"The time has come." Cyno's voice was deep and powerful.
A bugle call suddenly pierced the sky, like the cry of a golden dragon.
The Siege
The battle erupted in an instant. Candace raised her banner high, leading the elite desert warriors like a tide toward the city walls. Her target was the city gate—the heart of the enemy's defenses, the strongest bulwark.
"For freedom!" Candace shouted sharply. Her blade, like a moonbeam, cleaved the first enemy soldier who drew near. Leading from the front, she became a moving wall of steel, hacking a bloody path through the arrow shower for her comrades behind.
Meanwhile, Dehya chose a more perilous route. Leading a small team of agile fighters, she climbed along the shadow of the walls. Her spear transformed into blazing streaks, precisely piercing the throats of the defenders on the battlements. Each swing erupted with a crackling fire, drowning out the enemy's screams.
"Don't let them up!" Cen Bi, a general of Yuan Xi's army, roared on the walls, rushing forward with his halberd. A burly man with immense strength, he swept his halberd across, sending two climbing fighters flying.
Dehya faced him head-on.
"Outsider, this is no place for your recklessness!" Cen Bi bellowed.
"Then I'll fight until there is." Dehya's eyes were sharp, her spear tip spitting fire.
The two clashed instantly. The collision of spear and halberd sent out blinding sparks and a deafening clang. Cen Bi's attacks were like a violent storm, powerful and heavy; Dehya's spearplay, however, was agile and swift, like flickering flames in the desert—seemingly gentle, yet harboring a deadly heat.
After thirty exchanges, Dehya seized a moment when Cen Bi paused to breathe. Her spear tip, like a viper striking, pierced through the gap in his armor.
"Ugh!" Cen Bi let out an unwilling roar as his massive body crashed down from the walls.
Breaching the Line
At the city gate, Candace finally led her troops to the front. The great gate, clad in iron, was incredibly sturdy.
"Move!" Candace took a deep breath, channeling all her strength into her scimitar. The blade flashed, and with unimaginable force, she struck the gate's hinge.
Clang!
A loud crash, sparks flying. A deep gash was cut in the hinge.
"Again!" She swung again. Sweat streamed down her face, but her gaze grew firmer.
Three times, four times, five times... Finally, with a deafening roar, one side of the gate's hinge snapped completely.
"Charge!" Candace ordered. The soldiers, poised and ready, surged into the city like a flood.
Inside the city, Wang Mo, another general of Yuan Xi's army, had already set up a defense. A strategist, he had turned the city's streets into traps.
"Archers, loose!" Wang Mo issued his orders calmly.
A shower of arrows fell, and the charging soldiers dropped like flies. Candace frowned. She knew a direct assault would only lead to more casualties.
At that moment, Cyno moved.
Instead of entering through the gate with the main army, he had quietly infiltrated from the other side of the city. A shadow, he darted through the streets, heading straight for Wang Mo's command post.
"Your opponent is me." Cyno's voice suddenly sounded behind Wang Mo.
Wang Mo whirled around to see a figure wearing a jackal-headed crown standing calmly there, the spear in his hand emanating an ill omen.
"You... are Cyno!" A flash of fear appeared in Wang Mo's eyes.
"Correct, but no reward." Before Cyno finished speaking, he charged like an arrow released from a bow.
The Sacred Relic Spear arced through the air with a strange trajectory, striking straight for Wang Mo's vitals with the force of judgment. Though Wang Mo fought back fiercely, his defense quickly crumbled before Cyno's sharp and bizarre spearwork.
Shink!
The spear pierced Wang Mo's chest. Staring in disbelief at the spear tip protruding from his chest, the light in Wang Mo's eyes faded.
With Wang Mo's death, the city's defense formation collapsed instantly. Candace's army swept through the entire district like a destructive force.
The Final Battle
Yet the battle was not over. Wang Xiu, the last of Yuan Xi's generals, fought on desperately. The strongest of the three, his broadsword was incredibly heavy, each swing carrying the power to split boulders.
He had gathered his remaining troops in the city square, preparing for a last stand.
"You will not take Vermilion Zhang!" Wang Bo's voice boomed, inspiring his exhausted men.
Dehya, Candace, and Cyno stood side by side at the other end of the square, forming an insurmountable line.
"Surrender, Wang Xiu." Candace spoke firmly. "Your lord Yuan Xi is already defeated. To resist to the end is to sign your own death warrant."
"Surrender? Hahahaha!" Wang Xiu roared with laughter. "I, Wang Xiu, am a general of the Yuan clan in life, and their spirit in death! If you want Vermilion Zhang, step over my dead body!"
"As you wish." Dehya's eyes turned cold.
The three charged at Wang Xiu simultaneously.
It was a fight without flourish—life or death. Wang Xiu's blade was unstoppably fierce, forcing the three to keep their distance for a time. Each attack was made with the madness of self-destruction, as if he would cleave the entire square in two.
Dehya pinned him from the front, a flurry of spear shadows; Candace circled the flanks, seeking an opening; Cyno, like a ghost, darted around Wang Xiu, delivering deadly strikes at intervals.
The battle dragged on. All three were gasping for breath, fresh wounds upon their bodies. But Wang Xiu fared no better: his body was covered in varying depths of wounds, his armor stained red with blood.
"It's time to end this." Cyno whispered.
The three exchanged a glance, understanding without words.
Dehya suddenly charged forward, her spear thrusting at Wang Xiu's face, forcing him to raise his blade to block. In that instant when Wang Xiu's attention was caught, Candace struck like lightning, her scimitar tracing a perfect arc toward his wrist holding the sword.
"Aah!" Wang Xiu cried out, his broadsword flying from his hand.
Cyno seized the critical moment. The Sacred Relic Spear, like a venomous dragon emerging from its lair, struck through the opening in Wang Xiu's defense.
Wang Xiu's massive body swayed, then crashed to the ground, the light in his eyes snuffed out completely.
Reunion
With Wang Xiu's death, all resistance within Vermilion Zhang ceased.
The sun set in the west, its golden glow bathing the damaged city walls in a tragic hue for the bloody victory.
Dehya, Candace, and Cyno stood on the walls of Vermilion Zhang, overlooking the city below. The air was thick with the smell of gunpowder and blood, but also with a sense of relief.
"We did it." Candace's voice held a hint of weariness, but more joy.
"Yes," Dehya looked into the distance, "Vermilion Zhang is back."
Cyno sheathed his spear. "It's secure here. According to plan, we should head to Jadefield Retreat at once."
"The Traveler's army, the Fontaine army, and Yelan's rebels..." Candace's eyes sparkled with hope. "When all our forces unite, we will deliver the decisive blow to Yuan Xi."
Dehya nodded, new fighting spirit burning in her heart. "Then let's depart."
The three turned and descended from the walls, their figures stretching long in the sunset. The beacons of Vermilion Zhang had been extinguished, but new wars awaited them afar. The alliance at Jadefield Retreat would be the turning point of this war. They knew the path ahead was still lined with thorns, but they also knew that as long as they three, and all those fighting for freedom, stood united, no power could stop their advance.
The story has only just begun. Next, I'll describe the grand gathering of heroes at Jadefield Retreat and their deliberation on the final strategy. Do you want to continue?