Unfortunately, it was not up for him to decide. The Phoenix Division was scheming the entire time. The Xingyuu Empire was in the dark while the Alzar Kingdom was in the light. Like this, how could Emperor Lianghu let them go? It was not a sign of General Illion's incompetence or stupidity. There was simply nothing he could do. Like trying to climb a mountain without tools, it was an impossible question! This was the power of information! Lord Korogin fell much the same way. With his plans exposed, the emperor could ambush him and eventually capture him!
The division collided with the Alzar army and blood immediately began flowing. It was a devastating sight. Bodies were truly falling like flies. The Phoenix Division was already strong, their average soldier stronger than the Alzar soldier. Now that they were facing a three-sided battle, there was not enough manpower to defend all sides. The Xingyuu soldiers were like wolves among sheep, reaping lives without effort. General Illion made a quick estimate. If the battle lasted for five more minutes, they would be completely annihilated! Of course, an army would never hold until the last man. Once their morale sunk, their formation would collapse. That meant their survival would last two minutes… Three minutes at most. Their defeat was guaranteed!
Emperor Lianghu was deeply satisfied. He had to admit, leaving the Phoenix Division was a smart decision. In reality, the other divisions had already returned to their home base to rest and recover. The battle with Lord Korogin was a landslide, but not a perfect one. They had to replace their dead, heal their injured, replenish their supplies, and so forth. Especially after the Ten Dawn's Torrential Blizzard, there was much to do following the battle. Furthermore, the political situation in the empire was unstable with the Li Family. Although it had yet to become a full rebellion, he could not give his enemies the opportunity. If the capital was taken while he had his reserve armies away, it would lead to endless trouble. It would sour his victory over Lord Korogin. Hence, it was not as bad as General Illion suspected. This really was all the cards he had.
For everything to play out as well as it did, it was Elizabeth's fault. As the person in question, she was pale beyond belief. She was shocked! This was her first time seeing war, especially on a stage as grand as this. This was the world! When she came, although she saw the remains of Lord Korogin's battlefield, it was only the aftermath. She was shaken, but it did not suppress her overwhelming hatred for the emperor. Now that she had seen what a true battle was, her spirit was thoroughly crushed. The agonizing screams, the bloodcurdling cries, and the smashing of skin and bone… It was nothing like seeing the aftermath. This was war!
Elizabeth was not perfect, certainly not. Remember, a few months ago, she was a simple farmer girl living on New Havens. Her friends were different. They grew up here. They grew accustomed to the fires of war. But she could never have imagined such an insane world! It went far beyond her imagination! Although she had seen many things in this world, it was still far too little. She retained her innocence and naivety. Waves of horrific bloodlust exploded violently into the sky as the battle reached its climax. The earth was drenched in a deep crimson! Regret, resentment, despair… All sorts of emotions boiled together into a nightmarish world!
She breathed in and out, trying to calm her beating heart. She wanted to cover her ears, but the noise kept coming. It resounded deeply with her mind. There was no escaping. Her legs grew weak and her arms slackened. The girl slumped to the ground dazedly. The desire to avenge her family was washed away, by one thing… Fear! Elizabeth was afraid! She was petrified! She quivered and huddled herself. She was not delusional, and she clearly understood the limits of her strength. The fear of death was never stronger than now!
Emperor Lianghu glanced disdainfully at her and then at her friends. The edges of his mouth curled into a smirk. He moved, charging towards Benedict and Shirley. The two were taken back by the sudden change of events. Benedict was the first to forcefully calm down and concentrate. The knight had seen far too many battlefields. At times like this, he casted any unnecessary thoughts away. Meanwhile, Shirley was already someone who disliked thinking too much. She was more direct and faced things head-on. She mirrored Benedict's actions and focused. Freon as well, he did not want a repeat of what happened in the Kuthong Forest. If he did that, he would truly regret everything.
Shirley took the lead again with her halberd slamming down. The emperor never gave it a glance as he lightly maneuvered around it. His movement was so simple that he appeared to be taking a casual walk in his gardens. It was done so quickly that the halberd practically grazed his clothing. He fully displayed the prowess of the Perception Realm! However, she was not one to fall for the same trick twice. The girl suppressed her pain and strained to twist her body, turning her halberd before it touched the ground. Blood spurted from her open wounds as the weapon gave chase to the emperor. Her opponent was surprised. It was not easy to do what she did. Especially with the pain burdening her, to execute such strained movements, showed how exemplary she was.
The emperor dodged it by a hair again, but it was noticeably closer than the previous strike. It cut his clothes and skin, causing him to bleed! To land a hit on the emperor, who was a bona-fide Perception Realm, was very impressive. Benedict was one step behind, attacking at the instant after Shirley did. His sword lashed out to kill! Currently, he wore a face of unprecedented concentration. The key of the Hawken Style was observation and battle awareness. By grasping the flow of battle, one could control it! As soon as he saw an opening, he took it!
The emperor was surprised again. Whether in terms of observational ability or battle awareness, it was nigh impossible to match a Perception Realm. Think about it, a Perception Realm could simply exert their senses and reach a heightened level of observational power. A Fundamental Realm had no chance of contesting this. That was the difference between realms! Furthermore, anyone who achieved Perception Realm had unparalleled potential, talent, and experience. For example, Emperor Lianghu had experienced countless battles to hone his awareness. He could instinctively tell what he should do or not do.
However, Benedict… Although it was a far cry from calling it Perception Realm, the essence of the Hawken Style was perhaps rooted in Perception Realm! Which was why he could find the most minute of weaknesses in the emperor's guard. It was not something an ordinary knight could accomplish! The emperor grimaced and twisted his body to prevent the sword from cutting through his chest. Benedict cut into his flesh, missing his ribs and splashing hot blood onto the snow. The knight did not get complacent and continued his relentless assault. Shirley as well. She did not what a repeat of earlier. The two wanted to continue!
What nonsense, the emperor thought as he gritted his teeth. They got lucky once or twice and thought they could bully him? As Benedict and Shirley approached him from either side, they saw a dozen sabre flashes headed their way. They appeared so fast, so suddenly, and so densely that the two were stunned. Emperor Lianghu had finally gotten serious! The lights crashed down on their guards simultaneously. A breath later, Benedict and Shirley shot backwards! Every strike had accurately landed on their body! Everything happened unbelievably fast that onlookers only saw the aftermath. The two violently crashed into the snow, blood erupting from their various deep wounds. There was no more movement from either body.