The battle began to simplify greatly, as their numbers were cut down. This allowed the kingdom's experienced leadership to take charge here. After all, they had been fighting every day for over six months now. They could command their subordinates with great skill. Despite facing a two-way pincer attack, General Petra was like a fish in water. She stabilized the frontlines, while she focused on the rear flank. The Imperial Council had allocated around thirty thousand total troops for the rear, including many newly advanced Perception Realms and Perception Realm Experts like Sentinel Mao, and Lord Xu. Due to their unexpected losses against Elizabeth and her allies, they lost many of their soldiers, and top fighters. Their strength had waned. General Petra thus took the chance to deal with them in one fell swoop. By mobilizing thousands of soldiers, she easily shattered their formation and routed them. With the rear gone, she could finally focus her energy on the frontlines.
There, it was a scene of absolute carnage. As the kingdom mercilessly cut down on the city's militia, the citizens began to throw away their weapons and beg for mercy. Hopelessness had filled their eyes. Unfortunately, their pleas could not be heard. In this massive battlefield where swords and arrows flew, one life was ever so fleeting. They would die without being seen, and their corpse would be trampled on. That was the brutality of war. Their morale was already low, because of the previous two days of fighting, but it was even worse today. Tens of thousands of people began to flee or rebel against the Imperial Council, furious that they were being tossed to the wolves. And like the rear flank, they had lost their leadership, so the soldiers were lost on what to do. The kingdom's soldiers continued to advance, while the militia pushed back. Although the council had more than four hundred thousand on their side, they were being overwhelmed by the kingdom's one hundred thousand. That was how absurd the situation became!
However, it did not last long, because the kingdom lacked a decisive blow. They could not finish off their enemy. Even if the entire militia fled or died, there would still be around two hundred thousand soldiers, fresh and able to fight. General Petra knew very well the kingdom could not contest against that. That was why defeating her enemy was never an option. She needed to create another winning condition. As she mulled it over, a messenger stormed in with a priority report. They announced that the Jian and Jun Family's armies, a force of over seventy thousand troops, were on the horizon! They would reach the battlefield in less than two hours! Everyone fell quiet, having understood what this meant. Two hours was the time limit they had to conclude this battle. Otherwise, once two more armies showed up, it would be their loss! Sweat rolled down General Petra's cheek. The battle was rapidly reaching its conclusion!
Elsewhere, Princess Xiuying and Ming rode through the city streets on horseback. Behind them was Imperian Qiang, Minister Daiyuu, Lady Chan, General Songlin, and many soldiers from the Shui Family. They were all rushing towards the military headquarters where a massive battle was taking place. Unlike the first day of battle, the streets were empty and devoid of people, making it quick to traverse. It was almost eerie how quiet this great city became; however, as the Featherwind Sect easily displayed… their methods were transcendental. One attack from Elder Argo's Demon Wind Requiem killed tens of thousands, annihilated multiple city districts, and left millions reeling in shock. Thereafter, everyone understood this was not an ordinary battle, but one between giants! Huddled in their homes, they nervously waited for the end. Princess Xiuying urged her horse on faster as did her sister. They needed to hurry!
The military headquarters was a series of buildings deep within the Inner City, close to the Imperial Court. This was where Unit Commander Fai Moklan and the highest-ranking officers commanded the battle from. Owing to its significant strategic importance, a Division of five thousand troops was stationed here. Currently, they were engaged in a fierce battle with the Shui Family's army, but despite being outnumbered, they held the line. Their strength was a cut above the rest. When the Imperial Princesses arrived, the Shui Family made little progress. It was somewhat embarrassing. General Songlin immediately took command, as Cardinal Hui and Lady Mingyu jumped into action.
Cardinal Hui grabbed his bow and loosed a dozen arrows in a few seconds. He was so fast that his arms seemed to blur. As the arrows weaved through the busy battlefield, he accurately hit and killed a dozen enemy soldiers. All of them hit their mark! It was terrifying how potent this man was on a battlefield. Almost no one could defend against him! Lady Mingyu was even more absurd, as she directly catapulted off her horse with monstrous force. The resulting recoil was enough to throw her horse back and onto the ground. Her aura exploded out, briefly dominating the entire battlefield, as she unsheathed her sword. Whoosh! She eliminated ten soldiers in the blink of an eye. These two Perception Realm Masters had made their presence clear!
Princess Xiuying, Ming, and Protector Chang also charged in. They did not have the leeway to stand around and watch. Xiuying drew her sabre, Ming her spear, and Chang his straight sword. Ming's spear lashed out and impaled two people. Her strikes were both precise and deadly. Three more soldiers moved to surround her, but her sister was there to help. Xiuying used a wide sweep to block them, and another strike to disarm them. Her speed and technique were impeccable. Together, Ming was like a bolt of lightning, and Xiuying the clap of thunder that followed. Their individual strength might be meager, but their near-perfect coordination more than made up for that. Chang defeated another six soldiers that were trying to sneak up with a quick slash. At the Perception Realm Adept level, he was easily one of the strongest people on the battlefield. It was trivial for him to both protect the Imperial Princesses and himself at the same time. With Lady Mingyu leading the way and Cardinal Hui covering their flank, they tore through the enemy lines. No one held back!
Prime Minister Pon-Wai slowly woke up and looked around. It did not take a genius to figure out what was happening. His ever-present smile did not appear. Instead, he had a dark and furious expression. He looked like he wanted to burn someone alive. And of course, as the target of all this anger, Minister Daiyuu shriveled up. He wanted to find a hole to hide in.
"Why?" the prime minister hissed.
He could not understand. Certainly, on paper, the Alzar Kingdom seemed to be winning. They had conquered the Samfeng Province, won the Quiton Gates, defeated the Jun Family, and even laid siege on the capital city, something that had not happened in over a hundred years. Their progress was nothing short of historic and miraculous. In addition, they had support from the Sword King and the Featherwind Sect. However, the truth was that the kingdom was grossly outnumbered by the Imperial Council, the Jun Family kept most of their strength, and the Li Family was retaking lost territory. The kingdom looked impressive, but that was it. The council was winning everywhere else. Hence, he could not understand why that timid Minister Daiyuu chose to betray the Imperial Council. There was nothing to gain from it, no matter where he looked. Just how did he miscalculate? He needed to know how he failed!
"Shall I enlighten you?" Lady Chan glared at him viciously. "It's because you killed my brother, Protector Tai Shui!" She never expected the prime minister to understand, much less sympathize, but she wanted him to regret. That was what she wanted to see: that look of despair as he realized the gravity of his actions, as everything came crashing down on his head! However, his reaction would exceed all her expectations.
The prime minister simply widened his eyes in disbelief and replied, "That's it? That's your reason? You'd betray the entire Xingyuu Empire for something as ridiculous as that?"
"Ridiculous?" Lady Chan was stunned.
"Yes, ridiculous," he repeated. "The value of a single life as compared to an entire empire… The choice is obvious. The whims and wishes of an individual should never surpass that of a group. I can't believe I miscalculated such an emotional decision. How laughable."
Crack! The crisp sound of a slap echoed, as Lady Chan heaved. She could not stand to hear another word from his bastard mouth. Prime Minister Pon-Wai was dazed. He had never been struck like this before. While he felt his burning cheek, Imperian Qiang concluded, "You underestimated the power of human nature. That's why you're going to lose." To that, the prime minister fell silent.