Zhēngfú's Fist flooded the wedding party and chaos erupted. The men knew they were coming and fought as best as they could but were no match against the most powerful force in the Ninja Empire. King Alexios, Mentor Altaïr, Pharaoh Ay, Huo, and Wēi soon joined the battle after they saw Zhōng's party depart. Even though they were killing the enemy, the force was taking more than they could. They suddenly stopped their assault and the great leaders turned and looked to see the emperor approaching them.
"Well, what a lovely party. May I ask who got married tonight?" sneered Emperor Zhēngfú.
"You're bold to come here now, you could have come sooner instead of retreating south," stated King Alexios.
"Retreating? I knew I had time since you wanted my brother to recover from his injuries. I simply wanted to secure my armies before coming north. So with that, Pharaoh Ay, name your price to stay out of this war and I'll pay it." said Emperor Zhēngfú.
Pharaoh Ay looked at his remaining ten men, they all knew this would be their last stand. They all showed confidence and accepted death as they were ready for the imminent attack. He then turned to look at the other great leaders, King Alexios ready his shield and adjusted his grip on his sword, Mentor Altaïr tightened Pablo's old hidden blades on his wrist, and Huo and Wēi were scanning where the first strike would come. "You're too late, Emperor Zhēngfú, I passed the Egyptian Khopesh to my son, my heir. He and I have pledged our men to fight for the Risen King." he declared.
"Very well, kill them all," stated Emperor Zhēngfú and his men slowly advanced.
"Never thought I would be fighting by your side, your majesty," muttered Huo to Wēi.
"If we survive this, I would like to know you better," requested Wēi.
The great leaders fought till their last breath. King Alexios roared like a warrior swinging his sword and shield at the enemy, he blocked incoming arrows but not all as some found his heart. Mentor Altaïr stapped and evaded enemy strikes, he defeated forty before finally being overwhelmed and killed. Pharaoh Ay swung and hooked a spare khopesh around enemy soldiers, though he wasn't a warrior he was able to take a few before one of his own surprisingly turned and killed him. Wēi and Huo were the last ones against the overpower force, they fought as long as they could before falling. With his last breath, Huo crawled over to Wēi's still body. He reached out and grabbed her hand as he whispered while looking into dead red eyes. He felt something pierced his heart and took his last breath.
Zhōng watched as the oasis was on fire and he could hear the clatter of weapons. As soon as they went quiet he knew the battle was over. He looked over his shoulder to see Zhen was behind and worried about him. Saying nothing, he turned his horse away from the oasis and headed south with Zhen following shortly behind him.
Almost a month had passed when an Egyptian ship arrived in the Spartan Capital. It was a cloudy and windless day as not even the birds hawked. When the ship moored to the pier, Zhōng was the first to be followed by Zhen, Prince Henry, Princess Xing, Pharaoh Ichika, Queen Hannah, and Pablo. There were people waiting for them as Lord Tyron approached them first when they got off. "I heard what happened in the Egyptian Empire, there's a civil war that began a month ago. I assume that's why you left," he said.
"You're mistaken," growled Zhōng and Lord Tyron noticed the party was missing some members.
"Where's Lord Zào?" asked a soldier from the Ninja Empire.
"Where's her majesty?" asked another soldier from the Ninja Empire.
"Where's our king?" asked a Spartan soldier.
"Apprentice, where's the grand mentor?" asked Mentor Kai, he noticed Pablo was carrying the Assassin Hidden Blades.
"Mentor, I'm sorry, he's gone," croaked Pablo, he tried to keep his tears hidden but they began to fall.
"Alexios, tell me it isn't true," requested Queen Kassandra. She looked at the remaining members as none of them wanted to tell. She turned to look at Zhōng who approached her and gave the Spartan Sword to her before heading to the Spartan Palace. The Spartan queen collapsed to her knees, though she often argued with King Alexios, he was still her husband which she loved. She cried hard as she clutched the Spartan Sword and those who didn't know what happened now know that powerful, respected leaders were gone.
"The Egyptian Empire is in ruin, forces in the empire are split into four rulers each claiming to be the next pharaoh," reported Pharaoh Ichika a week later in a council room in the Spartan Palace. Besides him, King James, Queen Kassandra, Chief Odin, Chief Pontiac, Lord Tyron, Alice, Zhen, Jiào, and a Spartan general were in the room. "My sisters each had armies before my father named me his heir, I am fortunate to receive leftovers of his force that he kept under his command. The biggest force unfortunately is my half-sister, Hatshepsut."
"There's rumors that she has joined her forces with Emperor Zhēngfú," stated Alice.
Doors to the room opened and seven Assassins entered and took their seats at the table the others were sitting at. "No more rumors, it's been reported that her ships landed with a decent size army at Port Dake," stated Pablo.
"I assume you've made a decision, Assassins?" asked Queen Kassandra.
"Yes, your majesty, we accept Pablo as no longer an apprentice but a master. However, he will have advisors to help him make decisions till he becomes a mentor. Till then, Mentor Kai has succeeded the title of Grand Mentor for a time." replied the Mentor of the Assassins in the Viking Empire.
"We are all still with the Risen King even with our wise mentor gone," stated Grand Mentor Kai.
"Here, here," agreed Chief Odin, tapping his drink on the table.
"If this empire wasn't going to be surrounded, I wouldn't continue to follow him." sneered Queen Kassandra.
"Your husband wouldn't want to die any either way, Queen Kassandra. He died with no fear of death and accepted his fate." counseled King James.
"But on foreign land, fighting for a foreigner's battle, it's a death that won't be sung about. He'll be remembered as dying for the Risen King," argued Queen Kassandra.
"There were others who fought and died over there, the Spartan Empire isn't the only one that finds it honorable to fight and die in the home empire," stated Lord Tyron.
"If what our king's last command is true, we should respect it, your majesty, and follow the Risen King," advised General Cheirisophus, who was Second in Command of the Spartan Army.
"I know, general, but with Emperor Zhēngfú's forces pushing north along the Iarnă Mountains, we'll be cut off by land," said Queen Kassandra.
"He's not only pushing north but east as well, we had to send some of our men back home to defend the Viking Empire," said Chief Odin.
"With the majority of our forces here, Emperor Zhēngfú will do anything to ensure our empires' lines go thin with no reinforcements. We should head back to our respected empires and with our troops," stated Chief Pontiac.
"No, my friend, we shouldn't," disagreed King James, they turned and looked at him confused as to why not. "That's exactly what Emperor Zhēngfú would want, us to be separated and alone. I may not have the knowledge of war like King Alexios, but I know that the amount of lands the emperor is conquering isn't at an alarming rate."
"Then what do you propose we should do?" asked Queen Kassandra.
"I'm not the one you should ask," stated King James. They turned and looked at an empty seat which was Zhōng's who hadn't attended a meeting since they returned.
"Since there's nothing else we can decide till he comes, I call this meeting adjourned," declared Queen Kassandra. The others agreed and stood from their seats to walk out of the room.
"Zhen, can we talk to you?" requested Lord Tyron as he and Jiào approached her.
"Of course," accepted Zhen, she stayed behind till they were the only ones left.
"It's about Zhōng," began Jiào.
"Has he come out?" asked Zhen.
"No, he hasn't, not even a word comes out. I've seen my brother act this way when he lost his wife. I'm worried that Zhōng could turn out like him too." said Lord Tyron.
"I'm sure he'll recover soon, it isn't the first time he lost his father." hoped Zhen.
"The difference between an announcement and seeing it is Zhōng believed him to be dead only to find out he was alive. He knows no one survived that night but what makes it worse was your mother dying with him. I'm sure Zhōng would admit, he looked up to your mother," explained Jiào.
"So what do you want me to do?" asked Zhen.
"With the funeral tomorrow, we would like you to request Zhōng to come out and attend," replied Lord Tyron.
"And why would he come out since he hasn't already?" asked Zhen.
"Because he'll listen to you," answered Jiào.
"Me?" questioned Zhen.
"You are promised to marry him or promise to protect him. Whether you're his wife or his guard, it's your duty to protect him from anyone including himself. We may not be able to get him to speak, but I'm sure you can." explained Lord Tyron.
Zhen walked through the corridors to Zhōng's quarters, it was the same hallways she took when she was a slave. When she arrived at the room, Marathon perked her ears to her as she lay at the closed door. She whimpered as she too was worried about Zhōng. After taking a couple of breaths, she knocked on the door and said, "Zhōng, it's me."
"Enter," a depressed voice replied. Zhen's heart skipped a beat and she entered the room. The place was exactly how it was when she was a slave, there was no bed to sleep in, the curved walls wrapped around the room with a fireplace in the center. The only thing added was a desk by the small vent where the sun would shine through. Sitting at the desk was Zhōng as he poured himself a cup of wine. "What news is there?" he asked.
"Hatshepsut had sent some of her forces to the Ninja Empire. It's to believed that Emperor Zhēngfú bought some of her forces," reported Zhen.
"No, it's likely that he married her and promised all seven empires to control. She unfortunately also has the lust for more power," stated Zhōng, he took a sip of his wine while staring at the blank curved wall. "What are my brother's movements?"
"He's pushing his borders to expand, he's focusing along the Iarnă Mountains. We believe he's trying to cut us off from the remaining five empires," answered Zhen. She watched as Zhōng finished his cup before pouring more wine into it.
"My brother isn't trying to cut us off, he's trying to invade us. He wants the Spartan ships since they are very sturdy and combative. With the Iarnă Mountains as well as cutting the Spartan Empire from the Indian Empire, he knows we'll try to evacuate the people first which would slow us down. Have the Spartan generals build forts in the mountains. Especially Ningor Pass, it's the closest and most direct way to the capital. Have them order the men to let no one enter or leave." said Zhōng, he then chugged his cup and filled it again.
"Leave?" questioned Zhen.
"I won't let any of them leave to defend their empires, I need them here to make my brother pay," growled Zhōng.
"May I ask how," said Zhen, she saw him clenching his cup as he finished it before pouring more wine.
"My brother would continue advancing, the people he'll conquer won't bow willingly to him. When he calls them to arms, they would do it in fear of him. But while he's trying to bestow fear, we'll use the Viking, Spartan, and Egyptian ships to attack Port Dake. It would be bloody but once we take the port, we'll have a footing that can pierce into the depths of the Ninja Empire." explained Zhōng.
"The others might not agree to this if it's too many casualties," pointed out Zhen.
"I don't care!" declared Zhōng, he stood up and the chair he sat on fell and slid away. He turned to look at Zhen with black eyes as he slowly stomped to her. "They vow that they would help me reclaim my throne. This is war, it's won with a last gasp of adrenaline. I'm at that limit and my brother is going to pay for waking that beast inside of me. I'm going to force myself to my brother even if it means I lose more of my friends!" he shouted. He suddenly felt a slap across his cheek as Zhen's right hand whipped pass his face.
"You think our parents would be proud by how you turned out? The Zhōng I knew wouldn't risk his friends' lives to accomplish something. Instead, he would find a better way to win even if it meant sacrificing himself. Yet here you are, wasting your life by drinking so much wine, ignoring your family as they come to see if you're okay, and scheming a ridiculous plan. Growing up, I didn't want to be at war with you, I didn't want to hate you after your father branded me, I didn't want to be your ally or someone you hid behind a mask. You came back into my life and gave me hope to stand again. But now I see I stood because I didn't want to end up like you." expressed Zhen.
"Princess, I…" began Zhōng.
"It's Zhen!" snapped Zhen. "My name is Zhen! Not Princess! Zhen! Zhen! Zhen!" She left the room slamming the door behind her. She whimpered to herself as she was scared by her actions and by the state Zhōng drowned himself in.
Zhōng walked back to the desk and sighed. He rubbed his cheek as he tried to pour wine into his cup, however, the bottle was empty. He threw the bottle away and braced his weight on the desk. He let a couple of tears begin to flow as he reflected on his actions, his statement, and his recent past.
The next day, there was a gathering by the harbor as dark clouds covered the sky but they couldn't drop rain. Pharaoh Ichika, Queen Kassandra, Pablo, and fifty chosen Egyptian soldiers began laying flowers with candles lit in the calm waters. One by one, they approached a stone dock and placed a flower to float on the water. "May you all go to the place made for you. May you no longer find pain and sadness. May you praise and shout joy for all to hear. Though we are glad you will no longer feel suffering, we are sad to have you all leave. For you all were our brothers, our sisters, our fathers, our mothers, our friends, our kings." stated Lord Tyron, as he stood near the dock to give benediction.
Zhen was one of the last to go as she knelt on the stone dock. Her candle was lit in the center of her flower as she laid it on the water. She was struggling to hold back tears as she watched her flower float away. A person crouched next to her and dropped his flower as it floated towards hers. She knew the next one was Huo's but was expecting Princess Xing or Queen Hannah to lay it. Instead, she was surprised to see Zhōng, his hair was combed neatly as his tattoo was visible on his right forehead. He watched his flower float away before looking at her with his blue eyes.
"You're right, they would be disappointed. They told me to be better than them, I would have failed them if I kept sulking," said Zhōng as he looked into Zhen's teary eyes. She suddenly pounced, hugged him, and wept into his shoulder as she couldn't keep it hidden. Zhōng carried her to stand on her feet, he hugged her as he tried to comfort her. He led them away from the dock as she sniffled his shoulder.
"Zhen," whimpered Princess Xing, she was fighting tears when Zhōng and Zhen approached her, Queen Hannah, and their friends. Zhen turned and looked at her, she let go of Zhōng and hugged Princess Xing and Queen Hannah as they all cried.
Zhōng turned and left them, he began going back up a flight of stairs as people from different empires and his own bowed when he passed. When he was near the end, he whispered to Jiào, "Tell uncle that I would like to meet all the wielders tomorrow. And tell Lord Zào's generals I would like to talk to them as well. Today we mourn for who we lost in this war. Tomorrow we plan to win what has been taken away."
"I and Lord Tyron will see it done," promised Jiào. She watched her nephew nod and continued onward back to the Spartan Capital.
Zhen was walking through the halls of the Spartan Palace the next day. She hadn't seen Zhōng since the memorial and walked with the Sinister Seven as they were summoned. They soon joined the wielders, Alice, Tony, and the council of the Assassin Empire and they entered to see Zhōng was talking to Lord Zào's generals. "I understand you were loyal to him as you were with his father before. If you don't trust and refuse to fight for me or Former Princess Zhen, then I'll let you return home. But I should warn you, while I may be forgiving and understanding, my brother isn't as you've heard and what I told you about your fallen lord." negotiated Zhōng to the generals.
The generals turned and looked at the wielders, Zhen, and her friends. They were surprised to see them since they assumed the Risen King would speak to them first. Seeing that Zhōng was waiting for their answer, they quickly muttered quietly together before their high command spoke. "We thank you for requesting to see us, we also thank you for telling us what happened to our lord. Though the news saddens us, we will not leave our rightful rulers. We swear to fight for you and Former Princess Zhen." he stated.
Zhōng turned to look at Zhen, his blue eyes glowed like they'd recently done as stars pierced from them. "It appears you still have an army to lead," he stated. Zhen nodded and bowed at the generals who returned a bow back. They then bowed at Zhōng who bowed as low as them before leaving the room.
The wielders looked at the table once the generals were gone and noticed eight chairs surrounding it. "My father taught me that a king's fear is what drives their motivation. His of course were Assassins which drove him to develop stronger and terrifying security measures. His successor, Empress Wēi, was afraid of being compared to him so she reversed the laws he passed and weakened the consequences. And my brother's fear is me coming back, there have been several times my brother tried to kill me before. He believes he can leave me in ruin if I lose everything and he's right." said Zhōng as he approached one of the chairs.
"And is that your fear?" asked King James as he, the other wielders, and Zhen sat down in the chairs.
"My fear is losing everything I know, everything that I care about, everyone I love. I've lost so much to my brother that I've sunk deep into despair. From my depression, an evil self arose and vowed to avenge by destroying everything. I've let him control me once and I almost let him control me again. If I want to beat Emperor Zhēngfú, I would need to defeat my dark self as well." confessed Zhōng as he sat down.
"Many Assassins have gone down the road you described, it's difficult to walk away after so much blood has covered your hands. Tragedy is what usually drives them into it, but others thirst for it," stated Grand Mentor Kai.
Zhōng nodded his head and turned his focus to the center of the table. On it was a map with markings to indicate Emperor Zhēngfú's forces' movements as well as some of their own. "My brother is going to need men to fight for him as he conquers more land. His forces are getting thin just from this much expanding that the time to invade is now." he declared.
"What do you purpose?" asked General Cheirisophus, he came with Queen Kassandra as he stood behind her.
"We'll have the armies from the Medieval Empire, Indian Empire, and Assassin Empire march back to where the Ninja Empire borders the Medieval and Indian empires. Take the Ningor Pass and flank Emperor Zhēngfú's armies heading north," said Zhōng.
"Your brother is a clever warrior, he might expect you to flank him directly," stated Chief Pontiac.
"Maybe, but I know his forces that are marching aren't his full force. I would think with the time he had, he has planned where the final battle will be held," said Zhōng and continued to study the map.
"Perhaps to ease our nerves, the Indians and Assassin empires marched the pass that's just in front of the Ninja Empire's forces while I lead mine to flank them. If time right we can push them west to my lands where I can have my forces capture them," suggested King James.
"Very well, once you reach the coast, blockade any ships passing between the Ninja Empire and the Egyptian Empire. Have them antagonize the coast of the Ninja Empire too," ordered Zhōng. He saw King James nod and Chief Pontiac growled in agreement.
"And what about the east advancements?" asked Chief Odin.
Zhōng pondered carefully while looking at the map. "We'll have the Spartans and Vikings fight on the eastern force, drive them back west of the Iarnă Mountains. We'll then use the Viking Empire's navy to land on the south side of the Ninja Empire. They will march up to meet the Spartan Empire's army to move north. The Spartan Empire's navy will blockade just like the Medieval Empire's to ensure the civil war the Egyptian Empire will not affect this war." he stated.
"General, ensure that our navy moves out now and prepare the men for battle," ordered Queen Kassandra.
"Yes, my queen," acknowledged General Cheirisophus, he bowed then left the room.
"Alice, prepare the men," ordered Chief Odin.
Before Alice could respond, Zhōng interrupted, "I regret to inform you, my chief, I would need General Alice's help with something."
"Which is what?" asked Chief Odin.
"The final place I want to invade is Port Dake. I'm going to use the Egyptian Empire's armies and soldiers of the Ninja Empire to attack there, however, I'm not going to use any of our ships," explained Zhōng.
"So how are you going to get my armies to the Ninja Empire then?" asked Pharaoh Ichika.
Zhōng looked at Zhen as she looked back at him. She saw him smile and realized what he had in mind. "We'll lose a lot of sailors if we use Spartan or Viking ships. It'll take too long and be noticed if a ship from the Medieval Empire came around. However, there's another place that has those kinds of vessels and firepower and they are not affiliated or have worked before with Emperor Zhēngfú. If my brother has brought a spare army, why can't I?" he said.