Only after hearing those words, a few of them begin to reconsider their options. Those who have previously been determined to sacrifice their lives, begin to think about their safety. Doubts begin to resurface in their faces.
Especially those who are still young, start to think about their dreams and aspirations, or maybe the love ones they left behind in the village. Rangkabhumi finds it so obvious on their faces. And he smiles, not wanting to force the situation.
"You youngsters stay inside the fortress. Let me and the captains fight them outside," says Rangkabhumi.
"Fighting them outside?" One of the youngsters mumbles with a disbelieving face.
But Rangkabhumi doesn't show any doubt in the slightest. Likewise with the 5 captains who still survive until now, they know the situation very well yet choose to follow their General until the end.
Rangkabhumi and his five captains walk out of that fortress, and nonchalantly approach the enemy's campsite.
"You think they will know we are going to approach them like this?" says one of the captains.
"There's no way they are expecting us to come!"
"That's what I think. We might be able to kill them all with this ambush."
"Heh! Don't get too confident. I'm afraid you will run out of stamina too early for being too excited."
"What? You are doubting my kanuragan now?"
"Sorry, guys! I don't think a sneaky attack will help our situation," Rangkabhumi interferes with their silly quarrel. "We have to keep them busy until General Kagendra arrives with his army. Which means, we have to fight them head on, without any tricks."
Rangkabhumi draws his sword. The other finds the air around the sword is swayed by something. They know, their General wasn't joking around with his word, because that sword has already been imbued by a thick spirit energy.
Rangkabhumi starts his run, and then waves his sword toward the enemy's camp site, releasing some kind of flying wind blade. It travels quite fast, and destroys a few of the enemy camps.
That one attack manages to create a chaos. A few enemy soldiers are seen knocking their bamboo sticks to alert the others.
Soon, Rangkabhumi sees a wave of enemy soldiers running toward him from afar. But it isn't enough to kill his determination. He sends another slashes, and another wind blade of spirit energy flies toward the enemy and kills so many of them.
"Hohoo! That's the great warrior of Mount Saringgih for you," utters one of the captains with his excited face.
"Stupid! He is burning out his own life force to use that technique. There's no way he can keep doing that forever."
"Let's go! Don't let him die before us!"
Right before dawn, the troops from Muncar Regency arrive at Fort of Talang Asri. Not only General Kagendra, there is also General Abimana with them, who is aloud as the Greatest General in Chakradwipa kingdom.
Unlike Kagendra and the other soldiers, General Abimana knows Rangkabhumi so well, because they are disciples of the same teacher. And this great general notices the unique technique Rangkabhumi is currently using, despite from a distance.
"Oh, God! Are there no more soldiers left in this fortress?!" he mumbles with an awry face.
"There were only General Rangkabhumi and his 5 Captains fighting the enemy right now. They've been out there for 3 incenses*," says one of the Talang Asri youngsters who have been staying at the fort.
Immediately, Abimana kicks the back of his horse and spurs it towards the enemy. This is quite an unusual sight for the other soldiers, because a general like him shouldn't immediately intervene like that without having time to give orders to his own subordinates.
The thing is, Abimana can see from afar where Rangkabhumi is using his spirit energy so many times. It can only mean that Rangkabhumi is currently fighting by putting his life on the line.
And indeed, Rangkabhumi is the only one left, while all his 5 captains have met their end. However, even though he is still able to put up resistance while slaughtering the enemies around him, he is already in a dire condition.
Three arrows have stuck in his back, one in his right thigh. He has received so many fatal wounds in his chest, with a piece of spear tip still stuck in his stomach.
But he still puts a fight against so many enemies, fighting by himself while holding the banner of Chakradwipa kingdom in his left hand.
"Rangkabhumi!!!"
Abimana shouts out loud from afar as he comes to his aid. Even without looking back, Rangkabhumi can recognize that voice coming from behind him. He smiles so peacefully, and then plants the banner of Chakradwipa kingdom on the ground.
"Long live Jayantaka! Long live Chakradwipa!" He mutters so lowly with a weak voice, and then slowly closes his eyes.
Abimana jumps so high right above him, and then delivers his "Holy Wind Slash", the similar sword technique that Rangkabhumi has used so far.
Just by waving his sword once, he releases a massive wind blade around in the shape of a crescent moon, and clears so many people.
However, once he turns around, he finds Rangkabhumi kneeling on both knees while holding the banner of Chakradwipa kingdom.
A great warrior has died, smiling so peacefully after knowing so sure that he has successfully defended his fortress and the village of Talang Asri. That's how much trust he had on Abimana that he could rest in peace.
"How could you smile so peacefully like that? Brother?"
Abimana looks so proud to see how his junior, a fellow disciple under the same master, sacrificed his life as a noble knight.
However, as soon as he turns towards the enemy, fury fills his face. Most of the enemy soldiers recognize him, because indeed, he is one of the most feared generals in the land of Jawadwipa.
After all, Rangkabhumi alone has slaughtered more than half of their troops. Now they have to face the strongest general from the Chakradwipa kingdom.
"That's Abimana the Wise! He got that nickname because he never had to join any battle to win a war. But long before he became a general, he was a fearsome swordsman who was always thirsty for blood."
"I can't believe they would send their greatest warrior just to protect that small fortress."