Dawn of the twelfth day brought with it a battlefield soaked in exhaustion and resolve. The armies of Qin stood battered but unbroken. On the right, the Hi Shin Unit and Gyoku Hou had already begun to stir their men, clinging to hope and memory to raise morale. On the left wing, where the forests began to give way to broken plains, the Gu Ren Tai stood ready.
Ren sat astride his horse at the front line, his gaze locked ahead. Kai stood beside him, quietly surveying the enemy. The Zhao's left, led by Ki Sui and his famed general Ba Tei, had been left relatively untouched in yesterday's chaos. But today, that would change.
From across the field, dust rose as Ba Tei's cavalry repositioned. His gruff voice echoed over the ranks. "So, Qin dares send children to die today."
Ren's eyes narrowed. "We move at Ou Sen-sama's order. This is our chance."
Kai nodded. "Ba Tei will move to intercept Mou Ten's push again. If we strike hard at the base, we can trap him."
Ren drew his sword and raised it high. "Gu Ren Tai—advance. Don't stop until I say so."
The 4,000-man force surged forward, cutting through the open space between the forests and Ki Sui's line. Zhao scouts cried out, and Ba Tei turned his cavalry at once.
Mou Ten's forces had already begun to engage the outer layers of Ki Sui's men. The battlefield became a spiral of chaos. Ba Tei barked an order, and his elite cavalry turned to crush the intruders at their flank—but there, at the center, was Ren.
The two forces collided like thunder.
Steel clashed. Arrows flew. The Gu Ren Tai's front ranks were bruised and bent, but not broken. Kai led the second wave in, cutting down Zhao footmen trying to stabilize.
Ba Tei tore through the ranks on a black steed, his massive blade cleaving men in two. He spotted Ren at the center.
"You! Boy commander!" Ba Tei sneered. "Do you even know who I am?"
Ren looked up, dirt and blood on his cheek. He answered with silence, only shifting his stance and lifting his sword.
Ba Tei charged.
The duel was fierce. Ba Tei was powerful, relentless, a monster on the battlefield. But Ren was calm. Patient. He sidestepped the first blow, parried the second. His men circled the edges, giving space but holding the perimeter.
Ba Tei struck again. Ren ducked low, spun around, then slashed upward. The sword cut across Ba Tei's arm. Blood sprayed.
"Tch—lucky swing!" Ba Tei roared.
Ren didn't speak. His next strike came fast and sudden—a pivot, then a clean thrust through Ba Tei's exposed flank.
Ba Tei's horse reared, throwing him off. He landed with a crash.
Gasping, Ba Tei reached for his blade. Ren stepped forward and drove his sword through the man's neck.
Silence fell.
Ren withdrew the weapon and stood still as Zhao soldiers froze in disbelief. Kai shouted, "General Ba Tei is dead! Fall back or die!"
The Gu Ren Tai pressed the advantage, and Ki Sui's left flank began to crack. From the other side, Mou Ten's men surged forward to meet them, having carved through a weakened center.
Ba Tei's banner dropped to the earth.
From afar, Ou Sen's distant standard shifted slightly. His eyes, half-closed in thought, opened a fraction as the message came.
"Ba Tei... dead?" he muttered.
The left wing's thunderous momentum was undeniable.
And at its center, Ren stood, his men rallying around him, a warrior's calm still resting on his shoulders.
This day belonged to him.