336 Red Garden
"Wh-What the fuck was that!?" Moe shrieked as scorching steam assaulted the welts covering her body. The searing heat reddened their faces and snatched their breaths away as the Lainwright soldiers were consumed by agony. Terror spread like a contagion through the mist, threatening to unravel the typically unflinching warriors.
"In a military conflict, retreat is reserved for a singular reason," a mesmerizing voice declared, slicing through the fading mist. "The arrival of a juggernaut."
Dread pulsed through the Lainwright soldiers' veins when they heard the Immortals chanting Emperor Lexicon's name and cheering.
"Yet, surrender is never the answer," Kaze proclaimed, striding a quarter mile out, with golden light pulsing through the mist as he moved. Each flash silenced the screams of the Immortals, who then rose, creating an unsettling atmosphere akin to a necromancer's lair as the fog dispersed.
"No way," Denzel stammered, witnessing impaled soldiers restored to full health, inciting a crushing wave of despair.
"Even in the darkest of moments," the emperor began with an ominous cadence. "When hope has vanished, and victory seems impossible, even as comrades fall and your injuries signal ruin..."
"FIRE!" Sandra yelled. "DON'T LET HIM FINISH!"
"You have me," Kaze grinned as a torrent of arrows shot across the battlefield toward him. He thrust his hand forward, producing a pulse that resonated within everyone's chest, halting hundreds of arrows in their tracks. With a spiral motion, the Qi coalesced and hurled the projectiles off the battlefield.
BOOOOOOOOOOM!
The explosive force jolted everyone, their hearts pounding in terror. The fear only escalated as a colossal red dome enveloped the battlefield, casting the sun in a crimson hue and plunging their world into a sepia-toned nightmare. As the dome solidified, the ground beneath the Lainwright soldiers transformed into a shifting, oozing mass. They stared down in horror as pools of blood birthed tendrils that wove together into walls and cages, filling the air with the metallic scent of iron.
"What the hell is this!?" Eric cried out, sprinting away only to find tendrils and walls relentlessly pursuing him. It was as though they were alive, ceaselessly seeking to entrap the thousands present and prevent their escape.
"You have entered my domain," Kaze declared, his voice crisp and bone-chilling as he drew nearer, with rivers of blood from the battlefield flowing past him towards the Lainwright soldiers. "The more you struggle in the Red Garden, the more complex and confining it becomes, until you are ensnared in an inescapable prison."
"W-What level of technique is this!?" Harper exclaimed, witnessing the blood tendrils dissolve and reemerge elsewhere, morphing into walls, poles, and other structures to restrain the soldiers.
"I don't know for sure, but it transcends sacred," Crux trembled.
"Don't be absurd!" the blonde cultivator jeered. "You act as if you've seen a sacred technique before!"
"Silence, you fool," the Panthera growled. "Eclipse rendered you sightless and immobile for a full minute. Imagine how many times I could have eliminated you and your soldiers."
Fear crept over Harper as she recalled her blindness during the battle with Jake, "W-Wiait... that was—"
"A sacred technique," Crux interrupted. "Sacred techniques necessitate a sub-technique called proxitism — mental commands contingent on a target's proximity. Evalyn employs it to command her blades to pursue targets from any direction. Eclipse uses it to blind, strangle, and assail enemies with their own shadows, regardless of the shadow's location."
The cultivator's eyes widened in shock, and she glanced at the blonde, who stared at the emperor in a daze, seemingly paralyzed.
"However, that— that is not proxitism," Crux shuddered. "That blood is conscious and devising inventive solutions to confine soldiers without injuring them. It's as if Emperor Lexicon has complete control over everything within that red barrier— it's literally his domain."
Kaze strode silently across the battlefield, the soldiers hushing as he entered the prison of Lainwright soldiers, who trembled within the nets, bars, and walls that enclosed but did not touch them.
A quivering redhead in a blood cage stammered as he approached. "If you expect us to surrender, we—" she started, but a pistol's barrel materialized before her throat, cutting her off.
Bang!
"Guh..." she choked, collapsing to her knees as her body succumbed to paralysis.
The other Lainwright soldiers watched in horror. "W-What—"
Bang! Thud!
Another soldier fell as the emperor passed by.
Bang! Bang, bang, bang-bang-bang!
An unsettling atmosphere enveloped the area, the tension mounting as the emperor walked through with hypnotic apathy, targeting the Lainwright soldiers' pressure points with each shot.
"Will you surrender?" Kaze asked, stalking through the area. "Will you live another day under the magnanimous judgment of the people you have foolishly attacked?"
"NO!" Jackson roared, his voice stirring emotions within the soldiers. But his cry was cut short as he crumpled to the ground, a gunshot echoing through the air, denying him even a basic response. The soldiers attempted to rally around him, making him a martyr and accusing the emperor of cruelty and inhumanity. Yet, they, too, fell to gunshots, their will to fight shattered.
"You have attacked my people and tried to take their lives," the emperor stated, his voice cold and resolute. "You sought to murder them in cold blood. Do not preach to me about cruelty or inhumanity."
The Lainwright soldiers trembled, their fear palpable as they worried the Immortals might still seek vengeance.
"This isn't fair!" Chen spat, his face contorted in anger. "These prison cells prevent us from even aiming! This can't be called a defensive technique!"
"Where were your objections when your leader exploited our limitations to inflict harm upon thousands with impunity?" Kaze retorted. "That is a war crime.
The only way to protect my people from your barbaric ways is to lock you and your leader away."
Chen looked up to see General Skye, bound with blood-red ropes inscribed with runes. Everyone could see she planned to put up some resistance, but was bound from the start.
A wave of terror spread through the Lainwright soldiers as they realized they could face the consequences for breaking the rules. Many stammered and asked forgiveness, but it was to no avail.
"The moment you raise your weapon against another, you're at their mercy should you lose," Kaze pronounced. "Entering battle without accepting that reality makes you a fool."
Another gunshot rang out.
"Do you surrender?" the emperor inquired, hoisting the pistol with an icy stare.
"I'll spare everyone, absolve you of your war crimes, and hold only one person accountable — Evalyn Skye."
A paralyzing shock coursed through the group, filling them with unease. Many considered it a test, but the correct response remained elusive. They had been in this situation before — when they encountered Evalyn Skye, the representative of Immortal Skye. Now, Emperor Lexicon demanded their submission to him, the sovereign of the country.
Both options betrayed Immortal Skye, and none wished to jeopardize their alliance.
With quivering eyes, Evalyn listened, immobilized by despair. She recognized Kaze's intent and now could only await the verdict.
"Take my life if you must, but I refuse to brand my general a traitor, even for a mere exercise!" Denzel bellowed. "General Skye fights for Immortal Skye, the nation I serve. won't abandon her for any other land!"
Evalyn's eyes widened when she heard his response.
"Forget the exercise; you can kill me!" Manny, the loud, obnoxious hero from the Battle of the Shipping Yard, declared. "l won't accuse General Skye of war crimes for defending us!"
"With all due respect, please end this," Eric urged. "We won't yield or surrender.
Right now, our general is up there searching for a way to persevere — we won't abandon her."
A torrent of voices filled the air, each pledging their loyalty and respect for Evalyn, bringing tears to her eyes.
"Excellent answers," Kaze grinned, pressing his fingers together.
Snap!
The crimson barrier dissolved, allowing natural sunlight to flood in, transforming everyone's sepia-toned vision into a dazzling array of blues and greens. As their sight adjusted, they saw the emperor soaring in the air, gently cradling Evalyn while releasing her restraints.
"Though it's evident who emerged victorious in this battle," Kaze began, flashing a sly grin at the exuberant Immortals, "the Lainwright team has demonstrated its potential in what truly matters. Evalyn Skye is your general; as long as she remains loyal to our nation, you shall live, fight, and die for her, and she will reciprocate with protection, refuge, and prosperity!"
Overcome with emotion, the Lainwright soldiers unleashed triumphant roars that reverberated through the atmosphere.
"Immortals and Lainwright soldiers, you stand with Immortal Skye!" the emperor bellowed. "You are supported by the four mightiest juggernauts in existence. With us by your side, there is no foe you cannot vanquish!"
Their battle cries intensified, sending shockwaves through the air.
Kaze glanced at the Ice General cradled in his arms, her arms crossed and a pout on her lips as he flew her across the battlefield, eliciting applause from both factions. "What bears on you so?"
"You're insufferable," Evalyn grumbled. "Once again, you embarrass me after resolving yet another dilemma."
"I merely averted the worst-case scenario of your gamble," he chuckled. "You'll have to face the consequences. After all, our games and training are far from over."
The blonde offered him a wry smile and locked her gaze with his as they moved out of sight. "Thank you."
"My pleasure, love," Kaze replied softly, his voice tender. "You've performed admirably."
Tears welled up in Evalyn's eyes, and she wrapped her arms around his neck, allowing herself to be vulnerable in their intimate moment. Although she knew tomorrow would bring new challenges, she was grateful for her partner's support during this ordeal and the growth it had fostered within her.
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