64 _ The Beginning of the End.

Mizuki wandered alone through the vast Forest , her energy drained , her soul broken.

She still could not comprehend why he had done this to her. They had shared something, something beautiful but he had chosen to throw it all away.

Dai Fang was afraid of weakness , of being hurt but that did not mean he should not have given a chance to show him that he was...

The sounds of horses and men approaching and Mizuki quickly concealed herself in the undergrowth. She watched in silence as the army of men marched past and her thoughts ran wild. What could such an army being doing there?

Her heart skipped a beat as she observed them closer and gasped as she saw that the men seated upon their stallions bore the insignia of the Kanerria Dynasty.

"We will keep marching and shall not stop until we reach the Forbidden Palace!" Jianhuo ordered.

"Yes, Your Imperial Majesty!" The men chanted in unsion.

Mizuki could not believe that it was the Emperor himself that was leading the battalion.

Wanting to escape before she was noticed , she stepped backwards and the leaves rustled underneath her weight. Jianhuo eyes moved sharply in her direction and the General commanded two of his men to go and investigate the source of the suspicious noise. Mizuki struggled relentlessly but was all to no avail as she was soon dragged out into the open and forced towards the Emperor , whom she was gazing upon for the first time.

He possessed a statuesque regal appearance with a proud look etched on his face. His facial expression changed on sighting his betrothed.

"The Notable Mizuki Yang." Jianhuo smiled as his hands gripped his reins and looked down at her robes

"What did that beast do to you?"

"He is not a beast." She countered glaring at him. "There is only one beast I see."

Jianhuo frowned before speaking to the two soldiers that held her. "The Devil King has effected her with some sort of magic. Bind her hands to make sure she does not escape." At his command , Mizuki was bound against a tree to prevent her escaping and she shouted out to him in anger. "

"What do you want with Dai Fang?!" Her eyebrows arched as she spoke to him.

The Emperor did not glance at her but spoke , his voice empty and cold as the rest of the army continued their march onward

"You will see soon enough, Girl."

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"Soldiers ready!" General Mu Shù ordered as he rose his hands in the air. He and his troop of. .... soldiers had scouted half the forest already but no sign of the dreaded evil or his minions.

Dai Fang could sense something amiss among the normal heartbeats of the usual inhabitants of the forest. Patterns of heavy feet in the grassy ground caught his attention.

He slowed his breathing and concentrated all his spirit energy as consciousness left his mind and his spirit silently wove his way through the forest. Dai Fang

could see them, all Imperial soldiers ,armed for battle.

But that wasn't all.

An individual who rode before the large army , leading them forward to battle was no other than the Emperor himself of the Kanerria Dynasty, Jianhuo Huang. By his right was the General Mu Shú and on the left was his Commander Huo Huang. He was dressed in full on battle armour , the insignia of the royal dragon imprinted on his golden chest plate. His hair tightly packed into a bun and wielding a mighty sword, he was leading a full army to march against him.

Dai Fang continued observing them as he sat on his throne.

"Trespassing on my territory?! He ridiculed, his heart angered as such insolent temerity by mortals. As he sat on the throne , Suddenly Nucai appeared with anxiety etched over her faces. She bowed in reverence before speaking.

"Master ... An army is approaching the Forbidden Palace from the north. I have concerns ..."

"I have faced battalions and won." Dai Fang retorted nonchalantly as he walked past her. "This is no different Nucai".

"But this is different Master as well as strange." She spoke again , not put down by his remarks. "The Emperor of The Kanerria Dynasty , Jianhuo Huang is riding with them. No man fights a battle he knows he can not win, and so I fear that he may break through the barrier."

"We shall wait and see." Dai Fang intoned. "If he somehow succeeds in breaking through , then he shall have the full wrath of hell upon him."

Nucai went on one knee bowed before him.She respected and held Dai Fang in high regard. He gave her herself worth after she had been trampled on as an illegitimate Child after destroying her enemies . In gratitude , she had sworn her allegiance to him and was going to do everything in her power to aid him against the invaders.

"If it be so , I will Fight for you till the end My Lord." She said , announcing her eternal support for her Master.

"It may come to that soon enough." He spoke with a cataract of eloquence. "And then you shall prove your loyalty."

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"He is not far." Jianhuo Huang said to himself as he could feel a strange darker energy building up in the atmosphere as his troops approached. The General commanded for all horses to halt and Jianhuo pulled on the reins of his War steed to come to a halt. Blocking their passage to the other side was a large ephemeral red barrier that enclosed the Forbidden Palace.

So the tales were indeed true." Huo Xun thought inwardly , awed by the sheer magnificence of the Palace. "So what should we do now, My Lord ?"

Jianhuo said nothing but urged his horse on towards the barrier. Upon reaching the divider , He took out his royal sword with emblems of the Divine Celestial Dragon of the heavens engraved into the Steel and down to the hilt. With a great force ,The Emperor thrust his blade into the boundary.

Amber veins emanated from the Blade as the cracks spread rapidly and the barrier began to slowly dematerialize until it finally disappeared.

An eerie ambiance hung in the air as the once azure skies turned to Dark crimson. Tiny Droplets of blood fell from the sky and the horses became unsettled the air strifed with tension of what was to occur next. Ill winds billowed as the vision of the men where obscured due to the sudden appearance of a Blood Mist.

The Emperor caught a drop of blood in his palm and watched impassive as a Dark Presence moved through the land.

"Dai Fang..."

Huo Xun nodded towards the General , giving permissibility for their next course of strategy. General Mu Shù rose his hand to the sky before bringing it down with the utmost of force as he voiced out his Command.

"Archers...Fire!"