66 _ An Intense Battle.

There was great casualties on both sides ; Mortal and Demon. It was a gory scene to behold with the once Grand Army that had stood only hours before was now laid to wedge with only less than a hundred thousand men Still standing. Whilst on the other hand , the Demons kept on multiplying overwhelming the remainder of Jianhuo's Forces.

General Mu Shù was bathed in blood. Some of which were his while others of his men. It was. to see all his men die in such a brutal manner ; magnanimous men who he fought alongside with . If they could lay down their lives for the Emperor, then he would fight...In their Honor.

Fueled by his unvarying resolution , he charged through the warring field ,slashing and cutting his way through the opposing forces , ready to keep on fighting till the end. For his Men!

For The Kanerria Dynasty!

On seeing the silver plates that hung from his shoulders and his imperial badge of honour that hung on his chest, Nucai came to the realization that he was the Commandry.

Killing the general would unsteady the entire royal troops leading to their imminent retreat. She readied her sword as she slowly approached him, waiting for the perfect moment to strike. The General was fatigued and beaten down and there seemed to be no end to the horde of The Devil King's minions. Still he pressed on as he would not waver!

In a sudden Instant , his Steed neighed loudly as it threw his forelimbs in the air and the General was thrown from his place. His face collided with the dust as his horse came down crashing , A neat cut could been seen on it's withers as it lay in a pool of clear red liquid

General Mu Shù sprang to his feet and from his sheath, he pulled out his Blade before defending himself against Nucai's Strike. Their combat was fierce as they two tilted their swords in order to gain an opening entry at the enemy. The General was certain his war expertise would not fail him at the last moment with more than Fourty Five years of cognizance underneath his belt. Wanting to destabilize her , He pushed her to the rear and Nucai faltered Wanting to get on her feet and he struck... The pointed edge if his assailing weapon descended

against her chest , cutting through the skin as blood streamed down her lips.

But Nucai refused to go down without a fight. Reaching for her Blade which lay in the dust , she plunged it into the General's neck as blood spurted out from open wound as the great General lay dead in the dust.

She had fought well. This was the last thought that ran through her mind as she fell beside the body on the ground and the sounds of death that was all around

her began to fade into oblivion...

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The dark moon peeked over the mountains on the east , breaking through the fog covering the plains . Finally , Mizuki had been able to reach the battle scene , her hear pounding faster with every step she took. The fog that enshrouded the fields refused to lift as she could barely make out the silhouettes of any living being but could hear the clashing of swords and the squelching of blood being spilt.

Disquietude threatened to force her regular breathing into irregular gasps but Mizuki remained controlled her heart and mind , set and determined to reach the Forbidden Palace as she ran through the field , not caring of the perils that lay ahead.

She pushed the doors open and moved quickly through the ruins of the Palace as it began to come down. It was desolate as some of the walls had tumbled down and cracks spread through the halls. Narrowly missing the incoming rocks and boulders from the caving top , Mizuki held on to a wall and looked up at the darkened sky and saw streaks of Light that clashed against each other in rapid action.

Curse that blasted Jianhuo! , She shouted in anger. If they did not stop their fighting, every one would die. She needed to make Dai Fang see reason again as his aggravation for the Emperor had blinded him.

Mizuki weaved through the crumbling Palace but was caught unexpectedly as a boulder broke off from the precipice and blocked her proposed path. Hearing steps approaching behind her , she turned around to see Huo Xun standing behind her alongside his bloodied sword.

"Mizuki Yang..." He drew out her name as he walked with menace.

"What do you want?" She asked , still standing her ground but had taken a step in the opposite direction.

"You have given me a lot of trouble Mizuki Yang..." He groaned. "I could have killed you countless times but you always eluded me. You even left me this little mark after our first encounter..." Huo Xun revealed to her the scar she had imposed upon him in the forest.

Mizuki gasped lightly as she fell back when she remembered it all. "It was you...You were the one that wanted to kill me..."

"This time..." He continued, raising his sword above his head. "I will not fail." He brought it down on her and Mizuki swiftly moved out of the way, managing a small cut against her chest.

Dashing through an opening , she fled but she could still hear him ; coming for her. Mizuki had no weapon to defend herself and could not keep running forever. Still tensed and tentative, she retreated back into her previous bed chamber and went towards the walls. Getting down on her knees, she put her hand into a hollow spot on the surface retrieved the fairly large shard she had earlier hidden. Though not as sized or preferable as a sword ,but it would do.

She made to rise when a hand shot out and grabbed her hair , pulling her out of the room. Mizuki screamed but no one heard as Huo Xun flung her against a pillar and her body failed her , her breath coming in short , infrequent gasps.

The Commander smirked as he knelt beside her , their faces only a short distance away from each other. His fingers caressed her face as he spoke grimly. "Such beauty... To be wasted..."

He made a short gurgling sound as hot blood sprayed unto Mizuki's face and he fell atop her . Mizuki breathed heavily as the shard , heavily stained with Huo Xun's blood , clattered to the ground , trying to come to terms to the fact she had just taken a life.

She staggered to her feet and sauntered through the Dark and solitary hall. She had killed him in defence , Mizuki muttered to reassure herself. Not because of anger nor vengeance. She had only killed him because if she had hesitated any moment mired, it would have been she lying dead.

But what mattered most was that he was dead and she was still breathing and she would not stop until she found Dai Fang.

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In the depths of the blood mist , he stood in the Dark sect of the Forbidden Palace, against the glasses window as he watched as his horde of blood thirsty demons razed down The Imperial army ; Watched as Nucai fell and blood spill from all sides. A distinct heartbeat beat serenely behind him and he heard the swish of steel cutting through the air.

A surge of energy bursted out from within him, the outstanding force pushing Jianhuo Huang back but he held his blade securedly.

"We meet at last Devil King." Jianhuo declared , sparks flying as he drew his Sword against the cold hard floor producing a threatening effect.

"You call me a devil but You lead your own people to their deaths." His dark robes

fluttering as he turned around to face this adversary.

"There is no much price one can pay to achieve ultimate power. Sacrifices have to be made." He retorted nonchalant, still grasping his blade not desiring to be taken inadvertently. "One strike from this blade would end you...Thereby awarding me much reverence and power than exceeds possible imagination ."

"Then you must be foolish as well as you vain." Dai Fang deprecated as dark energy emanated from him as his Demon Blade materialised into sight. "No mortal weapon can inflict any damage on me."

"But this is not not any mortal weapon." Jianhuo Huang informed as he took a step closer in The Devil King's direction. "The Divine Dragon Sword of the Heavens Dominion. A very powerful artifact ; powerful enough to put an END to you."

His Demon Blade Crackeld with energy as he swung it towards Jianhuo ; A deadly slash processing towards him. The attack knocked The Emperor down to the ground as his Sword fell from grasp. Dai Fang ran his hand against the lenght of it

and threw it towards Jianhuo. His voice filled with contempt as he spoke.

"Fight!"

Jianhuo rose and took up his blade from where it lay before him and cast The Devil King a dark look as his Sword radiated a preternatural light. "This day shall be the your last , Dai Fang."

Before he ended his sentence , Dai Fang lurched to him and gave him a sharp hit in his abdomen. Jianhuo spirted out blood as his body broke through the tect of the Forbidden Palace and into the open air of the battle field.

Regaining his Balance, he hovered in the air as the grip on his sword tightened and hatred in his mind incensed.

The Devil King ascended into the skies and propelled himself forward with such intense force and their blades clashed against each other with a mighty blast as they gushed through the reddened skies indulged in their own battle.

Jianhuo was keeping on the defence as he evaded every one of Dai Fang's attacks. Exacerbated, Dai Fang created a large fiery ball with phantasmagorial swirls of black and crimson and hurled it towards him. As this was too sudden to artifice, The Emperor drew out his Sword and defended himself against the

inevitable blast.

With his attention diverted to protecting himself , Dai Fang lurched towards him with the intent to destroy but a short burst of light stunned his senses.

He looked behind him and saw Jianhuo soaring towards him with his Sword in hand and held back. Moving as quick as lightning , their weapons lashed and the ground beneath them shook. Utilizing powerful techniques , Dai Fang delivered a number of cataclysmic blows to Jianhuo who kept on taking hit after hit as blood escaped from his lips...