With the walls stabilized, Jeet and his unharmed Magoli archer unit raced up the shattered stairwell onto the city wall. Their destination: the two collapsed towers. Among the wreckage, they immediately set to work, pulling wounded and burned soldiers from under the rubble.
"Naksh!" Jeet shouted. "Chinua!"
No answer came to Jeet's shouts—only the groans of wounded soldiers. He worked to pull survivors from beneath the bricks and burning debris.
Suddenly, a hand fumbled out from under the tumbling mass. Jeet tore feverishly at the wreckage. As bricks and splintered wood flew aside, he saw just the top of a man's head... and instantly knew who it was.
"Hye!" Jeet shouted, leaning closer to the debris.
"Make some noise if you can hear me!"
A strained, deep voice answered from within the wreckage, muffled and hard to make out. Jeet sagged with relief. Hye was alive under there!
"Hold on, Hye! I'll get you out!"
Reza, on the battlefield outside Hosha City, surveyed the collapsed section of the wall. The two towers had brought it down halfway, but the fallen debris presented a perfect path for him and his hundred elite soldiers to climb.
Seeing his chance, he spurred his horse into a gallop towards the fallen towers. His soldiers thundered close behind.
Seeing Reza and his soldiers were heading towards the fallen wall instead of the front gate, Drystan aimed his arrow machine at Reza's unit. As they were nearing the breach, Drystan's arrow machine fired a wave of arrows that arced towards them. The volley struck their horses, sending the panicked animals scattering in various directions.
Reza's horse went down, sending him tumbling to the ground. The moment he scrambled to his feet, Khunbish and Zhi were on him. Seeing the incoming spear and sword, Reza blocked with his own sword. But the combined efforts of Khunbish and Zhi sent him reeling back from the foot of the city wall. He stumbled into a group of Musian soldiers. Suddenly, he was in a fierce battle with them, fighting desperately to survive the onslaught.
From a distance, Payam and a few soldiers had been rushing towards Reza, who was fighting alone amidst the Musian soldiers.
As he drew closer to Reza, Payam saw them. A Magoli soldier, clambering from the burning ruins of the collapsed towers. The soldier picked their way down the rubble field, bow clutched in their hand, moving with clear intent. They were heading straight for Reza.
"Hurry up towards Captain Reza!" Payam shouted. "Stop that Magoli soldier! Stop that Magoli soldier!" Whipping his horse hard, he headed straight towards Reza.
When Chinua came to her senses, she felt someone pressing down on her. She coughed repeatedly, trying to clear her throat.
From beneath the weight, Mandla's voice was muffled. "Are you alright?" he asked, muscles trembling as he tried to shove the wreckage from his back.
Chinua heard Mandla's voice and looked up. Reality slammed into her: they were trapped, pinned under a corner of the fallen siege tower.
With a struggle, she freed her hands. Reaching out, she gripped the edge of the massive plank that pressed them down.
"Alright, Mandla," she gritted out. "On three. We push."
"One. Two. Three."
With a combined heave, Chinua and Mandla shoved the plank clear of Mandla's back. Scrambling free, they quickly examined themselves. Despite the collapse, they discovered their injuries were surprisingly minor.
Chinua's gaze swept the immediate area. She saw Jeet pulling Hye from the wreckage nearby—Hye was safe. Her relief confirmed, Chinua looked down at the battlefield. She saw the true danger unfolding: Razaasia soldiers were already swarming the collapsed towers, using the debris as ramps to assault the city wall.
A look passed between Chinua and Mandla—wordless understanding. The Razaasia soldiers climbing the breach had to be stopped before they gained the walltop. Leading other Magoli and Musian soldiers, they raced down the wreckage of the half-fallen wall to intercept the attackers.
Running down the wreckage of the wall, Chinua saw Razaasia soldiers swarming up the breach, and others rushing up her left flank. Amidst the chaos, she spotted a lone warrior holding his own against a knot of Musian soldiers. A commander, she deduced, by his sheer ferocity.
Ignoring Mandla's group heading for the main breach, Chinua made a snap decision. She snaked her way down the crumbling slope to her left, grabbing a bow and an arrow from the fallen timber as she went.
Closing on the wall's base, she saw Khunbish and Zhi were pinning the commander in place against a small cluster of Musian soldiers. Further out, Drystan's arrow machine continued its deadly work, horses carrying enemy troops collapsing across the battlefield.
Chinua notched an arrow and aimed at Reza, who was battling the Musian soldier. She released the bowstring just as Reza was pushed back, staggering towards Khunbish and Zhi.
The arrow sang through the air, straight towards Reza's neck. It ripped through him from left to right. He froze, motionless. Blood poured from his mouth and neck.
With a gurgling grunt, he slowly fell backwards to the ground.
Just twenty yards from Reza, Payam watched him fall. He was so close to saving his Captain, but he failed.
Immediately, the defenders swarmed them. Payam and his ten soldiers found themselves surrounded by Khenbish, Khawn, and the Magoli soldiers.
"You are surrounded. Put down your weapons," Khenbish said, pointing his bloody sword at Payam. "Surrender, and you can die with dignity. That is the merciful way."
Payam met the eyes of Khenbish and Khawn. A faint smile touched his lips as he spoke. "Do what you must do," he said. "I will not beg for mercy."
Khawn's gaze settled on Payam. The enemy soldier wore no armor and carried no weapons—a stark contrast to the others fighting nearby. Khawn looked at Khenbish.
"Let's take them to Chinua," he said.
As Reza fell, a roar went up from the Musian soldiers. Hearing the triumphant shout, the Razaasia soldiers in the distance broke and ran, leaving others behind.
By the time Chinua, Jeet, Naksh and Hye reached the foot of the broken city wall, Khenbish and Khawn had escorted Payam and ten other Razaasia soldiers to Khunbish and the other soldiers.
Payam's eyes scanned the scene: Reza's body lay on the ground. Behind the young woman, seven soldiers stood watch. A chuckle escaped Payam's lips.
"So," he said, his voice laced with irony, "who among you finally brought the mighty Zhi, the best soldier of lord Zhiyuan's army, to his knees?" He glanced at Zhi, a slight scoff. "I expected a fearsome general, perhaps the South General of Lao-Da Pass! Not..." His gaze settled back on Chinua, his eyes narrowing. "...some unknown youth."
He looked directly at her, a grim acceptance in his eyes. "Tell me your name, then end this," he stated. "I will not beg."
"Chinua," Chinua said. "I'm impressed by your resolve."
Chinua's voice made Payam flinch. "A woman?" A harsh laugh burst from him. "I thought you were a man." He swung his head towards Zhi, a sneer on his face. "Of all the celebrated warriors here... you stand with the ones defeated by a woman."
"Choose your words carefully," Khunbish said and glaring at Payam.
"If I were you, I would not underestimate the fighting skills of Magoli women," Chinua said, looking at Payam. "A Magoli woman can defeat ten thousand of your elite soldiers. Imagine what a Magoli man commander can do to your army." She paused. Her gaze shifted from Reza's body on the ground back to Payam. "You can bring your captain's body back."
Payam's surprise showed as he looked at Chinua. "A woman, no matter what she wears, is still a woman," he said. "A soft-hearted person." He watched as the five Razaasia soldiers lifted Reza's body onto a horse. Turning back to Chinua, he added, "Thank you. Maybe next time we meet, I'll return the favor." He then grabbed the leash.
Chinua looked at Khunbish and Khenbish. They quickly killed the five Razaasia soldiers, leaving only Payam, who was still holding the lead rope.
Chinua stepped forward to face Payam. She stared at him and said firmly, "Consider yourself lucky because I need a messenger to send my message to your commander." Raising her head, she took a step closer. "Give your commander this clear and unmistakable message: if you continue this, we will come after you and hunt you down with ultimate force. We will find you in your own bases, wherever you may be—in the land of our allies or behind the safety of your own city walls. Your days will be numbered once you come face to face with us."
Looking at Chinua, Payam felt the world around him suddenly shrink. The absolute fearlessness she showed as she spoke explained why. He exhaled softly and said, "Every word you say, I will pass it on to the commander." Then, mounting his horse, he headed away from the battlefield.
By late afternoon, all the bodies of the dead Magoli and Musian soldiers had been collected. The dead Musian soldiers were carried into Hosha City, while the dead Magoli soldiers were neatly laid side by side in a clearing on the battlefield. Chinua and Mandla agreed that once they buried the dead Magoli and Musian soldiers, they would gather the bodies of the dead Razaasia and burn them.
By late afternoon, black vultures were already circling the battlefield, some beginning to feed on the Razaasia soldiers. Watching them peck at the fresh corpses, Chinua couldn't help but wonder whether the Razaasia would attack Hosha City again just to collect the bodies, or if they would come with a peace talk to retrieve their dead soldiers.
"You can stop staring. They won't come to collect their fallen brothers," Hye said as he walked towards Chinua. "The Razaasia are known for never collecting their dead comrades."
Chinua looked at Hye and asked, "So, they're just going to leave the dead here for the vultures to eat?"
"This is what they are famous for. They will not lose soldiers for unnecessary tasks, especially recovering the bodies of fallen soldiers." He sighed. "This is their tradition. Unlike the Magoli, we will go home together whether we are dead or alive." He gently patted Chinua's right shoulder. "The scene before you now are one that will never be erased from the memories of the survivors until they become the next to lie on the battlefield like so many before them."
A soldier ran towards Chinua and Hye, calling out, "Chinua!"
"What's the matter?" Chinua asked.
The soldier pointed and said, "Two people are approaching the battlefield."
Looking where the soldier pointed, Chinua saw two people, each wearing a white cloth on their foreheads, pushing a small wooden cart towards the battlefield.
The Magoli soldiers quickly captured the two civilians and brought them to Chinua.
Chinua looked at the old man and a young pregnant woman in her early twenties. "What are you two doing here?" Chinua asked. "Coming onto the battlefield like this, you could be mistaken for enemy soldiers."
The old man looked at Chinua and knelt before her. "My lord," he said, not daring to make eye contact. "The battle is over. The soldiers are dead." He sobbed quietly, wiping away his tears. "May His Lord have mercy on this old man and allow him to take his dead son home." He continued to sob. "Please have mercy on me, who traveled ten days and nine nights to come here to collect the body of my only son."
The pregnant woman said tearfully, "'Although they are your enemies, for us ordinary people, war is not what we want. Please show compassion for the many fathers, mothers, brothers, sisters, daughters, and sons who are still waiting at home.'"
She crawled forward and groveled at Chinua's feet. "'Please, My Lord, please show compassion and bring closure to these wives, mothers and fathers. Please.'"
She kissed the top of Chinua's right bloody shoe. As she reached for the left, Chinua took a step back.
Chinua looked at the pregnant woman, still crying. She turned to look at Hye, whose eyes were locked on the pleading woman and the old man on the ground. "If you can find the person you're looking for, I won't stop you," she said.
The old man and the pregnant woman looked at Chinua. "Thank you, My Lord," they said.
Chinua asked, "Is there anyone else with you?"
The old man said, "There is still a group of forty people who dare not approach."
Chinua sighed and said, "You can tell others that if their families want to collect the bodies, Chinua allows it. But those who come with threats will be killed on the spot."
The old man nodded and left with the pregnant woman, heading to the battlefield filled with thousands of dead Razaasia soldiers.
Khunbish asked, "What are we going to tell Prince Mandla?"
Chinua watched the pregnant woman and the old man. They were carefully turning over the dead Razaasia soldiers, one soldier at a time, searching for their family member among the fallen. Chinua turned back to Khunbish. "I'll talk to him," she said.
She looked at Hye beside her. "Convey my order: As long as civilians come to collect their dead without weapons or threats, they must not be harmed." Chinua watched her men walk towards the other soldiers who were piling the Razaasia bodies.
Khunbish said, "I will convey Chinua's order." He left Chinua and Hye and walked towards the Magoli troops who were collecting the fallen Razaasia.
Hye looked at Chinua, smiled and said, "It's good to show empathy towards your enemies. It shows that you are still a human being with a heart of flesh and blood."
Chinua looked at Hye and snickered. "This is a promise I made to you, and I intend to keep it," she said.
Hye smiled gently at Chinua and said, "Chinua, if you show empathy towards the mother, father, brothers, sisters and friends of your dead enemies, maybe one day the relatives of those so-called enemies will be willing to open their doors and welcome you without bloodshed."
Chinua smiled and turned to Hye, then looked out at the battlefield filled with dead and undead soldiers. Recalling the words, she said, "The greatest victory is that which requires no battle."
"Congratulations on your victory. From now on, Chinua's name will no longer be unknown," Hye said.
"It's all thanks to you and everyone's hard work," Chinua said.
"Chinua, you must remember that a good commander is one who always remembers the names of his soldiers," Hye said.
Chinua met his gaze. "I will never forget what you taught me," she said. "Treat your men like your own beloved sons. They will follow you into the deepest valleys." She smiled at Hye.
Hye chuckled, "Before you go meet Prince Mandla, remember to wash your face first." He tapped Chinua's bloody right cheek with his index finger.
Chinua rolled her eyes at Hye, knocking his finger away. A silly smile appeared on her face as she said, "Don't tell a lady how she needs to present herself in front of a royal prince." Both Chinua and Hye burst into laughter and turned to face the field.
After their laughter died down, Hye sighed heavily. His tone turned serious as he said, "Chinua, in front of us is what I call the red zone. The zone that will stay with us for the rest of our lives."