Chapter 54 I...Submit (Two chapters combined...)
The arrival of the Wind Kingdom was like dropping a bombshell on an already chaotic battlefield, completely changing the situation.
—For the remnants of the Land of Lightning's army, which were already battered and had almost lost their will to fight, they only needed to allocate a portion of their forces to suppress and drive them away, ensuring that they could no longer put up an effective resistance.
The vast majority of the troops, like venomous scorpions that had been gathering strength, stung fiercely at the Land of Earth's army that had just launched its charge.
The Land of Earth's army was still basking in the euphoria of the tailed beasts' disappearance and the impending victory a moment ago, but the next second they had to hastily deal with the fierce attack launched from the flank by this highly motivated new force.
The formation was instantly disrupted, and the commander's desperate shouts were drowned out by the deafening battle cries and the explosions of ninjutsu.
The Turkish general was in a state of panic on the makeshift command platform, constantly adjusting his deployment in an attempt to stabilize the situation.
An ominous premonition had already risen in his heart. The timing of the Wind Kingdom's appearance was too strange, as if they had been lying in ambush all along, just waiting for them to suffer heavy losses.
"Report!" A messenger scrambled onto the command platform, his face ashen, his voice trembling. "General! Something terrible has happened! Urgent report from the rear! Our three largest granaries on the southeastern border have been attacked simultaneously! The defending troops have been completely wiped out, and all the grain... has been burned or looted!"
"What?!" The general was struck dumb, his body swayed, and his vision went black. If his personal guards hadn't caught him in time, he would have almost fainted.
The attack on the rear granaries means that tens of thousands of troops at the front will face starvation, and morale will collapse immediately.
If he still couldn't figure out that he had fallen into a trap at this point, then he would have been a general for nothing.
"The Land of Wind... What a Land of Wind! What a perfect example of the snipe and the clam fighting, while the fisherman benefits!" He gritted his teeth, a metallic taste rising in his throat, a sign of being consumed by rage.
It's over, it's all over! With a powerful enemy in front and our retreat cut off, it's foreseeable that our army will collapse!
The outcome of the battle was already a foregone conclusion.
Deprived of logistical supplies and besieged on both sides, the Land of Earth's army was demoralized. Under the orderly attacks of the Land of Wind's army and the occasional counterattacks of the remnants of the Land of Lightning, they suffered heavy casualties and were forced to retreat step by step.
This fierce three-way battle lasted for three days and two nights, and finally came to an end on a battlefield littered with the flags of the Wind Kingdom's army flying high.
As the saying goes, when the snipe and the clam fight, the fisherman benefits.
The Kingdom of Wind became the sole and greatest winner in this massive conflict that affected three major nations and consumed countless lives and resources.
***
The capital of the Land of Lightning.
The old man of the Kurosawa family was like an ant on a hot pan, pacing back and forth in the mansion.
News of the defeat has reached him, but fortunately only he knows about it so far, and the situation can be barely stabilized, but he doesn't have much time left.
He desperately tried to contact Yan Sheng through secret channels, hoping to get instructions on how to proceed, salvage the situation, or at least... save his own life and position.
However, all attempts to contact him failed, and Yan Sheng seemed to have vanished into thin air. This feeling of abandonment terrified him.
The capital of the Land of Earth.
The atmosphere was as oppressive as the calm before a storm. The envoys, forced to sign a humiliating treaty, had returned; its contents were nothing short of humiliating: ceding resource-rich territory, paying enormous war reparations, opening trading ports, and granting the Wind Kingdom most-favored-nation status...
The daimyo of the Land of Earth smashed his beloved inkstone in anger, his face turning ashen and his chest heaving violently.
"The Land of Wind... The Land of Wind!" He squeezed out these words through gritted teeth, his eyes filled with bloodshot veins and hatred.
He never expected that this neighbor, whom he had always regarded as barren, weak, and insignificant, this desert dog that he had never taken seriously... would actually bite off a piece of his flesh from behind while he was fighting a powerful enemy, leaving him severely injured and humiliated!
Two days later.
News of the defeat spread throughout the Land of Lightning.
After suffering defeats in two major wars, the nation's strength had plummeted to its lowest point, the people were filled with resentment, and the nobles were filled with anxiety.
Everyone sensed that the Land of Wind, riding high on its victory, would soon come to impose harsh conditions. The entire nation awaited the final judgment with trepidation, and grew increasingly dissatisfied with the daimyo's rule.
However, the exorbitant demands from the envoy of the Wind Kingdom, which were expected, did not materialize immediately.
What's even more puzzling is that, in the war report released by the Land of Wind, although it claimed to have won, it did not deliberately emphasize that it had defeated the Land of Lightning, but instead pointed the main finger at the Land of Earth, which is known for its aggression.
Subsequently, the postwar treaty secretly signed with the Land of Lightning was far less harsh than that with the Land of Earth. Although it demanded some reparations and commercial concessions, it did not involve clauses that would cede territory or cause loss of sovereignty.
This "raise it high, then put it down gently" attitude left the Land of Lightning completely bewildered, unable to figure out what the Land of Wind was up to.
In this eerie and oppressive atmosphere, Uchiha Kokusatsu, who had disappeared for several days, finally reappeared.
Inside the palace of the Daimyo of the Land of Lightning.
The distraught and frightened daimyo, upon seeing Yan Sheng, grasped at a straw and, disregarding etiquette, rushed forward with complaints: "Lord Yan Sheng! What... what happened? Why weren't you there at the crucial moment? Now that we've failed, what are we supposed to do? What about the Land of Wind..."
His words came to an abrupt end.
Yan Sheng ignored his complaints and grievances, and slowly took something out of his pocket.
It was a jade pendant, its surface smooth and lustrous, carved with intricate patterns of desert storms and blazing suns. Under the palace light, it shimmered with a warm glow.
The shape and patterns of the jade pendant are symbolic tokens of the status and power of the Daimyo of the Land of Wind. Others may not know this, but the Daimyo of the Land of Lightning certainly does.
Or rather, they are known worldwide within their circle.
The daimyo of the Land of Lightning's pupils suddenly contracted, his mouth involuntarily opened, and all the words that followed were stuck in his throat, turning into an incredulous, terrified gasp.
"Hoh—!"
He stared intently at the jade pendant, as if he were seeing the most incredible and terrifying thing in the world.
A terrifying thought, one he had never dared to even consider before, slithered into his mind like a venomous snake, leaving him feeling as if he had fallen into an ice cave, his whole body ice-cold.
Yan Sheng, holding the jade pendant symbolizing the highest authority of the Land of Wind, calmly looked at the daimyo of the Land of Lightning, who had instantly lost his speech and turned deathly pale, and casually uttered six words:
"Submit to me, or die."
The palace of the Land of Earth.
The daimyo of the Land of Earth, who had just signed that humiliating treaty, was pacing anxiously in the magnificently carpeted hall, his pent-up anger almost igniting within him.
Every time he recalled the terms of the treaty, he felt as if he had been slapped hard in public, a mixture of humiliation and resentment that made it difficult for him to calm down.
"Land of the Wind... Hirohito! You despicable and shameless scoundrel! How dare you humiliate me like this! I swear I will not rest until I avenge this!" he roared in a low voice, his fists clenched white.
In his view, the Land of Wind was nothing more than a hyena taking advantage of his weakness, and its daimyo Hirohito was a petty man who had gained power, which was even more unacceptable to him than the defeat itself.
Just then, from the shadows on the side of the hall, a figure silently appeared. Without a guard's announcement or the sound of footsteps, he appeared out of thin air, like a ghost.
The newcomer was wearing a sand-proof robe unique to the Kingdom of Wind, which covered his entire body, with only his eyes exposed.
"Who?!" The daimyo of the Land of Earth turned around abruptly, his expression a mixture of shock and anger. His guards belatedly drew their weapons and nervously surrounded the uninvited guest.
"An assassin?" The daimyo was both shocked and furious, but more than anything, he was enraged by the extreme offense he felt. This was his palace! The other party had entered as if it were empty, and was even wearing the attire of the Land of Wind.
"What exactly does Hirohito want? Did he send you to humiliate me? Or to take my life?" The daimyo's face flushed red with anger, his finger trembling as he pointed at the newcomer. "Tell him, don't even think about it! Even if my Land of Earth is defeated, it will never submit to him! Tell him to give up that idea!"
He naturally assumed that this was an envoy sent by Hirohito, the daimyo of the Land of Wind, to boast of his victory and even make more outrageous demands.
However, in the face of his rage and rebuke, the man in black robes only let out a short "Ah".
Then, those exposed eyes calmly looked at him and gently corrected his misunderstanding:
You've got one thing wrong.
"I'm not asking you to submit to him," the man in black said casually. "I'm asking you to submit to me."
Upon hearing this, the hall fell into an instant silence.
The anger on the face of the Daimyo of the Land of Earth froze, turning into astonishment and absurdity. He wondered if he had misheard, or if the other party had gone mad.
The daimyo of the Land of Wind was, after all, a ruler of a country whose status was equal to his (at least nominally). Although he hated him to the core, his status was what it was.
But what is this guy in front of me, hiding his true face and not daring to show it? How dare he so brazenly ask me to submit?
"Who do you think you are?" The daimyo of the Land of Earth stammered, his voice rising sharply with rage. "A cowardly rat hiding its head and tail, dares to ask me to submit? Has Hirohito gone mad? Sending someone like you..."
He didn't finish his sentence.
A terrifying pressure, as solid as a mountain, suddenly descended upon the hall.
The air became thick and heavy, the candlelight flickered wildly as if it would go out at any moment, and the guards holding sharp blades didn't even utter a sound before they were struck as if by an invisible hammer, their eyes rolled back, and they all fainted and collapsed to the ground.
The daimyo of the Land of Earth wasn't much better off. He felt short of breath, as if his heart was being gripped by a cold, large hand, and his entire body was groaning under the strain.
He stared in horror at the black-robed man standing motionless before him.
Yan Sheng looked at the Land of Earth's daimyo, whose face had turned from red to white, who was trembling all over and could barely stand. Yet, there was still no ripple in his exposed eyes.
"Now," Yan Sheng's voice rang out again, clear as the whisper of death in the deathly silent and oppressive hall, "Do you understand what I rely on?"
The daimyo of the Land of Earth opened his mouth, but no sound came out; only hoarse, wheezing breaths like a broken bellows came from his throat.
The anger and humiliation in his eyes had long been replaced by fear. At this moment, he had to realize that the person in front of him could truly take his life.
Yan Sheng then raised his hand, and a jade pendant identical to the one he had displayed in the Land of Thunder appeared in his hand.
"Submit, or..." Yan Sheng's gaze swept over the unconscious guard on the ground, the meaning clear: "Die."
The daimyo of the Land of Earth's legs buckled, and he could no longer support himself. He collapsed onto the cold ground with a thud, his face ashen.
He realized that Hirohito was probably no longer the true ruler—the real mastermind was the guy in front of him.
......
In the deathly silent hall, the suffocating pressure gradually receded, but the fear and helplessness remaining in the mind and body of the Land of Earth Daimyo did not diminish in the slightest.
The lord slumped to the ground, his magnificent robes covered in dust, looking utterly disheveled.
He struggled, his throat dry and tight, to ask the question that had been swirling in his mind: "Who...who are you? What do you want?"
He had considered many possible answers—for territory, for resources, for revenge, for ambition... He could understand any of them.
A moment of silence.
Just when the daimyo of the Land of Earth thought the man in black robes wouldn't answer, the man in black robes spoke.
"Peace."
......
What?
The daimyo of the Land of Earth's pupils dilated in astonishment. He wondered if there was something wrong with his ears, otherwise how could he not understand?
--Peace?
A person who controls tailed beasts, instigates wars, secretly plots, crushes the dignity of other nations, forces them to sign humiliating treaties, and is now using force to coerce them into submission... claims that all of this is for the sake of peace?
This was the most absurd, ironic, and incomprehensible thing he had ever heard.
For a moment, the daimyo of the Land of Earth was completely blank. All his anger, fear, and humiliation were frozen by this answer, leaving only a sense of bewilderment as his understanding was overturned.
He looked at Yan Sheng as if he were looking at an incomprehensible monster.
Yan Sheng ignored the complex and ultimately blank expression on the face of the Daimyo of the Land of Earth.
For him, the answer had already been given, and whether the other party understood or agreed with it was meaningless.
He turned around, the hem of his black robe making a clean arc, just as he had come, silently disappearing into the shadows of the hall, leaving behind only the daimyo of the Land of Earth, slumped on the ground, his mind reeling from the shock, alone to process this answer he could not comprehend.
Yan Sheng did not linger.
The Land of Earth and the Land of Lightning are already in his grasp, the Land of Wind has become his pawn, and the Land of Fire is entirely under his control... On the world chessboard, only one crucial node remains to be played.
Meanwhile, the capital of the Land of Fire welcomed a group of guests from afar—the daimyo of the Land of Water and his entourage, including Princess Himeko, who had not returned home for a long time.
Returning to her homeland, Princess Hime was filled with mixed emotions.
The capital city remained prosperous, and her father seemed to be in good health, but she could sense that the atmosphere in the palace was different from when she left.
After the routine greetings and family banquet, Princess Ji repeatedly heard a name from her father and from the veiled conversations of other nobles: Yan Sheng.
This minister, who did not exist in her memory, seemed to enjoy the deep trust of her father and his influence was ubiquitous.
"Father," Ji Zi casually mentioned in a private setting, "I have heard that there is a capable minister in the capital named Yan Sheng, who is highly regarded by you. I wonder if I would have the honor of meeting him?"
Upon hearing this, the daimyo of the Land of Fire showed a subtle, complex expression, then chuckled and said, "Yan Sheng... he is indeed exceptionally capable and has helped his father a great deal. However, unfortunately, he had some business to attend to some time ago and is not currently in the capital. I don't know when he will return."
Princess Ji understood and knew that her father did not want to talk about it in depth, so she wisely stopped asking.
On the other side.
The most important purpose of the Daimyo of the Land of Water's trip was to find out how to control the Tailed Beasts.
During the formal talks, he repeatedly steered the conversation toward the Tailed Beasts, subtly trying to extract key information from the Daimyo of the Land of Fire.
When faced with the probing of the Daimyo of the Land of Water, the Daimyo of the Land of Fire either avoided the main issue and talked about the friendship between the two countries, or changed the subject and praised the customs and culture of the Land of Fire, but never took the topic of the Tailed Beasts.
After several such incidents, the daimyo of the Land of Water grew increasingly grim.
Suppressing his anger, he returned to the inn and pressured his wife, Himeko: "You are the princess of the Land of Fire, go and ask your father! The matter of the tailed beasts concerns the safety of our country, and he must give us an explanation!"
Himeko's heart was filled with resistance and sorrow.
She loathed being used as a political tool by her husband, and was even less willing to pressure her father. But on the surface, she maintained the demeanor of a submissive wife, softly replying, "Yes, my husband, I will go and ask Father."
She requested an audience with the daimyo of the Land of Fire once again.
However, before her father could speak, she preemptively said, "Father, you don't need to be troubled. I know what I should and shouldn't ask. I will take care of things with my husband."
Looking at the restrained yet understanding look in his daughter's eyes, the daimyo of the Land of Fire felt a pang of sorrow and guilt, which ultimately turned into a sigh.
When Ji Zi returned to the inn, she lowered her eyes and whispered to her anxiously waiting husband, "I asked my father, but he seemed to have something he couldn't tell me and didn't tell me."
Upon hearing this, the daimyo of the Land of Water's face turned completely grim.
He lingered in the Land of Fire for several more days, making inquiries in various ways, but to no avail. Everything about the Tailed Beasts was blocked by an invisible wall.
Seeing that he could gain nothing, his anger turned into cold resentment, and he finally ordered the return journey.
On the way back home, the daimyo of the Land of Water looked grim, and the atmosphere in the carriage was frighteningly oppressive.
As he was pondering how to salvage his reputation after gaining nothing, and how to deal with the Land of Fire, which might possess the power of a tailed beast, his trusted aide hurriedly delivered an urgent intelligence report.
The daimyo of the Land of Water received the intelligence, glanced at it, and sat up straight, his face filled with shock and disbelief.
The intelligence report stated that during his visit to the Land of Fire, the situation in the northern part of the continent underwent drastic changes. A large-scale war broke out between the Land of Lightning and the Land of Earth. Furthermore, the tailed beasts reappeared on the battlefield.
"This...how is this possible?!" The daimyo of the Land of Water trembled slightly as he held the intelligence report.
Why is there another tailed beast? It feels like everyone has one now except him.
Just as the daimyo of the Land of Water was in a state of turmoil, repeatedly pondering the implications behind this shocking news and how the Land of Water should conduct itself, the swaying carriage slowly entered the capital of the Land of Water.
Before the carriage had even come to a complete stop, a servant hurriedly came to the window and whispered, "Your Highness, someone from the palace is requesting an audience. They say they have been waiting for you for a long time."
The daimyo of the Land of Water frowned, his mood extremely foul, and asked impatiently, "Who goes there?"
The attendant's voice carried a hint of uncertainty and tension: "The other party refused to reveal their identity, only saying that they came from the Land of Wind and had important matters to discuss with His Majesty, concerning... the future of the Land of Water."
"The Land of Wind?" The daimyo of the Land of Water was taken aback. That barren land he had overlooked? What were their people doing here? And what were they saying about the future of the Land of Water?
A strange sense of foreboding rose in his heart. His face darkened, he straightened his robes, and said coldly, "Have him wait in the side hall."
***
Filled with doubt and still seething with anger, the daimyo of the Land of Water arrived at a side hall of the palace.
A figure shrouded in a dark, sand-proof robe sat quietly in the lower seat, relaxed as if this were his own courtyard.
The daimyo snorted coldly, strode to the main seat, and sat down with a flick of his sleeve. He looked down at the newcomer with disdain, his tone full of impatience and contempt: "So you're from the Land of Wind? Speak, what brings you all the way to my Land of Water?"
He anticipated how the other party would fawn over him, after all, what good things could come from a barren land like the Wind Kingdom?
However, the man in black robes did not answer. He simply raised his head, his only exposed eyes calmly gazing at the daimyo.
The instant their eyes met, a strange and beautiful red light suddenly shone from the depths of those eyes.
In an instant, the daimyo of the Land of Water felt a buzzing in his skull, his consciousness spinning like a leaf thrown into a whirlpool. As the nauseating dizziness subsided, he was horrified to find that the scenery around him had completely changed.
The familiar soft cushion beneath him was gone, replaced by a cold, hard wooden floor, so smooth that it reflected his pale face.
He looked around in bewilderment. Where was the magnificent splendor of the side hall? He found himself in a completely unfamiliar Japanese-style room, the air filled with the cold scent of aged wood and faint ink.
Turning around, I saw that the door was open.
Daimyo quickly stood up and moved to the doorway, cautiously peering outside—
That one glance almost made him lose his soul.
The outside was not anywhere he knew.
Countless Japanese buildings of varying sizes and structures are pieced together and stacked at angles that defy all logic. The corridors crisscross, some going vertically upwards, some slanting into the walls, and some even forming bizarre closed loops.
Each paper door opened and closed uncertainly, revealing a deep and endless darkness behind it. The entire space was slowly and silently rotating and moving, like a huge, living labyrinth.
"W-Where is this? Wasn't I in the side hall?" the daimyo murmured in terror.
This place was so eerie that it sent a chill down his spine.
A strong will to survive spurred Daimyo to go outside and see if he could find a way out. But just as he mustered his courage and lifted his foot—
"Tap...tap..."
A series of steady footsteps came from the depths of the ever-changing corridor not far away, unhurried yet carrying an invisible sense of pressure, each step seeming to be on the beat of his heartbeat.
Daimyo's hair stood on end, like a cat whose tail had been stepped on. He abruptly withdrew his body, which was about to extend out, and scrambled back to the center of the Japanese-style room, where he knelt down properly, his heart pounding so hard it felt like it would burst out of his chest.
A short while later, footsteps stopped outside the door. Then, a figure stepped inside, blocking the eerily shifting light outside.
He was an extremely tall man.
The daimyo had to crane his neck to see the other person's entire appearance.
He had seen many tall and imposing warriors, but it was rare to find one who combined height with elegance and grace so perfectly as the man before him.
The man was dressed in a magnificent purple outfit, with an upper garment embroidered with intricate family crests, loose hakama, and a haori over it. The colors were as deep as the night sky, and every detail exuded nobility.
Just by standing there, the noble aura he exuded, imbued with the wisdom and strength of time, made the Daimyo of the Land of Water unconsciously compare himself to him, and a sense of inferiority and indescribable tension welled up within him.
He felt as if he were a country bumpkin meeting the ruler of a thousand-year-old family, and his imposing manner instantly diminished.
Daming's body stiffened, his throat went dry, he opened his mouth but didn't know what to say, and he didn't even dare to breathe.
The man in purple didn't say anything, but walked calmly to the opposite side and knelt down with an extremely upright posture.
It's worth noting that even when they're sitting, the height difference between the two is quite obvious—when the name is at eye level, the line of sight can only barely reach the other's neck.
This physical sense of looking up at him filled Daiming with humiliation and discomfort. He took a deep breath and forced himself to slightly raise his chin and look upwards so that he could see the other person's face clearly, at least to avoid being too passive in terms of presence.
His gaze first swept over the other person's hard jawline, then over their tightly pursed thin lips, and then over their high, straight nose... Finally, it met those... no, three pairs of eyes!
Below the normal position on the man's forehead, there were two pairs of scarlet eyes arranged vertically, with the middle pair having numbers engraved in their pupils!
Six eyes, like demons from another dimension, stared indifferently at him.
The daimyo of the Land of Water was so terrified that he let out a cold gasp. He froze on the spot as if frozen, his mind blank, as fear overwhelmed all his senses like ice water.
What did he see? A monster? A ghost? A demon?
In short, it's definitely not human!
Looking up at the tall man with three pairs of inhuman eyes, Daiming felt a chill run down his spine.
Those six scarlet eyes, like the gaze from the abyss, crushed all his courage and arrogance into dust.
In the suffocating silence, the man spoke.
His voice was deep and mellow, with a strange magnetism, as pleasing to the ear as fine aged wine, yet containing an undeniable authority, slowly spreading through the eerie Japanese-style room:
"Good day, daimyo of the land of water."
This seemingly innocuous greeting only intensified Dai Ming's dread. His teeth chattered, and he forced out broken syllables with all his might: "What...what are you? What...what do you want?"
Faced with the daimyo's fear and questioning, the purple-clad man's six eyes remained completely unmoved. He slightly tilted his head, his movements carrying the elegance and composure ingrained in the bones of an ancient noble family, as if the person before him was not the ruler of a nation, but merely an irrelevant person who needed to be informed of the outcome.
His gaze calmly fell on the pale face of the daimyo of the Land of Water, his tone maintaining that irritating reserve and nonchalance, as if he were discussing the day's weather:
“No need to panic. The game on the mainland is nearing its end. Thunder, fire, earth, and wind have all been played.” He paused slightly, the pressure from the six gazes intensifying as if they were tangible. “Now, only you, the last piece, is yet to be placed.”
His words were spoken casually, yet they resounded like thunder in the ears of the daimyo of the Land of Water.
The other four major powers... have all...?!
Before the daimyo could fully process this terrifying information, the man continued in his deep voice, presenting the final choice. His tone carried a hint of politeness, as if he were asking for the daimyo's opinion, but the content was cold and cruel:
"Therefore, I have come to inquire. Do you wish to conform to the times, preserve your life and the peace of the Water Kingdom, and choose to submit?" His scarlet eyes narrowed slightly, a chilling intent seeping into his bones beneath his nonchalant demeanor. "Or will you choose the path of 'death,' and go to the Yellow Springs with your kingdom?"
Surrender, or die.
The most direct threat was delivered in the most elegant and refined tone, as if offering two different tea and snack options.
The unyielding will it contained plunged the daimyo of the Land of Water into an icy abyss, making him fully realize his predicament.
Time flowed slowly in the dead silence, each second feeling as long as a knife's edge.
The daimyo of the Land of Water could clearly hear his heart pounding wildly, almost bursting out of his chest. Cold sweat beaded on his forehead, rolling down his temples and onto the cool, smooth wooden floor beneath him, leaving dark marks.
In no time, his face was covered in cold, damp sweat, and even the back of his fine robe was completely soaked with cold sweat, clinging to his skin and bringing a sticky, icy sensation that made him want to shiver.
Six sharp gazes fell calmly on him, without urging, without impatience, and without the slightest fluctuation of emotion.
However, it was precisely this calmness, as if looking down on ants, that brought a terrifying pressure far greater than roars and threats. It silently reminded the Daimyo that his life and death, and even the fate of the entire Land of Water, were, in the other's eyes, nothing more than a trivial matter, not worthy of any further attention or emotion.
In this suffocating silence, the Water Country's daimyo's psychological defenses crumbled completely, like a dam being eroded by ants. Countless thoughts flashed through his mind—struggle, resistance, cries for help... but in the end, they were all crushed by the bizarre sight of the Infinite Castle and the absolute oppressive feeling brought by the inhuman existence before him.
He thought of the tailed beasts of the Land of Fire, and the sudden war between the Land of Lightning and the Land of Earth... All the clues connected at this moment, pointing to a behemoth that he could neither understand nor resist.
Resistance will only lead to certain death, and could potentially drag the entire country into utter ruin.
Finally, his tense body completely lost its strength, as if his spine had been removed. He struggled, almost limply, to fall forward from his kneeling position, his forehead hitting the cold floor with a heavy thud.
His whole body trembled slightly with fear and humiliation. With his last bit of strength, he forced out a hoarse voice through clenched teeth:
"I... surrender."
Those three short words drained the daimyo of the Land of Water of all his strength and dignity. He remained kneeling, not daring to raise his head, awaiting the final verdict like a condemned prisoner awaiting the guillotine.
-----------------------
Author's Note: Finally got to this part!!! [Sparkling eyes]
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