Reversing the Tide, Slaying the Enemy General

The sand was still trembling.

Chen Wuya stood at the heart of the formation, his broken blade planted before him. Misaligned Force surged from his body like a tide, seeping along the blade into the ground and linking with the entire formation. That sudden shift in rhythm had thrown the enemy vanguard completely off balance, but he knew this suppression would not last long. His dantian felt as though it had been scorched by fire. Every time he drove the Misaligned Force, it tugged at the old wound in his shoulder; a serrated, dull pain gnawed at his ribs, and his breathing grew short.

But he could not stop.

The enemy horns sounded again from the rear. No longer a probing advance, it was now the low, uniform beat of war drums. Their ranks began to split apart, squads maintaining fixed distances between one another. Their movements were slow yet precise—they were clearly adapting to the shifting frequencies of the Staggered Formation.

"They're learning," he murmured.

Bai Zhi stood on the flank and heard him. She did not respond, merely tightening her grip around her sword hilt as her gaze swept toward the enemy's central ranks. That black banner still stood tall, and the figure beneath it had not moved.

Chen Wuya closed his eyes briefly.

[Abnormal concentration of energy detected at command node—target lock probability: 97%].

Now.

He yanked out the broken blade. He gave no command and did not look back. The Misaligned Force beneath his feet abruptly drew in, and he shot forward close to the ground like an arrow loosed from its string. The tremors within the formation continued, concealing the fluctuations of his aura. Shielded by the dust and sand, he moved low along the formation's edge, every step falling into the gaps