[Douluo II Period]
Inside Huo Yuhao's Spirit Sea.
The devastating spiritual storm that could have destroyed the world finally subsided beneath Electrolux's purifying power.
But calm did not mean forgetting.
The surging black resentment had not disappeared.
It had merely been forcibly compressed and condensed, sinking to the deepest part of the Spirit Sea and turning into an unfathomable, frigid darkness.
Like a black sun, it hung motionless, radiating a terrifying aura that made even Sky Dream Ice Silkworm and Ice Empress feel their souls shudder.
[Hatred is one of the purest forces in the world.]
Electrolux's ancient, world-weary voice rang out once more.
[If you truly cannot cast it aside, then try to control it.]
[Make it a sword in your hand, not a chain binding you...]
Outside, the Sky Screen's judgment continued unabated despite Huo Yuhao's transformation.
After branding Dai Hao's first crime onto the pillar of shame,
the scene shifted, and a line of even more shocking golden characters slowly appeared.
[Next, we will explain Dai Hao's second reason!]
[False benevolence and hypocrisy, deceiving the people!]
[Douluo II Period]
When those eight characters appeared,
a deafening roar erupted from the military camp on the border of the Star Luo Empire!
"This is nonsense! The Sky Screen is slandering him!"
"False benevolence? How could that be!"
"Marshal Dai Hao may have led a disgraceful private life, but he was always good to us soldiers! He was a truly excellent commander!"
An old soldier, missing half an ear and bearing a savage knife scar across his face, stepped forward in agitation.
Pointing at the Sky Screen, he bellowed, spittle flying. "The marshal saved my life! In the Battle of Blackwater City five years ago, if he hadn't personally led the charge and broken through the encirclement, our Third Battalion would've been wiped out! Calling the marshal hypocritical? I won't stand for it!"
"That's right! He loved his soldiers like his own children and always led from the front. The whole army knows it!"
"Exactly! We don't care about the duke's private life, but on the battlefield, he's our God of War!"
"He's the commander we'd all willingly die for!"
Hundreds of thousands of soldiers were seething with emotion.
In their hearts, Dai Hao might not have been a good husband or father.
But he was unquestionably a flawless commander, one worth following with their lives!
But the Sky Screen existed to shatter their naive illusions.
The scene began to play.
It was a brutal siege.
The city walls towered high, arrows rained down, and the cries of battle shook the heavens.
On screen, the White Tiger Guards fought valiantly.
Their commander, Dai Hao, wore his imposing White Tiger Battle Armor and stood atop the city wall, gripping his sword as he roared with thunderous force.
["Soldiers! Charge with me! For the glory of Star Luo!"]
He charged ahead, like a God of War descended from the heavens, plunging into the enemy ranks and cutting down all who stood in his way.
At the sight, the soldiers in the camp wore proud smiles.
"Look! That's our marshal!"
"This was the Battle of Blackwater City three years ago! I was there! I'll never forget the marshal's might!"
But then, the Sky Screen's perspective rewound to before the battle began.
Inside the commander's tent, a secret pre-battle meeting was underway.
An advisor who looked like a scholar and wore a monocle was pointing at the sand table, explaining the situation in detail to Dai Hao.
["Marshal, according to our scouts' precise intelligence, the enemy's main force and all their high-ranking Soul Masters have secretly gathered at the East City Gate, where they're preparing to ambush our main force."]
["Meanwhile, the defenses at the West City Gate are strong on the outside but weak within."]
["When the time comes, you need only send a detached force to feign a main assault at the East City Gate, drawing the enemy's full attention at any cost. Then you can personally lead your elite troops through the West City Gate, charging at the front, and strike directly at the heart of the enemy."]
The advisor adjusted his glasses, a cold smile curving his lips.
["Though this will sacrifice tens of thousands of soldiers at the East City Gate, it will boost the entire army's morale to the greatest extent and elevate your reputation as a 'God of War' to unprecedented heights!"]
Dai Hao clasped his hands behind his back and nodded in satisfaction, a cold, confident smile on his face.
["Good. We'll do as you say."]
["People are bound to die in war. If their lives bring us victory, then at least they will have died for a worthy cause."]
The entire Star Luo military camp fell silent in an instant.
The old soldier, who had been arguing so passionately moments ago, stood frozen, his mouth hanging open, unable to make a sound. The soldiers' faces, flushed with pride only moments before, turned deathly pale with shock.
[Douluo I Period]
At the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, Dai Mubai watched the Sky Screen as the gloom on his face eased slightly, even giving way to a trace of approval.
"Hmph. What's wrong with a man having three wives and four concubines? As royalty, what matters most is having an iron fist!"
"This kid shows a bit of the Dai Family's spirit on the battlefield."
"Mercy doesn't make a good commander, and righteousness doesn't make a good businessman!"
"How can anyone accomplish anything with a woman's softheartedness? As long as we win, using a few tricks and sacrificing some people is necessary!"
[Douluo II Period]
At the Mingde Hall of the Sun Moon Empire,
the crown prince Xu Tianran, seated in his wheelchair, watched the Sky Screen with an amused, mocking smile. "Interesting. Dai Hao may be a muscle-bound brute, but he's picked up a few rudiments of imperial strategy on his own."
"Too bad it's crude, and the traces are too obvious. It'll never amount to anything."
Inside the imperial palaces of the Heaven Dou Empire and the Dou Ling Empire, the rulers wore varied expressions.
Without exception, they understood the political logic behind Dai Hao's actions, but they sneered at how clumsily he had carried them out.
The callousness of the upper ranks and the soldiers' despair formed a most damning contrast.
But the Sky Screen's judgment continued.
It would rip away Dai Hao's false mask of "loving his soldiers like his own children," leaving not a shred of it intact!
The final scene froze on a brutal breakout.
The troops under Dai Hao's command were surrounded by the enemy, suffering heavy losses and pushed to the brink of destruction.
Just as everyone sank into despair, their commander, Dai Hao, stepped forward!
He stood at a narrow pass, his back resolute and tragic, and shouted to the surviving soldiers:
["Brothers! I'll hold them off! Hurry and go! Tell His Majesty that I, Dai Hao, have not failed to live up to Star Luo's glory!"]
In that moment, countless soldiers were moved to tears by his "selfless devotion."
But the Sky Screen zoomed in on his eyes.
As he shouted those brave words, Dai Hao exchanged a fleeting, discreet glance with one of his trusted generals.
The general immediately understood!
He dropped to his knees with a thud, wailing through his tears:
["No! Marshal! You can't die!"]
["You are the empire's pillar! The soul of our White Tiger Legion! We would rather die in battle ourselves than let you sacrifice yourself for us!"]
Led by him, all the soldiers who had been kept in the dark were swept up in the moment and fell to their knees, pleading through their tears.
["Marshal! Hurry and go! In the next life, we'll still serve as your soldiers!"]
Dai Hao's face wore an expression of "anguish" and "reluctance."
After a few "struggles," he finally let out a long, helpless sigh.
["Fine—fine! Since you insist, for the empire, for all of you—I'll go on ahead!"]
With that, he turned without hesitation and fled with a group of personal guards through a secret passage that had been prepared long before.
He left behind the soldiers he had made into pawns, whose flesh and blood bought him precious time to escape.
The entire world fell silent.
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