The last resistance before White Oak City's royal palace swiftly crumbled amid the clash of steel and desperate screams. Lü Bu's Sky Piercer tore through the king of Ilusia's last guards. When its tip, stained with countless lives' blood, pressed against the king's trembling throat, the palace that symbolized the kingdom's heart fell completely. The East-Pacifying Army's iron-shod hooves trampled the white jade steps before the palace gates, proclaiming the end of Illusia.
Lü Bu reined in the restless, fiery Red Hare and surveyed the palace that had just submitted to his might. The flames burning in his eyes had not died down; instead, they blazed even hotter, as though seeking the next target worthy of his halberd.
Almost at the very moment Lü Bu captured White Oak City, a solemn, oppressive atmosphere hung over the magnificent Hall of Heavenly Succession in the distant capital of Hua Country. In the square outside, five-colored banners representing the five armies snapped in the morning breeze. Inside, Chen Yu sat upright upon his throne, his black royal robes setting off his composed face. Only his deep eyes occasionally flashed with a barely perceptible sharpness. Below the steps, the civil and military officials held their breath, their gazes fixed on the entrance.
"Report!" An urgent cry shattered the silence. A travel-worn messenger all but hurled himself into the hall, holding aloft a military dispatch adorned with a blue-green feather. "General Who Conquers the West Guan Yu has won a great victory at Eagle Beak Gorge! Ballywood's Iron Rock Pass, Rock City, and Blackstone City have all fallen! Over ten thousand enemies have been annihilated! And according to today's Den Den Mushi communications, our forces have already captured the Royal Capital. The Ballywood Kingdom has surrendered!"
A wave of muted exclamations rose through the hall.