On September 23rd, the setting sun dyed the blue brick walls of Azure Dragon City a reddish-brown. Tenmei, the marshal of the Azure Dragon Corps, leaned against the mottled wooden railing of the arrow tower. A corner of his black cloak was lifted by the wind, revealing dark red bloodstains on his armor that had not yet been wiped away. He had not slept for three days, and his eye sockets were dark circles, but he stared intently at the golden-red torrent on the horizon—the military flag of the Land of Fire was approaching from afar.
Three million armored soldiers marched in formation, the sounds of clashing armor, pounding boots, and neighing horses blending into a deep, thunderous roar that shook even Azure Dragon City, thirty miles away. Dust billowed ten meters into the air. The captain of the personal guard lowered his voice, barely concealing his excitement. "Marshal, it's Lord Senju Tenpuku's reinforcements! That's the flag of the Land of Fire!"
Tenmei's tense jawline finally softened, and a tired yet bright smile appeared on his lips. He raised his hand and pressed the sword " Azure Edge " at his waist. The icy touch cleared his muddled mind a little. " Senju Tenpuku... Father has finally arrived." Before he finished speaking, the golden-red vanguard banner had already reached the city walls, and the red sword strapped to the back of the silver-armored general with the red tassels gleamed red in the twilight.
The city gate slowly opened. Senju Tenpuku, without removing his armor or attending a banquet, went straight to the top of the city wall. His black cloak fluttered in the night wind. His gaze swept over the piles of enemy corpses below the city wall and then landed on Tenmei, who was kneeling on one knee.
"Father, you've arrived." Tenmei's voice was hoarse. "News has come from the capital: the nobles have surrendered."
Senju Tenpuku raised his hand, gesturing for him to rise. He tapped his knuckles on the city bricks, his tone calm yet his words as firm as iron. "A bunch of clowns. You used 100,000 ninja troops to hold off a coalition of 10 million. I saw the strength of the Azure Dragon Corps." He drew the Crimson Sky Sword from his back, its blade reflecting the setting sun like weeping blood. "Well done."
Tenmei stood up, wiped the dirt off his face, and smiled, "Before, the country was in turmoil, so we could only defend and couldn't launch an attack. Now that you're here, it's time to show them the sharpness of our blades."
That night, the Azure Dragon City office was brightly lit, and the lights never went out.
More than twenty high-ranking officials, dressed in armor or brocade robes, stood around a huge sand table. The air was filled with the scents of ink, blood, and strong tea. The sand table was covered with small red and blue flags, representing the troop deployments of the Allied Forces and the Land of Fire. The veteran general Shikaboshi Nara was manipulating the flags with slender shadow manipulation threads, his fingertips glowing with a pale purple Chakra light.
"The main force of the Land of Hot Water -Three Nations Allied Forces is stationed on the Mist Mountain Plain, about 300 li from here." Shikaboshi Nara adjusted his glasses, his voice calm. " The Third Raikage A of the Land of Lightning has his troops stationed at Mist Mountain, the Daimyo of the Land of Hot Water Yu Mujiu, has encamped on the south side of Mist Mountain, and the Supreme General of the Land of the Moon, Tsukisuke Chitose, guards the west side. Although they appear to be a joint camp, in reality, each camp has left a ten-li gap between them, each leaving themselves a way out."
Senju Tenpuku lightly tapped the table with his fingertips, producing a rhythmic, soft sound, "The moment the thought of retreat arises, the morale of the army crumbles. If not now, when?"
Tenmei stepped forward and pointed to the west side of the sand table. " The Azure Dragon Corps currently has 500 mechs, 1,200 rune-equipped heavy cannons, and 300 Thunder Falcon fighters available in the air force. My plan is a three-pronged attack: the Dawn Air Force will bombard the enemy camp, the mech regiment will wedge in amidst the chaos, the artillery will extend its fire to cut off the enemy's retreat, and the vanguard will finish them off."
"This humble general requests to lead the vanguard!" Commander Kyogoku Aoto, commander of the mecha army, slammed his fist on the table. " The Azure Dragon Army Mecha Regiment is willing to clear the way for the entire army!"
Tenpuku raised his hand to stop the murmurs, and lightly tapped the territory of the Land of Hot Water on the sand table with his Crimson Sky Sword: " The Land of Hot Water has repeatedly broken its alliance, and the Land of the Moon, despite receiving favors from our country, has secretly colluded with the Land of Lightning. This time, we will settle accounts with them all. Issue the order—"
His voice suddenly rose, carrying an undeniable authority:
-The Land of Fire's army of three million warriors was divided, with one hundred thousand left to guard Azure Dragon City, and the rest advancing eastward to the Land of Hot Water;
- Tenmei led 100,000 Azure Dragon Army as the vanguard, defeated the enemy, and marched north to seize the entire territory of the Land of the Moon, with his army's advance pointing directly at Kumogakure in the Land of Lightning;
- I personally led the main force to sweep across the Land of Hot Water, burning its ancestral temples, abolishing its nobility, and most importantly, eradicating the Jashin Cult!
"Yes, sir!" the generals responded in unison, the clanging of their armor making the windowpanes tremble.
Air Force Commander-in-Chief Kurama Satsuki said to Chief of Staff Uchiha Chichi, "Three hundred Thunder Falcon are already armed with Violet Thunder Rune Bomb and will be ready to take off at dawn."
Mech Commander Kyogoku Aoto clenched his fist. " The Heavenly Chief Mecha Regiment has completed its maintenance tonight and is ready for battle at any time."
Uzumaki Honoka clasped her hands in a fist salute and said, "The artillery regiment is ready."
" Uzuki Nozomi whispered, "The medical camp has also prepared medicine and rune chariots to ensure the wounded can be evacuated in time."
Tenpuku gazed at the blue flag surrounded by red flags on the sand table. The soft sound of the Crimson Sky Sword being sheathed echoed clearly in the silent hall, "At three-quarters past Yin hour, the air force departs."
September 25th, 3:00 AM.
Before dawn, three hundred " Thunder Falcon " fighter jets, like a swarm of black bats, pierced through the clouds, their Violet Thunder Rune Bomb leaving silver-blue trails in the night sky. As the first rays of dawn broke through the horizon, bombs rained down on the Allied camp on the Mist Mountain Plain.
"Boom--Boom--Boom--"
The moment the Violet Thunder Rune Bomb exploded, crimson fire lotuses bloomed one after another in the camp. Tents were blown away by the shockwave, supply wagons burst into flames, and frightened warhorses neighed and crashed through the fences. Soldiers of the Land of Hot Water were awakened from their sleep, and before they could even pick up their weapons, they were thrown away by the shockwave.
"Enemy attack! It's the Land of Fire's air force fighter jets!"
The piercing screams were drowned out by the explosions. Just then, five hundred " Heavenly Chief " mechs stormed into the camp, their three-zhang-tall arms spinning with runic blades at high speed, slicing through tents, men, horses, and shields as easily as cutting tofu. Kyogoku Aoto's " Flame Prison " took the lead, its runic blades unleashing fiery energy that burned swathes of allied soldiers to ashes.
"Mech Squad! Follow me and kill!" Kyogoku Aoto's roar echoed across the battlefield through amplified text.
Inside the Land of Land of Lightning's camp, the Third Raikage A, burst from his command tent, his body wreathed in blue lightning. Looking at the rout of the allied forces and then at the red flags fluttering atop the Land of Fire's mechs, his face turned ashen. "Where are Yu Mumin and Tsukisuke Chitose? Send them to intercept them!"
The guards knelt and roared, "General Tang's camp is empty! General Yue has fled along the river with his ninja forces!"
"Useless!" A roared, slamming his fist into the ground. Lightning exploded, creating a massive crater. " Lightning Release: One-Finger Nukite!" He gathered all his Lightning Release Chakra, his arm transforming into a blue lightning spear, tearing through the encirclement of mechs. "Lightning Ninja Elite, retreat with me! The rest of the legion will cover your retreat!"
Three hundred thousand elite lightning ninja formed a wedge formation and retreated frantically under the cover of lightning. Meanwhile, the soldiers of the Land of Hot Water and the Land of the Moon lost their command and fell into complete chaos. Some knelt down and begged for mercy, while others scattered and fled, only to be blown to pieces by the ensuing artillery fire.
Standing atop the " Azure Dragon " mech, Tenmei pointed his Chaos Staff at the fleeing enemy. "Those who surrender will be spared! Nobles will be killed without exception!"
The Azure Dragon Corps's ninja troops surged into the enemy camp like a tidal wave. Rune-inscribed spears pierced fleeing samurai, and the mechs' heavy cannons blasted apart the stubbornly resisting strongholds. Tenmei looked at the direction of the Land of the Moon marked on the sand table and shouted into the communication rune, " Aoto, the mech regiment, follow me into the Land of the Moon! Chief of Shikaboshi Luxing, the Land of Hot Water is entrusted to Father!"
Kyogoku Aoto roar came from the other end of the rune, "Understood! Flame Prison Mecha Regiment, follow the Marshal and annihilate the Land of the Moon!"
Senju Tenpuku stood atop his chariot, watching the direction the Raikage fled in, and sneered. He then said to Shikaboshi Nara beside him, "Order the main force of the Land of Fire to seize the capital of the Land of Hot Water at full speed. Give me the list of those treacherous nobles; don't miss a single one."
Shikaboshi manipulated the shadow lines, and the red flag representing the Land of Fire on the sand table began to advance eastward. " Yu Mumin has escaped the Mist Mountain Plain, Tsukisuke Chitose has boarded a ship at the ferry."
"Chase them." Tenpuku's voice was completely flat. "Don't even think about escaping. Burn down the ancestral temple of the Land of Hot Water."
The morning light fully illuminated the battlefield, thick smoke billowed across the Mist Mountain Plain, and the red flag of the Land of Fire fluttered in the rising sun. At dawn, the Tenmei Azure Dragon Corps had crossed the border river and was heading towards the Land of the Moon; the main force of Senju Tenpuku Land of Hot Water; while the remnants of the Land of Lightning, led by the Third Raikage, fled in panic back to the Kumogakure.
The bloodstains on the walls of Azure Dragon City had not yet dried, but new battle flags had already been planted across the territories of the Three Kingdoms.