The Burning of Sumeru City! The Five Tiger Generals Fight to the Death Against the Camp of Trapped Soldiers
The allied forces lay drunk at their victory feast, sprawled across mountains and rivers, when Lü Bu's fire arrows rained down like shooting stars, tearing through the night sky. Sumeru City turned into an inferno, and seventy thousand allied troops were reduced to ash in an instant. Kong and Nilou fled in despair, only to find Gao Shun's Camp of Trapped Soldiers blocking their path. Guan Yu's Green Dragon Saber slashed upward, splitting the earth; Zhang Fei's roar shattered fire arrows; Zhao Yun's silver spear pierced the enemy formation. Yet Lü Bu's Sky Piercer Halberd was already at their backs, and he chuckled softly:
"Checkmate."
The wreckage of the victory feast littered the Valley of Departure. Wine soaked Sumeru's fragrant earth, mixing with fresh blood into a decadent, sweet stench. Cups and plates lay scattered, and the bodies sprawled haphazardly belonged to the allied warriors who had celebrated their hard-won victory only the night before—Sumeran scholars, Fontainian gunners, shirtless Natlan warriors… Now all sank into a drunken stupor, their snores and mutterings the camp's last defense.
Then, the sky was torn open.
Without warning, a shrill screech sliced through the drunken night. Countless streaks with orange-red tails shot upward, burning thousands of holes in the ink-black curtain. These were not shooting stars—they were fire arrows from Lü Bu's army! They dove greedily, kissing Sumeru's magnificent domes, licking the endless tents in the Valley of Departure, devouring everything flammable.
Boom—!
Silence was shattered instantly by explosions and fire. Wood, cloth, paper… even human flesh became the finest fuel. Blazing flames lit up faces jolted awake, twisted with terror and despair. Scorching gales whipped sparks and ash against anyone who tried to run.
"Get up! Hurry!" Kong roared hoarsely, trying to pull a limp Natlan soldier to his feet. The man stared blankly, then was crushed by a burning beam. Heat distorted the air, and smoke choked every breath. Before them lay a blazing hell. Seventy thousand allied troops had become fuel, screaming and struggling in the fire.
Dehya's great sword cleaved a wall of flame. Yun Jin's spear sent burning timbers flying. Zhuge Liang waved his feather fan urgently, summoning a light breeze to shield those around him. Nilou's dance dress was charred, her face smudged with ash; she vainly tried to gather dewdrops with her meager Hydro power. "The… the city is lost…" she trembled, staring at the House of Daena engulfed in fire.
"Run! We have to break out!" Kong's eyes bloodshot, he grabbed Nilou and fled toward the valley entrance with a handful of survivors—including five figures still standing firm like boulders in the fire.
They trod over burning ruins and charred corpses, scorching air searing their lungs. Behind them, Sumeru City crumbled amid countless cries of despair.
At last, the valley entrance came into view.
But beneath the firelight, a cold iron line appeared on the horizon.
Grim, silent, perfectly aligned. A steel dam blocking all escape. Soldiers clad in heavy armor, faces hidden by helmets, only their unwavering eyes visible. Long halberds stood like a forest, glinting coldly in the fire. A tattered battle flag fluttered above the formation—"Trapped Soldiers".
Gao Shun stood before the formation, watching indifferently as the ragged survivors stumbled from the flames.
Their last hope froze into deeper despair at the sight of this army.
"The Camp of Trapped Soldiers…" Zhuge Liang's voice was dry. "Lü Bu has thrown them into this battle too…"
Before he finished, a thunderous roar erupted beside him: "Cowards! How dare you block your Grandpa Zhang's path!"
Zhang Fei's round eyes blazed with rage. He brandished his Serpent Spear and charged the silent formation first. His tower-like frame surged with fury, each shake trembling the ground.
"Third Brother!" Guan Yu's phoenix eyes snapped open. His green robe billowed, and his Green Dragon Crescent Blade let out a long dragon-like cry. The blade's light exploded upward, splitting the earth! An invisible surge of energy rushed forward, kicking up dust!
At almost the same moment, Zhao Yun's silver spear moved like a dragon. His white robe turned into a stream of light, striking faster than he had started, piercing straight for the Camp of Trapped Soldiers' shield wall. A cold glint flashed first, then the spear shot forth like a dragon! It slipped precisely between the shields, and a trapped soldier grunted, hurled violently into the air!
Ma Chao and Huang Zhong roared into action at once, spears stabbing fast, arrows flying sharp, lunging at the enemy!
The Five Tiger Generals charged the steel cliff in a single, desperate strike! With just five men, they would carve a path to life for the few survivors behind them.
The roar of clashing metal, shouts, and screams drowned out the fire. The silent "dam" wavered for the first time.
Kong gripped his Dull Sword tightly. Nilou's fingers stirred faint Hydro currents. Dehya and Yun Jin guarded the flanks. Zhuge Liang waved his fan frantically, using Anemo to disrupt the enemy formation. Everyone's hearts were in their throats, eyes fixed on the bloody front line.
Hope seemed to tear a faint glimmer in the abyss.
At that moment.
An indescribable, terrifying pressure, like a tangible iceberg, crashed down from behind them.
The air stilled. Even the crackle of fire faded away.
Kong's hair stood on end. A soul-deep shudder made him spin around sharply.
Against the blazing inferno, a single rider stood silently, a demon born from hellfire. His scarlet pheasant plumes danced wildly in the hot wind. The edge of his Sky Piercer Halberd glinted more blindingly than the flames. Lü Bu looked down from above, his gaze cutting through the chaos to lock directly onto Kong.
A slow smile curved at his lips—the cruel, amused smirk of a hunter staring at prey trapped in his snare.
His deep, magnetic voice cut through all battlefield noise, clear in everyone's ears, ice piercing to the bone:
"This game,"
"Is checkmate."