The Crimson God of War in the Stormterror's Lair
The tall tower pierced straight into the clouds. The broken walls of Stormterror's Lair whimpered in the howling gale, as if recounting the tragedy of a thousand years ago. Today, another legend would be written here.
Lü Bu stood at the edge of the shattered tower, his scarlet cloak flapping violently behind him. Standing nine feet tall with a towering build, his face was chiseled and resolute, his tiger-like eyes sweeping over the tide of soldiers below. Eighty thousand Fatui soldiers from Snezhnaya formed ranks beneath the ruins, their silver armor glinting in the pale sunlight, spears standing like a forest, their killing aura soaring to the sky.
At the very front of the formation stood a striking six-armed mech. Nearly five zhang tall, it was forged from Snezhnaya's special cold iron, its joints inlaid with glowing Delusions. Its six mechanical arms each wielded a different weapon. Inside the cockpit, Scaramouche – the Sixth of the Eleven Fatui Harbingers – wore a mocking smirk, staring at the figure on the tower through the crystal viewport.
"General Lü Bu!" Scaramouche's voice boomed through the mech's amplifiers, echoing across the ruins. "Surrender! You and your hundred soldiers stand no chance! Her Majesty the Tsaritsa is merciful. Pledge your loyalty, and you shall be greatly rewarded!"
Lü Bu's expression did not change. He gently stroked the mane of his Red Hare steed beside him. The horse was crimson all over, save for its snow-white hooves, its eyes shimmering with extraordinary intelligence.
"General," a low voice came from behind. Gao Shun, commander of the Trapped Camp, stepped forward. "The enemy is numerous, and they have mechs. According to the original plan, we should flank—"
"There is no need," Lü Bu cut him off, his voice calm yet carrying unshakable authority. "You shall wait here with the Trapped Camp."
Gao Shun opened his mouth but said no more, finally nodding heavily. "As you command."
Lü Bu flipped onto the Red Hare. He twirled his Sky-Shattering Halberd in his hand, its tip slanting toward the firmament. Taking a deep breath, he suddenly let out a long, thunderous laugh, shaking loose stones from the tower.
"Eighty thousand ants – what concern are they to me?!"
Before the words faded, the Red Hare neighed sharply and leaped down from the hundred-zhang tower!
Time seemed to freeze at that moment. The scarlet cloak spread like a battle flag in the air, the man and horse appearing as a descending deity against the sky. The Fatui soldiers below looked up in terror at the impossible sight.
The Red Hare's hooves slammed into the ground!
BOOM!!! The earth trembled. From the point of impact, spiderweb cracks spread outward at high speed. Smoke and dust shot upward, forming a massive mushroom cloud. When the dust settled slightly, a ten-zhang-wide crater gaped in the center of the battlefield. Over five hundred Fatui soldiers around it had been shaken to death, their internal organs shattered, blood flowing from their seven orifices.
A deathly silence fell.
Then Lü Bu moved.
His Sky-Shattering Halberd sliced a cold arc through the air. The first dozen Fatui vanguards to react were instantly decapitated. The Red Hare charged into the enemy ranks like a red lightning bolt.
"ATTACK!!!" The Fatui finally snapped out of their shock, surging toward Lü Bu like a tide.
Lü Bu laughed wildly, swinging his halberd into a storm of silver light. Wherever the halberd passed, blood and flesh flew. Every strike carried the power of thunder; ordinary armor was as fragile as paper before it. A horizontal sweep sent more than ten heads flying. A reverse slash split men and shields in two.
The battlefield became a slaughterhouse.
Lü Bu charged left and right through the thousands, as if entering an unoccupied land. His halberd struck like a dragon emerging from the sea, a tiger descending the mountain, a phoenix spreading its wings. Where the silver light passed, lives were reaped like grass. In less than an incense stick's time, over thirteen hundred Fatui lay dead at his feet.
The Red Hare was no ordinary steed either. With each hooffall, soldiers were sent flying several zhang; wherever it stepped, bones shattered and tendons snapped.
"Stop him!" Scaramouche inside the mech roared in shock and rage. The six-armed machine strode forward, even its own men scrambling to avoid it. Those too slow were crushed into pulp.
Lü Bu feared nothing, charging straight toward the mech instead. With an upward flick of his halberd, he split a Fatui centurion and his horse in two. Amid the flying blood, his tiger eyes locked onto the enemy command center.
Five Fatui generals were issuing orders under heavy guard:
- Munye, commander of the Cryo Gunners, wielding a massive cannon;
- Luka, leader of the Vanguard, his twin blades glinting coldly;
- Maisky, captain of the Debt Collectors, his figure flickering eerily in and out of sight;
- Heraug, chief of the Electro Hypnostists, elemental energy swirling around her;
- Jutt, leader of the Mirror Maidens, her mirror refracting strange lights.
"Those who block me shall die!" Lü Bu's roar thundered, freezing the soldiers ahead in fear, making them involuntarily step back.
The Red Hare neighed and turned into a red streak, charging the command center. Lü Bu's halberd slashed left and right, cutting down soldiers like wheat. A Debt Collector struck from stealth, only to be precisely pierced through the throat by Lü Bu's reverse halberd. The Cryo Gunners fired in unison; Lü Bu spun his halberd, deflecting all incoming Cryo projectiles!
In an instant, Lü Bu broke through all defenses and stood before the five generals.
Munye raised his cannon to fire – the halberd was already upon him, splitting both cannon and man in two.
Luka crossed his blades to block – the halberd twisted, shattering the swords, then pierced his chest.
Maisky vanished to flee – Lü Bu did not even look, stabbing backward into empty air, impaling him as he reappeared.
Heraug condensed elemental energy – the halberd swept, the energy backfired, engulfing her in an explosion.
Jutt's mirror cast illusions – Lü Bu closed his eyes and struck, piercing her throat with perfect accuracy.
In the blink of an eye, all five generals were dead!
Panic spread through the Fatui army; they began to retreat. Just then, the six-armed mech arrived, all six weapons striking at Lü Bu at once!
"Insignificant insects!" Lü Bu roared, not dodging at all, meeting the mech head-on with his halberd.
CLANG! A deafening metallic clash erupted. The Sky-Shattering Halberd collided with the mech's weapon, sparks flying. Shockingly, the mech's greatsword was split open with a gaping crack!
Inside the mech, Scaramouche trembled in rage and disbelief. "Impossible! This is forged from Snezhnayan cold iron!"
Lü Bu laughed wildly, circling the mech on horseback, striking the same spot repeatedly with his halberd. Finally, with a crisp crack, one of the mech's arms was severed entirely!
"Protect Lord Scaramouche!" The Fatui soldiers mustered their courage and charged again.
Lü Bu's tiger eyes widened. His roar split the heavens: "WHO ELSE WISHES TO DIE?!"
That single shout shattered the courage of the frontline soldiers, leaving them paralyzed on the spot.
Seizing the gap, Lü Bu charged forward, driving his halberd straight into the mech's cockpit. The cold iron armor shattered like wood before the halberd's tip. Lü Bu discarded his weapon, his arms bulging with muscle, and tore open the cockpit's hull with his bare hands!
Scaramouche's terrified face was exposed to the air.
"COME OUT!" Lü Bu's large hand shot out, grabbed Scaramouche by the collar, and dragged him violently from the mech!
Scaramouche struggled desperately, unleashing elemental energy – but it was all useless in Lü Bu's grip. Lü Bu lifted him high overhead, then slammed him brutally into the ground!
CRACK! The sound of shattering bones echoed clearly. Scaramouche spat up blood, his eyes filled with utter disbelief.
Lü Bu retrieved his Sky-Shattering Halberd and swung it without hesitation.
The Sixth Harbinger – deceased.
With their commander dead and five generals slain, the Fatui army completely collapsed, fleeing in all directions.
At that moment, Gao Shun's voice rang out from the tower: "Trapped Camp! ADVANCE!"
A hundred soldiers of the Trapped Camp charged like tigers descending the mountain, slashing through the routing enemy. Though only a hundred, these elite warriors cut down their vastly outnumbering foes like melons and vegetables.
Lü Bu remounted, pointing his halberd at the fleeing army. "Leave none alive!"
The sun set. The battlefield of Stormterror's Lair was dyed dark red with blood. Of the eighty thousand Fatui soldiers, forty-five thousand lay dead forever; the rest scattered and fled. Lü Bu alone had carved a legend of slaying ten thousand men, and the hundred-man Trapped Camp had each killed countless foes.
In the center of the battlefield, Lü Bu stood holding his halberd, the Red Hare calmly beside him. His scarlet cloak fluttered in the evening wind, soaked with enemy blood – yet not a single drop was his own.
Gao Shun stepped forward and knelt. "General, the enemy has been routed. Our army… suffered not a single death. Only slightly over ten men are wounded."
Lü Bu nodded slightly, his tiger eyes staring toward Snezhnaya, speaking coldly. "Tell the Tsaritsa: if she dares invade my lands again, I shall march to Snezhnaya myself and take her head."
That night, the name of the Crimson God of War echoed across the continent.
Inside the Snezhnayan palace, the Tsaritsa received the battle report and fell silent for a long while. At last, she whispered to her attendant: "Order the eastern advance plan suspended. That man… cannot be defeated by force."
Far away in Stormterror's Lair, Lü Bu stood atop the tower, gazing into the distance. The cold glint of his Sky-Shattering Halberd shimmered alongside the bright moon above.
"Invincibility… is such loneliness," he murmured softly, a trace of incomprehensible melancholy flashing in his eyes.
The Red Hare seemed to understand its master's heart, nuzzling Lü Bu's arm with a gentle whinny.
Lü Bu stroked his beloved steed, the corner of his mouth lifting slightly. "Very well. In this world, having you and my halberd by my side… is enough."
Beneath the moonlight, the figure of the god of war stood tall as a pine, as if he had stood there since ancient times – and would stand forever.
The night wind of Stormterror's Lair still howled, but it could no longer drown out the legend of the Crimson God of War.