...Surrender?
This was a word outside of any true soldier's vocabulary, a completely foreign concept. If it was understood, then it carried the same meaning as death and disgrace. Therefore, Wei Wuyin's words didn't invoke the unrestrained laughter or mockery that one might expect, but an increasingly crushing surge of pure, unadulterated killing intent.
They were silent, but the killing aura emitted was like thunderous booms in the most terrifying storm. Even those at the far edges of the Nexus Battlefield felt it. There was a mortal soldier who felt just a wisp of this and their Astral Soul quivered chaotically until his mind was beset by inevitable thoughts of his impending death. All of a sudden, his body started to swell slightly like an inflating balloon.
BOOM!
Without any warning, the soldier exploded. Bits of their flesh and bone erupted everywhere alongside an outburst of astral force and his innate energies.Â
Cultivation Deviation!
A Soldier of War, a being of merit and bravery, had met such a terrifying killing intent that his Astral Soul had collapsed, and that was at the very edge of the Nexus Battlefield. So there was nothing left to be said about the intensity and pressure the person facing all 10,000 Ascended beings was feeling. Even an Ascended might directly detonate!
"Uh!"
Yet as Wei Wuyin stood before these 10,000 Ascended beings effusing their killing intent, he merely let loose another stuffy cough and his momentarily pale expression had grown considerably better. He was almost entirely undisturbed, even his brows hadn't furrowed or his lips hadn't twitched.
"So, have you decided?" Wei Wuyin once again calmly asked, his eyes still closed, but the direction he seemed to be looking was directly at the Legion Commander. There was a moment of silence. A moment of long silence as the two opposing forces stared at each other, as if trying to fully process the weight of what was happening.
A single mortal challenged them to war.
Then, directly asked the Legion Commander, a man who commanded 9,999 Ascended beings, if he had decided the terms of his own surrender. What was even more unthinkable, more unfathomable, more outrageous, was that he said 'decided' the terms, not 'considered'.
DECIDED!
It might have been a difference of a single word, but it contained implications far beyond its usage. Because this meant this mortal, this mere mortal being that could only serve as the lowest footsoldier in a true war, believed that there was no need for consideration of a surrender! Their loss was already decided! He was just waiting to hear the Legion Commander's terms and to decide if it was agreeable!!
This provoked them in such a manner that it was absolutely indescribable. Just their pure, boundless, and vicious killing intent was enough to reflect their unified mental states at this moment.
"Are you a fool or an idiot?" The Legion Commander reacted with a heavy dose of ridicule. That voice carried itself for hundreds of miles, allowing every nearby Soldier or Commander of War to hear every last syllable. The intensity of his voice caused a few soldiers of war who were already beset by the rampaging killing intent to lose focus in restraining their Astral Souls, producing a few more explosions in the background.
Wei Wuyin sighed heavily, running his hand through his hair coolly and giving a bright, insufferably arrogant grin. "And here I was, about to ask the same question. I won't repeat myself; you should decide before we begin. You might not have another chance."
"..." The soldiers were once again completely speechless. A few of them were so taken aback by his words, the incredulity of it all, that they literally reeled in shock, their bodies tumbling slightly.
The mysterious woman and Guan Yu were watching all of this, with Guan Yu covered in cold sweat, his palms fiercely red from clenching and twisting his grip upon his bident, and his expression ghostly pale. The woman's body shivered from time to time, affected by the killing intent, and only receiving some respite during the Spirits of War brief lapses of concentration from being shaken.
"What is the plan here?" The woman had put back on her facial-blurring concealments, asking Guan Yu beside her. Seeing his frozen state, she snorted softly and his Sea of Consciousness was jolted, causing him to expel a breath of heavy, restrained air.
Guan Yu regained himself, looking at the woman, noticing her facial features were concealed. His expression became somewhat strange as he glanced at her, yet not a single trace of lust or admiration emerged in his eyes, but reverence coated with disbelief.
Witnessing this expression, the mysterious woman realized that Guan Yu had seen her face. She had instinctively removed it in the hopes that that generously handsome man of unknown origin and mystery would see her true appearance, but she had forgotten that he was blind for a moment.
"Everyone thinks you're-" Guan Yu tried to speak, but a cold, heavy, thunderous sound exploded in his mind and he felt his entire body inundated by killing intent. He hurriedly closed his mouth.
While this interaction was happening, Wei Wuyin faced the 10,000 Spirits of War with a grin, cheeky as can be.
"A fool it is," the Legion Commander said dismissively. His tone was as if he no longer wanted to waste anymore time on such an insignificant insect. While they were only able to truly unleash their might during declarations of war, he felt staying here was lowering his sense of self-worth.
A soldier amongst the War Spirits walked forward, kneeled towards the Legion Commander, and said pleadingly: "I, Zhan Dou, ask that War Commander Zhan Zheng allow me to face this impudent mortal, to teach him about our True War Legion before his pathetic death!"
Just as the first soldier came walking out, a few other Spirits of War kneeled and pleaded even louder. Before long, hundreds of soldiers, no, thousands of soldiers, were pleading to personally face Wei Wuyin in combat and unleash hell upon his life. To teach him the horrendous cost of offending, mocking, or humiliating their legion and their commander.Â
"WAIT!!!" Wei Wuyin shouted out, his voice extremely loud, causing those united voices to be drowned out. This caused the soldiers to be shaken slightly. That was a very terrifying shout, backed by a pair of extremely powerful lungs. Even the stifled air of the Nexus Battlefield stirred.
The Legion Commander's skeletal warhorse neighed in a very deep tone, sounding as if it originated from hell itself. It kicked up a fuss, its eyes fully fixated on Wei Wuyin's itty-bitty form before it.
Wei Wuyin touched the hilt of his saber, as if he was about to unsheathe it in a heroic display, even his aura seemed to faintly change, becoming more steady, vigorous. From his aura, none of these soldiers felt that Wei Wuyin was simple, and they unhesitatingly stood on impulse, grasping their weapons and readying themselves.
Wei Wuyin then said in the most serious tone he could muster: "I'm still considering the terms of MY surrender! Can I have a minute?"
"..."
This was the third time the Spirits of War, these very intelligent and emotional manifestations, was driven to absolutely stupefied speechlessness, unable to process the situation. They felt as if they were being toyed with, thrown for a loop by a mere mortal.
Even the Legion Commander was startled, "Your surrender?"
As if happy that this was said, Wei Wuyin promptly jumped at the chance and smilingly nodded: "Yes! I mean, there's no way a measly mortal like myself would be able to face ten thousand Ascended beings, an entire army no less. Clearly, I'm just here to die by the most honorable, easiest method. See, I thought the Commander would attack me, providing me with a quick death, but now I see that I've pushed it a little too far."
"..." So that's what it was! The Spirits of War were all enlightened simultaneously, as if all the pieces of this puzzle were now being placed together neatly. It all made sense! However, it might be a little too late to want a quick death after those words, no?
Wei Wuyin ignored their reactions, continuing very loudly: "You see. In a recent development, I've lost my ability to use my eyes effectively, so now I'm almost entirely blinded. I can't fight in the Battlefield, but there's some very sadistic individuals here, and I'm unwilling to die by their hands, suffering unbearable torture. There was even a woman here that wanted to uhm 'suck' me dry and make me skinless. If you catch my drift.
"I know I'm handsome, see this face here, but I'm unwilling to be toyed with in such a manner until my end. What type of death would that be? But dying at the hands of an elite Ascended being would justify it all. Even if I go to the other world, at least I can say to my family and those I meet along the way that I died fighting ten thousand Ascended beings as a mere mortal, you know?
"It's a silly desire, but I think some of you can relate, right? I mean, if you want to die in that way, then I guess you wouldn't. Well...I don't, at least not in that way. Perhaps in a sea of beauties, but I'm a man that would rather die in battle! You're with me about that, right? I just don't want to die horribly, though. Swift and easy, that's the way. So...uhm, I apologize? Wait, should I offer something to apologize? What would you all want?
"Oh I know! I have a few War Souls here. Wait, do you guys use War Souls? Or is that close to cannibalism? Are you guys War Souls or other beings? You seem like living beings, but you also give off a similar feeling as War Souls. Strange, do you even know? Well, I don't..."
Wei Wuyin kept talking and talking, his voice explosively loud that everyone could only listen.
"..." The mysterious woman was unable to even comprehend the scene before her. She was startled when Wei Wuyin began to speak about them surrendering, speechless when he mocked them, and outright felt as if she was living in a different world when he wanted to discuss his own terms of surrender. It was such a strange turn of events that it seemed she lost her ability to think properly.
She felt stupid.
So stupid that she had been listening to Wei Wuyin's nonsense for a while now, and she wasn't the only one! The army of 10,000 Spirits of War were also drawn in, unable to process anything, as if waiting for more explanations or further reveal what terms Wei Wuyin wanted to surrender to.
Guan Yu looked on with his mouth agape.
After three full minutes of time passed, the Legion Commander's warhorse neighed ferociously! This prompted the Legion Commander to snap out of his thoughts that kept shifting alongside Wei Wuyin's outpour of words.
"Enough!" He shouted, gesturing with his hand towards the first soldier who called out to deal Wei Wuyin a severe lesson. "Zhou Dou, make it slow and painful!"
The Spirit of War named Zhou Dou lifted his head, shaking it briefly to regain himself, and then turned to Wei Wuyin. With a heavy nod, he launched himself explosively towards Wei Wuyin. With his spear in hand, he was ready to litter Wei Wuyin with holes until it leaked out a slow and painful death, as desired by his War Commander!
"...But I haven't said my terms yet!" Wei Wuyin urgently and fearfully shouted, but thus caused no delay as Zhou Dou rushed forward and thrusted towards Wei Wuyin's left thigh, closing their gap of distance in a blink of an eye. If it was a normal mortal cultivator, this speed would've been enough to strike before any proper response.
SHIIING!
A saber howl emitted and a lone head flew into the air. A geyser of white-colored blood erupted from a headless body that spasmed slightly before falling with a heavy thud and a rushing skid from its momentum.
"Well, that's about enough time. I'll give you one last chance," Wei Wuyin held his saber in his right hand, touching its blade with his left, standing before 9,999 living Spirits of War with a cold smile, "Have you decided the terms of your surrender, Legion Commander?"
