The Emperor's Phoenix

Chapter 28 | Her Clash

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Liu Ying Yue

At the palace guard's words, the main hall erupted in chaos with shouts in every direction. As some officials hid themselves in the room from the violence, others rushed out into the yells of battle with clashing weapons. Zhang Wei immediately threw the burden of his heavy, outer robes aside and brandished his sword, Ying Yue following him with her weapon drawn.

"Hells," she hissed, opening the door to reveal the intertwining fire, water, and shadows of the three sides pitted against each other. The assassins were a blur in the wind as they faced each other in rapid combat. Ying Yue didn't even get a second to blink before the harsh glints of metal and elemental masses came towards her and Zhang Wei.

Sliding off her outer robes, she threw the scarlet cloth to act as a momentary shield against the attacks as Zhang Wei counterattacked with a sweeping, shadowy mass against them. Continuing to fend their enemies off, they stood back-to-back as he put up a dark, flickering shield around the two.

"Quick thinking, wife--Ugh..." He let out a groan of pain as he swung his shadow-infused weapon against a group of enemy soldiers to send them back. "...This whole attack wouldn't have happened if only I acted fast enough in the first place--"

He'll quickly run out of energy the longer he keeps this shield up...

"Zhang Wei, don't force yourself more than you can handle!" Ying Yue winced as an aqueous blade sliced through her shoulder, his shield faltering. "...Focus on preserving your energy!"

"Protect the emperor and empress!" Her declaration was followed by a loud order as more Jin reinforcements entered the battlefield. The outnumbered Jin soldiers rushed towards the other realms with fervor, even clashing against their own men who fought on the opposing side.

"...Tch!" Zhang Wei immediately placed a hand on his injured side and withdrew the shield before waving a hand to unleash another dark mass, sending multiple men to the ground.

She quickly dodged multiple blades, a few managing to land their mark with the sound of ripping cloth as she felt him slightly stumble back. "...Heavens...! Zhang Wei, are you--"

"I'm glad you're so concerned about me, wife..." He winced as another attack found its target. "However, now that it has come to this, I'm afraid that I have to keep on fighting...I really will be fine."

"...Foolish bastard." She muttered half-heartedly, gritting her teeth against a blistering flame which trailed along her arm for a moment. Stifling another exclamation of pain, she ignored the burning sensation and gripped the hilt of her sword even tighter. With a fluid movement, she embedded it in the chest of a man aiming at Zhang Wei's blind spot from the side.

Damn it! Going against this horde of forces is a death wish--!

Despite some Jin soldiers who came to their side, the rest were getting decimated, their bodies littering the blood-soaked palace grounds with a strong, metallic scent among the smoke. Ying Yue pressed even closer to her husband at the ambitious glint in their enemies' eyes--some being people from her hometown she used to be acquainted with and others being the Jin townspeople in dissatisfaction of their leadership. Together, they emitted a harsh, merciless determination powerful enough to bring the foundation of the nation to its knees.