Chapter 649 p2 unedited unmemed

Tis a little sparse on details and stuff cuz a lot of it used to be BoShui prose, but I decided that wouldn't do for the closing end of the battle. Really rushed this part out, but it seems... complete enough. If you feel anything missing, bring it up in comments :D

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1WdNdEvuW1pv4Ztee9eC-HiEZV60-183pdypUoykBuLA/edit?usp=sharing 

The skies rumbled.

The storm broke.

The rain fell.

And the Defiled fled, leaving the Imperial Army worn and weary, but also the undisputed victors upon the field of battle.

Despite her near brush with death, Akanai was not pleased by this turn of events. The damnable Gongsun Qi was gone, alongside her chances of finishing up their little dispute before day’s end. The Defiled army was also retreating in relatively tight formation, which meant going after them was a fool’s errand, whereas more would have died if they’d stayed and fought to the bitter end. More Imperials would have died as well, but victory had a price, one which if not paid in today’s battle, would need to be settled another day.

Today’s work was not yet done though. There were still stragglers aplenty left to fight, crazed Defiled who needed to be put down, but there were also plenty of the Enemy who simply shut down and surrendered. No Demons were formed, nor were any prisoners taken, sothe soldiers of the Empire set to bloody work clearing the battlefield of Enemy survivors and celebrating their victory without caring too much about the why or how. As for Akanai herself, she was sure of both but still fixed her expression in place and feigned confusion before joining the highest echelons of command and greatest Warriors of the Empire in staring at the stormy skies. Though most familiar with Hongji, a man of his rank would not be privy to matters of Divinities, nor would her secondmost familiar Colonel General, young Ryo Dae Jung. With Mitsue Juichi’s heart and spirit broken into pieces, Shuai Jiao seemed like her best bet, but the humble ascetic Warrior was the craftiest of Central’s bunch, a shrewd and perceptive man who read people like others read books. A much needed skill for someone striving to remain neutral in convoluted Central politics, but Akanai feared he would sense something amiss if she approached him for clarification.

For any fool with eyes could see that this storm raging overheadwas no natural occurrence, but one wrought by a powerful Divinity.

Cursing the culprit in the back of her mind, Akanai did her best not to think about it, lest her expression give her away. The nobles of Central were all practised liars, while she herself only had cause to lie to sweet Mila, like telling her there was no candy in the house or how bad childrenwho didn’t go to bed on time would get the itches. If asked about the rain, she feared she would give herself away and let everyone know she suspected who was responsible, but so long as she didn’t actually know, she could swear an Oath to the Heavens saying as much and that would be the end of that.

Why come and call down the storm though? It would have been a hard fought battle, but Akanai was wholly confident in victory, unlike during that pressing dilemmaat the Northern Wall when the Enemy broke through or the whole mess of duels against the Society. What’s more, both times there’d only been a few Peak Experts knowledgeable enough to know something was amiss, and no outsideDivinities to speak of. While others might have suspected something upon hearing the stories, there was no proof to be had, but here, there were too many witnesses and too many inquiring minds to deny the involvement of a powerful Divinity. Eventually, someone would soon put the incidents all together and start looking among the People for the culprit responsible, assuming their identity had not already been revealed.

Vexingas all this might be, she found it difficult to concentrate on the matter at hand as the downpour soaked her to the bone, a chilling but refreshing cleansing to follow a long and arduous battle. The raindrops cooled her burning fury and washed away her weary exhaustion, leaving her with renewed vigour and a fading desire to lead her Sentinels to chase down the fleeing Defiled and slaughter them to the last. A terrible idea to be sure since the Enemy forces were still large enough to engulf her Sentinels whole, not to mention how her quins and riders were all thoroughly spent after a long day’s fight.

Or so she thought. Kankin in particular seemed eager and alert, stomping his feet in a pitter patter of excitement as if to urge her forward for the hunt, and after checking on her people, she found many of them in similar straits. This effect was not unexpected, since she knew what the rainfall could do, but she was surprised by the sheer magnitude of this working, since it was affected so many of her Sentinels and quins. No, not just them, but every man, woman, and beast in the Imperial Army! Impossible. Discarding the notion that she knew the culprit responsible, she turned her gaze back the Heaven’s above, and this time, her wonder and bewilderment was genuine and heartfelt as she pressed her palms together in a prayer of thanks.

For there was no way a mere Divinity could harness so much power so quickly. This rainfall had to be the workings of the Mother Above, and Akanai was grateful for Her hallowed assistance.

Balance came easily as the Energy of the Heavens flowed through her Core, bringing with it a silent sense of hope and thanks followed by an unfamiliar melancholic warmth. A fond farewell, as it were, and as tender and heartfelt as it might be, she was lessened by its absence once the feeling faded away. A single tear streamed out her eye, hidden by the pouring rain, but she knew she’d lost something today, something cherished and beloved. Leaping atop Kankin, she rode through the cheering, celebrating soldiers over to where she spotted Rain’s carriage last, and there she found her beloved daughter with so many others all gathered around the pets’ wagon. Greeting her with a conflicted smile as she dismounted from Kankin, Mila said nothing and threw her arms around Akanai’s waist before leading her over to the wagon, where she found little Rain fast asleep in a pile of pets and surrounded by his family and loved ones.

A sombre scene amidst a field of celebration, one which set Akanai’s stomach to twisting in apprehension. “What happened here?”

As Sarnai filled Akanai in, she studied the boy’s expression, one which was neither peaceful nor anguished, but merely... slack. There was no other way to describe it, for there was nothing to see, and were it not for the slow, but steady rise and fall of his chest, one might mistake him for dead, though he’d suffered no discernible injury. “We held off on telling you so as not to offer distraction,” Sarnai concluded, but judging by how she couldn’t meet Akanai’s eyes, she knew little Rose had simply forgotten.

Hardly unexpected, considering the dire state of her son. Wrapping her free arm around Sarnai and Alsantset both, Akanai hugged them tight and said, “Little Rain will be fine. He always is. No need to fret.” Her tone lacked certainty, but the words had to be said, even if she couldn’t bring herself to believe them. Seeing the Divine Turtle with her chin resting atop his chest, it was clear she didn’t believe Akanai either. Paying no mind to the invigorating rainfall, Ping Ping gaze was focused upon little Rain to the exclusion of all else as she quietly mourned his passing. All the animals did, supposedly sensing something the humans and demi-humans could not, their distressed behaviours and forlorn expressions heartbreaking to behold. Aside from pressing themselves against him, none of the animals bothered Rain in the slightest, neither prodding him with paw or nudging him with muzzle as they were so wont to do. Instead, they simply sat at his side and grieved in their own way. The wildcats huddled together for support and stared at Rain’s expression, while the bears hid beneath their paws and peaked out every now and then. The rabbits sat uncharacteristically still, their chins and paws resting atop Rain while the Laughing Birds perched and paced across the wagon sides. The quins Erdene, Coto, Gakai, and Zabu were all nervously grooming, but Kankin’s presence fortified their nerves just a bit and set their worries to rest. Even Princess seemed concerned, sitting on her hindquarters with limbs akimbo in the crook or Rain’s arm, her raised head watching him not with wary caution, but uncertain distress.

And all the while, the Energy of the Heavens swirled around them, not just the animals, but also Akanai, Sarnai, Alsantset, Mila, Song, Yan, and even Mei Lin. Long minutes passed in silent stillness, but around them, the world continued to pass by. The storm continued unabated and the stirrings of Heavenly Energy expanded, with Warriors all around the carriage demonstrating their Purity, perhaps in celebration of their hard-earned victory. Not entirely unwarranted, but the disturbance was unwelcome with Rain’s fate still uncertain, yet with Akanai looked up to deliver a silent glare of warning, what she saw left her shocked and speechless.

For those Warriors Demonstrating their Purity were not Warriors at all, or had not been a few hours ago. Spread out before the carriage were Irregulars as far as the eye could see, cheering and celebrating as expected, only there were dozens of Captain-level talents among them dressed in the same standard tabards of the Irregulars, and many more lesser talents unconsciously channelling Chi. How was this possible? Their ranks were filled with the basest of commoners, but somewhere along the way, these crossbow wielding auxiliaries had managed to Form their Cores and become Martial Warriors in truth. One or two would not be so surprising, but for so many once?

Again, Akanai’s eyes turned to the Heavens, for this was proof beyond the shadow of a doubt that the Mother Above was involved, wholly exonerating the People and their allies. Perhaps there was a better explanation than Divine Intervention. Maybe their first taste of battle helped Inspire them to take their first step along the Martial Path. Or it was possible the combination of Demonic Aura plunging these Irregulars into the depths of despair followed by sweet Song’s Inspiring Aura raising them back up kindled their resolve and conviction, and thus helping them find Balance for the first time. It could also be any number of other possibilities Akanai was unable to come up with, but one thing was for certain: hundreds, if not thousands of new Martial Warriors had been born today on this field of battle, and they had Falling Rain to thank for bringing them here in the first place.

Regardless of the ‘how’, if this didn’t count as a miracle of Heaven, then nothing ever would.