In the year when the rivers ran red and the mountains trembled, the armies of Qin and the Heaven Battling State clashed upon the blood-soaked plains.
On the second dawn, when the cries of soldiers had not yet faded and the dead still lay unburied, two figures strode forth.
One was Tai Jian, the cold-faced commander of Qin, whose sword was sharp as winter's frost.
The other was Tie Hongchen, the princess-general of Heaven Battling, whose blade blazed with the fire of rebellion.
Thus began the duel that would be remembered for centuries to come.
Tai Jian raised the Dragonblade of Qin, and the qi of tens of thousands surged into him. The heavens opened, and from the void descended a golden dragon, vast as the horizon, its roar splitting the clouds.
Tie Hongchen thrust her sword into the ground, calling upon the will of her warriors. The earth cracked, and from the mountains rose a colossal ape, fur black as iron, fists like thunder, eyes burning with defiance against the heavens.
Dragon and ape glared across the battlefield. The earth quaked beneath their steps, and mortals bowed their heads, unable to meet their gaze.
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Tai Jian struck first. His sword fell like lightning, a slash that froze the very air.
Frost-Severing Blade — the strike that silences rivers and stills the wind.
Tie Hongchen's sword blazed upward, flames coiling like a lotus unfurling.
Crimson Flame Uprising — the cut that scorches heaven and burns the night.
When sword met sword, when dragon's flame met ape's roar, the battlefield shook as if struck by thunder. Men and horses were flung aside like leaves in a storm.
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Tai Jian stepped forward, his blade weaving arcs of death.
Nine-Fold Frost Slashes — nine streams of ice, each sharper than the last, each a river turned to crystal.
The earth froze beneath his strikes, corpses and banners alike turned into ice-bound monuments.
Tie Hongchen answered with dancing steps, her sword splitting into a thousand illusions.
Crimson Lotus Steps — every thrust a petal, every petal a wound, every wound blooming into fire.
Amidst the storm of ice and flame, their figures vanished and reappeared, their strikes faster than sight.
Above them, the dragon unleashed torrents of golden fire. The ape struck with fists like falling mountains. Their clash split the sky into halves of flame and shadow.
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Hours passed; day gave way to dusk. Still they fought.
Tai Jian gathered his will, his blade rising like a mountain of frost.
Frost-Extinguishing Heaven — the sword that seeks to bury the world beneath eternal winter.
Ice covered the land, the battlefield becoming a frozen wasteland.
Tie Hongchen roared, blood spilling as her sword ignited with crimson radiance.
Lotus of the Ninth Hell — the flower that blooms in the abyss, devouring frost, consuming all.
A lotus of fire shattered the glacier, burning sky and earth alike. The explosion shook mountains, rivers reversed their flow, and the battlefield became ruin.
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Wounded yet unbroken, they pressed on.
Tai Jian's blade carved across Tie Hongchen's shoulder, blood scattering like falling rain.
Her sword pierced his ribs, the wound deep enough to split bone.
Face to face, bleeding, they glared.
"You fight like a demon," she spat.
"And you," he said, "like the wrath of heaven."
Above, the dragon's scales cracked, golden blood falling like meteors. The ape's fur burned, its roars weakening. Both beasts carried the wounds of their masters.
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Night fell. Firelight and moonlight alone bore witness.
Tai Jian raised his sword for the last time, frost swirling until he stood as though he were winter incarnate.
Frost Emperor's Judgment — the blade that freezes stars, that silences heaven itself.
Tie Hongchen answered, her sword ablaze with her very life force.
Heaven Battling Final Lotus — the flower of rebellion, blooming once and never again, a flame that burns even gods.
They charged. Dragon and ape collided above, tearing the sky asunder. Sword and sword met below, shattering earth and soul alike.
The heavens dimmed. The world fell silent.
When the light faded, Tai Jian stood with chest split open and stomach torn, blood cascading like a waterfall. His sword remained in hand by will alone.
Tie Hongchen staggered with her arm nearly severed, ribs pierced, her body drenched in blood. Yet her eyes still blazed.
The dragon and the ape dissolved into dust, their roars echoing one last time before vanishing into the void.
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Both commanders swayed. Neither yielded.
At last, Tai Jian smiled faintly, rare as a star at dawn. "You are indeed a worthy opponent. I am satisfied."
Tie Hongchen laughed bitterly through blood. "Satisfied? You nearly ruined me. Tell me—are you even a man, to strike a lady so mercilessly?"
"…I spared your face. That is mercy."
Her eyes widened, then narrowed. "Mercy? You shameless brute. You see no flower before you."
"A flower?" he said. "I see only a sword. If you are a flower… then a rose. Beautiful, but with thorns enough to wound gods."
Her cheeks flushed despite her wounds. "Still daring to flirt? Hmph. Cold, ruthless—like ten-thousand-year-old ice. I hope never to meet you again."
"Then why have you not left?"
"Why haven't you?"
"Ladies first."
Though they mocked, though they sparred in words, the truth was plain: neither could move. Their pride alone kept them upright.
Moments later, as though guided by fate, both their swords slipped from their grasp. Their bodies fell side by side, unconscious, upon the blood-soaked earth.
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The envoys at last approached. What they found was burned into their souls:
Two figures lying amidst ruin, broken yet divine. Even fallen, their presence was as mountains pressing upon the sky. Not men, not mortals, but gods of war.
And so the bards sang, and the scribes recorded:
"On that day, dragon and ape met.
On that day, heaven and earth split.
On that day, the War Gods fell,
And the world trembled in silence."
Thus ended the Battle of War Gods. No one would think that such a battle was possible between just mere mortals but this place would become proof many years later and a legend was born in such a place.
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