As the massive shockwave from the Warlord's strike bore down on them, a lone figure burst out from behind the empire's frontlines and leaped high into the air to meet it head-on.
Zhangli's eyes went wide. So did Tsuyu's, who'd only just arrived in time to see it happen.
The man met the shockwave with a force of his own, and somehow — impossibly — held it. It was the kind of feat nobody on the island could have managed, not one single person, except perhaps Master Yoo himself.
He landed a moment later, settling onto the surface of the water like it was solid ground beneath him, standing perfectly straight.
Aquila's expression shifted, all mockery draining out of it in an instant. "Dae-Ryeong..." he murmured, fist clenching at his side.
The shockwave simply dissolved into nothing. One heartbeat, everyone on that shore had been certain they were about to die. The next, they were standing safely behind the supreme commander of all the hwa-samurai — Dae-Ryeong Choi Eunjoo.
A wave of cheering rolled through the empire's soldiers at the sight of him, relief and renewed confidence flooding every face. A few dropped straight to their knees.
"I thought we were finished," one hwa-samurai breathed, staring in disbelief. "That strike had enough force to level a mountain, and the Dae-Ryeong just shrugged it off like it was nothing. Absolutely incredible!"
Choi Eunjoo cut a sharp, commanding figure — dark blue eyes, hair cropped close on the sides, dressed in a black cheollik layered over deep blue inner robes. His gaze locked hard on the approaching warship, unreadable and unblinking.
"Thank the Goddess." Tsuyu let out a breath she hadn't realized she was holding. "The Dae-Ryeong's here."
Haein studied him carefully from where she stood. "So that's him," she thought. "Even from this distance, his strength was obvious, radiating off him like heat off stone. Good thing Vincent and Kei managed to lock in that partnership with the empire. I'd hate to be standing against someone like that instead of beside him."
Aboard his ship, the Warlord lowered his greatsword slightly, expression unchanged — still cold, still carved from stone.
As the SAT warships closed the last of the distance, Aquila made to leap down toward the shore, but Zarbosa's arm shot out, stopping him cold.
"Why?" Aquila demanded, glaring at him.
Without answering, Zarbosa leaped instead, sailing high through the air before crashing down onto the shore of Saeho himself, the impact tearing a shallow crater into the sand.
"I only respect strength," Zarbosa said, voice rolling out low and heavy. "Nothing else. I came here to settle things with Lingshu — he put the first real scar on this body, years back. But I hear he's grown old since then. Fighting him now would just be dull. Embarrassing, even." His eyes shifted to Eunjoo. "So you. I hear you're his best student. You'll fight me instead. Give me everything you've got."
"If that's the only thing you want," Eunjoo answered, his glare steady, unshaken, "then call your men off first. There's no reason for more bloodshed than necessary. This fight is between the two of us."
"Fine by me." Zarbosa said simply.
Aquila's face twisted with fury. "What? You don't get to decide that for the rest of us! We came here to damage this empire as badly as we can!"
Zarbosa's glare swung toward him, sharp and dismissive. "Shut your mouth, insect."
"You absolute fool." Aquila spat the words under his breath, frustration boiling over — and then lunged anyway, ignoring the order entirely, charging straight at Eunjoo.
Eunjoo barely had to move. He sidestepped the attack and drove a kick square into Aquila's stomach, sending him tumbling across the water's surface and skidding to a stop right at Zarbosa's feet.
"Insect," Zarbosa said again, flat and final. He raised the Ragnarok and brought it down, crushing Aquila into the sand without a flicker of hesitation.
Aquila never had a chance to defend himself. His body simply broke apart under the weight of the blow.
A stunned, horrified silence spread through both sides at once — hwa-samurai and SAT soldiers alike, all watching the same brutal execution unfold in front of them.
"Now then." Zarbosa's grin widened, hungry. "Shall we begin?"
Zhangli barked orders at his retainers to pull back, clearing enough space that they wouldn't be caught in whatever was about to happen.
Eunjoo didn't waste another word. He struck first, launching a volley of ice spikes straight at Zarbosa — who answered with a single furious roar, the force of it alone enough to shatter every spike before it got close.
Eunjoo shifted tactics fast, calling down a localized barrage of lightning instead. Zarbosa was strong, undeniably, but speed clearly was not his gift — the strikes caught him cleanly, one after another. Yet none of it seemed to matter. He simply stood there and absorbed every hit, barely flinching.
Eunjoo poured anima into his own body next, strength surging up twentyfold, and drove his fist straight into Zarbosa's chest. This time, the Warlord actually felt it — his expression flickered, just slightly, before he swung back. One clean arc of his massive arm sent Eunjoo flying clear across the beach, slamming him into a boulder hard enough to crack stone and bone both.
Before he could even push himself upright, Zarbosa was already airborne again, Ragnarok raised for another devastating strike. Eunjoo barely got clear in time, riding a burst of wind to safety — but the impact of Zarbosa's landing alone sent a tremor rolling through the ground beneath everyone's feet.
Eunjoo forced healing prana through his body the moment he landed, and within seconds the worst of his injuries had closed over completely. He answered with a massive fireball, hurling it straight at Zarbosa's chest — and watched it barely leave a mark.
Zarbosa stood there through the smoke, entirely unbothered, and as it cleared his face was already split into an excited grin. "Clever fox." Something almost like respect colored his voice now. "I fought your father once, you know. So many years back. I see him in you — he was a monster in his own right. So I'm expecting quite a bit from his son."
"You talk too much," Eunjoo said flatly.
Water rose up behind him without warning, coiling and twisting itself into the long, serpentine shape of a dragon.
"There's Mirana!" one of the hwa-samurai shouted, pointing.
"Guess he's done holding back," another muttered, wide-eyed.
Zarbosa's grin only widened further at the sight of it. He rolled his shoulders, settling into a proper stance for the first time. "Now that's more like it."
And then the two of them collided, full force, the impact between them rolling out across the water like a second explosion entirely of its own.