The Red-Eyed Black Dragon narrowed his eyes. His gaze locked onto the newly arrived figure—General Tran Quoc Bao. He gritted his teeth.
"Another one seeking death."
He stood tall, pointing his finger straight ahead, and roared.
"All troops, listen up! Slaughter every single one of them!"
"Anyone who retreats—dies!"
The moment his words left his jaws, the crimson eyes of the Black Dragon flared with a sinister light. The dark cyclone around his body erupted, transforming into tens of thousands of red-black energy chains. They shot forth, violently piercing into the bodies of his own soldiers, forcefully injecting the dark power into their veins.
"ARGH!!! AH!!!"
Agonizing shrieks echoed across the battlefield. The bodies of the infected soldiers began to mutate. Dark veins bulged violently across their faces, and their eyes turned a frenzied, blood-red color. The dark energy stimulated every cell, turning their inner terror into absolute madness. Even those who were about to flee instantly turned around, completely stripped of their sanity. Clutching weapons now coated in a jet-black aura, they glared at Van Thien and the Tran army like bloodthirsty moths drawn to a flame.
From afar, General Tran Quoc Bao watched the gruesome sight. Unfazed, he lifted his massive blade and strode toward Van Thien.
On the line, Van Thien kept his eyes locked on the frenzied horde surging toward them.
Suddenly, a heavy, armored hand clapped firmly down on his shoulder. The impact was resounding, snapping him out of his thoughts.
"Hey, newcomer... Why are you standing there in a daze?"
"Are you afraid?"
Van Thien turned his head slightly, meeting General Tran Quoc Bao's gaze, then looked back at the ferocious enemies.
"I'm not afraid... I will definitely wipe them all out."
Hearing this, General Tran Quoc Bao let out a hearty, booming laugh.
"In that case..."
He placed his heavy armored hand back on Van Thien's shoulder. In that exact instant, a brilliant surge of azure light erupted from the general, racing down his arm and flooding into Van Thien's body. The boy's blue-pink energy immediately resonated, flaring up with a power that tore through the night sky.
Van Thien realized that what the thousand-year-old general had just transmitted to him was not just raw power. It was the Dong A Spirit—the indomitable will to fight and win that belonged to an entire nation, compressed over seven centuries. The blood in his veins began to boil.
"Do you have the courage to break through the enemy's siege with me, descendant of the new era?"
Van Thien clenched his fists, his spirit ignited by the fierce courage of the ancestor. He shouted:
"Of course! I am always ready, General!"
General Tran Quoc Bao turned his eyes toward the Red-Eyed Black Dragon.
"That commander is using his dark power to anchor his remaining forces."
"To break this army, we must sever the dragon's head!"
He glanced at Van Thien, the massive blade in his hand whistling with immense pressure.
"Your light is the only thing that can counter his dark core. Fly up and strike straight at the commander's flagship!"
"As for this wave of frenzied soldiers... leave them to my Tran infantry. We will crush them to pieces!"
Van Thien nodded firmly.
"Understood!"
In the distance, the Red-Eyed Black Dragon glared at the Tran army and swept his hand forward.
"CHARGE!"
The maddened horde roared, rushing en masse toward Van Thien and the Tran soldiers
Van Thien took a deep breath, planted his feet, and let his blue-pink aura explode around him. With a powerful kick, he launched himself into the air, rocketting straight toward the Black Dragon.
General Tran Quoc Bao raised his ancient great blade high.
"Warriors of Tran! Raise shields! Hold the shore timeline, and crush the rebels for me! KILL (SAT)!!!"
"KILL!!! KILL!!! KILL!!!"
The war cry of thousands of soldiers erupted simultaneously, shaking the entire river. They slammed their ancient wooden shields violently into the modern concrete road, creating a fortress wall as solid as bedrock.
CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!
The sharp sound of unsheathing blades rang out. The longswords of the Tran era were drawn, their edges engulfed in a radiant protective light. Like a massive block of steel, the Tran army pushed their shields forward and swung their blades, charging straight into the crazed horde, completely shielding the sky as Van Thien soared overhead.
The Black Dragon's forces collided heavily against the Tran line.
General Tran Quoc Bao did not step back. He stomped his foot onto the concrete floor, shattering it into pieces, and his massive figure transformed into a streak of azure light, plunging directly into the center of the enemy formation. The great blade in his hand swung, carving a massive crescent arc through the darkness.
An absolute, devastating strike.
Wherever the azure light swept, the red-black aura on the frenzied soldiers shattered. Dozens of enemies were blasted aside, tearing open a massive path right through the middle of the battlefield. The ferocious strength of the thousand-year-old general made the Black Dragon's mad army freeze in pure terror.
"TUNG!!!"
"TUNG!!!"
"TUNG!!!"
Three thunderous drumbeats rolled across the battlefield, driving the enemy into a deeper panic.
General Tran Quoc Bao raised his đại đao high.
"All Tran forces, take the command!"
"ADVANCE!"
The Tran army charged in unison, with General Tran Quoc Bao leading the iron vanguard. The wooden shield wall, backed by the unbreakable combat will of the Tran soldiers, coordinated flawlessly, pushing forward and driving their blades through any reckless foe in their path. The frontline on the shore was completely dominated by the Tran army!
Beneath the Bach Dang River, Yết Kiêu lost no time. Upon hearing the battle drums, he and his phantom divers violently yanked the massive anchor chains.
CRACK!!! BOOM!!!
The tide was receding rapidly, exposing the sharp wooden stakes. The razor-sharp tips breached the water's surface, piercing through the hulls of the surrounding vessels, completely locking down any movement from the last remaining flagship
The flagship was trapped. The soldiers on board panicked.
Yết Kiêu and his men swam to the sides of the vessel. They drove their iron spikes into the wood and swung their heavy hammers with devastating force. With every strike, the hull splintered, creating gaping holes. The rushing waters of the Bach Dang River flooded inside, dragging the enemy vessels down into the deep.
Standing on the deck, the Red-Eyed Black Dragon finally showed signs of pure panic. He roared frantically, trying to concentrate his red-black dark energy for defense.
But it was already too late.
From the sky, Van Thien looked down at the flawless coordinated sea-and-land strategy the ancestors had prepared for him. All pressure and fear vanished, replaced entirely by the boiling Dong A blood within him.
His eyes locked onto the Red-Eyed Black Dragon. He clenched his fist tightly as the brilliant light flared with blinding intensity. Taking his stance, he dove straight down like a meteor toward his target.
On the deck, the Black Dragon was frantically screaming orders to his panicking troops, when—
BAM!
A devastating punch crashed straight into his abdomen, warping the very space around the impact.
"GARK!"
The commander was blasted back several meters, crashing and skidding across the deck. He forced himself to his feet, dark blood coughing up from his mouth. He wiped the blood from his lips, his gaze snapping violently forward.
Van Thien stood there, hovering in mid-air, looking down at him with freezing, cold eyes.
The Red-Eyed Black Dragon narrowed his eyes, veins popping across his face and forehead in absolute fury. He clenched his fists till they shook.
"You..."