A hundred ironclad warships of the Toyotomi Navy descended upon Guyun Stone Forest.

Kato Kiyomaki watched with a cold sneer as the Guizhong Ballistae of Liyue were instantly flattened by the fleet’s cannon fire.

 

Thirty Liyue vessels sank one after another on the waves, their blood staining the turquoise sea.

When the flagship of the Crux Fleet was surrounded on all sides, we witnessed Beidou fighting to her last breath.

Her shattered Dead Edge sank into the abyss alongside its master —

 

 

 

The July sea was unnervingly calm. Glassy blue waters stretched from the jagged shores of Guyun Stone Forest all the way to the horizon. But today, that line between sea and sky was torn asunder. First came a forest of masts, piercing the horizon like an inverted black wood. Then the hulls emerged — not the wooden ships familiar to Liyue, but massive ironclad behemoths lined with gaping cannon ports.

 

A fleet of over a hundred warships advanced in grim, menacing silence, crushing the waves as they bore down on Guyun Stone Forest. At the bow of the leading flagship Akagi Maru, Kato Kiyomaki rested his hand on his katana Chidori. His armor glinted with cold blue steel in the afternoon sun. He narrowed his eyes at the slowly sharpening outline of the islands ahead, a cruel smile tugging at his lips.

 

On the highest rocks of Guyun Stone Forest, the envoy sent by Ningguang, Admiral of the Liyue Qixing, along with several Millelith officers, wore expressions heavy enough to wring water from.

“The flag of Demon Kato…” someone muttered, voice trembling with suppressed fear.

The fleet brought not sea breeze, but a thick, tangible stench of iron and sulfur, weighing heavily on every chest.

 

“Guizhong Ballistae! Ready!”

Orders rang out across the prepared coastal positions. Ancient, rune-carved ballistae hummed to life, drawing power from the leylines and leftover immortal energy. Special bolts, thick as a child’s arm and glinting with cold light, were slid into place, aimed at the oncoming iron forest.

 

Kato Kiyomaki spotted the island’s vaunted defenses and let out a dismissive snort.

“A mantis trying to stop a chariot.”

He slowly raised his right hand.

Signal flags flickered beside him.

At the very edge of the ballistae’s range, the massive Toyotomi fleet abruptly shifted formation. Gunports along the sides flew open, revealing rows of ravenous maws.

 

“Fire!”

The Liyue command roared with desperate resolve.

 

Whirring — dozens of streaks tore through the air, screaming toward the enemy ships.

 

Almost simultaneously, Kato Kiyomaki brought his hand down like a falling blade.

“CANNONS! FIRE!”

 

BOOM — BOOM — BOOM —!!!

 

The world went deafeningly loud, consumed by endless, devastating blasts.

Side cannons erupted in sheets of orange fire and thick white smoke. Hundreds of scorching cannonballs wove a net of death, not against the bolts, but in a sweeping barrage that slammed directly into the Guizhong Ballistae emplacements along the shore.

 

Rock shattered. Wood splintered. Engraved runes wailed and dimmed under the brutal impact. One ballista took a direct hit and disintegrated in an instant, its crew and the surrounding rock reduced to powder.

Second and third volleys followed without mercy, scouring every inch of the coast.

Within mere breaths, the proud Guizhong Ballistae defenses of Liyue lay in flaming ruins, silent.

 

At sea, the Liyue fleet of thirty ships charged early, their commander’s eyes bloodshot with rage. They hoped to use their familiarity with the waters and the agility of their ships to break through and board the enemy.

 

“Beasts trapped in a cage,” Kato Kiyomaki said flatly.

 

The fleet shifted formation again. Smaller, faster Ataka Maru vessels swarmed from both flanks like sharks sensing blood, blocking the Liyue advance with a hail of fire arrows and arquebus fire. The main warships kept their distance, and side cannons roared once more — this time, targeting the tossing Liyue ships.

 

Masts snapped. Sails burst into flame. Planks shattered under massive impact.

One Liyue ship was torn open, seawater rushing in. It tilted violently, sailors spilling into the waves, only to be swallowed by exploding cannon blasts and flying shrapnel.

Blood seeped from broken hulls, blooming bright, sickening scarlet across the blue sea.

Screams, explosions, the groan of timber, the crackle of fire — all wove a hellscape upon the waves.

 

“Hold fast! Rally to Captain Beidou!” a captain shrieked at the top of his lungs.

 

Just as the Liyue fleet neared collapse, ten ships emblazoned with the distinct Crux Fleet banner burst forth from a hidden fjord of Guyun Stone Forest, cutting through the waves like sea beasts.

The leading flagship bore a furious dragon-head prow. Standing at its bow was a tall, imposing woman with crimson eyes burning with unyielding fire, a massive black iron greatsword at her waist — Beidou, the Uncrowned King of the Seas.

 

“The Crux Fleet!”

“Captain’s here!”

 

A cheer, half-weeping, erupted from the surviving Liyue sailors.

 

Beidou’s fleet sliced into the Toyotomi formation like a sharp dagger. Her crew fought with ferocious courage, throwing harpoons and firebombs with deadly accuracy, sowing chaos among the nearby Ataka Maru.

 

For the first time, genuine interest flashed in Kato Kiyomaki’s eyes as he locked onto the dragon-headed flagship and the striking woman aboard.

“Finally, something worth hunting.” His cold smile deepened.

“Signal: surround her. I want her alive… or dead.”

 

The order was given. The immense Toyotomi fleet, a precision killing machine, closed in.

Their overwhelming numerical superiority became brutally clear. No matter how the Crux Fleet charged left or right, throwing off one group of enemies, more ships immediately filled the gap.

Cannons intentionally avoided the flagship, focusing fire on the rest of Beidou’s ships, sinking or forcing them back one by one.

 

The battle dragged from midday into late afternoon.

Every Liyue vessel on the water had sunk. Only Beidou’s flagship remained, a wounded lone wolf encircled by countless enemy ships.

Grappling hooks flew from all sides, digging firmly into the Crux flagship’s hull.

 

“Board! Kill them all!”

Savage shouts erupted from every direction.

 

Toyotomi samurai in full armor swarmed onto the deck like bloodthirsty ants, climbing ropes and planks.

Swords clashed. Roars and death cries filled every corner.

 

Beidou stood tall on the stern castle. Her greatsword Chidori was drawn, its blade sweeping like silver lightning.

Each strike carried mountain-splitting force, cleaving through samurai and armor alike. Blood and severed limbs sprayed around her. She was soaked in crimson — some her own, most her enemies’.

Her crimson eyes held no fear, only raging battle will and deep, bitter grief.

 

“Come on, you midgets from the Eastern Isles! Let Grandmother Beidou send you home!”

Her roar cut through the chaos of battle.

 

Aboard the Akagi Maru, Kato Kiyomaki watched calmly, the final hunt unfolding.

He saw the woman fight like a demon, his own samurai falling like grass before her.

But he had patience. His men were endless.

 

One samurai seized an opening, lunging with a spear toward Beidou’s side.

She parried, slitting his throat — but her movement slowed for a heartbeat.

Another nodachi blade screamed down, slashing deep into her sword arm, bone visible.

 

Beidou grunted. Her greatsword nearly slipped from her grasp. She grabbed the blade with her left hand, forced it steady, and ripped the attacker open.

 

But that wound marked the beginning of her collapse.

More strikes found her unguarded moments. Blades cut her back. Spears pierced her thigh. An arquebus bullet embedded in her shoulder…

 

She staggered, yet would not fall. Still swinging her now-notched greatsword.

Every step back left a bloody footprint on the deck.

One by one, her crew fell around her.

In the end, only she remained, leaning against the broken mainmast.

 

Kato Kiyomaki had stepped onto the Crux deck. Samurai cleared a path.

He stopped several paces from Beidou, gazing at the blood-soaked woman.

 

Beidou breathed heavily, each exhale flecked with blood. Her crimson eyes locked onto Kato Kiyomaki, still burning like fire.

 

“Surrender, and you live,” Kato Kiyomaki said, his voice empty of emotion.

 

“Spit!” Beidou hawked a mouthful of blood onto the deck at his feet.

“Liyue has… only Beidou who dies fighting… no Dragon King who kneels!”

 

With her last strength, she gripped her cracked, notched greatsword Chidori with both hands and let out a sky-rending roar.

She charged at Kato Kiyomaki — her final charge.

 

A flash of steel.

 

Kato Kiyomaki’s Chidori struck later, but hit truer, slamming precisely into the worst crack in Beidou’s blade.

 

CLANG — CRACK!

 

Her greatsword Chidori snapped in two.

 

The upper half spun away, arcing miserably into the dark water below.

 

Beidou’s charge froze. A thin red line spread downward from between her brows.

She stared at Kato Kiyomaki. The fire in her eyes did not fade — it condensed into pure, bitter defiance.

 

“…Rex Lapis… will… avenge us…”

 

Her voice died unfinished.

 

Her body fell backward, over the rail, plunging with her broken half-blade into the dark purple waves, stained by blood and fire.

 

Splash.

 

A small spray erupted, then settled. Only a few bubbles rose and popped.

 

The broken Chidori sank into the endless abyss, following its master.

 

The sea wind howled, carrying smoke and blood across the silent battlefield.

Kato Kiyomaki stood silently for a moment, then sheathed his sword and turned.

 

“Clear the battlefield. Secure Guyun Stone Forest.”

 

The setting sun bled red, stretching his shadow long over the sea of corpses and wreckage.

Author's Note: This chapter is based on real historical events, adapted from the First Sino-Japanese War during China's Qing Dynasty. The Japanese fleet deliberately invaded China's territorial waters and launched an aggression. Deng Shichang led the Beiyang Fleet to put up a brave resistance. In the end, the Qing court was defeated and China suffered a crushing defeat. Taking advantage of the situation, Japan coerced the Qing government into signing an unequal treaty, extorted 200 million taels of silver as reparations, and forcibly occupied Taiwan, China's inherent territory, imposing colonial rule on the island. Japanese aggressors carried out colonial enslavement education in Taiwan and instilled militarist ideology into the people of Taiwan.