Shan Yu sheathed his blade and strapped it to his back as he walked out of his tent. Today, he would face the first person who had earned the right to challenge him in battle.
Li Shang! Captain of the Chinese Imperial Army!
Hopefully, he would make progress today and end this nightmare once and for all.
A large crowd had gathered in front of his tent to witness the battle that was about to take place. They parted the moment he stepped out of the tent, creating a path for him to pass through.
Shan Yu walked through the crowd.
He halted.
The gathering formed a circle at its centre. Within it stood a young man dressed in metallic armour with a black sash wrapped around his waist, a sword strapped to his side, and a flowing red cape on his back, standing at the centre of the crowd.
This was none other than Li Shang, Captain of the Chinese Imperial Army and son of the Commander of the Imperial Army!
Despite looking out of place amidst the Hun army, he wore a fearless, confident expression, standing firm without a hint of hesitation.
Li Shang fixed his gaze on the towering figure of Shan Yu the moment he arrived, steadying himself despite the overwhelming presence before him.
Shan Yu looked down at Li Shang.
"Are you prepared for our fated battle?" Shan Yu spoke in a deep, booming voice.
"I don't know which fate you speak of, Shan Yu. But I'm prepared to put an end to this senseless war. Your reign of tyranny ends here," Li Shang said.
"Hahaha... And they call me a madman. What makes you think you can defeat me?" Shan Yu asked.
Li Shang dug his feet in the ground and drew his sword and held it horizontally toward Shan Yu. "Why don't you come and find out?"
"I will. And I'll make you wish you had never uttered those words." Shan Yu walked towards Li Shang. Once he was a few metres away, he drew his blade.
Shiiih!!
Li Shang didn't respond. He released a deep breath and charged forward. He swung his blade down.
Clang!!
Shan Yu deflected the strike with a simple thrust of his sword. Then, with a slight jerk forward, he pushed Li Shang several metres backwards.
Cheers broke out from the crowd.
"Silence!" Shan Yu raised his hand and ordered the crowd.
The cheers slowly quietened until the surroundings fell silent. Only the sound of the wind crashing against the tents and banners filled the air.
"Is this it?" Shan Yu focused on Li Shang and asked with a frown.
"No!" Li Shang spat and charged at Shan Yu again.
He closed the distance in an instant with a thrust. However, at the last second, he twisted to Shan Yu's right side and swung his blade at his arm.
Shan Yu raised his sword and pushed at the side, deflecting not only the surprise attack but also sending Li Shang flying backwards once more. He rolled across the ground before quickly regaining his balance.
Li Shang felt his hand grow numb as the sword vibrated fiercely in his grip. The technique he had just used was one his father had taught him. He had used it to decimate many opponents on the battlefield. However, when faced with a monster like Shan Yu, it was utterly useless.
Sweat beads gathered across Li Shang's face.
He slowly began to doubt whether he was truly going to make it out of here alive with the remaining soldiers.
Li Shang pushed those thoughts from his mind. He was the Captain of the Imperial Army. He didn't have the luxury of failing because there was no one else present capable of defeating Shan Yu.
"HAAAH!!"
He rose to his feet, restrategized his next attack, and charged at Shan Yu once again.
Shan Yu parried the attack away with a simple swing and kicked Li Shang backwards.
Li Shang stood up and charged forward again.
But once more, Shan Yu deflected the blade and slammed the base of his sword's hilt into Li Shang's head, slamming him onto the ground.
He rolled on the dirt before coming to a stop.
'This isn't it.' Shan Yu frowned as he observed.
The fly wasn't worth him utilising any technique. His strength alone was enough to disarm every attack and send him flying backwards.
Li Shang rose to his feet and wiped the blood and sand from his lips. Blood and sweat dripped into his eyes.
No matter how many techniques he used, it wasn't enough to break through Shan Yu's impenetrable defences.
"There's no honour in the blade of a fallen empire," Li Shang muttered to himself. He stood up, his knees almost buckling.
He charged forward again. This time, just as his swing was about to collide with Shan Yu's blade, he let go of his sword, drew the small dagger tucked beneath his armour, and thrust it towards the right side of Shan Yu's leg.
For the first time since the battle began, Shan Yu moved aside, dodging the attack.
Shan Yu drove his knee into Li Shang gut, sending him flying backwards.
Li Shang felt the air knocked out of his lungs as he rolled across the ground before coming to a stop. His breathing turned ragged. He struggled to get back to his feet.
"This was disappointing," Shan Yu said. "If this is the best the Captain of the Imperial Army has to offer, then there's no use in continuing this war."
He had already had little hope for this battle, and now that it had become clear Li Shang was not the one destined to defeat him.
'Perhaps... it's the Commander,' he thought.
If that was the case, then he needed to head to the Forbidden City and usurp the throne as soon as possible.
Unable to bear Shan Yu's insults any longer, Li Shang gathered his strength and surged forward once more.
"Enough!" Shan Yu shouted angrily as he slammed the base of his sword into Li Shang's face and pinned him beneath his foot.
"You'll die here."
He raised his sword to Li Shang's neck.
Suddenly, Shan Yu's warrior instincts flared.
He rolled to the side.
Bang!!
A figure dressed in standard Chinese military armour, a blade in hand, plunged downward from above and landed where Shan Yu had been standing moments before. Realising they had missed, the newcomer immediately rushed towards Li Shang.
Shan Yu narrowed his eyes at the figure.
"Intruder!!"
"Stop the Intruder!!"
As his men attempted to charge forward, Shan Yu raised a hand, signalling them to halt. He slowly rose to his feet but did not approach the newcomer immediately. Instead, his mind raced as he wondered who had managed to interfere in their duel without any of his men noticing.
There was no doubt that this individual was also a member of the Chinese Imperial Army.
How had they overlooked someone with such skill?
Could this person be the reason he had been having these dreams all this time?
Shan Yu simply waited and watched the reunion. He tightened his grip around his blade.
No matter what happened, they were not leaving this camp alive.
"Are you okay?" Mulan asked anxiously, kneeling on one knee as she supported Li Shang's brutally beaten upper body with the other.
"Ping?!"
Hearing the familiar voice, Li Shang's swollen eyes widened in surprise.
"Yes. It's me. We need to leave. Can you stand on your feet?" Mulan helped him back to his feet. She felt a pang of sympathy in her heart when she saw his swollen and bleeding face. Fortunately, she had arrived on time.
After confirming that it truly was the weakest recruit whom he had previously thought died at the camp, Li Shang shook his head with a wry smile.
"We can't leave. Shan Yu is too strong," he said. "But perhaps... if we combine our strength, we might be able to take him down."
Mulan looked at Shan Yu, who was patiently waiting for them to finish, before refocusing her gaze on Li Shang with a hesitant expression.
"No. The battle ends here. We're leaving," Mulan shook her head.
"But how are we going to get out of here without defeating Shan Yu? Look around you, we're..." Before Li Shang could finish speaking, Mulan immediately interrupted him.
"I have a way to get us out of here. Trust me, Captain."
She looked around. The Hun army had already drawn their weapons and was waiting for Shan Yu's order to attack. She hoped Aladdin's plan would work, or else they really might not leave this camp alive.
Li Shang wanted to speak, but upon seeing the determination on his comrade's face, he nodded firmly. "Okay. I trust you... Cough... cough..."
"Just remain silent and allow us to handle everything from here," Mulan said with a frown as she looked at Li Shang.
"Us?" Li Shang frowned in confusion.
Overhearing their conversation and unable to remain silent any longer, Shan Yu stepped forward. "What do you mean by 'us'? Are you so confident that you're capable of defeating me and my men?" His expression shifted into irritation.
"Stand back."
Mulan pointed her sword at Shan Yu. Tightening her grip around the hilt, she placed two fingers in her mouth and let out a sharp whistle.
Shan Yu frowned as he looked around, realising there might be one or several individuals, apart from the mysterious soldier before him, hiding nearby and waiting to ambush them. Whoever it was, they had just been signalled.
For the first time since the nightmares began, Shan Yu felt a tinge of uncertainty.
This is it! A wave of excitement surged through Shan Yu.
If he could defeat this soldier and his companions right here, wouldn't that mean not even death could take his life without his permission?
To triumph over the inevitable...
"Don't think you're going anywhere. I've been waiting for this for a long time. State your name," Shan Yu said as he stepped toward Mulan with a confident, steady pace.
"Stay back. I can fight." Mulan trembled. She couldn't help taking a step back. This was her first time standing face-to-face with the leader of the Hun army. However, she continued to hold his gaze and her sword never left her hand.
"I can still fight," Li Shang said, understanding that his comrade was no match for Shan Yu.
Suddenly, a veil of smoke began to emerge in the distance. It surrounded the entire Hun camp and steadily closed in.
The Hun soldiers at the rear were the first to notice the strange phenomenon.
"What's that?"
"Where is it coming from? Who's doing this?"
"Everyone step back. Prepare for battle."
A Hun soldier pulled his blade and bravely stepped into the smoke. He covered his nose with his arm and looked for the attackers. But he found nothing. Suddenly, his lungs began to burn.
"Cough...!! Cough…!!" The Hun's soldier stumbled forward, his eyes rolled back, and he slumped to the ground unconscious.
"Gu Lan! Where are you?"
Another soldier rushed towards his comrade to support him. However, the moment he stepped into the smoke, his breathing turned ragged, his eyes rolled back, and he immediately fell unconscious on the ground as well.
Those outside the smoke were unable to see what was happening within it. All they could tell was that anyone who entered never came out.
There were no voices or anything else. It was as though they had vanished into the smoke.
"It's an ambush!! Bows and arrows ready!! Don't step into the smoke!!!"
"EVERYONE STEP BACK!! DON'T STEP INTO THE SMOKE!!!"
"DON'T STEP INTO THE SMOKE!!!"
Unfortunately, the smoke advanced faster than any of them could properly react. The moment they were swallowed by it, they immediately slumped to the ground unconscious.
Shan Yu, Mulan, and Li Shang, along with the Hun soldiers beside them, soon noticed the chaos unfolding in the distance.
Shan Yu narrowed his eyes at the advancing smoke. He could smell it as well. He instantly concluded that someone had set the forest on fire. However, seeing his men retreat from the smoke, he quickly realised there was something more within it.
"What's going on?" Shan Yu froze. His eyes widened in surprise as he watched his men slump to the ground unconscious.