Chin The Conqueror

Chapter 5:The Art Of Retreat

It was a sickening thing to notice but the more he fought, the weaker his reserves became, while Chin’s element only grew more intense. Chin was actively feeding on the momentum of the battle, growing stronger by the second.

Swish!

Twisting his body in a circular motion, Lord Lu barely managed to evade another concentrated blast of fire.He couldn't sustain this.

Chin’s onslaught was becoming progressively more aggressive, each strike more premeditated and more violent than the last. At this rate, total exhaustion would claim him before a fatal blow even landed.

Lord Lu needed a tactical exit strategy. He needed to retreat.

BOOM!

An explosive shockwave distorted his train of thought. The ice king gasped, his eyes widening as he realized he was out of position to block Chin's incoming trajectory.

'The longer I let him pin me down, the slimmer my chances of survival become'Lord Lu calculated in panic , his mind racing through tactical maneuvers.

' His next strike will undoubtedly be a sweeping flank from the left. If I try to target him with frost attack, he'll counter with a corner blast ,I'm done for! No wait.I must leverage the impact.'the plan was simple : allow the blow to land, use the fall to play dead on the battlefield floor, and then unleash a counter-ambush to buy himself enough time to flee.

Hi's prediction was accurate.A fraction of a second later, Chin’s sweeping wall of fire collided with his side and the kinetic force knocked fire Lord Lu off his feet, sending him stumbling blindly before crashing hard onto the scorched ground.When he touched floor,he did as planned.

Lord Lu didn't waste a heartbeat. While he was on the ground, he manipulated the remaining pathways of his Qi concentrating every ounce of his energy into a compressed frost counter-attack.

As Chin stepped forward into the trap, he unleashed it...

With a sharp snap of his wrist, Chin released a low growl.

The rising heat coming out from his body destroyed the surrounding frost block into nothingness.He swept his gaze across the battlefield, but the opponent had already vanished.Far off in the distance, all that remained were the frozen frantic tracks of the fleeing Ice vanguard, scrambling miles away in a d retreat. It was the best thing they could've done.

On the lower plains...ice king was broken by the clash and was forced to hop frantically on a single leg, dragging his wounded body back to the safety of his imperial carriage.

Back at the capital, the great iron fortress gates groaned open and Chin’s royal carriage rolled slowly through the threshold, he was instantly greeted by a vast, swamp of his own subjects.

In the streets, thousands danced and rejoiced wildly, chanting the King's name. Yet, further back,mumurs of suspicion rippled through the older aristocrats ,some whispered that Chin was under the influence of forbidden sorcery. Others simply cowered in terror, convinced that the quiet prince had transcended mortality and evolved into a vengeful God. What stupidity!

But the common folk paid no heed to the rumors. A great majority lined the streets, laying down their finest robes and scattering fresh flowers on the floor ahead of his wheels.They believed...the gods had finally looked upon their nation with mercy, delivering salvation at the hour of need.

Peering out from the crimson curtains of the carriage, witnessing the radiant smiles on the faces of his subjects gave Chin a profound sense of pleasure he had never experienced in his lifetime.

As a young boy, he had never been sociable. There was this internal anxiety that had always barred him from interacting with his peers. Even now, having fully come of age, it was not much different.Thankfully,Minister

Laus has been of good help to him.Laus had been his dedicated mentor since childhood. The older statesman would frequently sacrifice his own family hours just to sit just to guide him. Chin knew in his heart that Minister Laus understood his soul far better than his own royal father ever had. Laus knew him.

Then, there was his frail mother. She loved her son dearly, yet her eyes always bore that look of disappointment whenever she looked at him. She was a woman of the flame; she believed that the true heir to the Fire Throne should possess a wild, untamed soul—not the serene, pacifist nature Chin carried.Just like his father.But the truth was, Chin was not the one supposed to wear the crown initially.

He had over ten siblings most which were girls with three older brothers.

And for one,he never wanted to be king because he felt he couldn't rule an entire kingdom. Besides,he had several older siblings .....andow could he when he couldn't even speak to a young girl.

Well, he had carried a crush on a girl when he was twelve.Serene was a striking beauty with an angelic face. She was the daughter of one of the King's royal consorts, born from a completely different man.

Technically, serene wasn't his sister. He wouldn't have a thing for his sister would he?

Not that the kingdom would mind. In the nation, relations between royal siblings weren't considered a taboo at all; in fact, many of the past kings had wedded their own sisters. But he personally despised the tradition. He found the entire practice as something abhorrent and disgusting.

He had been lost in his thoughts on his way to the Garden of Souls, navigating the halls of the School of the Council. The academy was reserved for children who would one day govern the affairs of the state, though he wasn't there as the future King.

Caught in his own mind, he didn't see her coming. They collided with each other at the corner."Your satchel, young master."A soft voice broke through his daze.

He froze, looking down to find Serene actually holding out his dropped bag.It took his brain a few seconds to snap out of a sudden, wild daydream—one where she was already his wife and they shared a couple of children.What a daydreamer!

He internally scolded himself for how childish he was being. Quickly collecting his composure, he took the bag. They exchanged an awkward bow.

As royalty, he didn't need to bow to her at all, but his brain has gone offline in her presence.

* * *

"Your majesty, what happened out there? I'm not accusing you of sorcery, please don't get me wrong. But what happened out there was... it was..." The king didn't wait for him to complete whatever he was saying.

"I know you're confused. And you would be amazed to know that I myself..."Chun paused.

He hesitantly stood up and walked toward the man standing across from him in his chamber."My lord..." Laus tried to caution him regarding his health. After all, he passed out a while ago.

Chin ignored him and stepped closer. He lifted the sleeve of his robe and showed his left arm to Laus.Laus gasped while studying the mark with frantic eyes.

According to Laus's gaze, something was definitely wrong.

The tattoo engraved on him had suddenly appeared when he was returning from the fight."What is this?" Laus asked firmly.

"This mark... it appeared on you?"Chin just blinked as he inadvertently glanced back at his arm. The markings looked familiar.

He could recall It as the exact same marking engraved on the Ice King’s armor.

Why was it suddenly engraved on him?"I heard a voice," Chin muttered.

"A voice?" Laus's eyes bulged. It was disappointing to see, but he looked like he didn't understand any of it either.

The voice Chin was referring to wasn't the faint whisper.It was a different voice that had rung clearly through his ears the very moment the tattoo appeared.

[Conquest domain unlocked]The voice was cold, authoritative, and unmistakable.