Annia's appearance caused the tense, explosive atmosphere to freeze for a moment.
Taven and Arthur were both stunned.
They looked at the figure on horseback, dressed in military uniform, looking valiant and heroic yet covered in tears, and were filled with a mix of emotions.
That was their daughter, their sister.
But now, she was wearing the enemy's armor and had rushed out from the enemy's camp.
"Annia..."
Taven's lips moved, his voice dry.
"What... what are you doing here?"
"Father! Brother!"
Annia dismounted and ran toward them recklessly.
The several Cat-ear Tribe guards behind her tried to follow nervously, but were stopped by a single look from Wu Liang.
Annia ran to the front of Taven and Arthur, seeing their wretched state.
Seeing the caved-in armor on Arthur's chest and the blood at the corner of his mouth, her tears flowed even harder.
"Father, Brother, stop fighting!"
Annia knelt on the ground, crying and pleading.
"Let's admit defeat! Let's surrender!"
"You can't beat him! If you keep fighting, everyone will die here!"
Hearing the word'surrender', Taven's expression instantly became incredibly ugly.
"What did you say?"
His voice was as cold as ice.
"You want me to surrender to a savage?"
"I, Taiwen Merlin, a General of the Empire and the Lord of Tiee Fortress, should kneel and beg for mercy from a savage who stole my daughter and defeated my army?"
"Annia!"
Taven pointed at Annia, trembling with rage.
"Do you even know what you're saying! What is inside your head!"
"Have you forgotten your status! You are a daughter of the Merlin Family! A noble of the Roland Empire!"
"Noble blood flows through your body! How can you say such shameless things!"
Arthur also looked at his sister with eyes full of extreme disappointment and anger.
"Annia, I really didn't expect you to become like this."
"What kind of bewitching potion did that savage give you?"
"He destroyed our army, killed so many of our brothers, and seriously injured me, yet you are actually telling us to surrender to him now?"
"Are you worthy of those fallen Imperial warriors! Are you worthy of the Merlin Family's glory!"
Facing the harsh accusations of her father and brother, Annia's heart felt like it was being cut by a knife.
She knew they couldn't accept it.
But she knew even better that if they didn't surrender, there would only be one outcome: death.
"Glory? Can glory put food on the table? Can glory bring the dead back to life?"
Annia wiped her tears and stood up abruptly, retorted in a sharp voice that even she found unfamiliar.
"Father! Brother! Open your eyes and look!"
She pointed at the surrounding battlefield.
"Our army is finished! Those still resisting are just making pointless sacrifices!"
"Is your so-called glory to have everyone die here with you!"
"The Black Rock Tribe is not the Tribe of savages you imagine at all!"
"They have weapons more advanced than the Empire's, and discipline stricter than the Empire's! They also have a King... He..."
Annia glanced not far away at the man who stood with his arms crossed.
Watching this family drama with great interest, she bit her lip and continued.
"He is more powerful and more terrifying than any emperor you have ever seen!"
"We have no chance of winning at all! Surrender is the only way to live!"
"Shut up!"
Taven was beyond furious; he raised his hand, wanting to slap her.
But his hand stopped in mid-air.
Looking at his daughter's tear-streaked yet incredibly stubborn face, he ultimately couldn't bring himself to do it.
His heart was in intense pain.
He couldn't accept it.
"I, Taiwen Merlin, would rather die in battle than surrender!"
Taven spoke word by word, each one sounding as if it were squeezed out from between his teeth.
"Arthur, take those who can still move, we're retreating!"
"Today, even if I die, I will send you back to Tiee Fortress!"
After speaking, Taven didn't give Annia another look, turning to pick up a broken sword from the ground.
He prepared to carve out a bloody path for his subordinates.
"Father!"
Annia cried out in despair.
She knew her father's resolve was unshakable.
Just then, Wu Liang's voice rang out lazily.
"Is the show over?"
He stepped over to Annia's side, reached out to pull her up from the ground, and smoothly pulled her into his embrace.
He looked at Taven and Arthur opposite him, a playful smile on his face.
"Father-in-law, Brother-in-law, don't be so agitated."
"We're family, can't we talk things through properly?"
"You!"
Seeing Wu Liang's intimate actions and that punchable face, Arthur was so angry he almost spat out another mouthful of blood.
"Let go of my sister!"
"Let go?"
Wu Liang raised an eyebrow.
"She's my woman now. I'll hold her when I want and kiss her when I want, what business is it of yours?"
As he spoke, Wu Liang deliberately planted a kiss on Annia's cheek.
Annia's face instantly turned red to the tips of her ears, and her body stiffened for a moment.
But she didn't resist.
"You bastard! Mongrel! I'm going to kill you!"
Arthur went completely mad, brandishing his sword to charge forward.
"Arthur! Come back!"
Taven grabbed him.
He glared fixedly at Wu Liang, his eyes looking as if they wanted to swallow him alive.
"What exactly do you want?"
Taven squeezed the words out from between his teeth.
"What do I want?"
Wu Liang laughed.
"It's very simple."
"I'll give you a chance."
"Right now, this instant, take all your remaining men, lay down your weapons, and kneel in surrender."
"I can guarantee that I won't kill you."
"Furthermore, I can let you all contribute your remaining energy in my mines, doing your part for the great construction of the Black Rock Tribe."
"You... Dream on!"
Taven roared.
Letting him and his soldiers become miners for savages?
That was even more insulting than killing them!
"Oh? Is that so?"
The smile on Wu Liang's face gradually vanished, replaced by a cold indifference.
"It seems you still haven't figured out the current situation."
"I'm not negotiating with you."
"I am informing you."
Wu Liang's arm around Annia tightened slightly.
"Akomann!"
"Here!"
Akomann, in the distance, immediately responded loudly.
"Pass down my order!"
Wu Liang's voice echoed across the entire battlefield.
"Every Imperial soldier who is still standing is to be considered a resistor!"
"Break their legs!"
"I'll say it again, I want captives, not corpses!"
"Yes, sir!"
An excited light flashed in Akomann's eyes.
She loved this kind of order the most.
"All units! Listen to my command!"
Akomann raised her long saber and bellowed.
"Target: all enemies still standing!"
"Fire!!"
"Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!"
"Da-da-da-da-da-da—!"
The gunfire, which had briefly fallen silent, rang out once more.
But this time, the bullets' targets were no longer the enemies' chests and heads.
Instead, it was their legs.
"Ah—!"
"My leg! My leg is broken!"
"Devils! You are devils!"
Shrill screams rose and fell one after another.
Those remnants of the Imperial army who had just been organized by Taven to make a desperate final stand.
Under this round of precise and cruel strikes, they instantly collapsed.
They fell in swaths, clutching their bleeding legs, rolling on the ground in agony and wailing.
What was supposed to be a tragic retreat instantly turned into a ridiculous and cruel farce.
Taven and Arthur watched this scene, dumbstruck.
Their brains once again went into a state of shock.
There was... there was even this way of fighting?
Not killing, but only shooting the legs?
What the absolute hell!
This was even more soul-crushing than killing them outright!