The Last Sentinel

Two flowers bloom, one branch each.

Now let's talk about the most eye-catching and hottest topic right now: the battle at Huaguo Mountain.

This quotes the original text of the Heavenly Court's current battle report on Flower Fruit Mountain.

One hundred thousand heavenly soldiers, clad in armor on both sides, their banners pressing down on the clouds.

The camp was stacked nine times, with iron chains spanning the sky, war drums hanging above the sea of ​​mist, and thunder-patterned banners fluttering in the wind.

The central command tent stands tall, with purple mist hanging down, as if the roar of a dragon is hidden within.

Soldiers stood solemnly with their spears, their eyes fixed straight ahead; heavenly horses were tethered to star pillars, their neighs echoing through the sky.

Smoke rises from the alchemical furnace, its flames illuminating iron armor; beacon towers stretch across the mountains, their divine flames lighting up the long night.

The messenger moved swiftly up and down the cloud-like steps, his golden bells jingling.

The military formation was imposing, their killing intent almost tangible...

The person who could write such an excellent PPT battle report was no ordinary person either; he was Vikram Khan Gautama, a lieutenant general of the intelligence department stationed at Huaguo Mountain by the Heavenly Court!

Vikram, meaning "heroic" in Sanskrit, is the name of Shiva, the god of war.

Khan stated that his father was a true royal, a Kshatriya; Gautama was his mother's surname, belonging to the Brahmin caste.

This Vikram, the third brother, has both Brahmin and Kshatriya castes and is the only younger brother of the wife of the current regent of India, Hua Xiaobai.

Vikram is very good at handling things, and his relationship with Hua Xiaobai is a match made in heaven; they're practically accomplices!

With just a blink of an eye, Hua Xiaobai knew what mischief Vikram was up to today!

The two of them worked together to turn the internal affairs of India into a state of chaos, and no troublemaker dared to go against these two Indian twin stars!

Hua Xiaobai would naturally not mistreat his capable, loyal, and perceptive younger brother Vikram, and would groom him to be the second-in-command of India!

Vikram lived up to expectations, advancing at a rocket-like speed in the Heavenly Court. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that he was at the height of his power, rising rapidly through the ranks.

Vikram has two catchphrases: when he opens his mouth, he talks about how great his brother-in-law is, and when he closes his mouth, he says that he is a hereditary nobleman, born into nobility, and that the leader of the Seven Great Prodigies, Greedy Original Sin, is behind him. "Do you want to be my enemy?"

Currently, all of Heaven's forces are preparing for the battle at Flower Fruit Mountain. Based on his instinct that wherever there are big projects, there are big profits, Vikram infiltrated Heaven's Eastern Heavenly Gate military camp.

So here's the question: you're an Indian, someone with connections, do you know how to fight?

Vikram was very frank, saying he didn't know how, but my brother-in-law said I had a strong learning ability, so he sent me here to gain experience. He also said that your General Tianchou, the Commander-in-Chief, was a good friend of his and would give him face.

Vikram was initially looked down upon as a nepotism hire, but his subsequent performance was astonishing.

While Vikram may have no achievements in military campaigns, he certainly has a knack for boasting when it comes to making PowerPoint presentations!

Even though the Heavenly Court's side is already in dire straits, the entire battle report is written so brilliantly that anyone who reads it would have to give it a thumbs up!

This has led to Vikram now becoming a trusted advisor and confidant of Marshal Tianchou.

East Heavenly Gate, the commander's tent.

Inside the command tent, everything had changed.

The candlelight flickered, dimmed by the stench of alcohol. On the starry canopy above the tent, a few stars seemed to be falling, as if even the celestial light had fallen into a drunken stupor. The smoke from the alchemy furnace mingled with the scents of cosmetics and fermented wine, thickly clinging to every inch of air, each breath a cloying sweetness.

The generals, their armor half-dismounted, lay sprawled and drunkenly on the mat.

Some men gulped down wine from their jars, the fine wine flowing down their beards and splashing onto the brocade; others, their eyes glazed with drunkenness, tugged at the collar of their battle robes, pointing at the dancing fairies below and laughing maniacally.

Golden cups and jade goblets rolled all over the floor, and fine wine spilled over the table, mingling with the scent of cosmetics to create a decadent, warm fragrance.

On the central sand table command platform, several fairies danced barefoot, their gauze robes like mist, their waists supple as if boneless. With a flick of their long sleeves, they stirred up a fragrant breeze; their skirts swirled, jingling with pearls and jade. Their smiles were like flowers, yet their eyes were empty. The sounds of silk and bamboo instruments were intoxicating, the soft melody lingering with the candlelight, seeping into one's very bones.

"Drink! Keep drinking!"

At the head of the table, a golden-armored general with bloodshot eyes and a large belly, strutted around two beautiful dancing girls, shouting to his lieutenants, "Tonight, we won't leave until we're drunk!"

The generals all echoed their agreement, and for a moment, the entire command tent was filled with joy and harmony.

Among the crowd, two people stood out with their distinct expressions, completely out of place with the others.

One of them was Vikram, the third brother, who had a full beard and wore a classic Indian turban.

The other was a short man with a gloomy face, wearing armor; he was a Japanese samurai from the Fusang River Shogunate era.

Oda Hayato's knuckles turned white as he gripped the sake bowl, veins bulging up his sleeves. He stared at the dancing fairy's billowing sleeves, his eyes devoid of any drunkenness, only burning with barely suppressed rage, flames flickering in his pupils as if ready to burst forth at any moment.

Vikram, however, held a glass of fine wine, swirling it slowly, a half-smile playing on his lips. Out of the corner of his eye, he had already taken in every single eyebrow and breath of Oda Hayato, as if watching a play that had been rehearsed long ago.

With music playing in the background, Oda Hayato looked at the scene before him and finally couldn't hold back any longer. He slammed his hand on the table and was about to get up.

Vikram glanced at the Japanese samurai, his voice languid: "Oda Hayato, what do you want to do?"

"This can't go on!" Oda Hayato lowered his head and said, enunciating each word clearly, "According to the battle report, our Eastern Heavenly Gate army should have begun its attack on the Qitian tribe of Huaguo Mountain a month ago. But now a month has passed, and we are still on the Black Sea, not having attacked Huaguo Mountain. How am I supposed to explain this to His Highness Charles Darwin?!"

When he said the word "one month," his jaw clenched almost imperceptibly, and his Adam's apple bobbed. The salty wind from the Black Sea blew in through the gaps in the tent flap, causing the candlelight behind him to flicker and cast two shadows, one long and one short, across his face.

Vikram said irritably, "So, you're going to interrupt the Commander's enjoyment, and ruin everyone's wonderful life right now?"

Oda Hayato stared sharply at Vikram: "We are warriors. Warriors should shed their blood on the battlefield, not eat, drink, and enjoy themselves here!"

"Shut up! Are you trying to teach me how to do things?" Vikram pointed at Oda Hayato's face and yelled, "What kind of tone is that? You're just a collateral descendant of the Poro nobles, while I'm a dual-blooded Indian noble. My brother-in-law is a celestial official in the Heavenly Court. Even in the military camp, I'm your superior. What right do you have to lecture me!"

Vikram spoke more and more fluently, his voice rising higher and higher, until finally he raised his chin and tossed the tassel of his hood over his shoulder, like a peacock spreading its feathers. Oda Hayato's fists clenched so tightly under the table that they cracked, his knuckles turning white, veins bulging down into his sleeves, but he didn't interrupt—in the command tent, he had to endure it after all.

The atmosphere in the command tent turned icy. The dancing fairies all left, and the heavenly generals stared at the two of them.

The music had stopped sometime earlier, leaving only the crackling of the candle wick. The golden-armored general's smile froze inch by inch; the wine cup hung in mid-air, spilled nectar dripping from his fingers, yet he remained oblivious. The drunken eyes of everyone in the tent sobered up slightly, all fixed their gazes on the two men.

Seeing this, Oda Hayato dropped the pretense and stood up, saying, "I inform Commander Tianchou that I believe it is time for us to attack Flower Fruit Mountain! If we stay here any longer and the battle reports are exposed, and we remain inactive here, the Heavenly Court will blame us!"

Vikram also stood up and saluted the golden-armored general: "Reporting to the commander-in-chief, this Oda Hayato is arrogant and disrespectful. Is he questioning my ability to write battle reports, or is he questioning the commander-in-chief's preparations for the war?"

Upon hearing Vikram's despicable words, Oda Hayato completely lost his temper: "Vikram! I've had enough of you! You bastard!"

"Those fabricated battle reports you made up—they weren't helping us at all; they were clearly harming us!"

"If it weren't for you, we would already be on the battlefield of Flower Fruit Mountain, or even have chopped off Qi Tian's head!"

Vikram stepped forward, staring into Oda Hayato's eyes: "You lowly bastard! Attack Flower Fruit Mountain? Do you think you can attack with your head?"

Vikram's pupils contracted sharply, and the languid smile on his face froze for a moment. He recalled seeing the silhouette of the Star Expedition from afar on the edge of the galaxy many years ago—the burning wreckage of the fleet littering the star fields, even the stars themselves seemed to have been displaced from their orbits. His throat bobbed, the taut string in his voice masking the fear he couldn't voice behind his words.

"Do you know that Qi Tian has mobilized all fifty-five of his most powerful Star Expeditionary Legions?!"

"You also come from a carbon-based universe, you should know the fighting power of those beasts from the Star Expeditionary Force!"

"They are the most notorious bullies in the galaxy!"

"In their eyes, heresy only exists in two forms: either it is eliminated or it goes undiscovered!"

"Their weaponry has reached the ceiling of the galaxy: gravity slingshots, planet-collapse machines, orbital rings, and even primordial reaction furnaces!"

When he mentioned the "gravity slingshot," he tapped his knuckles on the edge of the table twice, as if striking at Oda Hayato's last remaining stubbornness. With each weapon mentioned, Oda Hayato's face paled a little more, as if his confidence was being slowly drained away.

"We don't have enough equipment. How can we fight these fifty-five Star Expeditionary Legions?"

"Not to mention, now that Qi Tian has merged with the Great Sage's essence, Flower Fruit Mountain is their home ground!"

"Wouldn't we be courting death if we went now?"

Oda Hayato said, "Well, we can't just stay here doing nothing!"

Oda Hayato's voice lowered, as if all its strength had been drained away, but his eyes still burned, fixed on Vikram's face, the firelight flickering in his pupils. He opened his mouth, but ultimately uttered no more words.

"We're holding back, you idiot!" Vikram roared. "Besides our East Heavenly Gate, aren't there the North Heavenly Gate and the West Heavenly Gate? Let them fight first, and we, the East Heavenly Gate, can be the reserve force, right?"

Oda Hayato said, "You cowardly little man!"

Vikram said, "You reckless brute!"

After the two curses were finished, the tent was so quiet that they could hear each other breathing. Vikram straightened his clothes, returned to his seat, and picked up the cup of fine wine again, his hand steady without the slightest tremor; Oda Hayato, however, stood frozen in place, his fingernails almost digging into his palm, not moving an inch for a long time.

The golden-armored general chuckled, waved his hand, and gestured for everyone to take their seats. The music resumed, and the dancing fairy began to dance again. However, in that soft melody, no one could detect even a trace of intoxication.