The Beast's Roar is the 853rd chapter of the Kingdom manga, written and illustrated by Yasuhisa Hara.
Summary
Bi Hei stands in front of his men in a mixture of fear and anticipation at the plains in front of him. A roar is heard, and gradually, an army begins to appear on the opposite side of the plains. Kou and Kan To watch the plains as well, and the army begins to become more clear, an enormous army spread as far as the eye can see.
Bi Hei's men worry about how many of them there are, and begin to wonder if they are going to be okay, and Bi Hei forcefully tells himself that he would not die there, that he would return home to hold Tou Bi and his son. His men continue to worry, pointing out that more continued to come from the back, and wonder if they drew the short straw. Bi Tou scolds them, and reminds them that they were a massive army of 40,000 men, and that they were trembling at the sight of them too, that there was no reason to be scared. He adds that they were all seasoned veterans, perhaps without flashy achievements, but with the achievement of having fought through and survived countless fierce battles, and that this time would be the same. This time, they would not flinch, they would not give up, fight on helping their comrades, and win. With this new surge of morale, his men begin chanting his name.
From the next unit over, Kou observes Bi Hei and his unit's fervent cheers, and raises the morale of his 100-man unit as well. He reminds them that they had drilled longer and harder than any other unit, and commands his men to go in with confidence, earning him cheers. Kan To does as well with his own 100-man unit, and the veterans of the Hi Shin Unit watch and smirk in pride and approval. En notes the cheering and makes sure that Shin is notified. Shin acknowledges En, and then speaks to his unit. He tells his men that they would fight like they always did, and would win.
He tells them that their army had grown larger and their battlefield wider, and that if they were not able to see him or hear his voice, they should look at the flag of the Hi Shin Unit, embodying the soul of the Hi Shin Unit and Shin's own dream. He declares that they would slay Ri Boku, and that they would lead the Qin army to victory. The army roars with his name, and his closest commanders watch him in trepidation.
The Zhao opposite the Hi Shin Unit listen to the roaring opposite them. Fu Tei comments about Shin's ability to fire up a crowd, and Chou Kotsu, to his left, grunts. From behind the two, Kaine watches with her army, who were also able to feel the Qin's fighting spirit even as far back as they were. Fu Tei clears his throat and prepares to make a speech, mildly annoyed at how hard it would be on his throat, but before he begins his speech, Ri Boku appears behind them and to their left, next to the front of Kaine's army. Just by learning that he is there, the Zhao soldiers begin fervently chanting his name.
The Hi Shin Unit make out Ri Boku's name among their cheering, and learn that Ri Boku is opposite them. Fu Tei tells his confused men that Ri Boku is not leading his army this battle, but rather would be visiting every battlefield, and that his appearance now indicates that their position is important.
Ri Boku tells the Zhao armies present to hear the war cry of the invading beasts that had come to seize their country and murder their families, and that only they could protect those that they loved. He reminds them that the Qin had attempted to invade northern Zhao twice in four years but were repelled both times, and that they will beat them back again this time and defeat Qin for good, and a time of peace would surely follow. He tells the Zhao to seize those peaceful days and bring death to their invaders, and then tells Fu Tei and Chou Kotsu to begin. Both sides ready their first waves, and the two armies begin charging at each other.
Characters
Qin
- Tou Bi (Mentioned)
- Bi Tou II (Mentioned)
Zhao
- Chou Kotsu Army