**Summary by Saemoon**
Chapter Title: Leaving the Roots Intact
Riboku’s HQ receives word that Ousen has abandoned his army and retreated. Riboku’s aides begin celebrating, but Riboku is only concerned about the fate of Ousen himself. The messenger says there’s no news about Ousen yet, but Seika has him surrounded. Riboku’s aide reminds him that Shibashou knows how important killing Ousen here is, and even if Ousen escapes, there are multiple armies spread out between here and the border to cut off his escape. Riboku acknowledges that but says it would be best to kill him here where they could confirm it. If they can kill Ousen like they killed Kanki, Qin would lose their ability to unite China through military might.
Denrimi’s efforts as rearguard have allowed Ousen to pull away from Shibashou, but Seika’s soldiers are still attacking. Sou’Ou’s soldiers are reaching their limit as they fight their way out when three fresh soldiers from Seika appear in front of them. Sou’Ou apologizes to Denrimi that he couldn’t protect Ousen and accepts his fate, but Akakin shows up and takes out the enemies. Akakin explains that he was sent by Ouhon to rescue Ousen, but by the time he arrived, the battlefield was already unsalvageable. So instead, he had his unit wait outside the battle and look for the best timing to break Ousen out. Akakin’s unit takes over the defense for now while Ousen continues fleeing. Akakin remarks about how badly they lost, but as long as Ousen is alive, the roots of their army will remain and can regrow one day. He says it’s understandable that Ousen is depressed right now but tells him to get it together. Ousen says “Who the hell are you to talk to me like that?” and that he’s only staying silent right now because he’s thinking about how to regrow his army going forward. Sou’Ou continues the evacuation but thinks to himself that this is the first time they’ve truly fled in defeat. They’ve withdrawn from battles before as part of a strategy, but this time is different. Sou’Ou then apologizes to Shiryou for leaving her behind. Shiryou and two of her soldiers look at the melee between the Ousen and Shibashou armies. They aren’t sure about what’s happening, but they have faith that Sou’Ou safely evacuated Ousen. Shiryou starts to extend her arm, but slumps over in apparent death.
Riboku sends out Futei and his unit for clean up duty on Ousen’s army. They make their way through the remaining soldiers and slaughter as many as possible. In the end, all of Ousen’s soldiers are either dead or have surrendered resulting in the complete annihilation of the Ousen army.