First published at 12:56 UTC on May 5th, 2024.
During the reign of Renzong Emperor, a group of European mercenaries travels to China, searching for gunpowder. A few miles north of the Great Wall, they are attacked by a monster. Only Irishman William Garin and Spaniard Pero Tovar survive. They se…
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During the reign of Renzong Emperor, a group of European mercenaries travels to China, searching for gunpowder. A few miles north of the Great Wall, they are attacked by a monster. Only Irishman William Garin and Spaniard Pero Tovar survive. They sever the monster's arm and bring it with them. Upon reaching the Wall, they are taken prisoner by the Nameless Order, led by General Shao and Strategist Wang. The Nameless Order exists to combat Tao Tie, alien monsters that arrived from a meteorite and attack once every sixty years.[7] The Order's commanders are surprised by the monsters' first assault, which has come one week early.
Shortly after, a horde of Tao Tie assails the Wall. During the battle, Garin and Tovar are freed by Ballard, another European who came east twenty-five years earlier; detained, he now serves as an English and Latin teacher. Garin and Tovar display amazing battle skills. Saving the life of young warrior Peng Yong, they slay two monsters, earning them the Order's respect. Both sides sustain heavy losses before the monsters' queen aborts the attack. The three Europeans secretly plan to steal gunpowder and flee during the next monster attack.
That night, two Tao Tie reach the top of the Wall. General Shao is killed, placing Commander Lin in charge of the Nameless Order. Around this time, an envoy from the capital arrives with an ancient scroll that suggests that the monsters are pacified by magnets. Wang believes the stone Garin carries enabled him to slay the Tao Tie he encountered. To test the hypothesis, Garin suggests they capture a Tao Tie alive and agrees to help. This delays the escape plans, angering Tovar, who nevertheless assists Garin despite Ballard's protests.
While a new fight with the Tao Tie starts, the Westerners capture a monster and prove the theory. However, the Imperial envoy claims the creature and takes it to the capital to present to the Emperor.
It is revealed that the previous attacks had been a distraction so that ..
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