Tragic, heartbreaking, bleak, that’s what so much of this volume entails and I know it’s based on a true old Chinese fable but dang Zheng did you really have to go and throw that many gut punches back to back I mean even the gods witnessing that beat down felt back for the emperor king. Even being such a somber viewing, it was by far the most visually stunning and honestly impressive artwork they’ve pushed forward yet. The violent collisions between monochromatic and vibrant reds and oranges was just as awesome a visual assault as the brawl was to view. I’m still hopeful for some kind of light/turn around in the final volume but who knows, not everything does or should end on a happy note where everyone lives happily ever after. 4.75/5