Episode Summary
In this episode, the city's defenses fall, leading to Kunwu's death. Chongyi Biao spares Jiang Wenhuan and wounds Gongsun Wuyu. We learn that Anashi was likely an undead puppet all along. Gongsun Wuyu uses a drum made of human skin and Anashi's blood to create her own army of the dead. The Princes lead a final, desperate battle outside the city gates, and are joined by A'si and the city's civilians.
Spoiler Alert
The Walls Are Closing In
I'll set the scene for you. The city has been under siege for days. Nobody has any food. People are literally stripping bark from trees to eat. It's grim. Suddenly, a section of the city wall just explodes. Giant, stinking zombies pour through the gap.
The Crown Princes act fast. They light up a trench of fire oil, creating a temporary wall of flames. It holds the first wave back. But you can see more of these things gathering outside. The guards on the walls are exhausted. It’s obvious the defenses are about to fail completely. The Princes share a look. They know what’s coming.
A Choice and a Ghost
Chongyi Biao draws his bow. He has Jiang Wenhuan lined up for a perfect shot. But then he hesitates. His mind floods with memories of their time together. He just can't do it.
So, he switches targets. He aims for Gongsun Wuyu instead. He fires, but the arrow only wounds her. She and her remaining soldiers make a messy retreat.
In the chaos, Jiang Wenhuan rushes to Kunwu. He tries to pull him up, to take him home. But Kunwu knows he’s finished. He opens his eyes and says he’s okay with dying in his homeland. Then he closes his eyes for good. Right at that moment, it starts to snow. It’s the one thing Kunwu always wanted to see again. Jiang Wenhuan is completely shattered. He picks up Kunwu’s body and walks back toward the city. All he can think about are the memories of his brother.
The Necromancer Rises
Gongsun Wuyu, bleeding and battered, finds her son. She holds his hand, and you can see the resolve in her eyes. As long as he's with her, she believes she can't lose.
Then we get a huge piece of the puzzle. Chongyi Biao finds Jiang Wenhuan. He hands him a bracelet that belonged to Anashi, found where Jiang Yiyao died. Chongyi Biao explains that the drug Anashi was taking is the same as the one Jiang Wenhuan has. This means Anashi also has the corpse poison. The theory is that Anashi was never really alive. He was just a puppet.
Gongsun Wuyu's own soldiers start getting spooked by her behavior. They're about to desert her. She responds by revealing a drum made from human skin. She beats it once. The sound is unnatural. It paralyzes her soldiers, controlling them completely.
Then Anashi walks in, his eyes totally empty. He attacks the soldiers, biting and killing them. It's a bloodbath. Gongsun Wuyu uses Anashi's blood to draw a formation on the ground. As she beats the drum again, the dead soldiers start to stand back up. They are her new, undead army.
The Last Stand
Jiang Wenhuan and the others have to come up with a new plan. They now understand that Gongsun Wuyu has an army of monsters. Jiang Wenhuan gives A'si the most important job. She must protect the civilians at all costs, forming the last line of defense. The Princes will go outside the gates. They will face Gongsun Wuyu and her army head-on. They know it's a fight to the death.
The battle begins. Gongsun Wuyu conducts her undead soldiers with the skin drum. The Princes have coated their weapons in bloodstone, which seems to work against the monsters. It holds them back for a little while. But it's not enough. More and more monsters swarm them, and the Princes are overwhelmed. They start to fall, one by one. Chongyi Biao, filled with rage, fights on.
Just as all hope seems lost, the city gates open. The civilians, refusing to hide any longer, charge out with A'si to join the fight.
