"Little demon," purred Zhaojun, aglow with flames. "I changed the shape of your prison but not the strength of your cage. You were always doomed. For as long as you desired to conquer the world the world would resist you. Every step you take sets you against every heart at once, and Mars was ever Venus' lesser. [i]Struggle is futile[/i], she said, after all."

She glides closer, illuminated by the passage of burning ruin. 

"All I have done is make the truth of your situation obvious," she said. "Your weapons were useless. Your plans were doomed. Your armies treasonous. So what sword do you propose to fight me with?"