𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐄𝐧𝐞𝐦𝐲'𝐬 𝐇𝐮𝐬𝐛𝐚𝐧𝐝 || 敵の旦那様 (𝐁𝐋) ✔ [COMPLETE]

46. Shattered

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"Your Grace, please slow down!"

As dust bellowed from within the surrounding military campground, the imperial sword slashed down from the veil of obscure sand at the man who managed to dodge the sudden attack narrowly by climbing on the nearest tree by the mere balance of his toes. Twirling his upper body like a bat on the hunt, he lunged at the man attacking him, his gravel-forged sword aiming right at the offender's chest. However, the attacker twice his size with thrice the core strength threw the imperial sword in his hand and rolled over, pinning the man to the ground with one sole veiny palm.

"General..." the man beneath him croaked.

The sound of the gravel sword that hit the ground with the impact of the thrown imperial sword clanged through the entire territory. An eerie silence spread in its aftermath as the crowd of soldiers watching them fell into a noiseless stupor. The man, as he gazed at the General above him who had him choked with a single arm, nearly burst into tears. The General's eyes had a cold glint in them. Like a wild snake that was poured over with garlic oil, there were unceasing embers within them, burning with fury.

He abruptly let go of the man's neck and nearly threw him away like a wrapper that was of no more use to him. The man crawled back to the crowd, where everybody began slapping his

back in awe. He managed to escape the sparring without shedding blood and that in itself was a feat in the eyes of the Blazing Sun Army.

It was a sparring session with the General after all.

The General wiped his hands and directed his gaze at the hushed crowd of soldiers looking at one another wearily. "Anybody else?" he asked, his penetrating gaze overlooking the crowd. He got silence as an answer and suddenly smiled. A leery, almost cruel smile.

"Pathetic," he bellowed. "However, I have not had enough. I want somebody to spar with me right now! Do you hear me?"

The crowd had no idea what had their General in such dire straits suddenly. It wasn't an unusual sight for the General to go berserk once in a while whenever a problem posed itself in front of him. With nobody to vent his feelings verbally since the death of the late General and the natural affinity to solve mental frustration with fists due to decades of ingrained military spirit, the General found a haven in the profuse sweating, fighting and submission of his opponent. While it wasn't uncommon, never ever had the soldiers seen their leader this feral and ruthless in his sparring.

Therefore, they all remained silent once again at the General's implore. The General groaned, pinching his forehead. Understanding that the General was this close to losing it, somebody stepped in.

"General, may I?" It was Lieutenant Jiang unsheathing his sword.

General caught his imperial sword that someone threw his way without looking back. "You may."

As their swords began clashing and sparks flew from the imminent friction of the two metals. Lieutenant Jiang, unable to take up this sudden change in demeanour, asked, "Your Grace, what's happened to you?"

"Nothing is the matter with me. I just simply want to test the subordinates whom I've nurtured. Would you presume it is wrong, Lieutenant?" he barked back.

"This..." Jiang spoke, "could it be about the General's beloved?"

General Haoran could hide something from the likes of his own father, but not before his companions, who had suffered through thick and thin with him. At the very mention of Fu Lin's existence and the sheer realisation of how deeply affected he was, his sharp focus began to diminish.

Lieutenant Jiang, seeking the blatant opening, raised his sword vertically, enforcing all of his power into it.

The General realised the attack a step too late and by the time he tried dodging he was on the floor with Lieutenant Jiang over him, Jiang's sword pressed at the side of the General's neck.

"Enough fighting?" Lieutenant asked, panting.

"You... win."

For a second, General Haoran wasn't sure who he was talking to, whether it was the Lieutenant or Fu Lin himself.

He got up and began walking away. It did not matter to him that he had lost, and it absolutely did not matter to him that his soldiers behind were celebrating his defeat. However, what did matter to him was what a gaping hole Fu Lin had become in his life.

His eyes turned red. Love is excruciating. It hurts. It hurts a lot.

"The reason why I fought you." Lieutenant Jiang's voice came from behind. "Is to show you how vulnerable you've turned out to be in the state of affairs. If this was before, I would hardly ever get the chance to barely scrape a part of your outer clothing. But now, you're so open and disturbed internally that somebody as untalented as I could cleave off your neck had I fought you in actuality. General, I'm sure you know this but." He paused. "The sword is the lifeline of every soldier. Anything that impedes you in the way of martial prowess has to be dealt with immediately or... eliminated for the greater betterment."

General Haoran tilted his head to look back. Behind were all three of his lieutenants gazing at him with grim determination.

But he couldn't sense any of their concerns. He began heading towards the camp, his eyes glazed over.

The three lieutenants looked at eachother tacitly and knew what they had to do. They rushed at lightning speed and projected themselves at different objects to gain momentum. One stepped on a tree, another on an immovable rock and another on the back of another soldier–all three zeroing in on the spot the General stood. As a blizzard of dust blew up and anybody could get a clear view of what just happened, the General was already cornered by the three Lieutenants– their swords pointing at the General's jugular.

"Zhou Haoran!" Lieutenant Bing Ze yelled, "Do you realise the gravity of the situation you're in? You're literally a waiting delicacy towards the enemy – vulnerable, open and on the verge of destruction! This..." His hands on the sword shook. "We could have slit your throat and fed it to the dogs!"

"So then slit it."

When the Lieutenants heard this, they could no longer keep holding their swords. Their faces overtaken by grief and dismay, they stood helplessly because this was the first time they had seen the General this shattered.

Then they knelt before him one by one as Shen Yue spoke. "We know we're not trustworthy or reliable enough for the General to confide to in us at crucial

points. We acknowledge that much very well. But talk to us, at least when things are this painful. Talk, General."

The General finally looked at them.

"Join me in my tent, only the three of you."

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Don't forget to vote, comment, share and follow!

Don't forget to vote, comment, share and follow!