Chapter 238: Gone General 2

Ru Yi’s sword came within inches of General Han Zheng’s shoulder. He spun, immediately blocking it with his own sword. He kicked her backward.

Ru Yi landed hard but she immediately summoned her shadow. The darkness wrapped around Han Zheng’s ankle, but he was quick to tear through it with his spiritual energy.

General Sheng attacked from the opposite side, but Han Zheng blocked him. For several moments, the three of them moved through the battlefield like flashes of steel and shadow.

No one could get a complete advantage over the other.

Then General Sheng made a mistake. He’d been focused entirely on Han Zheng, but his attention moved to one of his shoulders who came out bearing the chest.

Han Zheng saw his distraction as the perfect opportunity to end all of this. He lowered his sword and waited a second before he lunged toward General Sheng.

General Sheng moved a second too late, only managing to cast Han Zheng’s blade aside. He blocked the second strike, but the third hit from Han Zheng shattered his defense.

Han Zheng was quick to drive his sword straight through General Sheng’s chest.

Everything stopped—

General Sheng stared down at the blade. His mouth opened, but no words came out. He looked at Han Zheng with eyes wide in disbelief.

"You can greet the late Empress on your way down to hell," Han Zheng said with a smug smile as he pulled his sword free.

General Sheng dropped to his knees, then collapsed face-first with a heavy thud. His sword slipped from his fingers and disappeared into the blood-soaked earth.

For several seconds, the battlefield seemed to hold its breath.

The soldiers who had been fighting only moments before stood frozen among wreckage of the imperial wagons. Somewhere beyond the ruined convoy, a horse screamed before breaking free of its reins and disappearing into the trees.

Han Zheng stood over General Sheng’s body, his chest rising and falling beneath his armor. Blood ran along the edge of his sword and gathered at the tip before falling in slow drops.

Ru Yi watched, entire body frozen and her shadows retreating back into her core. In every scenario she’d come up with about how the day would end, she never once imagined that General Sheng would be killed.

What would happen now? To her? To his men? If anything she had planned General Sheng would die by her hand when everything was done.

This was a way easier death after what he’d done to her, after tearing Ashen Fortress apart and putting an unbridgeable gap between her and the triplets.

Instead, Han Zheng had done it. It only made the anger burning inside her worse.

Han Zheng slowly turned towards her. "This is the part where you show your gratitude to me. Finally, you are free and allowed to be your own person."

"What are you on about?" Ru Yi tightened her grip on her sword.

"The eclipse relic will now be in your possession, and you don’t have to answer to him." Han Zheng kicked General Sheng’s body. "You should be grateful that I helped you get rid of him."

Ru Yi’s mouth lifted at the corner. "So I can be indebted to you?" She scoffed. "No, thanks. I’m not exchanging one collar for another."

Han Zheng gestured to the space around him. "Look around, you can’t leave here alive unless I order it."

Ru Yi nodded, like she was considering his words seriously. "Right. I should probably get on my knees and beg you to spare my life."

"You’re finally using that empty brain of yours. The battle is already lost." He pointed the tip of his sword at her. "Rethink your choices. If you join me, that shadow ability of yours along with the eclipse relic will gain you a position in the palace."

"And why would I want that?" she asked in a pained voice. "All that palace has ever brought me is pain, why would I want to go back there and be a willing puppet in your little game?"

"It’s not being a puppet," Han Zheng countered. "It’s called being strategic, something you’re quite unfamiliar with. Besides, the crown prince will be very happy to have you back."

Did the old scum think she was really so brainless she couldn’t see through his antics? The moment she agreed to his offer, he’d have her cuffed in chains and dragged around like a trophy.

"You and the crown prince can go to hell for all I care! That chest is mine, and so are all the weapons around you," Ru Yi fired back. "If anyone should be on their knees begging for their life to be spared...it should be you." She pointed her sword at him, "so what’s it going to be?"

Han Zheng laughed, the sound echoing around them. "This is the best nonsense I’ve ever heard in my life."

The wind swept between them, stirring loose strands of Ru Yi’s hair across her face.

Han Zheng’s eyes flicked briefly toward the shadow surrounding her. He moved just before a tendril ripped through the earth where he had been standing. He twisted sideways, brought his sword down and severed it in one clean motion.

The shadow recoiled with a violent shudder before sinking back toward Ru Yi.

Han Zheng watched her carefully now. She was exhausted, he could see it now. Her breathing had become heavier and tendrils were just as weak.

Ru Yi attacked while Han Zheng was still accessing her.

The first strike came fast enough that the blade seemed to appear between them rather than travel through the space separating them.

Han Zheng caught it at the last moment, steel ringing sharply through the smoke. Ru Yi twisted her wrist and brought the blade around again, forcing him to retreat.

This time she did not allow him to recover, she followed him across the battlefield, each strike carrying the fury she had been holding back since the moment she had awakened in this world.

Han Zheng blocked her again and again, but every time their swords met, Ru Yi pushed harder. She was giving it her all even though it’d destroy her in the end.