Sera dismounted her horse and slowly walked toward the middle of the battlefield, standing in front of thousands of watching eyes. The wind blew harshly against her red dress, making the fabric dance around her legs like flowing blood. A sword rested tightly in her trembling hand as she stopped at the center of the field.
Her face remained still.
Controlled.
But tears continuously rolled down her cheeks despite her efforts to stop them. Her breathing was uneven beneath the calmness she forced upon herself. Every step she took toward Azron felt like stepping deeper into a nightmare she could not escape.
Across from her, Azron dismounted his horse as well.
The moment his boots touched the ground, silence spread through Mort Army.
He walked slowly toward her.
Each step steady.
Each step heavy.
His gaze never left Sera's face.
"Lord Azron! You can't possibly—" General Wang called out, alarm clear in his voice.
The generals behind him looked equally disturbed. None of them could accept what was happening before their eyes.
They knew their Lord too well.
Azron would never hurt Sera.
Not even if his own life depended on it.
And now, with Arelus held hostage by Vaiels, everyone understood the cruel truth—
Azron would rather die than strike his wife.
But Azron calmly raised one hand, stopping his men from interfering.
At once, Mort Army stood down despite the rage burning across their faces.
Warriors tightened their grip around their weapons so hard their knuckles whitened. Their eyes were filled with fury as they glared at Vaiels army, ready to charge at any second if Azron gave the command.
But he didn't.
General Rin and Runar were being carefully watched by the other generals, worried they might recklessly interfere.
"Should we really just let them do this?" Runar asked, his composure filled with concern as his eyes stayed locked on Sera.
"We don't have a choice." General Dan's voice was low, heavy with helplessness. "Lord Azron has decided. None of us can stop him."
Meanwhile, General Rin's sharp eyes kept shifting toward Arelus.
His mind raced desperately, trying to think of a way to rescue the child before something irreversible happened.
Azron finally stopped walking when he stood merely three meters away from Sera.
The distance felt painfully small.
Yet impossibly far.
His eyes immediately fell upon her trembling hand.
He noticed how hard she was trying to keep her sword steady. Her cheeks were wet from tears, her breathing strained beneath the cold expression she wore.
It was the first time Azron had ever seen Sera look shaken.
The woman who had always stood stronger than everyone else now looked like she was barely holding herself together.
His chest tightened painfully.
"I'm…sorry," Azron spoke softly, his voice rough with restrained emotion. "I was late."
He took one slow step closer.
But Sera suddenly raised her sword and pointed it directly at him.
The sharp movement made him stop immediately.
"Draw your weapon," she said coldly.
Her voice shook slightly despite her effort to sound firm.
But Azron didn't move.
He simply looked at her.
He wanted to get closer.
Wanted to hold her.
Wanted to wipe away every tear on her face and tell her she no longer had to endure everything alone.
After six years apart, she was finally standing before him again—
Yet he still could not touch her.
"Sera…"
"Draw your weapon!" she screamed.
The sound cracked painfully across the battlefield.
Then her expression shattered.
"Please…"
Her voice weakened into pleading as another tear escaped her eyes.
She understood him too well.
Azron would never raise his sword against her.
Never.
Even now.
Even here.
Azron stared into her eyes and understood immediately.
Behind her desperation was fear.
Not for herself—
For Arelus.
Slowly, Azron unsheathed his sword.
The sound of metal leaving its sheath echoed heavily through the battlefield.
His gaze remained locked on Sera's face the entire time.
And in that moment, Azron made a decision.
He chose to trust her.
Completely.
He knew Sera better than anyone.
And he believed with everything inside him that she could never truly kill him.
"Don't hold back."
The moment the words left Sera's lips, she suddenly dashed toward him.
Fast.
Deadly.
Her sword swung directly toward his neck.
Azron immediately stepped back, the sharp blade barely missing him as he raised his sword to block hers. Steel clashed violently, the sound echoing through the battlefield.
Gasps spread across both armies.
The fight had begun.
But everyone quickly realized something horrifying.
Azron was not attacking back.
He merely defended.
Dodged.
Blocked.
Yielded.
All while Sera relentlessly attacked him.
"Look at her…" Lurion laughed from afar, completely entertained by the sight before him. "What a shame. Truly…a rare jewel."
"Are you really planning to release her after this?" General Hubar asked cautiously beside him.
"Only if she obeys." Lurion smirked, his eyes gleaming with cruelty as he watched the fight unfold. "And if she doesn't…well…this becomes even more entertaining."
Meanwhile, the battle between Sera and Azron grew fiercer.
The clash of their swords rang endlessly across the battlefield.
Sera moved beautifully and violently at the same time.
The jewels pinned in her hair slowly loosened and fell one by one onto the bloodstained ground beneath them. Soon, her hair flowed freely behind her with every movement, dancing wildly against the wind.
Her red dress swayed around her like flames as she attacked him again and again.
Even amidst the tension, Azron could not stop himself from admiring her.
She was still breathtaking to him.
Still the most beautiful thing his eyes had ever seen.
Even while trying to drive a blade through him.
Sera's brows furrowed harder when she realized Azron continued refusing to fight back.
"Fight back!" she screamed as their swords collided again.
But Azron only shook his head slightly.
The silent refusal hurt her even more.
Determined to convince Lurion that the fight was real, Sera stopped holding back.
She lunged at Azron once more with terrifying speed.
Then suddenly—
She kicked behind his knee.
Azron's body staggered slightly.
Though her strength was nowhere near his, he allowed his knee to drop against the ground beneath him.
The battlefield erupted into tension.
Sera immediately swung her sword downward toward his shoulder.
Mort generals froze.
Several warriors instinctively stepped forward.
But Azron didn't even attempt to block her attack.
At the very last second—
Sera forcefully stopped her blade.
The sharp edge hovered only inches away from Azron's body.
Their movements paused completely.
Azron slowly lifted his gaze toward her.
Now that he knelt before her, their bodies were dangerously close.
Close enough for him to hear her trembling breathing.
Close enough to see the pain hidden behind her cold expression.
His eyes shifted toward her tightly clenched hand.
She was gripping her sword so hard just to stop herself from hurting him.
And in that moment, Azron understood.
Sera never intended to kill him.
Azron slowly lifted his robe slightly behind him, careful enough not to alert anyone watching.
Then his gaze silently signaled Sera to look.
Sera's eyes shifted carefully.
Hidden beneath Azron's robe—
Was one of her rifles.
Her breath caught.
It was one of the weapons she had left behind years ago inside their home.
Azron had carried it with him all this time.
Hope suddenly bloomed inside her chest.
Even after six years…
He still carried pieces of her with him.
A faint smile almost formed on her lips.
Good boy, Azron.
Then Sera's gaze shifted briefly toward Lurion.
She noticed the suspicion beginning to rise in his eyes.
Immediately, her expression hardened again.
"I'm sorry."
Before Azron could react, Sera suddenly shifted her sword and slashed across his shoulder.
The blade cut through cloth and flesh.
Blood immediately spilled down his armor.
Mort Army erupted in outrage.
Several warriors instantly stepped forward at the sight of their Lord bleeding.
Even General Rin's expression darkened sharply.
But General Wang immediately raised his hand high.
"Stand down!"
At once, the entire army froze again despite the fury burning across their faces.
Azron slowly stood up and glanced at the wound on his shoulder. Blood stained his armor, steadily flowing down the metal plates, yet he barely seemed to notice it.
His gaze lifted toward Sera.
She stood before him, her face tight with guilt and apology. Her eyes trembled as they met his, silently asking forgiveness for the injury she had no choice but to inflict.
But Azron only smiled softly at her.
A small smile.
Gentle.
Tender.
As if he was telling her the wound meant nothing compared to finally seeing her again.
Sera's chest tightened painfully at the sight.
Then suddenly—
She lunged toward him once more.
Gasps rose from both armies as everyone expected another attack.
But this time, Sera's focus was no longer on her sword.
In one swift movement, she dropped her weapon entirely.
Then she slid against Azron's body, moving dangerously close to him as she reached toward the rifle strapped behind his back.
Her body pressed against his chest.
The sudden closeness made Azron's breath falter.
His eyes instinctively followed her face as it passed mere inches from his own.
Too close.
Far too close after six years apart.
Lurion's brows furrowed deeply from afar as he watched the strange movement.
From his angle, it looked like Sera had suddenly thrown herself into Azron's arms.
Like an embrace.
But hidden between their bodies, Sera's fingers were desperately reaching for the rifle sling across Azron's chest.
The moment her hand touched it, she leaned fully against him while turning herself forward.
The sling wrapped tightly across both of them.
Binding them together.
Like a rope refusing to let them part again.
Azron immediately understood her intention.
Without hesitation, he softened his stance and wrapped one arm around her waist, holding her firmly against him.
The warmth of her body against his nearly shattered the restraint he had been forcing upon himself since seeing her again.
For one dangerous moment, he simply held her.
Alive.
Breathing.
In his arms again.
Sera quickly knelt down while lifting the rifle into position, trying to steady the unfamiliar angle.
Azron immediately lowered himself with her.
One knee pressed against the ground as he widened his stance, giving her space to lean securely against his chest.
Their posture looked intimate amidst the chaos around them.
Restrained.
Close.
Almost tender.
But beneath that closeness was deadly precision.
Sera's back pressed firmly against Azron while he held her steady, giving her the support she needed to control the rifle.
Her breathing slowly steadied.
Then her eyes locked onto Lurion.
A dangerous smirk slowly formed on her lips.
The rifle pointed directly at him.
Lurion's eyes widened.
Realization struck him instantly.
"She's aiming at me—!"
"Attack!" he roared furiously.
The entire Vaiels army suddenly surged forward.
At the exact same moment—
Sera pulled the trigger.
The gunshot exploded across the battlefield.
The deafening sound startled both armies.
Lurion swiftly twisted his body at the last second, narrowly avoiding death as the bullet tore through his shoulder instead.
Blood burst violently from the wound.
Lurion fell from his horse and hit the ground harshly.
He immediately grabbed his bleeding shoulder, his face twisted with shock and rage as he stared at Sera and the strange weapon in her hands.
"What the hell is that?!"
"Now!" General Rin suddenly roared.
The command instantly unleashed Mort Army.
Thousands of warriors charged forward like a storm finally set free.
The battlefield erupted into complete chaos.
Weapons clashed violently.
Horses screamed.
War cries echoed beneath the skies as Mort and Vaiels armies collided with terrifying force.
Steel crashed against steel while bodies fell one after another beneath the madness of war.
"Tear the strap!" Sera immediately shouted.
Azron raised his sword without hesitation and sliced through the rifle strap binding them together.
The tension between their bodies disappeared.
But neither of them moved away immediately.
For the briefest moment, they simply looked at each other amidst the chaos surrounding them.
There were too many things left unsaid.
Too many years lost between them.
But this was not the time.
"Cover me," Sera said firmly as she immediately turned toward the battlefield.
General Jidu rode toward them through the chaos and threw Azron's bow and arrows toward him.
Azron caught them effortlessly.
Then he immediately moved behind Sera as enemy warriors began swarming toward them.
Meanwhile, Sera's eyes desperately searched for Arelus among the chaos.
The moment she saw him surrounded by Vaiels warriors, her expression darkened completely.
Without hesitation—
She raised the rifle and fired.
One enemy fell.
Then another.
Then another.
Each shot precise.
Merciless.
The Vaiels warriors surrounding Arelus dropped one by one before they could even touch him.
And through all the chaos—
Arelus never flinched.
The small boy simply stood there, staring at his mother as she walked fearlessly through the battlefield toward him, wielding a weapon unlike anything he had ever seen.
Blood surrounded her.
Enemies fell before her.
Yet to Arelus—
She was simply his mother coming to save him.
And he trusted her completely.
Meanwhile, behind Sera, Azron raised his bow.
His eyes sharpened dangerously as he released arrow after arrow with terrifying speed.
Every Vaiels warrior attempting to approach Sera immediately fell dead before reaching her.
One shot pierced a man's throat.
Another buried deep into a warrior's chest.
Another struck directly between the eyes.
Azron moved behind Sera like her shadow.
Protecting her.
Covering every blind spot.
Together, they carved a path through the battlefield toward their son.