The clash of their swords reverberated through the forest, each strike a testament to their fractured past. Yan Jiangri's heart was heavy with the weight of betrayal, but it was also filled with a fierce determination that burned brighter than her sorrow. She had spent so long believing in Lin Shaungwei, trusting him when no one else would, and now all that remained was the bitter taste of deception.
Lin's movements were precise, deadly, but there was something different in the way he fought. Gone was the cold detachment he had once displayed—now, there was a viciousness in his strikes, a desperate energy that seemed to fuel him. For the first time, Yan Jiangri wondered if she had been wrong about him. Had he always been a man driven by a singular obsession with power, or was this something new?
With a swift twist of her wrist, Yan Jiangri parried his blade and closed the distance between them. She didn't need to speak. The silence between them was thick, heavy with the unspoken words that neither of them dared to say. She could feel his breath quicken as she pressed her attack, her mind working in overdrive to anticipate his next move.
But Lin wasn't the same man she had known. He wasn't the commander who had once stood beside her, a man she had respected and, in some twisted way, even trusted. The man before her now was a stranger—cold, calculating, and consumed by ambition. He fought with a ferocity that matched the storm raging inside her.
"You think you can defeat me, Jiangri?" Lin spat, his voice harsh as their blades locked again. "You never understood me. You were always too focused on your kingdom, your duty. You never saw that this was the only way."
Yan Jiangri's eyes burned with fury. "The only way? You're mad if you think I'll let you destroy everything for your own gain."
Lin smirked, his expression colder than ever. "You're too late. I've already won."
For a moment, their swords stood still, a perfect stalemate. Yan Jiangri's pulse raced, and she could feel the weight of his words pressing against her chest, but she wouldn't let them break her resolve. He had always underestimated her. He had always believed that he could control her, bend her will to his own, but now she was fighting not just for the kingdom, but for herself.
"You'll never control me, Lin," she growled, her voice low and filled with venom.
He laughed, the sound hollow and cruel. "Control? This isn't about control. This is about power. The power to shape the world as I see fit. And you? You were just a tool to help me get there."
Her breath caught in her throat as the truth of his words sank in. He had never cared about her. Not really. He had used her, manipulated her, and now he was throwing her aside, just like he had done with everyone else in his quest for power.
With a fierce cry, Yan Jiangri lunged forward, her blade flashing in the moonlight. She would end this now. She would not let him tear apart everything she had fought for, everything she had sacrificed. She couldn't.
But Lin was faster, more ruthless. He sidestepped her attack with a fluid motion, his blade slashing across her side with a brutal strike. Pain exploded in her chest, but she barely registered it. Her blood was boiling with rage, and the wound felt like nothing compared to the betrayal that had cut her far deeper.
"You've always been too weak, Jiangri," Lin sneered as she staggered back, clutching her side. "Too focused on sentiment. That's why you'll never understand the true nature of power."
Yan Jiangri gritted her teeth, fighting to stay on her feet. She wouldn't give him the satisfaction of seeing her fall. "I understand perfectly," she spat, her voice thick with defiance. "It's you who doesn't understand. Power without purpose is nothing but emptiness. And you? You're nothing but a hollow shell."
Lin's expression twisted into something dangerous, his eyes flashing with a cold fury. "I will have everything, Jiangri. And nothing, not even you, will stop me."
The words stung like a slap to the face, but Yan Jiangri refused to back down. She could feel the weight of the battle pressing down on her, the exhaustion, the pain, but she would fight until her last breath. She would not let him destroy what she had worked for, what she had believed in.
With a final surge of strength, she charged at him, her sword raised high. But Lin was ready. He met her head-on, their blades clashing with a force that sent a shockwave through the forest. The ground beneath them seemed to tremble as they fought, their movements a blur of speed and precision.
And then, in the chaos of battle, something shifted.
Lin's sword found its mark, slicing through her defenses in a single, decisive blow. The pain was blinding, but Yan Jiangri barely had time to process it before she felt herself being lifted off the ground, her vision swimming with darkness.
She tried to speak, to cry out, but her words failed her. She could only look into Lin's eyes—eyes that once held the promise of something more, something better—but now were filled with nothing but cold calculation.
"You were always too idealistic, Jiangri," Lin whispered as he held her in his arms, his voice softer now, almost tender. "But you were never strong enough to understand. Not like me."
Yan Jiangri's breath was shallow, her body growing weaker by the second. But even in her fading moments, she refused to let him win. She wouldn't let him have the satisfaction of seeing her broken.
"You may have won this battle, Lin," she whispered, her voice barely audible. "But you will never win this war."
With that, her vision darkened, and the world faded away into nothingness.