222 Battle Among Brothers (2/2)

His heart was breathless with relief...Until a man in black leaped from the side, and charged toward him with his axe! The fear that filled Fan Mingli then was worse than any fear he had ever felt before - and he knew every kind of fear. He was so scared he might have pissed himself.

Quickly, his fingers found his sword and engulfed it with his hands. But it was too late, already the man had swung his axe down upon him. Awaiting his gruesome death, Fan Mingli closed his eyes. A scream stabbed his ears, sharp as a needle.

”Idiot! Stay focused!” He heard a familiar voice bellow.

Surprised, Fan Mingli opened his eyes to see Yin Changpu standing over him, eyes blazing with fierceness.

”Y-Yin Changpu?” Fan Mingli stuttered, soon realizing he had saved him.

”Come on, keep it together! We didn't follow Captain Sun and abandon our post to die so easily! Now hold your sword and fight!”

Swallowing the bile threatening to rise, Fan Mingli nodded his head. ”I'll try hard.”

Yin Changpu's lips curled into a grin, and he had been about to open his mouth to say something, but then his line of sight inadvertently fell to a place which caused his eyes to darken instantly.

”Over there…” Yin Changpu's voice darkened.

When Fan Mingli turned his head, his eyes shot open.

”Captain Sun!”

Amongst the battlefield, two men fought. One of the men was none other than An Sun! From the looks of it, their strength seemed to be par with one another. That is until the man with the axe knocked the sword out of An Sun's hands - leaving him completely defenseless.

”Come on!” Yin Changpu charged in the direction of their captain.

Fan Mingli followed behind, soon forgetting the previous fear he had felt.

…

High, low, overhand, An Sun rained down steel upon his brother, swinging so hard that sparks flew when the sword and axe came together. One of An Ruo's slashes raked across his brow, and blood ran down into his right eye.

But the fight continued.

The two, repeatedly attacking, moving into one another, hacking, slashing, faster, and faster!

Until he was breathless, the sword in An Sun's hand was knocked from out his grasp, falling somewhere within the mob of soldiers. He gathered a slow, deep breath, his gray eyes watching An Ruo warily. By now, his shoulders were going numb from the jarring they'd taken, and his wrists ached from the weight of the sword.

”Not half bad,” An Ruo acknowledged. ”For a dead bastard.”

Immediately as An Ruo's words left his mouth, he whirled the axe back up above his head and flew at An Sun again. Just as An Sun had been about to evade his attack, he saw An Ruo suddenly stop in his tracks.

The axe in his hands lowered, and he lifted a hand to his cheek. It was bleeding. His eyes narrowed up slightly as he shifted his line of sight. The murder within An Ruo's gaze gradually grew to the point his eyes had gone red with fury.

On the other side of the field, a pair of blue eyes stared back at him coldly. Within his grasp was a longbow. One that was clearly used to shoot at An Ruo.

When An Sun shifted his gaze toward the archer, his eyes widened.

”Manchu…”