All Chapters of The Dark Blade: Return Of The General.
: Chapter 151
- Chapter 160
226 chapters
Chapter 151: Planning the Impossible
The war room fell silent as Jacob spread detailed maps across the table. Seron was burning. Every hour brought reports of new districts falling to Argo's invasion force, and the mathematics were brutal—they could hold maybe another week before defensive positions collapsed completely."We cannot win this war here," Jacob said, his finger tracing the border between Seron and Argo. "Every engagement we win is temporary. They keep sending more troops, more equipment, more everything. We are fighting a losing battle of attrition."Leo looked up from casualty reports, his face gray with exhaustion. "So what do you propose? We barely have enough forces to defend the city, let alone launch an offensive."Jacob's finger moved to a point deep inside Argo territory. "We take the war to them. Hit Verons where he lives."The room erupted in protests and questions, but Jacob raised his hand for silence. He pulled out intelligence photographs showing Verons's command tank—a massive armored vehicle
Chapter 152: Anna's Determination
Jacob stared at the intercepted intelligence for a long time before speaking. Verons knew they were coming. The carefully planned eight-minute window was now a death sentence waiting to spring. But backing out was not an option—Seron would fall within days without this strike.He looked up to find Anna watching him with that expression he had learned to recognize. She knew what he was thinking before he said it."You are not coming," Jacob said.Anna's face hardened. "We already discussed this.""That was before Verons tripled his security. Before we knew he was expecting us." Jacob stood and walked to the window overlooking Seron's burning districts. "This mission was already suicide. Now it is guaranteed death for everyone involved.""Then you should not go either.""I have to. The artifacts respond to Krigg bloodline. Only I can retrieve the fourth piece if we somehow reach it." He turned to face her. "But you do not need to die with me. Stay here. Coordinate Seron's defense. If I
Chapter 153: Border Crossing
The team assembled at midnight in complete darkness. Thirty fighters, each carrying minimal equipment to move quietly through hostile territory. Jacob looked at the faces around him—warriors who knew they were marching toward death but came anyway because Seron needed them."Radio silence from this point forward," Jacob said quietly. "Hand signals only. We move in single file, five meter spacing. If anyone falls behind, we do not stop. If you are compromised, you do not lead them back to the group. Understood?"Thirty heads nodded. No questions, no hesitation. These were professionals who understood the stakes.Anna stood beside Jacob, dressed in tactical gear that Roseline had helped her acquire. She carried weapons she had trained with in secret, and her face showed the same calm determination Jacob had seen on veteran soldiers before dangerous missions.They moved out at exactly 0100 hours. The border between Seron and Argo was heavily patrolled, but Jacob had studied the patterns
Chapter 154: First Blood
The team moved in absolute silence through pre-dawn darkness. Jacob led them along a narrow creek bed that wound between hills, using the running water to mask their tracks and the cover of vegetation to stay hidden from the battalion searching nearby.Every fifty meters he stopped to listen. The Argo soldiers were not subtle—their search pattern involved large groups crashing through underbrush with lights and loud communication. Professional in organization but lacking the stealth discipline that Jacob's team maintained.They covered three miles in two hours. Brutal, exhausting movement that required constant vigilance. Anna stayed close behind Jacob, her breathing controlled despite the pace. Roseline brought up the rear, watching their back trail for any signs of pursuit.Dawn was breaking when Jacob spotted the problem. Ahead, through morning mist, he could see an Argo patrol setting up a checkpoint on the only route that offered concealment through this area. Six soldiers, one v
Chapter 155: Running Battle
They ran. Not the controlled tactical movement from before, but desperate flight ahead of tracking dogs whose barking grew steadily louder behind them. Jacob abandoned stealth in favor of speed, leading his team across open ground that would have been suicide yesterday but was their only option now.The first contact came at dusk on the first day. A forward patrol spotted them crossing a ridge and opened fire. Jacob's team scattered into cover and returned fire, buying enough time to break contact and disappear into a forested valley. But the engagement cost them—two fighters wounded, one badly enough that he could not keep up.Jacob made the call he had been dreading. "Leave him supplies and keep moving."The wounded man nodded understanding. He knew the mission could not stop for casualties. They propped him against a tree with water and ammunition, then disappeared into the darkness. Jacob heard sporadic gunfire an hour later and knew the man had made his last stand rather than be
Chapter 156: The Rapids
Jacob did not give anyone time to think about it. He pulled Anna toward the river's edge while shouting orders to the team. "Everyone in! Now!"The first ones hesitated, staring at water that looked more like liquid violence than something survivable. Then Argo bullets started hitting closer and the choice became obvious—probable death by drowning versus certain death by gunfire.Jacob hit the water first, pulling Anna with him. The cold was shocking, driving air from his lungs in an involuntary gasp. Then the current grabbed them and all rational thought disappeared into the chaos of trying not to drown.The river was faster than it looked from shore. Jacob barely had time to suck in a breath before being pulled under, tumbling in darkness while rocks slammed against his body. He lost his grip on Anna immediately. One moment her hand was in his, the next moment gone, torn away by water moving with irresistible force.He surfaced gasping, searching desperately for Anna while being swe
Chapter 157: Unexpected Allies
Jacob raised his hands slowly, showing he was unarmed. His team followed his lead, too exhausted and battered to fight even if they wanted to. The villagers kept their weapons trained on the waterlogged strangers, fingers on triggers."We mean you no harm," Jacob said carefully in Argo language. His accent was terrible but understandable.The old man spat on the ground. "Seron soldiers cross our border, kill our people, and claim they mean no harm? You think we are fools?""We are not here to hurt civilians. We are hunting Verons Heis."That got a reaction. Several villagers glanced at each other, and the old man's expression shifted from pure hostility to something more complex. Still angry, but now mixed with curiosity."Everyone wants to kill Verons," the old man said. "Big words from wet strangers with no weapons.""We had weapons until the river took them," Jacob replied. "But we are still dangerous enough that your soldiers have been chasing us for three days."A younger village
Chapter 158: Village Defense
Gerard moved fast despite his age. "The cellar. Now. All of you."Jacob's team scrambled to follow as villagers lifted a concealed trapdoor beneath hay bales in the barn's corner. The opening led to a root cellar—cramped, dark, smelling of earth and old vegetables. Twenty-two people pressed into a space meant for storing food, barely enough room to crouch."Not a sound," Gerard hissed before dropping the trapdoor closed. Darkness swallowed them.Jacob could hear boots hitting ground above, multiple soldiers spreading through the barn. Hay being kicked around, tools being moved, a systematic search that would eventually reach the cellar if they looked carefully enough.Beside him Anna was breathing too fast, the enclosed space triggering panic from being trapped. Jacob found her hand in the darkness and squeezed, trying to communicate calm through touch alone. Her breathing slowed slightly but her hand trembled."Nothing in here except farming equipment," a soldier's voice came through
Chapter 159: Capital Approach
The man's name was Thomas. He led them away from the village before dawn, taking back roads and forest trails that avoided military checkpoints. His knowledge of the terrain was extensive—every patrol schedule, every guard rotation, every blind spot in Argo's security network."How do you know all this?" Jacob asked on the second day."I was a military logistics officer before my wife's execution," Thomas replied. "Responsible for coordinating troop movements across this entire region. I know where every unit is stationed, what routes they patrol, and when their shifts change."It was invaluable intelligence. With Thomas guiding them, they made steady progress toward the capital without encountering hostile forces. When they did need to pass through populated areas, Thomas arranged disguises—merchant caravans, refugee groups, even a funeral procession once. Whatever cover story would draw the least attention.By the fourth day they had picked up additional help. Word of their mission
Chapter 160: Alliance of Evil
The tunnel entrance was exactly where Anna said it would be. Jacob descended first, testing ancient stone steps that somehow still held weight after two centuries. The passage smelled of earth and stale air, but the construction was solid—Chen family engineering built to last.They moved in single file through darkness, using minimal light to avoid detection. The tunnel ran deep beneath the city, following a route that predated current street layouts. Anna navigated from memory of her grandmother's stories, calling out directions at intersections where multiple passages branched off."Left here. Then straight for two hundred paces. There should be a chamber with three exits—we take the middle one."Her instructions proved accurate. The tunnels were extensive, a hidden network running beneath the entire palace complex. Jacob realized the Chen family had built not just servant passages but an entire infrastructure for covert movement. Strategic planning from an era when mystical guardia