The Unbroken Warlord

Chapter 4

The room went silent.

Jade's body stiffened, his face turning pale. He unconsciously stepped backward. Fear gripped him, but he still tried to act arrogant.

"Don't pretend," he muttered in a trembling voice. "Who do you think you are? Just because you brought a few guys in uniforms, you think you're someone important, huh?"

His eyes flicked nervously toward the soldiers aiming their rifles at him, then he let out a forced laugh.

"T-This is just acting, right? Where did you hire them from? Look at those uniforms. They're not official military gear from the Valdera Empire! This is all fake!"

But no one responded to him.

Callen remained still, his eyes cold as ice. That silence only made Jade more restless.

"Don't act like that, you lowly soldier!" Jade shouted, his voice louder now, as if trying to convince himself.

"Everyone knows who you are. You're just... Ivy Carter's low-status husband. You think standing here and putting on a tough face is enough to scare me?!" he said with a nervous laugh. "Ha! Dream on!"

But his words didn't match his actions. His body kept stepping back, and sweat dripped from his temples. The pressure in his chest grew heavier, as though the air around him had thinned. He turned to Troy.

"Hey, get up! This isn't funny! Get up and beat that loser!"

Troy coughed faintly. "Shut up, damn it," he hissed. He got up slowly, clearly in pain. Callen's punch had broken a few of his ribs. He wiped the blood from the corner of his lips.

Jade's eyes lit up. He laughed. "I knew it! There's no way you'd lose! Look at the difference between you two, you lowly soldier. Troy Bennet is going to crush you now."

He pointed at Callen. "Attack him now, Troy!"

Silence was the only response.

Jade turned and saw Troy running toward the back exit.

His face turned pale again. "Damn it!"

"What are you doing, Troy?! Get back here, you coward!" he screamed.

Troy ignored him. He cursed himself for believing Jade. After taking that hit, he immediately realized that Callen was no ordinary man. Fighting him would be suicide.

"Go after him," Callen ordered.

Two soldiers rushed out to chase Troy.

"Hey, protect me!" Jade shouted in panic.

But Steve didn't move. He was staring at Callen, his eyes trembling. Now he remembered. In the military, uniforms showed rank. And Steve had once been a soldier.

The more patterns on the uniform, the higher the rank. He swallowed hard when he noticed the markings on Callen's outfit. It was the most heavily decorated uniform he'd ever seen.

"C-Could it be... you're the General known as the Unbroken Warlord?" Steve asked nervously.

"G-General?" Jade muttered. "What are you talking about? There's no way he's a general," he scoffed in disbelief.

"He's just some lowly—"

BANG!

A bullet grazed Jade's cheek.

"Next time it'll hit your head," one of the soldiers said coldly. "Watch your mouth. He is the Valdera War General."

Jade's legs gave out, and he collapsed. He was shaking uncontrollably.

Callen ignored him and looked at Steve.

"You know what this uniform means. Are you the soldier who fled the war?"

Steve dropped his weapon and dropped to his knees. "G-General! I've made a terrible mistake."

Callen picked up a pistol and turned it in his hand. "You know the punishment for desertion. It's death."

"P-Please forgive me, General!" Steve screamed, bowing until his forehead hit the ground.

Just then, Callen's eyes widened as he remembered Lily. He hadn't held back earlier, and Lily had seen his dark side. His eyes scanned the room for her.

To his surprise, Lily didn't look scared. In fact, her face was glowing with joy.

Her eyes sparkled. "General? Dad really is like what Mom said!" she whispered excitedly.

"He made the bad guys afraid!" she added with a bright smile.

Hearing Lily's voice calmed Callen. He had spent years on the battlefield. His hearing was sharper than most.

Callen holstered his pistol and stepped forward. Every step he took brought a suffocating pressure.

Now Jade sat with a blank expression. His back was drenched in sweat. His body wouldn't move, frozen in shock.

Steve trembled. Each footstep from Callen sounded like a death march. He clenched his eyes shut, ready to be struck. But Callen walked past him.

He stopped in front of Lily and untied the ropes around her. His eyes softened. In her face, he could see Ivy's features. His heart sank at the bruises on her cheek and arm.

"I'm sorry for being late."

Lily looked up at Callen, the man she had only seen in photographs, who now stood before her. Suddenly, tears rolled down her cheeks as she hugged him tightly.

"Daddy! I missed you."

"I'm sorry," Callen whispered again. "From today on, I won't leave you or your mom again."

He lifted Lily into his arms and gave a subtle signal. A female soldier stepped forward.

"Lily, I want you to wait outside with this big sister," Callen said.

Lily shook her head. "No! What if you leave again?"

Callen spoke softly. "I won't. But I need to teach these bad people a lesson. If I don't, they'll hurt others again."

Lily buried her face in his neck and shook her head again, this time silently.

"I brought you a doll. Do you want to see it?"

Lily gave a small nod.

"Then you need to go get it in the car. Wait for me there. I'll be back soon."

"Okay," Lily said quietly.

Callen handed her to the soldier. "Take care of her."

After Lily was taken outside, Callen's expression darkened. "Anyone who dares hurt my family will not leave this place alive!"

Troy was dragged in, badly beaten. He was thrown to the ground at Callen's feet.

"Please spare me! I-I was just hired by Jade Collins! He's the one who planned the kidnapping," Troy cried out in a trembling voice.

Jade was still frozen on the floor. "I-I didn't do it. It was all because of Ivy Carter. If she hadn't rejected me, I wouldn't have kidnapped her daughter," he muttered.

Thud.

Callen's kick landed squarely on Jade's head.

"Shut your mouth. I didn't give you permission to speak," Callen hissed.

He clicked his tongue and sat down in a chair, looking between the three men. Then an idea struck him.

"Troy Bennet. And you, the coward who ran from war," Callen said, looking at Steve. "Come forward."

Both stepped up without a word.

"I'm going to give you a chance."

Their eyes lit up.

Callen smirked. "Fight each other. To the death. The one who survives will go free."

"W-What?" they said in unison, faces turning pale.

"B-But what about that bastard Jade?! He's the mastermind!" Troy protested.

Callen gave Jade a cold glance. "Oh, him? A fine meal should be saved for last."