Next day morning

BAM!

A heavy impact rang out in the training grounds as Brandon’s fist connected cleanly with Scylla’s crossed arms.

The force sent the tall, muscular General skidding backward across the dirt.

Dust billowed around her as she stabilized herself, breathing heavily as sweat pured down her powerful body.

"Hah... Hahaha!" Scylla laughed wildly, wiping blood from the corner of her mouth with the back of her hand.

Brandon stood calmly in the center of the ring "Come on. Don’t hold back."

Scylla grinned ferociously and charged again, throwing a powerful left hook, followed by a knee strike and a spinning elbow aimed at his head.

Brandon slipped inside her hook, deflected the knee with his thigh, and countered with a sharp palm strike to her solar plexus.

THUD!

"Guh-!"

Scylla’s eyes widened and before she could recover, Brandon grabbed her arm, spun her around, and slammed his elbow into her back, sending her crashing face-first into the dirt.

The soldiers and guards watching from the sidelines were completely stunned into silence seeing their War general getting beaten like this.

"W-What...?!"

"Lady Scylla just got tossed around like a training dummy..."

One male soldier stared with wide eyes. "Lady Scylla can defeat ten of us at once without breaking a sweat... and he’s playing with her like this?"

A female guard standing beside him clutched her spear tightly, "As expected of the Goddess’s companion..."

Another soldier whispered loudly, "I heard rumors from Eurasania that he defeated 100 elite guards there by himself. I thought it was exaggeration... but now I believe it."

Scylla pushed herself up from the ground, spitting dirt and bruises were already forming on her arms and torso.

She exploded forward once again.

Brandon parried her punch and countered with an uppercut that lifted Scylla off her feet for a moment.

CRACK!

Before she could hit the ground, he grabbed her by the waist, spun once, and slammed her down hard.

BOOM!

The impact shook the training ground and dust exploded outward in a ring.

Scylla lay flat on her back, staring up at the sky "I can’t even land a single hit on you."

Brandon walked over and stood above her "You’ve improved too. But you’re still too straightforward. You rely too much on raw power."

Looking at him, she replied "How about another spar this evening?"

Brandon gave a nod "Sure."

Scylla pulled herself up and sat cross-legged on the ground "I am surprised you are always ready to fight me." Others are too scared to even fight me.

With a sigh, he replied blunty "Because you are voluntarily asking to be my punching bag. Why should I refuse the opportunity to beat around a bitch like you?"

The soldiers and female guards who had been watching froze and their jaws dropped.

"D-Did he just call our general..."

"You bastard," Scylla said with a chuckle, grinning ear to ear. "I’m dragging you into a deathmatch next time."

She stood up and stretched her arms high above her head, flexing her powerful muscles, then gave Brandon a sharp look.

"Evening it is, then. Don’t forget."

-_- He gave her a deadpan look "You don’t forget. The last time we fought there, you said the same thing and then you forgot."

She scratched the back of her head with a genuinely confused expression, tilting her head like a large, muscular puppy.

"Did I?"

Brandon waved her off lazily "Your brain is nothing but muscle. Just leave."

---

It was already evening-

Brandon arrived exactly on time, wearing a simple black training outfit.

He glanced at the empty sparring ring with a flat expression.

No one was there.

He waited for a few minutes, but Scylla was nowhere to be seen.

The training grounds were relatively quiet at this hour, with only a few soldiers doing light evening drills in the distance.

Brandon clicked his tongue in annoyance and walked toward two female guards who were standing near the entrance of the training area.

Both women straightened up immediately when they saw him approaching.

"Did you see Scylla? She is supposed to be here by now."

The two female guards exchanged a quick glance.

One of them bowed her head slightly before answering.

"Lord Kael... General Scylla was here earlier this afternoon, but she had to leave. There was an unexpected confidential military meeting this evening. She most likely went straight home after that to rest."

Brandon let out a small sigh, rubbing the back of his neck.

Before he could turn away, the younger guard spoke "Also... General Scylla has a personal hot spring at her private residence. She often uses that to recover after intense training or long meetings. She’s probably relaxing in the spring right now."

Brandon raised an eyebrow, ’So the muscle-brained idiot ditched our spar.’

Looking at them, he asked "Do you happen to know where her house is..."

---

The evening air was cool and crisp, but inside Scylla’s private courtyard, steam rose gently into the night sky.

The hot spring was a luxurious, natural pool carved into the rock behind her personal mansion.

Lanterns hung around the edges, casting a warm, golden light over the steaming water and the surrounding bamboo and stone garden.

Scylla sat completely naked in the hot water with her body partially submerged.

Her toned arms rested along the smooth stone edge of the pool with her her head tilted back as she let out a deep, satisfied sigh.

Droplets of water traced down her muscular shoulders, over the swell of her full breasts, and down her defined abs.

"Haaah... that feels good."

Steam curled around her messy black hair, which she had loosened from its usual ponytail.

Suddenly, she heard the soft sound of footsteps on the stone path leading to the spring.

Scylla’s sharp eyes narrowed and she quickly reached for the towel.

But then seeing who it was, she retracted her hand slowly.

Brandon was walking toward the hot spring, wearing nothing but a white towel wrapped low around his waist.

Scylla’s eyes widened in genuine surprise.

"...Kael?"

She remained seated in the water, making no attempt to cover herself.

"Didn’t expect you to come all the way to my house."

Brandon stopped at the edge of the pool, looking down at her "You ditched our spar again, you dumb ass."

Scylla shifted slightly in the water before sinking back down "Ah? I genuinely forgot about it."

"After a long meeting with the Emperor and the officials, I was tired."

She tilted her head, her eyes roaming shamelessly over his bare torso and the towel around his waist.

She leaned back against the stone edge, spreading her arms wider "Since you are already here, come join me."

He stepped into the hot spring without hesitation and the hot water rose up his legs as he moved closer to her.

He lowered himself onto the smooth stone seat and the hot water came up to his chest as he leaned back.

"Didn’t expect you to be this shameless. You didn’t even attempt to cover yourself."

Glancing at him, she muttered "It’s because it’s you. You’ve beaten this body, bruised it, and thrown it around like it was nothing."

"So why should I hide it from you?"

"Well, in the first place, I don’t think any men see me in a womanly way. Most men look at me and see a weapon. The Empire’s mad dog."

"But still, if someone sees me naked, they will end up on the ground with a broken jaw anyway."

Brandon hummed under his breath as he let his gaze drift slowly over her exposed body.

The hot water lapped gently between them, creating small waves every time one of them moved.

Scylla noticed his stare and she shifted closer in the water until her thigh pressed firmly against his thigh under the surface.

"What? You’ve seen me covered in blood and dirt plenty of times. Is seeing me like this so surprising?"

Brandon shook his head and replied "No, I am just surprised that you can hold a normal conversation like a woman instead of barking for a fight."

Scylla let out a soft, throaty laugh "I don’t have to pretend to be delicate or feminine with you. You’ve never treated me like a woman. You punch me, throw me, and beat me without holding back."

"So I don’t feel the need to hide this body from you."

Brandon scoffed and replied "Just say you are a shameless cunt."

Scylla just grinned, but then she remembered something "The Emperor told me about the new Holy Land for Lady Rheanne."

"Are you serious about that?"