Aria's scream amidst the chaotic battlefield pierced Dante's mind like an arrow. He watched her charge into the enemy's encirclement, a small dagger in her hand, facing heavily armed foes. A surge of unprecedented fury and fear welled up within Dante. He couldn't let her be in danger.
Aria, with her superior close-combat skills as a special agent, swiftly took down several enemy soldiers targeting Dante. She moved fluidly, dodging swords and spears, while simultaneously trying to create an opening in the encirclement for Dante to escape. Blood and mud stained her body, but her eyes remained sharp and determined.
"This way, General!" Aria yelled, pointing to a small gap in the enemy's formation. "Retreat to the West!"
Dante was accustomed to fighting without retreat, but seeing Aria's recklessness, he understood she was trying to protect him. He let out a roar, cutting down an enemy, then immediately followed her instructions, forcing a bloody path out of the encirclement. His soldiers followed closely, forming a mobile defensive formation.
During their retreat, a poisoned arrow suddenly shot out from dense bushes, piercing directly into Aria's shoulder blade. She let out a soft groan, clutching the wound. This arrow wasn't shot by an enemy soldier, but by a hidden marksman.
"Aria!" Dante roared, spinning around. He saw the black arrow lodged deep in her shoulder, and immediately recognized it as a deadly poisoned arrow. His face turned ashen. Absolute terror squeezed the heart of the undefeated general.
He immediately rushed to her, catching her as she collapsed. He tore open her leather armor, looking at the wound that was rapidly turning purple. "Damn it!" Dante roared, his eyes blazing as he looked towards the bushes from where the arrow had flown, but he couldn't get a clear look at the culprit.
Aria felt a searing pain spread throughout her body, and her vision began to blur. The poison was rapidly spreading. "I'm... I'm fine..." she whispered, trying to reassure him, though she knew she was on the verge of life and death.
Dante lifted Aria into his arms, oblivious to the fierce battle still raging. He ordered his soldiers to make an urgent retreat, his eyes focused only on her, his face filled with despair and worry. He was no longer the cold, ruthless general Aria had known. Now, he was just a man desperately trying to save the life of the woman he cared for.
"You are not allowed to die, Aria," Dante whispered, his voice trembling, "I forbid you to die!" He ran like a madman, ignoring the blood from her wound soaking his armor.
Aria felt his warmth, heard his heart pounding. She knew that in this moment of life and death, the boundary between them had completely collapsed. She was no longer a pawn, no longer an advisor. She was the woman Dante was trying to protect with his very life. And in that very moment, amidst the bloody battle, Aria realized: she had fallen in love with him, loved this tyrannical, cold general, loved even his possessiveness and passion.
Her eyes closed tightly, her body limp in Dante's arms. She didn't know if she could survive this poison. But the last thing she felt was the absolute despair from the man holding her tightly.