Kingdom's Bloodline, page 85
"No, fighting is one thing, but war is another." Katerina shook her head while she remained expressionless. "Even a supreme class expert may not be able to remain entirely unharmed in a chaotic battle with over fifty people.
"We still have to deal with those two supreme class fellows.
"I would rather be a little more conservative. Also, there is no need to waste your strength.
"After all, we are stepping on strange land."
Katerina muttered, "Besides, we have to protect that thing all the way back to the Eastern Peninsula.
"The relatives of Grand Banquet Hill have been drooling over it for a very long time."
Thales breathed a sigh of relief after seeing that the surrounding battle was not as devastating as before. However, Serena, who was beside him suddenly tugged on the corner of his shirt.
"You want to stop this battwe, wight?" Serena smiled mysteriously.
Serena pointed at Katerina, who was a distance away from them. "It's simpwe, just give that cwybaby a suwpwise attack.
"Chwis can awso hewp and we have a warge cewtainty of success.
"Then we can just sit down and negotiate."
Thales was huffing and puffing when he glanced at Serena before switching his gaze onto Katerina.
'Save our surrounded allies by attacking the home base of the besiegers?'
Even though Thales knew that Serena had fused some of her personal grudges in her scheme, he also knew that this was probably the only possible method.
A soldier collapsed as he panted.
He did not hesitate for another moment longer.
"Aida!" Thales roared furiously and stared at the cloaked figure in front of him, who was still fighting with ease. "Take down the queen!"
Aida understood what Thales meant.
"My job is to protect you!" Aida replied coldly.
Thales roared without a sign of hesitation, "Our people are hurting and dying! Stop them!"
Aida glanced at him as she pursed her lips under her cloak.
"Please!" Thales stared intently at his supreme class protector.
Aida snorted lightly.
Within the next second, the secret protector could be seen pulling out a skillfully crafted machete from underneath her cloak. With the help of a birch tree beside her, she leapt into the air.
Then, she flew towards Katerina!
The exquisite machete drew brilliant patterns with its blade. As though it could tell the future like those fortune tellers and prophets, it struck three of the Blood Clan warriors who came forward to intercept her path.
Aida broke through the obstacles and continued to charge towards Katerina.
However, one strong arm appeared out of nowhere and seized Aida's right shoulder.
"Madam!" Simon, who suddenly appeared laughed joyfully. "You are my—"
Yet, before he could finish speaking, he felt Aida's shoulder sinking before she immediately broke away from his grip.
Simon's expression changed.
'Such nimbleness…'
Before he could finish his thought, the cloaked secret protector somersaulted in the air and held onto Simon's arms, while she flipped with agility onto his shoulders!
There was not enough time for Simon to be startled. He turned around at lightning speed and attacked with both of his claws as his body moved in a flash.
However, Aida's body was twisting and moving like a flexible, boneless snake. Even with all his strength, Simon only managed to grasp air.
Aida stepped onto Simon's shoulder and borrowed his strength while he was turning to leap into the air effortlessly. Then, as if she was just passing through obstacles, she headed towards Katerina without difficulty.
Simon's expression turned extremely dark. Someone had passed him by, and he had not been able to stop her even for a second.
Even Katerina furrowed her brows when she saw Aida's set of movements.
Her nimbleness was definitely out of the ordinary.
'The second supreme level expert.' Hestad Corleone had a serious expression on his face when he appeared in front of Aida.
'That cloak… She may not be an ordinary supreme class fighter,' he thought.
However, regardless of how nimble the person was, before the Blood Mist projected by the Blood Image Dance...
Hestad let out a grim laugh as her body started to become blurry.
However, his facial expression immediately changed the next moment!
It was because, without his knowledge, the Blood Mist was formed from the Blood Image Dance of another Blood Clan member twisted and twined around his whole body!
Serena's old butler, Chris Corleone silently appeared behind Hestad and grabbed his throat with a tight grip.
"Chris!" Hestad roared furiously. He immediately turned around and broke away from the other party's grip. He thrust himself towards Chris' heart with one of his claws.
It was as if the two supreme class Clansmen were teleporting about. They would suddenly disappear from the ground and reappear on the trees, mid-air and then, on snowy ground. Their every appearance was accompanied by an extremely dangerous clash of fists.
"Hestad, my old friend!" Chris replied with his face devoid of any emotion. "We had such memorable old times."
The two Blood Clansmen suddenly transformed into mist together, and like two tornados intertwining with each other, they swept towards the horizon.
Aida's pathway towards Katerina was no longer blocked.
Thales thought in his heart, 'If Aida can subdue Katerina, or even gain the upper hand in the battle… then… There is a chance.'
However, in the next second, Thales felt Serena, who was beside him, gently embracing his waist like a lover.
"This way, no one can disturb you and me anymore," she softly said.
Thales had been paying full attention to the situation, and he was just about to impatiently shake off this nonsensical, old witch... when his brain suddenly registered something.
'Serena. Anymore… shouldn't it be anymwo?'
'Why did she stop lisping all of a sudden?'
Thales swiveled his head in astonishment while he stared at Serena in disbelief.
Lady Serena Corleone, who had silver hair and red eyes stared at him with a smile on her face. "You noticed the moment I let the cat out of the bag?
"You indeed are my ally.
"I can finally speak normally. It was extremely exhausting for me to put up this act for the past month.
"You are too smart, little sh*t."
Thales' brain blanked out as he stared at the situation before him.
What was going on?
Before he had enough time to make sense or process the situation, he fell and lay upon the snow-covered ground, unconscious.
In the chaotic battle, Ralf used a hidden blade to fight off a Blood Clansman as he continued walking with his sore knees—he was unaccustomed to the pair of prosthetics.
At this very moment, Ralf, who was exceptionally sensitive towards wind, furrowed his brows.
He turned around and saw a single carriage among the fleet of carriages suddenly moving.
The horse that was pulling the carriage started to run like it was startled.
The carriage moved into the distance.
Ralf squeezed his eyebrows tight together. He recognized that it was Serena's carriage.
'What is going on?'
He turned his head around, wanting to inform the other people.
But he immediately came to realize that he was mute.
Ralf sighed helplessly.
At this very moment, a strange, round ball suddenly fell out from Istrone Corleone's sleeve in the midst of the chaotic battle.
The rolling ball was covered with strange patterns and characters.
Putray, who had good eyesight, noticed the ball.
His expression became extremely sour.
"Everyone, get down!"
Everyone was momentarily startled.
Putray angrily roared, "It is a wizard's Alchemy Ball!"
Only Wya's expression changed drastically. He subconsciously wanted to throw himself on Thales.
He turned his head around but he could not see Thales' figure in the chaos.
'Where is the prince?'
Extreme worry rose from the bottom of his heart.
The next moment, a violent light and explosion spread out from the center of that ball.
…
When Thales woke up, he found himself on a speeding carriage.
He immediately recognized that it was Serena's carriage. The carriage was loaded with a black coffin. This was due to the fact that he was leaning against that folded black coffin.
Thales struggled to lift his head up, but he found that his hands were tied together behind his back.
The prince stared at the front section of the carriage in bewilderment.
Serena Corleone was holding a horsewhip at the front, and she smiled at Thales creepily.
"What is going on?!" Thales questioned her in surprise and fury.
"Do not worry, my ally." On the other side of the carriage, Serena, who had ulterior motives, was smiling as she stared at him. "The most wonderful part is just about to start.
"It is time to reverse the situation."
The young girl, who appeared to be about six or seven years old, grinned. "My road to regain my position."
Suddenly, her expression changed as she spat unhappily.
"They are so fast in catching up.
"As expected of the grudge-harboring crybaby."
'What?'
Thales was still trying to make sense of everything in front of him.
*Thud!*
As if the roof of the carriage was ruthlessly smashed by someone, the whole carriage suddenly shook.
Thales swayed so much due to the vibrations that he toppled over.
However, an even stronger vibration shook the carriage after that!
'This is?' Thales stared out of the carriage, shocked and confused.
The horizon became more visible as the sun continued to set.
*Bam!*
The carriage suddenly hit against a birch tree and overturned on the snow-covered ground.
The collision caused the dizzy Thales to be bruised all over the place as he fell inside the carriage.
He shook his head and clenched his teeth while he struggled against the rope, which tied his hands together—he could not reach JC's dagger at the side of his waist—like a caterpillar in the damaged carriage, he tried to wiggle his way out.
"You have gone too far, what sort of enmity do you have with these two horses?" Serena's childish voice made its way into his ears not too far away.
Thales flipped himself out of the carriage with strenuous effort and fell onto the snowy ground.
He was immediately lifted up by a strong hand.
Thales raised his head and saw that Rolana was the one who grabbed him. She stood beside Serena and stared into the opposite direction like she was facing a formidable enemy.
There stood Queen Katerina Corleone, the Night Queen, the Weeper. She was staring at the three of them with a frosty expression on her face.
"You can never escape even if you cause chaos.
"With your current injured and unrecovered power, you are simply not my match.
"This farce is over. Hand over the Dark Night Black Coffin and come back with me." Katerina's gaze was sharp as she stared at her older sister, who appeared as if she was just six or seven years old. Her face was full of enmity and hatred. "Continue to atone for your horrible and ugly past."
'Horrible and ugly past?' Thales looked at the adorable Serena, who was still blinking as coldness crept upon his heart.
'What is horrible and ugly?
'What past?'
"Oh, I do not know what crime I committed." Serena did not seem worried at all as she giggled. "I only ever do the right thing."
"The right thing?"
Katerina repeated Serena's words without any emotions reflected on her face.
However, Thales could feel that the Night Queen's mood became even worse.
For the first time, the cold Katerina had hatred and burning anger radiating from her eyes.
"Is that so? This is what you think after spending two hundred years sitting locked up in the Blood-Prohibition Prison?
"The patricide, Serena Corleone."
Chapter 85: The Blood Clan's True Form (One) |
Under the setting sun, a suffocating, dark veil of fog floated around the place in a spot somewhere in the snow-covered land.
Aida performed a cartwheel and somersaulted continuously in the air before she eventually landed on the ground.
"Hey, you saw the explosion just now too. The people from both sides were scattered by the explosion! There's fog in the area as well!"
Watching the thick black fog that filled the whole sky, she raised her exquisite machete—which was engraved with beautiful patterns—in dissatisfaction and yelled loudly to the direction behind her.
"Can you all not be so annoying? Let's return to our respective homes, can we?"
A figure appeared in a flash, bringing along the fog around him.
The supreme class Blood Clansman, Simon Corleone, emerged from the air. His face was filled with coldness.
He said in a deep voice, "Sure. But before that, someone among us must fall first."
The seemingly young Blood Clansman disappeared in the blink of an eye!
Aida stomped her foot in irritation, swinging out her machete in one swift motion, like flowing water. The blade of the machete clashed against sharp claws.
*Cling! Clang! Cling! Clang! Bang!*
Within a second, five sparks shot up into the air.
Aida asked furiously, "Do you not understand human language?! All I did was somersault over your head!"
The secret protector elegantly performed a forward flip, as if she was performing a splendid dance, and dodged the Blood Clansman's attack.
But the wind roared. Utilizing his absolute advantage when it came to speed, the Blood Clansman caught up with Aida's dream-like movements.
"Somersaulted over my head? You just insulted a Blood Clansman's honor. Please wash off this humiliation you have caused with your blood." Simon's face was filled with murderous desire as he appeared in front of Aida.
Aida sighed, "So you're another extremist who is doing things for the sake of honor, dignity, and some other nonsense." She massaged her neck, exercised the joints in her entire body and spoke in resignation, "Alright, with my experience, I will have to get rid of you first before I can leave."
Fury burned in Simon's eyes, "Ah, it seems that it is very hard for you to understand this kind of fixation, woman. Forget about the fixation of a powerful person. You have neither the dignity nor the pride of a powerful person. How exactly did you get to supreme class?"
"Cut the cr*p." Aida exhaled beneath her cloak and threw her machete towards the sky, nonchalantly catching it with her other hand.
"Reveal your 'True Form', you blood-sucking little shit," Aida laughed softly as she spoke.
Simon's expression changed, overlooking the fact the Aida called him a 'little shit'.
The seemingly young Blood Clan count said coldly, "Who would have thought that you would know about the Blood Clan's 'True Form'? It seems that you have encountered supreme class Blood Clansmen in the past."
Aida raised her exquisite machete and her lips curled up into a confident smile. "Hmph, inaccurate. To be specific, I slaughtered supreme class Blood Clansmen before."
Simon's pupils contracted.
Aida whistled and kept smiling as she spoke, "They were even in their 'True Forms'. Two of them."
The moment she finished talking, Simon roared furiously. In the blink of an eye, his claws produced countless afterimages, sealing off all possible escape routes from all directions around Aida!
"Die!"
Within the fight—which could not be seen clearly with the naked eye—the clash between metal and sharp claws produced loud crashing sounds!
It then merged into one massive sound.
*Boom!*
It occurred together with a blinding light. Aida grunted. As for Simon, he roared in pain. The two figures separated from each other in the air and landed on the ground.
"Who would have thought that this blade was blessed by the Sunset Goddess." Simon's expression was cold.
He looked at his claws which sizzled with white smoke, as if they were being burned. He clenched his fists tightly, gathering the blood in his entire body to his hands. Worn skin fell off and new flesh grew. The injury was swiftly healed.
Simon then raised his head and looked in the direction across himself. There, the cloak that covered Aida's head and face had been torn apart down the middle and fell on both sides of her head, revealing her appearance fully.
Upon seeing her appearance clearly, Simon's entire body shuddered!
He was slightly stupefied at first, then he threw his head back and laughed loudly, "I was wondering how it was possible that such an elite would be among mortals. It turns out that you are not a human after all."
The young Blood Clansman stared at Aida. He stared at her intricate face, smooth profile, silver irises, hair that was almost pure white, and the pair of sharp ears that swayed slightly. Aida stared back at him coldly.
Simon's hands changed form once more into claws, with a degree of sharpness comparable to divine weapons.
"You are not a mortal, and neither are you an immortal." He flashed a hideous smile. However, there was extreme wariness in his heart. "You are an eternal being —an elf."
…..
In the forest, shrouded in fog, a voice called out to him. It was his teacher.
"Be careful, Wya… Be careful. Your Power of Eradication is not a Classical Power that has been tested by our predecessors over a long period of time. It is a modern product, and it has not even been a hundred years since its appearance. After an unfortunate rebellion, the Tower of Eradication gained new enemies. The scions were aware that to fight against this type of enemy, we need to reform our powers. We had to reform our Powers of Eradication which had originated from the Northland Military Sword Style. They were then developed from the legacy of knights who had incorporated the fighting techniques of various races like the Nedaneses, the Crimson Earthlings, and the Far Easterners. And finally, the powers became fully-formed during the Battle of Eradication.
