Kingdom Bloodline

Chapter 12 Magic Master

A crisp, cracking sound.

A figure crashed into the glass of a door and shattered it.

Wearing a thin silk nightgown, Lillian held a candlestick and looked in surprise at the figure that had fallen in from outside.

He was a rather handsome man with short blond hair and wearing a star-blue—police uniform?

Would the guards break into the house through the third-floor window at 4:50 a.m.—Lillian glanced at the clock above her head—?
Calling it a private residence wouldn't be accurate. After all, the Laiya Club is one of the most famous "clubs" on Red Town Street, located in a prime area between Red Town Street and Linhe Street (a famous commercial street in the West Ring District). Lillian is a well-known beauty in the club. Even nobles of the earl level or high-ranking officials of the court would have to pay at least 20 gold coins per hour to have Lillian accompany them.

Therefore, when the young and promising Captain Cohen Karabyan of the West City Police Department rushed into the private bedroom of the Leia Club from the third floor, Lillian, who was awakened in bed, came to check with a candlestick.

"Miss, I'm so sorry to have disturbed your sleep."

Cohen scrambled to his feet, concealing his sword behind his back. He bowed to the alluring Lillian, but as he reached for his hat in salute, he realized his officer's cap had fallen in the midst of the fight.

"Damn it," Cohen muttered.

It's all the old man's fault for losing my night clothes; I can't even go out to buy some in the middle of the night.

Lillian boldly looked at the polite and handsome guard—this was important, otherwise Lillian would have smashed a candlestick at him—her beautiful eyes darted around slightly, she reached out and tossed her smooth black hair, her fingers lightly brushing across her impressive chest, and she giggled:

"Dear Officer, we are closed tonight."

Cohen knew exactly where he was; normally, this would be the busiest time at the Leia Club.

But when faced with the beauty before him, he merely smiled slightly, not at all captivated by Lillian's alluring charm.

"So, you've received special treatment and are closed tonight?"

"Of course, the Blood Bottle Gang has smoothed things over and promised to make up for the losses. Otherwise, do you know how much loss it would cause to those adults who have devoted themselves to the kingdom and worked so hard for just one night of Red Street's closure? If they are unable to contribute to the normal operation of the second largest country in the western continent due to work fatigue, physical exhaustion, and mental boredom, what will happen to the more than ten million people of the Star Kingdom?"

Lillian blinked and gave a sly smile.

Cohen looked at the mature and alluring beauty, his brows furrowing slightly.

It seems that the intelligence I received through my informant was incomplete. I originally thought that the Black Street Brotherhood had launched a preemptive attack on the Blood Bottle Gang's Red Street branch, but now it seems that the Blood Bottle Gang had set a trap in Red Street in advance and turned the tables on me.

So, my purpose in coming here tonight to test the two major gangs' focus will shift from the Brotherhood.

After all, it's the Blood Bottle Gang, which has been around for nearly a century.

"Hey, you golden-haired, blue-skinned dog!" A woman's voice from outside the building interrupted their conversation.

"Come down here and face your death! According to the rules, we are not allowed to enter any houses."

Lillian walked curiously to the broken window and saw a woman covered in blood, wearing leather armor, lashing out angrily at the upstairs window, whipping a whip in her hand.

Cohen bowed to Lillian again.

"Thank you for informing me, beautiful lady. Please forgive me, but I must attend to another lady's appointment at this moment."

The blond guard and sheriff turned around and lightly leaped off the street.

“My dear Miss Bernice, there is no need to be in such a hurry.”

Cohen's smile suddenly turned cold, and a murderous intent flashed in his eyes.

"By the King, in the name of the sacred Star Law, as a Second-Class Guardian, I have the authority to kill any suspect who may endanger the interests of the Kingdom and the lives of its citizens—don't worry, I'll send you to reunite with your brother right away."

Upstairs, Lillian covered her mouth. She recognized her as Bernice Layton, the sister of the infamous Layton siblings, one of the twelve strongest members of the Blood Bottle Gang.

Her brother, "The Sting" Primo Layton, had just visited the Leia Club yesterday. With his peculiar tastes, he nearly scalded a new girl to death with oil from an ever-burning lamp.

Judging from the officer's tone, it seemed that "Stinger" was already dead at his hands?

"You green-skinned dog! Even your superiors wouldn't dare to disrespect the Blood Bottle Gang! You—how dare you—" Bernice shouted angrily. As one of the more unconventional members of the Twelve Strongest, she shaved off the left side of her hair and combed the rest to the right, making her overall features appear much more rugged.

"I will tear every single piece of your flesh apart!"

As soon as she finished speaking, Bernice's whip swung in a circle and came towards Cohen. The barbs on the whip seemed to come alive and shot out, attacking him all at once!
"I see!"

Cohen's figure suddenly blurred, and only an expert could see that he was rapidly changing position with a speed of movement that was invisible to the naked eye.

"Ding! Ding ding—ding!"

The longsword flashed like a phantom, slicing down the whip-like thrust that was right in front of him!

“If your brother were still alive, with his ability to control these whips, the two of you working together might be able to cause some trouble.”

But Bernice's whip was as flexible and unpredictable as a snake, with the tip and the flying spikes forming an attack that left no blind spots, relentlessly assaulting the enemy.

“If I had arrived ten seconds earlier, Primo wouldn’t be dead,” Bernice said with hatred.

"And you, you green-skinned dog, will be torn to pieces by us!"

Cohen remained expressionless and swiftly deflected five whip spikes, but the whips were already right in front of him!

Just then, Cohen's expression suddenly turned serious, and he rushed forward without even looking at the whip that was lashing at him!
"You reckless idiot!"

"Stab!"

Bernice grinned maliciously as she watched Cohen charge at her, the whip tearing mercilessly across his right shoulder! At the same time, three barbs shot out!

My whip is coated with a pain-amplifying poison, and it has many barbs, with thorns inside the barbs. Once it rubs against you, the pain is—wait a minute.

Cohen did something that Bernice didn't expect.

The guard rushed forward, meeting the three whips with undiminished momentum, and raised his left hand to block the flying whips!

The whip lashes dug deep into the guard's arm, one even piercing his palm, but his expression remained unchanged, as if he had only been bitten by an ant.

Bernice looked at Cohen in astonishment—many of her former enemies had been writhing beneath her, their movements contorted in agony, their faces contorted in pain, as they wailed and rolled beneath her.

But why didn't he react at all?

Doesn't he feel pain?

“Street performances should end here!” Cohen said coldly.

Bernice was shocked to see Cohen rushing towards her with lightning speed. She reacted quickly, whipping her whip to try and create a protective barrier in front of her.

But a surge of immense power erupted from Cohen's sword in an instant!
Bernice's expression changed instantly.

This is—no!

In an instant, Cohen's sword seemed to become a thousand times sharper, its starlight flashing as it sliced ​​the whip into several pieces!
Before Bernice's eyes, Cohen's cold face and the sword grew larger and larger.

The next moment, the simple yet sharp sword pierced her left chest, the tip of the sword protruding from her back!

Only then did she manage to utter her words with difficulty.

"The power of termination! You are Super—"

But she couldn't finish speaking.

"Enforcement complete."

Cohen gently pushed the astonished Bernice away from the sword, as if he had done something insignificant.

"Here's a suggestion: next time, if you have any trump cards, use them right from the start."

He gently pulled the whip from his hand, and the powerful force surged back into his palm, forcing out a few drops of blue liquid.

"If I were wearing armor, even light armor, you would be dead a thousand times over."

"In the eyes of those who have experienced war, even super-level powerhouses are as childish as street fights, while you are simply like children playing games."

Bernice closed her lifeless eyes and fell to the ground forever. Not far ahead, her brother leaned against the wall, his throat pierced by a sword.

Cohen bowed to the astonished Lillian upstairs, then continued deeper into Red Street.

This man, though he appeared gentlemanly and polite, made Lillian cover her mouth, thinking:
But it's true, he's not lenient with women.

------------------

In another alleyway of Hongfang Street.

Yara coldly pulled the wolf-leg knife from the abdomen of the last thug with a red headscarf in front of her, and disgustedly shook off the blood.

Thales tried to convince himself not to think about Yara's killings, which always reminded him of Quaid's wide-open eyes before he died.

Those people were all aware of the consequences; they joined the gangs and were fully aware of the consequences.

Thinking about it this way made him feel much better.

Thales pressed the black cloth covering his mouth and nose tightly as he watched Yara slaughter a small squad of about seven or eight Blood Vial Gang thugs, then skillfully and tacitly crawl out of their hiding place and climb onto Yara's back.

How did you overcome it?

"Ok?"

"That kind of disgust and guilt from killing people?"

Yara sighed.

“I was taught from a young age,” she said, carrying Thales on her back, her steps light and her voice chilling, “that those I can kill are not my kind.”

"It's like stepping on an ant."

Thales stopped talking and just hugged Yara's neck tighter.

After they crossed Spin, the streets of Red Town were littered with corpses and wounded, and filled with the glint of swords. Several places echoed with the chilling energy of fighting that even Yara found chilling.

The two proceeded cautiously, but in the chaotic situation, even with Yara's ability to conceal herself, it was extremely difficult.

Amidst the corpses scattered everywhere and the sounds of fighting echoing all around, despite their best efforts to conceal their presence, they inevitably encountered two groups of thugs head-on: one from the Brotherhood and the other from the Blood Bottle Gang.

Yara showed no mercy and attacked with all her might, leaving no survivors.

Then he quickly left. For some reason, Thales had become somewhat accustomed to such bloody scenes.

This is not a good thing—he reminded himself, psychological numbness almost inevitably leads to behavioral deviations.

"This is the fifth intersection, and I still can't get through." Yara frowned as she stopped and touched the air in front of her.

Thales landed and reached out his hand.

It was clearly nothingness, but what I got my hands on was an invisible yet solid barrier.

"Is this a superpower?" Thales asked in surprise.

So far, Thales has seen a few superhumans, but not many either. For example, Maurice, who manages human trafficking in the Brotherhood, was one of them. He once suffocated a runaway beggar to death with just a look.

"No, superhumans don't have that kind of power. To block off five or six intersections of such a large area of ​​streets at the same time—I suspect the remaining intersections are about the same—even superhuman warriors would have a hard time doing it."

Yara pushed up her goggles and carefully "observed" the transparent barrier in front of her.

She thought of the old man and that man—Yara paused for a moment as she thought of this—the terrible legends they had told her.

“As far as I know,” the bartender said gravely, “this is very likely the work of a mage.”

Thales' eyes widened.

Magician.

In fact, during his four or five years on the streets, he heard this word more than once from the patrons of Sunset Bar, the prostitutes of Red Street, the gamblers of Black Gold Casino, and the thugs of the Brotherhood.

Thales initially thought it was something like the "magician" or "wizard" from the fantasy novels he remembered, but he later discovered that it was not.

No one would provide Thales, a lowly beggar, with common sense about the world. Even if they did, what he could access were mostly hearsay and terrifying tales from ignorant villagers.

However, relying on his experience in professional field research from his previous life, Thales still managed to gain a lot of common knowledge through observation. Below are his observation notes on the term "magician":

First, in almost every discussion of "magic masters," the speaker is accompanied by negative emotions such as fear, hatred, and curses. Keywords that appear at the same time include "powerful," "terrible," "damn," "hell," and "illegal."

Secondly, in this world, magic users are quite rare (the kind of "rare" that is claimed to be "rare" but is actually commonplace in the YY novels of the previous life). Thales judged that among the countless people who had talked about "magic users" in the past five years, only the words of one drinker and one brothel customer had a certain degree of truthfulness. Obviously, they had indirectly or directly come into contact with information about magic users.

Thirdly, there has never been any organization or force of magic users gathering, but it is widely rumored that two of the highest leaders of the Blood Bottle Gang are magic users.

Fourth, the patrol members responsible for the defense of the west gate were equipped with weapons known as "anti-demon weapons".

Fifth, the Magician is completely different from the much-discussed "Psychic," "Psychic Warrior," "Terminator Swordsman," and "Terminator Knight," whose abilities may be innate or acquired through training. As for Magicians, Thales had never heard of how they acquired their terrifying abilities.

Sixth, besides magic users, there is another weapon with a dubious name called "magic gun," which is only permitted to be used by the kingdom's army. Any illegal possessor will be sentenced to a serious crime.

That concludes all the information Thales has regarding magic users.

"A magic user?" Thales asked tentatively.

Yara glared at Thales and put her goggles back on: "Rumor has it that he's the mastermind behind the Blood Bottle Gang, but he hasn't shown up for years."

"The Blood Bottle Gang?"

So, is he considered a gang leader? — Thales frowned slightly: "What exactly does a magic user do?"

Unexpectedly, Yara shook her head coldly.

"Do not ask."

The bartender promptly cut off his attempt to ask further: "That's not something you should know."

Seeing Yara's expression, Thales scratched his head awkwardly.

What exactly is a Magician? Is it a ranged unit that can perform magic tricks and throw fireballs?

Are they exceptionally powerful individuals? Or do they possess special abilities, like those of superhumans?

Thales had imagined countless scenarios of encountering a mage, but unfortunately, based on the available information, none of them seemed very optimistic.

Such as now.

Thales stuffed the black cloth into his pocket and climbed back onto Yara's back.

"From now on, we must be more careful and try to avoid all fighting to avoid revealing our whereabouts."

The female bartender looked up, lost in thought:
"Hopefully, our luck hasn't gotten so bad that we've run into a mage head-on."

------------------

A few quarters of an hour ago.

In the basement warehouse of a chess and card room in the center of Hongfang Street.

A handsome man dressed in blue, with long, curly, dark brown hair, sat quietly at an ancient military table. On the table was a map and several game pieces, in black and red, ranging from knights, swordsmen, slingers, and shield warriors to guards, prime ministers, and kings.

This is a board game passed down from the Kingdom of Allenbia, based on historical anecdotes and common sense about war. It is currently the most popular board game among nobles. It simulates the battles between two armies of human kings and ancient empires. For nobles who are pampered and of noble status, it is of course the best way to show their masculinity and attract the attention of women, without having to risk their lives to play.

Of course, there are also a few nobles with unique tastes who reportedly like to use real people as chess pieces.

Under the constant illumination of the lights, if you look closely, you will find that the map in the center of the compass is a street map of Hongfang Street.

The handsome man moved the chess pieces with ease with his right hand, removing black or red pieces one by one from the board. However, among the removed pieces, the scattered black pieces far outnumbered the concentrated red pieces.

Two black chancellors are positioned in the image, surrounded by numerous black guards or swordsmen, while several red knights are holding them back. Further out, many black knights and shield warriors are being picked off one by one by the two red chancellors, who outnumber them.

In the very center of the map, a deep red king stands out like a crane among chickens, next to a red guard.

The handsome man in blue was happily playing his game. A closer look would reveal that a light blue energy sphere was gathering in his free left hand, breathing slowly as if it were alive, and a storm seemed to be brewing within it.

The man in blue would open his mouth from time to time and say something. At the corner of his mouth, one could clearly see the trajectory of air vibrations, which would turn into ripples and dissipate in the air.

But strangely, no sound came out.

This scene, set against a backdrop of darkness and lonely silence, appears all the more eerie.

Just then, the man in blue suddenly frowned.

Then, without changing his expression, he reached out and removed a red catapult from the edge of the map.

But after a few minutes, the man in blue frowned again. He slowly reached out and removed the last remaining red swordsman from that spot.

The blue energy ball in the man's left hand flickered, and the storm inside showed signs of instability.

He took a few deep breaths and spoke aloud for the first time.

"Who is responsible for guarding and intercepting enemies in the lower city area?"

He seemed to be asking the air.

From the terrifying darkness came a strange yet certain answer: "Dorno the Shapeshifter, and Spin the Immortal."

The man in blue closed his eyes and shook his head. Then he moved two red swordsmen from elsewhere to the two pieces that had been captured, moving one of them deeper, as if trying to catch the thing that had captured him, Dorno, and Spin.

Ripples spread across the air around his mouth, and his lips opened and closed silently for a moment.

Then, he gradually began to speak into the void.

"The Taren brothers and Moria were eaten by us an hour ago, weren't they?"

"So it's reinforcements?" he murmured.

He hesitated for a moment, then moved one of the only two red prime ministers on the map to that location.

"It'll be fine now."

But the next moment, the man in blue seemed to sense something, and his expression changed again.

He moved his right hand to the edge of the map at the other end and almost simultaneously removed the two red swordsmen.

The man in blue looked rather unpleasant.

"Who is responsible for the security duties in the inner west ring area?"

"It's the Layton siblings, the Stinger and the Scorpion Whip."

This time, the voice in the darkness seemed to become somewhat cautious.

The man in blue remained silent, his gaze darting back and forth between the two ends of the map, his face showing confusion and dissatisfaction.

"Is it a pawn that came in from outside? This is a real headache. Didn't we already tell the security department to impose a curfew?"

Finally, he sighed helplessly.

Is it because they haven't played these human games for too long that their skill level has dropped?

Ugh.

The man in blue gently raised his head, his expression complex.

"Groudon, do you know?"

"The purpose of traps and mazes is to block the entrances and exits, trapping the rats that have walked into the snare."

"But what if both the entrance and exit of the trap are connected?"

"Then what's the point of catching mice?"

Then, the man in blue turned cold and decisively moved the guard next to the red king in the center of the map to the spot where the two red swordsmen were eliminated.

In the darkness, a gust of wind blew.

There was no sound after that.

Only the energy storm in the blue-clad man's hand gradually stabilized.

(End of this chapter)