Kingdom Bloodline

Chapter 16 Yodel Gatoh, at your service
At extreme speed, Yara and Groudon shot towards Cohen simultaneously!
If Cohen is a point, then the direction from which Yara and Groudon charge is exactly a right angle with Cohen as the vertex, with Groudon on the left and Yara on the right.

Groudon let out a low growl, his veins bulging, and his crimson sword intent pierced towards Cohen!

We will not rest until we have shed the enemy's blood.

Cohen was initially taken aback, but Yara, who was rushing forward, simply nodded slightly at his left shoulder, then at his right shoulder.

Just as Cohen was about to draw his sword to meet Groudon, he saw Yara's eyes behind her goggles.

The guard instantly understood Yara's intention.

Cohen felt the severity of his injuries but didn't think too much about it.

He knew he couldn't possibly withstand Groudon's sword strike.

Then let's just not defend it.

Girl, Cohen thought: Don't let me down.

Cohen's eyes were clear. Ignoring the approaching blue longsword, he decisively switched his silver sword to his left hand, gripped it in reverse, abandoned his defensive stance, and focused on waiting for the bartender to arrive!

Sure enough, the next moment, Yara shot her wolf leg knife with her right hand towards the menacing Groudon!

The wolf-leg knife flew from the left side, heading towards the red and black swordsman's chest and abdomen.

Yara's right hand was now free, but she continued rushing toward Cohen with undiminished momentum.

The next moment, Groudon's sword reached Cohen's chest and abdomen.

The cyan longsword pierced Cohen's abdomen head-on.

But Yara's wolf leg blade, still in mid-air, also slashed across Groudon's left chest!
Groudon roared.

Cohen let out a painful groan.

Because of the interference from the wolf leg knife, the sword thrust went slightly off course, avoiding his vital organs.

The brilliance of the stars within Cohen surged rapidly, gathering near the injured muscles.

Seeing the sharp eyes of the red and black swordsman in front of him, Cohen stubbornly endured the pain and turned his head to look at the female bartender on his right!
He chose to believe the other person.

And what about the other party?

Do you believe in yourself?

Groudon snorted coldly and instantly drew his sword.

He turned around to face Yara, who was attacking him.

Before him, the guard, enduring the pain in his chest and abdomen, watched as the brilliance of the stars rose, and the sword in his left hand crashed down.

It pierced into the earth beneath its feet.

It looked like a swordsman, badly wounded and struggling in his final moments.

Groudon's expression was indifferent, and a violent, ending power, completely different from that of Starfall, surged up once more.

He has mastered all the sword techniques.

One sword strike is all it takes to pierce the little girl's forehead.

You can't save him.

The consequence of recklessness is that you will die along with them.

Yara merely glanced coldly at Groudon before sweeping past Cohen.

Even bypassing Groudon!
Heading toward Cohen's back.

Gulaton was stunned for a moment.

Wasn't she trying to save someone?

Yara did not choose to take advantage of the situation to attack Groudon, knowing that Groudon was ready to retaliate.

Rolf came rushing towards her from behind, accompanied by the sound of the wind.

The female bartender knew that she only had one chance.

Next, she calmly extended her right hand.

His life and death were in Cohen's hands.

The guard gritted his teeth, and with his right hand, illuminated by the brilliance of the stars, he suddenly swung it backward.

It's now!

Just as Yara had passed by him, he grabbed her right hand in mid-air!

It's like passing the baton in a relay race.

"what!"

Cohen roared, and the last remaining brilliance of the stars on his body gathered into specks of blue light, spreading up his right arm and forcefully pulling Yara back from behind!
The guard's left hand, with its longsword planted firmly in the ground, served as a anchor point, producing an unpleasant scraping sound due to the immense force of the impact.

The next moment, as the guard pulled back his sword, the nimble Yara, like a chain hammer, swept through a semicircle in mid-air and was instantly swung to the other side of Groudon by Korn.

A sudden change of direction!

Yara held Cohen's hand tightly like a lover, her left hand holding a wolf leg knife high above, the cold, sharp blade slashing down!

Shock erupted on the face of the red and black swordsman.

Her purpose—so that's it—was to get Qingpi's cooperation so that the two of them could attack the side where I wasn't defending in an instant.

He pursed his lips calmly: "The idea is good, but it's still just a mortal level. It underestimates the abilities of a super-level swordsman."

The power of termination in his arm rapidly intensified, and the speed of the cyan longsword increased dramatically, swinging to the right at a faster pace than usual.

I can strike with my sword before you even arrive... huh?

Groudon's eyes narrowed instantly.

Cohen, gritting his teeth, charged forward.

He blocked Groudon's sword with his own body!
Electric light and flint.

"Crack—splat!" That was the sound of Groudon's shoulder bone being cleaved, followed by its chest and abdomen being cut open.

The wolf-leg blade tore open Groudon's right chest from his right shoulder downwards.

"Crack—sizzle!" That was the sound of Cohen's right arm dislocating and his right rib being cut.

A large amount of blood shot into the sky from Groudon's right shoulder!

It sprayed all over Yara's face!
At that moment, Rolf's voice reached Cohen's side.

Groudon opened his mouth and incredulously spat out a mouthful of blood.

Then he smiled with a sense of relief, and collapsed instantly.

Good knife.

Good cooperation.

Groudon gently closed his eyes.

In the blink of an eye, the terrifying red and black swordsman was brutally killed by the unfamiliar yet tacit cooperation of Cohen and Yara!

The Windwalker witnessed Groudon's fate.

He simply couldn't believe that the terrifying super-level swordsman next to the Qi Mage had been so dominant just a moment ago, but was easily killed the next!

But he no longer had time to be shocked.

Cohen roared, stomped his foot, drew his sword from the ground with his left hand, and, ignoring his dislocated right hand, turned and charged at him!

The sword light flashed.

Rolf chuckled. How could someone at that speed possibly intercept the Wind-Walking Ghost?

Even in high-speed head-on collisions, I can change direction at any time—what?
To Rolf's astonishment, Yara, who was standing next to Cohen, knelt down on one knee and slammed into Cohen's arms!
The guard turned around with a painful groan, but his speed as he charged toward Rolf immediately more than doubled!
hateful!

That speed is simply impossible for me—

Rolf roared and unleashed his supernatural power at full force!
Amidst the howling wind, Rolf drew his hidden swords, barely managing to parry the guard's fatal blow.

However, the guard's longsword seemed to have a life of its own, twisting and thrusting, firmly suppressing Rolf.

Sword Lock.

One of the signature sword techniques of the Terminator, specifically designed to lock down the enemy's weapon.

Rolf then saw in despair that Yara, who was in Cohen's arms, poked her head out with a cold expression.

No.

Just as he was unable to break free of Cohen's longsword, the bartender extended her right hand.

He easily and pleasantly crushed his throat.

Two people and a corpse fell to the ground at the same time.

Fortunately—the officer thought: this superhuman has never been on the battlefield after all.

If he hadn't retreated but instead attacked... then we'd be doomed.

Cohen was coughing up blood in a sorry state. The excruciating pain in his chest and abdomen, along with the dislocated right arm, left him unable to get up.

"Who—who are you?"

The guard asked the girl in his arms listlessly.

Exhausted, Yara lay wearily in the broad arms of the guard, her face twisted as she wiped the blood from her face onto the guard's uniform.

The female bartender trembled slightly, but still managed a relieved smile.

"none of your business."

The young female bartender answered with a smile, but her eyes felt a little sore.

Kid, you should be able to escape, right?

Boom!

Just then, a muffled explosion was heard in the distance.

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

"Qiren, doing research requires passion and cannot be lazy. Academics is a lifelong interest and a lifelong commitment."

"In the end, when you reach my age, you'll find that you've become out of place with the crowd, isolated, indifferent, and hard to be moved. You'll find that what truly sustains you to the end is not vanity, not achievements, not satisfaction, but that purest bit of persistence from the beginning."

"So you have to understand Professor Chen's obsession and madness—that's probably the only obsession he has left in his life."

Thales shook his head, pulling another memory back into his mind, and pulling himself out of the ruins.

When the boy crawled out of the ruins, covered in blood, he looked up and saw Ashida looking down at him with a complicated expression.

The air mage's clothes and long hair remained bright and new, as if they had never been in an explosion.

A madman, a paranoid.

Thales muttered to himself, utterly exhausted and powerless to resist any longer.

He simply rolled over and lay down in the ruins.

He was getting tired of this lawless world where might makes right.

"You—magician, do whatever you want."

Thales gasped for breath.

A madman who kills at the slightest provocation.

No wonder the magic users lost the war.

Ashida stared silently at Thales on the ground, his gaze strange. After a while, he suddenly chuckled eerily, "Hahaha, is this also a coincidence?"

With a flick of his right hand, the strange mage lifted Thales into the air.

But Ashida did not kill again.

With another wave of his hand, the air pressure around Thales began to flow, instantly stopping all the bleeding from the boy's wounds.

Thales was lifted up by the mage and landed on his feet.

But the boy still stared at the blue-clad mage with a hostile expression—he no longer held any hope of rationally communicating with Ashida.

“Child, you just used some kind of power to break through my magical barrier—those things you call ‘the air wall’,” Ashida said softly, her tone tinged with excitement.

“Only experts at the same ‘Extreme’ level can do this, but you—and the power within you can interfere with and influence my magical energy. Do you know what that means?”

“I don’t even know what ‘Extreme’ is,” Thales replied weakly. “Even if I did, I wouldn’t want to tell a madman who was just about to kill me.”

Ashida's smile faded, and she looked at him with a deep gaze.
"It seems you don't know your own true nature, child."

"But it's okay. Everyone loses control for the first time. We all start from a state of confusion."

Who's going to take care of this madman—huh?

Thales calmed himself down and pondered the meaning behind Ashida's words.

Immediately, he looked up in surprise and doubt at the magic master who had just tried to kill him.

"First time out of control?"

"us?"

Ashida looked at the child with fervent eyes.

"Yes, it's us—the magic users."

Seeing the fervor in the mage's eyes, Thales suddenly felt a nameless fear.

He unconsciously took a step back and shook his head in fear.

But the mage pressed forward, his tone filled with a chilling fervor and madness:

"Yes, kid."

“You’re right. Your future potential is absolutely worth my utmost effort to guide you! Child, what’s your name?”

"Ever since we were betrayed by those two bitches and lost the final battle, we've become fewer and fewer!"

“You will be the one to turn the tide for us, something they would never dream of…” Ashida gripped his shoulders tightly, as if afraid that Thales would run away if she let go.

“I…I didn’t know you were…” Thales murmured, taking a step back, but Ashida’s hand still gripped him tightly.

Ashida's smile looked somewhat sickly.

The feeling was like someone who hadn't laughed in years and had forgotten how to laugh suddenly stretching their lips wide across their cheeks.

“Today is the day your destiny changes,” Ashida exclaimed joyfully. “Come with me…”

For no apparent reason, Thales recalled the three "human balls" in the basement of the card room, and then the scene of the other party trying to kill him in the basement.

He looked at Ashida's sickly smile, and beyond his panic, a strange feeling welled up inside him.

God.

Thales' throat tightened as he recalled Ashida's power.

Magician...

but……

this……

A ruthless madman who kills without blinking an eye...

Go with him?
Thales began with difficulty, "But..."

He finally managed to break free from the Brotherhood's control and escape his status as a beggar...

but……

The next second, the world of Errol seemed to hear his thoughts, and he no longer needed to hesitate.

“You can say ‘no,’ but you can’t refuse. This is only the first time I’ve lost control, and every single one of them—uh!” Ashida, who was still talking to herself, suddenly froze.

Suddenly, a smooth blade protruded from Ashida's chest.

Ashida looked down in disbelief at the blade on his chest and released Thales.

Thales was startled and stumbled back several steps, tripping over a wooden plank and falling to the ground. But Thales saw no fear, panic, or disorder in the magician's eyes.

It was as if he hadn't just been stabbed in the back, but rather bitten by a mosquito, and was wondering in surprise, "How can there be a mosquito?"

He looked as if he couldn't even feel pain.

"It's like my heart has been pierced!" Thales thought in horror.

Ashida stared strangely at the blade on her chest.

“Impossible.” Ashida frowned, looked up and thought carefully, then said to the person behind him:

"Even if you are an expert at the highest level, you can't stop breathing. You can't move without moving air. You can't be without air pressure inside your body. As long as you breathe, there is air movement, and there are changes in air pressure, you can't escape my surveillance!"

"How long have you been on Red Street? How did you manage to hide it from the Qi Demon Energy?"

"No, you can't break through the invisible wall either, otherwise you would have made a move inside the house just now, right?"

"tell me."

no answer.

Ashida turned around with a sinister expression, ignoring the sword still embedded in his back, and coldly addressed the attacker behind him:

"tell me."

This time, Thales saw clearly the attacker behind Ashida.

The attacker stood silently, dressed in a hooded black suit, from gloves to boots.

Even more bizarrely, the attacker wore a dark purple mask, with only the eye area fitted with two dark lenses.

He was motionless.

It was like a ghost.

In that instant, anger swept through Ashida's magically formed thoughts.

Anger, a human emotion, has been gone from him for a long time.

Therefore, the surge of magical energy within him quickly helped him regain his composure and rationality.

“I think you must be very patient,” Ashida whispered.

"They waited until my magical energy was unstable and my senses were weakened before they attacked me?"

“Very good, you did it, ambushing a mage.” Ashida paid no attention to the blade in her chest, but stared intently at the attacker wearing the strange mask.

"So, who are you?"

"Did you notice the commotion on Red Town Street and thus discover me by chance?"

"With such skill—which family do you belong to?"

Despite being asked several questions in a row, the masked man remained motionless.

Ashda frowned. After asking those questions, he couldn't sense any air pressure flow inside the monster's body. Was he neither surprised nor pleased, and had no reaction to these questions at all?

The Qi perception that used to work every time, almost like mind reading, has suddenly failed?
We have no choice but to take a hard line.

You think you can kill me like this?

Ashida took a step closer, gently raised her left hand, her eyes seemingly devoid of emotion or thought.

As he moved his finger, the air began to flow, and the space around the masked monster began to be compressed by the air.

"It can't spread beyond Red Street," Ashida thought. Otherwise, if the Wrath of the Kingdom and Black Sword discover it in advance and arrive, today's operation will be meaningless.

Let's mobilize a small portion of our magical energy first; we just need to deal with this mask in front of us.

This time, the masked monster spoke:

"No, magic users cannot be killed."

His voice pierced through the mask, faintly reaching the ear.

“So you’re not mute or deaf.” Ashida looked at the two lenses on the mask, but he saw nothing but the complex mechanical gears behind them.

A sense of unease rose in his mind: "It seems they do know something about us..."

Thales almost cried out in surprise.

Because this strange person's voice was a hoarse and indistinguishable voice.

It was that voice that made Yara "bow down" during her battle with Rolf.

Thinking of this fact, Thales' trembling hands gradually calmed down.

The masked figure stepped lightly past Aishida.

It was as if the terrifying air pressure around him couldn't stop him even for a moment!

Under the astonished gaze of the Air Mage, the masked monster suddenly waved his hand, and the short sword disappeared from Ashida's back and appeared in his hand!
It was a smooth short sword with a crossed guard, and its color was rather dark.

Ashida's brow furrowed in uncertainty, yet surprisingly he made no move to resist, merely coldly observing the uninvited guest and weighing the current situation.

What is he relying on? According to yesterday's updated intelligence, the Judgment Spear is on the western front, the Immovable Bow is in the suburbs, the Star Staff is in the Restoration Palace, and as for the mysterious Supreme Sword and Shield, it is said that half of it is still on cooldown and the other half is in the Dragon Slayer Fortress. The other ordinary anti-magic weapons currently in Eternal Star City are not enough to seal a magic master above the extreme realm.

Why is he so calm about this mask?

Thales watched in disbelief as the mask removed the short sword from Ashida's back—Aishida's chest, where blood should have been flowing from the wound, instead emitted a faint blue light.

Then the blue light transformed into his clothes, making them as bright and new as if he had never been pierced through the chest by a short sword.

The Magician—Tails—is beginning to believe Ashida's previous ravings—what exactly is a Magician?

Before Thales could figure out the problem, he was enveloped by a figure.

The masked man walked up to Thales and, before Thales could react, pulled the small boy into his arms.

Just as Thales was about to struggle, the masked man gently pressed down on the back of his neck. The boy felt all his strength slowly disappear and he collapsed into the man's arms.

In a daze, Thales caught a glimpse of Ashida raising her hands.

"Hey, watch out for him—" The boy tried to speak, but the masked man covered his mouth.

Aishida stood behind them; he was no longer going to observe.

This boy is too important.

"Since you know that magic users cannot be killed, why did you still make a move?" Aishida's magic power surged, mobilizing all the air within a fifty-meter radius.

“You may not be at the ‘True Realm’ level, but you should at least be the most outstanding expert in the ‘Extreme Realm’.”

"They even have methods that can evade magical energy?"

Ashida waved her hands menacingly, and Telstra immediately felt the air pressure around her change.

The Qi Mage is about to make his move.

"But whoever you are—"

However, Ashida's words were interrupted by his own horrified discovery.

"What! What is this?!"

The surrounding air pressure was also disrupted.

Thales looked up, past the masked man's shoulder, and saw terror in Ashida's eyes.

The mage trembled and took a step back, looking at his chest, where the spot where the masked monster had pierced his chest was now shimmering with purple light.

That was the first time Thales had ever seen terror in the eyes of a mage.

The masked figure lowered his head and approached Thales, his hoarse voice echoing in his ear: "Magicians cannot be killed, but magicians are not invincible."

For some reason, Thales suddenly felt at ease.

Subconsciously, he felt that the strange man in front of him was much safer than the madman behind him.

Ashida clutched her chest in panic, her face filled with terror!

It was as if that purple light was about to explode from his chest.

"no no……"

He suddenly raised his head and looked at the masked man, his tone filled with fear and hatred!
"This is... the Empire's... legendary anti-magic weaponry!"

The masked man reached out and covered Thales's eyes.

“This weapon…I’ve never seen it before…No, no…”

"Those two bitches..."

Thales didn't hear the rest of Ashida's furious words.

Because the instant after Ashida gritted her teeth in resentment and transformed into hundreds of beams of light, bursting forth with infinite energy, Thales felt as if he had entered another space, where all sound and light disappeared from his senses.

Thales knew he was far from Red Street.

The night is finally coming to an end.

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

When Yara woke up again, she found herself being carried on a sturdy shoulder.

The streets on both sides were slowly receding.

Realizing her situation, she hurriedly patted the familiar person:

"Hey! Edmund! Put me down! I want to go back—"

The chubby cook just snorted impatiently, "Let you go back to that pretty boy lover? And a scoundrel at that? If my sister finds out—hehe—"

Yara blushed: "That bastard isn't my lover!"

"I clearly saw you lying in his arms, your face so full of happiness—"

"Didn't you even notice our surroundings, sir?!"

"Yes! On a dark and windy night, when all is quiet, under the flowers and the moon, a secret rendezvous—"

"You've got the point wrong, you fatso!"

Whether it's right or wrong, we'll find out later—

"Hey, I'm not going to waste my breath on you, I need to go find someone—"

"You're already in this state, don't expect me to let you go back."

"You fat bastard! You lousy cook! Put me down, I challenge you!"

"You? You're only outstanding at the 'mortal level'. Come back and say that to me when you reach the 'super level'."

"Hey, I really have someone very important to go see—"

"Don't even mention a scoundrel; even if you were looking for a prince, it wouldn't help!"

"You fatso, you're using this to stab me again! Ouch, please put me down, okay, Uncle Edmund—"

"You're over twenty and still acting like a child? Do you still think you're a teenage girl? Aren't you ashamed?"

"No, Uncle, you're over forty years old, but you still look as young as a three-year-old!"

"Hmph, I have a youthful mindset—wait, something doesn't quite add up to that?"

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

Meanwhile, on the other side of the street in the distance, Cohen was woken up by a slap.

In his bewilderment, he discovered that the person standing in front of him was actually his superior, Robick Dillah, the Director of the Security Bureau!
However, the director, who was applying medicine to his wound with a displeased expression, immediately launched into a sarcastic remark upon seeing him awake:
"Hero, you're awake? You've been wandering around all night, did you manage to take down the Brotherhood and the Blood Vial Gang?"

"I--"

"You have quite the nerve! Openly defying orders, a lone hero! Aren't you quite pleased with yourself?"

"but--"

"But what! If it weren't for your father's sake, I would have killed you long ago! Why would I kindly come looking for you after seeing the sword's edge?"

"Can--"

"But what?! Having a subordinate like you is the worst luck imaginable! Do you think you're the male lead in a play by the Temple of Dark Night, and that was the female lead just now?"

"she--"

"Don't mention that girl! What if your old man finds out you're out in the middle of the night looking for women on Red Street—"

"Do not--"

"How dare you say that! Even Miss Lillian, the top courtesan at Leia Club, reported you for visiting her bedroom in the middle of the night!"

"this--"

"The security captain, a second-level guard officer, has openly disobeyed orders and sought pleasure in the middle of the night! I'm telling you, you can prepare to be suspended from your duties when you get back!"

"Ugh--"

Just then, a second loud bang came from the center of Hongfang Street!
"boom!!!"

The entire city of Yongxing heard the terrifying explosion!

"Boom!"

This time, the shockwave from the air explosion shot straight into the sky!

The hot dust kicked up by the explosion suddenly rushed in from a distance!

Both Director Lobik and a dejected Cohen stared in shock toward the center of Red Street!

"This—oh no," the director muttered, "the city construction funds that were just approved—"

"Director, you've missed the point!"

"Shut up if you don't care about money!"

On the other side of the street, the cook Edmund and Yara on his shoulder watched in astonishment as the aftershocks of the explosion rippled through the air.

“Little Yara,” Edmund murmured, “thankfully we ran fast and are far away.”

"Is that the point?"

"Didn't my older sister say that safety comes first?"

"You—you really are my three-year-old uncle!"

"Hey, how can you talk like that!"

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

When Thales' legs touched the ground again, he couldn't help but lie on the ground and cough.

The wounds all over his body seemed to only begin to hurt now.

The masked man stood silently to the side, as if nothing had happened.

"Aishida—is that mage dead?"

“No, the weaponry is incomplete and cannot permanently seal him away,” the hoarse voice replied, “but he won’t reappear for at least a decade or more.”

Thales was initially alarmed, but then relaxed.

The madness, abnormality, and eeriness of the magic master left a very deep impression on him.

More than a decade is enough time for them to come up with a solution.

Thales suddenly looked up, as if remembering something:
"I have a companion who protected me—"

“She’s fine,” the hoarse voice replied immediately, as if knowing his thoughts. “She’s on her way back to the lower city.”

Thales breathed a sigh of relief and collapsed to the floor.

But then he remembered a crucial point.

“You—this gentleman,” Thales asked cautiously, given his previous criminal record of contacting magic users.

"who are you?"

Thales didn't expect a masked, secretive person to give him a friendly reply.

But what happened next almost made his jaw drop!
The masked, menacing figure, who had been menacing just moments before, suddenly took a step back with perfect composure, placed his right hand on his left chest, swung his left arm behind his waist, knelt on one knee, bowed his head, and answered respectfully and solemnly:
“My name is Yodel Gato, at your service.”

(End of this chapter)