Kingdom Bloodline

Chapter 212 A Game in the Dark (Part 2)

Upon hearing Raphael's words, Thales was slightly taken aback.

From within the black hole, the Black Prophet's cold laughter echoed once more.

Miranda was slightly startled, clenched her fists, and looked at Raphael with a complicated expression.

damn it.

This arrogant guy.

She looked at Raphael, who was completely different from three years ago, and a strange emotion welled up inside her.

Cohen scoffed unhappily: "The idea is not bad... but alas, he's too clever for his own good."

Raphael's gaze sharpened upon hearing this.

“Without the contributions of those ‘wise men’ in the shadows,” Raphael glanced at him sideways, a slight smile playing on his lips, “you wouldn’t even have the chance to stand here, young master Karabyan.”

Cohen looked at Raphael, his eyes narrowing slightly.

“You know what,” the guard shrugged, full of resentment, and said to Raphael, “I suddenly remembered our clan motto, ‘The brave die by the sword, the wise die by the scheme.’”

“Oh?” Raphael chuckled cryptically, his eyes cold. “Then I’m sure you won’t ‘die from a plot’.”

Cohen, unusually quick to grasp the sarcasm, replied, "That's still better than you..."

“You two,” Miranda raised an eyebrow, her eyes wide with anger, and said with displeasure, “that’s enough.”

"Consider the occasion."

Cohen and Raphael both gave a disdainful snort.

Thales and the little rascal exchanged a helpless look.

The young man from the secret service turned his head, took a deep breath, and continued the conversation: "As for the second unexpected event..."

"It's a rumba."

Thales's brow furrowed: "What's wrong with Rumba?"

“His manpower is extremely efficient. From his connections in Commas to the underground mafia, and even the Shadow Shield, his operations are smooth and well-organized,” Raphael replied solemnly.

From the other side of the black hole, a slightly faster breathing sound could be heard.

“To prevent Nunn and the Dark Chamber from discovering Rumba’s actions in advance, we have made countless contingency plans and thrown out many baits,” Raphael said, lowering his head to the person on the other side of the black hole, “but thanks to Rumba’s extraordinary efficiency and ability, the Secret Society did not have to worry too much.”

“But it wasn’t until last night that I discovered that Rumba had done many things that weren’t originally planned,” Raphael said coldly.

Thales pursed his lips: "For example?"

“For example, the army,” Raphael said casually, “In the original plan, Rumba didn’t need so many troops at all, but he still brought them in.”

Thales frowned: Just as I thought.

A cold snort came from the murky air.

“Take you two, Miranda and Cohen,” Raphael said, glancing at his two contemporaries, his gaze sweeping over the thoughtful female swordswoman and the puzzled guard: “You followed the Blade of Calamity, tracing the clues of that magic-powered assassination in the Rumba army, all the way to Dragonsreach.”

Wyatt squinted at his single-edged sword, recalling Cohen and Miranda's suspicions about the Unreturning Edge.

strangeness.

The power of ending taught by Professor Shatil...

Why would this happen...?

"These unexpected events," the Black Prophet's eerie, hoarse voice suddenly rang out at that moment, "What are you thinking?"

Raphael raised his head slightly and closed his eyes: "I feel something is wrong."

Something's not right?

Cohen sighed: "Even I can see that you guys were tricked by Rumba."

But Raphael simply closed his eyes and continued to ponder, ignoring Cohen.

“There’s another question,” Thales couldn’t help but ask, “Have you figured it out? What exactly is Rumba trying to do?”

Neither Raphael nor the Black Prophet provided an answer.

A few seconds later, the Black Prophet suddenly spoke:
"Have you figured it out yet?"

Raphael's brow furrowed: "Was it the Shadow Shield's doing?"

Everyone was stunned again.

Especially Thales.

He recalled again the conversation between Rumba and the man called "Chisel".

Thales didn't speak—he knew that perhaps the two from the Secret Service could answer his questions.

But the Black Prophet just gave a cold laugh.

“The accidental nature of the disaster is not the reason for Nuen’s death,” Morat said coldly. “The accident involving Lumba is not about how powerful he was, but about how he did it.”

Hearing the Black Prophet's voice, Thales suddenly felt a chill run down his spine.

He wasn't sure if it was just his imagination, but he felt that there was a strange emotion behind the Black Prophet's words.

Raphael suddenly opened his eyes, his voice tinged with doubt: "Could it be..."

The Black Prophet's next words caused everyone to frown and look puzzled.

“Among the cuckoos of the Western Lands, there is a subspecies that generally live in the East Sea Territory and the South Coast Territory of the Stars,” the Black Prophet continued in his hoarse and eerie voice, “They have a very special way of laying eggs. They always lay their eggs in the nests of other birds and rely on the latter’s resources, care and feeding to raise their offspring.”

"Therefore, these cuckoos that raise their offspring in other people's nests are also known as 'fraudulent angels'," Morat said coldly.

Thales' eyes lit up: What do you mean?
While everyone else was puzzled and confused, only Raphael remained silent for a long time, his brows twitching.

A few seconds later, Raphael's expression returned to his usual relaxed and calm demeanor.

“I’ve figured it out,” Raphael said calmly, “but I don’t know exactly when it started…”

“That’s not important,” the Black Prophet interrupted him rudely. “What’s important is, are you ready?”

Raphael took a deep breath and nodded slightly, amidst the strange looks from the others:
"Yes."

“Very well,” the Black Prophet sneered, “your test has only just begun.”

Raphael stood up and slowly clenched his right fist.

The next second, to everyone's astonishment, the eerie black hole on Raphael's right arm began to shrink, and the terrifying teeth around the large "mouth" gradually moved towards the center.

“Good luck, Your Highness,” Morat sighed softly from within the writhing black hole, “What a pity, dragon blood.” Thales was startled, then realized that their connection with the Black Prophet was about to be severed.

Almost in the blink of an eye, the skin on Raphael's hand slowly healed.

The black hole simply vanished.

Raphael's arm was intact and as smooth as ever.

Except for that glaring brand from torture.

Morat Hansen's voice no longer rang out.

“Damn it,” Cohen stared at his arm, gritting his teeth, “what the hell is this?”

“The secret techniques,” Raphael shook his head, “are irrelevant… what matters now is our next step.”

Unwilling to give up, Cohen was about to press for more information when Miranda grabbed his arm. She shook her head with a cold yet sorrowful expression, choking Cohen's pent-up anger and preventing him from venting it further.

“Next step,” Thales turned his gaze away from Raphael’s monstrous arm, suppressing his doubts, and asked, “What do you mean?”

"Aren't we trying to break through?"

Raphael shook his head.

“I always thought that the sudden madness of the calamity attracted most of the power, leaving Dragon Sky City vulnerable, which is why King Nuen was assassinated without any chance to fight back,” the young man from the Secret Service said calmly, pulling down his right sleeve to cover the brand. “I also always thought that the efficient actions of Lumba’s subordinates were due to his good management and thorough preparation.”

"I was wrong."

"What caused King Nuen's quick death was neither the unexpected outbreak of the disaster nor Lumba's outstanding abilities."

Thales looked questioning.

Raphael did not leave him puzzled for long.

“King Nunn’s defenses are so weak not only because of fear of disaster, but also because someone suggested he do this—for example, send out the entire White Blade Guard, or the Clear Sky Patrol,” Raphael smiled, as if solving a mystery that had puzzled him for years:

"As for Lumba's operation, the reason why it was able to proceed so smoothly, and even the army could be transported into the city silently, was not because of the efficient operation of Black Sand Territory, but because of the intentional help of others."

In an instant, Thales frowned.

He sensed something was off: everyone else seemed a bit off.

Miranda's eyes flashed, as if she realized something, and she slowly turned around in one direction.

Cohen watched Miranda's movements, took a deep breath, and slowly reached for the sword at his waist.

As if sensing something, Wyman suddenly looked up, his face grim as he gripped the sword at his waist.

Rolf also frowned, looking at the thick door at the end of the cell.

Everyone looked at the door.

Or rather, what's outside that door.

Thales turned pale.

The next moment, he and the little rascal were simultaneously protected behind Wyatt and Rolf.

Raphael continued, but his tone was grave: "You cannot imagine how many resources and connections we have invested to get to where we are today, Your Highness."

“When you set foot on the borders of Exter, ‘Dragon Blood’ was already an unstoppable trend, and there was no turning back,” the young man from the Secret Society drew his sword, turned around to face the thick gate, and took a deep breath: “With just one Rumba, even with his cronies, there is no way to reverse the ending we have set.”

Raphael's eyes sharpened: "But Rumba and the others managed to do it anyway."

"They completely ruined the secret service's plan and reversed the outcome in one fell swoop."

Thales's heart skipped a beat: "You mean to say..."

“They turned the tide in the most disadvantageous situation: they instantly defeated Nunn and brought the situation under Lumba’s control, Your Highness,” Raphael turned around, his eyes calmly looking at the thick door of the cell: “They are like those ‘deceptive angels,’ using the nest of the Kingdom’s secret society and our carefully prepared plan for many years to hatch the result they wanted.”

Everyone was on high alert, staring intently at the thick door separating the inside and outside of the cell.

“This is a game in the dark, but we’ve misjudged our opponent,” Raphael squinted, his eyes reflecting a red glow in the darkness. “Sitting on the other side of the chessboard is neither Rumba, nor his cronies, nor any Shadow Shield.”

Thales had a sudden realization and understood many things.

For example... why would King Nunn believe that the Blade of Calamity was involved in Morar's death?

“This style, this method, as far as I know,” Raphael nodded, his eyes suddenly becoming incredibly sharp:
"Belongs to only one person."

“Someone we always thought would only stand on King Nuen’s side.”

No one speaks.

Thales gently gripped the JC dagger and began to hold his breath.

Behind him, the sly one asked, trembling, "What now?"

Thales shook his head.

click.

The thick door was opened.

Everyone in the cell tensed up instantly!

A figure slowly entered the dimly lit cell.

Light footsteps.

"I'm sorry to bother you," the person said politely in a gentle voice, their tone kind.
"It's just that you haven't broken through yet... so I had no choice but to come up and take a look."

The moment Thales saw who it was, his gaze froze.

His heart began to race.

She was a kind and gentle old woman wearing a red robe.

With a beaming smile.

"If you're confident you can bring about bloodshed, then you must be absolutely certain," the kind voice continued, its tone friendly.

Under Thales's complicated gaze, the old woman in the red robe—the highest-ranking official of the Kingdom of Exter's "Dark Chamber," the intelligence chief who was on par with the Black Prophet, and known as the "Red Witch," Cassan—slowly raised her head.

She gave Raphael, whose face was grave, a smile full of wrinkles, and said calmly, "So, little friend from the Secret Service, may I ask you, before you return to your cell..."

"...Hand over the Staff of Stars?"

I'm currently revising the plot outline for the next volume, to see if I can slow down the pace according to the opinions of many readers, so that everyone doesn't have to keep having their stories fall apart...

By the way, do you guys think Wujian is cool?

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(End of this chapter)