Kingdom Bloodline

Chapter 696 Bad Blood
“I remember now, Losang, Losang—this name has a story behind it.”

On a secluded path, Thales watched the celebratory fireworks rise in the distance and suddenly spoke.

"what?"

Hilly caught up from behind him, her steps unsteady and her expression dejected.

“This is not an ordinary name, it’s a literary character, no, maybe there really was a real person in history,” Thales scratched his chin thoughtfully. “A hundred or two hundred years ago, ‘Bad Blood’ Losan was a notorious bandit on the Golden Corridor, who committed countless evils and crimes throughout his life.”

"How did you know?" Hillary asked.

“Bards, chivalric romances, and plays.” Thales shrugged.

Especially those items stored in Naikaru's library (the stock, which had been sealed for many years, began to increase again after the Grand Duchess ascended the throne), which cannot be seen in the Star Kingdom.

"Oh, Your Highness is indeed very knowledgeable..."

Slimani, who was third in line, first looked admiring, then asked in confusion:
"But, Bad Blood Losang? Bad Blood? Why is he called that?"

Behind the defense attorney, Golov turned his head left and right: Rolf, holding a prosthetic arm and leaning on one of his shoulders, was walking with difficulty, while Catherine, clutching her severed arm, was leaning on his other shoulder, trembling.

Both of them looked exhausted and occasionally let out muffled groans.

Meanwhile, Glov, who was being used as a human walking stick, was caught in the middle and could only sigh in despair.

He preferred to remain under the bridge pier and fight to the death with that Lausanne II.

“Because of Lausanne, I mean Lausanne ‘I’, at least in the literature, he was a despicable knight who betrayed his lord and his creed,” Thales recalled. “Not only that, he murdered his own father and teacher, broke away from his family, and committed heinous crimes that no one in the world could tolerate, just to prove that he was better than them.”

These words caused everyone to frown.

“It sounds like he’s utterly wicked,” Srimani clicked his tongue.

“Bad blood,” Golov murmured.

Thales nodded:

"In some works, he has other nicknames—'The Villain,' 'The Seed of Sin,' 'The Black Knight,' 'The Sword of Betrayal,' but they are basically the same. That assassin in black, since he has a nickname like 'Lossan II,' perhaps..."

“It must have been Turnbull who started it,” Phantom Blade Catherine said in a sinister tone. “That old bastard is uncultured and loves to show off. He likes to watch plays and then spout off lines to act like a know-it-all, and his men have to flatter him, saying things like, ‘Our boss knows so much.’”

Catherine spat.

“Wait, the troublemaker knight, now that you mention it, I remember him,” Hilly said, trying to recall. “But I remember he was just a supporting character. In the stories where he appeared, the real protagonist should be…”

“‘Wolf Enemy’ Kayla,” Thales said with certainty.

A collective "Oh!" of realization rippled through the crowd.

The prince looked up and watched as fireworks of different colors exploded in the sky above:
"As the most popular and romantic hero in modern adventure works, Keira Star has countless enemies and opponents created by bards, some based on historical facts and some purely fictional. But even among so many enemies, 'Bad Blood' is the most cruel, vicious, despicable and cunning. He is highly skilled in martial arts and has amazing intelligence, yet he has no principles and is fearsome."

These few adjectives silenced everyone.

“Nalosan 'II'... II..." Srimani murmured.

“Please, tell me he’s dead, and he died a horrible death.” Hilly looked exhausted.

"Yes, in most stories, Badblood Losang ultimately falls to the wolf enemy's blade and dies with resentment, but in a few endings..."

Thales raised his head, his expression grave:
"They perished together."

There was a moment of silence.

Thales realized what was happening and quickly scratched his head with a smile:
"It's alright. No matter what kind of Losang is in the story, Losang II is now in our hands. We can do whatever we want with him..."

“No,” Catherine suddenly said.

She paused for a moment, ignoring the strange looks from the others, and looked at Thales:
"I believe your guards are very capable, Your Highness, well-trained and highly skilled, but, but..."

She hesitated.

Thales asked in confusion:

"Catherine?"

Phantom Blade took a deep breath.

“I saw Lausanne II kill people when I was young, it was terrifying,” she said worriedly, “but just now I had a feeling that he is more ruthless than ever before.”

More powerful than ever before?
Everyone paused in unison.

"Don't joke around! Everyone gets old!"

Slimani forced a smile, trying to convince others, and himself as well: "Besides, he's only one person, while Your Highness Thales, your royal guard must be full of the kingdom's top experts, protecting the royal family. He can't possibly defeat so many..."

“He doesn’t need to defeat them,” Catherine shook her head. “Lossan just needs to break through the encirclement, hide in the shadows, and then we, we can only continue to live in fear.”

Slimani's smile vanished.

Thales swallowed hard, feeling the need to boost morale.

“Listen, I know he’s very capable, otherwise he wouldn’t have that nickname, but…”

But Catherine had figured something out, and gritted her teeth as she spoke:
"Your Highness!"

She leaned on Golover, quickening her pace with a limp:
"Please, send someone to the North Gate Bridge."

Slimani frowned: "Brotherhood territory?"

Catherine nodded, her breathing uneven:
“Go find ‘Alpha Wolf’ Razanchi Fasso, tell him what happened, and tell him to go and get the Black Sword.”

Thales' expression shifted.

A moment of silence fell over everyone again.

"The Black Sword?"

Slimani was taken aback:
"Black Sword? That legendary Brotherhood leader who's said to possess witchcraft and magic, and is immortal?"

“He’s not a legend, and he doesn’t practice witchcraft,” Catherine shook her head and snorted, “but yes, he is certainly annoying.”

Thales couldn't help but ask, "Is it necessary?"

"Faced with Lausanne, only with experts of this caliber can we have a glimmer of hope. Otherwise, once Lausanne II escapes and recovers, he will come knocking on our door," Catherine said firmly. "Whether it's him or me, we will both die."

And you can't protect me.

Thales understood what she didn't say.

Ok.

“That’s easy. I’ll write a letter to the Palace of Restoration,” Thales said calmly with a smile. “Bring Arakka Mu or Roman—oh, I mean, bring in the Wrath of the Kingdom or the Wing of Legends to help out?”

The prince seemed completely confident and in control, which even impressed Hillary.

Upon hearing this, Slimani's spirits lifted, he straightened his back, and his bad luck vanished:
"Oh, that mere scoundrel Losang II, there's no need for these two to trouble themselves..."

Only Golov, who had been to the Western Wilderness, and Rolf, who had been to the fortress, exchanged a strange glance.

Catherine stared at Thales, who seemed completely confident, for a very long time, as if she could see right through him.

Just as Thales was about to cough to distract himself, Catherine sighed and spoke.

“I know, Your Highness, you are referring to unparalleled masters, gods of war on the battlefield, fierce generals in the army, but,” Huanren said worriedly, glancing at Rolf, but the latter turned his head away, not daring to look at her, “it’s different. Losang II is an executioner who walks the streets of the city.”

Everyone shuddered at the sound.

“They may be able to defeat him, beat him, and drive him away, but they cannot kill him or capture him.”

Catherine's expression grew increasingly resolute:

"Only one person can do it."

Sensing the other person's gaze, Thales frowned.

“Listen, I’ve seen Black Sword, I’ve even seen him fight. I know he’s strong, but as for that Lord Losang II, whatever the meaning of that nickname may be, whatever its connection to ‘Bad Blood’…”

The prince sighed, filled with suspicion:
"Can he compare to Black Sword?"

Catherine was stunned.

"Comparable to?"

A few seconds later, the former leader of the Blood Bottle Gang chuckled.

“Hahahaha, young prince, do you know,” she looked down at the ground, her expression desolate and gloomy, “back when Black Sword first rose to fame, this is what we said…”

Catherine raised her head, her eyes cold:
"Can he compare to Lausanne?"

A gentle breeze blew, the fireworks shone brightly, and the crowd moved on silently, without uttering a word.

Thales exhaled:

“I know what you mean. Yes, perhaps Black Sword is the only one who has ever defeated Losang…”

But Catherine interrupted him.

"No, he didn't."

Phantom Blade lowered his head.

“It was someone else,” she said softly. “Turnbur did indeed die at the hands of the Black Sword, but back then, back then, it was the one who truly defeated Lausanne II and caused his downfall…”

Catherine raised her head, her expression vicious:
"It's someone else."

----

"Stop him! Don't let him move any further!"

Amid Toledo's furious roar, the battle beneath the bridge piers was fierce and perilous:
Losang II, facing a combined attack from four men, dodged and weaved amidst the flashing swords, parrying and blocking, his situation both disheveled and perilous. The rest of his guards stood watch on the perimeter, ready to pounce at any moment.

"I'll block his sword, you watch carefully—"

"Stay close and hold the perimeter!"

"Target the torso and limbs, capture them alive!"

"Wouldn't death do? Isn't this revenge?"

"Then let him get away with it!"

"Corner him into a corner!"

"No, Neshi, just stay where you are!"

Apart from the four men in the innermost layer facing the enemy directly, the rest of the guards also responded to each other, sought cooperation, or relieved pressure. Their positions slowly shifted as the center of the battle changed, but under Toledo's command, the guard formation remained fixed within the area under the bridge piers to prevent Lausanne II from breaking through and escaping.

Just then, having dodged Morgan's deadly attack, Losang II turned around, flicked his wrist, and lunged at Kommuto behind him!

"Substitute!"

Standing on high ground, Marius, who had been watching the battle closely, suddenly roared:
"Now!"

Before many people could react, Miranda, who was resting with her sword to the side, dodged forward and parried Lausanne's counterattack. The timing was perfect, allowing the panting Kombuto to retreat and rest on the outside.

Losang spat, but the executioner's axe was already coming from the side, forcing him to abandon the pursuit and turn to dodge.

Marius exhaled, but his brows furrowed even more.

“It’s been almost fifteen minutes, and the men attacking from the front have already been rotated a second time,” Standard Commander Hugo Forbes came to his side. “It’s much more troublesome than we expected.”

Marius remained silent, his eyes fixed on Lausanne, where the fierce battle raged.

Hugo, nicknamed "The Ghost," narrowed his eyes, watching Lausanne II weave through the four-man encirclement, occasionally even exchanging blows with a fifth person on the periphery, and clicked his tongue in amazement:
"Tsk tsk tsk, all alone, yet utterly unafraid of being surrounded by multiple people, does this remind you of anyone?"

But Marius shook his head.

"No, the person you're talking about is a genius who relies on unparalleled perception and observation to instantly receive every minute detail of the battle and integrate the entire battlefield into a whole. In that person's eyes, he is not facing a multi-person attack, but a multi-headed and multi-limbed monster full of loopholes, contradictions, poor coordination, and unable to even walk steadily. The more limbs it has, the weaker it is, and it is not a threat."

Hugo chuckled softly:
"So that's why you arranged this strangulation formation, with four people as the main attackers, no more and no less, coordinating their attacks and rotating when the opportunity arises, specifically designed to counter experts at the pinnacle of their cultivation?"

As he spoke, Capone and Oscar Elson pressed forward, one attacking and the other blocking. With the addition of the well-rested Miranda, Lausanne II was forced to retreat again, drawing his sword from the most uncomfortable angle to clash with Morgan's dangerous twin swords at close range.

"Pretty!"

Oh dear, it was just a hair's breadth away!

"Well played! Keep it up!"

"Go for it, Morgan! Don't be nice to him!"

Amidst the shouts of the guards, Marius's voice grew softer and softer, but to Hugo, it sounded increasingly heavy:

"However, this man's strategy was exactly the opposite of that man's: although he was surrounded and seemingly at a disadvantage, he was actually constantly moving and never stopped. At the same time, he used counterattacks to intimidate his opponents, firmly controlling the distance and angle between himself and the four people, so that he was always in a one-on-one or at most one-on-two battle at the same time. He played to his strengths and avoided his weaknesses, focusing on only one or two enemies and avoiding being surrounded by multiple people as much as possible."

Marius squinted:
Otherwise, if he had slowed down even slightly or shifted his position too much, and unfortunately fallen into the crossfire of four people at the same time, or even just three at the same time, the battle would have been over long ago.

"Compared to that person, this assassin's strategy when facing multiple attackers is to make full use of space, widen the battlefield, and cut it into countless fragments. He only deals with one fragment at a time, turning the overall situation of fighting against the many with the few into local situations of the strong bullying the weak."

Hugo frowned:

"It sounds like a strategy used by street thugs in a brawl: run away when surrounded, fight as you run, and when you find an opportunity, go after one person to the death?"

"Believe it or not, Hugo, sometimes the underlying logic of gang fights, duels between warriors, and even battles on the battlefield is not that different."

Hugo looked displeased and turned his attention back to the battle:

"So that means the actual battle wasn't that this guy was surrounded by four enemies for ten minutes, but that he—even with all the constraints that limited his performance—actively chose the battlefield and fought each enemy one-on-one for two and a half minutes?"

Marius nodded.

Correct.

These one-on-one duels took place four times in ten minutes.

Hugo realized:

"That's why, even with Aaron's skills, they're still struggling so much and haven't been able to break through for so long."

The flag bearer's face turned cold:
"In that case, let's tighten our formation, close in on the inner perimeter, and reduce his space to dodge and roll, leaving him nowhere to put his feet, let alone move!"

"That's exactly what he wants."

Ok?
Hugo was puzzled again.

“Strength and weakness are interdependent, one waxes as the other wanes. If we tighten our inner perimeter and shrink the space, it means we're abandoning the outer perimeter and opening up our rear,” Marius said calmly. “Yes, perhaps he'll no longer be able to use movement to exploit his strengths and avoid his weaknesses, and will be forced into an encirclement. But if he risks injury to withstand a single blow and risks breaking through the first line of defense, and the weak outer perimeter doesn't have enough manpower to intercept or delay him, then he can use the gap behind us to escape unimpeded.” Hugo's expression was complex, and he finally scoffed.
"Tch, all roundabout and convoluted."

Marius remained silent, his gaze on Lausanne growing increasingly serious.

As they spoke, Vladimir Vlatan and Langlai, under his command, rushed forward to replace Morgan and Capone, who were wounded by swords, and launched a new attack on Lausanne II.

"Not good."

Marius suddenly spoke up:
"After the second round, he gradually became familiar with everyone's style and began to play with ease."

Hugo's eyebrows twitched as he saw the menacing Langlai forced back by Losang's sudden sword strike, tumbling in a disheveled state. Fortunately, Vlathen attacked from the side, relieving the pressure.

Damn it.

“Alright, looks like we’ll have to go through the contingency plan,” Hugo said impatiently. “Plan A: issue a death order and launch a fierce attack regardless of the cost; Plan B: speed up the rotation to intensify his exhaustion; Plan C: combine close and long-range attacks and launch a surprise attack when the opportunity arises; and Plan D—anyway, we don’t have much time left. Which one do you want to choose?”

Marius remained silent, his eyes flickering.

“Z,” the Watcher said softly, “I choose Z.”

For a moment, Hugo Forbes was slightly taken aback.

Z?
The next second, Hugo let out a cold laugh:

"That's funny. Your sense of humor has improved compared to before."

But Marius did not laugh; he simply turned his head slowly and looked at Forby with a calm gaze.

The flag bearer's expression changed.

"Damn it, you're not kidding," Hugo's smile vanished instantly. "What's going on?"

"Misjudgment."

"what?"

Marius sighed: "Regarding this person's strength, we relied on outdated intelligence and made an extremely serious, extremely dangerous, and possibly fatal misjudgment—our previous contingency plans are no longer keeping up with the changes."

Hugo was taken aback:
"I don't know."

At this moment, another unexpected change occurred. Losang dodged a step, and in the blink of an eye, Fulateng, who was originally on the offensive, let out a muffled groan, his body swayed, and his shield fell to the ground!

A gasp went through the crowd. At the critical moment, Miranda's Eagle Soar came from the side, deflecting Lausanne II's deadly sword with a brilliant horizontal slash. The timing was perfect.

"Cover and switch positions!"

With two sharp whistles, Paulo and Italiano fired their crossbows simultaneously, forcing Lausanne II to dodge and parry, unable to pursue.

Taking advantage of the gap between the two arrows, Toledo and Costa rushed forward. The former dragged the suffering Vlata to safety, while the latter filled in, gritting his teeth and raising his knife.

Lausanne II gently raised his head and exchanged a glance with Marius, who was high above.

Hugo, the flag bearer on the sidelines, felt a chill run down his spine.

"His playing style should be the most physically demanding, but so far, I don't see any signs of him being exhausted..."

Marius looked at Lausanne, but his expression remained unchanged, still composed:
"No, this person is far more than just a 'super-level swordsman with superpowers' or a 'former master whose strength has been greatly diminished' as we thought."

Hugo's unbelievable statement:

"You mean, he concealed his strength and deliberately misled us?"

As soon as he finished speaking, the battle resumed. Losang moved, and the four men, who were prepared, attacked with their swords and blades, pinning him down.

“And his swordsmanship and martial arts,” Marius said, his tone tightening. “The Imperial Wind, the Northern offensive and defensive school, the Southern martial arts school, the new wave, and even different schools in the Tower of Termination… No, not only that, in his movements I even saw the shadows of many niche martial arts, including the martial arts of the Great Plains and Hambul, the martial arts of Su Ye, and many others that I’m not sure about, because each style only appears for a moment, seemingly similar but not quite.”

"so much?"

Marius nodded: "There are two possibilities for someone who is so versatile: First, he is a jack-of-all-trades but master of none, a man of many skills but no real expertise, all show and no substance..."

Hugo was used to his speaking style, and upon hearing this, he simply waved his hand, skipping over the nonsense:

"What about the second possibility?"

Marius did not answer, but stared intently at the blades of Lausanne II as they moved up and down, remaining silent for a long time.

Hugo realized what was happening, turned his head away, and spat:
"What the hell."

But Marius seemed to think that wasn't enough, and added insult to injury:
"What's even more bizarre is that this is only his swordsmanship."

And that doesn't even include superpowers, the power of termination...

Including reinforcements from the Kevin Deer family.

Thinking of this, Marius's eyes sharpened!
"Pass down my orders: Project Z."

Hugo frowned repeatedly: "Some of these children may not know about Project Z..."

"But you know, Hugo."

Marius's orders continued:
“If anyone questions it, tell them: His Highness is playing the long game.”

Hugo paused for a moment.

He looked at the field with resentment:
"But this person is of paramount importance; if we miss this opportunity... we truly will have no chance at all—"

“Twelve,” Marius suddenly said.

Hugo's eyes flickered:
"Twelve what?"

"Twelve people – the first four should speed up the pace and launch a relentless, oppressive attack to wear down his stamina and energy. The middle three, who are strong enough, should test his style in different ways to find his weaknesses. The next five should team up as needed, in pairs or trios, to fight to the death and try to force him to reveal his trump cards. The remaining people should adapt to the situation and seize opportunities to deliver a fatal blow."

Marius's eyes flickered slightly:
"If the team is well-coordinated, the arrangements are in place, morale doesn't collapse, and luck isn't too bad, with about twelve casualties, we might have a chance to fight him down—or at least achieve a stalemate."

what?
Both sides suffer?

Hugo couldn't help but speak up:
"Then we must capture him alive..."

“Don’t even think about it,” Marius interrupted him. “If you hold onto this idea and take a chance, you’ll probably end up with nothing but mutual destruction.”

Hugo looked troubled.

"you sure?"

Marius nodded.

"I had some doubts at first, but after being besieged by so many experts just now, I am now quite certain: this person is superior and immeasurable in terms of strength, experience, willpower and physical strength. His swordsmanship is even more superb, with an unknown upper limit."

At this point, the Watchman sighed and stepped forward.

“In these ten minutes alone, even among the most skilled individuals I’ve ever met, he’s among the very best,” Marius said with an extremely serious expression. “He’s comparable to the Punisher Knight and Heart of the Rain back in the day.”

Hugo was startled.

"That's exaggerated? Is it related to the strange descent just now?"

The watchman shook his head, indicating he didn't know.
"Twelve, or Project Z, what do you say?"

Twelve.

Hugo frowned and turned to look at his subordinates: Morgan, Nech, Commut, Oscarson… Some of them were indignant, some were eager to try, some were on high alert, and some were extremely nervous…

The flag bearer hesitated, as if he wanted to say something but then stopped himself.

"But, but..."

The Watchman looked at him, then changed the subject:
"Yes, I think so too: Is it worth it?"

Hugo was silent for a few seconds:
"This is the result you deduced?"

"Just one of them."

Marius looked at Lausanne and her increasingly natural movements, and silently said:

The most optimistic kind.

But Hugo suddenly remembered something and realized:

"You rushed the prince to leave just now because you noticed something amiss and weren't entirely confident you could capture him—if the child stayed, he might be in danger?"

Marius nodded and snorted:
"Given his personality—he even shouts at his subordinates like a teddy bear—he would definitely not allow us to sacrifice twelve people. No, even sacrificing a fingernail would cause him to yell and severely disrupt our decision-making."

Hugo seemed lost in thought.

Marius asked again:
"So, twelve people, or Plan Z?"

Hugo was silent for a few seconds, then smiled knowingly:
“You know, when we first met, you didn’t even need to make a decision—you wouldn’t hesitate about something like this.”

Marius's eyes flickered.

“Not now,” the Watchman said, looking back at the arena with a cold tone, “but you know, our boss is a vengeful brat, not someone to be trifled with.”

Hugo sighed.

“You’re right,” he looked up and gave a wry smile, “It seriously interferes with our decision-making, humph.”

Marius glanced at him meaningfully.

Just now.

"transposition!"

This time, three players took turns on the field, and all three who were taken off were panting heavily. Only Miranda remained on the field, struggling to keep going, thanks to her seemingly ordinary but always effective swordsmanship.

After examining Vladivostok's injuries and having them bandaged, Toledo stood up and shook his head at Marius.

“Casualties have occurred, the first one,” Marius received the message, his tone tense. “We have to make a decision.”

Hugo sighed deeply.

"You've already made up your mind, haven't you? You just need someone to say it for you, to make you feel better, damn that terrifying blade."

Marius frowned:
“You know I hate that nickname.”

Hugo took out his notebook and gave a sarcastic smile:
"But I like it."

Marius's expression changed, but before he could speak, Hugo immediately interjected:
"Alright, let's go with Plan Z!"

The standard-bearer turned around and made a commanding gesture to Itariano in the distance:

"But who will come..."

But Hugo paused immediately.

Ignoring Itariano's surprised gestures as he pleaded for him to reiterate his command, he turned straight back to Marius, whose expression changed as he looked at Marius's blank face.

“No,” Hugo said, startled.

Marius nodded, his expression calm:

"Yes, as you said, this is the result of my deduction."

Hugo's breathing quickened. He glanced at Lausanne in the arena, then at Marius, and spat out a harsh "Pah!"

"Damn it, when you asked me to help you, you didn't say this job was so dangerous!"

"I really didn't say that?"

Hugo took a couple of breaths.

How confident are you?

Marius's eyes flickered.

He knew that Hugo wasn't asking about the certainty of victory.

Marius curled the corners of his mouth, his smile unchanged:

"Fifty-fifty."

"Ha, here we go again, I knew it," Hugo sneered. "Is there anyone in this world who isn't evenly matched with you?"

“Of course there is,” Marius sighed. “If Stoddart’s logistics officer were to face me, it would be a 10/10 chance. I would have no chance of winning and would only want to turn around and run away.”

"Especially when he's holding the ledger?"

Marius and Hugo exchanged a glance and scoffed in unison.

"Following this logic, wouldn't it be the same if you were facing a little kid?"

"Yes, but the odds are exactly the opposite."

The watchman and the standard-bearer both smiled.

"What about the blood feud of the guards, and Aknet's honor and revenge?" Hugo's smile faded, and he said in a low voice.

Marius also stopped smiling.

"I'll figure something out, Hugo. No matter how strong he is, we'll take him down."

He looked at Lausanne II, then at Hugo:
“I swear, in the name of the Razor family.”

Hugo looked back at him and nodded.

“I will write that down as required,” the standard-bearer replied coldly. “You know Vogel will see it.”

Marius paused for a second: "Very good, you should."

Hugo gave a cold laugh.

"Fine, damn Project Z. I should have been more ungrateful back then, stayed in the Flag Wing, stayed in Eternal Star City, retired early and retired to live a peaceful life, and stopped getting involved in these filthy affairs of the guards and the royal family. Screw the Terrorblade..."

Hugo kept talking, but he still turned around and continued to relay the orders.

Marius watched his retreating figure and took a deep breath.

The Watcher turned his attention to the battle, his expression turning cold, and the power of termination surged forth like a flood.

In that instant, the desolate black and white world before his eyes trembled slightly and became colorful again.

Gorgeous.

(End of this chapter)