Kingdom Bloodline

Chapter 770 Visible Eyes
Listen up, Mira, let's play hide-and-seek, okay...?

No.

Her face was covered in tears, and she shook her head desperately.

not good.

She doesn't play hide-and-seek.

"Hide in the woods, Mila, hide well, as far away as possible, don't let Mom find you, don't let anyone find you... Count to one hundred, no, count to one thousand..."

No.

She doesn't count.

She bit her lower lip in grievance.

She didn't know how she counted to one thousand.

She didn't want to count to a thousand.

Not at all.

Then, then Mommy will come to find you... Mommy promises you, Mila, let's pinky swear... Don't be afraid, Mila, Mommy will definitely come to find you... definitely...

No.

Mom is lying.

Mom's promises don't count.

After counting to ten hundreds, her mother didn't come looking for her.

No.

There will never be another one.

because……

Under the icy snow, she trembled as she opened her mouth and inhaled a breath of bone-chilling air.

because……

Because on that day...

She was the one who found her mother first.

"Ahhhhhhh-"

A sharp pain shot through her, forcing the dazed Miranda to open her eyes abruptly and cry out in agony!
Where is she?

where?

"Ah uh..."

The power of the Pegasus Melody flowed sluggishly through her body, easing her panic.

Miranda endured the pain, gasping for breath, staring blankly at the sewage beneath her.

correct.

She is here.

She remained kneeling in the drainage ditch.

In the Corpse Pit of the Emerald City.

Rather than in the nightmare, in that snow-covered forest.

fortunately.

Miranda, panting, breathed a sigh of relief.

fortunately.

The female swordsman turned her head with difficulty and found the savior who had pulled her out of the nightmare and brought her back to reality:

That strangely curved inverted blade.

At that moment, its blade coldly pierced her left shoulder, drilling above her collarbone, sending wave after wave of pain through her.

"You're going to die."

The assassin turned his head to look at her as she regained consciousness, his hand holding the knife motionless, his gaze indifferent as if looking at a dead person.
"I can make it more comfortable."

Would you rather die a quick and painless death?
"you--"

Miranda tried to say something, but as soon as she opened her mouth, she coughed up blood, and with each cough, the excruciating pain in her chest and abdomen intensified.

Well, it seems like dying quickly and painlessly isn't so bad?

The owner of the strange knife spoke softly, his voice still hoarse and indistinct, difficult to recognize:
"That girl, the Kevin Deer girl."

really.

Miranda thought weakly.

The masterminds behind this are targeting Hilla.

She coughed up a mouthful of blood in pain, and gasped as she spoke:
"Ha, ha, you think I'd tell you—ahhh! Fuck!"

The Assassin watched Miranda scream in agony with a calm expression, while slowly twisting the curved blade embedded between her collarbone and shoulder blade, before turning his wrist back two seconds later.

"Of course you won't."

Miranda's hand trembled as she raised it, trying to reach the enemy's blade, but it slipped weakly from her grasp again and again.

Unable to exert any force, let alone resist.

The assassin no longer paid attention to his defeated opponent; he slowly turned his head to look at the dark and dim surroundings:
"Come out, Hilaire."

His hoarse, indistinct voice was amplified in the deathly silence and narrow tunnel, as if echoing from every corner:
"I know you're around."

As soon as he finished speaking, the dimly lit tunnel fell into a desolate and deathly silence, completely still.

Only the flickering light in front of the sentry post still shines faintly.

Very good, Hillary, a clever girl.

Miranda endured the pain, but felt a sense of relief.

Hide well, stay hidden, and don't come out.

"Hide in the woods, Mila, hide well, as far away as possible, don't let Mom find you, don't let anyone find you..."

"Didn't your brother tell you? I'm very familiar with your Kevin Deer family."

The Assassin slowly scanned every corner of the tunnel:

“When your father died, I didn’t let him suffer—neither did your mother.”

Upon hearing this, Miranda's expression changed.

not good.

He is going to...

The assassin's gaze lingered in a certain direction, fixed on the darkness of the tunnel, as if he had discovered something. His tone grew increasingly somber and enigmatic:

"I assure you, girl, you won't suffer."

Oops.

A terrible premonition rose in Miranda's heart.

"Don't come out!"

Ignoring her predicament, Miranda mustered the last ounce of strength she had painstakingly gathered and shouted:
"Don't believe him—ahhhhhh!"

The blade twisted again between her collarbone and shoulder blade, causing intense pain.

But Miranda gritted her teeth and tensed her nerves, turning her cries of pain into muffled groans.

"But she might suffer."

The assassin's tone suddenly turned cold. He turned his gaze back to Miranda, and the pressure on his hand gradually increased.

"Maybe will."

No, Hilaire.

Miranda gritted her teeth, sweating profusely as she fought off the increasingly unbearable pain.

Stay calm, Hillary.

Under the enemy's deliberate torture, the female swordsman's senses gradually blurred, and even the severe wounds in her chest and abdomen began to go numb.

Don't come out, Hillary...

As long as you hide well, stay far away, and don't let him find you...

Then, then Mom will come to find you... Don't be afraid, Mila...

The next instant, Miranda felt the excruciating pain in her shoulder ease, as if she had been granted a pardon, and her whole body relaxed.

But after regaining her senses, Miranda felt a chill run down her spine.

Sure enough, the assassin suddenly turned his head and looked at a dark and deep pit behind him!
"Got you."

"Extreme Assassin said softly."

Oops!

Miranda knew something was wrong.

No, no, no...

Hilaire, run...no, hide! Please don't—

The next second, Miranda felt a sudden release on his shoulder, and the enemy and the scimitar vanished before his eyes.

The female swordsman coughed up another mouthful of blood and braced herself on the ground with her hands.

Damn, damn, damn!
But there was no time to feel relieved, nor could she care about her serious injuries. With her willpower, Miranda trembled as she grabbed Eagle and tried to struggle to her feet.

She couldn't let him find Hilly.

No.

She promised.

She had promised to protect her.

Miranda trembled, shaking her head desperately, trying to focus her scattered thoughts.

You must keep your promises.

[Mommy promises you...Mommy will definitely come to find you...definitely...]

for sure.

But the severe injuries to her chest and abdomen dealt her another heavy blow.

The next second, Miranda's legs went weak, she lost her balance and fell forward.

Damn.

But the expected hard fall did not occur.

A pair of hands reached out from in front, supporting her with difficulty but with firmness.

Ok?
Seriously injured and dazed, Miranda stumbled and slid two steps in the sewage before managing to steady herself by grabbing onto the other person's shoulder.

"Xi, Xilai?"

She saw the person in front of her clearly and spoke in a daze.

"Shh!"

Hillary gritted her teeth and, with all her might, half-helped, half-dragged Miranda away from where she stood, muttering complaints all the way:
"Yes, I saved you. No need to thank me... payment is separate..."

She's still there.

Great.

Miranda trembled, her weak legs kicking the ground in vain.

She has not been found yet.

no……

Her consciousness gradually faded.

[Raphael, is that right? I'm sorry, child, I was a bit rough with you just now... Thank you for saving my daughter, the Aarond family owes you a debt of gratitude, even if you are a Bone Man... As you can see, she is unconscious, but she will be alright, she definitely will... But about, about what happened to my wife and sister... Please, please don't mention it to anyone again...]

"You're really heavy... What do Northerners eat to grow up like this? Can you throw that broken sword away...?"

In a daze, Miranda gripped her sword even tighter.

"I'm going to war, to send those sons of bitches like Exter to hell, or at least take them with me... You and Miranda stay here... If I don't come back... Look, that's the Star Legion's camp. That stinking, refusing-to-eat-drink-or-talk idiot, he's the new king, and my best friend... He'll take care of you and Miranda, if he hasn't gone mad yet..."

She vaguely felt herself being dragged for quite a distance until she arrived at a relatively flat place, where she was finally put down.

"No, impossible, you can't find him... No one's orders will work, no tokens will work, finding Mindis Hall won't help, because Crown Prince Midir is dead, the entire royal family... What? Azure Ambition? I remember that, a run-down chess house on the side of Red Street, Kai and I went there a few times... Wait, why are you, a brat, asking about that place?"

After an unknown amount of time, Miranda was suddenly awakened by excruciating pain and sat up abruptly!

"Hey, hey, Mira, it's okay, lie down, it'll be over soon..."

The girl in front of her held scissors in one hand and pressed down on the convulsing Miranda with the other, making her lie back on the ground.

"Hilary?"

Miranda lay on the ground, groggily regaining her senses, and was immediately shocked to find that they were still in the tunnel.

"No...no...run...the assassin is still here..."

Hilly easily pressed down on Miranda's weak and powerless hand, while his other hand continued to move.

"Don't worry, I lured him away, he's busy now..."

They lured them away?
Miranda was still uneasy and struggled to speak:
“No, Hilay, listen to me…he’s an Extreme Assassin…”

Hila didn't care. She roughly cut open the drawstrings of the other person's armor with scissors and pulled a bottle out of her bag:
"An extreme assassin? I could crush such a small fry with a single finger. If it weren't for the fact that I used up too much energy saving your prince last time... and needed to disinfect, it might have hurt a bit..."

"Don't worry about me, it's not safe here, let's go—hiss—ah—"

An unknown medicine was poured onto the wound, burning like wildfire, causing Miranda to gasp and hiss in pain, convulsing and spasming.

But Hilly held her shoulders firmly, preventing her from struggling:

"I told you it would hurt a little..."

Miranda gritted her teeth and looked at the fatal wound in her chest and abdomen, but Hilly covered her eyes with her hand and pressed her back to the ground.

"Don't look... what's so interesting about all that blood and gore... come on, take a deep breath..."

Miranda gasped for breath, smelling a strange, burning aroma, as if Hilly had lit something—was she planning to use the fire to disinfect and stop the bleeding?
but……

"it's useless……"

Miranda was barely breathing.
"That cut was too deep... my internal organs... I'm not going to make it... get out of here before he finds out..."

"I told you he's busy and won't be back for a while..."

Hilly didn't even look up, and Miranda could only hear the muffled sound of scissors and tweezers coming from her chest and abdomen.

"As for you, you only have a hole in your stomach. I've seen this kind of thing many times before..."

A hole in the stomach?

Have you seen this kind of scene many times?

What nonsense is this girl spouting?
Miranda, in a daze, endured the pain and urged in a hoarse voice:

"No, don't worry about me, you should hide..."

But Hillary was engrossed in working with the scissors and tweezers, completely unconcerned.
"Don't worry, I've checked. It's not a vital spot, the bleeding has stopped, and it won't even affect your ability to wield your sword..."

Not a vital point? Are you kidding me?

Having spent so many years on the battlefield, how could this excruciating pain, this bleeding, this location, and this body that is almost unable to move... possibly not be a vital point that could be fatal...?

Miranda's face, which had been contorted in pain, slowly relaxed.

She then noticed a rustling, unfamiliar sound coming from her chest and abdomen.

Perhaps it was an illusion, or perhaps the intense pain from the disinfection had taken over, but Miranda, her consciousness blurred, stared at the dim ceiling and listened to Hilly's words, which were neither mocking nor comforting, and felt that the pain in her internal organs had lessened considerably.

She wanted to look at the wound, but Hilly pushed her face away.

"Don't look... it's being bandaged... if you look, it won't work... sit up..."

Hilly unrolled a bandage, wrapped it around Miranda's waist, and murmured to himself.

“My skills aren’t as good as Chadvi’s. I’ll just sew it up a bit for now, and we can do it again when we get back… Anyway, you have quite a few scars on your body, so you probably won’t mind having another one…”

The other party's actions were very rough, even more so than the military doctors in the Broken Dragon Fortress, causing her great suffering.

Unfortunately, Miranda was severely injured and weak at the moment, her consciousness was scattered, and she could only let Hilly do as she pleased, powerless to resist.

Forget it.

It's useless to say it.

Hilla won't leave.

Miranda thought helplessly and desperately.

She couldn't sway the young lady's decision.

"Your...hand."

The female swordsman spoke weakly.

"what?"

Hilly, who was bandaging her wound, paused upon hearing this.

Miranda looked at the other person's hand, which was resting on her shoulder because of the bandage being pulled.

Sometime later, Hilly's gloves were gone.

At this moment, what appeared before Miranda was a pair of deformed hands, dark brown in color and covered with pitted and burned scars.

On one palm, six fingers are irregularly squeezed together.

The other hand even has seven blades.

It is visually extremely disturbing.

At that moment, Hillary seemed to be burned, and she shrank back abruptly!
"Oh, this? It's about my hand..."

Hilly gritted her teeth and wrapped another bandage around Miranda's waist, but with a bit too much force, causing Miranda to gasp for breath.

"I had a disease when I was little, a congenital illness, there was no cure, I could only..."

"Me too," Miranda said weakly.

"What?" Hilly's eyes flickered.

"I got frostbite when I was very young, and it can't be cured," the female swordsman turned to look at her hands, staring at the black gloves on them, and said numbly, "I can only wear gloves to prevent further damage."

Hilly's hand trembled.

"Ah, a gift of fate," Miranda murmured on her deathbed.

Hide, Mila, hide well, don't let Mommy find you, don't let anyone find you...

"Do not."

Hilly tightened her grip, pulling the bandage so hard that Miranda hissed again, snapping her out of her daze.

"It's not to 'prevent' harm."

Hilly spoke coldly, startling Miranda:
"We wear gloves, for no other reason than..."

Hilly wrapped the last bandage tightly and helped Miranda pull up her armor.

"It is precisely so that we can better withstand harm—more harm, worse harm, more painful harm."

Not just in the past.

Even further into the future.

For the rest of my life.

Miranda's expression changed slightly, and her breathing became erratic.

"Alright, stand up, let's go."

what?
Stand up?
Miranda was still lost in the conversation when Hilly grabbed her wrist and tried to pull her up from the ground.

"Wait, Hilla... I can't stand here..."

But the next second, before Miranda could react in pain, Hilly's eyes glazed over, his body swayed, and he collapsed to the ground!
"Hilai!"

Startled, Miranda quickly got up and helped the other person up.

"What happened to you? Are you hurt?"

Hilly was pale, drenched in cold sweat, clutching her lower abdomen with one hand, gasping for breath.

"It's nothing, just menstrual cramps..."

Miranda was taken aback by what she heard.

Hilly took a deep breath, and with Miranda's help, sat down against the wall. He shakily pulled a bottle of medicine from his bag and drank it down in one gulp.

"What, haven't you ever felt pain?"

"I didn't... I heard the old women talk about it."

Hilaire was taken aback by what he said, then smirked:
"The sunset is really unfair—are you all right now?"

Miranda was startled by what she heard, but quickly realized what she meant:

Without realizing it, she stood up.

Miranda stared blankly down, but could only see the newly wrapped bandages under her armor and the strong smell of medicine—or perhaps alcohol.

The female swordsman reached out and touched her wound, then took a deep breath.

The bleeding stopped, leaving only a faint feeling of numbness.

There was no pain as expected.

It doesn't even affect the operation.

Even the blood seeping from her mouth—Miranda casually spitting out a mouthful of blood—stopped.

What, what's going on?

A severe injury that has just penetrated deep into the internal organs...

Miranda touched the bandaged area in surprise, tentatively picked up her sword, and twirled it.

The movements were fluid, the posture was standard, and the pain was not noticeable.
It's like... like I've never been hurt.

Could it be that I misjudged the extent of the injury, and the assassin really didn't hit any vital organs?
Seeing Miranda's puzzled expression, Hilly put on her gloves, and with a weak smile on her sickly face:

"See? What did I tell you? That assassin was too incompetent... He couldn't even hit a vital spot..."

Before she could finish speaking, Miranda felt the rhythm of the Pegasus Symphony within her change.

Something flew out of the darkness and landed right in front of them!

Boom!
Miranda reacted quickly, shielding Hilly behind her, but when she saw what was smashed on the ground, she was taken aback:
It was a section of... a human hand, covered in cracks?
The fingers were still moving on the ground.

It was incredibly bizarre.

“That’s…Queen Ghost Hand.” Hillay looked at the thing on the ground, her face pale.

"Ghost Hand...what is that?" Miranda asked, bewildered.

Before she could even exclaim or be surprised, another muffled thud rang out, and Miranda turned around abruptly, sword tip pointing forward!

A sphere rolled out of the darkness and rolled all the way to Miranda's feet, where Miranda stepped on it.

Miranda's eyes widened in shock:
It was a flat, shriveled head, without eyes or a nose... a human head?
“It’s ‘Faceless Kirk’,” Hilla murmured, looking at the mangled fake head on the ground, with only its mouth twitching. “This is bad, he saw through it.”

"see through?"

Miranda suppressed the strange feeling and kicked away the limp dummy head at her feet.

But before she could even process what a Faceless Kirk was, the grotesque assassin's unique, hoarse voice echoed from every corner of the tunnel:

"Well done, girl."

Both of them felt a chill run down their spines.

Miranda's expression was even more solemn, her longsword pointed directly at the darkness before her, ready for battle.

"As for you, swordsman..."

In the dimly lit and complex tunnel, the assassin paused, his tone rising slightly:

"you are still alive?"

Alive.

But it's just existing.

After narrowly escaping death, Miranda's worries only increased as she faced the enemy for the second time.

In their first encounter, Hillay hid beforehand and attacked with all his might without any worries, yet he still suffered a crushing defeat.

As for now...

“Run, Hilla,” Miranda glanced at Hilla behind her, “I forced him to show himself…run as far as you can, hide as deep as you can—”

"I'm afraid not."

Hilaire spoke weakly, leaning against the wall and slowly sliding down to sit:

"I... have menstrual cramps, I can't run."

Miranda frowned and turned around:
"what?"

Hilly gave her a pale smile.

Even someone as battle-hardened and knowledgeable as Miranda remained silent for a long while before finally sighing:

"You should have hidden yourself, you shouldn't have come back to save me."

Hilla gave a weak, cold laugh:

"Yes, you regret it?"

Miranda didn't speak, but gripped her sword with utmost seriousness and turned towards the endless darkness before her.

The more Miranda observed her surroundings, the more serious and tense she became.

The second encounter with the Extreme Assassin.

Even with her first experience, how long could she hold on?
[Once you survive your first encounter with the Extreme Assassin, you'll have your chance.]

Teacher Château's voice rang out again:
But don't get me wrong, the opportunity I'm talking about isn't some 'brilliant counterattack' or 'sudden surprise attack'...

The tunnel remained quiet.

There was not a trace of the assassin.

But she knew—Miranda gritted her teeth:

The enemy can hide anywhere and appear from anywhere.

When facing an extreme assassin, your best and safest chance of survival is to turn and run.

Thank you, Ms. Chátil.

Miranda sneered inwardly:
Your advice is as useful as ever.

As always, it hit the nail on the head and was absolutely correct.

As always, it is conducive to... inspiring students' independent innovation ability.

“Listen, Mira, I know you can’t see him, so you’re at a disadvantage in every way…”

Hilly's face was pale; she pressed her hand to her palm, panting heavily.

"But actually you can't see him, you just don't have time to see him."

Miranda was taken aback:
"What? Too late to see it? What do you mean?"

“Someone told me, but I don’t know the specifics… but wait, don’t resist, just accept it.” Hilly took a painful breath and reached out to grab Mira’s arm.

"Accept what?"

“A pair of eyes,” Hilly took a deep breath behind Miranda and closed his eyes, “a pair of eyes that can see.”

"Eyes?" Miranda was completely confused.

Visible eyes?

Is this girl delirious with pain? What nonsense is she spouting?
But a second later, Miranda felt Hilly's palm suddenly become hot, burning like fire!
"His-"

Miranda hissed in pain and instinctively pulled her hand away.

But at that moment, the Pegasus Melody sounded mournfully, and a vast killing intent surged in from all directions!

Not good.

The assassin has arrived.

Miranda was startled:
In that very moment of distraction...

The next second, Miranda was completely focused, forgetting the burning pain in her arm, the crushing defeat a moment earlier, the difference in strength, and even the weak and fallen Hilly behind her. She thrust out a tricky and precise sword in the direction of the Pegasus Symphony's revelation!
call out!
A flash of sword light and a gust of wind from the blade stung a lock of hair on Miranda's forehead.

As expected, the attack missed its target.

Miranda sheathed her sword, turned around, steadied herself, and stood ready for battle.

There was still no one in front of me.

Based on the experience from last time, the enemy's second attack will be an even more difficult-to-defend killing move—hmm?

In that instant, Miranda's pupils trembled!
The next moment, she quickly sidestepped and took a counter-attack stance in another direction.

Unexpectedly, as if Miranda's actions foreshadowed something, just a fraction of a second later, the assassin appeared from this direction, the blade flashing and accompanied by a strong wind, tangling with her sword!
"clang!"

The crisp sound of metal clashing rang out. At a perfect moment that even she could hardly believe, Miranda skillfully parried the enemy's fierce attack, and even managed to counterattack with ease, parrying and striking in her most familiar and comfortable rhythm!
In contrast, the Extreme Assassin was at a disadvantage the moment he was caught off guard, but he was extremely decisive. He immediately abandoned his attack and even his defense, and retreated without hesitation, not giving Miranda a chance to pursue or even engage in a prolonged fight.

"laugh!"

The eagle slashed open a piece of the enemy's clothing, drawing blood.

As expected—Miranda confirmed once again—the assassin's strange knife was not good for defense.

In a fleeting moment, swift as a rabbit and a falcon, the assassin vanished once more.

Miranda was left alone, staring in shock at the crimson stain on her sword.

She did it.

Having landed a successful blow, Miranda looked up in disbelief.

No.

To be precise...

She "saw" it.

(End of this chapter)