Kingdom Bloodline

Chapter 771 Boss
Miranda took a deep breath and opened her eyes in a different way:

Just around the corner to her left, an Extreme Assassin wielding a strange sword stretched out his limbs like a gecko, clinging to the ceiling and the vertical wall, looking down from above.

She was separated from him by only a wall.

but……

Miranda blinked in surprise, staring at the darkness that should have been impenetrable and the "through-the-wall" view that she shouldn't have seen around the corner.

This is……

Miranda blinked and swallowed hard.

Terrorblade was right, the Kevin Deer girl... is very shrewd.

A soft crackling sound came from the inextinguishable lamp not far away.

Almost simultaneously, the Extreme Assassin, separated by a wall, sprang into action, flashing past the edge of the field of vision before disappearing into the ruins of the tunnel to the right.

Miranda was startled.

“Look closely, especially in those places you couldn’t see before,” Hilly’s voice came from behind me, slightly out of breath, labored and tired, as if he were enduring pain, “look at how he moves.”

Miranda frowned slightly.

But before she could think further, in that brief moment of distraction from that one sentence, Miranda realized:

The assassin is no longer in the same spot.

"This assassin is a professional. He's adept at blending into his surroundings, disappearing into your blind spots, and he knows how to create disturbances to distract you..."

Hilly's voice was much calmer:

"Still motionless when the target is focused, then shift position the moment the target's attention wavers, inching closer and closer to the target's most vulnerable and obscure location... By the time you realize what's happening, it's too late—he can reach out and slit your throat."

In that instant, Miranda listened to Hilla's explanation and, using her "wall-penetrating" vision to observe the assassin's movements, suddenly understood something.

As Hilla said, this assassin was extremely adept at hiding in all forms of cover—blind spots, darkness, blind spots, and even camouflage—only moving when Miranda's gaze wandered or her attention was diverted, and only lurking and pausing when she was carefully searching and observing.

Strangely, once he stops and remains still, his aura, vitality, and even visual differences in form naturally blur and detach from the observer's senses, almost blending into the environment.

Even when it's right in front of you, it can go unnoticed by anyone who glances at it.

In just a few seconds and a few quick movements, the assassin, taking advantage of Miranda's momentary distraction and two shifts in gaze, stealthily approached her to the left front, only a few steps away, and silently sank into the sewage ditch, quietly lying prone.

Miranda was horrified by what she saw.

This is the secret to the invincible assassin wielding the strange blade.

“So I said, it’s not that you can’t see him, it’s that you ‘don’t have time’ to see him…” Hilla said quietly.

With her "seeing" eyes, Miranda stared intently at the Extreme Assassin, who was lying in the ditch, thinking he was hiding well. She took a deep breath and gripped her longsword tightly.

“You are not Hilla.”

Miranda's tone changed, and she coldly addressed "Hilal" behind her:

"who are you?"

This time, Hilla did not answer.

Damn.

Miranda frowned: she knew there was something wrong with these so-called "visible eyes"...

Mira... are you alright?

Hilly's voice rang out again, making Miranda's eyes flicker.

But this time, she was panting heavily, her breath barely audible.

“I’ve used up too much these past few days, and the offerings aren’t enough. In a few more minutes… that might be the limit of my ‘eyes’,” Hillai said with difficulty, his voice broken. “Quickly… finish this quickly.”

After saying that, Hilly leaned against the wall and lost consciousness.

I knew it.

Miranda's heart sank. She suppressed the urge to sigh and focused on being vigilant against the enemy.

Is there any power in this world that comes without a price?
But for some reason, Miranda had a premonition:
This weak and listless one is the real Hilla.

But in that brief moment of distraction, Miranda suddenly realized something was amiss:
The assassin is no longer in the sewer.

Damn!

Miranda quickly raised her sword.

This guy is really... you can't underestimate him at all.

Fortunately, this time, she had Hillary's "eyes".

She can see.

Miranda turned her sword and pointed it at the void.

The next second, as if to confirm her action, the Pegasus Melody sounded an urgent alarm, and murderous intent filled the darkness!
The flash of a knife and the appearance of a figure emerged from the blind spot.

Miranda, who was well-prepared, focused intently, waiting for the enemy to step into the trap before launching a full-scale counterattack—hmm?

Miranda's pupils flickered:
This time, the assassin did not make a move.

His figure flashed before her eyes and then disappeared from sight.

Like a wave crashing against a cliff, only to find towering rocky cliffs before it, it rolls back and waits for the next giant wave.

All that remained was Miranda's trap sword technique, which had never worked.

What's going on—Miranda is shocked—is this another feint?
But she didn't remain puzzled for long.

"you."

The assassin's voice came from the darkness, ethereal and hoarse, as always, yet with absolute certainty:

"You can see me."

Miranda frowned.

But what shocked her even more was that as soon as she finished speaking, the masked assassin revealed himself and walked out from around the corner without any hesitation, into the light of the ever-burning lamp!

They arrived before Miranda, who was on high alert.

“You cheated,” the assassin in front of him said nonchalantly, touching the spot on his thigh where Miranda had slashed him. “Didn’t you?”

Cheating……

No way?
Miranda figured something out, it's unbelievable:

From the moment we met until now, through one exchange and one test, this extreme assassin has seen through... her new trump card?

“This skill of concealing one’s tracks,” Miranda gritted her teeth, “you are… the Shield of Shadows?”

As expected, the other party did not respond.

“You should have died quietly, but you didn’t…you even became stronger,” the assassin probed her trump card in return, “Is it the Miracle lineage of the Tower of Ending? Or…the Sin of the River of Hell?”

Miracle my foot!

Miranda gritted her teeth.

hateful.

Miranda was on edge, under immense pressure.

The opponent no longer concealed their presence and voluntarily gave up their most feared trump card, which should have been a good thing.

but why……

Miranda stared at the enemy's strangely curved blade, her movements exaggerated, and pondered deeply.

Why can't she feel completely relaxed?
"Whatever," the Extreme Assassin shrugged. "Let's go then?"

The next second, before Miranda could reply, the assassin in front of her charged at unimaginable speed, wielding his knife and attacking, arriving in front of her in an instant!
Damn!

Impartial and unbiased, neither dodging nor hiding, a head-on attack?
Is this still an assassin?

Miranda had no time to think; he could only clear his mind, step forward, and swing his sword to meet the attack to the rhythm of the Pegasus Symphony.

Besides, with the curvature of that strange knife, it would be impossible to defend against it in a head-on confrontation—what's going on?
Just as the swords were about to clash, Miranda was astonished to see the assassin leap up, his body twisting in a bizarre arc that no human could imagine, barely grazing the blade of Eagle Soar's sword, the strange blade aimed straight for her face!

Worse!

Miranda roared, and the Pegasus Symphony began to play. At the critical moment, she swerved her sword to parry the curved blade.

But the swords did not clash as she had expected.

Instead, the assassin twisted his body in mid-air, narrowly avoiding the blade once again!

"laugh!"

Two figures passed each other.

Miranda staggered back two steps, bracing herself with her sword, her right leg bleeding profusely.

No.

The female swordswoman looked at the newly added wound and stared incredulously at the assassin before her—he had turned his blade, already preparing for the next strike.

Only dodging and not defending, only attacking and not protecting...

No, this is not the kind of movement and swordsmanship a normal person should have.

That attack just now reminded her of the first time she encountered her opponent, and that breathtaking leap that left her critically injured and on the verge of death.

Miranda glanced at Hilly, who had already fainted behind her, gritted her teeth, forced herself to stand up, and raised her sword.

hateful.

Even if it forces an assassin to abandon stealth and face the enemy head-on...

Is the gap between her and a master of the highest level still so large?
Is it really as Professor Shatil said, that the best opportunity when facing an Extreme Assassin is to turn around and run?

Miranda's eyes flickered.

Wait, what about the second best opportunity...?

Did you know that, taking the Dust Realm lineage as an example, they have the fewest members among the Eight Ending Lineages, even fewer than the Sinful Sorrow lineage, which is known for producing masochists?

Teacher Chatur's words echoed in my ears:

So, Mira, remember this: our biggest advantage against assassins is—outnumber of us.

It was indeed Châtil's suggestion.

As always, full of optimism—damn!

Before Miranda could finish recalling the words of the stern and ruthless Pegasus lineage's ultimate inheritor, the strange-sword assassin in front of her once again closed in from the front!

Damn!

Miranda, despite her injured leg, had no choice but to grit her teeth and swing her sword again to meet the attack.

"Ding!"

Unexpectedly, this time, her sword actually parried the enemy's strange blade.

But Miranda immediately realized: the force on the sword was wrong.

The next second, the assassin did not leap up as before, but instead rolled forward, his head just barely grazing Miranda's sword, while the blade went straight for her injured leg that was a beat too slow!

hateful!

As expected of an assassin, this guy is too good at taking advantage of weaknesses.

Miranda was furious and shocked, but could only roll on the ground in the same sorry state!
"Shh!"

Miranda felt a chill run down her back and knew she was injured again.

How long can she withstand such an unusual, risky, and fiercely unreasonable attack?

One round? Two rounds? Three rounds?
In other words, when facing an extreme assassin, besides turning and running, your second best, second safest chance of survival is...

Ms. Chaltier turned around in her memory, her gaze piercing, imposing, and dashing:

[Call for backup!]

[A group fight!]

[Group buy open!]

Châtil, I love you, really.

But please, take your bullshit "experience and advice" with you and shut the hell up!
Miranda gritted her teeth, made up her mind, stood up, turned around and swung her sword to expand the range of her attack. The blade drew an unimaginable arc in the air!
But her counterattack failed again. The pursuing assassin veered in an arc that no ordinary person could do, narrowly avoiding the eagle's sword wind, and slipped into the gaps in her sword moves.

Miranda felt a chill run down her spine.

"laugh!"

She was stabbed in the right arm, and the longsword slipped from her hand.

Miranda stumbled backward, reaching out at the last moment to brace herself against her opponent's right shoulder and arm, but to no avail.
Before she knew it, the curved blade was already pressed against her neck.

Feeling the cold, sharp edge on her neck, Miranda desperately pushed away the other person's right arm, her face turning deathly pale.

She lost.

the second time.

Fiasco.

The Extreme Assassin chuckled softly.

"Remember, in the next life..."

The owner of the strange knife twisted his wrist, forcing Miranda to raise her neck due to the blade's sharpness.

"Don't go up against assassins."

Especially... assassins from the extreme realm.

“Yes,” Miranda said dejectedly, having lost her weapon. “You’re right.”

That's so damn right.

The Assassin's eyes were indifferent.

Just now.

Boom!
A strange, muffled sound.

But before the two could react, alarms suddenly went off in the tunnel!

"Ring ring ring ring—"

The grotesque assassin frowned and turned around instantly.

Not far away, at the dungeon entrance, an alarm bell on a shelf was vibrating back and forth, its sound echoing throughout the tunnel.

Beneath the shelf, Miranda's ancient sword "Eagle Soaring" had barely touched the ground and was still swaying incessantly.

The assassin's pupils contracted sharply!
"The alarm bell, the Star Lake Guard's special version. The pull cord is a trick; it actually goes off with a tap or a slam," Miranda said in a low voice, pressing hard against the other man's right arm and looking at the blade against his neck. "If we don't intervene, its mechanical mechanism will keep ringing..."

Before she could finish speaking, the Extreme Assassin flicked his left hand, and a hidden weapon flew out from his waist, hitting the alarm bell squarely!
boom!
The alarm bell flew into the air, crashed into the wall, and landed deformed.

The shrill ringing stopped abruptly.

The tunnel returned to silence.

“Okay,” Miranda sighed, “that will do.”

The assassin turned his head, his gaze fixed on Miranda with icy coldness.

“You did it on purpose,” he hissed. “Whether it was choosing your fighting position or discarding your weapons, it was all to sound the alarm.”

Miranda looked at the enemy silently and smiled.

“You attacked me the first time when I was about to sound the alarm,” Miranda said softly, “so I guess: our outer outposts are still there, and you don’t want to alert them.”

Indeed, this assassin was highly skilled and daring, sneaking in alone, taking down the dungeon guards, and letting King Losang II escape, but he did not remove the outer sentries—that was not worthwhile, as it would be time-consuming, laborious, and risky.

Miranda squinted:
"But now, they have been alerted. Within minutes, Prince Thales' royal guards will arrive in droves and surround the place—the leader of the 'Terror Blade' is unfathomably powerful; even King Losang II fell at his hands, and even if you were to face him, the outcome would be a 50/50 chance."

The assassin's gaze was lifeless as he coldly stared at her, neither making a move nor uttering a word.

[Regarding calling for reinforcements... I mean, calling for help, stirring up trouble—even bystanders who are just watching the show will do.]

Inside the Tower of Finale, Teacher Shatil opened her eyes, her gaze sharp and captivating:

[It should be understood that no matter how skilled an assassin is, if the environment they need to deal with becomes even slightly more complex, or if they need to consider even just one more variable target... then the difficulty of their operation and the price they will have to pay will increase dramatically.]

You need to make them understand: if they take action, they will make the whole world their enemy, and every time they do, they will suffer greatly.

Then look at these lurking assassins, these cowardly insects, these extremely narrow-minded rats...

How many layers of skin are there to shed?!

Memories fade, celestial music flows freely, grasp the rhythm that reappears in the senses.

Her own melody began to play.

Do you know, Ms. Chaltier?

Miranda curled her lips into a smile:
I love you to death.

“Now, you can kill me and then kidnap Ms. Kevin Deer behind me.”

The assassin's eyes flickered as he looked at Hilla, who was lying on the ground.

Ignoring the blade at her neck, Miranda pressed firmly on her opponent's shoulder and arm:
“But even if I die, I will not let go. I will hold you tightly, slow down your movements, and waste your time. Plus, you have to take hostages with you... You know how difficult this tunnel is to traverse. Before you escape to the surface, you will be surrounded by Terrorblade and his henchmen.”

The Extreme Assassin frowned.

“Or, you let me go, and I'll let you go,” Miranda changed the subject. “You've saved time, shed a burden, and with your extreme stealth skills, you're more than capable of escaping before the encirclement is complete—you've already let Lausanne II go, so it's not like you've returned empty-handed.”

Miranda's eyes sharpened:
"How about it?"

The assassin didn't speak, but just stared at her intently.

Miranda took a deep breath:

"No rush, take your time to think it over—the alarm has already sounded, time is on my side."

The grotesque assassin's gaze turned cold.

“Or,” the assassin hissed, “I might pretend to let you go, then kill you when you’re not looking, and then kill the Kevin Deer girl, saving a lot of time, and leave alone before your men arrive.”

“You won’t kill Hilla,” Miranda said firmly, “because that would go against your employer’s wishes.”

"Are you so sure?"

"Yes, otherwise you would have taken action as soon as you turned off the alarm, instead of wasting time talking to me like this."

The assassin's expression changed.

"What if I don't have an employer?"

No employer...

"So you came here for..."

Miranda frowned, glanced at the environment of the ghoul tunnel, and took a deep breath:

"...Digging manure?"

The assassin's eyes flashed coldly!
But at that moment, the Extreme Assassin suddenly turned his head and looked at the other side of the tunnel!
Seeing his reaction, Miranda immediately perked up.

But the masked assassin laughed hissingly.

"On a."

Miranda looked puzzled.

The assassin glanced at Miranda beneath the blade:

"Interesting. After all this time, the reinforcements you placed so much hope in this tunnel..."

The Assassin's gaze was playful:

"Only one came?"

Miranda's heart sank.

Outposts on the perimeter...

“Perhaps,” the female swordsman said, gazing at the other side of the tunnel, unwilling to back down, “the strongest one is coming?”

No way.

Miranda's thoughts sank.

Although his previous act of single-handedly covering the rear and setting up an ambush to kill King Lobsang II was quite courageous...

But surely Marius won't come alone?

“Then guess how many seconds it will take me to kill you, and then the ‘strongest one’,” the assassin sneered, his blade suddenly tightening as he forced Miranda to step aside and block the suspicious tunnel for him.

Miranda was forced to look up by the tightening blade, and a chill ran through her when she heard this.

"Wait!!! Stop!!!"

Just then, accompanied by the sound of hurried footsteps, a youthful voice that Miranda had recently become all too familiar with rang out in the tunnel:

"old man!"

In that instant, Miranda, who was so close to him, felt the blade on her neck stop.

"Old man—stop!"

The assassin slowly turned his head.

A boy carrying an inextinguishable lamp suddenly rushed out from around the corner, stopping just in time to face them, looking quite disheveled.

Miranda, whose back was to the passageway, was startled by the boy's voice, then spoke up loudly—not only out of respect, but also to remind her opponent:
"Your Highness!"

Sure enough, the assassin's eyes changed instantly!

Ha, ha, ha—finally, finally, I made it!

Thales wiped his sweat, threw down the inextinguishable lamp, bent over and pressed his knees, panting heavily, even the Sin of the River of Hell was stirred up and churned violently.

He gritted his teeth, looking at Miranda who was being coerced and held hostage. He tried to speak several times, but had to give up because he couldn't catch his breath. He bowed and waved his hand to apologize.

hateful.

Miranda couldn't see Thales's face, but hearing his disheveled, panting breaths, she sighed with a mixture of helplessness and irony.

That's right.

He really is... the strongest one.

Where are the others? Where are the terrifying blades? Where are the masters of imperial martial arts in the royal guard?
"you……"

The assassin held Miranda hostage with a knife, carefully hiding behind her head, revealing only a pair of cold eyes that stared intently at the panting boy.

"What...did you just call me?"

"I...I called you..."

Thales took several deep breaths, finally catching his breath, before straightening up with a broad smile:
"I call you old man... Oh no! No, no, no! That's what other people call you behind your back, I've never called you that... I mean, I call you boss, boss! Yes, boss! Big boss!"

Boss—what?
What are you doing?
Miranda frowned, finding it hard to understand the prince's negotiating rhetoric.

But unexpectedly, Miranda suddenly felt the person holding her hostage catch their breath.

The assassin remained silent.

He just stared intently at Thales.

"Yes, I know who you are."

Thales finally caught his breath and looked at the weapon in front of Miranda's neck with a complex yet relieved expression.

His gaze passed over the back of Miranda's head, meeting the assassin's eyes silently.

"You are one of the most legendary assassins in the kingdom, on par with Black Sword and Prison Scythe, one of the Black Street Brotherhood's top assassins..."

Miranda's eyes flickered slightly.

Thales grinned as he looked at the strange, inverted-curve knife:
Code name: Reverse Curved Blade.

Extreme Assassin - Reverse Blade snorted coldly, quite disdainful.

But Thales hadn't finished speaking.

"But you were also once the owner of Sunset Bar in the underground street of Yongxing City's lower district, nicknamed 'Old Guy'..."

In that instant, Miranda felt the blade against her neck tremble violently!
"She's also Edmund's older sister, and, and, and..."

With a strange emotion, Thales looked back at the wary-looking reverse scimitar, paused for a moment, and then spoke softly:
"Yara's mother."

(End of this chapter)