"Do you really know what you're doing?"
Mirk pressed against the wall with one hand and held his sword with the other. He panted in pain.
Between his ribs, there was a cut on his robe, and blood was seeping out.
"Believe me, father." In front of him, Kroesch shook off the blood on her sword with a cold expression. "I know what I'm doing more than any other time in the past twenty years."
Mirk clenched his teeth and pressed on his wound, frowning.
After all, he was old and no longer a White Blade Guard.
His swordsmanship was rusty, his hands were sluggish, and his body was always half a beat slower.
And he did not have a suitable weapon …
Mirk slowly moved away from the wall and sighed.
He held the hilt of his sword and used the back of the sword to protect his forearm. He bent down and made a conservative counterattack.
"Your mother wouldn't want to see us fight."
The swordswoman's expression changed.
Kroesch's expression was complicated and subtle. She seemed to be smiling, and the hand holding her sword trembled slightly.
"It's good that you still remember her." Kroesch's voice was laced with anger. "Of course, to her, her man, her husband, is everything …
"How can we do anything that's disadvantageous to you?"
As soon as she finished speaking, Kroesch stepped forward. Her longsword was like a venomous snake, mercilessly piercing through the air!
Mirk instinctively raised his hand and pushed the tip of the sword away from his head.
"I know I'm not a good father, and I know you're very competitive. But if this is revenge …" Mirk blocked the tip of Kroesch's sword and gritted his teeth. "It's not worth it."
Kroesch seemed to have heard the funniest joke. She snorted and said softly, "Don't be too arrogant, father. You're not that important."
The next moment, Kroesch slashed down with her sword without hesitation, aiming for Mirk's thigh!
Mirk took a step back with difficulty, only to receive another stab at his ribs.
His face, thighs, ribs, and wrists … Kroesch's every attack seemed to have predicted the next attack point. She constantly adjusted Mirk's movements for the effective prelude to the next attack, saving the time, moment, and angle of her sword.
Mirk knew that he had once again fallen into his opponent's rhythm. Unless there was an unexpected change of tactics, he would lose if he continued to defend.
As expected, in the next second, Kroesch's sword cut through Mirk's left shoulder. Blood gushed out!
Mirk rolled to avoid the next strike and retreated five steps away. He was in a sorry state.
Kroesch nodded. What a pity.
Originally, the next sword could have easily gone for the throat.
'Should I say, as expected of the former White Blade Guards?
"Then why?"
Mirk's ferocious face was bathed in blood. He said angrily, "Why did you side with the traitors? Why did you betray your king and the creed of the Northlanders?"
Kroesch looked at her father coldly and shook her head in contempt.
"I have just been promoted to captain of the personal guards by His Grace," she said softly. "Of course, I have to be loyal, do my best, and fulfill my duty."
Mirk narrowed his eyes.
The former King's administrator shook his head.
"Wake up." He sighed slowly, his eyes filled with disappointment as he looked at Kroesch. "Do you think this is because he appreciates you? So, loyalty in return? "
Kroesch subconsciously tightened her grip on the sword.
"Lampard won't let a little girl be the leader of his personal guards for no reason," Mirk said, enunciating each word clearly. "I've been in the palace for too many years, and I understand them too well. What they value is not your ability, but your status and connections — be it me or the Tower of Eradication."
Kroesch's pupils slowly shrank.
Silence.
"Thank you for the reminder, father." Kroesch exhaled, gritted her teeth, and said indignantly,
"Just like in the past."
Mirk frowned.
"In his hands, you are just a rare commodity that happens to be useful in an incident. A tool that can be used, a person that can be exploited for value," Mirk continued. "The so-called captain of the personal guards is just a fake bait."
The swordswoman spread her legs, lowered her waist, and raised the sword to her chest solemnly.
It was as if she was facing the most terrifying enemy.
"Don't sink any further, Kroesch." Mirk shook his head sadly. "Your mother would definitely not want to see —"
"Don't mention her," Kroesch interrupted him firmly. "You are not worthy."
Mirk's face darkened.
But he immediately raised his head.
"What about Madam Adele?"
Kroesch's expression changed.
Mirk's voice was steady and calm, but there was a different kind of sadness in it. "After your mother passed away, the madam brought you by her side, raised you, loved you, and treated you as her own …"
Kroesch lowered her head, hiding her face in the darkness. Her left hand slowly gripped the hilt of her sword.
"She funded and sent you to the Tower of Eradication, not so that you would bleed and die for some suzerain," Mirk continued bleakly. "You would become their tool without knowing it —"
Before he finished speaking, Kroesch suddenly rose and slashed with her sword!
* Clang! *
Mirk pressed his left hand on the back of his saber and blocked the sword.
In front of him, the swordswoman had a crazed expression. She held the sword with both hands, and her strength was stronger than before.
"Adele?"
"She is a good person." Kroesch gritted her teeth and stared at her father. "But she can't even save herself."
Mirk, who was wrestling with his daughter, suddenly felt a pang in his heart.
Mirk also gritted his teeth, and his hands began to tremble.
"So, she sent you to the Tower of Eradication so that you can protect yourself. You don't have to rely on others, and you don't have to be controlled by others. You can live freely and happily," Mirk said painfully. "Away … away from the darkness and misfortune that she faced."
Unexpectedly, when Kroesch heard this, she actually slowly inhaled a breath of air.
At that moment, an expression of mockery and disdain appeared on her face.
"You have never changed, have you, Byrne Mirk?"
Kroesch said calmly and disappointedly, "Just like everyone else."
Mirk was slightly stunned. "What?"
In the next moment, Kroesch suddenly activated her Power of Eradication, and her longsword suddenly loosened!
Just as Mirk felt that his saber had lost its resistance and could not be retracted, Kroesch's sword twisted around his saber and miraculously returned to its original position, going straight for his throat.
But at that moment, a gleaming longsword appeared from behind Mirk!
It hit the spine of Kroesch's sword.
* Ding! *
Mirk only heard a light ring beside his ear. The tip of Kroesch's sword brushed past his left ear, and he felt a chill.
The longsword did not stop. Instead, it continued to attack, going straight for Kroesch's wrist!
Kroesch immediately withdrew her sword and took a few steps back to avoid the longsword's attack.
The three of them distanced themselves from each other.
Mirk looked behind him in shock and bewilderment.
"You?" he asked with difficulty.
Kroesch's eyes were burning with anger as she stared at the new troublemaker.
The newcomer twirled her sword and spoke softly.
"Let's go." Miranda Arunde stood beside Mirk with a solemn expression. "You go and help the others. There aren't many enemies, but they are spread out and are trying to stop us."
Miranda stared at Kroesch. "Let me deal with her."
Kroesch laughed coldly.
Mirk looked at his daughter and then at Miranda. He seemed to be struggling. "I —"
Miranda interrupted him.
"You can't make up your mind, and you can't make an enemy out of your own daughter," she said flatly, her eyes fixed on Kroesch's face. "Staying here will only make the situation worse."
"Then let me do it."
Mirk was stunned.
He looked at his daughter, but Kroesch had no intention of paying attention to him. She only stared at Miranda.
In the end, Mirk sighed deeply and turned to leave.
Mirk's figure was getting further and further away.
Miranda took a step forward.
Kroesch also walked towards her.
The two swordswomen looked at each other in silence.
"You've changed a lot. Both of you." Miranda broke the silence. She softly called her friend's nickname. "Kroesch."
Kroesch's expression changed slightly.
"You and Raphael."
Kroesch quietly looked at her friend from the same generation.
"Not everyone is as unchanging as Cohen." After a long while, Kroesch finally smiled. "Mira."
Miranda shook her head.
"You're wrong."
"Cohen used to be very cheerful and optimistic," Miranda said flatly. "But he was not as deliberate and exaggerated as he is now."
Kroesch was stunned.
Miranda continued in a low voice, "He's also changed. He tries to hide and deny some things he doesn't want to face with that heartless smile of his."
Miranda looked up.
"And you, Kroesch?" The girl from the Arunde Family looked into her friend's eyes solemnly. "What are you hiding and denying?"
Both of them stopped at the same time. If they took another step forward, they would be in attack range.
Kroesch did not answer.
"Or let me ask you in a different way." Miranda's expression was calm. "Why are you working for Lampard?"
"Don't tell me about 'honor', 'loyalty', 'reward', and 'ambition'." Before Kroesch could speak, Miranda shook her head decisively. "From what I know, these things are not enough to make you betray your friends, your beliefs, and your pride as a Northlander."
Kroesch looked at her old friend with a complicated expression.
A few seconds later, the Eckstedtian girl sneered. "This is not the right way to ask a question."
Miranda raised her eyebrows.
She glanced at Kroesch's left wrist. It was bandaged with the wound she made.
Her own abdomen, where Kroesch had injured her, was still aching faintly.
"Very well." Miranda chuckled. "Then let's talk."
In front of Kroesch, Miranda's expression turned solemn. She flung her longsword away, and a cold light shone in her eyes.
"Use the swordsman's method."
— —
A strange rustling sound was heard.
"Demon's flesh." Kaslan frowned and looked at Raphael, who was struggling to get up from the ground. His gaze stopped on his arms, which were moving about in an uncontrollable manner. "As the legends say, you recover so quickly."
Raphael slowly exhaled and swung his arms. "Are you ready for the next round?"
Kaslan just looked at him quietly.
"It must be uncomfortable, child." After a while, the old man sighed. "There is always a price to pay for sharing a body with limbs that don't belong to you."
Raphael's expression changed.
In the next moment, the young man suddenly moved!
* Clang. *
A metallic sound was heard. The longsword was unsheathed!
It was so fast that it was almost impossible to react.
But Kaslan did not touch his Soul Slayer Pike at all. He let it lean against the wall and watched coldly as the tip of his enemy's sword got closer and closer to his face.
In the next moment, the old man suddenly tilted his head and his body to one side, dodging the trajectory of the incoming sword.
Raphael snorted coldly in his heart.
In that moment, the Power of Eradication in his body and that thing were stimulated at the same time, and an unusual strength and speed burst forth!
In an interval that normal people would not be able to detect, Raphael's muscles and bones groaned in pain as he endured an enormous amount of pressure.
It was also at that moment that Raphael's body speed and strength were raised to the maximum, and he completed an impossible change of direction. The tip of his sword turned sharply!
He wanted to kill Kaslan in one fell swoop while he was dodging.
This was the inspiration he got from Pegasus' Music. He wanted to force his enemy to dodge, then use his unique Power of Eradication and his physical advantage to forcefully change his direction in an instant when it was impossible to change his move, and kill his enemy unexpectedly.
It was simple, direct, and usually very effective.
But in the next second, Kaslan moved his feet slightly with an expressionless face and kicked the Soul Slayer Pike on the wall.
The Soul Slayer Pike shook and slid down.
As it fell, it rotated slowly with two-thirds of the pike as its axis.
Raphael's expression changed drastically!
There was no other reason. The Soul Slayer Pike's blade had fallen right in the path of his change of direction!
Based on this trajectory, Raphael was inexplicably terrified. Before he could kill Kaslan, he would be hit by the pike's blade because he could not stop his momentum.
That was …
The Soul Slayer Pike.
In that instant, Raphael's Power of Eradication, which had already been activated, turned around again and forcefully collided with the thing in his body.
Raphael took two painful steps forward and forcibly stopped his body from changing direction.
Inertia tortured his bones, and Raphael almost spat out a mouthful of blood.
The pike's blade sliced through his sleeve.
But Kaslan's fist was already in front of his chest!
Raphael knew that this was a matter of life and death. The thing in his body cooperated like never before and released energy at all costs.
His right hand swelled up with a strange buzzing sound. His blood vessels bulged, and he blocked Kaslan's fist with all his might.
* Thud! *
But Raphael's expression changed again. Kaslan's fist was as light as a feather and had no strength.
As expected, in the next moment, Kaslan's fist turned into a palm. He grabbed Raphael's sleeve and pushed him in his original direction!
Raphael lost his balance and fell to one side.
What shocked him was that Kaslan had pushed him in the direction where the Soul Slayer Pike had fallen.
The tip of the pike was pointed at him.
Raphael had no support and could not dodge the pike's blade.
The ferocious tip of the Soul Slayer Pike was getting closer and closer to his face.
In that instant, Raphael decisively let go of the longsword in his left hand. The blood vessels in his left arm bulged and turned dark!
He immediately pulled back his left hand and punched the Soul Slayer Pike.
Before the pike's blade could cut through the tip of his nose, he sent the infamous weapon flying!
* Thud! *
Raphael fell to the ground and coughed out another mouthful of blood in pain. But he did not dare to stay. He rolled backward twice in a flustered manner to avoid Kaslan's attack range.
* Clang! *
The Soul Slayer Pike fell to the ground and made a ringing sound.
The sound of metal echoed in the corridor.
Kaslan sighed and shook his head. "I saw your expression. You're probably suffering in pain every moment, feeling their rejection and denial of you."
Drenched in cold sweat, Raphael gritted his teeth and felt the thing in his body rioting. His hands trembled incessantly and the pain pierced his heart.
He stared at Kaslan with his red eyes. His expression was one of disbelief.
'Impossible.
'This time, I don't even have the slightest chance?
'Is it really like what Teacher said …
'Kaslan Lamba … cannot be defeated head-on?'
"You thought that you could control them. You thought that they were just insignificant embellishments to you, insignificant additions.
"But …
"They are like rebellions that will never be quelled," Kaslan continued with a gloomy expression. "When you become weak, when you begin to compromise, they will attack you en masse and devour you."
Kaslan raised his head and kicked the Soul Slayer Pike on the ground.
He thumped his chest twice and coughed. His voice was hoarse and sorrowful. "I tried … Cough, cough … I know.
"When you abandon your pure self, compromise with reality, and accept things that don't belong to you …" Kaslan raised his head in pain. "This is the consequence.
"Sooner or later, you will become an inhuman that even you can't recognize."
The old man watched Raphael struggle and moan on the ground. He said sorrowfully, "I apologize to you on behalf of Shao and the Tower of Eradication, child."
Raphael's expression changed.
"Apologize to me?" He clenched his teeth silently.
"You self-righteous old man." Raphael trembled and forced himself to raise his head. He was drenched in cold sweat, but he could not stop sneering. "What does an ignorant person like you know?"
Kaslan sighed and shook his head.
"I know Shao.
"He is a good person who always wants to bear the consequences of others' mistakes and make up for his mistakes." Kaslan looked at his opponent dejectedly and coughed. "But most of the time, the cruelest decisions are made by good people."
Raphael stared at the old man in a daze.
"Don't worry." Kaslan caught his breath. He pulled up the spearhead and approached Raphael step by step. His tone was apologetic. "You won't have to suffer anymore."
The old man raised the Soul Slayer Pike and aimed it at Raphael on the ground.
At that moment …
* Thud! Thud! Thud! *
Hurried footsteps came from behind Kaslan.
They were getting closer and closer.
* Whoosh! *
What followed was the sound of a sharp blade slicing through the air!
Kaslan's expression was calm. He turned around abruptly and swung his pike rapidly.
* Bang! * The pike hit the wall beside him, and shattered stones flew everywhere.
Kaslan frowned. He did not focus on the enemy. The ambusher had already raised his head and slid to his side, avoiding the Soul Slayer Pike's sweeping radius.
The old man, who had been through hundreds of battles, immediately turned solemn. He quickly retreated and avoided the two gleaming blades on the ground.
After the enemy forced Kaslan to retreat, he did not continue to attack. He half-knelt on the ground and slowly stood up.
Raphael saw the person's face clearly and widened his eyes.
Kaslan also saw the person. The old man's expression was complicated. His throat bobbed.
The person swung the blade in his hand.
"I can tell that you haven't been on the battlefield many times," the person said to Raphael coldly. His blunt words made Raphael unhappy. "You don't even know how to kill.
"Also, you're welcome."
Raphael sighed. Trembling, he supported himself on the ground and stood up.
"Can't you talk nicely?" the young man from the Secret Intelligence Department said unhappily.
The person snorted and turned to face Kaslan.
"Get lost, Barren Bone boy."
Raphael raised his eyebrows. 'Obviously, this guy has no intention of' talking nicely '.'
'Star Killer' Soray Nicholas, the commander of the White Blade Guards who was supposed to be blocking the pursuers at the palace gate, stood proudly in front of Kaslan. His eyes were full of anger and hatred.
"From now on, this is the internal affair of the White Blade Guards."
Kaslan and Nicholas looked at each other.
One was complicated and subtle, while the other was cold and resentful.
It was as if they wanted to see something in each other's eyes.
Raphael picked up his longsword and frowned slightly. "You can handle him alone? This guy is very difficult — "
"That's enough." Nicholas snorted impatiently and interrupted him.
"A lousy old man in his sixties or seventies who will die at any moment." Under Raphael's strange expression, the Star Killer said disdainfully, "Those who would lose to him are probably idiots." (In a corner of Dragon Clouds Palace, a short man wearing a cloak sneezed loudly while biting a drumstick.)
Listening to the other party's deliberate sarcasm, Raphael's frown deepened.
Kaslan watched their interaction and flashed a bitter smile.
'That guy.
He's asking for a beating, as always. '
Raphael coughed.
"My guess is," he reminded Nicholas without batting an eyelid, and at the same time, struck back cleverly, "Before the young and valiant Archduke Poffret duel with the old and frail King Nuven …
"That's what I thought too."
Nicholas turned his head around.
What followed was a murderous glare.
"Alright then." Raphael raised his hands and took two steps back. He raised his eyebrows. "You can continue chatting. I won't disturb you."
The young man from the Secret Intelligence Department disappeared around the corner of the corridor.
Only Kaslan and Nicholas were left in the corridor.
Faint sounds of fighting could be heard.
Nicholas turned around silently and looked at Kaslan.
He opened his mouth, wanting to speak, but in the end, he shut it tightly.
At the same time, Kaslan also wanted to say something, but stopped.
The two commanders of the White Blade Guards confronted each other in this strange and tense atmosphere.
Finally, Nicholas clenched his teeth.
"Long time no see," the Star Killer was the first to speak. There was suppressed anger in his voice.
With great difficulty, he called out a form of address that he had not used for many years.
"Boss."
Nicholas ground his teeth. There was a complicated look in his eyes.
For twenty years, only other people called him that.
He had almost forgotten the time when he called others that.
'Boss.'
Kaslan sighed and lowered his head.
"Yes."
"I was wondering when I would see you again," Kaslan said gently. He also called out a form of address that he had not used for many years. "You're late, Spiky."
Nicholas' expression changed slightly.
He snorted coldly.
"I was delayed for a while in front of the palace gate." Nicholas shook his head. His gaze on Kaslan became increasingly hostile.
"Unfortunately, you can't punish me to run laps anymore."
At that moment, Kaslan stared at Nicholas in front of him. He was a little absent-minded.
It was as if he had returned to the past.
"In front of the palace gate?" The old man moved slightly.
"You blocked those soldiers, didn't you?"
"You used the ability of the Severing Souls Blade …" Kaslan sighed slightly. There was a profound meaning in his words as he said, "You know, 'you can't escape'."
Nicholas nodded slowly.
"Yes." The Star Killer's face was pale and his expression was cold. He also used the name of the Severing Souls Blade's ability to answer him. "'You can't escape'."
Nicholas took a step forward. His expression was as cold as ice. "'Ground Shaker', former captain of King Nuven's personal guards, former commander of the White Blade Guards.
"Sir Kaslan Lampard."
The two of them were silent for a second.
A silent sorrow struck Kaslan's heart.
"Spiky." Kaslan heaved a long sigh. His expression was lonely and sorrowful. "Are you here to question me?"
Nicholas stared at him coldly.
He stared at his former commander.
"No."
The Star Killer said briefly and forcefully,
"That is something that only His Majesty would do."
Kaslan furrowed his brows slightly.
"Don't worry, boss," Nicholas said coldly. There was a mixture of pain and hatred in his eyes. "I'll send you to see him now."
'Thank you for your concern and understanding in the group.
'My fever has subsided, but I'm still coughing. I've been taking medicine for the past few days.
'Resume updating.
'Okay.'
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