KB1 - Chapter XIII – The sound of Knife and Sword (Part 1)

Chapter XIII: The sound of Knife and Sword (Part 1) – Book 1: Heir of the Kingdom


"Damn it!"

In the night full of the sound of murders and plunders, a sudden laugh came continuously.

On a bloody street, the great leader of the Brotherhood, Maurice, was leaning against the door of a grocery store. He gasped and struggled to pull out a knife from his shoulder.

Beside him was a fallen elite member of the Brotherhood, there was the same hilt-less dagger drilled in the back of his head.

Maurice, the boss of human trafficking business, gasped and waved, stopping the assassin Lucas who was about to leap to a roof.

"Don't chase after him! Kex just wants us to be exhausted."

In the distance was the 'Clown of Flying knife' of the Blood Bottle, who flew away on the rooftop and left a trace of laugh behind.

"But if this continues we will be harassed to death - the Clown is a mystical power warrior, he’s way stronger than an average mystical power user."

Lucas jumped down to the street. Looking at the five remaining elites, all with injuries, he frowned and said.

Maurice took a deep breath to clear his thought and analyzed: "He and the Ghosts of Wind were carefully selected. By the uniqueness of their ability, they are holding us down, hindering us from joining other members, while facilitating the transcended-level fighters to eliminate our elite forces. And moreover - even if we’re killed by a flying knife of the Clown,"

"It's still better than end up being led by him to face the magus - those people are disasters that can't be provoked." Maurice stood up and waved his hand.

"The retreat order should have been passed out, and the same should also be issued by Vicenza. Now, the number of people who can live pass this could only depend on their luck."

Lucas looked at Maurice and waved the elites. They continued to retreat.

"We have been detouring because of these 'air walls', and the others are probably doing the same, if they encounter the magus himself -"

Halfway through, Lucas’s words were interrupted by Maurice:

"He won't interfere easily! And don't think about finding that disaster ourselves! It's not easy for the magus to maintain this many 'air walls', and since he chose to divide us, he has to rely on his own errand dogs to kill us. This is our only chance."

Maurice gritted his teeth, revealing a fierce expression.

"Let the group of those self-righteous hypocrites look at the Brotherhood, look the strength of the 'inferior people'!"

"We have crawled out from the sea of blood and the mountain of corpses, we are not what those leaders of Blood Bottle can ever be compared to!"

"Even if we can't get out, Black Sword will avenge us!"

"Even if the enemy is a magus!"

———————————————————

In a dark room, only an old style candle was burning.

"You mean, all of our men are trapped inside Red Lane Street? Up to now, with the exception of a few thugs, not even a single person who was able to hold responsible has come out?"

Nassir nodded, kneeling on his knees, respectfully and fearfully facing his boss, "The Eye of Sleeplessness", Bryant Lanser. He reported:

"When I have just taken over the shift of the hidden sentries, the first group of people who just rushed out arrived. According to them, after big boss Maurice ordered the retreat, the first few people who wanted to get out were all intercepted by baldhead Sebas and Drano leading an ambush team. Only just now, after baldhead Sebas and Drano both died at the entrance of Red Lane Street, it’s possible for them to safely get out."

No one knows how old "the Eye of Sleeplessness" Bryant Lanser was in the current year, people only know that from the day the Brotherhood of Black Street was founded, he was already the leader responsible for intelligence gathering. Being deviously mysterious, he is the darkness within darkness, the secrets within secrets.

Always hiding himself under a darken-red cloak, he reveals only a dry and thin chin, and any person whom he stares at will feel a very deep chill.

Lanser muttered to himself for a while and slowly asked:

"Sebas and Drano are both from the Twelve Strongest. While Sebas is resilience and strong, Drano is good at camouflage sneak attacks. To be able to kill them, that person needs to be at least above the level of the 13 Great Generals. Was it Lucas? Moria? Or was it Adrienne or the Tiryns Brothers? Or was it simply the two great leaders Vicenza and Maurice? Did you find anyone responsible for it? ”

Lanser’s words were faintly discernable, as if they were from another room.

Nassir shook his head and tried to contain the fear in his heart.

Truly a miscalculation, Maurice will probably be very dissatisfied with me – Lanser silently thought to himself, yet he still remain quiet on the outside.

It is time to clean up the rats in the gang for a bit.

The Brotherhood, compared to the small team formed by a group of old men 12 years ago, is different after all.

Having a twisted smile, Lanser waved to Nassir.

"Wake up and activate the entire Sleepless force in Undercity Districts! No matter if their vigilance period is coming or not."

"Put the 2nd squad and the 3rd squad all the way to Red Lane Street! From the roofs, the sewers, to even how many hairs grow on each flies’ leg, I have to know them all clearly!"

"Yes sir!"

“Let those who escaped carefully recall the details on the street. Pick the best from the 1st squad and sneak into Red Lane Street one by one, and set up watch posts without caring about sacrifices. Pigeons, signal flares, torches, no matter what you use, at least contact Vicenza and Maurice for me! I want a channel from Black Street to Red Lane Street to be able to pass messages unimpeded!"

"Yes sir!"

"Send the members of the 4th squad to other territories, from the Black Street to the Ruin, from the Stinking Ditch to the Sewer, from the Big Market to the West Gate. I want us to be absolutely vigilant! During this time, you have to tighten the alert of the headquarters even more!"

"Yes sir!"

"The 5th squad is divided into two teams! One team informs other Great Leaders of the gang. The other immediately rushed to Exeter Kingdom and pulled old man Ramon back from it! If he doesn’t want to, tell him this is the will of Black Sword!"

"Yes sir!"

Both Vicenza and Maurice are among the Six Great leaders, they aren’t a bunch of grass eating sheep. It is impossible for the Blood Bottle to trap them without paying a little price! Lanser lowered his head and stroked the ruby ring on his hand.

That damn fat man, after all, was the person who fought on the rear for Black Sword! As for that giant Vicenza, humph, if there is something harder than his fist, it’s probably his character.

Also, Lanser silently thought, there’s that bastard of a cook Edmond...

The outcome is still undecided.

The expression under Lanser's cloak suddenly changed, he found that his subordinate wasn’t being his usual self.

"Do you have anything else to say?"

"Yes!" Nassir, sweeting like rain, slammed down and bit his teeth:

"Our brothers from a hidden sentry just discovered that the beggars from the Ruin have all escaped!"

"We only managed to capture a fraction of them, now being held in the dungeon and ready to be tortured."

Lanser’s chin moved slightly.

The Eyes of Sleeplessness calmly asked: "Torture for what?"

Nassir clenched his fists, slammed his head, and spit out the deadly news:

"Clyde Rhode, died in the Ruin!"

"His deputy, Nell Rick, is now outside, asking for a meeting!"

———————————————————

"Get down, hide." Yara's tone became cold again.

"This battle can't be avoided."

Thales quickly slid down and stumbled over behind a stone block to hide, pulling out a black cloth to cover his nose.

Although the stench of blood already surrounded him.

Only after two breaths, next to Thales, Yara’s figure hurriedly moved and jumped up to a roof.

The female bartender had a back flip, her upper body folds back and both hands pressed on the ground, as if to avoid a hidden weapon.

"Whoosh!"

As Yara turned over, Thales heard a bust of wind rang through the whole street!

Then, Yara fell from the roof to the ground, and the two knives on her thighs had already come to her hands.

The wolfleg knives slashed unceasingly!

After a few bursts of wind, something hurriedly flew away.

In the indistinguishable and shapeless wind, Thales could only hear the “hoo hoo” sound of fluttering clothes, he didn't know if she made a hit or not.

Then, a gray, thin figure appeared on the street.

"Oh heyyyyy, isn't this the female bartender at the Sunset Bar. Wearing a goggles, are you going somewhere to swim? Don't be so surprised, after all, I used to hide my face and went to drink at Black Street."

"You are also wearing gray today? Isn’t it a pity that the weather is not very good? Or else this could be our couple clothes."

A strange yet gentle voice, with a scornful and indecent tone.

Yara never had much to say in her battles. She gently kneeled down on one knee, Thales knew that this was the precursor before she generates momentum.

The man in the gray coat walked a few steps forward, under the faint moonlight, the tattoo on his face could barely be seen.

"Maybe I should introduce myself. Midila Rolf, at your service, you can also call me - 'the Ghost of Wind.'"

Thales’ heart tightened – another one from the Twelve Strongest.

"By the way, my dear little bartender, did you kill Drano and Sebas?"

"Don't misunderstand, in fact, I also hate those two scourges every much, but the gentlemen above have orders -"

Yara started to accelerate without warning!

In the next moment, Yara, without a word, had already leaped in front of him.

From a bizarre angle, both her knives cut out and changed direction at the same time.

The Unceasing blade!

Thales shouted excitedly in his mind. As he watched Yara fought in so many battles, murdering her way in and out of various crowds, to say that there isn’t any thirst to gain strength in his heart was a lie.

But Rolf disappeared into the air again!

The two knives cut into nothingness.

It didn't work? Thales heart tightened again.

Yara didn’t stop, with a step to spin, the wolfleg knife on her right hand eagerly slashed into the air!

"Ding!"

A sharp sound of metal collision.

Rolf's figure reappeared next to Yara's right hand and took two steps back.

"Hey, how did both of you and Lucas…" Rolf gently adjusted the sleeve sword on his left hand, and said helplessly: "Do your Brotherhood assassins all know how to detect my position? And you, why don’t you like to talk mor --"

But before he finished speaking, a wolfleg knife flew at him!

The Instant Blade.

"Hoo hoo hoo hoo!"

The wind around Rolf was bustling so loud that the wolfleg knife in midair was blown unsteadily.

"Ding!"

Then it was shot down by his sword.

However, Yara’s figure suddenly came to the front of the Ghost of wind, almost with the same speed as her flying knife!

Before he had the time to react, the female bartender’s left hand, holding her knife in reserve, ran across Rolf’s chest!

Did she hit?

Thales was so excited that he couldn’t wait for this "Instant blade" style to success.

But he was disappointed to see the fluttering gray clothes on Rolf's body as he was flying up at an incredible speed against gravity.

Just barely, he managed to dodge this deadly blade!

But Thales felt that this time Rolf's dodge was a bit toilsome because his figure was vaguely visible now, while there was no trace of it before.

Yara wanted to continue the assault, but it seemed that her foot was caught by something invisible, making it unable to sustain her unstoppable unceasing attacks.

The power of the wind? Thales bowed his head and silently recalled the knowledge of his previous life.

The female bartender silently stepped back and pick up the other wolfleg knife on the ground, waiting for the next opportunity.

“That was really dangerous, do all the bartenders in your Brotherhood have this kind of strength?”

Gently holding an incision on the back of his waist, Rolf’s expression didn’t look too pleasant.

This wound, it is deeper than I thought. The angle of the knife was strange — the speed and strength when it cut were also beyond my prediction.

A blade style that can even threaten transcended-level fighters?

I seem to have heard of it somewhere.

Yara adjusted her goggles, then held the knives and kneeled down on one knee.

"Hey, bartender," seeing that the other side was preparing for an assault, Rolf suddenly spoke up hazily:

"Before I came to Stella, I also spent a while in the upper reaches of the mainland. I once saw an assassination in Sera Principality."

"That was the most direct, most adventurous, but also the most difficult to defend assassination that I have ever seen in my life."

"The assassin used two knives and leaped out from a rooftop. His offensive was unceasing and unstoppable."

Rolf bowed his head, and the gentle voice turned solemn and full of seriousness:

"So, ‘the Blade of Flying locust' Bart Surrey."

"Who is he to you?"

Yara didn't answer, but Thales instinctively felt that something was wrong.

Bart Surrey?

The next moment, the female bartender's graceful figure had already rushed out and immediately attacked Rolf's eyes!

Thales had an illusion, that the quite female bartender’s mood was also changed after hearing that name!

Only to hear the long-silent female bartender screamed maniacally: "A STRANGER!"

Yara Surrey, angrily attacked!

Up until now, Thales had seen Yara’s strikes for many times, and she had always been quiet, low-key, direct and deadly since the beginning.

But this time was different.

This time, Thales heard it as never before, Yara’s blade, like the thunders in a storm, screamed!

"BANG!"

Rolf’s expression twisted drastically.

———————————————————

"Clank!"

The two swords thunderously collided with each other!

The energy of shimmering lights flashed out on both figures, one was star-blue and the other was reddish.

The noble with a promising future, and also a City Watch officer, Cohen Karajan, was struggling to bite his teeth while he felt the power from the enemy sword. The other side wasn’t any weaker than him, at least a swordsman at the transcended-level - how long has he not encountered such an opponent?

Ever since leaving that meat grinding battlefield with the orcs?

Or still back then when he challenged Miranda himself?

Both two forces were still intertwined in a stalemate, but Cohen knew that he had fallen behind slightly.

As the blue starlight power began to flash on his silver-white sword, Cohen knew that if things continued this way, he would sooner or later be the losing party.

Then his body suddenly trembled, and the vibration that was brought up staggered the two men who were clashing their swords.

The two figures were separated, and the inertia pushed them few steps forward.

Cohen took six steps to stabilize his body.

While his enemies took two steps to balance himself.

Cohen’s expression was serious. He started to feel the necessary to rethink Chief Locke’s words.

He then turned his body and looked at the tough enemy in front of him, asking questions:

"You are also a Termination swordsman, trained in the Tower of Termination. You obviously have better places to go."

"Then why are you willing to bend your knees in the Blood Bottle gang, to be a lowlife gangster, doing nothing worthwhile but rubbishes like humiliating the weak?"

"The Tower of Termination gave you the Heart of the Sword, is it the enlightenment to be a mere thug who harms the weak and fears the strong?"

His enemies slowly turned around, he had a black half-length armor pad on the left shoulder and a red bandage on the right arm. Under the red and black clothing, the muscle lines were vaguely visible.

This is a man with a pale face, but it doesn't make people feel elegant or delicate, because the glare in those eyes was really full of murder intent.

The swordsman in red and black clothing silently observed the City Watch officer from head to toe.

This scoundrel rat is the one who opened our master’s trap?

This scoundrel, this stance and open fighting style – a person from the army?

Only to hear to this red and black swordsman, while swinging his green long sword with only one guard on its side, carelessly and slowly said:

"Hey, scoundrel."

"Since when the City Watch dares to interfere with Blood Bottle’s business?"

Stepping forward to get closer to the swordsman, Cohen coldly said:

"I am not using the identity of a City Watch officer, but the Termination Swordsman - Cohen Karajan, to question another swordsman! Answer me!"

The scene went quiet for a few seconds.

Until the red and black swordsman's expression gradually became more serious:

"My heart of the sword is the determination for freedom and the pursuit of power."

"As long as it meets my request, be it the Blood Bottle Gang, the Brotherhood, the Shield of Shadows, the Kingdom’s Division of Secrets, the Royal Guard, or the Tower of Termination, there is no difference to me."

"So, your question is simply meaningless."

"As for you, scoundrel, who’s willing to be the errand dog of this nation, it must be dog’s enlightenment you received from that decrepit old tower right?"

Hearing the other side, despite being a Termination swordsman but having no respect for the Tower of Termination, even with a hostile attitude, Cohen's serious expression turned surprise and shock.

He remembered when he was still in the Tower training, the old tale his teacher told him while drinking.

The tragedy of sworn brothers waging wars among themselves

Cohen incredulously spoke through his teeth:

"You are the from a swordsmanship inheritance outside of the Tower!"

"You are from of the 'Sword of Disaster'!"

When Cohen had just finished his words, the red and black swordsman had already moved!

The red Termination force surged around him like a tide and became a fierce wave. Along with it, the green long sword cut down with an overwhelming momentum!

The slash was fierce and violent!

Cohen only felt that his body had fallen into a deep-red vortex, while the Termination force around him was broken into fragments, unable to control.

The swordsman's sternly followed his long sword and rushed straight into Cohen's chest!

His pale face was also covered in a frosty coldness, no longer having the indifferent expression.

"'Sword of Disaster'! Disaster? Compare us to that group of monsters?"

"Is that how you people call master Kensal’s swordsmanship?"

"His sword, our sword, is the real sword of Termination."

"Of course we are disasters, disasters to your outdated, old-fashioned, sissy academy. We are the disasters you’re destined to face."

"One day, we will destroy the Tower of Termination and prove your ridiculousness."

The cold tone was full of murder intent.

Same as his striking forward green sword.

Cohen's sword intercepted the green sword, but only in an instant, the sword with blue starlight was blown away!

Cohen bit his teeth as he could hardly retreat behind, but the green sword was following him like a murderous shadow. No matter which direction he moved, it seemed undodgeable!

The young City Watch officer's mind turned harsh, and the white-silver sword flashed again and again, this time, directly stabbing the other swordsman's throat.

But his insane enemy still didn’t care about anything else but the target. He turned a blind eye to the coming sword and only frantically urged his green sword, surrounded by red waves, strait to Cohen’s heart!

The red Termination force, with the bustling sword slash, torn Cohen's chest clothes.

Cohen continued to hold tight his own sword, only to hopelessly saw that the two swords crossed and passed each other, and in the friction of Termination forces, each thrust toward the other's heart and throat!

To hell with it!

Is this the style of the "Sword of Disaster"?

Such a lunatic swordsmanship, such unmatched power, with the will to do whatever it takes and the enlightenment of killing yourself together with the enemy.

No wonder they were banished!

Cohen smiled bitterly and greeted his death.

Two swords, one green and one white, one raised a frantic unstoppable red wave, one with the faintly flashing starlight.

Decided the final outcome.

End of chapter XII – Next chapter: The Sound of Knife and Sword (Part 2)