"Randy Mathias!!!"
Cross's eyes were icy, fixed on the stunningly doll-like transvestite. The muscles in his face trembled with rage as he almost roared the man's name.
The moment he saw Duke Attawa get shot, he knew he'd miscalculated! He originally thought that with Scáthach traversing the battlefield, he could protect Duke Attawa's safety, even if he was fighting multiple opponents.
Who would've thought that this assassin from the underworld, who'd taken a "Spiky Shadow Lizard," wouldn't just survive, but would also give him such a grand surprise, killing Duke Attawa with a single lead bullet... Oh, wait, he wasn't dead yet. However, Duke Attawa was just an ordinary person, not a monstrous individual with explosive physical capabilities. Being hit directly in the chest by a lead bullet, with even his sternum punctured, he'd surely bleed out within minutes unless a surgeon immediately operated on him.
Honestly, Cross truly hadn't expected Siren to exploit Scáthach's immunity to physical attacks to execute a perfect sniper assassination. If Siren had shot Duke Attawa from another direction, the lead bullet would surely have been intercepted by Scáthach. So, he did the opposite, finding an angle where Scáthach and Duke Attawa overlapped.
He seemingly ambushed Scáthach, but in reality, he was sniping Duke Attawa. Because Scáthach's shadow body ignores physical attacks, she naturally wouldn't care about bullets fired at her, not even bothering to block them. But this very "unnecessary block" became a fatal loophole, allowing Siren to deliver a one-shot kill, taking Duke Attawa down instantly.
"Hohoho~ Call me... Siren!"
Siren provocatively lifted his chin, a sinister smile spreading across his pale, delicate face. Killing one king, then another candidate for the throne—this was a milestone in his assassination career.
"Aniki... Don't die, Aniki... I'll never secretly drink your collected red wine again... Aniki, don't close your eyes, don't close your eyes..."
At this moment, Countess Shanna, her pretty face pale with terror, knelt on the ground, helplessly holding the gravely wounded Duke Attawa. She was completely at a loss. She had never encountered such a situation before; her previous composure had long since turned into frantic panic, and tears unconsciously streamed down, smudging her exquisite makeup.
Duke Attawa's expression was ashen. He looked at his sister before him, tremblingly reached up and took off his golden crown, and weakly, faintly said, "You are the second in line to the throne... G-give it to you..." His words remained unfinished. He merely placed the gold crown, inlaid with sapphires, into Shanna's hand, then his arm fell limply.
"Aniki... Wuwuwu..."
Countess Shanna watched the light fade from Duke Attawa's eyes. She couldn't help but hug his corpse tightly, crying sorrowfully.
Marquis Mankervis said nothing, staring blankly at his brother's corpse, with only Countess Shanna's sobs filling his ears.
Viscount Solmen, not far away, reverted to human form. He raised a hand to wipe the blood from the corner of his mouth, then expressionlessly straightened his slightly disheveled black armor, bowing his head in silent mourning.
"Are you sad?" Siren's expression was mocking, as he scoffed, "Tsk tsk~ How utterly hypocritical!"
"Sad?"
Marquis Mankervis looked at Siren expressionlessly, speaking in a flat tone, "Are you joking with me? I was just thinking about what else to do, but now it seems I should just kill you to avoid any further complications!"
"Oh wow~ What a cold-blooded fellow cough, cough, cough..." Siren mocked with an exaggerated expression, then couldn't help but cough up blood.
"My dear Aniki ordered you to kill Father King, but never expected to die by your hand himself. This is truly a taste of his own medicine!" Marquis Mankervis said with an inexplicable tone.
"Then you'd never guess..." Siren triumphantly raised the flintlock pistol in his hand, showing off, "The gun that killed King Doma VII, is also this gun!"
It was an ivory-handled flintlock pistol, adorned with several faceted obsidian gems, as exquisite as a work of art, yet it was the murder weapon of a king and a successor to the throne.
Hearing this, a cold glint flashed in Marquis Mankervis's eyes, but it quickly faded. He said indifferently, "That's perfect. Once this gun kills my sister, give it to me! After all, it's a regicidal gun stained with the blood of my Doma clan. It's truly a rare collector's item!"
Siren's face showed surprise. He said, astonished, "You really have a wicked taste! But it doesn't matter. Although I'd like to keep it myself, since you asked, I'll give it to you!"
With that, he once again raised the 'Regicidal Gun' in his hand, aiming it at Countess Shanna, who was a dozen meters away.
"One-Sword Style: Absolute Severance!!!"
A roar filled with extreme fury erupted.
A dazzling blade light suddenly bloomed, imbued with terrifying sharpness, transforming into an unstoppable, colossal slash that descended.
"Oh, damn it..."
Siren's eyes widened, a look of horror spreading across his delicate face.
Boom—!
The next moment, the ground suddenly split apart, as fragile as tofu under the terrifying, massive slash, almost cleaving the entire castle in two. In an instant, this massive azure slash flew past the peak of Mount Gangoma, disappearing into the horizon like a meteor.
But the intense tremor didn't stop, and the rising dust gradually spread.
"Go!"
Cross roared, rushing to Countess Shanna's side like a cheetah. He picked her up and then sprinted towards the other side. Scáthach once again transformed into a shadow, closely following behind Cross.
"..."
The dazzling blade light vanished, and Marquis Mankervis regained his vision. Looking at the massive crack that stretched for hundreds of meters before him, and Duke Attawa's corpse, he instinctively asked, "Where are they?"
"They... seem to have escaped!" Viscount Solmen lowered the hand covering his eyes, answering uncertainly.
Marquis Mankervis's eyes grew colder. After looking around, he asked with some hesitation, "Where's Siren?"
"Uh... dead!" Viscount Solmen looked down at his feet, where a bloody, mangled half-body lay. Only a pale, slender arm and a delicate flintlock pistol in its hand could identify it.
"Useless trash! Follow me!" Marquis Mankervis cursed in exasperation, then tracked the scent Cross had left behind.
On the other side, Cross carried Countess Shanna, rapidly moving through the castle. However, the Royal Guard soldiers had already taken control of all the key passages in the castle. No matter which way Cross went, he ran into them.
Of course, the important thing wasn't these soldiers... but that Cross simply didn't know the way!
The castle was intricate and complex, with corridors and rooms everywhere. He'd killed several waves of enemy soldiers and run through several corridors, yet he couldn't find the right path.
To make matters worse, after Duke Attawa died, Countess Shanna just stared blankly, clutching the golden crown in her hand, remaining silent no matter how many times Cross asked her for directions.
"Intruder here!"
"Marquis's order, open fire! Kill on sight!"
"Come with me quickly, catch that Marine!"
Shouts from Royal Guard soldiers and constant gunshots echoed throughout the castle.
"Damn it!"
Cross ran to an open-air corridor, looked up at the bright moonlight, and clenched his teeth. He decided to take a gamble and attempt to escape through the air using Geppo. However, this was a high-risk maneuver, as there were no footholds in the air, and relying solely on Geppo for evasion wasn't as agile as moving on the ground. Especially if they were met with a barrage of gunfire, both of them had a high chance of being hit.
Crucially, Cross wouldn't die from a few shots, but if Countess Shanna were hit, she'd likely be joining her father and brother.
"Caw—!"
"Roar—! Roar—!"
"Coo-coo—! Coo-coo—!"
"..."
Suddenly, a massive dark cloud flew overhead, almost obscuring the moonlight. It was accompanied by the calls of various birds and eagles, or rather, it wasn't a true cloud, but a "cloud" composed of countless flying creatures and monsters.
Seeing this, Cross's face lit up with joy. He muttered to himself, "Reinforcements... they've finally arrived!"
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Gangoma is previously translated as Renwuma.
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