# Chapter 20: Caliber Is Justice
The royal capital at seven in the evening was not quiet. As the lanterns lit up, people who had been busy all day enjoyed the nightlife of the capital. Some gathered with friends at small taverns to drink a few glasses of cheap spirits, while others were occupied with numerous dinner invitations.
Inside a wine estate located in the western district of the royal capital, gemstone lamps hanging from the ceiling illuminated the hall brightly, with a lighting level comparable to incandescent bulbs, making the banquet hall lively. Elegantly dressed ladies danced with the kingdom's nobles, and the small amount of spilled wine on the red carpet evaporated, making the evening's atmosphere even more intoxicating.
"You failed."
A man clad in silver armor sat at a wine table. Compared to the attire of others, his outfit seemed out of place. But in this man's view, as long as he kept his life, how he dressed didn't matter at all. No matter how splendidly a corpse was dressed, it would eventually decay and stink.
"Failed? I haven't settled accounts with you yet for sending me to 'night visit' that monster, and you're telling me I failed?"
The man wearing a top hat spoke, pressing his hat down lower. The lively atmosphere here didn't suit him; the acting of those around him was too fake.
"Monster? Is my sister's guard that strong?"
"Sister?"
"Don't be fooled by what you see. She appeared at White Sand Bay during the day. My elder brother's plan didn't succeed, and he lost an important subordinate with spatial abilities. How gratifying."
The silver-armored man poured himself a glass of wine, opened a small slit in his visor, adjusted its position, and barely managed to drink.
"Don't look at me like that. You outsiders really think being born into royalty is a kind of luck."
The man in silver armor, the Second Prince Ted, smiled. His trusted confidant sitting across from him let out a cold laugh. The two were clearly more than just superior and subordinate.
"I'm being drained of life by cursed blood. If I don't become king, I won't live past forty. But after possessing all the royal blood, I can live over two hundred years. Two hundred years. Is there anything more important than life? Don't you agree?"
"I can't relate. I'm only thirty. I've got at least a few decades left."
The top-hat man took the wine Ted handed him, clinked glasses, and downed it in one gulp. "I didn't kill the target, but your people must have gained something, right?"
"We caught a tax official named Dicka. This unlucky bastard has some value. He's one of their people and witnessed my third brother's downfall. I've already sent people to interrogate him."
Second Prince Ted shook his head with a smile. He didn't think Dicka had much value.
"Ted, I need to tell you something very important."
"Go ahead."
"I feel like we're being watched. Look at my arm—the hairs are standing on end."
The top-hat man raised his arm. Second Prince Ted glanced at it and saw it was true.
"What a coincidence. I feel the same way. So, how about you die in my place?"
"..."
The top-hat man was silent for a moment, then extended his pinky finger at Ted—a gesture of contempt.
"You cowardly bastard. Fine, I'll die for you, you damned lunatic. You've done me a favor, after all, you sick, paranoid bastard."
"You've worked hard all this time. Do you really... not need a name?"
Ted looked seriously at the top-hat man. They were barely friends, considering the man had tried to kill him a few years ago but became a half-friend after Ted talked him into it.
"Get lost. That monster is coming. How could such a monster appear in the royal capital? Is it the Tianba clan? Don't the tower guardians care about this?"
The moment the top-hat man finished speaking, Second Prince Ted grabbed his arm. Black threads spread across the Second Prince's body.
"My fourth sister is here. Don't let her leave before you die."
As Second Prince Ted spoke, a long dagger pierced through his back.
"I've been waiting for you."
Second Prince Ted fell to his knees with a thud. Looking closely, the silver armor was empty—the Second Prince himself had vanished.
Black energy threads spread, pulling a shadowy figure out of the air along the long dagger. This shadow was illusory, with black mist wafting around it.
Seeing this shadow, the top-hat man understood everything. He wanted to curse but instead slapped his chest, shattering the item the Second Prince had given him earlier to deal with the Fourth Princess.
Boom!
A spatial shockwave erupted. The shadowy figure holding the long dagger twisted and eventually dissipated. A young woman in a long dress stood on the red carpet, her face dark. She had been pulled directly into this banquet hall using a clone as a medium.
The top-hat man appeared calm, but his hands trembled almost imperceptibly. Everything tonight was a trap set by Second Prince Ted.
First, the Second Prince sent him to attack someone. Before he went, the Second Prince was already certain he wouldn't succeed. He was just a guide, responsible for luring the enemy here.
At the same time, the Second Prince deliberately revealed a flaw, appearing to meet with him. This was to attract the Fourth Princess, famous for assassination. The number of royalty who had died by the Fourth Princess's hand was definitely over thirty. The Fourth Princess was an "anomaly"—she had no faction but was powerful in her own right.
The top-hat man lured Su Xiao here, the Second Prince lured the Fourth Princess here, and then the Second Prince withdrew. This created a confrontation between Su Xiao and the Fourth Princess. It wasn't a complicated plan, but the fewer steps in a plan, the less chance of flaws.
The only thing the top-hat man couldn't figure out was why the other enemy hadn't appeared yet, even though the Fourth Princess had already shown herself.
Two kilometers from the wine estate, Su Xiao crouched inside a bell tower. His [Metal·Tyrant] sniper rifle was already set up. Through the scope, he observed the wine estate two kilometers away, his right index finger resting on the trigger.
Inside the scope, using thermal imaging, light reflection, and bio-energy sensing devices, Su Xiao could clearly see everyone in the banquet hall. With the auxiliary aiming of [Metal·Tyrant], the wall of the hall closest to him appeared semi-transparent.
Meanwhile, inside the banquet hall, the Fourth Princess, dressed in a Gothic long dress, looked around. Besides the top-hat man not far from her, the other men and women in the hall were all staring at her, each holding a short blade. These were not noble ladies or successful gentlemen—they were the Second Prince's death warriors.
"Despicable coward."
The Fourth Princess stomped her foot. Just as she was about to merge into the shadows, she sensed her ability was sealed by something.
"Don't waste your strength. You can't escape."
As he spoke, a metallic clink sounded. The long dagger in the Fourth Princess's hand was pressed against the top-hat man's throat.
"Let me say one last thing. If you still want to kill me after that, I won't resist."
"Speak!"
"Another group is coming. Let's join forces to eliminate them, then settle our score."
"Boring last words."
Just as the Fourth Princess was about to slice off the top-hat man's head, a whistling sound came.
Boom!
A white beam as thick as an arm shot in. The upper body of a male death warrior shattered instantly, turned into a cloud of blood mist by the overwhelming kinetic force.
At the lower part of the opposite wall of the banquet hall, a hole several meters wide appeared. The rock around the hole was glowing red, with even lava-like liquid dripping down.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
White beams blasted in with brutal force. In an instant, the banquet hall was in chaos—shattered tables, chairs, carpets, and food scraps splattered everywhere.
The Fourth Princess and the top-hat man hid behind an overturned dining table. The top-hat man raised an eyebrow at the Fourth Princess.
"Didn't I tell you? Cooperation is the only way to survive."
"Shut up. You and Ted are both sick—mentally ill."
The Fourth Princess took a deep breath and charged forward at full speed. After just two steps, she abruptly stopped and swapped positions with a nearby death warrior.
With a crackling sound, blood mist and shattered flesh splattered everywhere. The Fourth Princess, like a nimble cat, leaped back behind the table where the top-hat man was hiding. She had realized that only behind this table was temporarily safe—the enemy didn't seem to sense this spot.
After nearly half a minute of continuous bombardment, the wine estate was nearly reduced to ruins. The gemstone lamp hung askew, swaying, making the light flicker.
The Fourth Princess and the top-hat man barely dared to breathe. They sat leaning against the overturned table. The only living people left in the entire wine estate were the two of them. Only here would they not be attacked.
"There's something I need to tell you."
The always-calm top-hat man spoke.
"Speak."
The Fourth Princess wanted to kill someone. She was certain the guy next to her was mentally unstable.
"The Mist of Concealment is about to dissipate. No, it's already gone."
"Why didn't you say so earlier!"
The Fourth Princess lunged to the side with all her might. Mid-air, she felt as if a hammer had struck her abdomen. The moment she was hit, she understood what those white beams were—they were the shockwaves caused by "cylindrical pointed objects." What the Fourth Princess didn't know was that these things were called bullets—wind-trail bullets.