Chapter 21: 2v2
Inside a bottomless pit, the Fourth Princess, whose clothes were nearly torn to shreds, gasped for breath. Blood dripped through her fingers. After fighting until now, she hadn't even seen her enemy's face.
"Just a little more and I would have caught its trail. If I could get close, I would definitely win. Definitely!"
The Fourth Princess shouted from within the giant pit, as if she had gone berserk.
Boom!
A wind-traced bullet blasted through, piercing the Fourth Princess's body. The immense kinetic energy, combined with the characteristics of her own ability, caused her body to rapidly shatter, turning into black mist that evaporated into the air. The surrounding pit collapsed.
In the pitch-black ruins, the Top Hat Man lay on the ground, covered in blood, one of his arms blown off. A dagger was stabbed into his chest.
"You succeeded, you bastard Ted."
The Top Hat Man lying on the ground exerted force in his hand, crushing a decorative knife made of crystal sand.
With a boom, the crystal sand spread outward in a ring. The first to suffer were the civilian houses near the winery. Under the impact of the crystal sand, these houses instantly turned to ash.
In just 1.2 seconds, all buildings within a one-kilometer radius centered on the winery were leveled. The exposed soil on the ground was so flat it was unbelievable. Over five meters of the ground's surface had been stripped away. This was the finishing move of the Second Prince, Ted.
High in the sky, Su Xiao held onto Baha's claw with one hand. Although he had been schemed against by an old yinbi tonight, as long as he could kill the royalty, he didn't really care whether he was schemed against or not.
Due to firing too many bullets with the [Metal·Tyrant], Su Xiao's mana points were only 3,650 remaining. Don't think this was a lot of remaining mana; his total mana had accumulated to 18,816 points.
[You have killed Edri·Athena.]
[As Edri·Athena is a member of this world's royalty, you have obtained 15.9% World Source. Current total World Source: 36.45%.]
[You have obtained Royal Blood (2/12).]
...
The Fourth Princess had more Royal Blood. Including this portion, Su Xiao had now obtained a quarter of the Royal Blood. The remaining three-quarters were with the Old King, the First Prince, the Second Prince, the Fifth Princess, and the Spider Lady.
Judging by the current situation, the Old King likely retained less than half of the Royal Blood.
Su Xiao had come to assassinate the Second Prince, Ted, this time but failed. Instead, the Fourth Princess took the hit. One could only say, life is unpredictable.
Baha lowered his flight altitude. Su Xiao let go of Baha's claw and landed on the roof of a civilian house.
"Woof."
Bubu Wang, covered in dust, ran over. He had been quick-witted earlier and retreated fast, otherwise, he would definitely have been caught in the ring-shaped crystal sand impact.
Bringing Bubu Wang and Baha along, Su Xiao was about to retreat when a man in silver armor walked out from a nearby alley. It was the Second Prince, Ted.
The night was windless. Su Xiao inhaled the slightly cool air, drew his blade, and faced the Second Prince, Ted.
"If I remember correctly, my sister is now called Liu."
The Second Prince, Ted, drew the rapier from his waist. It was a combination of a rapier and a cruciform sword. The hilt was nearly 30 centimeters long, the guard was wide, with a gem at each end, forming a triangle with the gem at the end of the pommel.
Although this was a rapier with a blade only two fingers wide, it gave a feeling of weight and sharpness, not appearing flimsy at all.
Those who could inherit the Royal Blood and survive to the present were not weak. The reason the Third Prince was killed by Su Xiao with a single slash earlier was that Su Xiao hard-countered him.
The Third Prince, relying on his powerful mental abilities, had tricked and killed countless strong individuals. Today, his retribution came. He encountered Su Xiao, who was completely immune to mental control.
"Bai Ye."
The Second Prince, Ted, somehow knew the name Bai Ye. But given how much of an old yinbi this guy was, it wasn't surprising.
"My sister Liu cannot inherit the Royal Blood. She is a very special Edri royal. She is actually the 'Seed.' She only steps in when the Royal Blood line is severed."
The Second Prince, Ted, unbuttoned the collar under his neck and rolled up the cuff of his right arm.
"Liu shouldn't have come to Tarin. She should be in Bamboo Village. The Qing Clan has been allied with our Edri Royal Family for generations. They will nurture and protect the Seed of the Royal Blood, to prevent the line from being severed. The current clan leader, Qing Zhang, is not a reckless man. Has he... already died? Was it you who killed him, Elder?"
The Second Prince, Ted's, eyelids drooped. A black aura, nearly forming needle-like points, surged wildly around him. The ground was eroded, and large cracks appeared on the walls. The Second Prince, Ted's, combat power was surprisingly formidable. Compared to him, the Fourth Princess was practically a free kill.
Although the Second Prince, Ted, was an old yinbi, he was now furious. Everyone has someone they care about. Ted's person of concern was the Clan Leader, his mentor. The Clan Leader had taught him all his combat skills. Growing up in the cold royal palace, Ted experienced a feeling of being both teacher and father at the Clan Leader's place.
"Answer me. Was it you who killed my mentor, Kukulin Bai Ye?"
The Second Prince, Ted's, pupils turned pitch black. His sharp sword pointed diagonally at the ground.
"..."
Su Xiao didn't explain a single word. It was meaningless.
"It seems it wasn't you. My mistake. Sorry."
The Second Prince, Ted's, black aura dissipated. He sat down on the steps by the street, sheathed his longsword, and smiled broadly.
"Don't be polite. Sit down. Make yourself at home."
Ted raised his chin, as if the one who had just released his full aura wasn't him.
"If you don't believe me, you can go find my father to confirm. Liu absolutely cannot inherit the Royal Blood, unless you want to turn her into the First King. If you do that, all the strong individuals in both Tarin and Holy Guard Kingdoms will hunt you down. The First King is a forbidden existence that is not allowed. The Royal Blood comes from the First King, but the First King must never reappear."
Ted pulled out a piece of dried meat from somewhere and chewed it carefully.
"Besides you, me, and them, only my elder brother and the Spider Lady are left. Those two have already joined forces. How about we team up too?"
The Second Prince, Ted's, words revealed a lot of information. For example, Liu couldn't inherit the Royal Blood, the First King, and besides the Second Prince, the only remaining opponents were the First Prince and the Spider Lady.
There should still be the Fifth Princess. The fact that the Second Prince, Ted, said this likely meant the Fifth Princess was either dead or had been captured alive by him, kept as a bargaining chip for now. Someone as "schizophrenic" as the Second Prince, Ted, would probably do such a thing.
"You say something. I've been talking for a long time by myself; it's embarrassing. Don't think that just because I'm afraid of death, I don't care about face."
"Oh."
"You must have been a mute in your past life. So? Cooperate?"
The Second Prince, Ted, finished his dried meat, stood up, and patted the dust off his pants.
"Where is the Fifth Princess?"
Su Xiao thought of a possibility. It might be an easily obtainable benefit.
"At my place. Not dead yet, but soon will be. Her subordinates almost killed me. Come with me. I'll take you to see her."
The Second Prince, Ted, walked into the alley. Just moments ago, he and Su Xiao were in a life-or-death struggle. Now, this guy voluntarily showed up and wanted to cooperate with Su Xiao. One could only say, such is the world of old yinbis.
Su Xiao told Bubu Wang and Baha to follow behind, at least two kilometers away. If anything unexpected happened, he would make the Second Prince, Ted, understand the wrath of the sun. The Protection Emblem + Apollo equaled the indestructible combo of exploding in place.
The internal situation in the royal capital was becoming increasingly unpredictable. Su Xiao planned to meet the Old King in a short time to verify whether what the Second Prince, Ted, said was true or false.
Liu had always lived in Bamboo Village and had a cheerful personality. Assuming she really had inherited the Royal Blood, letting her live in Bamboo Village would be a slow suicide. Returning to Tarin would mean immediate death. Moreover, when the Clan Leader was dying, he said not to use Liu, that the thing sealed inside her was very dangerous.
Many signs indicated that Liu really might be the final guarantee for the Royal Blood. When the Royal Blood line was severed, the thing sealed inside her would "awaken," producing a trace of Royal Blood. That's why she was in Bamboo Village; it was safer.
If the Tianba Clan hadn't attacked, she would likely have stayed in Bamboo Village forever. When the new king was crowned and a new Seed appeared, the thing sealed inside Liu would be transferred.
This kind of secret, unknown even to most Tower Guardians, was known to the Second Prince, Ted. Either this guy was lying, or he understood the Royal Blood so well that he could privately use its power to temporarily enhance his own combat strength. That's why he dared to appear before Su Xiao and propose cooperation.
After circling around the royal capital several times, Su Xiao arrived at a slum on the outskirts of the capital. This was a place where filth and corruption hid beneath the surface.
The slum was very quiet and dark at night. Facing the faint stench in the air, the Second Prince, Ted, had a calm expression, as if he were long accustomed to it.
"After being kicked out of the palace by my father, I've been living here. I think I was seven years old then. Can't remember clearly. If my father sees that it's me inheriting his Royal Blood, his expression will be very interesting."
The Second Prince, Ted, seemed to think of something amusing, and a smile couldn't help but appear on his face.
"We're here. This is my place. Wait a moment."
The Second Prince, Ted, stopped in front of a semi-abandoned stone building and knocked on the door rhythmically.
With a creak, the door was pushed open. A hunched old man stood in the dim doorway, holding a heavy hooked blade.
"Send everyone away. Is that woman dead?"
"Not dead."
"Good."
The Second Prince, Ted, called out to Su Xiao and then stepped into the stone building.
After Su Xiao entered the stone building, he followed Ted down to the basement. The basement door was pushed open, and a woman tied to a chair appeared in Su Xiao's sight.
The woman in the basement stared coldly at Su Xiao and Ted. In her mouth, she was biting the throat of a child.
"Why did you kill him? Without this little guy, you wouldn't even have a drop of water to drink."
Ted looked at the scattered food and water stains on the floor. Clearly, his subordinates had disobeyed his orders. That little guy was kind-hearted, bringing food and water to the Fifth Princess. In return, the Fifth Princess bit his throat in one gulp and drained his blood. This little guy had just died, meaning it happened moments ago.
The Fifth Princess released the child's corpse. With blood all over her mouth, she moved her neck. Suddenly, her arm, pierced by chains, swelled to twice its size.
"Ah!"
The Fifth Princess roared, exerting all her strength. The chains clanked, but she couldn't break free.
"How many times have I told you? These are Drowning Cast Steel Chains, used by the Tianba Clan to imprison ancient gods. Just tell me where that thing is."
Pfft.
A blur passed by. The Fifth Princess froze for a moment. Blood spurting from her throat, she burst into laughter.
"You'll never know."
After saying this, the Fifth Princess exerted all her strength, spraying blood all over Ted. The Fifth Princess was in a state of wishing for death but unable to achieve it. Su Xiao suddenly slashed her with a short blade, giving her a chance for release.
[You have killed Edri·Rupert.]
[As Edri·Rupert is a member of this world's royalty, you have obtained 15.4% World Source. Current total World Source: 51.85%.]
[As Edri·Rupert is in a state of imprisonment by the 'Drowning Cast Steel Chains,' the Royal Blood must be extracted by the Hunter himself.]
...
Ted wiped the blood off his face, turned his gaze to Su Xiao, and said, "Aren't you going to explain?"
"Hand slipped."
"Too perfunctory. Try another explanation."
"Let's cooperate."
"Cooperate? Hmm, I believe you slipped. How about we go take out my royal brother tomorrow morning?"
Ted's finger tapped the Fifth Princess's brow. Jelly-like blood seeped from her brow and merged into Ted's finger.
"Royal brother, I know you're listening. We'll come kill you tomorrow morning."
Ted shouted, looking up. No change occurred in the basement.
...
In a secret room deep beneath the royal capital, a pair of vertical pupils opened. It was a man with long, golden hair. His somewhat fluffy hair was draped behind his back, giving a sense of overbearingness.
This was the First Prince, Walsh. Through his own means, he had witnessed with his own eyes that the two most troublesome people in the royal capital had just joined forces.
"Pointless alliance."
The First Prince, Walsh, snorted coldly. He got up from the stone platform, opened a hidden door, and walked into an underground passage.
If Baha had seen this, he would definitely say, "If you're so awesome, why are you running?"
The First Prince, Walsh, was reluctant to admit it, but tonight, he couldn't sleep. The same went for the Spider Lady.
Originally, there were six people vying for the Royal Blood. But after Su Xiao and Ted encountered each other, the Fourth Princess immediately took a hit and died. Then the Fifth Princess also bit the dust. The six-person competition was reduced to four.
Even more terrifying was that Su Xiao and Ted had joined forces and were planning to deal with the First Prince, Walsh, tomorrow morning. Walsh knew about this. How could he not be sleepless?