Chapter 255: Headshot Kidd
The soldiers, still alive, turned pale as their companions were eerily headshot one after another.
They scanned their surroundings in terror.
"Is it you?!"
Swinde noticed a smiling head poking out from behind the corner of the alley wall.
"Kill him!"
Swinde roared as he dashed forward, sword in hand, charging into the alley.
Despite wearing heavy armor, his speed remained astonishingly fast.
While sprinting, Swinde seemed to sense something.
His face changed, and he hastily raised his sword in front of him.
"Crack!"
The next moment, his sword shattered into pieces.
Swinde's head exploded right after.
Amid flying blood and flesh, the headless corpse collapsed to the ground.
"Captain!"
The sight left the remaining soldiers of the Royal Guard stunned, their disbelief evident in their cries.
The captain, a powerful upper-ranked swordsman, was killed so easily?
"Everyone, attack together! Kill him!"
The remaining Royal Guard soldiers didn't flee.
Their numbers were still considerable, giving them confidence.
Dozens of melee soldiers surged forward, charging at the bizarre enemy in the alley.
"So boring, not fun at all!"
The smiling head behind the corner now wore a different expression as the smile disappeared.
In the next instant, the street outside was engulfed in flying blood and flesh.
Almost instantly, dozens of headless corpses fell to the ground.
Even the archers in the rear met the same fate.
Soon, the street turned into a river of blood.
The nauseating stench of blood filled the air.
Nearby civilians peeked out from their houses in terror, unsure of what had just happened.
All they saw were the soldiers' heads suddenly exploding.
Kidd, looking disinterested, walked out from the alley.
Just then, a dark figure darted out from another alley behind Kidd.
The figure knelt down on one knee behind him.
"Master, please head to Earl Bard's mansion!"
Kidd turned impatiently to glance at the figure cloaked in a black robe with blood-like patterns.
"Tch, so boring!"
"Apologies, Master. Please remember our objective. Tonight's operation must not fail."
"Fine, fine, I'm going!"
Kidd yawned, his face twisting back into a strange grin.
He licked the corner of his mouth with his tongue.
"I heard the Saintess candidate is a White Fox. She'll need some proper training."
"Master, she's of the Emilia Fox Tribe."
Kidd waved dismissively and gradually walked down the street.
The robed figure flashed and disappeared back into the alley.
---
That night, Earl Bard's mansion was eerily silent.
The lights within the mansion had already been extinguished.
"So it has begun after all."
In the study, Bard stood by the window, gazing at the blood-red barrier in the sky.
Only now did Bard fully believe that Miss Susan indeed possessed the prophetic abilities of a Divine Child.
The preparations had been too rushed.
Even though he had issued warnings, they couldn't stop the actions of the Demon God Cult.
"Emma, Aya, take Miss Susan and Her Highness Alisa to the basement."
In the study, the Emma sisters were present as well.
They stood to Bard's left and right.
"Lord Bard, let my sister go. I want to stay and fight."
"Lord Bard, let my sister go. I want to stay and fight."
The sisters were unwilling to leave, wanting to fight alongside Lord Bard.
Bard turned to look at the Emma sisters.
He reached out to pat their heads with a smile.
"This isn't a battle you can partake in. You're still young. Train hard and grow stronger."
Though the sisters were 15-year-old upper-ranked swordsmen, strong as they were, it wasn't enough.
Below the rank of Sword King, all were ants.
The gap between upper-ranked swordsmen and a Sword King was insurmountable.
Once crossing that chasm, one could become a true powerhouse.
The Emma sisters lowered their heads in disappointment, knowing they would only be burdens if they stayed.
"Be patient. Tomorrow will come soon enough. Go now!"
Bard withdrew his hands, and the Emma sisters curtseyed before him.
They held hands and left the room.
Only after they closed the door behind them did Bard turn back to the dark courtyard outside the window.
"Those two girls are quite something, Bard. Give me one of them!"
At that moment, a voice emerged from the bookshelf.
A man stepped out from the hidden compartment within the bookshelf.
Clad in brown leather armor and shouldering a spear, he had a handsome yet frivolous expression.
His name was Faris, a platinum-ranked adventurer renowned in the Irisis Principality.
Due to his charming face, he was nicknamed the "Golden Prince."
For the right price, Faris would do anything, even sleep with someone, regardless of gender.
Bard ignored Faris and continued staring at the dark courtyard outside.
"Faris, do you have confidence?"
Faris approached Bard, following his gaze into the dark courtyard.
"The Divine Child's abilities are certainly powerful, but they often have obvious weaknesses. His ability is linked to his eyes. I'll act as an assassin this time, Bard. I'll remain hidden and strike only when there's a sure-kill opportunity."
Bard did not oppose Faris's strategy.
Against such an enemy, cunning was the only way.
There was no chance of winning a head-on battle.
"I'll go prepare then!"
Faris slung his spear over his shoulder and walked out.
As the sounds of the door opening and closing echoed, Bard took a deep breath.
Whether they could alter the future foreseen by Miss Susan hinged on tonight.
In the future she foresaw, Faris didn't exist.
Faris's presence indicated the possibility of changing the future.
Humans were creatures who acted based on what they saw and heard.
Knowing the future made it possible to alter it.
---
Elsewhere in the mansion's hallway:
"Emma, I can fight. We can't leave Lord Bard to face the enemy alone."
Emma firmly held Alisa's hand as they walked through the hallway.
Aya and Susan followed behind them.
"Your Highness Alisa, Lord Bard is a Holy Mage. This is not a battle we can participate in."
Alisa hesitated, her eyes filled with disappointment.
At that moment, she realized her own weakness.
She couldn't even defeat the Emma sisters.
How could she possibly help Lord Bard?
Yet she disliked being powerless, unable to do anything.
While Alisa was frustrated, Susan appeared calm.
Susan was an ordinary person, unable to even kill a chicken.
The current situation was exactly what she wanted.
In the last death reversal, the Emma sisters and Alisa being present caused Bard to be distracted and killed while protecting them.
If they weren't there, Lord Bard might stand a chance against that enemy.
Knowing his abilities would make it easier to counter them.