331 Bumping Into a Ghos

"Wait!"

While Thales and Nicholas were having a conversation, Aida, who was standing on one side of the roof and observing them, suddenly lowered her head. She then exclaimed, "Below me—"

The next moment, a loud sound suddenly rang!

*Boom!*

The wooden roof beneath Aida's feet shattered abruptly!

As the elf exclaimed, she fell from the roof into the house.

The expression of everyone on the street changed in unison!

Thales looked worriedly at the house Asda disappeared into. But Nicholas, whose face was contorted with anger, pulled the reins of Thales' horse backwards. "Protective formation!"

*Thud!*

The sound of something heavy falling onto the ground traveled into their ears.

Under their anxiety, the Northlanders moved in an orderly fashion. The elf protector's indignant, angry yell rang from the house, "Who are you—"

But before Aida could finish speaking, the sounds of weapons clashing rang intensely.

*Sching—Cling—Clang—Cling—Sching—Sching—Cling—Clang—*

Thales' expression changed at once. Within a second, the sounds of weapons clashing rang more than ten times in succession!

There was no time to even breathe!

It was like a wind bell, which chimed non-stop in a violent gust of wind.

Nicholas and Justin were also shocked. They stared at each other in disbelief.

'Fifteen clashes?

'That means… in one second, the two parties in the fight…'

*Clang!*

With one final clash, the sound of fighting came to a halt.

*Boom!*

Before Thales could react to the situation, an unfamiliar figure broke out of the window in the blink of an eye while the wind howled!

He pounced straight towards Thales!

Thales' expression immediately changed. 'Aida lost?'

The interval between Aida crashing down into the house and the black figure breaking out of the window was only four or five seconds!

Moreover, if they calculated the interval since the sound of metal weapons started rising into the air, Aida had only been in contact with this black figure for one second…

'And Aida lost?'

A chill ran down Thales' spine. At that moment, he remembered the fearsome assassin who broke through the heavy siege—Bannette Charleton.

But there was no more time for Thales to think. While Nicholas yelled furiously and the Archduchess' Guards formed their orderly formation, the figure who suddenly appeared landed on the ground.

Since he already cleared the periphery when they arrived at the street, Nicholas stationed most of the guards at the outer layer of the formation. On the contrary, his guard against the intruder who suddenly appeared during their return journey back to the palace was down.

The black figure staggered a little as he landed. But he was only a few meters away from Thales when he rose unsteadily.

He had a very tall, slender build, so much so that he was a head taller than Nicholas, who was of average height. His entire body was wrapped in a dark, black robe. Neither his face nor his skin could be seen.

It was as if he was darkness in its purest form.

However, he was holding two thin longswords. The blades were not even the width of two fingers.

"Attack!"

Nicholas decisively dismounted and roared.

He whipped out the Rising Sun Saber from its sheath on his back.

Lord Justin had rushed to Nicholas' side from the back with his weapon in hand. He was ready to hold back the black figure.

The six Archduchess' Guards who stood around Thales to protect him shielded him behind them.

At this moment, along with the sound of an explosion, thick gray smog suddenly appeared around the intruder's body!

"It's an alchemy ball. Step back!"

While the gray smoke hindered their vision, Nicholas yelled furiously, "Protect the prince well and look for cover! I'll deal with it!"

The Northlanders in the area came forward and surrounded the assassin to attack him while part of the Archduchess' Guards shielded the prince and retreated towards the other side of the street.

As the smog became thicker, Thales' vision blurred. He could only see the back of the black figure and Nicholas after focusing really hard.

"Your Highness!"

Wya spared no effort in pulling Thales down from the horse. He then dragged Thales backwards together with Ralf. Willow, Genard and the other Constellatiates stood behind the Archduchess' Guards and shielded the prince behind them.

After standing on solid ground, Thales shrugged off Wya's overly-tight grip. "Get into formation first…"

That instant, through his smog-blurred vision, the prince noticed that the black-robed intruder had raised his twin swords.

*Cling, cling, clang, clang—*

The next moment, Thales' ears quivered.

He only had one feeling.

'Is it raining?'

The intense sound of metal clashing rang incessantly in the air almost without pause!

It was like an endless rainstorm, violently beating the fragile eave of a house while a frightening, violent wind howled.

*Cling, clang, cling, clang—*

It was pleasing to the ear and breathtaking.

The rainstorm-like sounds of fighting almost drowned out the Northlanders' furious yells as they pounced forward.

But at this moment, no one at the center of the thick smog was more shocked than Nicholas.

There was no other reason.

He was suppressed.

The moment he whipped out his saber to engage the black figure in combat and deliver the first strike to parry his attack…

*Cling!*

The opponent immediately thrust his other sword at Nicholas in a continuous motion!

Nicholas tensed. In a split second, the Twist of Fate unique only to him surged into his joints. When the momentum of his swing ended, he immediately swung his saber upwards and staved off the second strike.

*Clang!*

Yet, this was not enough.

Because right as his opponent drew his first sword back, he thrust forward with that same sword as if he did not need any time to readjust himself to attack again.

*Sching!*

Nicholas activated the Twist of Fate once more. With his face flushed, Nicholas warded off the third strike.

It was not enough.

The opponent's fourth attack came from his other hand, breaking through the thick smog and heading straight for Nicholas!

*Clang!*

It was still not enough!

Nicholas almost felt like he was about to suffocate.

The fifth strike.

*Cling!*

The sixth strike.

*Clang!*

Within a second, the opponent's twin swords delivered alternating strikes at Nicholas at an unbelievable speed.

There were no movesets belonging to any sword style, no flourish in his strikes, no specific angles.

Only speed.

Sheer speed.

And Nicholas realized in shock that he could not keep up with his opponent's speed when he attacked!

The seventh strike.

The eighth…

*Cling, clang, cling, clang—*

The only thing the Star Killer could do was continuously strain his body with his Power of Eradication, keeping up with his opponent's speed in the thick, gray smog.

Nicholas' face was contorted while he was in the smog that obstructed his vision. He could barely see his opponent's movements clearly.

*Sching! Clang!*

When he heard the two synchronized clashes beside his ears, Nicholas was surprised.

He was not the only one.

At that moment, Justin was also engaged in a combat with the intruder in the thick smog.

He was on the other side of the enemy, and just like Nicholas, he gritted his teeth and braced himself against him!

Nicholas and Justin, two battle-seasoned Archduchess' Guards stood in two different positions. One of them was even a supreme class warrior.

Nonetheless, their opponent had managed to suppress them alone with his alternating attacks, which were delivered at a frightening speed rivaling that of a rainstorm!

*Cling, cling, clang, clang—*

The sounds rang non-stop.

The black-robed figure's swings increased in speed with every strike he delivered with his swords.

'How is this possible?'

*Sching! Cling!*

After only two seconds, Nicholas had no choice but to take a step back due to the opponent's ninth strike. His heart trembled in terror. 'How can there be… someone who maneuvers the sword at such a speed?'

This was something the Star Killer had never encountered in his lifetime of battles.

His bones were moaning in pain, the tip of his saber was shaking, and his muscles were screaming in exhaustion!

Nicholas knew that he was almost at his limit when it came to parrying and fending off strikes.

But the opponent's twin swords did not pause at all. Instead, they moved at an increasingly rapid pace!

*Clang!*

By the third second, Justin gritted his teeth, and his feet quivered. He swayed… He was not able to keep up with the opponent's next strike.

The black-robed figure immediately seized the chance. He propelled his body upwards with his right leg and leaped over Justin's head!

*Cling, cling, clang!*

On the way, he swiftly swung his swords three times at a rapid pace to parry Nicholas and Justin's attacks. He even managed to deliver a counterattack!

'Maybe it's a Power of Eradication I've never seen.

'In just three seconds, he's managed to break out of the joint encirclement formed by Nicholas and I.

'Three seconds!

'I could only parry, parry and parry again, without the ability to strike back… How is this possible!'

Surprised, Nicholas stared at the black-robed figure who just swooped past Justin's head in the air. He could only watch as his opponent leaped to a height that was equal to the height of three adult men before he gradually disappeared into the thick smog, straight to where Thales was.

The Star Killer gritted his teeth hard. Due to the fury in his chest, the Rising Sun Saber in his hand became frighteningly hot. He was prepared to destroy his opponent with his legendary anti-mystic equipment.

At that moment...

"Aaaarrrgghhhh!"

The furious, annoyed and dainty yell unique to Aida suddenly filled the air.

"Get down!"

Nicholas' pupils constricted, and he saw the glimmer of a sword flashing in the smog.

The black-robed figure who flew up in the thick smog jerked!

A flash from a sword shone amid the smog, and a seemingly invisible hand violently crashed into the black-robed figure in the air. His momentum completely disappeared, and he plummeted to the ground!

*Thud!*

As the sound of blades cutting into robes rose into the air, the black-robed figure fell to the ground.

He remained still, fixed to the spot by a blade.

*Clang!*

The opponent's twin swords fell onto the ground one after another. Aida, who landed soon after he fell, kicked them away.

The elf cursed, "Damn it, you think you're so great just because you're quick with your twin swords…"

Nicholas finally exhaled.

'Thankfully…

'We managed to stop him.'

*Whoosh…*

A strong gust of wind blew. Ralf had blown away the smog, which hindered their vision with his psionic ability.

The thick smog slowly dispersed. Nicholas furrowed his eyebrows tightly and looked around. Still in shock, the Archduchess' Guards rushed towards the spot where the black-robed figure and Aida were, surrounding them.

"Surround him!"

Nicholas ordered in annoyance, "Don't let him touch his weapons!"

"Boss." Justin clutched the wound on his arm and looked at Nicholas in disbelief. "That person… how did he manage to swing his sword at such a speed?"

Nicholas stared at the figure who was surrounded in the smog and was lost in thought while he had a solemn look on his face.

"I remember now.

"A very long time ago, when Kaslan was still part of the White Blade Guards, he demonstrated this sword style to us." With his eyebrows furrowed, Nicholas helped Justin up and walked towards the black-robed figure. "The two-handed rapid sword style called 'Rainstorm' enables one to move at a top speed that almost exceeds the speed of sound."

"Kaslan? Exceed the speed of sound? Rainstorm?"

Justin first mumbled to himself in confusion. Then, as though he had suddenly recalled something, he turned around in shock. "But isn't that exclusive to…"

"Yes, the two-handed rapid sword style reminiscent of a rainstorm... This skill is exclusive to a student of the same cohort as Kaslan in the Tower of Eradication." The Star Killer nodded solemnly as he recalled how the fight earlier felt like. "The legendary valkyrie in the Bloody Battle of Lyeden, the 'flag bearer' knighted by the Hanbol Royal Family…"

He then said with a hint of disbelief, "The Heart of the Rain, Molly Loraine."

"Are you referring to… Loraine the Knight?" Justin's expression changed. He immediately turned to the black-robed figure and exclaimed, "How is that possible… The Heart of the Rain, she... Didn't she die in battle thirty years ago in the Eastern Peninsula's Hanbol?"

Nicholas tapped his vice commander's shoulder and shook his head. "We will know what's going on soon."

Together, they walked in the smog towards the black-robed figure lying on the ground.

"Hey!"

As their vision became increasingly clearer, they saw Aida's petite figure.

With one hand on her waist, she pointed at the black-robed figure who was stuck to the ground by her machete and rattled incessantly, "You can bully pretty boys with your skills, but when it comes to sneaking an attack on me…"

Nicholas looked at how Aida was behaving and could not help but furrow his eyebrows.

The next moment, the elf protector suddenly stopped chattering!

"Eh… Eh!"

Aida fixed her gaze on the person on the floor and widened her mouth. She looked at the people around her in an innocent and panic-stricken manner. "This-This-This-This…"

Nicholas' expression changed.

He could not care less that the suffocating smog had not completely dispersed yet. He rushed forward and pushed the Archduchess' Guards aside.

Nicholas grabbed the black-robed figure, and his entire body trembled!

He noticed that something was not right.

Nicholas pulled out the machete that Aida stuck into the ground, "scooped" up the "person", then stood up with a solemn expression.

Upon seeing the thing in his hand clearly, the soldiers around him went into an uproar!

"What's going on…"

"It was obvious just now that…"

"Have all of you checked?"

While everyone stared in shock and bewilderment, Justin went forward. Upon seeing the thing in Nicholas' hand clearly, he widened his eyes.

The Star Killer was holding a black robe.

An empty black robe.

The lower part of the robe slumped down to the ground without anything to support it, swaying back and forth in the air.

There was only a black robe.

Without any living being in it.

Nicholas stared at the black robe in his hand for a few seconds. He then widened his eyes and cast a questioning gaze at his vice commander.

"No, boss." Justin knew what Nicholas was about to ask. He shook his head, also in shock. "We surrounded this place so tightly just now that not a drop of water could have passed through. We did not encounter any opponent breaking out of the encirclement. No one would have been able to escape."

"What the hell?" Aida said, her voice trembling. She wrapped her arms around her chest tightly and looked around anxiously. Her expression was akin to someone who just encountered a ghost. "I definitely pinned him down with my machete…

"How did he disappear?"

Nicholas widened his eyes in disbelief. He stared at the black robe, then at the perplexed and surprised faces of the soldiers around him.

He lowered his head and kicked the light, narrow swords on the ground, which were used by the black-robed figure. It seemed like he was testing something.

The twin swords were very obediently kicked to the side, showing that they were real and not illusory.

Nicholas inhaled deeply and hesitantly said, "Justin, the one who fought with us just now…

"Was a living person, right?"

Lord Justin parted his lips a little. He began to speak before he hesitated, "I…"

No one said anything.

Only the black robe remained swaying among them. Together with the thin swords on the ground, a strange atmosphere was created.

At this moment...

"Your Highness, Your Highness!"

There was a forlorn cry of distress.

Shocked, Nicholas immediately turned.

It was Wya.

Not far away, Wya Caso, the prince's attendant was pushing everyone next to Jennie, the black steed aside like a maniac.

He desperately searched through every single figure within his field of vision, and he could barely hide the trepidation on his face. "Thales… Prince Thales!"

"What…"

Still in shock, the Star Killer only managed to utter one word before Wya pounced on him in a panic when he noticed him. But he was stopped by an Archduchess' Guard next to Nicholas.

"Northlander… where is His Highness?"

Terrified, the attendant asked all the people present, "Has anyone seen His Highness?"

'What?'

Amid the dispersing smog, the Star Killer subconsciously turned in Jennie's direction.

But he could only see a group of panicked Constellatiates and the Archduchess' Guards in the periphery who were equally at a loss as to what to do.

Willow lowered his body and searched the corners of the crowd anxiously. Genard moved about the crowd. From time to time, he stopped someone and sized the person up with furrowed eyebrows before letting them go in disappointment.

'We are one person short.

'One person short…'

This thought flashed past the Star Killer's mind.

He immediately froze.

At that moment, the expressions of everyone who registered what was going on, including Justin, Aida and Ralf, changed!

"Huh?" Aida was at a loss on what to do.

On the other hand, Ralf widened his eyes. He grabbed Wya and gestured furiously at him.

The Star Killer went forward in an even more boorish and straightforward manner. He pushed Ralf away and grabbed Wya's collar with his hands. He questioned Wya with a ferocious expression, "What happened?!

"The prince… where is the prince?"

But Wya looked like he was about to break down. Trembling, he shook his head. His tone was filled with panic and worry, "No, no, the assassin came too quickly… The smog was too thick, and the sounds were too loud, too chaotic… I pulled His Highness down from the horse. When I grabbed him again, I only managed to grab Genard."

Genard's face was pale. "Impossible. The moment before both of you fought, the prince was still next to me… How…"

Nicholas let out a deep growl while he suppressed his anger and pushed the flustered Wya to the ground.

No one cared about keeping things rosy between the Northlanders and Constellatiates at that moment.

"Was he kidnapped by that assassin?"

Aida said to Nicholas in a panic, "He dodged my machete as he leaped up and took Thales away mid-air?"

The pale-faced Nicholas abruptly raised his head and looked at the roof closest to them.

An Archduchess' Guard who climbed onto the rooftop beforehand to guard against the surroundings stood there. He was wielding a bow.

"No, Boss!"

The Archduchess' Guard said with a puzzled expression while he stood up there. "From the moment of the attack up to this moment, even when there was a thick smog… whether it's the streets, alleys, roofs or any elevated places… I guarantee with my honor and life as a White Blade Guard that I did not see anyone leave! Neither did anyone else!"

Nicholas gritted his teeth and turned to look at another Archduchess' Guard who came from the back.

The Archduchess' Guard only shook his head. "The entrances and exits on the ground have been well-guarded by the sentry posts we stationed just now. From the time the assassin appeared until now, no one has entered or exited… We asked everyone to recite the passcode and checked everyone's appearance. There's no outsider pretending to be one of our own."

Nicholas was completely stunned.

On the street, both Northlanders and Constellatiates alike were stunned as well as speechless. They stared at one another and were clueless.

The Star Killer inhaled sharply.

He turned to the fighters around him, gritting his teeth so hard that they almost shattered. He then shouted his orders in exasperation.

"Form your teams, conduct a search! Starting from this point to our outermost blockade, search through every single wall around us, every alley, every house, every drain and even behind every single person!

"Stop every suspicious person… Our sentry posts and blockades are still around. It's impossible for anyone to leave this place without a sound!"

Amid the solemn and strange atmosphere, the patrols as well as the Archduchess' Guards who had equally unpleasant expressions immediately got to work.

They took up their positions in a well-trained manner and carried out their duties. They moved, lined up, spread out and started searching. In worry and anxiousness, everyone looked left and right, searching for their target, not willing to miss any corners.

The Constellatiates led by Wya were also prepared to take action. But a few Archduchess' Guards with icy expressions stopped them, and they could only stay where they were and wait in worry for the result of the Northlanders' search.

A few minutes passed.

"There's nothing in the four alleys in the east!"

"The periphery of Lhur Mansion is clear!"

"There's no one at the crossroads from Axe District to Shield District!"

"We have searched the inside and outside of the chess room!"

"We have searched all the houses in the south!

"No clues in the drain on the left!

"We have done everything but dismantle the house the assassin appeared in. There is nothing other than the shattered debris of the roof. There isn't even a fly there!"

Both the patrols and the Archduchess' Guards did not find anything in their search.

As he listened to his subordinates' reports, Nicholas' expression became increasingly unpleasant.

Finally, Justin led his men and walked out of the last alley. He shook his head at Nicholas, whose face was now filled with rage.

"When the assassin appeared, our sentry posts and blockades were perfect. From the vantage points to the roads on the ground. For a circumference of two hundred meters, not even a drop of water could pass by us. The assassin's smog did not affect them either," Justin's voice sounded strained.

"But… they did not see anyone breaking out of the encirclement.

"Not a single person." 

Nicholas widened his eyes. He stared at his vice commander in a daze and was frozen to the spot.

'How can it be so?

'Not in the sky, not on the roofs, not on the ground, not in the alleys either…

'No one entered, exited or disguised themselves within a distance of several hundred meters from here…

'Was the prince taken away… Did he disappear into thin air just like that?'

Everyone became quiet.

The situation was very clear. He was neither around them nor outside the encirclement.

They could not find that figure.

That fourteen-year-old figure.

That figure who could affect the futures of the two greatest kingdoms in the Western Peninsula.

It was as if he had vanished into thin air.

"F*ck…" Nicholas panted heavily and stared fiercely at the buildings around him, as though suspecting that there was something behind every single wall.

'What's going on…

'What's going on?'

Wya and Ralf stared worriedly at each other, shaking their heads.

"Impossible," Aida said gravely. "This is too strange…"

Next to Nicholas, Lord Justin furrowed his brows tightly.

"Boss…"

Nicholas turned to his vice commander with a contorted face. The latter was staring at the ground in a daze.

"The Heart of the Rain who died thirty years ago has suddenly appeared and disappeared into thin air. Together with Prince Thales…"

Lord Justin stared at the empty black robe with a pale face, then at the twin swords on the ground, which vibrated non-stop. He blinked furiously, as though he could not believe his eyes.

"We... Did we really…

"...bump into a ghost?"