Synopsis and Starting Chapter Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Chapter 43
Chapter 44
Chapter 45
Chapter 46
Chapter 47
Chapter 48
Chapter 49
Chapter 50
Chapter 51
Chapter 52
Chapter 53
Chapter 54
Chapter 55
Chapter 56
Chapter 57
Chapter 58
Chapter 59
Chapter 60
Chapter 61
Chapter 62
Chapter 63
Chapter 64
Chapter 65
Chapter 66
Chapter 67
Chapter 68
Chapter 69
Chapter 70
Chapter 71
Chapter 72
Chapter 73
Chapter 74
Chapter 75
Chapter 76
Chapter 77
Chapter 78
Chapter 79
Chapter 80
Chapter 81
Chapter 82
Chapter 83 - Cry-Baby And Ugly-Faced Woman
Chapter 84 - The Situation Took A Turn For The Worst
Chapter 85 - The Blood Clan’S True Form (One)
Chapter 86 - Blood Clan'S True Form (Two)
Chapter 87 - Your Blood Is Quite Nutritious
Chapter 88 - Awakening (One)
Chapter 89 - Awakening (Two)
Chapter 90 - Awakening (Three)
Chapter 91 - Return
Chapter 92 - Sin Of Hell’S River
Chapter 93 - Don’T Do It, It’Ll Hurt
Chapter 94 - All The Blood In This World Belongs To Me
Chapter 95 - The Charm Of That Shield
Chapter 96 - I Definitely Will Not Let You Suffer
Chapter 97 - Our Inland Sea
Chapter 98 - Arracca Murkh
Chapter 99 - Uncertain Fate
Chapter 100 - Ramon (One)
Chapter 101 - Ramon (Two)
Chapter 102 - Eckstedt’S Welcoming Ceremony
Chapter 103 - Gamble (One)
Chapter 104 - Gamble (Two)
Chapter 105 - The Kingdom’S Wrath
Chapter 106 - The Failed Bet
Chapter 107 - Mystic Gun
Chapter 108 - Chapman Lampard
Chapter 109 - Remnants Of Magic
Chapter 110 - Paid Homage
Chapter 111 - Kaslan’S Tavern
Chapter 112
Chapter 113 - The Intersection Of Fate
Chapter 114 - The People In Hell (One)
Chapter 115 - The People In Hell (Two)
Chapter 116
Chapter 117 - Star Killer
Chapter 118 - The Unexpected Guests
Chapter 119 - A Marquis From Camus
Chapter 120 - Bait
Chapter 121 - Clue
Chapter 122 - Until Dawn Came (One)
Chapter 123 - Until Dawn Came (Two)
Chapter 124 - Queen Of The Sky
Chapter 125 - The Female Warrior
Chapter 126 - Heroic Spirit Palace
Chapter 127 - The Born King (One)
Chapter 128 - The Born King (Two)
Chapter 129 - A Duel
Chapter 130 - The King And His Archdukes
Chapter 131 - The Strange Swordsman
Chapter 132 - Who Are You?
Chapter 133 - Hunt And Chase
Chapter 134 - Little Rascal And Alex (One)
Chapter 135 - Little Rascal And Alex (Two)
Chapter 136 - Stabs
Chapter 137 - Kidnapping The Archduke?
Chapter 138 - Numb Hands
Chapter 139 - A Unique Welcome Banquet
Chapter 140 - The Red Witch
Chapter 141 - Reunion
Chapter 142 - Who’S There (One)
Chapter 143 - Who’S There (Two)
Chapter 144 - The Sword Of Baptism’S Death
Chapter 145 - The Wait
Chapter 146 - The Culprit
Chapter 147 - The Northland Road
Chapter 148
Chapter 149 - Not Even Worth Half A Penny!
Chapter 150 - The Beloved Former King, Nuven
Chapter 151 - Veteran
Chapter 152 - Shadow
Chapter 153 - Have A Drink
Chapter 154 - The Secret Of ‘Triumph’
Chapter 155 - A Bargaining Chip You Cannot Refuse
Chapter 156 - Horrifying
Chapter 157 - The Death Of Soria
Chapter 158 - Betrayal
Chapter 159 - The Fateful Night
Chapter 160 - The Invitation
Chapter 161 - The First Mystic Declaration
Chapter 162 - Letting Go Of A Suspicion
Chapter 163 - Monster And Monster
Chapter 164 - Chaos Begins
Chapter 165 - Just Speak
Chapter 166 - Surprise
Chapter 167 - Flee
Chapter 168 - The Tragic End Of Weaklings
Chapter 169 - Air And Blood
Chapter 170 - The Desperate Dash
Chapter 171 - The Outcome Of The Civil War
Chapter 172 - Elimination
Chapter 173 - The Blade Of Purification
Chapter 174 - The Truth About Elimination
Chapter 175 - Same Kind (One)
Chapter 176 - Same Kind (Two)
Chapter 177 - Sudden Entrance Into The Battlefield!
Chapter 178 - True Form
Chapter 179 - Silence And Darkness
Chapter 180 - Knocking On The Door
Chapter 181 - Phantom
Chapter 182 - A Gentle Kiss
Chapter 183 - The Cost Of Victory
Chapter 184 - The Paradoxical Assassin
Chapter 185 - Thunder Rumbles In Winter
Chapter 186 - End Of Arc: A Good Name
Chapter 187 - The Night Ends, The Day Breaks
Chapter 188 - It Is You
Chapter 189 - Symphony Of Blood (One)
Chapter 190 - Symphony Of Blood (Part Two)
Chapter 191 - Stop Meddling Into The Matters Of Elders
Chapter 192 - Six-Fifty
Chapter 193 - Choose Who You Want To Become
Chapter 194 - Ice-Cold
Chapter 195 - Spirit Of The Contract
Chapter 196 - The Manipulator (One)
Chapter 197 - The Manipulator (Two)
Chapter 198 - Price
Chapter 199
Chapter 200 - Encounter
Chapter 201 - The Prince’S End
Chapter 202 - Really Bad Luck (One)
Chapter 203 - Really Bad Luck (Two)
Chapter 204 - Understanding
Chapter 205 - Execute On The Spot
Chapter 206 - Guest From Barren Bone
Chapter 207 - The Prince’S Doubts
Chapter 208 - The Black Prophet From The Other Side
Chapter 209 - Code Name: Dragon’S Blood
Chapter 210 - The Importance Of Dragon’S Blood
Chapter 211 - A Gamble In The Dark (One)
Chapter 212 - A Gamble In The Dark (Two)
Chapter 213 - The Curse Of The Witch
Chapter 214 - The Scorching Blade
Chapter 215 - Stall
Chapter 216 - The Latecomer
Chapter 217 - A Very Big Problem
Chapter 218 - The Blade And The Wing
Chapter 219 - Trust And Loyalty
Chapter 220 - Nicholas’ Bargaining Chip
Chapter 221 - Shelter
Chapter 222 - A Critical Decision
Chapter 223 - Failure
Chapter 224 - Little Rascal’S ‘Consolation’
Chapter 225 - Save This Country
Chapter 226 - King Slayer
Chapter 227 - Creating Trouble For Ourselves
Chapter 228 - The Strongest Chess Piece (One)
Chapter 229 - The Strongest Chess Piece (Two)
Chapter 230 - The Strongest Chess Piece. (Three)
Chapter 231 - Lampard’S Plan
Chapter 232 - The Archduke’S Fight
Chapter 233 - It Has Been A Long Time
Chapter 234 - A Great Threat
Chapter 235 - Contention
Chapter 236 - The Inextinguishable Starlight
Chapter 237 - The Virtuous King
Chapter 238 - Centuries Of Strategic Planning (One)
Chapter 239 - Centuries Of Strategic Planning (Two)
Chapter 240 - Centuries Of Strategic Planning (Three)
Chapter 241 - Genuine Patrols
Chapter 242
Chapter 243 - Seize Control
Chapter 244 - Chad Vlad
Chapter 245 - Severing Souls With A Slash!
Chapter 246 - A Game Of Chess
Chapter 247 - A Chance Encounter
Chapter 248 - I Am Very Honored
Chapter 249 - When Swords Cross (One)
Chapter 250 - When Swords Cross (Two)
Chapter 251 - Arduous
Chapter 252 - I Am So Relieved
Chapter 253 - I Can Help You
Chapter 254 - The Black Knight’S Death
Chapter 255 - Changing Hands
Chapter 256 - Counter-Attack
Chapter 257 - Check
Chapter 258 - Checkmate
Chapter 259 - A Speculation
Chapter 260 - The Reason For Battle (One)
Chapter 261 - The Reason For Battle (Two)
Chapter 262 - Twist Of Fate
Chapter 263 - A Child Who’S Not Able To Drink Alcohol
Chapter 264 - You Northland Barbarians!
Chapter 265 - Two Minutes
Chapter 266 - What A Shame (One)
Chapter 267 - What A Shame (Two)
Chapter 268 - We Won
Chapter 269 - The Archduchess
Chapter 270 - The Blood-Stained Crown
Chapter 271 - The Day Before The Bitter Cold Winter
Chapter 272 - Yc
Chapter 273 - End Of Arc: The Destiny They Missed
Chapter 274 - The Quiet Prince
Chapter 275 - A Game Of Chess (One)
Chapter 276 - A Game Of Chess (Two)
Chapter 277 - First Lesson
Chapter 278 - The Truth Brothers
Chapter 279 - Traitors
Chapter 280 - Target
Chapter 281 - An Awkward Dinner
Chapter 282 - Upset
Chapter 283 - Riot
Chapter 284 - The Familiar Guest
Chapter 285 - The Honor And Humiliation Of The Great Dragon (One)
Chapter 286
Chapter 287 - The Mystery About Putray
Chapter 288 - The Dragon’S Blood Has Yet To Dry
Chapter 289 - Dragon Breaker (One)
Chapter 290 - Dragon Breaker (Two)
Chapter 291 - Meryl Hicks
Chapter 292 - The Boundaries Of Governance (One)
Chapter 293 - The Boundaries Of Governance (Two)
Chapter 294 - What Is Magic?
Chapter 295 - An Unforeseen Invitation
Chapter 296 - The Game In The Carriage
Chapter 297 - The Former King’S “Present”
Chapter 298 - The Prince’S Shackles
Chapter 299 - Friend And Foe
Chapter 300 - Victory And Defeat
Chapter 301 - A Duel
Chapter 302 - Not Too Bad?
Chapter 303 - Leave
Chapter 304 - A Storm Is Coming
Chapter 305 - The Creation Of The Two Empresses
Chapter 306 - Raven Of Death
Chapter 307 - Ian The Nuisance
Chapter 308 - Collusion
Chapter 309 - The Writers Of Legend (One)
Chapter 310 - The Writers Of Legend (Two)
Chapter 311 - The Day Of The State Affairs Hearing
Chapter 312 - The Hatred For Stealing His Sister
Chapter 313 - The Beginning
Chapter 314 - For Dragon Clouds City
Chapter 315 - The Archduchess And Her Vassals
Chapter 316 - Plan
Chapter 317 - A Romantic Story
Chapter 318 - Are All Of You Coming?
Chapter 319 - Not According To Plan
Chapter 320 - Releasing In “Installments”
Chapter 321 - The Price Of Saying “No”
Chapter 322 - The Moral Of The Story
Chapter 323 - Good Morning
Chapter 324 - Returning The Favor
Chapter 325 - Send Reinforcements
Chapter 326 - Five Archdukes
Chapter 327 - The Prince’S Whereabouts
Chapter 328 - Just Like Chapman Lampard
Chapter 329 - The Final Journey
Chapter 330 - Assassinating Lampard?
Chapter 331 - Bumping Into A Ghost
Chapter 332 - Headquarters
Chapter 333 - Smooth-Sailing
Chapter 334
Chapter 335 - The Confusion While Going Back Home
Chapter 336 - The Veteran On The Wheelchair
Chapter 337 - Double The Amount?
Chapter 338 - The Point Of Contact
Chapter 339 - His/Her Eyes
Chapter 340 - The Magical Therren
Chapter 341 - You Son Of A *Censored*
Chapter 342 - Which Will You Choose?
Chapter 343 - Exterminate Them All
Chapter 344 - Black Track
Chapter 345 - Join Us
Chapter 346 - Silver Shadow
Chapter 347 - You Will Fail In The End
Chapter 348 - You Fell Into The Trap, Eh?
Chapter 349 - The War Of The Deceased Souls
Chapter 350 - Never Lost
Chapter 351 - The Pulse Of The Ground
Chapter 352 - God Knows
Chapter 353 - The First Rule
Chapter 354 - Pursuers
Chapter 355 - The Hardest Fight
Chapter 356 - Unique Only To One
Chapter 357 - Just Die Here
Chapter 358 - The Three-Second Fight
Chapter 359 - Surpassed Kaslan
Chapter 360 - The Raven And The Snow Blade (One)
Chapter 361 - The Raven And The Snow Blade (Two)
Chapter 362 - The Black Raven’S Eyes
Chapter 363 - Who Does Your Loyalty Belong To?
Chapter 364 - Turning Against One Another
Chapter 365 - Saber Or Crossbow?
Chapter 366 - Prince In The Desert
Chapter 367 - Sellsword
Chapter 368 - Dante’S Greatsword
Chapter 369 - Desert Threat
Chapter 370 - There’S Someone
Chapter 371 - Barren Bone People
Chapter 372 - Bloody Thorn Lizard
Chapter 373 - Young Cub
Chapter 374 - Foreign Blood
Chapter 375 - Coming-Of-Age Ceremony
Chapter 376 - Flag
Chapter 377 - The Destructive Army
Chapter 378 - Freaks
Chapter 379 - Welcome To Constellation (One)
Chapter 380 - Welcome To Constellation (Two)
Chapter 381 - Ghost Prince
Chapter 382 - My Home (One)
Chapter 383 - My Home (Two)
Chapter 384 - Age Of Mercenaries
Chapter 385 - Confrontation And Stalemate
Chapter 386 - Prince Versus Prince
Chapter 387 - So Many Tricks
Chapter 388 - You Have To Laugh
Chapter 389 - Shackles Of Power
Chapter 390 - Perhaps I Have
Chapter 391 - Happily Ever After
Chapter 392 - Technical Skill
Chapter 393 - Intention
Chapter 394 - New Guest
Chapter 395 - Shadows And Swords
Chapter 396 - The Dark Side
Chapter 397 - Emergency Mission
Chapter 398 - Alliance Of Traitors
Chapter 399 - The Mole
Chapter 400 - As Bad As Can Be
Chapter 401 - Affectionate And United
Chapter 402 - F*Ck You
Chapter 403 - H.N. Jadestar
Chapter 404 - Stupid Idea
Chapter 405 - Sinner
Chapter 406 - The Intruders
Chapter 407 - Head Towards Omniscience
Chapter 408 - Black Prison
Chapter 409 - Behind The Iron Curtain
Chapter 410 - Hallucination
Chapter 411 - Seven
Chapter 412 - People Whom History Has Forgotten
Chapter 413 - The Mourning Of The Guards
Chapter 414 - Where Is He?
Chapter 415 - Fall Out
Chapter 416 - Disaster Sword’S Battle
Chapter 417 - The Knight Of Judgment
Chapter 418 - A Different World
Chapter 419 - The Queen’S Dowry
Chapter 420 - The Greatest King
Chapter 421 - Knew Clearly
Chapter 422 - Nameless
Chapter 423 - Awaken
Chapter 424 - Loyalty
Chapter 425 - Peer
Chapter 426 - He Was Probably Old
Chapter 427 - A Stalemate
Chapter 428 - Dusk
Chapter 429 - The Man At The Proximal World
Chapter 430 - The Second Declaration Among Mystics
Chapter 431 - The Anchor Point
Chapter 432 - Taurus Mill
Chapter 433 - Decision
Chapter 434 - Correcting The Mistake
Chapter 435 - Malicious Flower, Malicious Fruit
Chapter 436 - Moriah Returns
Chapter 437 - Old Self
Chapter 438 - The Prince Is Not Here
Chapter 439 - Scheme Between The Thief And Bandit
Chapter 440 - Seven To Three
Chapter 441 - Missing One
Chapter 442 - Quick Wit
Chapter 443 - Not Just You
Chapter 444 - Someone Needs An Answer
Chapter 445 - A Forbidden Name
Chapter 446 - Three Calamity Allies
Chapter 447 - Enemy Of The World
Chapter 448 - 1 Vs 8
Chapter 449 - Chaos Of Armies
Chapter 450 - Two Hands
Chapter 451 - Xx Films
Chapter 452 - Fratricide
Chapter 453 - It Was Not A Coincidence
Chapter 454 - More Than Half
Chapter 455 - I Hated Him
Chapter 456 - Nothing At All
Chapter 457 - The Person Who Supported Him
Chapter 458 - Where The Sun Does Not Shine (One)
Chapter 459 - Where The Sun Does Not Shine (Two)
Chapter 460 - Rebirth (One)
Chapter 461 - Rebirth (Two)
Chapter 462 - Rebirth (Three)
Chapter 463 - Rebirth (Four)
Chapter 464 - Rebirth (Five)
Chapter 465 - Truth Swords
Chapter 466 - Beheaded
Chapter 467 - Revealed In Flames
Chapter 468 - The Silent Demon
Chapter 469 - So Naïve That You Are Adorable
Chapter 470 - The Fate Twins
Chapter 471 - The True Essence Of The Power Of Eradication
Chapter 472 - Leaving The Prison
Chapter 473 - I Am Not A Devil, After All
Chapter 474 - Much… Higher
Chapter 475 - The Warden
Chapter 476 - Life, Safety And Freedom
Chapter 477 - Something Lighter
Chapter 478 - Get Me Something To Eat And Drink
Chapter 479 - Exclusive Possession
Chapter 480 - Kill Them
Chapter 481 - A Different Way Of Living
Chapter 482 - Get Yourself A Girlfriend
Chapter 483 - Make Me Even More… Excited
Chapter 484 - You Are Good-Looking
Chapter 485 - Too High
Chapter 486 - You Are Good-Looking
Chapter 487 - Too High
Chapter 488 - That Night
Chapter 489 - Usurp Power
Chapter 490 - Do Something
Chapter 491 - Power Comes From Violence (One)
Chapter 492 - Power Comes From Violence (Two)
Chapter 493 - The Third Party
Chapter 494 - Destiny Is Like A Poem
Chapter 495 - Raven Leader
Chapter 496 - Never
Chapter 497 - His Majesty’S Blessing
Chapter 498 - Black Lion
Chapter 499 - I Have Come In Peace
Chapter 500 - End Of Arc: Duke
Chapter 501 - Everything Will Be Better
Chapter 502 - Six Divisions And Seven Attendants
Chapter 503 - Divided Western Desert
Chapter 504 - Only One Day Left
Chapter 505 - Protection
Chapter 506 - This Is Just The Beginning
Chapter 507 - Hometown
Chapter 508 - A Small Spark
Chapter 509 - Anxious
Chapter 510 - Fifteen Minutes
Chapter 511 - King In The Mist
Chapter 512 - Crazy
Chapter 513 - A Small Favor
Chapter 514 - Like A Fleeting Cloud
Chapter 515 - Timetable
Chapter 516 - Coincidence?
Chapter 517 - Went To High School
Chapter 518 - Discovered?
Chapter 519 - Let’S Fight
Chapter 520 - Not Just The Power Of Eradication
Chapter 521 - World Class Battle Worthy Of Being Written In Historical Poems
Chapter 522 - Continuous Fights
Chapter 523 - Mutant
Chapter 524 - Self-Reliant
Chapter 525 - Lustful Woman
Chapter 526 - Knowledge Of People
Chapter 527 - Holiness Exorcism
Chapter 528 - Fight Between The Eldest And Youngest
Chapter 529 - Privacy
Chapter 530 - Alien Star
Chapter 531 - Guest
Chapter 532 - The Young Kingdom
Chapter 533 - Calm On Iron Spikes
Chapter 534 - Sorry To Keep You Waiting
Chapter 535 - Polaris
Chapter 536 - Times Have Changed
Chapter 537 - Pretty Boy
Chapter 538 - Magnificent Scene Of Hell
Chapter 539 - Side Story 7: Joint Council
Chapter 540 - Never Kneel
Chapter 541 - A Piece Of Cake
Chapter 542 - Merciless
Chapter 543 - That Gaze
Chapter 544 - Watchmen’S Code
Chapter 545 - The End Of It
Chapter 546 - To Not Perish As Foes (One)
Chapter 547 - To Not Perish As Foes (Two)
Chapter 548 - To Not Perish As Foes (Three)
Chapter 549 - To Duke Thales
Chapter 550 - What Rationality
Chapter 551 - Better
Chapter 552 - Sacrificing A Pawn (One)
Chapter 553 - Sacrificing A Pawn (Two)
Chapter 554 - Sacrificing A Pawn (Three)
Chapter 555 - Unfulfilled
Chapter 556 - Chess Player
Chapter 557 - Relieved
Chapter 558 - Punishment
Chapter 559 - Eight Arteries
Chapter 560 - Imperial Style
Chapter 561 - Cannot Escape The Sheath
Chapter 562 - Want Everything
Chapter 563 - Cause And Effect
Chapter 564 - Blazing Blood
Chapter 565 - Of Course—Not
Chapter 566 - Crown Jewel Of The Kingdom
Chapter 567 - Head Over Heels
Chapter 568 - As Truthful As Possible
Chapter 569 - Hand In Marriage
Chapter 570 - What Do I Need You For
Chapter 571 - Defects
Chapter 572 - Heart Of The Guards
Chapter 573 - You’Re A Real Dog
Chapter 574 - Antecessors
Chapter 575 - The Years Have Caught On To Me
Chapter 576 - Shooting Yourself In The Foot
Chapter 577 - Lie
Chapter 578 - The Wine Merchant
Chapter 579 - Damn The Prince
Chapter 580 - The Prince Likes Them
Categories Genre: Action, All, Drama, Fantasy, Mature, Ongoing, Psychological, Seinen, Tragedy Status: Ongoing Alternative names: Wang Guo Xue Mai, 王国血脉, ______
Total Chapters in book: 580
Estimated words: 2362673 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 11813(@200wpm)___ 9451(@250wpm)___ 7876(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 2362673 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 11813(@200wpm)___ 9451(@250wpm)___ 7876(@300wpm)
______
LIST OF LAST 10 CHAPTERS:
Page No. 580 Page No. 579 Page No. 578 Page No. 577 Page No. 576 Page No. 575 Page No. 574 Page No. 573 Page No. 572 Page No. 571 Page No. 570 Chapter 260 - The Reason For Battle (One)
Chapter 260: The Reason for Battle (One)
Translator:
EndlessFantasy Translation
Editor:
EndlessFantasy Translation
Heroic Spirit Palace, another corridor.
Miranda’s sword cut a jagged line in the air.
*Clang!*
Amid the crisp sound of clashing metal, she gritted her teeth tightly as she brushed past Kroesch.
In the next second…
*Schick!*
A gush of blood spurted out from Miranda’s lower abdomen whereas Kroesch’s left leg armor became seriously deformed.
The two people who had their backs against each other pulled apart for some distance. Their figures swayed as they both fell to the ground.
“Haha, as expected of the Chief Seed.” Kroesch sat on the ground with exhaustion spread across her face. She endured the pain as she used the edge of her blade to pry open her deformed leg armor and pressed down on her bone. “Even with your unhealed injuries, you can still accomplish this much.
On the other hand, Miranda leaned against the wall, dripping with cold sweat. She desperately covered the wound on her abdomen, incessantly urging the Pegasus’ Music to slow down the blood flow and close up her flesh. She did not acknowledge Kroesch’s words.
They knew that after engaging in this brief yet intense fight, both of them had reached their limits. What remained was the contest of perseverance and spirit.
“Tell me.” Miranda opened her mouth with difficulty. “Betraying a friend, murdering the king, using the Tower of Eradication to fulfil your own ambitions… How does it feel, Esch?”
Kroesch paused slightly. Her gaze turned to the sword in her own hands. It was a saber acquired from the Tower of Eradication: Centurion. The hilt of the sword was engraved with a symbol from the Pegasus series: the Silver-Winged Pegasus. It represented a firm and steadfast belief.
“It feels amazing, Mira.” Kroesch withdrew her gaze and sneered. “The joy of breaking the rules.”
What was unexpected was that Miranda did not look angry, neither was she sceptical. Lady Arunde just watched her quietly with a subtle gaze.
The swordswoman softly opened her mouth. “Esch…” Her tone was filled with grief. “These few years since you left the tower, you must have been getting by poorly, right?”
Kroesch trembled slightly and her arm began to tense.
“I heard from Kaslan that you were rejected by the White Blade Guards, otherwise, you wouldn’t have…”
Miranda heaved a sigh. “But I beg you, don’t lose yourself. Think about your ‘heart of the sword’.”
The corridor went silent. Kroesch’s breathing grew faster and faster.
‘Heart of the sword. My… heart of the sword?’ Still, Kroesch clenched her jaw.
“Mira, you’re an heir to the Northern Territory, born into a noble background. You served under the Fortress Flower right after graduation…
“To have everything go well for you, of course you wouldn’t understand the struggles of a woman who was born a commoner has to experience in this world.”
Miranda was stunned for a moment.
Just when she was about to ask “what struggles”, the other party suddenly got up. She charged at her, limping and hobbling.
Miranda was surprised. Unable to care about the pain in her abdomen, she leaped up.
*Clang!*
The swords, ‘Soaring Eagle’ and Kroesch’s ‘Centurion’, neutralized each other’s attacks in the air. They were in a stalemate.
“White Blade Guards?” Kroesch’s arm was trembling as she towered above, suppressing her opponent. Miranda could only muster all her strength in response.
Both of them listened to the force exerted on the swords in this trembling sword fight. The contact point for both swords shifted continuously, both attempting to find the rhythm of attack and the perfect spot to apply force.
“On top of that, from the grandest Dragon Clouds City to the most remote countryside manor, no suzerain was willing to hire me for fear that I could beat up all their protectors and guards,” Kroesch said with hatred. “In the span of one year, I brought with me the hopes and skills from the tower, yet I was wandering like a beggar who disgusted everyone.”
Miranda had her sights set on the injury of the enemy’s other leg. She quietly moved her feet and searched for an opportunity. “So when Lampard extended a hand to you, you decided to take revenge with death, even if it means to go against the creed?”
Kroesch’s sword-hand trembled slightly. Miranda’s eyelid twitched, she grabbed the opportunity in an instant.
*Clang!*
With a twist of her sword, she swiftly broke out of the disadvantageous position of being suppressed. Then, she took a step forward, whirled around, and using the advantage given by her legs, she lunged her sword forward in an attack!
But out of Miranda’s expectations, Kroesch—with an injury on her left leg—did not retreat or fall into her rhythm as she had anticipated.
The round-faced swordswoman let out an angry yell. Disregarding the injured conditions on both of her legs, she leaped and pounced forward!
‘What?’ Miranda’s pupils constricted.
The sword brushed past Kroesch’s short hair and even took a few strands off, whereas the edge of Koresch’s blade went straight for Miranda’s injured abdomen.
*Boom!*
By the skin of her teeth, Miranda dodged the edge of the other party’s sword in the end. However, as the enemy seized her opportunity, she was struck on the rib by the hilt of a sword.
Amid the sharp pain, Miranda revealed an expression of pain. She fell backwards continuously until she fell on the ground.
‘This is bad. My ribs…’
At this moment, the wounds from the battle against Disaster Sword began to ache dully.
In front of Miranda, the overexerted Kroesch was also weakened and fell down. She propped herself up on the ground with her sword. She desperately applied pressure on the aggravated injury on her left leg.
“You don’t understand,” Kroesch said painfully, “In the City of Halting Light, a viscount finally agreed to hire me… as long as I was willing to marry him.
“I knew about it, there were similar cases before this. He probably wanted a woman who can obediently spread her thighs open after elegantly brandishing a sword.” Kroesch revealed a satirical smile. “I thought he wanted the sense of accomplishment; of having his dignity satisfied to make him feel like a man.
“So I rejected him.”
Miranda felt the condition of her rib injury with a pale face as she listened to the words of her former cohort.
“‘However brilliant you are, you’re still a woman in the end,’ that’s how he said it.” Kroesch gritted her teeth ferociously, the rim of her eyes turned red. “Just right-right before… the drug he gave me… took effect.
Miranda shuddered suddenly!
In disbelief, she looked at her friend and the mournful expression that appeared on her face. The latter laughed in a mocking way. Miranda felt an ache in her heart. She softly spoke up.
“Esch…”
“I don’t care about those things he did!” Kroesch’s unusual smile caused Miranda to feel uneasy at heart. “In reality, he didn’t really do anything, did he?
“But that night. I will always remember his eyes, those words he said—that humiliation, that contempt.” Kroesch’s tone grew urgent. “And the panic in my heart at the time… It seemed as if I was going to lose all my worth as a woman. From that day onwards, I understood one thing.”
The eyes of the guard captain for the Archduke of Black Sand turned cold.
“The reason I was thwarted at every turn and was rejected by everyone wasn’t because I lacked ability, or because I lacked physical strength, or that I had insufficient experience.” Quivering, Kroesch straightened out her body, pressed her weight on her sword and said coldly,
“It’s because I am a woman.”
In her sadness and heartache, Miranda stared at her former best friend, only to feel a heaviness in her chest.
‘Kroesch… you…’
“In Northland, they don’t believe that a woman can become a warrior, can fight wielding a sword, or can survive independently.” Kroesch’s gaze turned solemn as she staggered towards Miranda. “They don’t even allow it!
“This world cannot tolerate women being ‘stronger’ than the men, because that is their exclusive privilege.” Kroesch took a deep breath. “And moreover, they cannot tolerate women surviving alone without depending on the men at all, because that is also their privilege!
“Once I thoroughly understood this, many things were readily solved.
“Do you remember all the stories we read in the tower: the knight’s novels, historical plays, and the romantic poems? No matter what sort of woman she was, how valiantly independent, how loyal and unyielding; if she wants to be liked by the readers, she would have to fulfil one condition.” Kroesch gasped for breath, an ominous glint flashed in her eyes. “She must be able to get f*cked by the men—f*cked by the hero!
“When a distinguished woman gets f*cked, the readers feel a greater sense of accomplishment; a virtuous woman, they’ll feel a sense of conquest; a gracious woman, they’ll feel more pleasure down there; a pitiful woman, they’ll feel more dignified; a pure, lovely woman, they’ll feel more secure; a cunning, insidious woman, they’ll feel more satisfaction!”
“As long as she’s a woman, whether she’s the heroine or a supporting role, she must be the attachment in the man’s life and exist for the man.” Kroesch braced herself against the wall, gritted her teeth and said, “From the novels to reality, from birth to death, from law to life, this is the story this shameful world tells us repeatedly, and it is the f*cking truth!”
“What exactly are you talking about?” Miranda shook her head in disbelief as terror swept into her heart. “Esch!”
“Even for you, Mira. In Constellation where the women have inheritance rights, if you don’t have a strong husband, your vassals wouldn’t wholeheartedly obey you either.” Rays of dissatisfaction and pain seeped from Kroesch’s eyes.
“Even women as independent as Heart of the Rain and Fortress Flower must achieve results far exceeding the ordinary to receive equal standing as the men, as well as receive the same rewards as the men.”
In that instant, Miranda suddenly thought of her past, of how the subordinates in the fortress looked at her, of her father’s expression when she was seven, of… Raphael.
“So, I understood another thing: The ones who rejected me and the independence of women weren’t the White Blade Guards, nor those suzerains…” Kroesch walked in front of Miranda, her gaze was desolate and her voice hollow. “…it is this damned world.”
Kroesch’s voice fell. Miranda stared blankly at her, for Kroesch’s words—regardless of whether it was her past misfortune or astonishing perspective—had shocked her.
Kroesch regulated her breathing and steadily raised the sword in her hand, her face was frosty.
She said viciously, “F*ck them all.”
The sword flashed!
Enduring the sharp pain in her ribs with great difficulty, Miranda rolled onto her side in a dishevelled manner and evaded the killing blow from Kroesch’s sword.
If it was not for the inconvenience of the other party’s leg, she would have been decapitated long ago.
Reacting quickly, Miranda turned around and lunged with the sword on her hand. She went directly for the abdomen.
Just as Kroesch, who had less mobility, circled her sword back in defense, Miranda’s sword pivoted wondrously and jabbed straight ahead.
It struck Kroesch’s left ankle; it was as if Kroesch herself had moved her sword away so that Miranda could hit her.
*Clang!*
The tip of her sword collided sharply with Kroesch’s boot.
Kroesch fell onto the ground in excruciating pain, she clutched onto her ankle in the boot.
They are both in the Pegasus branch. Miranda’s Pegasus’ Music learned more towards linking attacks from herself and from her enemies while manipulating the enemy and her own rhythms at the same time, creating an unnoticeable opportunity to break through the enemy. Similar to an alternating and repeating concerto.
On the other hand, Kroesch’s Pegasus’ Music was accustomed to taking the initiative in controlling the overall rhythm of the battle. With its high-speed offense and a clear division between her enemy and herself, like a powerful scherzo[1] showing the difference between the strong and the weak.
This was presented vividly during their exchange of blows just now in Kroesch’s heavy, ribbed pommel and Miranda’s ankle attack.
“Esch, forget that unbearable past.” Miranda shook her head. Gasping for breath, she said, “You’ve been thinking too much, you’ve diverted this specific hatred into—”
“Thinking too much?”
Enduring the pain from both her ankle and legs, Kroesch snorted coldly. “You don’t understand, Miranda. The most terrifying thing isn’t the injustice suffered as a woman, nor the repeated failures in resistance. Rather, it is how, in thousands of years, even our own women have taken these things and regulations as just and rational.”
Both former schoolmates fell to the ground and glared firmly at each other. There was only a distance of three steps between them. This was just the right distance to thrust out a sword attack—the final strike.
“My mother was an ordinary countrywoman, my father never loved her.” Kroesch clutched Centurion as she searched for an angle. “Since I could remember, she sat in the house all day twirling knitting with the needles in her hands. From dawn to dusk, she guarded the light on the table persistently, waiting for her only support to return from the glorious White Blade Guards, even if he never returned.
“And yet, my mother remained proud of that man. She believed that it was an incomparable honor to be the wife and daughter of the king’s security guard, as if both our worth could only be reflected in that man. Even if he only appeared before me for the first time ever at my mother’s funeral.”
Kroesch laughed softly.
Miranda stared firmly at the enemy’s shoulder, adjusting the position of her sword’s tip accordingly with Kroesch’s weapon.
“After mother died, I was brought back to Dragon Clouds City and was entrusted to be raised by a lady of noble birth.” Kroesch’s complexion darkened. “Lady Adele married one of the people with the highest statuses in the country—the heroic, up-and-coming, bold, and just Prince Soria Walton.
“You cannot imagine what I saw.” Kroesch could not help but to speed up her breathing. “If other people still knew how to use florid words to hide the fact that women were assets to them, then Soria Walton was probably an honest man. To him, assets should be treated as they were—with a whip.
“When I was a child, I hid under the bed countless times, and with my hands over my mouth, I would tremble in fear as I listened to that damned bastard enter the door.” Tremblingly, she said, “I would hear Lady Adele’s pained screams, listen to that bastard prince treat her like the lowliest female slave, venting his resentment towards his wife time and time again. Prince Soria was punishing her for the utmost disrespect and humiliation towards him. That disrespect being the fact that Adele did not set aside her first night for her newlywed husband, but gave it to a knight in her hometown when she was younger instead.
“I always climbed out to comfort Adele, she would be naked and covered in bruises after he left dispirited. With a body covered in scars, she would cry as she hugged me, telling me and herself at the same time: Don’t be sad, because this was her sin, and also a woman’s fate.”
Miranda looked at this side of Kroesch in amazement. It was a look she had never in the slightest seen before in the past at the Tower of Eradication.
Kroesch said exhaustedly and in fragments, “You know, Miranda, in reality, from birth until death, we women have never been complete human beings compared to the other type of human since the beginning. When we are children, we are the assets of our fathers, used in exchange for the assets of another man. After we grow up, our faces and bodies become the reputations of our future husbands, our first nights and chastities their dignity, our lower bodies their territories, our wombs a warehouse to extend their bloodlines. Even our thoughts must be theirs.”
Kroesch’s eyes were filled with a dull grey hue. “The moment I cut my whole body open and turned it inside out, I realized that the only thing that belonged to me… was this sword.”
“Esch…”
Miranda swallowed her words. In her eyes were a mix of grief, bewilderment, pain, and other emotions.
Finally, Miranda heaved a sigh. “What exactly do you want to do?”
Kroesch looked quietly at her and squeezed out an unpleasant smile. “I want to use this sword that I’m left with… to take back the things women were deprived of since birth. And from then on, allow women their independence.”
In that moment, Miranda swayed a bit and fell against the wall in low spirits.
“I don’t understand,” she said, her face drained of color.
Kroesch merely let out a snort, as if she was not surprised at all.
“Mira, I don’t blame you. Blessed, pitiful, innocent, lamentable woman… happy with the status quo, yet the least bit aware.”
Miranda pursed her lips, looked at the sword in her hand and then at Kroesch.
“Regardless of what you plan to do, history and the world have been operating like this for thousands of years. Even if you become a god, such nonsensical words…” She gritted her teeth and shook her head. “You simply will not succeed!”
Kroesch raised her head suddenly. “Of course I know I’d never succeed!”
The guard captain of Black Sand Region had a pained and twisted look on her face, causing a shudder to run through Miranda’s heart.
“Whether it’s this concept the world has become accustomed to, or the deep-rooted traditions in Northland, or our own awareness…” Kroesch sucked in a breath, her gaze firm. “But in everything, there must be someone who takes the first step.
“His Grace, he was the only one in Northland who could throw out the restrictions, break tradition and crush stereotypes.” She resumed her tranquil expression and said unquestionably, “And only when he has shattered everything Northland and the Eckstedtians believed in, denied every inch of the past that had fallen behind, that’s when women will finally have the hope of gaining a whole new future in the new world built on the ruins—to not live as anyone’s attachment anymore.”
Miranda did not know how to answer her. She only frowned and shook her head continuously with a sense of forlornness in her heart.
‘Esch… Esch!’
“The other people in the world may remain unchanged, and in the end they may not even look into the eyes of those women who are eager for their independence and hopeful for the future,” Kroesch said coldly. “But at least, I want to let them know that in that earthshaking age of turmoil, under the hands of the archduke who shook the world, there was such a woman!
“The world will know that she was a woman, she too could bleed, perform meritorious deeds, fight, and survive alone. All without the need to naively become some man’s wife, to rely on her face or womb to survive, or to put on the identity given to her by the world, just to survive while gasping for air!”
“Just like Queen Erica; just like King Yao.” Anguish and hesitation surfaced in Kroesch’s eyes, but it immediately turned into impregnable icy coldness. “Like this, through myself, through our repeated efforts, repeated attempts, repeated failures… The unjust can be made up for, and predicaments can be broken through!”
In the next second, Kroesch suddenly raised her sword. Subconsciously, Miranda also raised the ‘Soaring Eagle’ in her hand.
*Ka-clang!*
The two swords met and clashed in the air. Neither one had the slightest intention of defending, but instead pierced into their enemy’s bodies!
*Splitch!*
Blood flowed out from Miranda and Kroesch’s chests at the same time. The two who had a matchless understanding of one another had correctly guessed their counterpart’s intention. Their postures at this moment were almost exactly the same.
With their swords in one hand, they thrust forth, and with the other hand, they grabbed the blade of their opponent charging at them. Their gazes met, and the atmosphere was melancholic.
“So, for this incomprehensible reason, you placed yourself in the hands of Lampard…” Miranda gripped her old friend’s sword as her eyes widened amid her pain and trembling.
“…and betrayed us all.”
Opposite her, Kroesch revealed a smile mixed with apology and relief. Crimson liquid began to spread beneath the both of them.
Kroesch opened her mouth and said in a soft voice, “No, Mira. It isn’t incomprehensible.” Her face trembled slightly as tears flowed from her eyes. “It’s close at hand, but you’ve been disciplined to accustomization by this world.”
Breathing in a daze, Miranda recalled all the things in the tower as her sight blurred.
“His Grace bore the weight of so many people’s expectations and beliefs, including mine…”
In her ears, Kroesch’s voice grew further, smaller, and more indistinct.
“He will succeed. He must succeed.”
Editor’s Note:
[1] scherzo: a playful composition, typically meaning a joke, originated from the Romantic period. A good example of a scherzo is Chopin’s Scherzo No. 2.
Total Chapters in book: 580
Estimated words: 2362673 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 11813(@200wpm)___ 9451(@250wpm)___ 7876(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 2362673 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 11813(@200wpm)___ 9451(@250wpm)___ 7876(@300wpm)
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