Chapter 45 : Counterattack
Counterattack
"How are you doing?"
In a residential district, Zhixi was patting Aili's back.
"Cough, cough, cough."
Aili spat out several mouthfuls of clotted blood, then patted her chest.
"I won't die."
"Did Master tell you to come here?"
"Do you think I'd come rescue you of my own accord?"
"Where is this?"
"It should be some kind of slum. There's another strong presence outside the city, so I don't dare go out recklessly. If we run into them, we'll end up trapped front and back."
Aili knew that Zhixi was referring to the two Magblade assassins who had retreated.
"They're actually still standing guard..."
"What?"
"Nothing."
Aili took out a red potion from her spatial storage, drank it, and her complexion noticeably improved.
"How's it going on Master's side?"
"I don't know. I was halfway here when I turned back, but they shouldn't run into any trouble. I didn't see a single soul on that road."
"Is that so? That's good."
Aili seemed to let out a sigh of relief.
"Hey, what do you think about Odin's strength?"
"Hm?"
Seeing Aili change the subject, Zhixi looked a bit puzzled.
"You seem to know her."
"It's that I know her—she doesn't necessarily know me. Why do you ask?"
"........."
"Hahahahahahaha."
Zhixi burst out laughing when she heard this.
"You don't seem surprised?"
"No, this is what I'm meant to do."
"In that case, happy cooperation?"
"Happy...cooperation..."
"But right now, shouldn't our priority be to get out of here? We're right in the heart of enemy territory."
Though she said this, Zhixi's face didn't show a trace of panic.
"I need to kill someone."
"Who?"
"Queen Qiongmu."
"Yinhua's mother?"
"That's right."
"What's your plan?"
Zhixi didn't ask why; she seemed to understand Aili's intention.
Aili produced several disk-like devices and two magical scrolls from her spatial storage.
"These are portable explosives, and teleportation scrolls—but they can only take us to a location we've marked."
"Now, listen to my plan."
..................
Reconstruction site on the shopping street.
"Are you sure they're still in the city?"
Lingxian massaged her forehead as if she was exhausted.
"There's a water curtain on the city wall that I set up. Anyone passing through, I'll know right away,"
Shui Cangxuan replied.
"Is that so?"
Yesterday's battle had wiped out one eighth of the imperial capital. Reconstruction was still underway. If another battle broke out, the damage would only multiply.
"They probably won't choose to fight us again,"
Shen Baixue said.
Shui Cangxuan and Lingxian both looked at her.
"One of them is badly injured. No matter how fast she recovers, she'll lose some strength. If it's two versus two, our chances are high."
"Right now, all they'll want is to escape. One city gate can't hold them. If they want, they can just scale a wall—there's nothing we can do to stop them."
"If they've stayed in the city, it must be for something important."
"For what?"
Lingxian really couldn't think of a reason for Aili and the others to stay.
"That... I don't know, either."
Shen Baixue shook her head.
Meanwhile, Aili and Zhixi had already infiltrated the palace.
"Get ready,"
Aili whispered.
"Start!"
With a "boom," a high-rise building in the center of the city exploded.
"What?!"
Lingxian, who was overseeing the reconstruction of the shopping street, turned pale.
"North side!"
Shen Baixue called out, then disappeared on the spot.
But this was just the beginning. The second and third explosions followed, thunderous blasts ringing from all directions. The entire city was thrown into panic and engulfed in flames.
"How much explosive did you even bring?"
Zhixi exclaimed.
"It's time to act."
The two stepped out from behind a pillar, making no effort to hide themselves—their assassinations had begun.
When the guards at the gate saw the two, they immediately raised their weapons. "Halt! Who are y—"
Before he finished speaking, before his face even changed expression—before he could even sense the instant of death—the beating of his heart simply ceased.
Aili withdrew her dagger from his body with a quick flick, sending the blood flying. This scene was spotted by a group of patrolling soldiers.
"Hurry, go report to His Majesty!"
"There's no need,"
Zhixi appeared behind them, placing a pitch-black object before their eyes.
Boom—several of them were instantly blasted away, their survival uncertain.
"These things are really handy,"
Zhixi said, toying with the explosive in her hand.
The commotion was enormous—arguably worse than a foreign invasion.
In the corridor of the palace appeared the third princess, Fenyu (maybe you've forgotten who she is, but she was mentioned in Chapter 22).
"Guards, what's going on? Why is it so noisy?"
Silence—a silence so unnatural it spread like a chill.
"Guards? Guards!"
Panic finally seized Fenyu.
A black silhouette dropped from above, pinning her to the ground.
"Who is it?!"
Fenyu called out in alarm.
When she calmed herself, she realized it was the captain of the guard.
"Hey, what are you doing? Do you even know who I am? If you do this, you—..."
Only then did Fenyu realize this was a corpse.
"Ah!!"
A coddled child of the palace, unlike Lingxian, this was the first time Fenyu had ever seen a corpse.
"Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep."
She heard a dissonant beeping sound.
She hurriedly pushed the dead body away from her.
BOOM—another explosion.
"Water Mist Barrier!"
Her survival instinct kicked in and she summoned a shield.
But she was still a second too late; though not fatally wounded, her face was splattered with blood, and chunks of flesh dotted the ground.
"Ah!"
Overwhelmed with terror, her mind shut down and she fainted on the spot.
Aili walked past her, open contempt in her eyes. She wasn't even considering taking her hostage.
Assassination was still continuing.