Kingdom's Bloodline

Eternal Star City. Black Street.

"You said that that toy is useful! Bullshit legendary anti-mystic equipment! We did so many things and searched for so many years!"

One of the Six Powerhouses of the Black Street Brotherhood, Anton the Ripper, angrily lifted ’Sleepless Eye’ Lance off the ground by grabbing his collar and pressing him against the wall, "And now? Black Sword used it to poke countless holes in the Blood Mystic’s body! It’s completely useless! Your goal is to kill Black Sword, am I right?!"

"Calm down, Anton!" Another one of the Six Powerhouses, Morris, was drenched in sweat when he grabbed Anton’s hand, "We received the message from the north’s messenger crow together. Even though he was seriously wounded and we don’t know if he’s dead or alive, Black Sword managed to escape, did he not?

"Even if the equipment is useless, but... at least Black Sword might still be alive!"

"Might be alive?" Anton still firmly pinned Lance against the wall, he rounded on Morris furiously while he pointed at Lance, "So you can just forgive this fellow?! Even if he used fake equipment to set up Black Sword? Even if, under his instructions, our investments through all these years have no returns at all?"

Morris was speechless for a while. Lance abruptly grabbed Anton’s bandage-wrapped arms.

"Even though Ramon isn’t here, and I can’t be certain... But it may not be the equipment’s problem! After all, we don’t even fully understand the name and its function!" Lance clenched his teeth and stared right into Anton’s furious eyes, "In the Secret Intelligence Department, I’ve read the related files. The Blood Mystic is a more unique entity, it cannot be directly sealed by the average legendary anti-mystic equipment... But this does not mean that-"

"Enough with your files! I will not believe another word of the information from the Secret Intelligence Department anymore!

"Did you not see the message?" Anton yelled agitatedly, "That supposedly legendary anti-mystic equipment that you said is able to seal a mystic is ineffective! Just two days ago, the Black Sword almost died at the Blood Mystic’s hand!

"Maybe that equipment itself is the thing that lured us in, taking the bait-"

"Impossible," Lance glared fiercely at Anton while he said sternly, "That information was related to the lady whom even Morat was extremely afraid of-"

The strength of Anton’s hands intensified more and more. He interrupted Lance fiercely, "F*ck Morat Hansen! F*ck the Kingdom’s Secret Intelligence Department!

"Don’t forget who caused us to be in such a state! Who turned us... into who we are now? We became a Black Street Brotherhood who threw away our morality for revenge, who did all sorts of evil deeds and things that went against our conscience. We became the kingdom’s maggots who can only gasp for our last breaths in the shadows!"

Anton’s eyes were rimming with redness when he said through clenched teeth, "Especially you, Kobryant Lance! Were you not the mole Morat planted among us that year! Black Sword has forgiven you, but I have not!"

While holding Anton back, Morris trembled suddenly, "Mole?"

"Haha, you only began to dwell on this matter after twelve years?" Lance laughed coldly with difficulty, not caring that Anton’s grip was hurting him, "Then what has the past twelve years meant to you? Do you think we establish the Brotherhood just for fun?"

"The past twelve years? Fun?" Anton looked as if he just been triggered in the worst manner. The veins on his face bulged out and he flew into a rage as he roared frantically, "Son of a bitch! Do you think that I’m looking after a gang of scum like thieves, bandits and rapists willingly? And to work with lunatics like Shanda Roda and Lazans Fischer?! Smuggling and murdering every day?!"

Lance’s expression changed suddenly. His brows moved constantly with his emotions, while he involuntarily clenched his teeth tightly.

"What kind of life have we lived for the past twelve years..." Anton continued to say through his clenched teeth, "How much have we done for the useless information you’ve given us—"

"Then just kill me right here! Use my head to comfort the dead and report to that very important person of yours!" Lance yelled violently, interrupting Anton. "Treat me as your greatest enemy, and when you take your revenge and your hearts are at peace, you can go back to being decent human beings—"

"Enough!"

A louder roar bellowed from one side.

Anton and Lance were jolted at the same time. Both of them turned to look at Morris who stood at the side.

"Leich Malone. Capra Gladley. Delkoto Ellsworth." Morris was shaking as he spoke. He bowed his head low, clenched his fists tightly, and shouted each and every name from his mouth, "Queldimo Fenway. Justice Desmond!

"And that important person..."

Both Anton and Lance jolted!

Morris raised his head, the rim of his eyes had reddened unknowingly. "Do you still remember them? Do you still remember these names? We swore together that year, to find all the true perpetrators, to avenge those who have died at all costs!

"Do you think that you are the only ones who are secretly enduring the pain, skinny?!" Morris yelled, "Over the past ten odd years, we, who knew nothing about gangs and organizations, fought tooth and nail for our territory, built our own forces of power, extended our influence to the underworld, brought all possible people to our side, fought against Blood Bottle Gang, hid from the pursuit of the Secret Intelligence Department, treated all suspicious people as our enemies, chased after the Charletons and the Shadow Shield, and investigated the truth during that year... Was it not for that one goal?!"

*Bam!*

Morris punched the wall with all the strength in his fist. His lips trembled as he spoke, "I have never killed children before... but during these past twelve years, a total of 154 children from four to twelve years old have died in the Abandoned House in itself. I haven’t even included the vast number of child beggars who died two months ago because of those accursed Rodas! All of this is blood on my hands!

"I personally buried all of them! I can practically remember all their faces! The latest one was from a year ago...

"One boy who escaped... For the sake of looking tough and heartless in front of our rival negotiators, I used my psionic ability to choke him to death!" Morris’ mood grew more distressed and his psionic ability became a bit erratic. Even the surrounding air felt shaky. "God knows what we have paid in these past ten odd years; what we have become!"

Anton closed his eyes, bit down on his lower lip tightly, and lowered his head.

Lance suddenly burst into laughter, "That’s right. Well said." The Sleepless Eye showed an expression that looked like a variant between crying and laughing, "Hahaha! Anton Lewandowski, you thought we did all that for the sake of correcting, atoning, and repaying for our sins of those years; to make a better world? Dream on!" With a formidable gaze, Lance scolded harshly, "Just take a look at what we’ve done through all these years! The Western Desert’s Prison of Bones—THAT is where we belong! But why are we here? Why have we not accepted our rightful punishments yet?"

Lance pushed Anton away abruptly, shouting angrily, "That’s because that day twelve years ago, from the moment when we reached Renaissance Palace’s gate, we had already become a group of specters, phantoms, just dead bodies that still breathed!

"The one and only, supreme, and incomparable goal that exists for us is to drag out all our enemies and manipulators, then burn to ashes with them. Only Black Sword understands this the clearest... we were already in hell."

The sealed, soundproofed room suddenly fell into silence.

*Thud!*

Anton had kicked the wall fiercely and then walked towards the table. He yanked a chair out and sat down heavily. Morris covered his face with his hand. The fist that pressed against the wall was already bleeding. Lance stared intently at the ground, his gaze unmoving.

In the silence, there was only the sound of the three men’s depressed, shuddering, and rapid breathing...

Until Morris broke the silence first.

"We must believe in Black Sword," the fat man tried his best to collect his emotions when he slowly said, "Even if there is no legendary anti-mystic equipment, he also has the ability to escape from Mystics... just like that year when he confronted Asda."

Lance pulled back his scarlet cloak once again.

The Chief of Intelligence from the Brotherhood whom had hailed from the Kingdom’s Secret Intelligence Department said in a low tone, "Wait for his news. When he has recovered, I want to have the Black Sword test out that equipment again."

"How can he test it?!" Anton still had not adjusted his emotions, he furrowed his brows and said bluntly, "Gamble with his life again?! If he encounters the Blood Mystic again, it could be the time of Black Sword’s death!"

"No, I will warn him to stay as far away as possible from the Blood Mystic before we can be sure of the equipment’s usability." Lance replied monotonously.

"Usability? How do we confirm this?" Morris wiped away the glistening droplet from his eyes.

"Do you still remember Gu?" Lance asked quietly, "The Far Easterner."

"Gu?" Anton frowned, "The boy who joined us before the mercenary group disbanded? The boy who was expelled from Mane et Nox’s Raven Guards?"

"That’s him," Lance slowly said, "He is currently in Eckstedt and he brought me some information."

Morris bandaged his fist and asked in confusion, "You still stayed in contact with him? Gu is not in the same gang as us. You said it before—that fellow has his own motives, and he’s very suspicious."

"We are significantly lacking in spies to the north, so we have no choice but to borrow some of the local connections," Lance shook his head, "As for Gu, regardless of whether he’s suspicious or not, he seems to be doing very well in that place."

"Wait, you said you want to confirm the function of that equipment first... so..." Morris was dumbstruck when he stared at Lance.

"Correct, Gu had found an old friend in Eckstedt these past few days..." Lance lifted his head, his gaze sharp, "Indeed, an old friend."

Anton and Morris looked at each other in astonishment.