Chapter 268

Chapter Fifty-Five No One Will Be Spared

The eerie silence spread like a rampant virus from the long table at the front of the dais, focusing on Victoria and the Duke, and then permeating the entire banquet hall.

Those nobles near the long table, who had been chattering just moments ago and whose emotions were gradually stirred by the situation and atmosphere, now stared blankly, their eyes wide with disbelief, faces frozen in confusion.

Farther away, those who did not understand the situation whispered to their companions, “What’s happening?” “Why has it suddenly gone quiet?” “Has something happened to Her Majesty? Should we go check…” and other questions without answers.

The inner chamber was already vast, and tonight there were indeed many guests. Although it wasn’t crowded to the point of shoulder-to-shoulder, the music played, the clinking of glasses, occasional laughter and shouts of children running around created a cacophony of sounds. Most people only noticed the Duke’s arrival initially, but they didn’t understand what was really going on or why the atmosphere had suddenly turned so strange.

Some craned their necks to look this way, some stepped closer, while a few sharp-eyed individuals sensed something unusual and pulled their partners towards the exit or farther away.

Time seemed to freeze.

The Duke’s low but stern voice still echoed in my ears. His lips curled into a sinister smile, his eyes nearly squinted, gleaming with menace. Opposite him, by my side, the young Queen remained calm and composed.

I felt my eyelid twitch slightly.

In that moment, I focused all my senses to the utmost.

My mind was still processing the meaning behind the Duke’s words. At the same time, my dark, lively eyes darted quickly, scanning through the dumbfounded or bewildered crowd, trying to find any trace, no matter how minute.

Suddenly, there was a soft thud above me.

It sounded like something heavy hitting a stone wall, very faint and distant. If not for the sudden silence, even I might have missed it.

Where did it come from…

I looked up at the arched ceiling.

In the next instant, countless stained glass fragments and wood chips burst into view, mingled with blood-red light.

Crash—

“Aaaah—”

Accompanied by the agonizing scream of someone on the brink of death, two intertwined figures broke through a stained glass window high above and plummeted from over ten meters in the air. They shifted positions in mid-air, countless sharp fragments reflecting cold glints under the lamplight. As they fell, one of them raised their right arm, flashing a cold glint amidst the chaos, blood splattering with each agonized cry. An arm severed from gravity flew upward more than a meter before falling back down.

Watching this scene unfold, I opened my mouth slightly.

Assassins!

The two figures fell at an alarming speed, crashing among the scattered guests with shards and limbs, landing less than ten meters to my left.

Clang! Bang—!

Crash—!

Amidst the continuous screams in the hall, the figure landed, breaking a long table in half, overturning plates of pastries, spilling wine into the air, sending more wood shavings flying several meters away. Scarlet liquid splattered onto the bodies and faces of those around, their eyes wide with shock, faces drained of color as they immediately began to flee in panic.

“Aaaah!”

A pained roar came from where the figure had fallen. I was blocked by the crowd surging towards me, unable to see the ground there, feeling a surge of anxiety. Moments later, I heard two weak sounds of blades piercing flesh, the roar abruptly cut off, a figure covered in blood stood up from the wreckage.

I immediately noticed his green head.

That was Reckett…

“The assassins have been struck down by the Sword of Canri!” he shouted loudly.

But the entire hall was still in chaos. People surged towards the exit, children cried in the distance, and someone shouted loudly amidst the confusion. A woman fell to the ground.

Victoria’s birthday was ruined…

Incredibly, that was the first thought that flashed through my mind.

Then I turned angrily to glare at the Duke across from me—

“Aaaah—!”

Suddenly, the fat captain behind him roared, his right hand plunging into his chest, lunging towards me and Victoria.

I jolted sharply.

In my vision, the fat captain’s face was contorted, his cheeks flushed with excitement, seemingly fierce but more fear and panic in his round eyes. His actions seemed unexpected to the Duke, who raised his hand in surprise to stop the captain, but clearly too late.

The fat captain had already withdrawn his hand from his collar.

Instinctively, I sidestepped and pushed Victoria, while clenching my right fist, striking upwards fiercely towards the captain’s chest—

Boom!

An incredibly dull and heavy sound.

His massive body was thrown back like a bundle of straw, flipping several meters into the air, a few drops of hot blood splashing onto his face. At the same time, gray dust exploded before me.

“Cough, cough!”

The dust was choking. After a couple of coughs, I held my breath.

This familiar yet more uncomfortable sensation… I immediately realized that the powder the fat captain had released was the same thing Edward had used when he ambushed me.

Mandrake seed anesthetic powder!

I covered my nose with one hand and grabbed Victoria with the other, pulling her backward.

In an instant, a strong wind whipped past beside me.

Whoosh ——

The violent air current instantly blew away the dust before my eyes, along with the lamps and goblets on the long table, sending them flying. My disheveled hair fluttered and some strands flew into my mouth.

“Stop!”

The old duke, barely able to keep his balance, raised his hands in the wind and shouted. I heard him mutter “idiot” under his breath, not sure if he was referring to the assassin eliminated by Reckett or the fat commander who had just landed nearby.

But…

Now you say stop?

I bent my knees, jumped onto the table, and without hesitation, kicked the old duke’s face.

I’ll stop your mother!

Rip —

I had forgotten that I was wearing a tight-fitting mermaid dress. As a result, when I lifted my leg, a long tear from the hem all the way to the side of my hip ripped open, exposing my smooth thigh to the air, which hindered my kick. The old duke reacted quickly, leaning his body sideways to avoid it, still shouting, “Stop —”

Clang!

This kick hit his shoulder, sending the old duke’s body flying and crashing to the ground.

I swiftly pulled my leg back, feeling a chill from the wind, and my face immediately flushed.

What a beautiful dress ruined… so pitiful…

But now there was no time to worry about that.

Chaos had completely spread. The crowd in the hall rushed towards the exit, blocking it completely. Smarter people chose to silently hide under the tables or in corners, while others quietly ran to the room where we had held our meeting earlier; I knew that from there, through the corridor, one could leave.

Five meters away, Reckett pushed through the crowd in front of him, quickly rushing over. At the same moment, as if in a chain reaction, several places almost simultaneously engaged in combat. Tables were overturned, wine glasses used for enjoying fine wine were smashed and used as weapons to stab into necks. Blood splattered as screams echoed around, creating an unprecedentedly chaotic scene.

At this point, probably no one would care if I was exposed…

I roughly scanned the hall, not seeing Sophia hiding anywhere. Shaking my head slightly to clear the dizziness, I noticed that the few people standing behind the old duke had also reacted.

Although one was knocked away by the fat commander just now, the rest had gathered around the long table, half-surrounding me. Although they all held short daggers, they were quite hesitant, seemingly intimidated by the sight of the fat commander being knocked away by my punch. No one dared to be the first to attack me.

Then let me start…

Swish —

Using my feet, my body leaped into the air like a bird, spinning once in mid-air before landing with a “pata” behind them.

Thankfully, Victoria didn’t force me to wear high heels…

While thinking about trivial matters, I simply bowed my body and swung both fists forward.

Bang! Bang!

There was no need to use Order Power.

With two short grunts, the two people in front of me couldn’t even turn around before they flew forward, dragging chairs and tables with them, sliding five meters away to the red carpet, colliding with the hard granite edge of the platform, and collapsing.

I raised my small hand, blowing gently on the slightly reddened knuckles.

The chainmail is so hard, it hurts the hand.

A little painful…

When I looked up again, I found Reckett had silently arrived in front of me. He reached behind one person and thrust the dagger into their neck. That person didn’t make a sound before collapsing softly, and soon after, blood gushed out like a fountain.

On the other side, Victoria only slightly raised her right hand, her jade-like index finger flickering in the air, and a long, sharp wind blade whistled out, slicing across the chest of the nearest person. A “clang” sounded, sparks bursting out like a peacock spreading its feathers, and the man staggered backward several steps, clutching his chest in pain before falling down.

The battle started in an instant and ended just as quickly.

Clang, clang.

The remaining two quickly dropped their short daggers, raising their hands and kneeling on the ground.

“Surrender! We surrender!”

“We were forced to act on orders, Your Majesty, spare us —”

They had completely lost their fighting spirit… perhaps they never had any to begin with. No one had the courage to face a Knight of the Church in battle. Perhaps they didn’t know me, but Victoria’s name was known to almost everyone.

Seeing this situation, I lowered my fist, which I had been holding horizontally in front of my chest.

In my line of sight, the old duke was struggling to get up nearby, clutching his shoulder and breathing heavily. Victoria walked calmly towards him. The entire hall was still incredibly noisy. I turned around and saw the fat commander I had punched earlier. He lay not far away on the intricately carved marble floor, dark red blood mixed with darker flesh fragments spewing from his mouth, his obese body twitching violently a few times before gradually stopping.

Is he dead?

I might have hit too hard… I just wanted to immobilize him, but I couldn’t hold back…

My chest felt constricted.

I really didn’t mean to… I was scared at the time, instinctively putting all my strength into it. My physical power seemed stronger than ever, and I hadn’t yet mastered how to control the enhanced power… so…

Whizz — Whizz —

The sudden sound of wind startled me, and I turned my head to see the two people begging on their knees lying face down on the ground. To the right front, Victoria casually retracted her right hand, not even glancing this way, and walked straight to the old duke with Reckett.

The old duke took a deep breath, straightening his waist.

Victoria stared at his face for a moment before speaking softly, “I will answer your question now.”

Her clear voice remained calm and unruffled as always.

“I guess. Not a single iron-clad guard arriving at the palace tonight will survive.”