The soldiers' faces turned pale as their comrades were mysteriously shot in the head one by one.
They looked around in fear.
"Is it you?!"
Swind noticed a head peeking out from the corner of the alley, smiling.
"Kill him!"
Swind shouted loudly.
In a flash, he dashed towards the alley, sword in hand.
Despite wearing heavy armor, his speed was still impressive.
As Swind charged, he seemed to sense something.
His expression changed, and he quickly raised his sword in front of him.
"Crack!"
In the next instant, the sword shattered into pieces.
Swind's head exploded right after.
Amidst the flying flesh and blood, his headless body fell to the ground.
"Captain!"
The remaining soldiers of the Royal Guard gasped in disbelief.
The captain had the strength of a high-ranking swordsman.
Was he killed so easily?
"Everyone, attack together! Kill him!"
The remaining soldiers of the Royal Guard did not flee.
They had the advantage in numbers, with many still standing.
Dozens of melee soldiers flashed forward, charging at the eerie enemy in the alley.
"This is so boring, not fun at all!"
The head peeking from the corner lost its smile.
In the next moment, the street outside was filled with flying flesh and blood.
Almost instantly, dozens of headless bodies fell to the ground.
Including the archers in the back.
Soon, the street was awash with blood.
The pungent smell of blood filled the air.
Terrified civilians peeked from nearby houses.
They didn't know what had happened.
They only saw the soldiers' heads suddenly explode.
Kidd walked out of the alley, looking bored.
At that moment, a shadow darted out from the alley behind Kidd.
He knelt behind Kidd.
"Sir, please head to Bard Count's mansion!"
Kidd looked impatiently at the figure cloaked in a blood-patterned black robe behind him.
"Tch, so boring!"
"Apologies, sir. Please don't forget our goal. Tonight's operation must be flawless."
"Fine, fine, I'm going!"
Kidd yawned, a strange smile appearing on his face again.
He licked the corner of his mouth with his tongue.
"I heard the candidate for the Holy Maiden is a white fox. I'll have to train her well."
"Sir, she's from the Aemia fox tribe!"
Kidd waved his hand and gradually walked down the street.
The black-robed figure behind him flashed and darted back into the alley.
That night, Bard Count's mansion was silent.
The lights in the mansion had been extinguished.
"So it has happened after all?"
In the study, Bard stood by the window, looking at the blood-red barrier in the sky.
Only at this moment did Bard truly believe that Miss Susan was a divine child with the power of foresight.
Time was too short.
Even though he had sent out a warning, he couldn't stop the actions of the Demon God Cult.
"Aima, Aya, take Miss Susan and Princess Elisa to the basement."
In the study, the sisters Aima were also present.
They stood on either side of Lord Bard.
"Lord Bard, let my sister go. I want to stay and fight."
"Lord Bard, let my sister go. I want to stay and fight."
The sisters were unwilling to leave, wanting to fight alongside Lord Bard.
Bard turned to look at the sisters Aima.
He reached out and ruffled their heads, smiling.
"This is not a battle you can participate in. You're still young. Keep training and getting stronger."
Though the sisters were fifteen-year-old high-ranking swordsmen.
Strong, but not strong enough.
Under the Sword King, all are ants.
There is an insurmountable chasm between a high-ranking swordsman and a Sword King.
Only by crossing this chasm can one become truly powerful.
The sisters Aima nodded sadly.
They knew staying would only be a burden to Lord Bard.
"Be patient, tomorrow will come soon. Go now!"
Bard withdrew his hands, and the sisters Aima lifted their skirts and curtsied to Lord Bard.
Then they held hands and walked out.
He turned to look at the dark courtyard outside the window.
"Fars, are you confident?"
Fars came to Bard's side.
He followed Bard's gaze to the dark courtyard outside.
"The divine child's ability is certainly powerful, but it often has obvious weaknesses. His ability is related to his eyes. I'll play the role of an assassin, Bard Count. I'll hide in the shadows and act when the opportunity arises. I won't strike unless I have a chance for a one-hit kill."
Bard did not oppose Fars' plan.
Facing such an enemy, they could only use strategy.
A frontal assault had no chance of victory.
"Then I'll go prepare!"
With that, Fars turned and walked out, carrying his long spear.
Listening to the sound of the door opening and closing behind him, Bard took a deep breath.
Whether they could change the future Miss Susan foresaw depended on tonight.
In the future Miss Susan foresaw, Fars did not exist.
Fars' arrival indicated that the future could change.
Humans are creatures that act based on what they see and hear.
Knowing the future means there is a chance to change it.
Meanwhile, in another part of the mansion's corridor.
"Aima, I can fight too. We can't let Lord Bard face the enemy alone."
Aima forcefully held Elisa's hand as they walked through the corridor.
Behind them were Aya and Susan.
"Princess Elisa, Lord Bard is a Holy Mage. We can't participate in such a battle."
Elisa hesitated, a hint of sadness flashing in her eyes.
At this moment, Elisa realized her own weakness.
She couldn't even defeat the sisters Aima.
How could she help Lord Bard?
She just didn't like feeling powerless and unable to do anything.
Compared to Elisa's unwillingness, Susan seemed very calm.
Susan was just an ordinary person without the strength to even truss a chicken.
The current situation was what she was happy to see.
In the last Death Loop, it was because the sisters Aima and Elisa were present.
As a Fire Holy Mage, Lord Bard was distracted trying to protect them and was killed instantly.
If they weren't there, Lord Bard might have been able to fight that guy.
Knowing his ability would make it much easier to deal with him.