That's right, that's what adventure is like!

Chapter 95 Betrayal

The arrival of Casablanta was slower than expected.

Because they were ambushed once again.

When Roland saw him, he not only had several new wounds on his body, but also several dents on his longsword, and his satchel at his waist was ripped open, with most of its contents scattered.

The guards were in a similar state; although they hadn't suffered any casualties, they were somewhat disheveled. The older guards had several sword marks on their shields, the female guards had replaced their staffs with spares, and the rangers had a ligature mark on their necks. Only the wanderer looked relatively alright, but his gaze was noticeably colder.

Roland watched them enter the hall, his fingers already gripping the hilt of his sword.

Given the current situation, he has a chance of winning.

But it seems there's no rush.

Casper walked into the hall, glanced at the row of magic cannons, then at the dome obscured by the magic array, and said, "Prepare to activate the magic array. Let's first—"

Just then.

boom-

A dazzling red beam pierced through the dome, shattered the magic array, and shot to the top, blooming into a dazzling blood-red petal that even the wind and snow could not conceal.

The petals bloomed, shimmering with crimson light, emitting astonishing magical fluctuations that bathed the entire hall in crimson light.

The imperial army is very close by; they will notice this place soon and arrive as quickly as possible.

Casper stared at the blood-red petal, his pupils contracting slightly, and turned to look behind him.

The female guard stood at the farthest point, still in the posture of casting a spell, with the blood-red light above her head mingling with the wind and snow, causing her red robe to flutter.

"you----"

The older guard looked at her in disbelief, but only managed to utter one word before his body stiffened and he fell to the ground.

laugh.

The swordsman drew his dagger from his side, not even glancing at the corpse lying on the ground, but turning his head to look in the other direction.

The wanderers who had been following behind came out and took up positions with the two of them, surrounding Casper in the middle and blocking all escape routes.

They are the third killing move.

It was also the last dish.

Casper looked at them, his face showing no anger, sadness, or surprise.

He simply muttered, "I see."

"I'm sorry, Your Highness."

The female guard gripped her staff tightly, her fingertips trembling slightly. Glistening water droplets streamed down her cheeks, indistinguishable between melting snowflakes and tears.

"I'm not afraid to die," she said, looking up at Casper. "None of us are afraid, but those we're protecting are."

Casper did not speak.

"If the Empire attacks, they will be the enemy and they will die; but if the Empire wins now, they will be the people of the Empire, they will not die, and they will be able to live better than they are now."

The wandering swordsman flicked the blood off his dagger, finally raising his head with a serious expression.

The wanderer gripped his short knife tightly.

Casper looked at them.

Thirteen years.

This group of people has followed me for thirteen years, yet they understand nothing.

Then he smiled and gripped his longsword tightly.

"Come on," he said calmly, "I've nurtured you for so long, I hope the royal resources won't be wasted."

He took a step forward, leaving a clear footprint in the thin layer of snow.

As the crunching sound of boots on the snow faded away, Casper had vanished from the spot, his violent power tearing through the wind and snow, leaving not even a trace behind.

when!!!

A dark shadow appeared before his eyes, and the ranger's pupils contracted sharply. He instinctively raised his dagger to block, a muscle memory honed through long-term training.

But it's too slow.

As the sound of metal clashing rang out, a hand holding a dagger flew out, and at the same time, the dented blade was already at his neck.

"The first one."

With a twist of his longsword, Casper swept across the throat, spraying blood that stained the ground crimson.

The wanderer's dagger pierced his back.

Casper didn't turn around, but simply extended his left hand, which was not holding a sword, and landed on his wrist with a speed that was almost imperceptible to the naked eye, and then tore it off forcefully.

bang.

His wrist bones shattered, his five fingers stretched out and twisted, the dagger fell to the ground with a crisp sound, followed by a fleeting glint of sword light.

"The second one."

Casper turned around, pulled the longsword out of the wanderer's chest, and casually flicked the blood off the blade.

The wanderer looked down; the steam rising from the hole in his chest was blowing away the falling snowflakes. He twitched the corners of his mouth as if he were smiling, then slumped softly onto the snow.

The female guard finally finished chanting her spell, and three ice spikes condensed in mid-air, rushing towards Casper with a shriek.

Casper turned around, his eyes burning with a terrifying, dark light. The black light boiled and poured down from his eye sockets, enveloping his entire body like a thin film.

The icicle touched the black membrane and melted away silently, without causing the slightest ripple, like snowflakes falling into lava.

The female guard was stunned.

“My father said,” Gaston gazed at her, his dark light growing ever brighter, “that no matter how much you trust someone, you must leave them a final measure.”

"It seems he was right."

Casper walked slowly toward her, his body shimmering with black light, each step melting the snowflakes and leaving clear footprints on the ground.

The female mage did not run away. She looked quietly at Casper, at the second prince she had protected for thirteen years, her gaze calm.

"Your Highness, you should understand," she said again.

A flash of sword light.

puff!

Casper watched as she fell to the ground, blood seeping from beneath her body, forming a pool of blood that stained the snowflakes red.

He muttered to himself, "The third one."

The black light began to fade.

The violent power began to drain away, and Casper squatted on the ground, panting heavily, coughing up two mouthfuls of dark, stagnant blood, as the toxins began to affect his body again.

Right now.

The scorching javelin shot out from the shadows, its bright crimson runes swirling, evaporating snowflakes into water droplets, carrying immense force as it tore through the frigid air and pierced Casper's body.

Without even looking, Casper swung his longsword backhand, the tip of the sword colliding with the spearhead, producing a piercing metallic clang and sparks flying.

"The fourth one."

The javelin flew to the corner, embedded itself in the stone wall, and blasted out spiderweb-like cracks.

Casper stood up, the dark light resurfacing in his eyes. He looked towards the shadows in the corner, a cold smile curving his lips.

"I've been waiting for you for a long time."

He stepped forward, black light flowing around his body like a suit of armor without substance. Although it was much weaker than before, it still gave him a violent power.

Roland emerged from the shadows.

The tip of the sword pointed diagonally at the ground, and gray-white snowflakes fell on his shoulder, quickly piling up before drifting away with his movements.

He had no habit of communicating with the enemy; he simply vanished from the spot.

when!!!

The two sword blades collided in mid-air, the force of which sent the surrounding snowflakes flying.

Casper's face was inches away; Roland could even see the black light burning in his eye sockets—a cold and twisted power.

This second son of the king was far from being as "righteous" as he appeared.

The sword flashed again.

This time it was Casper who made the move. He swept the blade along Roland's sword spine, then flicked it slightly, preparing to stab him in the chest.

Counter-attack.

Roland was slightly taken aback, not expecting that Casper had also mastered this combat technique, but his honed combat instincts allowed him to react immediately.

Kick!