Tales fell silent.
The Back Curved Blade remained silent too. The tunnel held only Miranda's labored breathing.
Tales slowly raised his hands and tried to negotiate:
"Look, I know you, so..."
"You've mistaken me for someone else," the Extreme Realm assassin coldly denied. "I'm not the boss, and I don't run a tavern."
Huh?
Tales froze.
"M-Mistaken? No, no, how could that be? I know this blade of yours..."
Tales glanced at the restrained Miranda, hesitating over how to explain—huh?
In that instant, Tales suddenly sensed something wrong!
Where was the blade?
The curved blade that had been held against Miranda's neck—where had it gone? Why had it disappeared?
Without that blade, how was he supposed to explain to her that they—
The next second, Sin of the Hell River erupted within him!
A frigid killing intent spread through Hell Senses, making Tales' hair stand on end.
"Your Highness!"
Freed from the restraint, Miranda turned around and hurriedly warned him:
"Watch out!"
Tales shuddered and came to his senses:
It wasn't just the blade.
Where was the person?
The Back Curved Blade who had been standing behind Miranda... was gone?
Where had she gone?
When had she disappeared?
Hadn't he been watching her the entire time—damn it!
The next instant, amid Sin of the Hell River's frenzied roar, Tales instinctively tried to retreat. To his horror, the strange blade that had vanished without a trace suddenly appeared just inches from his eyes!
Damn it! When had she arrived?
Tales was horrified. He desperately drew back his head, only to realize that the distance was far too short. He couldn't dodge!
Was this some Batman-style plot-kill, or had she cheated and activated an invisibility hack?
Sin of the Hell River let out a despairing roar. On the verge of death, the