That voice had come from Chen Wu. By now, he had snatched the Crown Prince's sword and leapt into the air, along with three others.
One of them wore a tight-fitting outfit and a brimmed drum hat. He held a revolver in his left hand and a willow-leaf saber in his right, the gun muzzle aimed straight at the carriage.
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!—
The assassin fired without a care.
But what made Chen Wu cry out in alarm was not the assassin's pistol. While still in midair, the man had first hurled a round object toward the carriage before drawing his gun.
Chen Wu saw it clearly: it was an oversized grenade, several times larger than those used by ordinary Great Shun grenadiers.
In his urgency, Chen Wu could only shout a warning.
The other two were clearly masters accompanying the party as guards—one Westerner and one man of Great Shun.
They leapt up even before Chen Wu could warn them, simultaneously drawing their pistols and firing at the incoming grenade.
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!—
After several shots, the grenade was knocked off course.
Boom—
A thunderous explosion erupted, thick gunpowder smoke rising as the entrance to Prince of Ganquan's residence took a direct hit. Even the prince's plaque was blasted into pieces.
The shockwave spread outward, rocking Count of Provence's carriage.
Chen Wu had also reached the carriage by then. Wielding the stolen sword, he deflected the fragments scattering toward it before finally having the chance to look up at the assassin.
The assassin had already been intercepted by the two masters, and the three were locked in battle.
The Great Shun master wielded a goose-feather saber with a hilt made of black jade. The French master held a rapier adorned with elaborate decorations, especially its guard, which