Blinding flames blossomed in the night as a fireball surged upward.
The watchers near the carriage were instantly engulfed in flames. Those a little farther away were hurled high by the shock wave, their bones snapping and tendons tearing.
And the watchers farther still?
They did not escape either!
Nail after nail shot toward them, piercing their bodies like arrows.
Only a handful of watchers were lucky enough to survive.
But the roar of the explosion still filled their ears.
Their ears rang, their heads spun, and they staggered.
Through their blurred vision, a black figure approached with a sword.
Fast!
Incredibly fast!
His feet pounded the ground. As he raced past the burning carriage, clouds of sparks swirled around him, then swept forward with his slashing blade.
Countless crimson sparks flickered and danced, chasing the deep, dark blade.
Slash!
One watcher had no time to react before the blade swept across his throat.
The sparks striking his face flared once, then went out.
Then came the second watcher, and the third!
The lightless blade danced as the figure charged.
Amid the successive sounds of steel slicing flesh, an odd noise suddenly arose.
"Ar..."
Then the blade swept past, and silence returned.
Only after Arthur confirmed that no one nearby remained alive to shoot him in the back did he give his sword a habitual flick and sheath it.
Click!
Amid the crisp sound of sword meeting scabbard, Arthur exhaled softly, recovering his strength.
The seemingly one-sided battle had actually been meticulously calculated. From choosing a spot near Fountain Square to fire his shot and stop the carriage, to using the approaching patrol officers to pressure the watchers and deny them time to think, and finally firing through the Hand of the Void to ignite the explosives, Arthur had carefully