Tia was dead.

Boom!!

A cannonball exploded against the gates, blasting a huge gap in them as smoke, dust, and rubble scattered.

The Kappa Army soldiers unloaded the cannonballs from their backs and charged into the palace through the gap the cannonball had blasted open.

Bang!

A gunshot rang out, and a Blood Descendant Army soldier defending the palace fell, blood spurting from the bullet hole in his forehead.

Gunshots rang out one after another. Bullets kept flying, taking one life after another.

The distance between the Kappa Army and the Blood Descendant Army steadily shrank. With another thunderous roar, machetes clashed with spears.

The Kappa Army's equipment prioritized practicality, and their weapons were heavy machetes.

Severed limbs and blood flew, screams mingling with gunfire.

The ground was soon stained red, unconscious soldiers sprawled across it.

"How are you holding up? Can you handle this?"

Dill held Perona in his arms and asked with concern.

Reality was not anime, where someone could bleed a little, scream, and be considered defeated.

When swordsmen like Zoro and Hawk-Eye cleared out small fry, severed limbs and splattering blood were the bare minimum.

Though the scene before them was not quite that bloody, it was still extremely brutal for a five-year-old child.

"If you're scared, close your eyes and just follow my instructions."

At his words, Perona squeezed her eyes shut and buried her head in Dill's arms.

Dill turned and instructed Gunpowder and his companion:

"You two, keep them safe."

The battlefield was too chaotic, and Dill did not intend to let Robin and Hina get involved.

As for the opponent Hina had requested, he could simply find a soldier to hypnotize once this was over.

Most of the spectators who had come to watch were now gathered outside the palace gates. The girls would be safer staying here.

Holding Perona, Dill left the crowd and quietly jumped onto a section of the wall, looking down on the melee in the palace square.

"Release your ghost."

Perona shared the Negative Hollow's sight and could even speak through it to relay messages.

So the moment the Negative Hollow appeared, it squeezed its eyes shut.

"Follow my instructions. Fly forward first...

Stop. Go down. Stop. Fly left."

Under Dill's direction, the Negative Hollow passed through a Blood Descendant Army soldier.

The man immediately dropped to his knees and burst into tears, completely ignoring the chaos of the battlefield:

"I'm a damned sinner!!

The old king was so good, yet I still laid hands on his son!

Kill me! If there's a next life, please let me be a maggot."

The Kappa Army soldier fighting him was baffled, but kicked him anyway.

The ghost drifted past with its eyes tightly shut, leaving the front line and flying toward the Blood Descendant Army's rear.

Both Blood Descendant Army and Kappa Army soldiers were on the front line, making friendly fire all too easy.

But the rear held only Blood Descendant Army soldiers, so there was no need to worry about the Kappa Army.

Most soldiers here held flintlock guns, providing covering fire from a distance.

Of course, they occasionally hit their own men too.

Naturally, they noticed the ghost floating in the air, and delight spread across their faces.

"That's a ghost! A ghost that brings good luck!"

"Even the ghost is on our side! We're definitely going to win this war!"

"You bunch of idiots!!"

The Blood Descendant Army captain roared, exasperated at their stupidity:

"Aim your guns at it and fire! Don't let that ghost get close!!"

A soldier asked in confusion, "Why?"

"Because you idiots forgot what happens when you touch a ghost! Is this the time to lie on the ground crying?!

Raise your guns and fire!!"

The rumors about the ghost were somewhat well known, and most people knew the side effect that came with its good luck.

Normally, embarrassing themselves was no big deal. They could consider it the price of good luck.

But with battle raging now, touching the ghost and collapsing in tears would clearly cost them their lives.

Reminded by their captain, the Blood Descendant Army soldiers raised their guns and fired, trying to stop the ghost from approaching.

Bang, bang, bang!!!

Bullets flew into the air, passing through the ghost's body before falling freely.

Their gunfire had no effect whatsoever.

Under Dill's direction, the Negative Hollow kept its eyes tightly shut and passed through one Blood Descendant Army soldier after another.

Clatter~ clatter~ clatter~

The soldiers dropped their guns one after another and lay on the ground sobbing, praying to become some lowly species in their next lives.

"I want to be a mosquito in my next life."

"I want to be a mussel."

"A cockroach huddling in a corner, getting squashed by someone."

The Blood Descendant Army soldiers fell one after another, and the Kappa Army gradually gained an overwhelming advantage.

Machete in hand, Vlad delivered a powerful downward slash. A Blood Descendant Army soldier's chest split open, and he fell, never to rise again.

His face was covered in blood. He felt nothing but immensely powerful strength filling his body, completely unaware that the stitches on his forehead were glowing faintly.

Sweeping his gaze around, he raised his arm and shouted:

"Charge with me!!"

"Charge with me" and "Charge for me" meant entirely different things.

With the prince leading from the front, the Kappa Army's morale soared.

Already at a disadvantage, the Blood Descendant Army collapsed into a rout. Some even threw down their weapons, turned, and fled.

"Don't kill me! I have elderly family and children at home."

"My fiancée is waiting for me to marry her."

"I was forced into this."

Some fled, and others surrendered. The moment the first Blood Descendant Army soldier gave up resisting, the entire force fell apart.

Vlad ignored these small fry and led his troops straight into the palace.

The luxurious palace was deserted. The Kappa Army soldiers spread out to search, but in the end, they found only a corpse.

"Your Highness, the Earl-no, Tia is dead."

A soldier brought Tia's severed head over. The cut was perfectly smooth.

"Looks like it was cut off with a sharp blade."

The Negative Hollow floated over and whispered something in Vlad's ear.

He nodded and instructed the Kappa Army:

"Spread out and look for a boy with a shaved head and thick lips.

Remember, don't fight him if you find him. Just shout loudly for help."

"Yes, Your Highness!"

The surrounding Kappa Army soldiers accepted the order and scattered to search for the shaved-headed boy.

The Negative Hollow vanished into thin air, leaving Vlad alone in the vast castle hall.

He tilted his head back and stretched, easing the excitement within him, only for a flash of cold light to suddenly appear before his eyes.

A shaved-headed boy was diving toward him, both arms transformed into blades.

It was Mr. 1!

He had been lurking on the ceiling, trying to complete the assassination at this final moment.

Vlad's pupils contracted slightly, cold sweat pouring out as the stitches on his forehead flashed wildly.

Riiip~

His right arm instantly swelled, bursting through the fabric. Red fur fluttered as he slapped Mr. 1 aside.

"Gah~"

Mr. 1 spat out blood, his expression holding a trace of bewilderment alongside his shock.

This was the fucking weak, helpless prince Tia had told him about?!

Earlier, he had seen the ghost appear through a window, and he had understood at once.

The job was a bust.

No one on this island could stand against the Negative Hollow.

So he gathered up the valuables in Tia's room and prepared to run.

To keep a bad review from appearing on his assassin record, he had casually chopped off Tia's head before leaving.

He turned his five fingers into blades, stabbed them into the ceiling, and crawled along while hanging from it.

He had intended to avoid the crowds and move to the back of the castle to escape, only to spot Vlad all alone.

After silently weighing their respective strength, he decided it was doable!

Though Vlad had fought bravely, his performance had still been within the bounds of an ordinary person.

With his Dice-Dice Fruit ability, he could easily finish him off quickly and then run.

Though his employer was dead, as long as he took Vlad's head, his first mission would still count as complete.

Once he confirmed that the ghost had left, he swooped down, intending to kill him in one strike.

Then the red arm had swatted him aside like a fly.

Bam!!

Sent flying backward, Mr. 1 gouged furrows into the floor. The bundle on his back split open, spilling valuables across the ground.

He stood up and started running without another word.

Given a little time, he could still kill Vlad.

After all, he had only been slapped away because he had been airborne, with nothing to push off against.

In a real fight, he would still emerge the ultimate victor, but that would take some time.

By then, he would have to face the Negative Hollow, which he had no answer for.