"… S-Sara, why?"
The tanned girl did not reply. Instead, she eyed coldly at Gerald before disappearing from her position.
One second later, that place was hit by a powerful attack.
*Boom!*
The B-Rank protecting Gerald had finally reacted.
"Sara, what have you done! Do you know what this means!?"
Sara reappeared beside Bloed and snorted. "Of course I know. I'm betraying the city lord."
The entire place fell silent. Even Bloed and Liu Ying were dumbfounded by the sudden change.
"This… Miss Sara, why?" Bloed asked.
Sara closed her eyes and replied. "Why are you so surprised? I have been on your side since the start."
"Huh?"
"Do you think you would have been able to detect me so easily if I don't leak my killing intent? I admit that your eyes are pretty useful against me, but I'm an entire rank above you. Moreover, I have already learned about the limitations of your eyes so I'm confident in injuring you if I go all out. Fortunately for you, Gerald was my target since the start, but the guy beside him was too alert so I did not find an opportunity. I have to thank miss Liu Ying for that. Her sudden arrival gave me the opportunity I needed."
Bloed was stunned. Thinking about it, he had always been able to feel Sara's faint killing intent during the battle.
To think she was leaking it purposely so Bloed could avoid her attacks. Bloed had to admit it was ingenious.
However, Bloed could not understand the reason yet.
Not only Bloed. Gerald and the black-dressed men could not understand either.
Sara smiled coldly. "Let me tell you a story." She said while looking at Gerald. "Many years ago, there were two powerful families in this city. One was the Arkavol family, and the other was the Sviel family.
"Both families controlled the city. One of them had the position of the city lord, and the other controlled the underground. For many years, the two families were allies and worked together to keep the city in their grasp.
"But twelve years ago, one of the families was no longer happy with the status quo.
"The forces of the Arkavol family, led by the current city lord, attacked the Sviel family in a bloody night. All the people of the Sviel family died, and their most loyal subordinates were killed. It was an incredibly ruthless and effective move that put the whole city in the city lord's grasp.
"But unbeknownst to the city lord, two people survived that night. Two young girls were protected by the family's servants and escaped through a secret tunnel. They are the last two descendants of the Sviel family. Young master Gerald, do you understand now?"
"… Impossible." Gerald paled. He vomited another mouthful of blood and staggered backward.
Sara snorted in disdain.
"Six years ago, I joined the Arkavol family seeking revenge. Back then, I was still young and weak, but very talented. The city lord noticed my talent and nurtured my talent and loyalty for the family.
"I knew instantly it was my opportunity. So, I feigned my loyalty and hid my killing intent, slowly gaining the city lord's trust until the day I could show my fangs and kill the city lord and his entire family.
"But fate played a joke on me. One day, I learned that my sister was sick and the medicine she needed to continue living was very hard to find. Only someone of the city lord's status could get it easily.
"Hahahaha, what a joke. I badly wanted to kill him, but I had to work for him to protect my only family. Is it not funny?" Sara's voice was brimming with hatred and unwillingness. For many years, she had badly wanted to take revenge for her family, however, her sister's illness robbed her of that opportunity.
With Sara's current strength and her special talent to erase her presence, she was confident in her chances of killing the city lord if she made enough preparations. Unfortunately, her sister's condition made it nothing more than a pipe dream.
"But I did not give up." Sara continued speaking. "I secretly started to search for ways to get the medicine my sister needed. I was very careful to avoid the city lord finding about it and becoming suspicious. Unfortunately, it's hard for a bodyguard like me to ensure enough of my sister's medicine each month.
"Even now, I'm not sure how long I can manage." Sara said with a self-deprecating smile.
Gerald's expression was twisted. He wanted to say something, but the pain in his body made him unable to speak.
Moreover, he could feel that his lower body was paralyzed.
The B-Rank examined his injury and realized that it had turned black.
"Poison…" He said with wrinkled brows.
"… It's Death Lily." Sara said. "Unless you can find a demigod healer or the antidote in less than ten minutes, Gerald will die."
Gerald turned pale.
His body shook and he laughed bitterly. "I don't understand, why now? You have had many opportunities to kill me, why now?"
Sara remained indifferent. "It's simple, my sister is in danger, and young master Bloed is the one that can save her."
"Huh?" Bloed was startled. "Me?"
"Remember that dream? That is the answer."
Bloed understood instantly. He recalled Gina's dream about the shadows chasing her and Bloed appearing to vanish the shadows.
"… Even if the possibility is slim, I have to do it. My sister's whereabouts are unknown, and the people guarding her are dead. So, I must bet that you will eventually save her." Sara chuckled bitterly.
Gina was Sara's everything. Thus, when she learned Gina was missing, she knew she had to do everything to find her.
Then, she remembered Gina's dreams.
And if Gina's dreams were true, she will need Bloed's help if she wanted to save her little sister.
Bloed nodded. "I understand. Don't worry, I'll help you."
Liu Ying interjected at that moment. "Speaking of that, I met Gina earlier. She was the one that led me here. Don't worry, she is in a safe place."
Sara smiled in relief. "That is good. As expected, my decision was right. Now, let's finish them first."
Bloed nodded with a smile. Then, he looked at the remaining people around them.
Now that the tables had turned, Gerald was the one at a disadvantage. He was fighting Bloed, Liu Ying, Sara, and Leto; the equivalent to four B-Rank. His side, on the other hand, had only two B-Ranks and nineteen other practitioners.
It was easy to see who had the advantage.
Gerald's eyes were filled with despair.
...
Guys, I finally finished the cover! It took me a long time, but my photoshop skills are not the best (I literally took a crash course to learn to use it just to make this cover, so, yeah).
I have read many comments asking me for a cover, but as I was doing it for myself, it took longer than I thought. In truth, I'm not completely satisfied with it, but I did my best
Please, don't be so hard on it and I hope you like it (The characters on it are Bloed and Regina)...
P4TREON: patre-on.com/aidnovels