Yarra’s Adventure Notes
Chapter 364 - 75: Knight in Blood_1

Chapter 364: Chapter 75: Knight in Blood_1

"Gentlemen, you cannot enter." Outside the casino’s main gate, two attendants disguised as staff but bearing stern faces blocked the path of a grand group of eleven people attempting to slip into the casino ballroom. "Your invitation does not match your identities. We hope you can return and bring the appropriate invitations next time."

"But... but I can’t steal an invitation that matches my identity." Pannis blinked his innocent eyes at the guards,saying, "So, could you issue us new ones that are suitable?"

The two guards raised their eyebrows, their hands resting on the daggers at their waists as their body weight shifted down, ready for action. But just as quickly as they prepared themselves, their vision was darkened and their faces stung with intense pain before being sent flying into the air. What greeted their fleeting consciousness was Pannis’s mockingly amused voice, "The Crown Casino is indeed extravagant, employing thieves of Silver Rank as security guards. Even the Shadow Hand probably couldn’t manage such a feat."

The two Silver Rank thieves hadn’t the slightest clue what had just occurred when they were caught off guard by fists that had suddenly materialised before their faces. They were launched into mid-air, and along their flight they left behind the sounds of splintering skulls, before they could even muster up any defenses.

"Every once in a while, using Berserker’s skills isn’t too bad. As long as I don’t lose my mind like them. Hmm, okay, now our invitation should match our identities." Pannis retracted his fists, dusted his hands, and stood aside while performing a respectful gesture to Catherine waiting outside, "May I have the honor to invite you, beautiful lady, to a grand ball the likes of which have never been seen before?"

Catherine gave a bitter smile and laid her hand on Pannis’s extended one, she sighed lightly as she glanced past the stunned guests and the openly concealed groups of greedy thieves and assassins inside the entrance hall of the casino, saying, "Is all this really necessary?"

"If I were ruthless, I’d gather my most elite and loyal forces here at such a crucial event." Pannis held Catherine’s hand without moving it, but his voice softened, "If Ruthless isn’t a fool, he’ll definitely expect that, so I guess all the staff here are his most powerful forces. If we want to surprise him, it makes sense to start here."

"But there’s no need to raid the place with bloodshed in mind." As Catherine looked at the unfortunate guards sprawled across the ground, their skulls smashed and showing no signs of life, she responded, "Don’t tell me that was not your intention. I’ve figured it out; whenever you squint your eyes, it means you’re considering murder."

"Just look at the arrangements in this entrance hall, you’ll understand. Ruthless wouldn’t just rely on the War Puppets to attack you – he’d have a plan b in place here. If only you and Vivian returned, could you two really reach the upper floors while being sudden attacked by ten assassins?" Pannis squinted as he scanned the approaching assassins. Due to the crowd at the doorway, the assassins hesitated to make a move and thus created a semi-circular barrier around them. Pannis’s gaze returned to Catherine’s face, and his voice softened further. "All these people, according to law, can be executed three to five times without any injustice. As there are no innocents here, there’s no need for any restraint. Plus, did you know? When a person carries too much burden every step they take comes with unbearable pressure. It’s important every so often to let loose and vent that out. If you can’t learn to discharge this pressure in time, you’ll never make it to the end, you will collapse at some point."

"Hmm." Catherine sighed weakly, closing her eyes and exhaling deeply. As a knight, she lived for combat, and even the most virtuous knight would not shy away from battling evil, or fear killing. But instinctively, Catherine was not fond of slaughter. During her past missions, she usually made a conscious effort to avoid triggering excessive battles with high death tolls. But now... Catherine sighed, her hand on Pannis’s tightened. "Let’s go all out just this once."

"Will they really be okay doing this?" Outside the gate, Enbow whispered to Muir, "Aren’t they afraid of inviting retribution from the Shadow Hand? This could count as an affront to their rules."

"Not at all." Muir gave a faint smile. "Pannis planned this out perfectly. If Passion and Indulgence wins in the end, we will simply be seen as invited guests there to root out traitors and not an affront the Shadow Hand’s rules."

"What if they fail?" Ben asked, "There’s a possibility, right?"

"They have already marked themselves as siding with Passion and Indulgence." Muir explained, "In the off chance that our side loses, we might still escape unscathed, but none of them will make it out alive. So, it doesn’t matter what action they take, it won’t really affect the outcome."

"What about us? Are we going in?" Teresa asked, her smile tinged with a trace of bitterness as she glanced at Marcia, who had already followed them in.

"Of course, our task isn’t completed yet," Muir said. "Our communication device has informed us that our two targets are on the second floor."

The first floor of the Crown Casino consisted of a spacious entrance hall upon entering the front door. The rectangular hall led to corridors on either side, each leading to a few side rooms. Directly across from the entrance to the casino were two lavish doors that led to a massive hall occupying thousands of square meters. During operation hours, this hall was filled with most of the casual players and various gambling devices. The staircase to the main hall was at the far end of the hall, and to get to the second floor, one would have to cross the grand hall, which was hosting a dance party.

By this time, Catherine had already put away her Falcon Shield. She held a one-handed sword in her right hand and Pannis’ hand in her left. Pannis’ right hand gently held Catherine’s hand, and his left hand held a short spear taken from the armors at the door. As they walked hand in hand to the center of the entrance hall, they seemed to be completely off guard.

In the cruel plan, just as Pannis had guessed, all available higher-order manpower was withdrawn from his elite troops leaving around one hundred and twenty individuals. Most of these individuals wait in the dance hall on the first floor; however, ten people were set in ambush on both sides of the entrance hall, prepared to kill Catherine and Vivian if they survived and returned. Under no circumstances were Catherine and Vivian allowed to set foot on the second floor. However, he never expected Catherine to return alive, let alone bring along a large group of people.

"Thud." Pannis swung his short spear behind him, effortlessly hitting an approaching assassin. He turned and said, "Vivian, Lina, you two return to Muir’s side. This is a moment of unrestrained joy for Catherine and me."

"Be careful not to overdo it," the two girls understood Pannis’ impulsiveness. In truth, they had been living in fear over these past few days, unable to imagine what life would be like if Catherine really died. Thus, they fully supported Pannis’ suggestion. However, given that Lina was a priestess of the goddess of mercy, she added hesitantly, "If they don’t attack you first...

"As you wish." Pannis twisted his short spear, parrying a dagger targeting Catherine’s ribs. Like a rehearsed show, Catherine counterattacked by piercing through the opponent’s hastily cast Aggression Shield.

Thief professions are both the strongest and the weakest. They have extraordinary offensive abilities but very weak defensive strengths. They excel in stealth and assassinations, often able to harm even those with shields up due to their attacks’ penetrating characteristics. However, if they are discovered, their fragile shields are easily broken by same-ranked professionals, forcing most thieves and assassins to train their speed vigorously.

A panicked assassin tried to correct his course as he was thrown into the air, but it was too late. Catherine’s icy one-handed sword had already shot to his side, cleaving him and his shield in half. Amidst the despairing screams, blood and internal organs danced in the air, setting the stage for a bloody dance.

"In the world, there are approximately eight to nine thousand Gold Rank professionals, of which around five hundred are thieves. Including all other races, the total number of Gold Rank thieves would not exceed eight hundred, and only about three hundred of these are core members. There should be around forty from Cruel. But Cruel wouldn’t be able to deploy them all. As a result, there should be about fifteen Gold Rank thieves and over a hundred Silver Rank ones here." Pannis wiped the blood splatter off his face, glanced at the blood-soaked knight next to him, and asked with a smile, "Facing fifteen Gold and over a hundred Silver Rank thieves with just the two of us, does the thrill intensify?"

"You’re a bad influence," Catherine, her face streaked with blood, laughed like a witch that had escaped all mental shackles. "But it does feel amazing to let loose every once in a while."

"As long as you get used to it, let the dance commence." Pannis brandished his short spear, flinging an assassin’s body to the luxurious door. The grand doors collapsed under the impact, and the previously bustling dance hall fell into silence. (To be continued. If you like this work, please vote and recommend at qidian.com. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users please go to m.qidian.com to read.)