“Who the hell are you?”
“…”
The men did not speak, and their only response was to lift their swords together in preparation of an attack. Oliver stepped in front of Amanda to shield her.
“We have to get out.”
“I agree.”
Amanda was about to rush back towards the carriage, when—
Hiiing!
Several men had already surrounded the carriage, and they cut down the driver and horse with their swords. Part of Amanda’s vision went black as the large animal collapsed to the ground. Due to the Northern Palace’s isolation, no transportation meant that they were effectively stranded. Amanda and Oliver did not expect to be ambushed in the Imperial Palace, and did not have a single guard with them.
“Amanda!”
Oliver cried out to her, and Amanda turned her head as he tossed her a sword.
Taat!
She caught the sword and rushed back to Oliver’s side, before facing the men again. Amanda’s fluid skill and expert stance momentarily confused the assassins, but they soon regained their reason, and with a loud cry, they rushed towards the pair.
Steel flashed in the night, and as Oliver and Amanda fought, the disadvantages piled up on them. There were too many men blocking them to be able to make their escape. No matter Oliver’s and Amanda’s elite skills, they still had physical limitations. In the end, they would run out of stamina and the hoard of troops would overwhelm them.
Amanda took further stock of the situation. The fact that there was an ambush prepared in the place where Howard called them likely meant he was in trouble.
“What happened to Father?”
Oliver’s eyes darkened ominously at Amanda’s question, but he remained focused on the immediate problem in front of them.
“Let’s think about getting out of here first.”
There was a squelching sound as Oliver drove his sword into a man’s chest and then pulled it out. The body collapsed to the ground and blood gushed into the air. Because Oliver and Amanda were fighting off so many men at once, their clothes were soon soaked dark red with blood. Oliver gritted his teeth.
“I wanted to avoid this if possible, but I have no other choice.”
“What are you suggesting?”
“It’s not a great plan, but follow me. I’ll break through the path, so watch my back.”
“Understood.”
Oliver was far more familiar with the terrain and layout of the Northern Palace. She followed his rapid footsteps and protected his back. The assassins were hot on their heels, determined to end Oliver no matter what.
“Ah!”
As Amanda blocked off three of the assassins, one of them managed to cut her right arm with their sword. Although the damage was minimal, she couldn’t afford an injury when she was constantly moving. The wound wasn’t deep, but blood dripped down from her limb. Oliver glanced at her injury and grimaced silently.
Tadag tadag!
Oliver and Amanda grunted as they simultaneously fought to keep the assassins at bay and flee towards their escape route. If they failed…they may both lose their lives here.
Chaaang!
Oliver blocked a sword headed straight for Amanda, then spoke to her with a dark expression.
“If I had known this would happen, I wouldn’t have brought my wife. ”
Despite the danger before them, Amanda gave a smile small at the fact that Oliver would speak something so heartfelt at this time.
“What do you mean? Without me, your chances of surviving would have been halved.”
Survival seemed bleak at this point, but without Amanda here, Oliver’s death was almost inevitable. Amanda’s red eyes shone like blood.
“I’m not letting you out of my sight.”
“Don’t say that. If it comes to worst, I won’t hesitate to let you survive.”
“No.”
Amanda had already survived alone in her last life, and Oliver’s words affected her more than he realized. She never wanted to suffer through such a lonely hell again.
“If today is your last day, I will go with you.”
It was only a little while longer that Oliver would become emperor. It would be devastating to die the moment before they reached their goal, but she did not intend to carry on. If Oliver would fall here, then she would fall in the very same spot.
Oliver gave a grim chuckle.
“…Then I must accept your decision.”
Both were quick to repel another enemy attack after their brief conversation.
At last, the two arrived at a dauntingly high cliff. Amanda’s eyes widened as she looked at the drop below.
“Oliver, this is—”
“I told you, it’s not the best option. But we don’t have any other choice.”
Oliver’s gaze hammered home of the severity of this decision. Jumping off a cliff was not much better than being killed by assassins, but she didn’t have the time to say it.
Swiiiig!
Chang! Chaang!
It was getting harder to repel the enemies’ attack. The wound on her right arm had deepened, and her arm was starting to feel numb as blood flowed freely from it. On top of that, the assassins were emboldened once they saw that their prey was trapped by the cliff. Amanda quickly glanced over to Oliver.
‘Oliver wants me to survive, but it’s not me that’s supposed to live and plan for the future. I have to stall the enemies so he can escape.’
Amanda was only a pawn in Oliver’s path in becoming emperor. It was he that had to survive and find the culprit who sent the assassins, and become emperor to deal with Madelyn and Luke. Despite the determination of Amanda’s heart, however, her arm started to fail.
‘…A little more.’
The sound of metal rang in the wide empty air as Amanda parried attacks from every direction.
Swiiiig—
In a gap between the assassins, a sword flashed furiously towards Amanda in an angle she could not avoid. She tried to block it with her sword, but her right arm throbbed in pain and she missed her timing by a millisecond.
‘No…!’
Amanda knew that there was no way to avoid the attack. She clenched her eyes in preparation for the sword that would skewer her body.
Suddenly, Oliver’s arms grabbed hold of Amanda’s body. The sword ran into Oliver’s side, and as it pulled out, blood spouted like a fountain. The scene seem to happen in front of Amanda’s eyes as if in slow motion.