Chapter 141: The Doomed Assassination Attempt (Part 2)

He had two swords: a standard-issue longsword and a short sword designed for close-quarters combat.

In that instant, he drew the short sword. Given just a third of a second more, he could have unsheathed the longsword and placed himself in front of the king.

However, it was too fast. Garona's figure transformed into a streak of green light. The cold gleam flashed by, and though it was just a simple horizontal slash, he couldn't avoid it; his movements and thoughts couldn't keep up.

An astonishingly lethal technique!

Speed! Angle! Power! All were perfected to the peak.

"Shh!" A blood-red jet of blood gushed from the royal guard's throat.

You must understand, the royal guard was fully armored. The helmet was a simple T-shape, with a horizontal gap for unobstructed vision and a vertical gap for easy breathing.

There was barely any angle to strike between the helmet and breastplate.

In fact, there was only a gap less than three millimeters wide.

And this gap was exploited.

A single, fatal blow, with no chance of survival!

No one had the time to react, and Garona had already appeared in front of Llane Wrynn.

Llane was stunned.

To be honest, Llane wasn't weak. In fact, as soon as he saw the cold gleam, he had already reacted. But when he saw Garona's face, he hesitated.

What a face it was!

In Varian's imagination, an assassin like this should be ferocious and bloodthirsty, either filled with hatred or with complete disregard for life. He had considered many possibilities, and after Lothar had subtly warned him, he had been somewhat more cautious around Garona. But Llane had never imagined that Garona would have such an expression.

Her face was filled with helplessness and despair, love for humanity, and even affection for Llane. No, it was more direct love... And under such an expression, Garona's body moved like lightning, wielding her dagger and stabbing at Llane.

Varian hesitated.

He wasn't just a wise king; he was also a compassionate one.

Like Lothar, Varian had also taken the knight's oath.

He couldn't bear to draw his sword against a woman who didn't want to hurt him, even if she was a half-orc.

In the blink of an eye, Llane's gaze conveyed, "Why do you want to kill me? Did I do something wrong?"

Garona returned a look of helplessness, unwillingness, and despair: "No! I don't want to kill you! But I've lost control of my body!!"

What!?

Only after understanding Garona's gaze did Varian realize he should draw his sword. As he was in the heart of his kingdom, at the Stormwind Keep's military conference, he wasn't wearing armor.

His sword was his only defense.

Llane's sword-drawing speed was far from slow. However, during this moment of hesitation, he was still half a step behind.

Time seemed to freeze due to the horrifying and complex assassination attempt.

Prince Varien watched in horror as his father, the king, was about to be stabbed to death. He couldn't understand why, out of nowhere, the despicable half-orc would raise a weapon against his father.

Lothar was also half a beat behind. The saying "a hundred days of recovery for bone and tendon injuries" described his current state. Even after receiving the best priest's treatment immediately after leaving Karazhan, his leg still hadn't fully healed.

This was because a massive amount of chaotic magical energy had been injected into his leg. Although the energy wasn't lethal, it took time for it to dissipate.

Thus, Lothar drew his sword at once but couldn't make it in time.

As everyone watched, King Llane Wrynn, the true pillar of the kingdom of Stormwind, was on the verge of losing his life at the hands of his trusted subordinate, Garona.

With the Horde about to launch a massive attack on Stormwind City, the people of the kingdom were about to lose their king.

Another wise ruler was about to fall victim to a despicable and shameless assassination.

Unexpectedly, someone stepped in.

Reginald Windsor!

As the representative of Duke Marcus, and as the mouthpiece of the temporarily absent high-ranking official of the kingdom, Windsor was allowed to participate in the military conference. Additionally, due to his previous status as a direct subordinate of Anduin Lothar, the king granted Windsor permission to carry weapons into the conference. Interestingly, almost everyone present knew the name of Windsor's one-handed sword, a gift from the Duke.

[King's Defender]

On this day, at this very moment, the King's Defender demonstrated its glorious power, living up to its reputation.

[Intercept]: A special technique that gives even the slowest 'Warrior' profession a sense of agility. In this context, 'Warrior' refers to the profession, not an ordinary soldier. Using a special power called 'Rage,' Warriors can perform many feats ordinary people cannot. For example, [Intercept] allows the Warrior to cover a certain distance and take the next incoming attack for a chosen ally.

With a whoosh, as everyone's gaze was drawn to Garona, no one noticed Windsor's move.

Moving at a speed comparable to an afterimage, Windsor appeared at the crucial moment, blocking Garona's fatal dagger strike with his King's Defender, held in a cross-guard position.

Interestingly, both the attacker and the victim seemed relieved at the same time.

"Thank the heavens!" Both Llane and Garona's expressions seemed to say.

But in the next instant, Garona's expression changed to one of utter shock. Her figure disappeared on the spot again.

[Shadowstep]

A special Rogue technique that allows the Rogue to instantly appear behind their target.

Seeing that her first strike had failed, Garona launched another. This time, not only did Llane successfully draw his sword and turn around, but the royal guard on his right had also arrived.

The guard made a sudden lateral dash, forcefully squeezing himself between Llane and Garona's dagger with his own body. Garona's epic-level dagger effortlessly sliced through the muscles of the guard's arm. At that moment, Lothar struck.

With a simple yet powerful slash, Windsor's Sword of Kings transformed into a brilliant, curved arc of light, aimed at Garona's arm.

"Ahh—" To everyone's surprise, Windsor didn't even hit Garona, but she let out a piercing scream. Visibly, a dark, demonic energy emerged from Garona's back, and a semi-transparent demonic specter roared.

What...?

The sudden demonic screech carried a terrifying power that shook everyone's hearts. The cold, bone-chilling evil energy surged like a storm throughout the conference hall. The demonic energy was so powerful that it even slightly suppressed Windsor's Sword of Kings.

A blinding flash of light erupted at Garona's feet.

That was a Flash Powder.

An essential tool for Rogues to vanish.

Garona disappeared, but not before hurling seven daggers.

This time, there was absolutely no way to defend.

The royal guard had charged too recklessly, causing him falter part way. At this moment, Llane was completely unprepared.

Llane did his best and only managed to knock down two of the daggers. The remaining five were all stuck in his chest.

"Ah!" Llane let out a scream.

Garona disappeared, and everyone quickly surrounded him. Just when everyone was horrified, they found that Llane, who should have been fatally injured, wasn't bleeding at all. The next second, Llane sat up straight.