Merrick's wrist was forcibly snapped by Arabella.
Arabella's speed with the knife was unmatched. She swiftly flung the blade toward a distant wooden post.
The motion occurred in the blink of an eye, as if thunder and lightning struck in that brief instant—she snatched the knife and hurled it.
Had it not been for Nicholas's preparations, this might have been a fatal blow.
Yet he was grinning with great delight. As he stepped out from the shadows, Raven followed closely behind.
Hearing the commotion, a swarm of armed joint military and police forces arrived, surrounding Arabella and her group.
Others may not know the extent of Arabella's skills, but Nicholas knew all too well.
With Arabella and Raven together, they certainly wouldn't take these soldiers surrounding them seriously.
"Arabella, do you want his life?"
Arabella glanced at Edmund, who was supporting the injured Merrick, and her expression returned to its usual calm. With a smile, she pointed and asked, "Why should I save him?"
Nicholas laughed gleefully, his eyes shining brightly. "Really not going to save him? Quick! Kill him! Great!"
Such a twisted and crazed order to kill the hostage shocked the soldiers around him. No one made a move.
After all, Arabella's reputation was widespread. Although no one had truly seen her abilities, having a hostage in hand gave a sense of security.
Seeing no one move, Nicholas raised his gun and aimed to shoot, completely unconcerned with Raven standing behind him, watching closely.
He moved quickly, but Arabella was faster. She kicked Edmund aside and pulled Merrick to her side.
She hurled another throwing knife, aiming directly at Nicholas's face. In a panic, Nicholas fired his gun in a desperate sweep, barely managing to block the lethal force of the knife's attack.
Cold sweat broke out on Nicholas's back. Fortunately, he knew that Arabella's true killing technique was the flying knife, or he would have already went to the hell.
"Didn't you say you were going to kill him? Why are you protecting him?" Seeing Merrick by Arabella's side, Nicholas's eyes flashed with murderous intent. He wanted nothing more than to rip them apart.
Arabella gave a light laugh, her lips curling with a touch of sarcasm. "Nicholas, you managed to rank ninth on the Combat List. Show some real skills."
At her words, everyone was stunned.
The ninth place on the Solo Combat Rankings was the elusive master of the Spanka black market, rumored to also be the leader of the Night Owl organization.
Hearing Arabella confirm it, it was clear the rumors were true.
Nicholas was stunned, unable to believe it, and blurted out, "How do you know?"
He saw Arabella standing there, her black attire accentuating her fair skin, her eyes curved in a smile, radiating a carefree and self-assured aura. He adored that sight—so powerful and fearless, and it filled him with a deep, reverent admiration.
This was how it should be—his Arabella, his goddess.
Suddenly, the secret of his identity being known by Arabella felt completely natural to him.
Little did he know, Arabella knew more than just this. There was a knife hidden in her gaze; she was determined to strip Nicholas of his secrets.
"Speaking of snakes and their many skins, you have plenty of masks yourself. You were the one who founded the Abyss, weren't you?"
This time, Nicholas was truly shocked.
Even the small, casual club activities he had once indulged in, Arabella seemed to know about. Was her intelligence network really that powerful?
In fact, he had underestimated Arabella's extraordinary intelligence, sharp instincts, and powerful logical reasoning.
In her youth, Arabella had been cold, rebellious, and fiercely arrogant—a stark contrast to her current demeanor, which was gentle as spring breeze and marked by a low-key, unassuming style.
All of her past, as people died or fled, and her secrets were buried, had already dissipated.
In such a distant land, no one should have known her true nature.
Furthermore, for a long time, she had only used knives, hidden throwing knives that could kill with one strike. This hidden skill, which had once been her trademark, she had put away when she left Scalien and switched to using guns.
These secrets should remain buried, never to be uncovered. Moreover, the only ones who know about her past with Cyrus are the Ackerley family; outsiders wouldn't have a clue.
Of course—there is one person who is bound to understand her well.
That would be the leader of the Night Owl Organization, the man who has always remained shrouded in mystery, his true identity unknown.
And Nicholas was purchased by her from the black market in Spanka. It's likely that everything had been plotted out long before that.
"Tell me, where is Albatross? Was he used to lure me here, just to play this little game for me?"
Nicholas waved his hand, signaling for someone to bring Albatross up.
A fleeting glance from the corner of Arabella's eye, imperceptible yet sharp, discerned the slightest movements and pinpointed Albatross's place of captivity.
Albatross was being dragged and hauled up by someone, his head hanging low, making it impossible to tell whether he was alive or dead.
"What's the point of giving me a corpse?" Arabella raised an eyebrow, her smile cold and elusive.
Actually, whether Albatross lived or died didn't matter to her. What mattered was the promise.
She came, but Albatross had died before she could make it. She bore no blame for it.
Nicholas gave a cold laugh, his hand seizing Albatross's hair, forcing his head back to reveal his face.
It was a visage no longer human, with both eyes gouged out. The entire face was a maze of knife wounds, deep gashes running across it, and bloodstains smeared across the cheeks.
His chest faintly rose and fell, showing that he was still alive—though this life was probably worse than death, as he had been ruined beyond recognition.
After Arabella had seen him, Nicholas signaled for his subordinates to take Albatross away again.
"So, what do you think? Master Unknown, you always keep your promises. The man's still alive. You'll save him, won't you?"
Arabella narrowed her eyes, cutting to the chase. "I don't need to save a useless person."
Nicholas, who knew everything about Arabella, sneered. "Since you're here, Master Unknown, I know you won't come for nothing. These people surrounding you may be many, but they're all worthless, unable to stop you. But—if you want to save two people at once, that might be a fantasy."
"Cut the nonsense. What's the condition?"
"If you want to save both of them, you'll have to stay. If you want to leave, just kill Merrick, and I'll hand Albatross over to you, opening the city gates for you to leave. How does that sound?"
Arabella glanced at Merrick with interest, then proposed another option. "Why don't I choose to kill Albatross and take him with me instead?"
Upon hearing that Arabella had been so fiercely protective of Merrick, Nicholas's gaze immediately turned to him, burning with rage, as though every drop of blood in his body were boiling with fury.
Why did his goddess have to leave a weakness behind? That was the root of her eventual downfall.
He raised his hand, revealing the detonator he had prepared, his smile cruel. "If you choose him, then we'll all die together!"
Everyone gasped in shock. The soldiers from the joint military and police forces, who were encircling with their guns, exchanged uneasy glances, a hint of fear in their eyes.
The encirclement showed signs of retreat, but then Reginald appeared, holding a gun and standing at a high vantage point, aiming directly at Arabella's head.
"Why not just capture Arabella directly? What's there to be afraid of?" Reginald sneered.
Arabella remained perfectly still, her expression devoid of fear, as if nothing around her mattered in the slightest.
She lifted her gaze to meet Reginald's eyes, her smile sharp with a hidden blade as she greeted him mockingly. "So, my little dog's put on a military uniform and looks all important. Too bad you're missing a leash. How about going to my room and fetching one?"
"Arabella! You son of a bch!" Reginald roared in fury, unable to suppress the humiliating rage within him. He opened fire, aiming at Arabella's head in a rapid burst.
Nicholas's eyelid twitched, and he cursed, "You bastard, you're ruining everything!"
Before he could finish speaking, Arabella, who had been standing just moments before, had vanished without a trace. All that remained was Merrick, trembling and curled up in Edmund's arms after being kicked aside.
Nicholas was startled. When he turned around, Raven had already taken out several soldiers surrounding him, and they were nowhere to be seen.
The strength of the first and sixth operatives was not to be underestimated.
Nicholas cast a deep glance at the crazed Merrick on the ground, forcing himself to calm down.
Finally, Arabella seemed more committed to her promise, going to rescue Albatross and leaving Merrick behind.
Otherwise, he didn't know how he would go insane, how he would lose control, and drag everyone here down with him and Arabella.
Edmund took Merrick and hid in a corner. He gave Nicholas a silent look, understanding that the threat he had just made was not without purpose.
It seemed that the entire city was rigged with massive amounts of explosives, enough to kill everyone.
Nicholas was a complete and utter madman!
