For Cross, the grievances and feuds of royalty, coupled with power struggles and coups, were things he'd seen countless times in dramas and movies in his previous life, and countless times throughout history. He was well accustomed to them.
However, this was his first time witnessing such events unfold right before him, making it quite a novel experience. And the fact that he was personally involved, unable to avoid interfering, made it even more peculiar. It felt like... being an actor?!
"My pleasure!"
At this moment, Siren's pretty face smiled. She elegantly straightened her Lolita dress and then suddenly darted out, her red umbrella aimed directly at Cross. Almost simultaneously, Viscount Solmen, who had been silent, also strode forward, heading straight for Duke Attawa. Clearly, he and Siren had split up to engage their respective targets.
"Life Return: Hair Needle Senbon!"
Cross's gaze sharpened. He sharply shook his head, and the inexplicably grown silver hair immediately shot out icy glints, like flying needles or throwing darts, directly enveloping Siren and Viscount Solmen.
Siren didn't stop. The red umbrella in her hand suddenly unfurled, and she completely retracted behind it. In an instant, the sharp, needle-like hairs struck the umbrella's surface, emitting clinking sounds.
Viscount Solmen, however, halted. His body suddenly swelled and grew, transforming into a three-meter-tall dragon-man form with horns on his head. He crossed his arms in front of him, blocking the needle-like hairs with his tough, powerful muscles. The long silver hairs clung to Viscount Solmen's entire body but didn't pierce too deeply.
Immediately after, Cross quickly stepped forward, directly kicking the red umbrella aside. However, a cold glint flashed before him, and he saw Siren wielding an umbrella-sword, thrusting it at him.
"Hiss—"
Cross took a deep breath, his body suddenly growing considerably taller just as the sharp umbrella-sword in Siren's hand pierced his chest.
Clang—
A metallic clang echoed, and a violent, chaotic gust of wind erupted, overturning all the surrounding tables and chairs.
"Didn't pierce?"
Siren's pretty face showed surprise as she looked at the patch of metallic black on Cross's chest. She couldn't help but say, "Such powerful Armament Haki!"
"Give it to me!"
Immediately, Cross roared and reached out to grab the umbrella-sword. Siren shifted her feet, quickly retreating several meters to prevent her weapon from being snatched.
At this moment, Viscount Solmen pulled out a dozen or so steel-wire-like hairs from his body. He completely ignored Cross and continued towards Duke Attawa.
"Don't even think about it!"
Cross growled, suddenly bending down and pressing his hand to the floor, activating his Live-Live Fruit ability.
Ommmmm—
An invisible wave of Enliven power rapidly spread out, almost bringing everything in the entire castle hall to life.
"Father! Father!"
"Master, do you want a drink?"
"Bastard, move your foot! Don't step on me!"
"..."
Whether it was tables, chairs, or dishes and wine bottles filled with food and fine wine, even the white porcelain tiles on the floor all came alive. They grew eyes and mouths, hopping and weaving through the crowd with giggles.
"They're alive?!" Viscount Solmen looked stunned.
"What kind of ability is this?" Siren's pretty face showed astonishment as she looked up and down at the moving white tiles by her feet, feeling a sense of familiarity.
"Now, I've surrounded you all!" Cross spread his arms, a wild expression on his face as he faced everyone present, saying with a smile, "Go, get them!"
As his words fell, the enlivened tables, chairs, dishes, wine bottles, and floor tiles immediately changed expressions. With fierce gazes, they lunged towards Siren, Viscount Solmen, Marquis Mankervis, and the Royal Guard soldiers present.
"Oh, damn it!"
"Get lost! Get away from me!"
"Kill these monsters!"
"..."
In an instant, the entire castle hall descended into chaotic battle. Everyone, including Siren and Viscount Solmen, was scrambling to deal with attacks from all directions. Many Royal Guard soldiers panicked and fired their guns wildly. The bang-bang-bang of gunfire erupted like popping beans, and many stray lead bullets even hit the banquet attendees in the hall.
"Follow me!"
Cross leaped over ten meters, landing beside Duke Attawa and Countess Shanna. He grabbed both their arms and ran towards the nearest passage.
"Captain Cross, can't we save a few more people?" Duke Attawa passively followed behind Cross, but he still turned his head to look at the crowd in the hall, urgently saying, "Many of them are my Royalist faction. If we leave them, they'll all be..."
"Aniki, don't delude yourself!" Countess Shanna directly interrupted Duke Attawa's words, speaking with unexpected calm. "There's only Captain Cross here. It's already lucky that he can save the two of us. If we add more burdens, the only outcome will be that none of us escape!"
"..." Duke Attawa was speechless. He understood in his heart that his sister was right, and he no longer brought up saving others.
"You're right. If my Enliven Legion were here, I could save everyone. But with those small enlivened trinkets just now, they can only delay things for a moment at most!" Cross glanced admiringly at Countess Shanna. He hadn't expected her, a mere woman, to be even calmer than the men in a crisis.
Boom, boom, boom, boom, boom...
At this moment, the trio exited the castle hall and entered an open-air garden. The previously faint rumble of cannons suddenly became much clearer, accompanied by fierce battle cries, all coming from down the mountain.
"The Roberts Legion must have broken in!" Duke Attawa shivered, speaking in a panicked tone.
Cross listened carefully for a moment, then analyzed in a low voice, "Such intense cannon fire indicates that the Royal Army is still resisting, and Doma City hasn't fallen yet!"
Hearing Cross's words, Duke Attawa rekindled hope and said excitedly, "That's right! Royal Uncle Lavishur and Grand General Hebrass are pillars of the kingdom. They can't be easily defeated by those pirates!"
However, Countess Shanna's eyes flickered, and there was a degree of unease between her brows. She could hear that the commotion from down the mountain was gradually extending upwards. Clearly, the Bion Kingdom's army was at a disadvantage, perhaps even steadily retreating.
Cross exchanged a glance with Countess Shanna, understanding her thoughts. His evaluation of this woman significantly increased.
"Relax. I've already notified the Marines. Vice Admiral Sakazuki is bringing reinforcements, and a portion of my Enliven Legion has also been deployed. It won't take long for them to reach Doma City!" Cross offered a word of comfort, then waved his hand towards the sky.
"Screech—"
The next moment, a long eagle cry sounded, and a strong gust of wind suddenly swept in. Duke Attawa and Countess Shanna quickly shielded their faces with their hands to prevent dust from entering their eyes. Through their fingers, they saw a giant silver eagle descending from the sky, landing in front of Cross.
Cross reached out and took Shusui from the silver eagle's back, then said, "We can squeeze three people on. Get on quickly. I'll take you out of Doma City!"
"Good, good, good..." Duke Attawa's face lit up with joy, repeating "good, good, good" as he impatiently scrambled onto the silver eagle's back.
Boom—
Suddenly, a wall exploded, strong winds raged, and countless dust and debris swept out.
"Duke, you should stay!"
From within the swirling smoke and dust, a massive, three-meter-tall dragon-man figure emerged, accompanied by a low, powerful voice.
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