Arknights, but the sickly pretty girl starts

Chapter 45: Community of Shared Future

When Noya's consciousness was pulled into the Black Gold Ancient Palace by Herhunzoren, not only was the Noya on Hedley's side disconnected, but the original Noya also lost consciousness at the same time. Although nominally speaking, the Noya who controlled the shapeshifter cluster was considered to be the spiritual seed separated by Noya, the connection between the spiritual seeds was real. Unless Noya took the initiative to cut off the connection, it would be difficult for Noya to control two bodies at the same time.

However, the moment she opened her eyes again, she felt a lot more relaxed, perhaps it was an illusion, but correspondingly, she also felt the familiar dull pain again.

…She was very familiar with this pain, it was the pain of mineral sickness.

She hadn't felt pain like this in a long time. Now that she thought about it, it was probably that strange consciousness that blocked out the pain, or perhaps suppressed it. The recurrence of pain also indicated that the strange consciousness that had been vaguely changing her had been temporarily detached from her. She pushed herself up, only to see darkness again... So that was it. Was the restored vision also a compensation from that will?

As expected, my legs became unable to move once again...

Noah showed a bitter smile, he didn't expect that he would end up like this.

Sure enough, all gifts have a price tag attached to them. When I got rid of that will, the other party naturally withdrew their gift.

Is it all worth it?

Once again losing his legs, once again losing his sight, once again becoming the disabled Noah Kyrielight.

The bitter smile on her lips quickly faded. She took a deep breath and calmed her complicated emotions. It didn't matter. It was just starting over. She should have realized this long ago. It was like a deal. If the deal didn't go through, it was reasonable for the other party to withdraw their investment.

"Kuro—" she began, calling out to the guard who was always by her side.

Kuro was beside her bed. After seeing her calling him, he took the initiative to speak. "I'm here."

"...Did I scare you?" Noah knew that her sudden coma would obviously scare the people around her, especially Kuro who always cared about her. "Do I look terrible now?"

Noah's question was not groundless. After the power that suppressed the Originium disappeared, the Originium naturally began to spread. Now these black stones have begun to appear on Noah's cheeks. They pierce the skin, like a mandala rooted in the flesh and blood. The outside is just the tip of the iceberg. The situation inside may be so bad that it is difficult to measure.

"I'll take you back to Rhodes Island now—" Kuro stretched out his hand and touched the cold Originium crystal clusters. The appearance of these crystal clusters meant that the mineral sickness in Noah's body was worsening. It was the first time this had happened after being dormant for so long. Kuro also saw Noah's eyes, which had once again returned to their dark color.

Does this mean that she has become blind again?

Kuro didn't say these things, nor did she deliberately expose Noah's disguise. She just felt distressed and wondered why her girl had to suffer so many hardships and setbacks than others.

Suffering and fate wanted to make her surrender, but the girl always held her noble head high.

"I'll take you away now. This time, I can't let you be willful." Kuro's other hand, which did not touch Noya's cheek, was clenched very tightly, almost squeezing her to bleed. She has always been proud of her martial arts skills. As a black knight and a natural warrior, she can indeed use her own strength to create a path in many places.

But only with Noah could she always feel her own powerlessness——

She couldn't use her fists to shatter the shadow of mineral sickness, nor could she use weapons to drive away the many misfortunes that befell the girl. She was a wall, protecting the girl from wind and rain, but it seemed that she never protected the girl well.

A feeling of powerlessness—this kind of thing actually happened to me.

But at least she could take the girl away... to a place where no one could hurt her.

Let her enjoy the rest of her time...

So, she was going to take her away…without accepting any objections from her.

"Kuro, I have other things to do." Noah shook his head gently. "I know you're worried about my health, but even without this incident, I wouldn't have long to live. You've seen my medical records. Maybe I've improved before, but those were all fake. I exchanged them for more important things. Now, I return all these gifts. Just like you said before, I'm back to myself again. You're really perceptive. I didn't even notice it myself, but you discovered it."

"..." Kuro's palm trembled for the first time, because the girl took the initiative to stick to her hand, and even grabbed her arm, rubbing it gently, "Kuro, I'll be fine as long as you are here."

The girl's smile was as warm as the morning sun, but Kuro knew that hidden beneath it was the girl's resistance to fate.

The girl seemed to have been losing something. When she was in Casimir, she lost her health and the future she should have had. Later, she lost her parents, her grandfather, and even Margaret Linguang, who was like a morning star across the night sky. When he found her, she had already lost too much.

I originally wanted to protect her, to accompany her, and to prevent her from losing anything.

But she is still losing, over and over again, and even giving up some things on her own initiative. Has fate ever been kind to her all the way to now?

Can't all this suffering be exchanged for even one... miracle?

This isn't fair—

“…I’ll take care of it.”

"……what?"

"Tell me what I'm going to do. You're using me as your pawn, a bargaining chip in your confrontation with fate. I can't bear to see you fight this battle alone any longer." Kuro stretched out his other hand and took off his mask. "From now on, I'm going to be the Black Knight again. I'm going to be Mace again. So, I'm no longer Kuro, nor am I your family, nor your lover. So... use me as a tool. I'll fight for you and do anything for you."

Even if it is against your will, even if it is something you hate, even if you have to pay a price, even if it means you have to pay with your life.

Obviously, she is the person closest to her, yet she always seems so far away from her. She can no longer be content with the love and satisfaction she gives her. She must do something. She can no longer be Kuro. She must become a real [chess piece] and become the wall that protects her.

Even if you are about to fall into hell, I will pull you up and bring you back to the world.

"Let me be your shadow—" Kuro, no, Mace, cupped Noya's face, ignoring the crystal clusters on her cheeks, and kissed her lips, aggressively plundering everything that belonged to the girl. "Mark me now, and I will bear all your pain, granting me the right to share it with you."

"..." Of course Noah understood. This meant that she was asked to plant a spiritual seed in her. She wanted to understand the pain that Noah had endured, and spiritually, she also wanted to become a wall to protect Noah.

Only this time, Mace ignored her opinion, for it was a condition of the deal. If she wanted to remain in Londinium, she would have to implant the Spirit Seed in Mace, or else she would ignore Noya's wishes and bring her back to Rhodes Island for treatment.

Either you join the game yourself, or take Noah away from this chaotic situation. There is no third choice.

After weighing the pros and cons, Noya finally succumbed to Mace's insistence and implanted her consciousness into his. Once their minds were fully synchronized, the pain Noya endured from her oripathy was felt by Mace through this soul connection. It was a throbbing pain that penetrated deep into her bones. Mace simply closed her eyes, taking in the pain before speaking. "Now, I can share your pain. I will no longer stand idly by."

"This is a very dangerous thing..." Noah defended palely, "And even if there is another person to help me bear the pain...my body will not get better."

"But at least, I can empathize with you." Mace felt the pain all over his body, thinking about how Noya suppressed this pain in the past. "I can't let you feel this alone anymore. Now, we are one heart and one body. I am your eyes and your hands and feet. I will help you accomplish everything you want."

At this moment, Jian's heart has been completely opened to her. She can feel the other party's love, which is a bit rough and unreasonable, as if it is going to drown her.

Even Noah was a little overwhelmed...

But she knew that she could only accept it this way.

After all, Mace, or Kuro, is an indispensable part of her, and only when they are together can she be complete as an individual.

They were indispensable to each other, and now they even shared a common destiny.

Is there any connection more intimate than this?

Noah didn't know - but the touch in her heart had never been so intense before.

“… Mace.”

She seldom calls her original name. To her, Mace is Kuro, and Kuro is Mace. Kuro is a name that belongs only to her - a code name she gave herself.

In a sense, it was her little possessiveness.

"After things here are over, I will follow your advice and receive more intensive treatment."

She spoke, promising.

"You're right. We share a common destiny. It's my fault for always excluding you."

"It's not too late to wake up now, Noah. From now on, I will fight against the so-called fate with you." Mace's mouth curled up slightly, "Black Knight, Mace, I swear allegiance to you."

…Although it was just an unimportant ceremony, she was no longer Kuro, but Mace.

He was the knight whom he had saved in Casimir, the knight who truly belonged to him.

Margaret Linguang belongs to Casimir.

The Black Knight Mace belongs only to Noah Kyrielight.

Although Noah has lost her eyes and feet, fortunately, there are always people around her who can replace them.

"Time is critical now, Mace. From now on, you don't need to stay by my side. Just accept my orders. Our enemy is likely Tracy, the regent of Kazdel, the black general. His power may be beyond our imagination. We need to understand all their plans—" After Noah calmed down, he immediately began to make arrangements. "As you said, you are my hands and feet and my eyes. I need to use your eyes and skills to infiltrate the Sarkaz camp, directly confront their commander Manfred, and try to control the city defense artillery first."

The city defense cannon is obviously the biggest threat to the entire situation now. Noah has always been worried that the city defense cannon will bring greater trouble to the doctor and others, and what she wants is to let Mace try to sneak into the Sarkaz camp alone, wait for an opportunity to capture Manfred, and get the control command of the city defense cannon.

As long as the control of the city defense artillery is in your own hands, you will have the initiative.

With the help of the mace, Noah might be able to find more breakthroughs, and even many plans that were originally abandoned due to difficulty could be resumed.

First, we need to contact Hedley...

Noya closed her eyes, but the Noya transformed by the Shapeshifter cluster on the other side opened her eyes and suddenly sat up on the bed. Just as she expected, this body could still be used at will. The Shapeshifter cluster wanted to see her end, which had nothing to do with another will. Seeing Noya wake up, Hedley finally breathed a sigh of relief. "You suddenly fainted, what happened?"

"It's a long story, Mr. Hedley. Do you know Manfred's route map?" Noah asked. "I decided to be a little more radical and directly control Manfred and seize control of the city defense artillery."

"...Why did you propose such an earth-shattering plan as soon as you woke up?" Hedley was surprised by Noah's radical plan after waking up. He had to remind her, "Manfred is no weakling. He possesses extremely strong Originium skills and abilities. I can tell you responsibly that there is a decisive gap between him and me - after all, he is a close confidant trained by the hero Tracys himself. Are you confident?"

"There's a natural born warrior beside me." Noah's lips curled up. "I believe in her."

"...I only know that Manfred will be patrolling the city walls this afternoon." Hedley continued, "But I still have to remind you that there is an entire Sarkaz guard on the city walls. You are facing Manfred and an entire Sarkaz team. I don't think this is a wise decision."

"I believe her." Noah repeated, "As long as she says yes, then it's yes. She will definitely keep her promise."

Chapter 46·Ghost transformation?

After obtaining Manfred's route of action from Hedley, Noah relayed the information to Mace and earnestly sought her opinion.

It had to be said that although she was full of confidence in front of Hedley, she still couldn't hide her worries in front of the mace... After all, she was facing the enemy commander and an entire Sarkaz guard. But when in front of others, she would naturally brag about her own guards, but in private - she still had to worry.

Mace was merely checking her weapon, but it was a one-on-many situation, something she was already accustomed to. She had faced an entire army alone before, back in Kjerag, but it was only slightly more difficult.

Where there is challenge, there is fun. For a warrior like Jian, challenging difficult things is a pleasure in itself.

After instructing Noah to stay where he was, Jian packed up and set off.

Manfred, the commander of the Sarkaz, is also a confidant personally trained by Tracys, according to Hedley. It is no exaggeration to say that Manfred can be said to be the most important backbone of Tracys's arrangement. Most orders have to be issued through this middle-level commander. He is also the one who appears in front of the Sarkaz team on behalf of Tracys. Controlling Manfred is like taking down the spinal cord of the Sarkaz.

If Tracy is the brain of the Sarkaz, then the brain's commands must be transmitted through the spinal cord, and Manfred is the person who undertakes this important task.

Once Manfred fell, the Sarkaz command system would not be paralyzed... but at least it would force Tracy to take charge of the situation personally.

Letting Tracy come forward was Noah's purpose.

However, precisely because of this, Manfred, who holds such an important position, is by no means a soft persimmon that is easily pushed down. On the contrary, Manfred was taught by Theresis himself, and his strength is already quite good. Naturally, a disciple of a hero must be 200% vigilant.

Both the risks and the benefits are huge, this may be the essence of Noah's plan. Many times, Noah's plan has nothing to do with [stability]. She is a woman who is willing to take a gamble anytime and anywhere. This time she also took a gamble on the mace.

She believed in the mace. She believed that the mace could break through these Sarkaz guards, and she believed even more that she could defeat Manfred.

In battle, she always believed in the ability of the mace and believed in this guard who never let her down.

——At noon, with the appearance of Manfred, Noah in the guard also began to calculate the time. According to the original plan, Hedley would transfer two teams of people, and there would only be one team of guards left beside Manfred. This team was Manfred's personal guard and it was absolutely impossible for them to be transferred.

The window period for this inspection is only about twenty minutes. If Manfred is not captured within these twenty minutes, the Sarkaz troops will react quickly. Even if Mace has the ability to confront an army alone, it will be difficult to complete the task with most of the Sarkaz fighting one after another.

The time is very strict, and everything depends on the judgement of the mace.

Noah took a deep breath and looked at Hedley beside her. The experienced mercenary was also looking at her.

When did Rhodes Island produce such a person? Hedley was actually a little worried. The other party's plan was indeed a bit too risky, but the benefits were also huge. As long as Manfred was offline, the Sarkaz's large number of manpower in Londinium would instantly be reduced to scattered sand, which would greatly facilitate Rhodes Island's operations. It might even force Tracy to take the initiative.

Time passed minute by minute, and Manfred appeared on the city wall as promised. Noah looked at this tall man with aristocratic temperament who looked quite different from other Sarkaz, but in his heart he was calculating how long it would take to defeat the opponent with his mace.

——She had never considered the possibility that the mace would be broken by the opponent.

Even if the opponent is Tracy's favorite general, even if the opponent may have hidden powerful combat power, Noah does not think that the mace will lose to anyone.

Speaking of which...why did Manfred go to the top of the city wall to review the troops at this time?

Noah only knew from Hedley that Manfred would be reviewing the troops today, but she didn't know why. Furthermore, Manfred, accompanied by his guards, was clearly waiting for someone... Who was it that warranted the personal attention of Manfred, the commander of Londinium? And with an entire guard, the atmosphere was as if he was facing a formidable enemy. Surely, he wasn't waiting for a mace?

So……

Who is the other party waiting for?

Noah had just begun to doubt when he felt an oppressive breath... This rotten, foul-smelling, and even nauseating breath, after it appeared, not only Noah, but even Manfred's face changed. Today was already overcast, and after this breath appeared, Noah felt even more suffocated, as if his own blood was no longer his own and could burst out of his body at any time.

Manfred's expression changed slightly, and he turned to look in the direction of the visitor. Following his gaze, Noa spotted an elegant Sarkaz ascending the steps of the city wall. He walked leisurely up the wall, like a noble attending an appointment, his androgynous face radiating a sense of leisure. His presence made everyone feel intensely uncomfortable, including Noa. Even the shapeshifters instinctively felt a wave of disgust.

Is he the one Manfred is waiting for?

Noah's face turned pale. Not only Noah, but even Hedley was a little at a loss at this moment. He did not expect that Manfred was actually waiting for the Blood Demon Lord.

The Sarkaz have ten royal courts, and the most terrifying and the one with the worst reputation is undoubtedly this group of blood demons. The monarch of the blood demons is the Blood Demon Lord in front of him.

But no matter how bad his reputation is, it cannot be denied that he, like the Scavenger King, is one of the most powerful people in the entire Sarkaz. The Lord of the Royal Court is a title that not everyone can have.

After the Blood Demon Lord appeared, Noah had already contacted the mace through the spirit seed to cancel the plan. If it was just Manfred alone, it would be fine, Noah had full confidence, but with the Blood Demon Lord...

Although the mace is powerful, it is by no means invincible. It is impossible for her to face Manfred and the Blood Demon Lord at the same time and escape unscathed.

If someone could really do this, he would have already gone beyond the scope of human beings.

This was probably the second time Noah had experienced this feeling of oppression. The first time was when he faced the Scavenger King. The horror he brought to him was still vivid in his mind. But the Blood Demon Lord was different. If the Scavenger King brought him the oppression of a strong man, then the oppression that the Blood Demon Lord brought to Noah was accompanied by a somewhat disgusting aura.

The Blood Demon's bad reputation is not without reason.

The spells used by the Blood Demon utilize the blood in the enemy's body and even create followers and blood descendants. Both the images and the methods of use are challenging the limits of ethics and morality.

Blood demons like Krosier or Doctor Warfarin can be said to be outliers among outliers, and the blood demon among blood demons is the Blood Demon Lord.

Just standing there can make people feel disgusted——

Faced with this situation, Noah could only smile bitterly. Plans cannot keep up with changes... But this change wouldn't be enough to directly lead to the replacement of a lord of the royal court, right?