Blood itself has no smell.
Only when blood enters the oral cavity can people taste that viscous, rusty flavor. Otherwise, blood itself has no smell. What has a smell are the various tissue fluids overflowing due to death and trauma in humans. These are the source of the pungent smell.
But this time it was different. All the knights subconsciously stopped in their tracks upon seeing the dark alley, their nasal cavities and minds filled with a vast amount of blood. It was neither an illusion nor reality. Just a kind of premonition, long honed between life and death, gave them some unknown revelation, letting them instinctively sense the scene within the alley. The final end of Midir the Lightless, that mad old knight, was right in there.
Although no one said it out loud, looking at the dim alley entrance, everyone subconsciously swallowed.
"Isn't that Giant Knight Cleihan?!"
One knight suddenly pointed at the shadow overflowing with blood and shouted loudly.
"Look, that's Cleihan! One of Midir's four knights, he's right over there!"
At the entrance of the alley, identified as the most recent path, a tall knight was kneeling.
Even in Kazimierz, such a tall knight was extremely rare. Like a colossus, he knelt on the ground, blood seeping from every crevice of his white armor. Dark red liquid spread along the slightly curved slope, lingering at the alley entrance, steaming into a dark red mist.
A greatsword as tall as his body pierced upwards from his chest and abdomen, through his neck, like a high tower, it had shaved off the back of his neck, continuously flowing blood all around in the sunlight. His internal organs were all brutally cut open, the contents of tissue fluid and organs scattered on the ground before him. That foul smell was caused by the corpse of this giant knight. Looking at the almost tragic scene, some knights even felt their throats constrict, having an urge to vomit.
This wasn't because their training was insufficiently rigorous, nor because they were pampered; it was simply because this scene had exceeded their imagination.
"It's suicide."
Looking at the giant knight kneeling strangely on the ground, a knight with rich experience said with certainty:
"This posture is basically impossible to achieve except by suicide. He pierced his own spine with his longsword, then cut horizontally across his throat, protruding from the back of his head, releasing all his blood to achieve the current effect. But this is only theoretical, who would do such a thing?"
"Unknown Originium Arts?"
"No matter what, someone helped us stop Midir. They didn't collect their companion's body, which means they have already been stopped."
"But what organization could stop Knight Midir?"
"Go in and see, they must have left some bodies behind. This organization is Kazimierz's benefactor, don't forget this point."
Nearl, temporarily in command, looked at the people around and nodded.
These knights glanced at the tall knight kneeling in suicide at the alley entrance, bypassed his corpse, and walked into the alley.
But the more they saw the traces inside, the more they felt an inexplicable terror and fear welling up in their hearts. These knights, who feared neither heaven nor earth, for the first time in their lives, felt fear towards a group of corpses.
Under a strange, lingering mist, countless corpses lay scattered on the ground. The walls and streets bore countless traces of weapons and Originium Arts. But strangely, everyone died by the weapons of others. The faces of those corpses were filled with astonishment, their torn torsos also reeked of blood and grotesqueness. Whether assassins from the Unarmored Union or knights with erased insignia, all lay similarly in this alley.
Suicide, homicide, attacking each other. As if an unseen hand made them attack each other like puppets. The group walked through the mist-shrouded alley, listening to the echo of their own footsteps, looking at this bloody killing field, the gratitude in their hearts towards the nameless one gradually faded, leaving behind strong fear.
They couldn't imagine, no matter what, what kind of ability could create such a hell of mutual slaughter before them.
And just when the oppression and fear reached a certain level, a cough came from the deepest part of the dark mist.
"…God's mercy lies in that He lets everyone sleep equally."
An etherea voice came from the depths of the smoke.
Accompanied by the harsh scraping sound of a blade dragging on the ground, heavy footsteps sounded in the darkness.
"Whether knight or commoner, before the death guided by fate, all are meaningless."
"…Who is it!"
"Even if the path guided by fate is a wrong one, even if all this is meaningless… The moment awareness appears, it is meaningful to me."
Looking at the figure slowly emerging from the smoke, all the knights subconsciously drew their longswords, aiming at the small figure in the smoke. Only Nearl and Shining showed expressions of disbelief, watching the figure slowly step out from the smoke, wave a hand to tear open the darkness, revealing a smiling silhouette.
"You made me wait a long time. You two."
The incomplete figure showed a chilling smile to the two.
"Don't forget to send my regards to my companions. I did what only I could do."
"Li Lin… Are you… still alive now?"
Like this, are you still considered alive?
Looking at the figure parting the mist, Nearl's pupils shrank, and she subconsciously turned her head away.
But Shining beside her silently walked over, her black cloak and faint golden Originium light enveloping the man who almost seemed to have walked out of hell. This Sarkaz doctor dropped the sword in her hand, and through a layer of healing Originium Arts light, embraced the man who had lost almost one-third of his body tissue, then turned to look at the dumbfounded knights.
"He needs emergency surgery, please tell me where the nearest best hospital is. I must treat him as soon as possible. Please find some doctors who use primeval methods to mend wounds. His body might have some problems, please find the best place quickly, we don't have much time left."
Shining stroked Li Lin's bloodstained hair, her dark eyes showing not much emotion, only compassion for the injured.
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