If the Arsilo Clan represents the Blood Clan's swordsmanship masters, and the Van Gogh Clan embodies its assassin expertise, then the Arthur Clan is the epitome of spellcasters. However, spellcasters often have a glaring weakness: close combat. To address this, the Arthur Clan developed "Gunfighting Techniques," a revolutionary method accompanied by the creation of the powerful Bloodburst Technique.
The Arthur Clan's gunfighting is, without question, the finest in the world.
No, not just the finest within the Blood Clan.
Charlot Mecklenburg had previously learned some shooting techniques from Aubrey Tildon Atwood, the head of the Fierce Horse Detective Agency. He had always believed his marksmanship to be sufficient. After all, in battle, his reliance was primarily on close-quarters combat.
But under the guidance of Juno Arthur, Charlot came to realize how utterly mistaken he was. This strongest member of the Blood Clan displayed a plethora of incredible gunfighting techniques, each secret skill opening Charlot's eyes to a whole new realm.
...
For the next ten days, Charlot's life settled into a fixed routine: waking early, going to work, having lunch with Annie Mecklenburg at noon, skipping work in the afternoon, napping at 211B Baker Street, taking Annie home, and then undergoing Juno Arthur’s rigorous training.
Charlot, already a high-ranking Transcendent with exceptional control over his body, advanced swiftly in Gunfighting Techniques and the Bloodburst Technique with the aid of auxiliary abilities like Swiftstep Technique and Eye of Insight.
...
One evening, Charlot entered the Dreamscape again and found a table placed before Juno, with two ordinary pistols lying atop it.
Feeling a surge of excitement, Charlot asked, “Teacher Juno, are we doing live combat training today?”
Juno smiled faintly and replied, “You’ve already mastered the 62 stances of the Arthur Clan’s gunfighting techniques. It is indeed time for the next phase of your training.”
“Today, we will engage in live combat.”
“Choose a gun! These are both basic vampiric weapons, far less powerful than your Red Viper and Withered Rose.”
Charlot picked up one of the pistols. Both were of equal quality, basic first-rank vampiric short guns.
Juno took the other pistol, flashed Charlot a subtle smile, and before Charlot could react, he felt his knees buckle. He had been shot. The barrel of Juno’s gun emerged soundlessly from under his ribs. The shot was executed so seamlessly that Charlot didn’t even detect the intent to shoot, even with his Eye of Insight.
It took a moment for Charlot to recover, thankful this was within Juno’s Dreamscape. Though his knees throbbed in pain, there was no actual injury.
Juno smiled and explained, “The six core principles of gunfighting are: to remain unseen while shooting; to uncover the enemy’s weak points—just now, your blood energy was weakest around your knees when you activated Swiftstep Technique; to pull the trigger at lightning speed; to hit the target with precision; to protect yourself; and to always be ready to fire the next shot.”
Charlot pondered aloud, “Your movements earlier were incredibly discreet, using the ‘Underarm Concealment’ stance of gunfighting. I instinctively used Swiftstep Technique, but you’re too familiar with my patterns. You intentionally slowed your shot to suppress my response, yet you were still faster. As for accuracy, that’s just basic skills for a marksman.”
“Your stance was elegant yet allowed for a quick retreat. As for preparing for a second shot...”
Charlot smiled bitterly. “I suspect you had at least six follow-up options, all targeting my potential counters. Each was already predicted by you.”
Juno nodded approvingly. “You are teachable.”
In an instant, his right hand moved. Charlot, anticipating another attack, shifted his stance to dodge. Yet Juno’s left hand deftly produced another short gun, shooting Charlot in the knee again with astonishing speed.
Charlot cursed inwardly at his folly, realizing he had overlooked Juno’s seamless weapon-switching.
Throughout the night, the two engaged in over 200 exchanges.
Juno, as the Blood Clan’s strongest member, wielded gunfighting techniques so masterfully that he was said to be unmatched on the Old Continent. Even restricting himself to mid-rank Transcendent power, he completely overpowered Charlot.
The Arthur Clan’s gunfighting, executed to perfection by Juno, rendered the high-rank Charlot defenseless. Juno didn’t even need a second shot to deal significant damage.
Charlot, once confident in his high-rank Transcendent status, had assumed low-rank vampiric weapons posed no threat. Yet under Juno’s precise assaults, he realized his blood energy, though coursing through his entire body, was uneven and riddled with fleeting vulnerabilities. A skilled enemy could easily exploit these flaws, turning them into decisive moments of life and death.
...
The following morning, Charlot woke up with his entire body aching, especially his knees, which throbbed intensely. He now understood that while Swiftstep Technique was indeed formidable, it wasn’t without its weaknesses. Every time he used it, his knees became particularly vulnerable.
Charlot decided to skip work that day. As the Central Government Office’s highest-ranking manager, no one would dare mark his absence.
Around noon, Annie Mecklenburg and Antonio arrived together.
Upon seeing Charlot, Antonio wore a grim expression. “Zimourman isn’t dead! How could he still be alive? I clearly remember...”
Charlot shrugged and poured Antonio a mug of ale. “I can’t answer that for you. At the time, I was just a lowly assistant clerk with no access to any secrets.”
Although Charlot hadn’t had time to meet Antonio in recent days, he had been dating Annie daily and had entrusted her to relay the matter to her brother. Antonio’s unexpected visit today suggested he had been conducting investigations over the past few days.
Antonio spoke in a low voice. “This is a grave matter. If Zimourman is still alive, he will seek revenge. The six people who ambushed him back then will all be in danger.”
Charlot asked, “Was His Majesty involved?”
Antonio shrugged. “Father wasn’t.”
Charlot remarked, “But His Majesty will still be at risk.”
Antonio sighed heavily. “I shouldn’t have listened to that old fox Wood Brandon.”
Antonio appeared deeply remorseful.
Charlot raised an eyebrow. Even as the son of a merchant, he had heard of Wood Brandon, the Fars Empire’s Prime Minister—a man hailed as both a top-tier Saint and a master of literature, art, and military strategy. Emperor Julius VI had trusted him greatly, yet a few years ago, Brandon had mysteriously returned to his fiefdom for “rest” and had not returned.
The Fars Empire had its Prime Minister, but Strasbourg had long lacked one.
Back when Charlot was a mere assistant clerk, he had thought the old emperor aimed to consolidate power. He had not expected such hidden truths to exist.
He asked, “Who were the others involved in ambushing Zimourman?”
Antonio hesitated before replying, “This should have been the Empire’s greatest secret, but now that Julius VI is dead, there’s no point in hiding it anymore.”
“The six who ambushed Zimourman—besides me—were all members of the royal family.”
“If not for their severe injuries during the battle, Redmir Axel wouldn’t have had the opportunity to usurp the throne.”