"Don't move, Madam," Nicholas said coldly to Calshan, who was in front of him. "I'm nervous and afraid that you'll take out some special Alchemy Ball. So, I'm ready to rip your throat open at any time."
He tapped the back of his blade with his index finger.
The Red Witch lowered her shoulders and fell silent.
Thales stared at Nicholas, who suddenly appeared, in surprise. He then looked at the other White Blade Guards.
"Nicholas?"
He stared at the Star Killer, who was holding the Red Witch hostage, in confusion. "Why are you —"
But Thales did not manage to continue. Tolja's grip on his shoulder suddenly tightened, and Thales hissed in pain.
When Wya saw the prince's condition, he was so angry that he tightened his grip on his sword.
Tolja dragged the back of his blade around Thales' neck, forcing him to raise his head as high as he could.
Thales observed the situation in pain. Tolja and he stood in the inner layer of the prison cell, and Little Rascal was still behind them.
The Constellatiates stood in front of them, looking nervously at the prince who was being held hostage.
Nicholas, on the other hand, stood behind the Constellatiates, restraining the Red Witch.
Behind Nicholas were the White Blade Guards. They stood firmly by the thick door and stared at the soldiers outside with vigilance.
"Beautiful move, Star Killer," the Fire Knight of Black Sand Region said calmly to Nicholas, "But don't forget, I have an even more important bargaining chip."
The Star Killer tilted his head and glanced at Tolja with a disdainful expression.
"Then do it. Kill this prince." Nicholas snorted softly. "I've disliked him for a long time anyway."
Thales widened his eyes.
'Wh-what?'
Tolja furrowed his brows.
Nicholas swung the Severing Souls Blade on Calshan's neck a little. It reflected the light from the Everlasting Lamp. He smiled faintly. "After you're done, perhaps they can give you a different nickname, such as …"
The Star Killer's gaze swept past Thales and he grinned at the Fire Knight.
"The Second Star Killer?"
Tolja glared at Nicholas fiercely, his eyes almost burning.
"That's our prince." Kohen observed the stalemate. He exchanged a worried look with Wya and whispered, "Are we just going to watch?"
"What else?" Miranda looked at Raphael, who was beside Nicholas, then at Tolja and Thales, who were behind them. She then swept her gaze over the White Blade Guards and their enemies, and sighed softly. "This is no longer our battle."
At this moment, the Red Witch who was being held hostage spoke.
"White Blade Guards, Eckstedt's Dragon's Imperial Guards," she said softly.
"You're standing on the wrong side." Calshan did not seem to have the slightest awareness of having a blade pressed against her carotid artery. She smiled naturally and smoothly. "Your opponents are the people behind you, the Empire."
Nicholas raised his eyebrows slightly.
The Red Witch sighed softly as if she was extremely regretful. "It was their Secret Intelligence Department who planned all of this, such as the calamity and the king's death."
The expressions of the Constellatiates, including Thales, also changed.
'Alright … Calshan was right,' Thales thought anxiously.
The second prince glanced worriedly at the White Blade Guards, but their expressions were hidden behind their masks. Only a pair of cold eyes could be seen.
Raphael, who was standing next to Nicholas, sighed softly. "Oh, this problem … it's very complicated to explain."
"But now …" He walked to the front of the two of them and looked at Nicholas seriously. He looked at the blade in his hand that was pressing against Calshan. "Shouldn't we think of a way to escape first?"
Nicholas suddenly turned his head to look at the young man from the Secret Intelligence Department. His gaze was cold.
Raphael endured the piercing glare and put on a fake relaxed smile. "You know, the heir of the Walton Family is also here.
"Perhaps this is not a good time to chat, especially with the Red Witch who has countless lies."
Nicholas looked at the innermost part of the prison cell.
Little Rascal was momentarily stunned before she realized that he was talking about her. She could not help but turn pale.
"If you really want to help, boy from the Secret Intelligence Department, then don't block my way." Nicholas' eyes shone with a cold glare and his tone was stern.
Raphael sighed softly.
"Otherwise," the Star Killer continued in a harsh tone, "do you want to be trapped here? Perhaps they will bury your ashes under the gatehouse. "
Raphael was silent for a second. He looked at Tolja and Thales behind him, then at Nicholas and the Red Witch in front of him. He raised his eyebrows slightly. "I understand."
At this moment, Thales raised his eyebrows.
He saw Ralf make a secret sign language gesture at him.
"Step back."
Thales was slightly stunned.
"For the sake of the late king, Lord Nicholas," the Red Witch said slowly, "don't do anything stupid."
Nicholas looked around the room. His gaze lingered on Raphael and the Red Witch for a second each.
"We don't need you to tell us what to do, Madam Calshan." The Star Killer snorted coldly. There was a fierce glint in his eyes. "The shame of the White Blade Guards can only be washed away with blood."
The sound of palms rubbing against handles came from the White Blade Guards' hands at the same time.
Calshan's gaze became fierce and she shouted, "Then what do you want to do now?"
There was a rare hint of coldness in the Red Witch's words. "After the king's unfortunate death, Eckstedt experienced a rare disaster. All of you should stand on the kingdom's side, on the Northlanders' side!
"Instead of colluding with our enemies and shamelessly seeking personal gain!"
Calshan's words echoed in the prison cell.
Under Tolja's knife, Thales exhaled in fear.
Nicholas suddenly laughed.
His laughter was cold and sarcastic.
"Eckstedt's disaster? Our enemies? " The Star Killer gritted his teeth. The chill in his eyes was threatening. "Don't pretend to be righteous, hypocritical old woman.
"From the moment your people started spreading fake news about the so-called Disaster Sword and started diverting His Majesty's attention for Lampard's actions, you betrayed him!"
The Red Witch narrowed her eyes.
"You and your informants worked together with His Majesty's enemies. You pretended to be deaf to Black Sand Region's actions until His Majesty died in a shameful assassination, until they stood here," Nicholas said coldly beside Calshan's ear. "Who do you think these brothers of the White Blade Guards managed to escape from?"
* Thud! *
The White Blade Guards changed their footsteps in unison and turned sideways to face their enemies. The sudden movement made the soldiers of Black Sand Region even more nervous.
Calshan sighed.
The Red Witch stared at the blade in front of her neck and said flatly, "About this, if you are willing to, I swear in the name of the Secret Room that I can explain."
Nicholas let out an indecipherable nasal sound.
"Why don't you explain to His Majesty?" The Star Killer narrowed his eyes.
"Oh, I forgot — he was already killed by you and Lampard."
The moment he said that, the atmosphere in the prison cell became even more tense.
"Don't be so narrow-minded, Lord Nicholas." The Red Witch put on a mournful expression. She glanced at Tolja and Thales. "The White Blade Guards have never been a person's private weapon. You should be loyal to all of Eckstedt, to Northland —"
Nicholas interrupted her.
"I am not the narrow-minded one."
The Star Killer's tone was cold. "If you and your Secret Room can't even be loyal to one person …
"Then don't hypocritically claim that you are loyal to Eckstedt."
Madam Calshan furrowed her brows slightly. "You —"
At this moment, something strange happened!
Nicholas pressed his left hand on Calshan's back and pushed her out!
Tolja's pupils immediately contracted.
'How …'
Raphael, who stood in the middle, suddenly pushed Miranda, Cohen, Wya, and the others away, perfectly avoiding the Red Witch's path!
The shocked Red Witch was pushed towards Tolja and Thales, who were at the innermost part of the cell.
Thales looked at Madam Calshan, who was staggering towards them. He looked at the Constellatiates who moved aside to make way for her. He suddenly understood. He remembered the conversation between Raphael and Nicholas just now.
It was a planned exchange between the two of them. "If you really want to help … don't block my way."
Tolja watched in shock as the Constellatiates parted and the Red Witch's figure drew closer.
He hesitated for a moment.
Then, Nicholas appeared behind Calshan with a cold expression.
* Whoosh — *
The Star Killer's weapon stirred up a gust of wind. He did not hold back and slashed down towards the Red Witch's head!
It was as if he was going to take her life right there and then.
Tolja did not hesitate anymore.
He still held onto Thales tightly as he charged towards Nicholas and the Red Witch.
* Clang! *
The Fire Knight's left hand held Thales in place, while his right hand blocked the fatal slash that the Star Killer had aimed at the Red Witch.
At this moment, the frowning Red Witch managed to gain her footing by his side.
But in the next moment, Nicholas' eyes suddenly shone with an unprecedented brilliance!
"Ah!" The Star Killer roared furiously. Great power surged out of his hands.
The Fire Knight's golden saber immediately let out a sharp sound of metal scraping against each other!
Tolja's expression changed as he fended off the enemy with one hand.
In that second, he decisively let go of Thales. He gripped the hilt of the saber with both hands and blocked the great power that Nicholas had unleashed.
Thales, who had broken free from the Fire Knight's control, did not care about anything else. He followed the signal given to him by Ralf, gritted his teeth, closed his eyes, and rolled backwards!
He bumped into Little Rascal, who was supporting him from behind. The two of them crashed into the wall together.
The disheveled Thales no longer cared about the situation in the field. He was thinking about the conversation between Raphael and Nicholas just now.
They did not just say that one sentence.
"Do you want to be trapped here?"
'Trapped here?'
The moment this thought appeared in his mind, Thales felt a tremor under his body!
"What's wrong?" Little Rascal asked in surprise as she hugged him.
He did not know how to answer.
He did not have the chance to either.
* Bang! *
There was another loud sound of earth and rocks exploding.
The ground under Thales and Little Rascal suddenly sank and cracked open.
'Again?'
The thought emerged in Thales' mind.
In the next second, both of them sank into the cracked ground.
He did not know whether it was Ralf's Psionic ability or the effect of the explosion, but the air in the room began to howl again. Dust rose, blinding everyone's vision.
Thales hugged Little Rascal tightly and shut his eyes.
* Bang! *
He felt a pain in his buttocks. Then, he and Little Rascal fell into a pile of soft sand.
Everything around them was dark.
Thales propped himself up with difficulty. Beside him, Little Rascal's coughing could be heard continuously.
Above them, the sound of a fierce struggle came from the cell they had been in earlier.
They were not the only ones who fell.
"Your Highness!" A figure pulled him up. Wya's anxious voice traveled into his ears. "Are you alright?"
Before Thales could answer, a dozen more figures fell from the sky and crashed into the sand.
Amidst the flying dust, Thales covered his mouth and nose tightly. Enduring the pain in his buttocks, he pulled Little Rascal up. He felt gloomy. 'Why do these people like to play this game so much?!'
"Act according to plan. Let's go!"
Nicholas' voice came from the darkness. "There will be backup at the end of the secret tunnel!
Our men will bring up the rear! "
Before Thales could complain, he and Little Rascal were picked up by the waist by a tall and muscular figure, one in each hand.
Little Rascal cried out in surprise.
"Damn it!"
Kohen's exasperated voice rang above Thales' head. "It's too dark, I can't see the road clearly!"
In the midst of the chaos, the sound of bodies falling and the intense sounds of weapons clashing could be heard from above.
Soon, the sounds were getting closer.
"Star Killer!"
Another loud crash was heard. The Fire Knight Tolja's furious roar came from behind them. "Stop them!"
The intense sound of metal clashing could be heard.
"Throw a few torches down!" It was the Red Witch's voice. Even after such a huge accident, she still commanded calmly, "Before that, anyone who tries to move is an enemy!"
Thales felt a chill in his heart. 'The pursuers are here.'
"Follow that mute masked man!" In the darkness and chaos, Nicholas roared as he fought against the enemies in the dark, "He can sense the direction of the wind at the exit!"
"That mute?"
The police officer took two steps forward and said impatiently, "I can't even see where he is!"
In the darkness, Thales felt that Kohen's arm was about to choke him until he fainted.
His Sin of Hell's River was activated without warning.
Waves surged into Thales' eyes, and his surroundings were suddenly filled with strange colors.
"Shut up, big guy!" Thales gritted his teeth and angrily knocked on Kohen's arm. "Listen to me!"
The police officer, who was holding him, immediately froze.
Thales forced himself to calm down. He found Ralf in the chaotic field of vision — the figure that was emitting a faint green light. He then said to Kohen, "Take five steps forward — no, two steps for you — then turn left!"
"Hurry up!" Thales did not feel any movement. He anxiously urged, "Don't just stand there!"
Kohen seemed to have come back to his senses. He followed Thales' instructions and took a step forward.
"Wow." The police officer carefully took a step forward. When he felt the solid ground beneath his feet, he asked in surprise, "You — you can see?"
Thales was slightly stunned.
"Go straight ahead. As long as you eat more animal livers and fruits," Thales lied without batting an eyelid in the field of vision of the Sin of Hell's River.
"You can also find light in the darkness!"
In the darkness, Kohen nodded skeptically.
Amidst his bewilderment, Kohen followed the path that Thales pointed out and ran after Ralf.
The sounds of fighting behind them became more intense.
In Thales' field of vision, a dozen of them followed Ralf and ran into a narrow tunnel in the dark.
"Nicholas!" Tolja's furious roar came again. "Don't even think about it!"
The next moment, a bright light suddenly shone from behind them, illuminating their surroundings.
Thales narrowed his eyes and saw his surroundings clearly.
The tunnel they were in was very narrow and full of dust. Even the ground was uneven and stony.
Ralf took the lead, moving like the wind. Thales and Little Rascal were held in Kohen's arms, while Miranda and Wya followed closely beside him. Everyone was running nervously.
The White Blade Guards protected them closely behind them.
Only the Star Killer and Raphael were nowhere to be seen.
The light behind them grew brighter and brighter.
Thales could not help but grab Kohen's arm and turn around.
Then, he was stunned.
There was nothing behind them.
There was only a blazing fire.
It was as if an invisible, huge fire snake had rushed into the small tunnel and was about to devour them.
The surrounding temperature immediately rose.
"This is the Rising Sun Saber!" The Star Killer's furious roar came from behind them. "Damn it, Secret Intelligence Department. If you don't want to be roasted, get out of the way!"
Amidst the fire, two figures appeared in Thales' eyes, which had been modified by the Sin of Hell's River.
One of the figures emitted a light that was like countless needles, scattering in all directions.
He pushed the other gray figure away.
Then, the hedgehog-like figure — probably Nicholas — suddenly swung his saber at the back of the tunnel.
The next moment, the fire snake seemed to have crashed into an invisible barrier and was blocked in front of the two.
It was like a vertical wall of fire.
This reminded Thales of the Air Mystic's air wall.
But he could see clearly in his field of vision that the thing that blocked the flames was another strange, invisible barrier that glowed yellow.
It was connected to Nicholas' Severing Souls Blade, which was also glowing yellow.
"You can't run!" The Fire Knight's furious roar came from behind the flames.
"Do you still have Alchemy Balls? The ones that can explode? "
In front of the fire, the gray figure turned around and asked Nicholas, who was beside him, "You can't hold them off for long. They will catch up to us sooner or later!"
Thales could tell that it was Raphael.
"Just now was the last of the guards' stock. If we use them, we'll have one less!" In the field of vision of the Sin of Hell's River, Nicholas, who looked like a glowing hedgehog, raised the Severing Souls Blade and blocked the growing flames.
"Is there really no more?" Raphael's voice came.
"Do you think that's a snowball made by hand?" Nicholas turned his head and said angrily to the people from the Secret Intelligence Department, "Do you think you can take one out so easily?"
Raphael did not speak.
He turned around abruptly and swung his left hand in the direction of the flames.
A ball-shaped object was flung out by him.
"Damn it!" When he saw the ball, Nicholas shouted in exasperation, "Why didn't you say so earlier?!"
Then, he and Raphael both turned around and dashed out.
The moment the Star Killer turned around, the raging flames seemed to have lost the obstruction of the barrier and surged towards them fiercely.
In the next second …
* Bang! *
Following the violent explosion, Thales felt his field of vision suddenly shake!
Another cloud of dust flew into the air.
Everyone could not help but cough. Their legs became unsteady.
* Boom! *
The rumbling explosion was accompanied by the sound of countless rocks and soil pouring down.
Everyone could not help but stop in their tracks and turn their heads to look behind them.
The flames gradually became smaller until they completely disappeared.
What disappeared along with them were the two figures.
Thales narrowed his eyes and opened his mouth in surprise. He knew that the tunnel behind him had collapsed.
The surroundings returned to darkness and silence.
Only the sound of everyone's panting rose and fell.
"My God!"
This was Wya's panicked voice, "They … they …"
"Don't stop. No matter what happens behind you, don't stop." This was an unfamiliar voice. It was probably one of the White Blade Guards. His words were filled with long-suppressed anger.
"Go!"
Miranda's decisive voice rang in the darkness, "I'll go find them!"
Cohen was stunned. "But —"
In the next second, the sound of Miranda's light footsteps was already far away.
"Don't just stand there!"
A White Blade Guard said coldly, "We're not out of danger yet!"
Cohen exhaled unwillingly. Thales could feel him turning his head to look at the darkness behind them.
Thales sighed. "If you're worried, then go and take a look."
Thales felt Cohen's arm tighten.
"Let me take His Highness." Wya panted. "He can't be trapped here."
Cohen shuddered slightly.
A few seconds later.
"F * ck!" The police officer cursed.
In the next second, Cohen stomped his foot fiercely. Then, he turned around and strode away.
The group of people followed Ralf and hurried on their way without making a sound.
They kept running.
In the seemingly endless tunnel.
Amidst the seemingly endless danger.
In the bottomless darkness.
Running toward the only way out.
Thales stared at the darkness behind him in a daze. The Sin of Hell's River kept gathering in his eyes.
A few minutes passed.
Finally, Thales' eyes moved.
In the deep darkness behind him, a glowing porcupine-like figure appeared.
Then, a greyish figure appeared.
And a figure that was emitting white light.
"Because there's only one, of course we have to be careful." Raphael's voice came faintly from the darkness. "I don't have the habit of bringing the Alchemy Ball around."
Nicholas, Raphael, and Miranda caught up with them.
"Oh my God! Oh! " Cohen heard Raphael's voice. He turned his head and did not even care that he tripped. "I thought you were really buried inside!"
Beside Raphael, the Star Killer mumbled something in a low voice.
His voice clearly traveled into Thales' ears amidst the messy footsteps. He seemed to be saying, "Miser."
Thales breathed a sigh of relief.
They escaped.
"Alright." Nicholas' voice came. It was a lot calmer than before. "There should be no more danger.
After all, we're in the secret passage. "
The group probably knew that they had escaped danger. Their footsteps slowed down and they started walking.
Thales and Little Rascal were put down.
Thales leaned against the wall and subconsciously patted his chest. His mind was blank. He felt that he had passed another obstacle.
"Speaking of which …" Cohen's puzzled voice came from the darkness.
"Why don't you light a fire?"
The police officer said impatiently, "Do you have to run like a blind man?"
"The ventilation here isn't very good," Nicholas said flatly. "If you want to suffocate to death, of course you can."
Cohen immediately fell silent.
"Right." In the darkness, Wya leaned against the wall and panted slightly. "Isn't this gatehouse the line of defense to protect Heroic Spirit Palace? How can there be … a secret passage to sneak in?"
The tunnel was silent for a moment.
"During the Third Peninsular War," Nicholas' voice came leisurely, "The Night Wing King occupied the other districts. Only Axe District, this place, and Heroic Spirit Palace were left.
"When Heroic Spirit Palace was isolated and helpless, sealed off from all sides, and cut off from supplies, this was the last chance of survival the Northlanders dug out."
"Phew." Cohen exhaled. His tone was filled with the joy of escaping from a great disaster.
"Thank you, Night Wing King. You're so great."
Everyone fell silent.
Even if he could not see, Cohen could feel the Northlanders' murderous gazes in that instant.
The sound of Miranda's elbow came from the darkness.
And Cohen's pained cry.
"Uh, I was just …" A few seconds later, the police officer's awkward voice rose. "Just kidding?"
"After the war, this secret passage became top secret. Even the Secret Room had to be kept a secret." Nicholas snorted in disdain. "Only the commanders of the White Blade Guards of every generation knew about it."
In the darkness, the Constellatiates' footsteps suddenly came to a halt.
Even the White Blade Guards stopped in their tracks.
Thales was stunned.
"Wait!"
The prince raised his head and looked at the needle-like figure in his field of vision. His tone was full of surprise and bewilderment. "Are you talking about the commanders of the White Blade Guards of every generation?"
Nicholas said nonchalantly, "Yes, what's wrong?"
Cohen sucked in a cold breath.
Miranda, on the other hand, sighed.
"The commanders of every generation." Thales exhaled in pain. "Was the commander before you also considered 'the previous generation'?"
Nicholas' breathing instantly froze. "Hmm?"
Raphael sensed that something was wrong. His questioning voice rose behind him.
"Is there a problem?"
Thales turned his head. With the vision given to him by the Sin of Hell's River, he looked at the front of the tunnel.
It was pitch-black in front of them.
It was their only way out.
"Yes."
In the darkness, Thales said weakly, "And …"
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