"We were very excited, very agitated."
Kaslan coughed. Like the most ordinary old man, he reminisced about the past. "The few of us, including young Lisban, have the same ideals. We are also tired of the grudges between families, territories, and territories."
"So it began." Kaslan stared at the stone pillar Nicholas was leaning against. His tone was mournful. "You can't imagine what we've been through over the decades for Eckstedt by Nuven's side."
Nicholas subconsciously raised his head and looked at the ceiling.
"In the beginning, it was just a small matter. We had to consolidate the prince's authority and influence, protect the dying families loyal to the prince, and punish the vassals who embezzled money." The old man's eyes shone with a strange light. "We broke the White Blade Guards' tradition, picked some people of low birth, and trained a team of reserve guards who were loyal to Nuven and had no worries about their families … including you, Big Mouth, Byrne, and Isaiah. I recruited all of you at that time."
At that moment, Nicholas' breath froze. The words that had been stuck in his mouth almost slipped out.
'The day I was recruited into the White Blade Guards …
'Boss …'
"Everything was so that a future king could fulfill his ambition and be prepared."
Kaslan's expression darkened. His tone changed.
"But as Nuven ascended the throne, things began to change.
"His enemies increased in number and strength. He needed a sharper blade and a sturdier shield.
"My missions also became more and more unscrupulous, and there was no bottom line. From hunting down criminals, extorting political enemies, kidnapping children, fabricating crimes to frame my opponents, and even burning the farmers' barns for the winter …"
Nicholas clenched his fists tightly and suppressed the emotions in his heart.
He paid attention to Kaslan's shadow under the firelight. His gaze constantly moved back and forth between the weapon racks around him, trying to find a way to get rid of the threat of the other party's javelins.
'My aim isn't as good as his. I can't compete with him with javelins from a distance.
'I need …'
"Yes, Madam Calshan and I have a much closer working relationship with the Secret Room than you think," Kaslan said dejectedly. His attention was still focused on the back of the stone pillar. "There are many things that Nuven did not want the Secret Room to interfere with, so he would let us handle them.
"I once escorted a doctor to Prestige Orchid Region overnight so that he could poison Archduke Olsius' heir."
"I once used my identity as the king's secret envoy to incite the vassals of the City of Faraway Prayers to rebel against their suzerain and find a reason for Dragon Clouds City to intervene."
"I even pretended to be a bandit, robbing and killing nobles who were dissatisfied with the king — from the masters to the women … Except for one ignorant girl, I left no one alive."
"I even secretly instigated my nephew, Harold, to defect to Nuven, even though it might jeopardize his relationship with his father …"
Kaslan closed his eyes. There was a dull pain in his chest.
What he did not expect was that Hoult would be so cruel as to let his two sons kill each other in order to break free from Nuven's control …
"So …" Nicholas snorted coldly. "This is why the Red Witch always wants to pry something from me and the White Blade Guards' mouths."
Kaslan sighed.
"I tried to convince myself that it was for Eckstedt," Kaslan said in anguish. "For my ideals, I could even throw my family to the back of my mind, let alone my own honor and conscience."
"Under the sun, I was a glorious, awe-inspiring, and respected White Blade Commander." The old man endured the pain in his chest as he inhaled and exhaled. "Under the shadows, I was a cold-hearted, ruthless, and unscrupulous King's Killer. I led the earliest batch of guards to do the dirtiest and most secretive things."
"You once said that you saw through my extremely hypocritical noble face," Kaslan said in a low voice. "You were right. I am not fit to stand before you and lecture you as a commander."
A cold question came from behind the stone pillar. "Why?"
Kaslan closed his eyes.
"Nuven has changed." Kaslan knew what he wanted to ask. He sighed regretfully. "He has grown old. He has become suspicious, vigilant, sensitive, selfish, and conservative."
"For the sake of a new Eckstedt, Nuven must grasp great power. This is a necessary method." Kaslan tightened his grip on the javelin in his hand. His gaze was complicated. "But, at some point in time, the method has become the goal, and the original goal has long been forgotten.
"We eat to live, Spiky, but we shouldn't live to eat." His tone grew more pained.
"The longer he became king, the more … he cared more about Dragon Clouds City's status than Eckstedt's power, and more about his son's right to inherit the throne than the kingdom's future. Nuven became the most traditional Eckstedtian monarch. Aside from his family and his rule, he no longer had the strength or the will to pursue his former ideals.
"Controlling power has become Nuven's only goal, and 'for Eckstedt' has become a feeble excuse." Kaslan observed every possible spot where Nicholas might rush out. He locked the shadow behind the stone pillar in his field of vision and waited patiently for his opponent. "This makes everything we've done for the past few decades look like a joke to me."
Nicholas let out a cold laugh.
"Do you know what you're doing now?" The Star Killer suppressed his anger and tried his best to sound as nonchalant as possible. "It makes everything you've taught us seem like a joke."
Kaslan paused for a second. There was a barely noticeable mixture of guilt and pain on his face.
"That's why I'm tired.
"I quit, I gave up." The old man exhaled and shook his head. "That day, I stood at the bottom of the stairs and questioned him for the last time in front of all his subjects. 'Does he still remember his original ideals?' I asked him, 'Since when did he have no choice but to compromise with reality?' "
Nicholas did not speak.
"You know what happened next." There was a hint of sadness in Kaslan's words. "The common-elected king was furious. A large group of old people and I were kicked out of the White Blade Guards."
There was silence.
The brazier burned brighter and brighter, illuminating the shadows of the two people on both sides of the stone pillar.
"Yes." Nicholas took a deep breath, as if he was in pain. "And I was promoted as an exception and became the acting commander of the White Blade Guards —"
Before he finished speaking, the Star Killer suddenly rose from behind the stone pillar!
The battle started again without warning.
Without hesitation, Kaslan threw the javelin in his hand accurately and fiercely.
The powerful javelin pierced through the enemy's body.
* Thud! *
It pinned him firmly to the ground!
But Kaslan, who was experienced and had been observing the enemy's shadow, immediately noticed that something was wrong. The javelin had only pierced Nicholas' chest armor.
The real Star Killer pounced from the other side of the stone pillar. His armor was thin and almost unprotected!
Kaslan reacted very quickly. He seized the opportunity when Nicholas' injured leg landed on the ground and threw the second javelin without any hesitation!
The Star Killer listened to the sound of the wind and felt a chill in his heart.
'It's over.
'I can't fool him.'
At this moment …
"Nicholas!" A familiar voice rang.
Nicholas lifted his head abruptly and saw a circular disk-shaped object flying towards him!
The Star Killer did not hesitate. His Power of Eradication erupted, and with an unbelievable twist of his feet, he caught the object in midair.
The javelin flew towards him.
* Bang! * A muffled sound rang.
Kaslan's pupils shrank.
His javelin pierced the disk-shaped object in Nicholas' hand — a round shield covered with a thick layer of wood.
The tip of the javelin pierced through the shield, causing Nicholas' hand to sink.
The Star Killer gritted his teeth, pulled out the javelin from the shield, and held it in his right hand.
But Kaslan had no time to care about Nicholas. He turned around solemnly and looked at Nicholas' helper vigilantly.
"Byrne." Kaslan frowned, but there was a hint of nostalgia in his eyes. "Long time no see."
But as a former White Blade Guard and the king's administrator, Byrne Mirk, who stood at the entrance of the armory, obviously did not like to respond to his former superior's enthusiasm.
"Sorry, boss. It's not that I don't want to reminisce." In the distance, Mirk's expression was solemn. He took two short-handled throwing axes from the weapon rack and swung his arms. "But I just saw my daughter …
"I'm not in a good mood now!"
Kaslan's expression changed. His javelin and Mirk's two throwing axes flew out at the same time!
* Whoosh! * * Whoosh! *
The javelin and throwing axes crossed each other in the air!
* Shick! *
Even though he tried his best to dodge, Mirk's thigh was still pierced by Kaslan's javelin. He fell into a row of weapon racks in pain.
'But it's enough.'
That was what Mirk thought.
Amidst the clanging of metal, Kaslan used his javelin to deflect a throwing axe. But another axe cut his left arm, and a large piece of flesh was torn off.
The old man took a deep breath and endured the pain in his chest.
'Byrne is still as good as ever when it comes to throwing.'
As he thought about this, he turned around and threw the third javelin.
It was thrown at Nicholas, who was charging at him at high speed!
* Bang! *
The Star Killer's thick shield blocked the javelin again. Due to the momentum of his charge, this time, the spearhead even pierced through the top half of the shield, and a part of it protruded from Nicholas' wrist.
Nicholas, who was charging, instinctively turned the round shield, and replaced the part of the shield that was pierced with the lower half of the shield.
As expected, in the next second, there was another dull sound. * Bang! *
The fourth javelin came from the same angle and position, and pierced through his shield again. Like the previous javelin, the javelin pierced through the top and bottom of the shield.
Nicholas felt a chill in his heart. 'If I didn't turn the shield just now …'
But he didn't have to worry anymore.
Nicholas resolutely threw away the heavy shield, which he had worked so hard for, and raised the javelin in his right hand. He was three steps away from Kaslan again!
Kaslan also threw away the remaining javelins with a solemn expression. Only the one in his right hand was left.
In the next second, both of them raised their right hands at the same time.
* Shick! *
Almost face to face, the two javelins pierced each other in the air.
Kaslan, who still had his right hand in the air, instinctively dodged. The enemy's javelin pierced into the weapon rack behind him, and only a trace of blood appeared on his face.
* Shick! *
But Nicholas did not dodge. He allowed Kaslan's javelin to pierce through his left shoulder!
"Ah!" Nicholas endured the intense pain in his left shoulder with a ferocious expression. Under Kaslan's strange gaze, he swung his right fist.
The Power of Eradication exploded from his bones. His fist instantly turned twice in the air, avoiding his opponent's two interceptions.
At this moment, the calm Kaslan's expression suddenly changed.
* Thud! *
Amidst the strange dull sound of metal, Kaslan locked Nicholas' throat, and the Star Killer's fist landed on Kaslan's body!
Time seemed to have stopped at that moment.
Strangely, Nicholas' fist did not go straight for Kaslan's vital organs. Instead, it only hit Kaslan's right armpit.
The Star Killer's fist drooped weakly.
Kaslan could not help but tremble. He loosened his grip on Nicholas' throat. Nicholas, whose face was red from holding in his breath, finally let out a breath.
Both of them stood on the spot and swayed.
* Thud! *
Nicholas could no longer withstand the heavy injury on his left shoulder. He fell to the ground with the javelin.
But what was equally unexpected was that Kaslan's face was pale. His lips trembled, and his upper body trembled.
He painfully stretched out his left hand, which he could barely control, to cover his right armpit.
The old man's face twitched continuously, as if he was enduring great pain.
The next moment, Kaslan violently spat out a mouthful of blood and collapsed on the ground. He was like an old man in his twilight years who had completely lost all his strength.
His face became gloomy.
"How did you know?" Kaslan's teeth chattered as he carefully spoke in the softest voice possible, as if he was afraid of waking up a kitten. "Right armpit."
Blood flowed continuously from the corner of his mouth. It was a terrifying sight.
Nicholas lay on his side on the ground powerlessly. He extended his hand to reach for the javelin on his left shoulder.
"Monty, he has the best eyesight and the steadiest hands," the Star Killer said with difficulty. "That's why he was chosen to be your assistant the night you were on the verge of death and had your metal ribs replaced. He knew."
Kaslan's gaze froze.
'The big-mouthed Ned Monty.
'That annoying coward from the countryside. All he thinks about is women.
'Hmph.'
Kaslan chuckled in resignation in his heart.
"Monty only told me one thing." Nicholas shut his eyes tightly and gritted his teeth. "There's a weak joint at the side of your new skeleton. That's your weakness. As long as you have enough strength, he told me to keep an eye on your safety during the battle …" Nicholas' eyes were tightly shut.
When he said this, Nicholas felt a tightness in his chest. He actually could not continue.
'The leader's weakness.
'That's the place they should have sworn to protect.
'But …'
Nicholas clenched his fists tightly. His eyes were filled with tears.
Kaslan sat on the ground, trembling. He leaned against the weapon rack behind him and let out a sigh of relief.
As he breathed, blood gushed out continuously from his mouth and nose, staining the clothes in front of his chest.
"A javelin?"
Kaslan, whose upper body was almost drenched in blood, indifferently glanced at the row of javelins beside him. "Did you force me here on purpose?"
"You're used to fighting with your right arm to protect your weakness," Nicholas said dejectedly. "I had to find a chance when you completely lifted your right arm, such as when you threw the javelin."
Kaslan raised his eyebrows and let out a desolate laugh.
'… On Spiky's hand.
'This ending … isn't too bad.'
"Beautiful. Haha, Spiky, you … cough, cough, cough, cough —"
His laughter did not last long. Kaslan frowned again and hissed. He coughed violently in pain.
As he moved, Kaslan's chest let out a terrifying gurgling sound. The old man's face also contorted rapidly.
Nicholas closed his eyes. He could not bear to look at his old superior's expression.
'Damn it.' Nicholas stretched his hand desperately to reach for the javelin on his shoulder, hoping that it could divert some of his attention. 'I can't pull it out.'
At this moment, Nicholas felt a slight pain in his left shoulder.
He opened his eyes in surprise and saw that Kaslan was holding the javelin in his shoulder with his left hand.
"Bear with it," Kaslan said in a low voice and spat out another mouthful of blood. "It might hurt a little."
In a daze, Nicholas exerted strength in his shoulder and watched as Kaslan pulled the javelin out of his shoulder.
He did not even notice the pain.
Nicholas remembered that afternoon many years ago.
When he was dying, Kaslan, the executioner, picked up the piece of wood from the ground and brought it to his mouth.
"Bite it." The Iceberg pulled the whip in his hand and said coldly, "This will hurt."
Nicholas shook off his memories and struggled to sit up. His Power of Eradication began to tighten his muscles.
He looked at Kaslan, who was leaning against the weapon rack and spitting out blood with a pained expression. He felt even more resentful in his heart.
"Taliyah." Nicholas' face was ashen. "Your wife … Does she have a message for me to pass to her?"
At that moment, Kaslan's eyes suddenly lit up.
"Taliyah …"
Kaslan's gaze dimmed and he shook his head. "No.
"She's no longer here."
Nicholas raised his head slightly and could not hide his surprise. "How can that be? She's only forty … "
Kaslan's breathing began to weaken.
He raised his hand with great difficulty and wiped the blood off his chest.
The old man's expression was dark. He raised his trembling hand and carefully took out a piece of red silk cloth from his pocket.
"A year ago, she finally found out." Kaslan stared at the piece of red silk with an intoxicated look on his face. He slowly unfolded it, as if it was a rare treasure. "Before I confessed to her, she found out that I was that person back then …"
Kaslan's hand trembled slightly. "The 'bandit leader' who robbed and killed her family's convoy, killed her father, mother, and older brother, slaughtered her entire family, and only a six-year-old girl was spared."
Nicholas froze.
"From then on, Taliyah fell ill. Even the best doctors could not find the cause of her illness."
Kaslan seemed to be losing more and more control over his hands, but he still shivered and lifted the red silk cloth inch by inch. "Just like that, she lay on the bed every day, enduring extreme pain. Like the most beautiful flower, she withered day after day."
"That was the most difficult battle in my life. I would rather fight another thirty rounds with Zakriel, exchange my sword with Shao two hundred times, exchange my life with Sira Darkthunder ten times, and be punched twenty times by Jasmine than face it." Kaslan coughed violently. His expression was pained. "But I could only watch Taliyah die day by day, and try to explain to her that it was the king's order, and that I had no choice but to do so."
Kaslan finally lifted the red silk cloth. His eyes were sparkling.
"At the last moment, Taliyah forced a smile and told me that perhaps this was God's will. She was destined to atone for my past sins."
Nicholas stared blankly at the item in the silk cloth.
It was an inconspicuous black stone.
Two small figures were carved on the stone. One was slightly larger, and the other was slightly smaller.
The carvings of the small figures were crooked and extremely crude. It was basically a circle with four limbs propped up against it.
It was obviously a child's play.
But Kaslan stared at the stone in an infatuated manner. The trembling in his hands grew stronger. "In the end, I held her almost weightless body in my arms and asked myself, 'Kaslan Lampard, the Earth Shaker, what is the meaning of your life?'"
The sound of someone dragging the ground could be heard from afar. Mirk was dragging his pierced thigh as he crawled towards them, bit by bit.
Kaslan's eyes were bleak. He flashed a weak smile at Mirk, who was crawling towards them. "There was a moment when I started to hate Nuven.
"Until a few months ago, when Nuven's last son died in Constellation." The old man shook his head. Every word he spoke was mixed with a lot of blood that seeped out of his mouth and nose. "Looking at the sunset that day, I suddenly pitied him. We all lost everything that we cherished. Half a lifetime's worth of hard work vanished into thin air overnight."
"In the end, that once high-spirited Prince Walton fell into the vicious circle he weaved. He fell into the fate of the suzerains of Eckstedt and couldn't get out. He was as miserable as my elder brother and nephews."
Nicholas tore off a piece of clothing and tied it around his injured shoulder. He gritted his teeth and said, "Idiot."
Mirk crawled to Nicholas' side and stared at his old superior with him in a daze.
"At that moment, it was as if there was a ball of fire burning in my chest. The pain was indescribable, and I didn't know why." Kaslan's voice grew softer. "However, when King Nuven sent someone to find me and wanted me to inherit the position of the Archduke of Black Sand Region, I suddenly understood what that ball of fire was."
Kaslan's eyes brightened. He exerted force in his hand and gripped the stone in his palm tightly.
"I don't hate him anymore. But it's not over yet.
"Everything that Nuven and I started back then," Kaslan said as he struggled. Tears streamed down his face. "It's not over yet.
"What Nuven couldn't do, what Nuven gave up, and what Nuven didn't dare to face," Kaslan coughed violently. His face was pale and he trembled as he said, "I'll fulfill his wish … and be loyal to him.
"This is the meaning of the rest of my life."
Mirk stared at him in disbelief.
Nicholas pressed down hard on his shoulders, lowered his head, and did not say a word.
Only his fists continued to clench.
At this moment …
"Boss."
Mirk, who was lying on the ground, spoke in a low voice.
"When you knew that you were betraying him, betraying His Majesty, how did you feel?" Mirk's expression was sorrowful and pained. His words came out in a stutter.
Nicholas could not help but glance at Mirk.
Kaslan turned his gradually clouding gaze around.
He parted his lips and asked with the ghost of a smile, "Did I betray him?"
Mirk was stunned.
There was silence.
"Right."
"I remember, Spiky." The old man's eyebrows twitched.
Nicholas raised his head and stared at Kaslan with a complicated expression.
Kaslan's gaze slowly became unfocused. The corners of his mouth were no longer vomiting blood.
Staring at the ceiling, Kaslan forced a smile and said softly, "With the name of your Power of Eradication, why don't you call it …
"The Twist of Fate."
Both Nicholas and Mirk froze for a moment.
"Hey." A second later, the Star Killer snorted in disdain. "What kind of f * cking name is that —"
* Clatter! * A soft sound was heard and Nicholas' words were stuck in his throat.
Nicholas and Mirk shuddered at the same time.
The stone with the two little people carved on it had just rolled off Kaslan's hand.
Both of them slowly turned their heads.
The Legend of the White Blade Guards, the Earth Shaker Kaslan Lampard, was lying quietly on the weapon rack with his eyes closed. He did not say a word and showed no reaction.
Mirk stared at the motionless Kaslan with a dazed expression.
The silence lasted for a few seconds.
Then, Nicholas slowly extended his hand and grabbed the stone in his hand.
On the back of the stone, a sentence was carved in a crooked manner with a lot of misspelled words.
Kaslan's Protector, Talia
Tears welled up in Nicholas' eyes. He turned his head abruptly and tightened his grip on the stone in his palm.
* Thud! *
The Star Killer gritted his teeth and kicked the weapon rack next to him.
He lay back and turned his head away from Mirk and Kaslan. He scratched his face. His breathing was a little rough and his chest rose and fell.
"F * ck," Nicholas mumbled in a muffled voice.
The brazier that had just been lit burned brighter and brighter.
In the armory, two strong men fell to the ground dejectedly. They did not say a word.
Beside them, the warriors in their twilight years fell into a deep sleep.
They did not wake up.
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? I wanted to say that I was preparing for my college entrance examination, so I did not update for the past two days. But I was afraid that my readers would beat me up …
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So …
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Sigh, help me think of a reason.
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By Swordless with a serious expression
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