Thales could not believe his eyes.
Yodel, who always hid in the dark and always killed …
'Captured?'
The Shadow Shields behind Stake lit up two torches and illuminated the small corridor.
Even though his expression could not be seen through the mask, Yodel's struggles became weaker.
His body faded a few times as he withstood the pulling force from all four directions. He tried to enter the Path of Shadows, but under the strength of the chains, his attempts failed repeatedly, and he was forced to show himself.
"Lurking, provoking, and profiting. You really had a good time down there, my dear colleague."
Stake seemed to breathe a sigh of relief. He put on a slightly ferocious smile and looked at the Masked Guest, who was invited by the chain. "Perhaps you feel that it's a pity that we didn't fulfill your wish of fighting to the death against the Disaster Swords because of the strange provocation?"
Yodel did not answer in the dark and dreary Black Prison. His dark purple mask was facing Stake, who was at least five steps away.
His silence made Stake frown slightly.
'This is bad.'
Thales forced himself to calm down.
He gritted his teeth, bent his knees slightly, and raised the silver diamond longsword in his hand so that it was at eye level.
There were not many two-handed sword styles in the Northland Military Sword Style. Most of them were used to launch desperate counterattacks after their shields were broken.
But now …
He held the sword with both hands and looked at the chain-controlled Messenger closest to him.
'I just need to force one of them to retreat.'
Thales called out to the Sin of Hell's River that filled his feet. He was ready to exert his strength.
"Ah, no, no, no."
The sharp-eyed Stake did not miss this scene. He raised his eyebrows, raised his index finger at Thales in an amiable manner, and shook it slightly.
"If it were me, I wouldn't have done that." Stake shook his head. His smile was still polite.
"Your Highness."
As he spoke, he pushed the awl in his hand forward gently and pointed at Yodel's throat.
This action made the anxious Thales stop in his tracks!
"After all, you have a precious body."
Stake shook the weapon in his hand, and the smile on his lips grew wider. There was a hidden meaning in his words.
"If you are injured, I cannot afford it."
'Damn it.'
As he watched Stake's smug and confident smile, Thales took a deep breath and put down the longsword in the air. He had no choice but to give up on the idea of breaking through the encirclement.
He tried his best to get rid of his irrational thoughts and desperately tried to think of a way to help Yodel out of his predicament.
Yodel struggled with his right arm again. The tip of the [Supreme Sword] pierced one of the links on the chain, but the assassin holding the chain immediately exerted force in the opposite direction. The angle was tricky, and it crushed the Masked Protector's intentions.
"You've said so much nonsense." Thales looked at Yodel, who was fighting against the four people. He felt troubled.
"Just to lure him out?"
Stake clicked his tongue and shook his head.
"It's not all nonsense, Your Highness." The leader of the assassins bowed as politely as before, but Thales could no longer sense the respect in his words just now.
"Please believe in my sincerity."
It was as if he had grasped the last move on the chessboard.
'Calm down, Thales.
Calm down.
The prince took a deep breath and listened to Stake's direction with hell's senses.
The four people who were wrestling with Yodel were breathing unsteadily as they continued to consume their energy.
The two assassins behind Stake rested quietly and were recovering their strength.
Stake's left arm was still trembling slightly. It seemed that he was not completely unscathed after he fought against Yodel.
But …
Thales looked worriedly at the darkness behind Stake. He could still hear multiple breaths coming from there.
His greatest support was suddenly gone, and he could not fight against many people alone to save the hostages.
'What should I do?
How can I … '
He looked at Yodel, who was trapped in great difficulty. He caressed Ricky's silver diamond longsword and felt its almost perfect balance, but he knew that he was in the most unbalanced situation he had ever been in.
Stake seemed to have completely recovered from the sudden attack. He took a few steps to the side and sized up Yodel, who was bound tightly. He clicked his tongue.
"Six years ago, two of my teams accepted Val Arunde's commission and went south to the Land of Constellation, a place they had not dared to set foot in for many years."
He sighed softly and narrowed his eyes as he looked at Yodel.
"In the end, after a failed assassination attempt in a carriage, and the subsequent encirclement by the Secret Intelligence Department, only two sentries returned alive."
When he heard this, Thales was slightly stunned.
'Six years ago.
'Val Arunde.
'Assassination attempt in a carriage …
'Wouldn't that be …'
Stake snorted coldly. He swiped the awl in his hand across Yodel's mask.
"What a coincidence. In their description, there was also a similar mask."
"Then … who are you?"
Yodel still did not speak, but Thales saw that the barbs on the chain that bound Yodel's arm had started to bleed, and the latter's struggles were getting weaker.
But the Masked Protector shook his head slightly.
"Hmm." Stake, who did not get a response from his target for a long time, curled up the corners of his lips.
"I can tell that you are not an eloquent speaker."
'Damn it!'
Thales' breathing became faster and faster. He raised the longsword in his hand a few times.
Yodel still did not speak, as if someone had used an iron brand to cover his mouth.
Under the dim firelight, the familiar yet unfamiliar dark purple mask looked simple and monotonous.
The assassin leader finally gave up on trying to communicate with the strange Masked Protector.
'Maybe … he's a mute.'
"Now, the uncertain factors that affect our communication have been resolved." Stake slowly turned his head and suddenly looked at Thales.
"Can you come with us, Your Highness?"
He still had that amiable smile on his face. He stood among the group of assassins with their faces covered, stood in the impenetrable darkness, and extended his hand to Thales from afar.
But the prince only felt a chill run down his spine.
"We can get along, and we will work well together."
As he stared at Stake's palm, Thales furrowed his eyebrows so tightly that his teeth were about to shatter.
He swung his hands, and the longsword drew an arc in the air. He was getting used to the characteristics of this weapon.
"Ambushing my protector is not a good sign for cooperation."
Stake lowered his palm and said with a smile, "I think so. After all, he did not hesitate when he swung his sword at me."
Thales was speechless for a moment.
He changed his attitude and said coldly, "Listen, Stake, if you still want to get out of here alive —"
When the prince said this, he stiffly stopped himself from saying that the Kingdom's Secret Intelligence Department has already surrounded this place.
'No.'
Confirming this news in front of Stake would only make him more desperate, and he would care more about the hostages and bargaining chips in his hands.
'What should I do?'
Thales looked at Yodel, but he could only see a reflection in Yodel's lens.
"We can discuss what you said," Thales braced himself and said, "But as the first step of the negotiation, I am more willing to see my protector healthy and safe."
Stake stared at him carefully for a long time, then he smiled. He smiled very happily.
As he smiled, the chain-wielding assassins bound Yodel even tighter.
The Masked Protector shuddered and shook his head at Thales again.
"There is only one way to ensure his safety, Your Highness."
Perhaps he was tired of Thales' words. Stake's smile was a little cold.
Stake narrowed his eyes into slits and tilted his head slightly.
"And you already know."
Thales tightened his grip on the hilt of his sword.
'Damn it!
He's so stubborn and slippery. Cooperation, negotiation, and benefits, nothing can attract his attention.
'He only wants me!
Me! '
Stake stared at Thales for a long time. He did not seem anxious at all.
"In fact, I heard a lot about you from Baron Lasalle, and he heard a lot about you from King Chapman, including your personality."
When he heard that name again, Thales suddenly had a bad feeling.
Stake smiled and took a step forward. He looked at Yodel, then at Thales.
"For example, you are kind, resolute, and brave."
Stake's expression changed slightly. He raised the awl gently. "But I've always been curious. How can these two characteristics appear on the same person?
"Then, we have a chance to verify it today."
Before Thales' unpleasant expression, Stake gently pressed the tip of the awl against the Masked Protector's neck and grinned.
Yodel still did not move. His arms were bloody.
The assassins who tightened their grip on his limbs tightened their grip.
"What do you mean?" Thales' face was pale, and he spoke faster.
"As I said, I am a businessman."
Stake spread his left hand in a seemingly resigned manner, but the awl in his right hand suddenly tightened around Yodel's throat!
Thales could not help but clench his fists.
"Transactions are always consensual. So, I hope to see you come with us quietly and willingly. Do not cause trouble, do not make mistakes, and do not play any tricks. You must know that we are deeply aware of how difficult you are to deal with."
Stake twitched the corners of his mouth in a profound manner and gestured at the silent Yodel.
"Make your choice, Your Highness." Stake smiled, but a cold glare shone in his eyes.
"Do you want the generosity of a king, or the decisiveness of a king?"
'Generosity …'
Thales looked at Yodel, who could not move, with a pale face.
'Or decisiveness?'
He glanced at the awl Stake had pressed against the Masked Protector's throat.
'Damn it!'
In the dim firelight, Yodel shook his head in a barely noticeable manner again.
Thales looked at him in anguish.
'Damn it.
'No.'
Thales sucked in a light breath and suppressed the resentment in his heart.
'Calm down.
Calm down, Thales.
Calm down! '
He took a few deep breaths, and his gaze swept past each Shadow Shield assassin.
'They want me.'
Thales subconsciously repeated this in his heart.
'They want me.
I! '
A few minutes later, the Prince of Constellation curled his lips and smiled.
He smiled with great confidence.
Stake looked at the prince and wondered whether he should use the awl in his hand to urge him to act.
"It's not a problem for me to go with you, but I have a question."
Stake raised his eyebrows to show that he was willing to listen.
Thales said in a low voice, "You don't care about me, do you?"
'What?'
Stake was slightly stunned.
"No matter what you want from me, be it wealth, secrets, bargaining chips, power, hostages, or amulets … Do not forget that I am first and foremost the heir of Constellation."
Thales looked away and spoke in the most indifferent and alienating manner he could think of.
"Shadow Shield, why don't you consider the king's attitude and perception? Let's assume that you are still in that position after today and give orders to your subordinates. Stake, take a guess. After today, compared to Lampard and my father, what kind of future will the future Thales the First give you?"
Stake's expression changed slightly, and his expression slowly turned cold.
* Whoosh. *
The prince coldly raised his longsword and pointed it at Stake!
"What kind of future will Constellation give you in the decades I am on the throne?"
"If you really value me, then you will not use the life of a guard to threaten me," Thales said coldly with a tough attitude, "But you still did it. Maybe it's because you don't care."
Stake narrowed his eyes slightly. "Your Highness, we —"
But Thales spoke very quickly and interrupted him.
The prince said calmly and steadily,
"There is only one explanation for this.
Perhaps you are not afraid of killing him, of angering me, and of the possible consequences. "
Every word he said made Stake frown even tighter.
Thales looked at the incredibly disheveled Yodel from a distance.
In his mind, the scene of him carrying the wounded and dying Thales as he moved through the roofs, alleys, sentry towers, and city walls of Eternal Star City appeared in his mind.
He subconsciously clenched his fists.
"Perhaps, being loyal to me and working with me was a lie," Thales said with a cold smile. "Because when you came to me under the guise of flattery, you did not intend to let me ascend the throne at all. You did not want me to be crowned and become a king to cause trouble for you, right?"
"Perhaps, after you took me away and used me, you intended to kill me."
As he listened to Thales' words, Stake's expression became even more unpleasant.
At that moment, Yodel's mask moved slightly, and the reflection of fire flashed through the holes of the lenses.
"From the looks of it, I have no choice at all." Thales gritted his teeth and raised his longsword.
"Once you kill him, it will prove your stance.
For my future, for my throne, I can only fight to the death, and I will not rest until I bleed to death. "
He stared at each assassin with determination and coldness.
"Am I right?"
Black Prison suddenly became very quiet. Only the indistinct sounds of fighting could be heard in the distance.
Yodel struggled again, but Stake's awl pressed against him, making him unable to move.
Stake stared at Thales.
It was as if he was getting to know him for the first time.
A few seconds passed. Stake finally took a deep breath and tried to force a smile.
"Your Highness, we do not have to be in such a deadlock —"
But Thales interrupted him again.
"But you have a choice."
Unexpectedly, the Prince of Constellation, who had a frosty expression just a moment ago, now smiled. "What I said just now was just a hypothesis, Stake, a hypothesis that once you kill him …"
Stake frowned again.
"But I guess you are not the kind of person who is willing to walk down Teng's old path until the very end, Stake. So, if you want to prove your sincerity, prove that you are useful to me, and that I do not need to fight to the death, you might as well start now."
Stake stared at him, and his expression froze.
Thales put away his aggressive expression just now and raised a finger seriously.
"There is only one way to ensure your future."
Thales lowered his sword and extended his palm towards Yodel. His gaze never left Stake.
"And you already know, Stake."
As he listened to the prince's reply, Stake could not help but frown.
Thales stared at him.
Yodel's mask was still dark and heavy. The only holes in the lenses reflected the faint light of fire.
Stake's face contorted.
"Make your choice, Stake."
At that moment, Thales' eyes were bright, and he deliberately said in a deep voice, "You also have two paths in front of you.
One can make me cooperate with you in a friendly manner, and the other can only make me fight to the death. "
He curled up the corners of his lips. His left hand gently brushed against the ridge of the silver diamond longsword, and he gestured at the bound Yodel with his chin.
"You want the king's forgiveness …"
Thales laced his fingers together and tapped his head calmly.
"Or the king's life?"
At that moment, Stake's face was livid.
Black Prison was terrifyingly silent, as if the people in the distance had been isolated.
Even the sounds of the battle between the Disaster Swords and Shadow Shield did not come for a long time.
The Prince of Constellation and the leader of the assassins' gazes met several times in the firelight.
The Masked Protector slowly lowered his head and did not move.
Finally, after struggling for a while, Stake's expression relaxed completely.
He forced himself to curl up the corners of his mouth and put on an indignant smile.
"You live up to your reputation, Your Highness."
Stake let out a long sigh. As if resigned to his fate, he removed the sharp awl from Yodel's throat and left the Masked Protector's side.
At that moment, Thales finally breathed a sigh of relief from the bottom of his heart while he held his longsword tightly.
Stake put away his weapon, rubbed his chin, and said in a profound tone, "You threw the dilemma of choosing back to me, and forced me to retreat without a choice.
"Who taught you this? A hot-blooded and brainless Northlander? "
Thales chuckled.
"My father."
He lowered his longsword, and his mind wandered for a moment. His thoughts returned to the past.
"Six years ago, he used this method to put an end to a bloody war between Constellation and the Dragon."
Stake nodded.
But at that moment, Thales felt his hair stand on end!
His hell's senses instantly sensed something strange.
'Someone's there!'
At that moment, the prince, who had been through a lot of danger, subconsciously turned around and swung his longsword!
The Sin of Hell's River surged into his mind, and it was as if time had slowed down in an instant.
* Whoosh! *
With the sound of a sleeve slicing through the air, Thales saw the ambusher's figure clearly in shock and anger.
'Assassin.'
In that extended second, Thales saw the situation clearly in shock.
Three assassins in Shadow Shield's attire charged at him from his left and right. They were either wearing boxing gloves or wielding blunt weapons!
On the other side, Stake put away a strange-looking soundless bone whistle into his bosom with a satisfied smile.
'This is …'
'A diversion.'
'They want to capture me alive.
'They're not prepared to … negotiate with me at all.'
Thales subconsciously said in his heart.
'Sh * t.'
The Sin of Hell's River surged into his body and filled his arms and legs. It brought his longsword faster than usual, and he swung it at the ambusher to his left.
But this was already his limit. Thales could not take care of the other two.
'No.
'Sh * t.
'Sh * t.
'It's too late.'
In that second, Thales thought in a daze.
'I learned another lesson.
'Don't be like assassins …
'Be reasonable.'
His Sin of Hell's River reached its limit. It retreated from his mind, and time seemed to have returned to normal.
But the fainting that Thales expected did not happen.
Instead, there was —
* Shick! *
The monotonous and crisp sound of metal piercing flesh rose abruptly!
Thales was shocked.
A weapon sliced through the air and flew towards the two assassins he did not manage to defend against!
The two assassins looked as if they were hit head-on by a galloping warhorse. They trembled in the air and froze!
* Bang! *
The two of them flew in the opposite direction and crashed into the wall one after the other.
Thales looked at the two assassins in shock. They were nailed to the wall one after the other by a weapon that sliced through the air. It was a normal longsword that pierced through their chests, and they were pinned to the wall one after the other.
The only thing they could do was twitch.
Stake and his companions could not react at all. They could only stare blankly at the longsword that shot towards them like a javelin, as if it had descended from the sky. It was still trembling on the wall.
* Thud! Thud! * Thud! *
Thales did not have time to think. An unfamiliar figure suddenly appeared beside him.
The prince turned his head around. He could only see the unfamiliar figure extend his arm and accurately seize the third assassin's throat.
The assassin seemed to be in disbelief. He struggled to fight back, but his opponent did not give him any chance. He struck the wall beside him diagonally!
* Thud! *
A heavy, muffled sound rose.
The unfamiliar figure pulled back his arm, seized the assassin tightly, and slammed him against the wall again!
* Thud! *
A second muffled sound rose.
The assassin's opponent pulled back the assassin in his arm for the second time and slammed him against the wall one last time!
* Crack! *
A strange and ominous crisp sound rose.
In the next second, the assassin slid down from his opponent's arm limply. He fell to the ground and did not move.
The air became calm again.
Thales looked at his surroundings with a dumbfounded expression. Two assassins were nailed to the wall. They were moaning in pain, and it seemed like they were about to die. There was another person who fell limply to the ground without a sound.
From the moment the longsword flew over to the moment the last assassin fell to the ground, only a little more than a second had passed.
The three assassins who were prepared to ambush him had all died.
'This is …'
"I'm really … rusty." The newcomer walked to Thales' side, swung his left hand, and grumbled incoherently.
The prince stared at this person, dumbfounded.
Stake and the Shadow Shield assassins also stared at him, unable to hide their shock and anger.
'This uninvited guest.'
A man's figure was illuminated by the dim firelight.
'A very special man.'
He wore the light, slightly worn leather armor unique to mercenaries, but he was equipped with a total of eight or nine weapons.
The man held two crossguard swords in his right hand, one long and one heavy. A slightly old one-handed axe and a bag of arrows were tied to his back. A fully strung infantry crossbow hung from his left leg, a sheathless saber was tied to his right leg, a blood-stained hammer was tied to his waist, and a straight saber with a chipped edge was tied to the side of his waist.
There was even a shortsword that was the length of a forearm in his mouth.
'He's like … a human-shaped armory.'
Thales thought dumbly.
'He's dressed like a mercenary. Is he from Disaster Sword?
'No.
'Doesn't seem like it.'
The man was not young, and he was not neat either.
In fact, his hair was messy past his ears, and he only used a dirty string to tie it behind his head. He looked unkempt, and his face was bruised and swollen. He was missing a piece of scalp on the right side of his forehead, and there was even a black-rimmed extravasated blood in his left eye. Aside from the leather armor that was still brand new, the rest of his clothes were tattered. There were clear bloodstains and wounds on some parts of his body, ranging from scratches to bruises.
At first glance, there was not a single part of him that was unharmed.
It was as if he had just come back from being tied to a horse and dragged in the sand.
But what was special was his chin.
Even though he looked dirty, unkempt, and a little hairy, the man had shaved his chin clean, leaving only a patch of green. It formed a stark contrast with the upper half of his face.
'Wait, beard?'
Thales suddenly shuddered.
He looked at the man's forehead, and he was instantly shocked!
'As expected.'
There was a ferocious and terrifying blood-red brand there.
It was the alphabet of the Ancient Empire.
Thales stared at the man beside him in a daze. He watched him remove the shortsword from his mouth, grimaced, arched his back, and swung his upper arms.
He was like a warhorse that had not been out of its cage for a long time, and was exercising its joints.
'It's him.'
Thales thought dumbly.
Even though he could not recognize him because he had shaved his beard, but …
'It's him.'
"Beautiful movements."
The Knight of Judgment, Zakriel, stood beside Thales with a calm expression.
He narrowed his left eye, which had a black rim, and swept his gaze over the Shadow Shield assassins in front of him. He spoke coldly to the prince in his unique, dry voice.
"It's very stupid to be absent-minded."
The area around them fell silent for a while.
At that moment, Thales stared at Zakriel, who had changed his appearance and equipment, dumbfounded.
On the other side, Stake also stared incredulously at his dead subordinate.
Even Yodel, who was tightly bound, shuddered a little.
"Where did you come from?"
Stake put away his shock and became extremely vigilant. He stared at Zakriel with his entire body tensed up and motioned for the assassins to bind Yodel tighter.
'This man … gives me a very bad feeling.'
Zakriel snorted coldly, as if he was not interested in talking to Stake. He only stared at the captive Yodel and shook his head slowly.
Stake scrutinized the new guest and asked cautiously, "Where is our sentinel?"
Zakriel frowned slightly.
'Sentinel?'
Zakriel shook his head and mumbled, "I didn't run into any."
'Hmm, on the way here, aside from some blind people hiding in the dark,' Zakriel thought about it. 'I don't think I ran into any normal sentinels.
'For example …
'Glacial sentinels are troublesome characters.'
When he remembered his unpleasant past, Zakriel frowned hard.
Beside him, Thales took a long, deep breath.
"Y-you found Razor … Bah! You're still alive?"
Thales could not believe his eyes. He sized Zakriel up from head to toe and asked in a stiff and clumsy manner.
"Yes."
Zakriel's gaze was still unfocused, as if he was not paying attention. He snorted like a tired patient to show his answer.
Thales blinked in surprise. "Where are the enemies?"
'Where are the people who surrounded you?'
Zakriel rubbed his eyes, as if he was not used to the light source.
"They ran away," he answered gloomily.
The Prince of Constellation rolled his eyes in puzzlement. "Ran away?
They ran away just like that? "
'How is that possible?
Eighteen Disaster Swords … let you go just like that? '
Thales could not understand it.
Zakriel tugged at his mercenary leather armor and shook his shoulders in extreme discomfort.
'Yes, they ran away.'
The Knight of Judgment, who was released from prison, silently recalled the battle just now.
'Those sword peddlers, they ran away … How many of them ran away?'
Zakriel scratched his head.
'Two, or three? Maybe four?
Ah, I can't remember. '
When he thought of this, Zakriel exhaled in displeasure. He pounded his forehead in pain and felt sad.
You've already exceeded your reading limit for today. If you want to read more, please log in.
Login
Select text and click 'Report' to let us know about any bad translation.
