Flames flickered, and shadows moved. Zakriel's ambush brought with it a strong gust of wind, and it was accompanied by Barney Junior's shocked and angry shouts.
Just when Thales' hair stood on end and he was prepared to grit his teeth and face the attack, the former Royal Guards reacted unexpectedly quickly.
* Whoosh! *
* Whoosh! *
The blade of the axe flashed, and the hammer sliced through the air.
Both of them chased after Zakriel from behind!
The Knight of Judgment heard the sound of the wind to his left and right behind him, and he could not help but sigh.
It was Beldin and Bruley.
They were not knocked down by Zakriel's sudden attack. On the contrary, Beldin used the recoil from the wall to charge forward, and Bruley roared as he took a firm step forward. The two of them adjusted their balance within 0.1 seconds, and before Zakriel could move past them, they jumped up and launched a counterattack!
Zakriel was forced to stop moving forward.
The Knight of Judgment's attacks were fierce and efficient, from Shadow Shield to Disaster Swords. Whenever he attacked, he would definitely be able to kill. It was difficult for him to meet someone who could last one round against him.
Speaking of which, this was the first time Thales saw someone who could withstand the pressure with ease and quickly organize a counterattack under his attack.
As he thought about it, Beldin's axe was fierce and unyielding, and it brought with it a presence that could tear through everything.
Bruley's strong body charged forward with an aggressive momentum, and he pressed down on Zakriel at the same time as his ferocious hammer.
Thales remembered that these two were the ones who stood in front of the battlefield just now. One of them broke through the formation, and the other ruthlessly killed the Disaster Swords.
'As expected of my old comrade. They're really difficult to deal with.'
With that thought in mind, Zakriel spun around, as if he had eyes on his back. He avoided Beldin's axe, and first moved to Bruley, who was behind him to his right!
* Clang! *
With a soft sound, the battle axe in the Knight of Judgment's right hand spun in an amazing arc in his palm.
It accurately jammed Bruley's hammer from the side.
Bruley furrowed his eyebrows tightly. He suddenly had a bad feeling.
* Whoosh … *
Just as he expected, with the sound of the wind, Zakriel closed in on him as if he was dancing face to face. He nimbly and cunningly moved past Bruley's heavy hammer, and perfectly brushed past Zakriel's aggressive body.
He brushed past the imposing Bruley by a hair's breadth.
They were like two gears in a clock that moved at each other, but only intersected at one point.
Oh no.
That was Bruley's next thought as he stared at Zakriel's expressionless face.
In the next second, Bruley felt a strange force coming from his opponent's axe blade, pulling him in an uncontrollable direction!
Bree was about to clench his teeth and resist when he suddenly felt a shock in his knee.
Boom!
Bruley immediately realized in shock that his weight-bearing leg was hit by Zakriel's sudden kick, and he lost his balance.
In less than a second, all his attacks had missed. He had lost his balance in his lower body, and he could not control where he was going. All that was left of him was his sturdy body, and he was now a big sandbag in the air that Zakriel could do whatever he wanted.
Thales recognized the tripping kick. Just now, he was defeated by Zakriel with the same move and narrowly escaped death.
No.
At that moment, Bree, who had lost her balance, understood something.
Zakriel's target was not him, but …
In the next moment, when he missed his attack, Beldin caught up to him from the side and felt his skin crawl. He saw Bruley's bear-like figure flying towards him!
'Sh * t.'
Right when this thought flashed in his mind, he subconsciously swung his axe horizontally to support Bruley's back. Under the tremendous weight and impact, he took a few laborious steps backwards to stabilize his body.
At that moment, Beldin looked over Bruley's shoulder and saw Zakriel's cold and merciless gaze.
'Damn it, commanding officer.'
Beldin felt a chill run down his spine.
But before he could react, the axe handle instantly shot out from under Bruley's armpit like a venomous snake hissing!
It flashed like lightning, and was as swift as thunder.
Boom!
The surging force gathered at the end of the axe handle, and it hit Beldin's left shoulder!
"Urgh!"
Beldin's body swayed, and he grunted in pain.
The tough man who dared to fight back against the Disaster Swords could no longer hold on. His limbs went limp at the same time, and he fell on his back like a landslide. He rolled on the ground with Bruley!
Zakriel skillfully pulled out his axe handle. He did not seem to be sweating at all.
"No!"
Barney Junior's enraged shout was heard at that moment.
Thales stared at Beldin and Bruley in disbelief.
The two men had been showing off their prowess on the battlefield just a minute ago, but after their second exchange with Zakriel, they fell to the ground pathetically, stirring up a cloud of dust.
From the moment the two men counterattacked, the Knight of Judgment turned around, and the two men fell to the ground, it had only been slightly more than a second.
'One second to decide the victor.'
Thales was immersed in hell's senses, and countless thoughts flashed through his mind in an instant.
This time, when he faced Beldin and Bruley, who were even more difficult to deal with, Zakriel's agility, his positioning was ingenious, and his attacks were cunning. He was far more agile than when he fought against the Shadow Shield assassins. He fought them with speed, and no one could stop him.
He turned, dodged, swung his axe, pulled them back, tripped them, and struck with his hilt.
Everything was done in one go.
He was like a gentle breeze that blew past him at the perfect moment. He did not need to use any strength to easily defeat the two men's aggressive joint attack.
It even made Thales think that he saw Jala, who moved and dodged, or Aida, who was agile and swift.
In Thales' impression, every supreme class elite had something they were good at, and they could maximize their advantages in a duel.
Yodel's instantaneous kill, the Blood Clan sisters' swift and elusive attacks, Aida's dreamy and swaying movements, the Kingdom's Wrath's invincible charge, the Fortress Flower's impenetrable defense, Nicholas' strange and difficult to distinguish movements, the Fire Knight's powerful attacks that collided with steel, and the Raven of Death's violent attacks that were like thunder in the silent night.
'But this man …' Thales frowned as he stared at Zakriel. 'He was a bloody lion that attacked swiftly and fiercely just a moment ago, but in the next moment, he turned into a nimble and agile bird that glided across the water.
'What exactly is he good at?'
Half a second later, the sound of Zakriel's sleeves fluttering in the wind snapped Thales out of his daze. After he easily broke through the two men's interception, he did not stop moving. He attacked again!
Tardin and Nalgi, who were in front of him, instantly became nervous.
But this time, the moment he took his next step …
"Ah!"
On the other side, another figure roared and swung his sword at Zakriel!
The enemy was like a sudden avalanche. He appeared strangely in Zakriel's danger perception, bringing with him a piercing cold wind.
The Knight of Judgment quickly swept his gaze over his opponent's entire body, and he found three flaws in his opponent's ordinary attacks.
His left elbow.
His lower abdomen.
And the three spots on his opponent's sword.
He just needed to act like he did in the past, act according to the situation, and seize these flaws to counterattack —
* Whoosh — *
The wind generated by the sword came charging at him!
At that moment, Zakriel subconsciously tensed all his muscles, and his hair stood on end!
'Strange.'
His body, which had experienced countless battles, had a strange instinct, and it forcibly restrained his right arm, which had been itching to attack.
'No.
'What's going on?'
Zakriel stared incredulously at his opponent, who was getting closer and closer.
He stared at the sword that was pointed straight at his heart.
'Is it because my movements are slow?'
Zakriel gritted his teeth. As he stared at his opponent's ordinary moves, he forced himself to take a step forward to face his opponent. The blade of his axe went straight for his opponent's lower abdomen!
'As long as I force my way in, I can adjust the strength and angle of my opponent's sword, force him to change his posture, and then launch a series of consecutive attacks …
'In the end, I can …'
* Ding! *
Just as Zakriel expected, the blade of the axe grazed his opponent's sword.
In the next second, Zakriel's nerves jumped again!
'No.'
Zakriel felt as if thunder had exploded in his heart!
'No.'
When the axe and sword clashed, he sensed the force from his opponent's sword, and he stared at his opponent's cold gaze.
He suddenly came to a realization.
'All his opponent's flaws, gaps, and flaws are not the key.
The key lies in his strongest point! '
Zakriel watched in astonishment as they fought at close quarters.
'No matter how I adjust, how I change my moves, and how I cause irreparable damage to him, he will not care.
And no matter what, his sword will find a way to pierce my heart. '
* Hiss — *
The tip of the sword grazed the axe by an inch.
'I'll die.'
Zakriel suddenly had this thought, which he had not had for a long time.
"AAAHHHH!"
In the next moment, the Knight of Judgment let out a shout, which was rare for him!
But contrary to his imposing manner, Zakriel instantly withdrew his axe, turned his body sideways, took a step back, cradled his chest, and dodged!
Thales watched in astonishment as the Knight of Judgment, who seemed to be invincible, retreated in a somewhat conservative and even pathetic manner. He distanced himself from the seemingly ordinary sword strike!
* Whoosh! *
The blade of the axe and the tip of the sword scraped against each other for more than an inch in the air. Then, they crossed paths, and the distance between them widened.
The person who intercepted Zakriel's attack missed. He lost his balance, fell sideways to the ground, and slid a few meters away.
But he did not lose control of his body. Instead, when his shoulder scraped against the ground, he turned his elbow and regained his balance like a carriage that was making a sharp turn. He instantly got up from lying on his side, knelt on one knee, and faced Zakriel again.
That was the end of this strange meeting.
Thales saw in puzzlement that Zakriel was holding the handle of his axe. His eyes were wide open, and he was actually … panting slightly?
His opponent stood up quietly and also panted softly.
It was as if they had just experienced an unprecedented battle.
The surprised Zakriel suddenly raised his hand and touched his forehead.
It was cold sweat.
The Knight of Judgment was rather surprised. He could not quite react to it.
'This is …'
Zakriel froze.
He was surprised to find that he was trembling.
A few seconds later, Zakriel clenched his fists. The corners of his lips slowly curled up, and he looked up.
From the shivers to the hairs on his body, from his heartbeat to his trembling, all the signs on his body reminded the old warrior that there was a threat in front of him.
It had only been a few moments since he was released from prison, but the enemies he met, whether it was those so-called mercenaries or Shadow Shield, all of them disappointed him. At best, they were just warm-up fights.
Even young Yodel, whom he had not met for a long time, was only good at assassination.
But now …
'Now …'
"Beldin, Bruley, both of you have regressed."
Zakriel sucked in a deep breath. His smile became a little more colorful, and it was filled with a little more life.
He looked at Beldin and Bruley, who were helping each other to stand up. He clicked his tongue and shook his head.
"But you …"
The Knight of Judgment raised his head and stared at the opponent who forced him to retreat with one strike.
He stared at the cold gaze of the man.
"You …"
He recalled the feeling he had at that moment just now.
At that moment, he broke out in cold sweat, was nervous, and trembled.
'I will die.
I will die! '
Zakriel joyfully felt the long-awaited excitement and hot blood slowly surge in his body.
The fighting spirit and impulse he had not felt for many years returned to his veins.
'That's right.
'This is …
'The feeling of fighting and killing!'
Thales felt a chill run down his spine.
'What's going on?'
Thales was not the only one. At that moment, all the Royal Guards felt their nerves jump in their daze.
The prince noticed that Zakriel's gaze had slowly changed.
It was as if the person standing in front of them had changed from a dangerous crocodile lying lazily in the water, waiting for its food, to a hungry cheetah crouching on a tree, eager to hunt.
Zakriel's smile grew wider.
"You're different now."
The Knight of Judgment smiled and looked at the man who got up from the ground. He stared at the brand of sin on the right side of the man's face that stretched from his chin to his right cheek. He recalled the terrifying sword strike he delivered just now.
"Your sword is even more lethal than before."
The corners of the knight's lips curled up.
"Chief Vanguard, Quill Barney Junior …
"Has anyone ever told you that you are probably the one who, over the past half a century in Constellation, used the Northland Military Sword Style that has long since become outdated …
"The one who used it to perfection?"
Across from Zakriel, Barney Junior, who had intercepted him with his sword just now, slowly stood up from the ground. He straightened his shield, and his breathing slowly calmed down.
He still stared coldly at Zakriel, who was filled with fighting spirit.
'Northland Military Sword Style?
'That's not all.'
Barney Junior said quietly.
'You don't know.
'Zakriel, you don't know.'
Barney Junior stared at him from afar and suddenly remembered the past.
When his father told him that he had entered the watchman's candidate list, that he had a chance to become the next commander of the Royal Guards, and that he would become the leader of the Praetorian Guards whose name would be recorded in history, he remembered how excited and worried he was when he was young …
Barney Junior slowly tightened his grip on the sword in his hand.
'You don't know, Zakriel. You don't know.
'And I asked Prince Horace for this sword style that I practiced when I was young, which is often mocked by Constellatiates and Southerners, despised by the martial arts faction and the offense and defense faction, which is even more Northland than Northland, and which has been lost even in Eckstedt …
'And I practiced hard day and night, dismantled every move, learned from the Northlanders, and personally went to the battlefield to experience that feeling …'
'It was to seize the last chance to find out the secret of Northland's martial arts and defeat my greatest competitor.
'Defeat that genius.
'Defeat that person whom I had to look up to ever since I joined the team. I chased after him desperately, but I could never touch him …
'Defeat that person who is better than me in terms of background, achievements, and skills …
'He.
'The strongest Imperial Guard.
'The strongest elite.
'You don't know, Zakriel. You don't know.
'How many years has it been? No matter how many people have chased after you …
'You've always been that arrogant bastard who left everyone else in the dust.
'You'll only look up at the stars from high above.
'Even if there are endless waves in front of you, you'll never look behind you. You'll never look down.
'You'll never look back.
'Never.'
Barney Junior clenched his nails fiercely and used the pain to pull himself back from his memories.
"For Sunset's sake, watchman."
Barney Junior calmed himself down. He ignored Zakriel's increasingly undisguised fighting spirit and said softly,
"What secret do you have that you can't tell us, your former brothers?"
His tone was calm, but there was a hint of desolation in it. It was a stark contrast to his previous aggressiveness.
The Royal Guards looked at each other.
This caused Zakriel to be slightly stunned.
'What secret …'
His vigorous fighting spirit cooled down a little.
"What exactly do you hold in your hands that you think we don't have the right to know?"
Barney Junior walked forward slowly and shielded Thales behind him again. He sighed softly.
"What is it that you have on you that you have to carry alone?"
These two sentences dazed Zakriel for a moment.
'I have to …
'I have to …
'Carry …'
The joy of meeting an opponent slowly faded away.
The light from the fire dimmed. Zakriel's gaze became unfocused.
His face looked a little desolate.
'That's right.'
The Knight of Judgment looked at his battle axe and the blood-stained blade. He listened to Beldin and Bruley's panting, and suddenly felt a little dispirited.
Even his fighting spirit and desire just now seemed so ridiculous.
'That's right.
'So many years, so many things, so many things have happened …
'I'm no longer that high-spirited and confident …'
The Knight of Judgment.
Zakriel lowered his axe gently, sighed, and flashed a faint smile.
"Quill Barney, why are you so stubborn?"
Zakriel swept his gaze over every one of his former colleagues.
At that moment, it was as if he had turned back into a middle-aged man who had nothing to do with the world. All his murderous intent evaporated from his body.
There was a deep melancholy in his words.
"Why do you … insist on knowing the answer?"
When he said this, the Royal Guards shuddered at the same time when they sensed the pain and struggle in his words.
Quick Rope, who did not understand, turned his head to look at Thales. He wondered whether he should look for a chance to slip away, but he was surprised to see that Thales' breathing was rapid. He was watching the situation in the field attentively.
'Strange.
'That's not right.
Thales thought absentmindedly.
'They …
'They were arguing, arguing, and interrogating each other …
"Because you don't understand."
Barney Junior lowered his head deeply and closed his eyes.
"You've never heard of it, have you, Zakriel?"
Different names came out of his mouth one after another.
"Allen, Walker, Morion, Toby, Roth, Kamal … These former brothers …"
Thales saw that Zakriel's body swayed every time he said a name.
Among the Royal Guards, the veins on Beldin's hands bulged. Bruley moaned deeply. Tardin shook his head expressionlessly. Naer held his dart tightly. Nalgi covered his forehead. Canon hid his face in the shadows. His expression could not be seen clearly.
"You didn't hear their cries before they died. You just lived through it quietly alone. You never had to bear that kind of burden."
Barney Junior spoke in a hoarse voice. It sounded as if he was suffering in an endless hell.
"Just like in the past, we all looked up to you, but you never lowered your head to look down on us."
Zakriel's pupils shook.
"So you don't understand."
Barney Junior opened his eyes. His words continued.
But his tone slowly changed from a cry of despair to a hateful tone that resembled a viper's.
"It's been eighteen years.
This damn stubbornness. This damn stubbornness of wanting to know the answer, even if you can never touch it.
"And this …"
Barney Junior extended his trembling hand and touched the brand on the right side of his face. He immediately withdrew his hand, as if it was boiling lava.
He held the hand that had touched the brand, and it trembled non-stop.
It was as if he had not just touched a useless piece of dead skin, but a filthy and ominous plague.
"These are the things that allow me to carry their pasts and grievances on my shoulders, and to survive in the endless darkness …"
Barney Junior's last few words were practically ground out from his throat with his blood.
"The only reason."
Thales saw Zakriel's breathing become faster and faster.
Barney Junior still glared at him. His eyes were bloodshot, and they looked as if they were about to pop out of their sockets.
Under the dim firelight, the Knight of Judgment turned his head around with a pale face and averted his gaze.
"I'm sorry, Quill."
His tongue trembled slightly.
"Yes, I'm sorry."
* Thud! *
Barney Junior took a step forward in an imposing manner and shouted angrily,
"I don't need your apology!"
The vanguard was filled with a piercing chill again.
Barney lowered his voice, but it was difficult for him to suppress his anger.
"I need answers."
He gritted his teeth on the last word.
'Answers.'
Thales breathed quietly. At that moment, he suddenly understood something.
The fire in Nalgi's hand slowly extinguished, and the entire tunnel became darker.
* Shing! *
Tardin picked up another torch, and after a few tries, he lit it up expressionlessly.
The fire was lit up again. Thales noticed that Zakriel's entire body had relaxed.
He was expressionless, but he stared at Barney Junior with disdain in his eyes.
"Sometimes, the answer is not as pleasant as the question."
Thales could not hold it in anymore.
"What are you talking about?!"
The teenager's voice rose loudly, and it echoed in the underground prison, attracting everyone's attention.
Quick Rope stared at the bold Thales in shock. He did not understand why he did this, but all his attempts to slap Thales' face disappeared into thin air. There was no response.
Thales ignored Tardin and Nalgi, who stood in front of him. He took a step forward, unable to suppress his anger.
"Since just now, all of you have been talking too much nonsense …"
The former Royal Guards exchanged glances quietly and frowned at the same time.
Then, Thales coldly said his next sentence.
"But in the end, I heard it.
"What 'you're not that crazy, are you?' What 'the reason why you must die' …"
"What about 'targeting the bloodline of the royal family', 'pointing the sword at the Jadestar bloodline', 'everything has a reason' …"
"What 'existence that I swore to protect'? What 'unspeakable secret?' What 'answer' …"
With every sentence the prince said, some of the guards' faces turned paler.
"Your Highness …" Nalgi interrupted him with a troubled expression, but he was interrupted by Thales' voice, which had become louder again.
"From the beginning to the end, all of this … You're not talking about me at all!
Not the f * cking Thales Jadestar! "
Thales was a little agitated. He extended his arm without hesitation and pointed at Barney Junior, then at Zakriel.
But both of them had unpleasant expressions because of what he pointed at.
"You're questioning him, and he's avoiding something else!
"Is that so?"
Thales' last question echoed in the darkness, and it was faintly audible.
But regardless of whether it was Zakriel, who had his head lowered, or Barney Junior, who had questioned him loudly just now, the former Royal Guards did not reply.
Then, another man's voice rose faintly from behind Zakriel, apart from the people in the room.
"You're very smart, Your Highness.
"What they're talking about is indeed not you, or perhaps not only you."
His voice was tired, and there was a hint of sadness in it.
At this moment, Zakriel and the other seven people's expressions changed!
When he heard the familiar voice, Thales also looked up in surprise. He looked over Zakriel's shoulder and saw the person who appeared on the stairs.
'It's him.
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.
