It was a good thing that they were stalling for time, but …
As he looked at Ricky's murderous gaze, Thales felt his head swell.
What did I say wrong this time?
However …
If he was a Mystic …
Thales rubbed his head and remembered the reason why the Disaster Swords came here.
He was right.
Dragon Breaker.
But … what could he do now?
However, a dry and dry voice suddenly sounded from the darkness behind him!
"Steady."
Thales, whose thoughts were in a mess, immediately snapped out of it.
"Calm down."
Barney Junior and Beldin were shocked. They turned around and looked behind them.
"The more disadvantageous the situation is, the stronger the enemy is."
When he saw the person behind him clearly, Thales was stunned.
Even Ricky's gaze tensed up. He no longer stared at Thales with a murderous look.
"That's even more important."
It was him.
It was Zakriel.
The Knight of Judgment, who had lost his mind just now and was left in the dark corner, limped into the firelight with his left arm tied tightly with a wooden board.
His face was cold and his eyes were bleak.
The appearance of the knight made many people nervous.
It was especially so for the Disaster Swords. Klein and Josef's expressions changed drastically, and they raised their weapons at the same time!
Thales tensed up as well, but when he looked at the situation before him, he probably could no longer care about Zakriel's threat.
"And you, Vanguard Barney, Penal Officer Beldin …" Zakriel's body swayed, but his words were extremely stern.
"You guys really disappoint me."
Beldin looked ashamed, while Barney Junior turned his head away awkwardly.
"Sir?" Tardin asked in bewilderment.
But Zakriel ignored him. He only stared straight at Thales, who had an unpleasant expression on his face.
"As for you …"
At that moment, the Knight of Judgment's gaze was fierce and resolute, as if he had the power to see through people's hearts.
Thales could not help but feel his heart skip a beat when he thought of the man's previous record of trying to kill him.
"Think about it carefully," Zakriel said.
"How exactly did he 'die'?"
How did he … die?
Who?
How did he die?
Thales was confused.
"Zakriel!"
Ricky raised his voice.
He appeared very surprised and amazed. At the same time, he did not forget to give Samel a questioning look.
But Samel just shook his head with a complicated expression.
"You look much better than you did when you were in prison."
Thales looked at Zakriel, whose face was covered in bruises and bloodstains. He also had a sickly expression. Thales could not find any evidence to prove that Zakriel's complexion was much better.
"Why don't you reconsider my offer?"
The surprise and wariness on Ricky's face disappeared in a flash. His words became steady and confident again.
"We should be able to get along — for example, when it comes to attacking the Tower of Eradication."
But Zakriel did not even look at him. He only stared at Thales.
The teenager panicked under Zakriel's gaze. He quickly turned his head away and forced himself not to look into Zakriel's eyes, who had returned.
At that moment, Thales had a flash of inspiration. He understood Zakriel's words.
It was Ricky.
He was talking about Ricky.
Ricky, how did he just … die?
Yes, I remember now.
He was in Zakriel's cell, Yodel …
At that moment, the distraught Thales immediately snapped out of his daze.
He was right.
Thales shook his head with all his might.
His current state was too poor, so much so that the physical pain and mental fatigue affected the most basic thinking.
Thales took a deep breath. A little of the half-dead Sin of Hell's River flowed out reluctantly, but it was only a drop in the bucket to relieve his pain and dizziness.
The teenager tried his best to regain his composure and nodded at Zakriel.
Only then did the Knight of Judgment look away.
Thales then turned to Ricky.
"You are not a Mystic."
His tone was calm, but firm.
"You are not a calamity."
The moment that word appeared, the Royal Guards were slightly surprised.
Barney Junior widened his eyes. Beldin stared at Ricky stiffly.
Ricky raised his eyebrows slightly.
Thales took a deep breath. He felt the uneasiness in his heart gradually disappear.
"Absolutely not."
The Royal Guards' surprise quickly subsided. They looked at Thales together.
"Oh?"
Ricky's smile slowly cooled down.
"Why are you so sure?"
'Why are you so sure?'
As if to continue convincing himself, Thales, who had just breathed a sigh of relief, subconsciously blurted out,
"Because you are a man."
Ricky frowned. He was puzzled for a while.
'A man?'
But his expression immediately relaxed.
"I see."
Ricky looked enlightened.
"'Because I am a man' … So, you heard what we said about the Magic Empress, right?"
This time, it was Thales' turn to be stunned.
The leader of the mercenaries smiled faintly. He looked around, and his eyes sparkled.
"Your Highness, where is your Masked Friend?"
Thales' heart tensed up.
He instinctively wanted to look at Zakriel, who was the last to see Yodel, but Ricky's words forced him to divert his attention again.
"So, the sword he used to kill me, hmm, should be a legendary anti-mystic equipment, right?"
Thales' arm froze.
Ricky was still as calm and composed as ever in front of him.
His eyes were fixed on Zakriel.
"So, the legend is true. Other than the four weapons in the hands of the three marshals and the king of Constellation, there is another one in Renaissance Palace … By the looks of it, it is a sword?"
Most of the Disaster Swords and Royal Guards were confused. They could not keep up with Thales and Ricky's train of thought.
But Thales' gaze on Ricky became more and more solemn.
'This is bad.'
He believed that Ricky was not a Mystic based on the clues Zakriel gave him and the fact that Ricky "died" to the Supreme Sword.
But Ricky quickly grasped their logic.
He deduced that the sword in Yodel's hand that "killed" him was a legendary anti-mystic equipment from Thales' baffling words of "you are a man".
Thales subconsciously glanced at Zakriel behind him.
But the man did not even look at him. He only stared coldly at Ricky.
'No, I can't count on him.'
Thales shook his head.
Zakriel's mental condition had always been problematic. Besides, after going through a series of battles and being baptized by the Alchemy Ball, Thales did not think that it would be a good idea to place all his bets on Zakriel, who had returned after leaving for a while. Zakriel looked like he was limping and could not even walk steadily.
Thales had no choice but to brace himself and continue.
"So, your 'death' was also planned by you?
Then … "
Thales stared at the Disaster Swords before him and counted their numbers.
"Then you watched us kill each other and reaped the benefits?"
There were at least thirty to forty of them …
More importantly, there was Ricky, the biggest variable.
'But if he's not a Mystic …'
Thales thought of Ricky's "magic" of resurrection. He felt that after he got rid of his fear of Mystics, he had sunk into a deeper layer of the unknown.
"Planned?"
Ricky chuckled. His gaze never left Zakriel.
"Your Highness, you have to understand that this world is very complicated. Nothing is planned.
Like tonight, isn't it? "
'Nothing is planned.'
Thales clenched his fists.
"The mysterious and terrifying Shadow Shield, the Northlanders with terrifying backgrounds, the famous Kingdom's Secret Intelligence Department, the Northland Secret Room, the former prisoners of the Royal Guards, and even the Constellatiate nobles in the camp. About half of the people in Blade Fangs Camp are involved."
Ricky clicked his tongue and shook his head.
"Of course, there's also us and you, Your Highness.
When they are intertwined, all preset plans will be broken. Only accidents will be the main theme. "
Ricky narrowed his eyes, and a vigilant look appeared in his eyes.
"We never planned anything.
Or rather, the only reliable plan we have is to act according to the situation. "
'Act according to the situation?'
Thales recounted everything that happened that night in one go.
From the tavern to the dungeon, from the mercenaries to the assassins, from the prisoners to Zakriel.
His expression changed slightly.
Ricky could be said to be the culprit of everything that happened tonight. From the beginning, it was his Disaster Swords who planned to break into the Prison of Bones and obtain the information they wanted.
He was also the connection between many parties: Shadow Shield, who wanted to take advantage of the situation, the Northlanders who were interested in the prince, the innocent and neutral tavern owner, the Secret Room with ulterior motives, and Thales himself. All of them were gathered here by Ricky.
He was also the trigger of the conflict. He was the one who brought Samel to meet the former Royal Guards and stirred up the old matter from eighteen years ago. He was the one who led his subordinates to fight against Shadow Shield, and dragged everyone in the dungeon into the vortex.
And he was about to become the terminator of the game. When he had almost achieved all his goals and everything was almost settled, he lured them here through Samel to witness the final outcome.
Thales felt his heart become heavier. He suddenly realized that he had severely underestimated Ricky.
He was able to stand here safely after going through countless chaos and accidents. Of course, he was not a small fry.
Coupled with his strange and mysterious method of resurrection …
In the suffocating silence, Ricky chuckled.
"Now, can you come home with me?"
But once again, to everyone's surprise, a figure burst forth at this moment!
* Whoosh! *
Before Thales could sort out his thoughts, his nerves twitched. He heard the sound of wind by his ears, and he saw a limping figure move past him to attack Ricky, who had just finished speaking!
It was Zakriel.
The former watchman's expression did not change. He did not move quickly, but with great determination, he moved his legs, which were no longer agile due to his injuries, and charged forward!
Thales was completely dumbfounded.
'What happened to the promised … steadiness and calmness?'
This time, the Disaster Swords, who had been prepared for this a long time ago, no longer reacted passively. Instead, they roared and launched a counterattack to block the attacker.
At least five or six people went up to Zakriel.
Only Samel's expression changed drastically, and he spoke up to stop them.
"No, not so many people! He — "
But it was too late.
In the next six seconds, Thales felt as if he was watching a comical acrobatic performance.
In the first second, a mercenary swung his hammer fiercely. He was pulled away by the Knight of Judgment, but he inexplicably bumped into his companion on his left. The two of them scrambled to avoid being accidentally injured, and they rolled into a ball.
In the second and third seconds, Josef clashed head-on with Zakriel's axe. Then, when he retreated and moved, he found himself standing in the path of his companions, who came to his aid. He tripped two people in succession.
In the third and a half seconds, Klein thrust his unparalleled sword accurately, and it miraculously helped Zakriel, who had his head lowered, block another attack.
In the fourth second, the last mercenary who stood in front of Ricky cleverly chose not to engage with Zakriel. Instead, he shot three darts. Zakriel nimbly dodged one dart, and it pierced the foot of a pursuer behind him.
In the fifth second, the second dart hit the handle of Zakriel's axe. It coincidentally changed its direction, flew into the crowd, and pierced … Barney Junior's butt, who was pinned to the ground by two people.
In the sixth second, the third dart accurately hit the splint on Zakriel's left arm, which was used to stabilize the injury. The Knight of Judgment turned his head, bit the splint, and spat. The drooling dart immediately appeared in the air. It was struck by Zakriel's axe, and it shot towards its original owner's crotch.
In the seventh second, Ricky was shocked to find that the mercenary who threw the dart in front of him had curled up into a ball in pain. He fell backwards and coincidentally fell towards Ricky's right foot. At the same time, Zakriel's axe flew through the air and shot towards Ricky's left foot.
Ricky had to take a huge step back to avoid his companion's screams as he rolled on the ground. Then, he used his sword to parry Zakriel's throwing axe.
But when he was done, Zakriel had already appeared in front of him.
"Oh no —"
Ricky, who was trying his best to maintain his balance, only managed to say half a word before the indifferent Zakriel raised his right arm and left arm at the same time.
* Crack! *
There was a terrifying, muffled sound of bones cracking.
Thales shuddered.
In the next second, Ricky's head was turned in an impossible direction on his shoulder.
* Thud. *
A soft thud rose. Ricky, who had been insufferably arrogant just a moment ago, fell to the ground with eyes wide open in disbelief.
His head was twisted in a strange position, and he was looking behind him.
He could no longer move.
The battle ended while many Disaster Swords cried out in pain or in pain.
Aside from the wailing wounded, everyone else was stunned.
But Zakriel was not done.
He extended his hand coldly and caught Ricky's falling Everlasting Truth in midair. It looked as if the fallen Ricky had thrown the sword to him of his own accord.
Everyone's hearts trembled!
Thales turned his head subconsciously.
* Swoosh! *
There was another sound of flesh being torn apart.
This time, amid the gushing blood, Ricky's head was separated from his body.
It rolled limply on the ground.
One second.
Two seconds.
Three seconds.
Under everyone's almost shocked gazes, Zakriel stood up.
With a clang, the longsword fell to the ground.
Ricky's body lay on the ground, unmoving.
His head was not far from his left shoulder. His eyes were wide open, and he stared at his neck.
Once he was done, Zakriel grunted. He covered his chest and hunched his back. Obviously, he was not unscathed.
The mercenaries around him reacted and were about to step forward.
But Zakriel only took a deep breath, turned his head, and swept his gaze around him.
The mercenaries all froze and retreated one after another.
They retreated like a tide.
Or a flock of sheep that ran into hungry wolves.
On the Disaster Swords' side, Klein supported Josef, who was coughing. He stared at the ghost-like warrior in front of him in shock and fear.
'Damn it.
'It wasn't a coincidence that we were in the prison …
'This guy can really …'
The people on Thales' side were also dumbfounded by what they saw.
"Forty … forty …" Quick Rope looked at the wounded and Ricky's corpse on the ground. He mumbled in horror, "What the f * ck?
"F * ck, could it be true?"
The Knight of Judgment ignored the others. He only turned his head around and stared at the headless corpse on the ground with a grave expression.
It felt like a long time had passed.
But the corpse on the ground did not move.
Zakriel breathed a sigh of relief and turned around.
Thales and the others also breathed a sigh of relief.
'As expected, he remembered to deliver the finishing blow after killing someone …
'It's the right thing to do.'
But a few seconds later, Zakriel froze in his tracks as he walked back.
Because a strange, rustling sound came from behind him.
On the other side, Thales, Tardin, Canon, Bruley, and Quick Rope looked behind the Knight of Judgment, and their faces instantly turned pale!
Even the Disaster Swords in the area turned pale. They turned their heads and avoided him.
Zakriel's pupils shrank.
In the next second, without thinking, he kicked up the axe on the ground, grabbed the handle with his right hand, and turned around!
* Splat! *
It was the sound of steel sinking into flesh.
Zakriel pushed the axe into the chest of the person behind him!
But this did not make Thales and the other onlookers feel any better.
Because they saw the corpse, who stood up again, grab Zakriel's arm, and nonchalantly stare at the axe that had sunk into his chest and was bleeding profusely.
It was as if it was not his own chest.
"How ruthless, beheading him."
At some point in time, the corpse, Ricky, whose head had returned to his body, laughed.
"You really know how to cause trouble for me."
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