It was a small piece of sand.
It was located in the middle of several sand dunes of different sizes. It slept quietly under the dimly lit sky. It was dead silent.
Then, all the sand on the ground began to tremble slightly.
* Bang. *
A muffled sound rose. An irregular surface suddenly appeared in the center of the sand.
* Thud. *
As muffled sounds rose one after another, countless grains of sand slid down from the gradually raised surface and fell into the dark hole underneath.
The falling grains of sand rustled.
The surface, which was several meters wide, continued to rise, revealing its grayish-black nature.
More than ten seconds later, a figure covered in dust and holding a torch was the first to emerge from the dark and mysterious hole.
The figure patted off the sand on his body and looked around.
Then, he turned around, extended his hand to grab the second person, and pulled the latter out of the hole.
Then, the third, the fourth … More and more people climbed out of the hole.
There were dozens of them.
Then, a thin figure appeared from the hole and was pulled out. He stepped on the sand.
"Cough, cough, cough …"
Thales, who was covered in dust, took off his towel and coughed out dust and sand in pain. He patted off the sand on his body.
The temperature of the cold wind before dawn and the smell of sand assaulted his senses at the same time.
It made him shudder.
It was familiar, yet unfamiliar.
Thales subconsciously reached behind his waist, but he touched nothing. It was only then that he remembered that his dagger had been confiscated by Ricky.
Behind the teenager, Tardin, Bruley, and Canon's hands were tied tightly. They were escorted out one after another.
Zakriel, Barney, and Beldin were in an even worse state. They were even blindfolded and were personally watched over by Klein and Josef.
Quick Rope seemed to be treated as an unimportant errand boy. He bitterly moved the equipment the mercenaries retrieved from the battlefield. From time to time, he glanced at Thales, as if he was asking for help.
Stake was also blindfolded. He was roughly pushed out under the watch of two mercenaries.
Everyone came to the surface one after another.
"This … isn't this the Prison of Bones?"
Thales stepped on the familiar sand. He ignored Quick Rope's resentful gaze behind him. While he cleaned up the mess on his body, he tried his best to observe his surroundings under the dim light.
"It's not even … Blade Fangs Camp?"
The vast yellow sand around him surprised and terrified him.
Ricky turned his head around under the dim eastern sky.
"How …"
"Do you think we'll go back the way we came?"
Ricky threw away the torch in his hand and shook his head mockingly.
"The entrance to the Prison of Bones — I reckon that the people from the Secret Intelligence Department have already surrounded that place."
Thales sighed internally.
The prince hugged his arms and rubbed his body, which was suddenly exposed to the cold wind. He looked around in puzzlement.
"Where is this?"
"It's not far from Blade Fangs Camp." Ricky raised his head under the gray sky and stared at the familiar small row of fortresses in the distance.
"But I can just see it."
Thales narrowed his eyes and observed Blade Fangs Camp, which seemed to be right before his eyes. He felt dejected.
In the desert, "just in sight" was equivalent to "walking for a whole day."
So, what would happen to them next?
"What are you waiting for?" Thales asked while rubbing his hands together.
This time, Ricky only glanced at him coldly.
"Timing."
Opportunity?
Thales frowned.
While the cold wind howled, Ricky raised his head to look at the sky.
"Everyone, final check."
"We're leaving."
Ricky walked past Thales, who was deep in thought, and walked towards Samel, who stood in a secluded spot.
He stared at the Royal Guards who were tied up tightly in the distance and whispered to Samel,
"How is it?"
Samel avoided the group and cast a glance at Zakriel before he shook his head.
"They refused to join us."
Ricky frowned and exhaled.
"Barney?"
Samel snorted softly. He seemed to be very displeased.
"Especially Barney. That guy's temper is harder than a rock."
Ricky stared at the blindfolded Barney and clicked his tongue softly.
"But he just had to be the one who mastered the secret of the Northland Military Sword Style."
Samel's eyes brightened.
"Then, is he?"
But Ricky shook his head in disappointment.
"The Thawing of Glaciers."
Both of them were silent for a while.
Ricky swept his gaze over his subordinates who were doing their final checks and preparations behind him. He gestured at Zakriel with his chin.
"I've been trying to convince their commanding officer. If he agrees first …"
But Samel shook his head firmly.
"Not Zakriel." The determination in Samel's tone made Ricky a little stunned.
"The key is not Zakriel."
Samel looked at the slightly shorter and frail figure behind him. His expression was complicated.
"They are only loyal to him."
Ricky looked in the direction of Samel's gaze. He saw the teenager, who was covered in wounds, looked exhausted, and had a bruise on his chin. He stared at the sand under his feet dejectedly while he mumbled something.
"Him?"
Ricky was momentarily stunned. His gaze lingered on Thales for a few seconds.
"You told me that you could make them fight amongst themselves." Ricky turned his head around, and his expression became stern.
"What happened after that? When that child appeared, all of you knelt together? "
'What happened?'
Samel was silent for a while.
The sleeping Nalgi and Naer appeared before his eyes.
And the teenager's smile.
'I rest by the Emperor's side …'
"It's nothing."
Samel looked up and shook off his memories. He tried his best not to look at Thales.
"He's just … very convincing."
Ricky raised an eyebrow when he sensed the alienation in Samel's tone.
"Huh."
'Very convincing.
'Is that so?'
He cast Samel a deep glance.
"I am very curious about one thing, Samel." Ricky's words made Samel nervous. Crassus narrowed his eyes.
"Before we arrived, did you manage to find out why the Knight of Judgment wanted to kill that child?"
Samel's breathing froze for a moment.
'Why?'
He was silent for a few seconds.
Ricky approached him slowly.
"What is it that you haven't told me yet?
Maybe … it's about the royal family? "
When he saw Samel's expression, Ricky chuckled.
"Alright, I know that you might not be able to let go of the oath you swore in the past. I completely understand —"
But Samel took a deep breath and interrupted him.
"Zakriel did that —"
Samel looked at Ricky seriously.
"Maybe it's because … he's really mad."
'Really mad?'
Ricky frowned, and his face was filled with suspicion.
Samel lowered his head unnaturally.
"You saw it too. Zakriel was shouting about killing them just a moment ago, and in the next moment, he came back to help them. I think he's really mad."
This time, Ricky stared at Samel for a long, long time under the dark but almost bright sky.
Samel did not raise his head.
"Oh, he's mad." Ricky's gaze never left Samel, but his tone became strange.
"No wonder it's so hard … to communicate with him?"
He continued to observe Samel's expression.
Samel coughed and suddenly spoke.
"Listen, you want the secret of Barney's swordsmanship. Sure, if we can take that child away —"
At that moment …
"Hey, Ricky! Uncle Ricky? Ricky, Little Dumbass? "
Ricky and Samel turned their heads and were surprised to see Prince Thales raise his hand high in the crowd and shake it at them.
'Little … Dumbass?'
"Urk, can we talk in private?"
Thales' forceful shake of his hand and loud shouts attracted many people's attention. Behind him, Marina even put her hand on the hilt of the sword by her waist.
"You said … take him away?" Ricky glanced at Samel, sighed, and walked back.
"I want to."
Ricky went in front of Thales and resumed his calm and slightly humorous expression. "Your Highness, don't tell me that you want to find a quiet place to pee.
Because you can do it on the spot. We don't mind. "
To his surprise, Thales smiled, revealing a row of teeth.
"I suddenly thought of a question about the Air Calamity. He went to the Tower of Eradication with all of you, right?"
As soon as he said that, the mercenaries who were busy with their own things fell silent.
Many people looked in their direction.
Ricky's expression changed.
He turned his head and said to Samel with a gloomy expression,
"Watch them."
Once he finished speaking, Ricky grabbed Thales' shoulders in an extremely rough manner and dragged him to a quiet corner away from the crowd.
"Ah, ouch, gentler … I'm still young … you can't …
"Alright, alright, I won't resist. Don't use any more force …"
While Thales stumbled and protested along the way, Ricky shook him off.
"Give me a reason not to knock you out," Ricky said coldly.
But Thales only patted the sand off his body, panted, and shrugged.
"That Dragon Breaker or something else, that's what the Air Calamity wants, right?"
Thales smiled and said.
"Your behavior in the prison made me feel … that all of you don't have that much desire for this."
There was a subtle change in Ricky's expression.
"And what all of you want is Black Sword with the Sin of Hell's River." Thales' tone became formal.
"Yes, I know. Black Sword was the one who brought that weapon back."
Ricky's eyes widened a little.
He stared at Thales for three seconds.
"My dear, I realized that …" Ricky's tone could probably catch up to the temperature of the night in the desert.
"You're cuter when you listen to me seriously."
Thales bared his teeth in resignation.
The teenager turned his head to look at the crowd and scratched his head.
"Those names.
Those names you mentioned, they took me some time to recall, but … "
Ricky narrowed his eyes.
Thales turned his head around, took a deep breath, and said solemnly,
"The Iron Blood King was the King of the North who died in a heroic battle against the ancient orcs before the era of multiple kings.
"There was a drama from the Age of the Empire that talked about how the Black Knight was put on trial for murdering his lord.
"Shawlon Tannon was a name from the Tannon Family in Northland. They were stripped of Prestige Orchid Region and removed from the ten archduchy families of Eckstedt because they attempted to murder the king."
With every sentence Thales said, Ricky's expression became a little more gloomy.
"As for Hill Crassus, he was the person who betrayed the Tower of Eradication and established the Disaster Sword more than a hundred years ago."
Thales finished the last sentence.
Ricky looked at him and snorted softly.
'This child, maybe Samel is right.'
When he thought of this, Ricky said,
"Correction, we are not called calamities —"
Thales interrupted him again.
"Based on what you said, they were all people who awakened the Sin of Hell's River, right?"
Ricky raised his eyebrows.
"You once said that the Power of Eradication is the person." Thales took a few deep breaths.
"But it seems that every owner of the Sin of Hell's River did not end up well.
Including Black Sword. "
This time, Ricky stared at him deeply, as if he had discovered something incredible about Thales.
"I have a few friends who trained in the Tower of Eradication. They told me," Thales said tentatively.
"The biggest difference between the Disaster Sword's Power of Eradication and theirs is that it surrenders to the worst aspects of power — madness, brutality, and pain. Even the opponent can feel it."
"Am I overthinking things?"
Thales paid attention to Ricky's expression.
"Or should I really give up on the Sin of Hell's River?"
'Madness, brutality, and pain.'
Thales did not know if it was the Tower of Eradication or the Disaster Swords that agitated him, but Ricky's expression became unpleasant.
"Your friend must have an extraordinary status." Ricky was silent for a while before he spoke.
"You must know that we are the secret scars that the Tower of Eradication is most unwilling to reveal.
"Also, correction, we are not called Disaster Sword."
Thales could tell that Ricky was changing the topic. He could not help but sigh.
"I have seen how you fight. You cannot deny that you fight like beasts."
Ricky snorted and shook his head.
"Then you should know that we are stronger than the average Swordsmen of Eradication, and we are bound by fewer restrictions."
But Thales did not buy it.
"What you taught me today, and what you said about looking forward to the day I reach the 'True World'.
Will I become a beast like that in the end? "
Ricky snorted in annoyance. He was about to answer, but he suddenly remembered something.
"Strange."
Ricky raised his eyebrows.
"Why are you suddenly so talkative?"
Thales froze slightly. He looked behind him furtively, as if he was afraid of being seen. Then, he awkwardly raised the thing in his right hand.
"Because … of this?"
Ricky saw the thing in Thales' right hand clearly.
It was a dagger that shone with a cold light.
It seemed to be the one he had seized earlier …
Ricky's expression changed drastically!
He subconsciously lowered his head and touched his bosom.
"When did you steal —"
Ricky did not manage to finish his sentence.
* Shick! *
In the next second, a gray blade that he was very familiar with appeared in the air. Like a battleship that broke through the waves, it pierced Ricky's left forehead, piercing his skull!
* Swoosh! *
The gray blade pulled out the skull, bringing with it an endless amount of blood!
It splattered the sand red.
"Ricky!"
Thales gritted his teeth and ran a few meters to the side. Before he could greet the dark purple masked man who appeared again, he heard the mercenaries behind him, who had been paying attention to him, cry out in alarm.
"Enemy attack!"
Josef gritted his teeth in hatred. He roared and drew his sword. With a few mercenaries, he rushed towards the figure in black who suddenly appeared!
"F * ck me, it's him again!"
Klein was so angry that he laughed. He also brought a few people to surround him.
"How many f * cking times has it been …"
But in the next moment, Klein noticed that something was wrong.
* Thud! *
A loud thud rose. Josef felt a pain at the back of his head. His entire body spun, and he fell down!
The three mercenaries beside him turned their heads subconsciously and saw that the disheveled prisoner with his left arm in a splint had already squeezed into their midst!
Klein lay on the ground and turned his head around while trembling.
He watched in despair as Zakriel, who had broken free at some point in time and regained his freedom, easily and quickly knocked down three people. Or rather, he only knocked down one person, because the other two had knocked each other unconscious for some strange reason. Then, he stepped over Klein's body.
Zakriel limped towards the place where Ricky and Thales were. He only left behind a few words that floated in the air.
"The fourth time."
Klein sucked in a breath in pain.
'No …
'When did they break free …?'
Not too far away, Bruley, who had also broken free from his restraints, roared and sent a person flying. Barney Junior knocked over the mercenary guarding him with a headbutt. Tardin snatched an axe and threw it to Beldin. Canon threw a throwing knife that came out of nowhere …
The mercenaries instantly fell into chaos!
Josef, who was charging at the front, turned his head around in surprise. At some point in time, all the prisoners had broken free from their restraints. They used the shock brought about by Ricky's fall to quickly break out of the encirclement and regrouped with Thales!
'No.
'They are …'
* Whoosh! * An urgent sound rose!
Josef instinctively lowered his head, only to find that an arrow had been shot into the sand by his feet.
"F * ck, why didn't I hit you again … You're a f * cking fake, right?"
Across him, Quick Rope tapped the Crossbow of Time in exasperation.
But when he realized that three people were surrounding him, Quick Rope immediately felt as if his soul had left his body. He dashed towards Thales while flailing his arms.
"Help!"
Samel roared in the crowd as he reorganized the chaotic team and formation.
"Don't panic, they're just a spent force!
We have the advantage in numbers! "
Thales breathed nervously in the chaos and uproar that lasted only a few seconds. He turned his head and saw Yodel throw something at Barney and the others, who were running towards him.
But before the prince could say anything, he heard a chilling rustling sound coming from nearby!
A cold wind blew, and Thales turned his head around with goosebumps all over his body.
"You're …"
Ricky, who was as pale as a corpse, climbed up from the ground again in a pool of blood. He gritted his teeth, glared, and reached out to draw Everlasting Truth from his waist.
"You're courting death —"
But before he could finish speaking, Zakriel, who was the first to run towards him, had a stern expression on his face. He lowered his body, suddenly leaned forward, and extended his hand.
In the next second, Thales widened his eyes and opened his mouth.
He watched in shock as the heroic and imposing Knight of Judgment moved towards Ricky, who was resurrected …
He threw a handful full of sand …
'Sand.'
"Aaaahhh!"
Perhaps he did not expect the famous Knight of Judgment to be so despicable. Ricky, who had just drawn his sword, was caught off guard, and the sand landed on his head and face.
"Damn it!"
Ricky cried out in pain. He used his left hand to cover his eyes, which were covered in sand. He instinctively thrust his right hand forward, but Zakriel dodged it with an agile roll.
"Yes!
That's it! "
In the chaos, Quick Rope, who had rolled and crawled over, clenched his teeth, swung his fists, and shouted,
"Hit him again!"
Canon, who had protected him until he reached Thales' side, frowned and looked at Quick Rope.
Quick Rope's voice immediately became weaker. He looked at Canon in embarrassment.
"I, um … the atmosphere, the atmosphere …"
"Don't worry about Ricky, he'll be able to counterattack soon." Samel gritted his teeth and tried hard to restore order. He commanded the scene.
"Surround them first!"
In the next second, Thales saw Barney Junior raise the item he received from Yodel, and he came to a realization.
"Do you think you can kill me like this?"
Ricky rubbed the sand in his eyes in pain while he swung his sword according to the sound of the wind beside his ears.
But soon, he heard a metallic sound beside his ears.
Ricky closed his eyes and endured the pain in them. He only felt a huge force surging towards him and squeezing him from all directions!
It squeezed him so hard that he shuddered!
* Thud. *
With a soft sound, Everlasting Truth fell on the sand.
As the mercenaries cried out in surprise, Ricky tried his best to open his eyelids a little and saw the scene before him.
Chains.
At some unknown point of time, a vicious chain with countless barbs had already surrounded him from top to bottom, locking him down tightly!
His left hand was chained to the left side of his face, and his right hand was chained to his body. He was kneeling on the ground.
Barney and Beldin held one end of the chain with cold expressions, while Bruley and Tardin held the other end. The four of them used their strength to pull the chain taut, one on the left, and the other on the right, locking down Ricky's movements.
"Come on, we know we can't kill you."
Zakriel panted while his arm was suspended. He came in front of Ricky.
"Then I'll just trap you."
The Knight of Judgment ignored the strange gazes from his subordinates and Thales and Quick Rope. With a calm expression, he rubbed off the remaining sand in his right hand, picked up Everlasting Truth in front of the immobile Ricky, and turned towards the mercenaries.
"By the way, it's a good sword."
Thales exhaled and supported Quick Rope as he stumbled towards him. He recognized the chain on Ricky's body. It was the chain Stake had used to trap Yodel.
"Aaahhh!"
Ricky, who was chained down, could not suppress his anger and roared.
"Zakriel!"
But just like Yodel just now, the more he struggled, the deeper the barbs on the chain pierced into him.
The harder it was for him to break free.
Thales panted, smiled, and gave Yodel a thumbs up.
'Well done.'
It had only been a dozen seconds since Yodel appeared and Ricky was trapped, but he felt as if he had experienced it for a lifetime.
Yodel turned the Supreme Sword upside down, placed the hilt in front of his chest, and bowed slightly to Thales.
In the next second, ripples appeared on the Masked Protector in black, and he disappeared into the air again.
A few seconds later, under Josef and Samel's lead, dozens of Disaster Swords surged forward. They spread out from the front and surrounded the guards!
But another figure was already in front of them.
The Knight of Judgment's body seemed to have a certain aura. Wherever he stood, the mercenaries who had seen his abilities would freeze.
"Stay calm!"
Samel blocked all the angry mercenaries in exasperation. He stared at Zakriel in front of him.
"Don't forget his abilities!"
Josef gritted his teeth.
"He's badly injured! We just need to — "
"No!"
Samel shook his head resolutely.
"I can't take the risk. Don't forget that mask!"
Josef roared angrily.
Thales managed to calm his breathing after much difficulty. He observed that the situation had returned to a stalemate between the two parties.
Ricky's eyes were shut tight. He was chained by four people. Thales supported Quick Rope and stood behind him. Canon guarded him vigilantly by the side.
Zakriel raised Everlasting Truth and stood calmly in front of the remaining mercenaries.
The small sandy area slowly regained its silence. Only the sound of breathing could be heard.
"My old friend with the mask."
Ricky tried his best to open his eyes a little while he was chained up. He tried his best to search for the mysterious figure.
"Marina said that you were killed. When did you come back?"
There was no response.
Thales sucked in a deep breath and said with a smile,
"Underground, when your people were resting and waiting, when I dragged you along to talk about demons and the Power of Eradication so that you could enjoy the pleasure of being a good teacher."
Ricky froze for a moment.
The teenager continued.
"Your old friend was lurking in the dark. He was busy untying the ropes, sending messages, and making plans."
'What?
'The pleasure … of being a good teacher?'
Ricky's chest heaved violently as he was chained tightly.
He struggled again, but the four guards' faces turned red. They locked him down tightly.
"And you used this opportunity to lower my guard, and when the time was right, you would 'step aside and talk'?"
Ricky's eyes were shut, but his voice was filled with anger that seemed to want to burn everything.
Thales chuckled to show his tacit agreement.
Under the gray sky in the east, Ricky's face was filled with anger. He gritted his teeth and said to Thales behind him, "I underestimated you again, Your Highness.
"You're really … sinister, cunning, and full of tricks."
'Sinister, cunning.
Full of tricks? '
Thales sighed.
He turned around and looked in the direction of Blade Fangs Camp.
"You praise me too much."
Thales turned around and flashed a friendly smile at the exasperated mercenaries in front of him, baring his white teeth.
"After all, I'm not a demon."
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.
