Kingdom's Bloodline, page 404
*Flick!*
The crossbow string made a sound again, and a sharp arrow swooped through the sky.
*Clang!*
Another arrow was stuck into the ground beside Nicholas' thigh, producing a frightening, dull sound.
The armor on the Star Killer's thigh was torn, and splotches of blood could be seen on his clothes.
Next to the stream, the heavily-injured, pale man lay face-down on the ground in the small clearing surrounded by rocks. He panted in the face of his frightening and powerful opponent who was hidden from his sight.
"Do you hear it? The sound of your flesh and blood continuously being torn open by barbs?" the Raven of Death's voice rose. It was filled with cruelty and malice to continuously attack Nicholas' mental state.
But this time, Nicholas said nothing else, even though he still suffered greatly.
On the contrary, his sweat-drenched face spoke of deep concentration.
The Star Killer endured the pain in his chest and firmly extended his left hand to grab the golden, black-hilted saber.
Thales furrowed his eyebrows.
"It's a pity that the Rising Sun Saber's power can't ward off arrows…"
Monty's cold sneers drifted over from the cracks between the rocks. They rode on the drifting sounds of the wind, appearing to be near at times, and far at others. "Are you thinking about how nice it would be if you still had the Severing Souls Blade…"
But the Raven of Death suddenly stopped talking.
Nicholas calmly rose to a kneeling position. He moved his left hand past the back of his head and pushed the Rising Sun Saber towards his back.
Thales' gaze froze, and he was shocked.
'Is he…'
The Star Killer's blade grazed the arrow shaft, which was exposed outside his back armor. It produced a few sparks.
*Sizzle…*
The arrow shaft that was instantly cut into two fell limp on the ground while strange sizzling sounds echoed in the air. One of the sides was slightly red and smouldering a little.
Nicholas coughed. "You know, it's true that this saber, which looks like it's on fire, cannot be used to ward off arrows…"
He moved the blade to his chest near his wound.
The frightening sizzling sounds appeared again.
Nicholas grunted laboriously. The blade and his right hand moved away from the wound on his chest at the same time.
Thales widened his eyes.
Without the slightest bit of hesitation, the man pulled a small but hideous barbed arrowhead out of his chest together with the snapped shaft.
The Star Killer's forehead was drenched in sweat, but apart from that, he did not even frown. It was as if he just cut open somebody else's wound. "Nonetheless, it's still very useful when it comes to cleaning wounds and taking out arrows. I can even stop my bleeding while I'm at it…"
The moment Nicholas finished speaking, another arrow came charging towards him!
*Whoosh!*
As the arrow swooped through the air and whistled, Nicholas turned quickly.
The Twist of Fate surged within him and caused his body to move!
*Sching!*
The new arrow passed through the afterimage of its target and landed a few inches away from Nicholas' boots. It buzzed from its remaining energy.
Thales looked worriedly at the scene before his eyes. He stared at the arrow on the floor. The Star Killer panted softly, but he was not injured.
Compared to a few moments ago, Nicholas seemed to be moving effortlessly and was much more at ease after taking out the arrow in his body.
For the first time since the fight began, the Raven of Death's fatal shot did not hit its target.
'Sh*t.' Thales could not help but grip his sword tightly.
"Six seconds, old friend.
"You took a whole six seconds to draw the bow, aim, measure the distance and shoot—the same as eighteen years ago." The Star Killer inhaled deeply. He extended his right hand and clenched his fist slightly. Even though he was not as agile as before, he no longer had difficulty moving due to an arrow being inside his body.
"Together with the one second it takes for an arrow to move after you shoot it, there's a gap of at least seven to nine seconds between each shot… I have seven to nine seconds of safety."
Nicholas' expression became calm again. He unfurled his fist, and a small arrowhead fell from his hand.
The wound on his chest had been sealed by high temperature, and the wound on his back was no longer bleeding either. His Power of Eradication gathered in the bones near his wound and surged ceaselessly, powering the contraction of his muscles and closing the wound.
*Whoosh!*
The sound of an arrow swooping through the air rang again.
The Star Killer suddenly spun around before he finished speaking and swung his blade!
Thales shuddered violently. His Hell's senses immediately slowed down the scene before his eyes. Nicholas' body emitted a silver light, which drove his body to turn in an unbelievable manner, leaving behind a trail of afterimages.
He cut down the arrow in the air with a swift and nimble slice.
*Shick!*
Sparks flew as the Rising Sun Saber cut the arrow into two without problems.
The Star Killer paused momentarily.
The scene before Thales' eyes went back to normal.
The two halves of the short arrow continued to move in a forward momentum until they fell to the ground a distance away.
Thales' frown deepened. He could see that even though the Star Killer was still slowed down by his injury, he was slowly regaining control of the situation.
Nicholas raised the slightly red Rising Sun Saber with his left hand and inhaled deeply. "You're right, Monty."
The pale-faced man looked at the area below his left ribs. There was a rather bad new scratch on his light armor.
He shook the weapon in his hand in dissatisfaction. "This steaming hot saber is too sharp. Even if it hits the arrow, it cannot change its direction.
"I'm starting to miss my old blade."
The Star Killer lifted his head. He started to walk forward slowly, vigilantly sweeping his gaze over the rocks around him.
"Son of a b*tch," Monty's voice was heard again. His voice was slightly louder, and there was a hint of annoyance in his vulgar words, echoing Thales' worry. "Pulling out the arrow on the battlefield while under immense pain, and still having the time to calculate the speed at which I shot the arrows…
"You were a simple-minded soldier who only knew how to injure people. Since when did you become so sharp?"
Nicholas slowly exercised his right arm, which was rather heavily injured, to test its limits while it was injured. He sneered in contempt. "Haven't I told you before that this is the age at which we are at our most powerful? Even though we are physically weaker and our skills are on a decline, our experiences, knowledge and willpower will gradually become our most reliable abilities."
The Star Killer sneered, and there was fury in his eyes. "And you won't be able to imagine what sort of experience that night six years ago in Dragon Clouds City has given me…"
Thales, who was resting to replenish his strength, was triggered. He could not stop himself from recalling that nightmarish night.
Especially when the intimidating sounds of arrows being fired by crossbows stacked neatly together under Lampard's command while he sneered coldly.
Ruthless and cold.
And those White Blade Guards who desperately protected him and Little Rascal, as well as the indignant and pained expression on their faces when they were badly injured…
"Compared to that… Ha." Nicholas' sneer brought Thales back to reality. "Monty, every time you shoot an arrow, you calculate the opponent's trajectory of movement according to the distance and the direction of the wind, right…?"
Monty did not answer.
"What a coincidence."
Nicholas sneered. "My Power of Eradication is best a person's trajectory while he is moving."
*Whizz!*
The next shot was accompanied by a dull sound.
But…
Thales saw grimly that the Twist of Fate in Nicholas' body flashed slightly.
Nicholas instantly stopped moving forward. He turned backwards, as if he could see into the future and dodged the arrow, which was supposed to pierce through his chest!
"F*ck!"
Monty's exasperated yell came from far away. "You can even dodge this… are you a f*cking fly?"
Nicholas answered by apathetically shaking his head. "Come on, Monty. I almost know where you are now."
He fixed his gaze on the area ahead on his left, spinning the saber on his left hand non-stop.
The Land of Barren Rocks was silent again.
There was only Nicholas, who fixed his gaze on the stone, and Thales, who leaned against his shield and recuperated while sitting on the ground.
Thales sighed loudly. It was obvious that the tides had turned.
"Hahahaha." The Raven of Death's laughter echoed airily. There was a faint desolate tone in his voice. "You know, Spiky, you reminded me of Kaslan…"
Nicholas' gaze froze.
'Kaslan?'
The heroic old man who advised Thales to drink alcohol, flashed before Thales' mind. But the prince had not seen him ever since. He heard that in the end, the old man died in Heroic Spirit Palace.
"Every time Kaslan and Terende sparred, when the Inextinguishable Blaze had the upper hand due to his fierce attacks and is about to defeat the Iceberg…"
Monty continued speaking. "Kaslan would counterattack, place traps, and lure Terende into his traps… Kaslan always had a way of pulling a deadly stunt at the end, turning the tide and defeating Terende. Even the Motionless Bow could not help Terende."
Nicholas was first taken aback due to confusion, and registered what was going on.
Terende the Inextinguishable Blaze.
His gaze dimmed. Terende was once the White Blade Guards' vanguard, and was a mighty fighter from the same generation as Kaslan.
"Always having a way out, always having a way to win… you're really becoming more and more like the Iceberg," Monty said with a sigh.
'No.'
Nicholas breathed quietly. 'It's not just Kaslan and Terende…
'There's also Dominic, Bryke, Lyken, Sol, Bauer… and other old faces from the White Blade Guards.'
Nicholas tightened his grip on his saber while remaining expressionless.
At this moment, the Raven of Death said flatly, "What are you waiting for, Your Highness?"
Once he spoke, the sound of the bowstring being drawn rang again!
The slightly absent-minded Star Killer was shocked. He immediately activated the Twist of Fate and turned, dodging the arrow!
But that was not the end!
*Whoosh!*
The sound of a sword cutting through air appeared!
At some point of time, Thales had already gone right behind Nicholas!
The prince swung his sword with a fierce expression and cut towards Nicholas, who just dodged the snipe and still had not regained his footing.
*Clang!*
Nicholas lifted his blade calmly and laboriously staved off Thales' attack while his body was positioned in the most unfavorable position for attacks.
Thales gritted his teeth hard and took the opportunity to thrust his shield forward!
*Bang! Clang!*
Nicholas warded off the shield with his right shoulder, then parried the prince's subsequent thrust with the blade on his left hand.
"Step back, little prince." The Star Killer gathered strength on his waist, then shoved Thales off before he gave him an impatient warning. "Or else you'll lose a hand… or more."
Thales snorted coldly. "Didn't you say that I just need to retain one hand to eat?"
The furious Nicholas was about to speak when alarm bells rang in his head.
He immediately lowered his head!
*Whizz!*
Another arrow shot through the air towards him!
It grazed past the back of Nicholas' left ear and produced a billow of hot air.
"Look, actually, you don't have to worry about me." Thales exhaled. He estimated the strength remaining in his body and said solemnly, "Your real opponent is on the other side."
Nicholas growled. His gaze was unpleasant, and the cut left by Thales' sword on his face was still red.
The second prince swung his longsword again!
The moment the Star Killer raised his saber to fend off the attack, he realized that something was not right.
Then, just as he expected, Thales suddenly turned his longsword halfway in the air and circumnavigated the Star Killer's blade—meant to parry his attack—in an unbelievable manner!
'It's a feint.
'A feint made by the Twist of Fate.
'Damn it!'
The Star Killer cursed internally. 'That's my move.'
He immediately took a step back and dodged Thales' attack, which seemed like a thrust but was actually a slash.
Thales, who had just drove off his opponent in a direct confrontation for the first time, curled up the corners of his lips.
'As expected.'
The right side of Nicholas' chest was badly wounded. Even though he suppressed the wound for the time being, it was obvious that the Star Killer was greatly affected from the fact that he had to wield his blade with his left hand instead, and from how his dominant hand, footsteps and balance were far from being in their best state.
Thales exhaled. 'It's not as stressful as it used to be to fight against this frightening man anymore.
'And.' Thales rested his sword on his shield. His gaze was ferocious. He knew that he had two great advantages.
'First of all, Nicholas won't be willing to kill me unless it's a last resort.
'Otherwise, there would be no point in him running after me on Dragon Clouds City's behalf.
'Next, this is not a fight between me and Nicholas, but a duel between the Raven of Death and the Star Killer.
'They are placing all their attention on each other. The Prince of Constellation is at most an arena for their duel.
'So, I just need to try my best to create trouble for Nicholas so that the Star Killer reveals enough of his weak points. That way, while hiding in the dark, the Raven of Death would be able to…'
"You want to continue playing, huh?"
Nicholas stared at him in annoyance. "Then, open your eyes and take a good look!"
The next moment, Nicholas immediately moved the blade in his left hand in front of Thales!
Thales held up his shield, but he was immediately shocked!
Through his hell's senses, he saw that there was an upsurge of Power of Eradication in Nicholas' body. Immediately after, Nicholas thrust his blade forward, then he instantly changed the direction in which the blade moved.
'The Twist of Fate.
'Again.
'The Twist of Fate that can change the direction of movement in a flash and reverse inertia, and brings about miraculous effects whether its user is dodging or attacking!'
Thales instinctively activated the Sin of Hell's River and imitated the silver light that burst out of Nicholas' bones. He forcibly retracted his shield while his joints cracked and ached in pain, and thrust the shield at the real direction of his opponent's attack. At the same time, he swung his sword with his right hand and thrust it straight at his opponent, preparing to play another game of 'I will change direction if you do'.
His shield and Nicholas' weapon grazed past each other in the air and produced a faintly discernible sound. *Sching!*
'No.
'Wait.'
Thales stared at Nicholas' fierce expression. His heart was beating fast, and it dawned on him that something was not right.
'It's not so simple…'
*Whoosh!* The blade made a whistle in the air, moving straight with a fierce momentum.
Thales was shocked.
This time, dead face did not activate the Twist of Fate!
He did not utilize the special effect of his Power of Eradication either. He did not change his movement and inertia, or skirt around Thales sword!
Instead…
"AAAAHHHH—" Nicholas roared furiously.
Instead, he swung his saber and advanced on Thales with an indomitable spirit!
*Schick!* Thales' sword grazed past Nicholas' left shoulder. Blood splattered out.
But the Star Killer did not care about his injury. He simply went straight towards Thales!
The next moment, Thales, who was still in a dodging position and was flustered as he withdrew his sword and shield, felt a chill creep down his spine. He shuddered with fear.
When he came round, the Rising Sun Saber was already placed against his neck.
"Just like war, the Twist of Fate is an art form that is used to deceive your opponents." Nicholas did not care at all about the wound on his shoulder. His gaze was cold. "But if you're too indulged in its effects to deceive your enemies and rely too much on feints and changing directions to obtain an advantage…"
The man did not continue.
Thales sighed. He lowered his shield and held his sword upside down to show defeat.
Nicholas exerted a little force with his hand and threatened Thales with a cold snort. "This is what happens to you in the end…"
*Whoosh!* A distance away, the sound of a bowstring being released appeared again!
The Star Killer's expression changed.
At the same time, Thales swung his sword outwards with a backhand grip!
Nicholas' expression changed due to the attack from both sides. He opened his mouth to curse, but only had time to utter one word. "F*ck!"
The Twist of Fate in the Star Killer's body circulated again and forcibly turned his body!
Nicholas dodged Thales' backhanded slash, which was right in front of him, perfectly. However, the arrow, which was moving at a very fast speed, sliced his arm, bringing with it a trail of blood.
He lost his footing. The Star Killer gritted his teeth and took a few continuous steps backwards, moving out of the danger zone. He stopped the bleeding with the heat of the Rising Sun Saber.
"I think what he meant was that, Your Highness, you know how to deceive your opponents, and you also know how to give it your all in a fight too."
