Kingdom's Bloodline, page 412
Thales shrugged. "That was because you were forced to. I woke up on the third or the fourth day, but we had reached Spear City, which lies on the border separating Dragon Clouds City and the City of Faraway Prayers, and you uneasily told me that we just passed through Sunset Snow River, and that there were pursuers behind us."
The prince shook his head. "You were lying. We did not pass by Sunset Snow River, but we took a turn to head southeast, and came back to Spear City.
"According to the plan, we should have gone southwest all the way, straight to the desert, but you brought me all the way southeast." Thales gestured to Nicholas with his chin. "You only reluctantly untied me when this dead-face chased after us. You were forced to change directions and swiftly headed west to enter the City of Faraway Prayers' Land of Barren Stone."
The Raven of Death looked as if he had been misunderstood. He said in annoyance, "Your Highness, maybe you lack the experience of marching with the army in the wild, so you couldn't tell where we were going and could not identify the terrain of certain places, but we were taking a detour to avoid our pursuers—"
Thales interrupted him firmly. "Don't try to lie to me. I remember it clearly; when there were no pursuers after us, you went all the way east, and it was only when we were chased by pursuers did you turn towards the right direction.
"That's not the path I remembered. If it wasn't because of Nicholas catching up to us so quickly, were you prepared to bring me all the way to the east?"
Monty was stunned. He could only hear Thales say coldly,
"I should be the one asking you why?"
Monty remained silent for a long time. The Star Killer stared fixedly at him, then at Thales, perplexed.
"Your Highness, I don't understand." After a few seconds, the Raven of Death sighed. "You were unconscious the whole way, how could you be so certain of where you were?"
Thales laughed. "Of course I'm sure."
Monty frowned, and there was puzzlement on his face.
Thales lifted the bow and he said with an enigmatic expression. "Don't you know that as a member of the Jadestar Royal Family, other than the shining blood, some generous god gave us another blessing?"
Nicholas and Monty were both stunned.
'What? Blessing… from a god?'
Thales lowered his voice and revealed a confident smile. He stepped on the ground. "That god blessed us in such a way that as long as I stand on the ground… I will never be lost."
Thales lifted the corner of his lips, and as he breathed, he felt that the spectacles on his bosom actually carried some weight.
"That's right." Thales raised his eyebrows and said in a pleased manner, "No matter what time it is, I will always know where I am."
At that moment, the Star Killer and Monty were stunned. They looked at each other, and shocked expressions appeared on both their faces.
Three seconds passed...
"That's impossible," Monty said in a shocked manner. His chest heaved as though he refused to believe what Thales had said, "You—"
But at that moment, before he could finish his words, the Raven of Death suddenly moved! His expression suddenly turned cold, and he swung his right arm at Thales. What appeared together with Monty's right arm were three flashes that cut through the sky!
The prince who had just been joking in a smug manner suddenly became nervous.
'Shit.'
He did not even have the time to react.
*Swish!*
Three streaks of astonishing silver light charged towards Thales while the wind howled with their movements.
"Be careful!" Nicholas' angry roar traveled into his ears.
At that moment, the Sin of Hell's River surged violently in him. It surged towards Thales' almost blank mind.
Chapter 365: Saber Or Crossbow? |
Once more, under the effects of the Sin of Hell's River, Thales found, to his amazement, that time had slowed down.
In his field of vision, as though in slow-motion, he clearly saw that Nicholas had opened his mouth to shout violently as his face was filled with shock and anger.
There was a fierce look all over Monty's face as he charged forward as he stretched out his right arm in the teenager's direction. Three throwing knives spun in the air in front of his right arm and rushed towards Thales.
The prince was shocked as he watched the three throwing knives which he could not avoid!
'What should I do?' When he sensed that the situation was unfavourable to him, he took a deep breath and forced himself to calm down.
The air entered his lungs smoothly, then broke down into several different parts, entering his blood stream and turning into energy in his blood.
'Wait a minute!' Thales' pupils moved. He suddenly noticed something that was not quite right!
He had just inhaled air. Usually, this action would take half a second.
But when he sucked in his breath just now… The time he took to do so did not slow down.
'This means…'
Thales exhaled again. He was surprised to learn that while he exhaled, the throwing knives before his eyes merely moved forward less than an inch.
A thought ran through his mind, 'As expected, this time the breath I took was a little faster than everything around me in "slow motion"! Therefore, the things that went faster were not merely my thoughts.' Thales was stunned to see Monty who was charging in his direction. 'Is this the new power of the Sin of Hell's River?'
But the weakness he felt immediately afterwards made Thales realize something. The Sin of Hell's River contained within his body began to deplete rapidly as he took a breath that was quicker than when he took a breath in 'slow motion'. After he recovered, the Power of Eradication that he had accumulated with great difficulty was suddenly reduced to nothing.
Clearly, the new power did not come free-of-charge. But the situation did not allow him to think further.
Thales emptied his mind and came to a decision: He could not hide or retreat. These movements would deplete his Power of Eradication greatly. Thales could not do any of them.
When the throwing knives were about to get to him, he adjusted his movements and estimated the trajectory, the direction of the wind, and the opponent's direction if he were to evade with his hell's senses.
As he moved, the Power of Eradication surged into him and was finally depleted.
Then...
Thales gritted his teeth, aimed at his target, and pulled the trigger!
In the next moment, the flow of time returned to normal.
Thales' vision blurred. He felt pain in his left hand and right shoulder, while the crossbow in his hand trembled.
*Clang!* The Crossbow of Time fell on the ground.
*Shick!* It was the sound of a crossbow arrow stabbing into flesh.
"Watch out!" came Nicholas' furious bellow.
Thales sat on the ground in pain. The soreness and hunger that got more and more distinct became much more unbearable.
Right before his eyes, Monty lost his balance and fell to the ground.
"Damn it," the Raven of Death cursed in dissatisfaction, covering his left thigh with a pained expression. In his left thigh was an arrow, and it had cut deep into his flesh. The arrow shaft quivered.
The weak young prince trembled. He forced himself to pull the short throwing knives out of his arm and shoulder. He had not recovered from the shock. During that crucial moment, he managed to escape death.
"Such response and accuracy…" From aside, the shocked Nicholas stared at the young prince, puzzled, as if he did not know him anymore. "You still preserved some of your strength?"
Thales gasped for breath. He could not afford to be bothered by his bleeding hand and picked up the crossbow, rolling and crawling to leave his original spot. He wanted to leave Monty's range of attack.
The frightened young prince ran to a safe area. He wiped the sweat off his forehead off while fear lingered in him. He felt unbearably famished and sore.
"So… You decided not to pretend anymore, right? Your loyalty is not only exclusive to the Secret Intelligence Department, is it?"
As he spoke, Thales could no longer endure the hunger. He moved forward shakily to the warhorse left by Monty, and took out a packet of jerky like a starving man.
The teenager, with his mouth filled with food, tore at the jerky viciously and thought to himself, 'This is probably the aftereffects from the Sin of Hell's River after it stimulated my vitality.'
"Ahhh!!"
Monty lifted his head and glared at him. "Damn little bastard…"
Thales bit the lid off the leather waterskin and downed the jerky with the water. He smiled as a few thoughts ran through his mind. "I see. And here I was wondering earlier… So he knew about it much earlier. Raven of Death, you were the one who told him."
Monty suppressed the pain in his thigh with great difficulty. His face was fierce. "What?"
"You knew about Adele and Mirk." Thales could not help but shake his head. He was starting to feel that his tummy was filled a little. "So, it was you who told him about the archduchess' identity. The Secret Intelligence Department came to rescue me through you. He also got to know about this through you."
As the young prince uttered his words, the Raven of Death's gaze became even fiercer. The Star Killer grew even more puzzled.
Thales seemed to have recalled something and frowned. "So, because of this, he came here to ruin our plan… F*ck him."
The young prince swallowed the last mouthful of food. There was annoyance and indignation on his face. "To think I was scared by him and thought I was tricked. I even regretted it for some time."
On the other side, Nicholas questioned in a dissatisfied tone, "What are you talking about, young prince?"
Thales ignored him and only shook his head.
"As for the things you said about the first rule and silencing him..." Thales looked unhappy and gritted his teeth angrily. "Based on what I know, there is only one person in this whole world who hates my words so greatly, and is so wary of me he doesn't even want to let me speak."
The Prince of Constellation sighed. "If that's the case, this is ultimately a fight between him and me.
"So, Raven of Death, you triple-crosser, send my regards to King Chapman." Thales put on a friendly and pleasant smile for Monty.
Nicholas was dumbfounded.
On the ground, Monty became even more violent and smashed the ground ferociously. "F*ck!"
Finally, the three men tore apart their final disguise under the sun, and exposed themselves in the eyes of the other two people.
In the next second, Thales let out a long breath and, with complicated emotions, stared at the two terrifying opponents who were entirely spent.
Unexpectedly, he was the only person who stood safe and sound.
Subconsciously, he smiled and spoke in a manner like he was talking to himself, "The truly powerful would turn a disadvantage to his advantage, his weaknesses into his strengths…"
Nicholas and Monty watched him with hostile gazes.
Thales quietened down. He shuddered and walked slowly to the front of Nicholas' saddle and took the luggage one by one off the saddle.
Food, water, money pouch… He moved them to his own saddle.
The Star Killer's expression changed. "Hey, you—"
"Shhhh..." Thales lifted his finger to his lips and cut him off in a displeased manner. He took the liberty to put Nicholas' last piece of bread into his own saddle pack.
Then, as the other two people watched with widened eyes, the young prince put his hand behind his ear, making it appear as if he was listening attentively, then he followed the sound to the cracks between the wall. He then pulled another horse out—it was Monty's horse.
"Damn it—" Monty's face turned pale.
"Shhhhh..." Thales shook his head in a displeased manner. He pulled a bag of arrows from the saddle and shoved it into his knapsack.
"Three men's worth of replenishments and money. It should be enough," mumbled Thales as he leaned forward to refill three waterskins from the stream.
The two heavily injured men, one on the rock and the other on the ground, could only watch Thales do all this.
"Shit. Little brat. Come forward if you have the guts," Monty said with a ferocious face as he dragged his badly injured leg behind him with great difficulty. "I'm going to make you—"
Thales did not let him finish his words. The teenager shook his head while smiling. "How about I tell you a story?"
The Star Killer and the Raven of Death just showed him savage expressions. It was obvious they were not in the mood for any story.
Nevertheless, the young prince was still rather happy with himself and said in a carefree manner, "One day, two men passed the Land of Barren Rocks. Each of them dropped something and panicked."
Thales moved forward step by step until he reached a corner and bent down.
"At that moment, a prince suddenly appeared. He extended his hands to the other two people amicably and asked, "'Relax. Come and take a closer look. Did you drop…?'"
Nicholas and Monty's expressions changed.
Thales straightened his body and walked to the three horses. He raised the two legendary anti-Mystic weapons with a smile on his face.
"...the saber in my left hand, or the crossbow in my right hand?"
Time seemed to stand still. The two men had their eyes pinned on Thales.
The young prince seemed oblivious of their glares He even swung the Rising Sun Saber and the Crossbow of Time joyfully.
A few seconds later...
Nicholas was enraged. He glared at Thales while gritting his teeth. "F*ck…"
There was a hostile look in Monty's eyes. He finished the Star Killer's words in a show of great teamwork. "...You son of a b*tch."
This time, Thales' expression changed.
"Wrong answer." Thales' smile faded away and he furrowed his brow. "That prince said angrily, 'You are not honest at all.'" Thales shook his head somberly. "All these things…"
He tied the Rising Sun Saber around his waist before hanging the Crossbow of Time on the saddle with a bright smile. "...are very clearly mine."
As he watched their expressions, Thales untied the reins and stepped on the stirrup to get onto his saddle. The horse did not reject him. It seemed that ever since Silver Shadowman gave him the blessing at the foot of the mountain, he was rarely rejected by horses.
Thales sneered, looked at the sky, and smiled in a relieved manner.
"You know..." Thales exhaled and touched the crossbow sack on the saddle. "I can actually lift the crossbow and kill all of you here."
"Hmph." Nicholas said coldly, "Go on ahead."
Thales was quiet and concentrated on the wound in his leg. As the prince rode on the horse, he suddenly smiled while looking at the two severely injured men who could hardly move.
"No," the young prince said, shaking his head. "Do you know what sets me apart from you?"
The Star Killer and the Raven of Death paused for a moment.
Thales glanced at the Star Killer. "Nicholas. Six years ago, it was indeed I who brought the disaster upon Dragon Clouds City, and brought the White Blade Disgrace upon you. But it was also I who led all of you in the counterattack and chased Lampard out of Dragon Clouds City."
Nicholas snorted coldly.
"We definitely have yet to settle the grudge between us." When Thales spoke of the past, he felt a little sentimental. "But it's fine. My six years in Heroic Spirit Palace should have cleared all of them. Therefore, we do not owe each other anything."
Nicholas cast him a cold glance. "You wish."
Thales snickered. However, his face immediately turned serious. He drew the Rising Sun Saber. "But this saber…"
Thales stared at the golden saber quietly. Nicholas' gaze tensed.
Then, Thales raised his hand abruptly and threw the Rising Sun Saber as far away as possible!
Both Nicholas and Monty were stunned.
*Clang!* The saber fell beside Nicholas' feet.
The Star Killer watched the saber in a daze. He was unable to react, even after a long time had passed.
"What are you doing?" Nicholas looked up and asked through gritted teeth, "Pretending to be generous?"
"No, I am not that noble. My bone, which you broke, is still in pain." Thales sighed and schooled his expression. "But, this is also proof of the battle that has not been fought between you and Tolja. It is also the weapon you safeguard Dragon Clouds City with."
He said in a serious manner, "Your real enemy is not me, especially after I leave. Instead of wasting your time and energy on me, why don't you put more thought into how to get the saber that belongs to you back?
"So, guard it well." Thales smiled a little. "Even if it is for the sake of Dragon Clouds City."
Nicholas's expression froze. The young prince turned towards the Raven of Death.
"Monty, we have only known each other for a while." Thales was amused by how Monty was struggling to break the arrow. "I have to say, no matter what your initial intention was, thanks to your adept scouting skills, I survived Dragon Clouds City's pursuit."
Monty furrowed his brow. Thales sighed. "But you just threw a few throwing knives my way. So…" The young prince patted the crossbow on the saddle and put on an evil smile.
"The crossbow is mine now."
Monty's expression changed. He swore exasperatedly through gritted teeth, "You motherf*cker!"
"Hahaha!" Thales laughed heartily. The corner of Nicholas' mouth twitched as he observed what was going on.
A few seconds later, Thales gradually stopped laughing.
"You said you lived in darkness, you did not care to whom your loyalty belonged to for the sake of your own survival… But you remind me of someone." Thales seemed to be deep in thought. His gaze was profound. "...Some thrice cursed Camian."
The Raven of Death gritted his teeth and said, "F*ck you."
"Trust me, Lampard is not a good boss. He is too harsh on himself." Thales pointed to the east, then he shifted his gaze. "So, if there comes a day where you are driven into a corner again…
