Kingdom's Bloodline, page 548
With each sentence from Thales, Ricky’s expression darkened a little.
“As for Hill Crassus, he was the man who betrayed the Tower of Eradication and founded the Disaster Swords more than a hundred years ago.” Thales finished his last sentence.
Ricky watched him, and gave a light snort. ‘This child… Perhaps Samel was right.’
With that thought in mind, Ricky said, “Correction, we are not called Disaster—”
Thales cut him off again.
“According to you, all of them activated the Sin of Hell’s River, am I right?”
Ricky arched an eyebrow.
“You used to say that the Power of Eradication is the warrior themselves.” Thales breathed in and out deeply multiple times.
“But everyone who had the Sin of Hell’s River seemed to meet a tragic end… including Black Sword.”
This time, Ricky gazed at him attentively, as if he had found something surprising in Thales.
Thales spoke to test waters. “I had some friends who were trained in the Tower of Eradication. They told me that the biggest difference between the Powers of Eradication of the Disaster Swords, and those of their own, is that you surrender to the worst aspects of your powers. Madness, savagery, and anguish. Even your opponents could feel them.
“Am I thinking too much?” Thales watched Ricky’s facial expression closely. “Or should I actually give up on the Sin of Hell’s River?”
‘Madness, savagery, and anguish.’
It was uncertain whether mentioning the Tower of Eradication or the Disaster Swords had gotten on his nerves, but Ricky’s expression turned darker.
Ricky remained silent for a while before he spoke at last. “Your friends must have an extraordinary status. You must know that we are the secret scar the Tower of Eradication is most unwilling to reveal.
“Also, to correct you, we are not called Disaster Swords.”
Thales could tell that he was changing the subject. He could not help but sigh. “I have seen how you all fought. You cannot deny that you fight like beasts.”
Ricky clicked his tongue and shook his head. “Then you should know that our powers are stronger than the Swordsmen of Eradication, and that we have fewer limitations placed on us.”
However, Thales did not buy his explanation. “What you taught me today, and what you said, hoping that I would one day reach the ‘True Class’ or something like that, will that end up turning me into a beast like you, too?”
Ricky gave a frustrated snort. He was just about to answer before he suddenly thought of something.
“This is odd.” Ricky quirked his eyebrows. “Why are you suddenly so talkative?”
Thales froze a little. He snuck a glance behind him, as if he was afraid of being seen, before he lifted the item in his right hand sheepishly. “Because… of this?”
Then, Ricky saw the item in Thales’ right hand clearly.
It was a dagger. The light reflecting off its blade was cold. It looked exactly like the one he had confiscated earlier…
Ricky’s expression changed drastically! He instinctively lowered his head and touched his bosom.
“When did you steal—”
But Ricky did not manage to finish speaking.
*Rip!*
In the next second, a gray sword Thales was incredibly familiar with shot out from thin air, as if it was a warship charging through the waves. It stabbed Ricky’s left temple and plunged straight into his head!
*Whoosh!*
The gray blade was drawn out of the head, bringing with it an endless stream of blood! The sand floor was sprayed red with blood.
“Ricky!”
Thales clenched his teeth and ran a few meters to the side. Before he could greet the dark purple mask that appeared again, he heard a commotion from the mercenaries behind him. These mercenaries who had been paying attention to what was happening on their side cried out in surprise.
“Enemy attack!”
Josef gnashed his teeth in anger and hate, then roared before he drew his sword. With a few mercenaries, they rushed at the black-robed figure who had suddenly appeared!
“F*ck! It’s him again!”
Klein’s extreme anger made the swordsman laugh. He brought a few people to surround them as well.
“How many times does this make…?”
But in the next moment, Klein noticed what was wrong.
*Thud!*
A heavy thud rang out. Klein felt pain at the back of his head. His vision swam, and he fell.
The three mercenaries by his side turned their heads around instinctively and saw that the ruffled prisoner who had his left arm fixed to a plank had already forced his way into their group!
Klein lay on the ground, shivering. He turned his head around. In his despair, he saw that Zakriel had broken free of his restraints at some point and regained his freedom. Swiftly and agilely, the man put down three men… Or rather, he only put down one man, because the other two crashed into each other for some strange reason, and fell unconscious, allowing Zakriel to move past them.
Zakriel headed towards Ricky and Thales as he limped, leaving behind an airy sentence that drifted in the air.
“The fourth time.”
Klein sucked in a painful breath. ‘No… When did they break free of their binds?’
Not too far in the distance was Bruley, who had also broken free of his restraints and sent a man flying. Barney Junior rammed his head against the mercenary standing guard over him. Tardin snatched an axe and threw it at Beldin. Canon threw a throwing knife he obtained from somewhere…
The mercenaries’ formation was immediately thrown into chaos!
Josef led the charge, but right then, he turned his head around in astonishment. At some point, the prisoners had all broken free of their restraints, and while the mercenaries were shocked by Ricky’s fall, they quickly broke through the heavy encirclement to reunite with Thales!
‘No. They’re…’
*Whoosh!* A swift sound arose!
Josef instinctively lowered his head, but noticed that an arrow had plunged itself into the sand beside his feet.
“F*ck, why can’t I hit…? You’re a counterfeit, right?”
Right across from him was Quick Rope, who tapped the Crossbow of Time in his hand in exasperation. However, once he noticed three people surrounding him, Quick Rope was scared so badly that he felt his soul leave his body. He flailed his arms as he charged madly towards Thales.
“HELP ME!”
Samel yelled amid the crowd, reorganizing his disorderly team and formation. “Don’t panic! They’re at the limits of their strength! We have an advantage in numbers!”
Thales breathed nervously during the short few seconds of chaos and commotion. He turned his head around and saw Josef throw something at Barney and the others who were running towards him.
Before the prince had time to voice his thoughts, a rustling sound that made chills appear in his heart arose. It came from nearby!
A gust of cold wind blew towards him and goosebumps broke out on Thales’ skin. He turned his head around to look.
‘As expected. That’s the demon’s panting.’
“You’re… asking for your own death.”
Ricky’s face was as pale as a corpse when he crawled up from the puddle of his blood. He gnashed his teeth as he glared, then stretched out his arm to draw Everlasting Truth from his waist.
But before he finished speaking, Zakriel’s expression became stern. The man, who was the first to rush at him, bent his body, and suddenly leaned forward while stretching out his arm.
In the next second, Thales widened his eyes and let his jaw fall slack.
‘What?’
To his shock, he saw the heroic and imposing Knight of Judgment throw… a handful of sand at Ricky who had just resurrected from the dead.
“Aaaaaahhhhh!”
Perhaps Ricky did not expect the reputable Knight of Judgment to play such dirty tricks either, hence, right when Ricky drew his sword, he was caught off guard when he had sand thrown right in his face.
“Damn it!” Ricky cried in pain. He covered his dirt-filled eyes with his left hand. He thrust forward instinctively with his right hand, but Zakriel tumbled on the ground agilely and avoided it.
“Yes! That’s right!”
In the chaos, Quick Rope scrambled up from the ground, clenched his teeth, and swung his fists. He shouted loudly, “Give that s*cker another one!”
Quick Rope arrived next to Thales, along with Canon, who was tasked to escort him. When Canon heard it, he frowned and looked at Quick Rope. Quick Rope’s voice instantly became much fainter. He looked at Canon in embarrassment.
“I, I… did it for the sake of the at-atmosphere…”
“Don’t worry about Ricky, he will recover in no time.” Samel clenched his teeth, trying to restore order to his group and take control of the situation. “First, we surround them!”
In the next second, Thales saw Barney Junior whip out the thing he received from Yodel earlier on. Realization dawned on him.
“You thought you can kill me that way?”
Ricky was rubbing away the sand in his eyes in agony while swinging his weapon around. The sound of the wind by his ears guided his swings.
Soon enough, he heard some metallic clinking.
With his eyes shut, Ricky endured the pain in them as he felt a huge force charge towards him. It pressed down on him from all directions.
The force was so strong that it caused him to jolt!
*Plop.*
Everlasting Truth dropped on the sandy ground with a light thud.
As the mercenaries cried in surprise, Ricky opened his eyes laboriously and saw the situation before him.
There was a chain.
At a certain point of time, a vicious, metal chain with countless hooks was coiled around him four times from head to toe! He was bound tight!
His left hand was tied to his left cheek, while his right hand was pressed against his torso. He fell on his knees.
Barney and Beldin clutched one end of the chain with solemn looks on their faces, while Bruley and Tardin held the other end of the chain. The four men pulled the chain from both sides, stretching it, completely restricting Ricky’s movements.
“Well, we know we can’t kill you…” Zakriel panted. His arms dangled from the sides of his torso. He came before Ricky, who was trembling nonstop but was powerless to move.
“…so we’ll simply trap you.”
The Knight of Judgment ignored the odd gazes from his subordinates and Thales, then wiped off the remaining sand from his right hand with a casual expression. He picked up Everlasting Truth, which was on the ground in front of Ricky, and turned towards the direction of the mercenaries.
“Good sword, by the way.”
Zakriel shook his head and clicked his tongue.
Thales exhaled and held on to Quick Rope as the latter stumbled towards him. He recognized the chain on Ricky—it was the one Stake used to bind Yodel.
“ARGHHHH!!”
Ricky, who was bound, let out a furious roar.
“Zakriel!”
However, the more he struggled, the deeper the hooks on the chain sank into him, making it harder to break free, just like what happened to Yodel earlier.
Thales panted, gave Yodel a thumbs-up, and smiled. ‘Great job.’
From the time Yodel resurfaced to when Ricky got trapped, no more than a dozen seconds had passed, but it felt like a lifetime.
Yodel held his Supreme Sword in an icepick grip, pressed the hilt against his chest, and gave Thales a slight bow. In the next second, ripples surged around the Masked Protector in black, and he vanished into thin air again.
A few seconds later, dozens of Disaster Swords rushed towards them under Josef and Samel’s leadership. The group split up right in front of the Royal Guards and circled them!
However, another figure was already standing in their path.
There seemed to be a strange aura around the Knight of Judgment’s body. Wherever he set his foot on, the mercenaries who had seen what he was capable of, froze at once.
“Stay put!” Samel stopped the angry mercenaries exasperatedly. He glared at Zakriel before him. “Don’t forget about his power!”
Josef clenched his teeth and said, “He’s heavily injured! We just have to—”
“No!” Samel shook his head firmly. “I can’t risk it. Don’t forget about the masked one!”
Josef let out a frustrated bellow.
Thales steadied his breathing after considerable effort. He studied the situation where the power balance had been restored between the two opposing parties.
Ricky’s eyes were shut tight while he was bound in chains by four men. Thales held Quick Rope and stood behind the demon, while Canon stayed on guard by his side.
Zakriel held Everlasting Truth and stood alone as a wall before the other mercenaries.
The small area in the desert fell back into silence once more. All they could hear was the sound of heavy breathing.
“My old, masked friend.” While bound in chains, Ricky strenuously opened his eyes a little and searched for the elusive figure. “Marina said you were dealt with. When did you come back?”
There was no response.
Thales breathed in deeply, smiled, and said, “When we were underground; when your people were waiting and resting; when I kept you occupied by listening to your lecture about demons and the Powers of Eradication, and let you indulge in the thrill of mentoring someone.”
Ricky was slightly startled.
The teenager continued, “All the while, your old friend lurked in the darkness, busy untying knots, passing messages, and planning the next move.”
‘What? Kept me occupied by listening… Indulged in the thrill of mentoring someone?’ The tightly-bound Ricky felt his chest rise and fall rapidly.
He struggled again, but the four Royal Guards held him tightly. Their faces were red from the exertion.
“Meanwhile, you tried to make me lower my guard. When the time came, you asked if we could ‘talk’?” Ricky’s eyes were closed, but there seemed to an anger in his voice that threatened to incinerate everything.
Thales chuckled as a sign of confirmation.
Under the grey, gloomy sky, Ricky’s face was filled with rage. He clenched his teeth and said to Thales behind him, “I’ve underestimated you again, Your Highness. Even when you were listening to me, you were the same—cunning and deceitful.”
‘Cunning? Deceitful?’ Thales sighed.
He turned to look at Blade Fangs Camp in the distance.
“Don’t flatter me.”
Thales turned his head around, and smiled a toothy smile at the group of exasperated mercenaries before him.
“I am not a demon, after all.”
Chapter 474: Much… Higher |
Thales did not like the break of dawn. His last memorable dawn was in Dragon Clouds City six years ago, when the calamities disappeared, and the gigantic dragon soared into the sky.
However, as the dark night was about to end, and the first light of morning rose from the east, he did not see hope, just an abyss.
He was the same back then as he was now: he experienced disasters in ways beyond an ordinary man’s imagination. With scarce resources and a lack of sleep, he had to deal with unfathomable difficulties.
Amid the nervous atmosphere, and under the gazes of dozens of mercenaries, Thales clenched his fists.
Barney Junior coiled the chain to his left shoulder with his only functional arm. He made his body slant and tried his best to bind Ricky.
“A marvelous… counterattack… so… what… do we do… now?” Barney’s difficult situation was reflected by how he said the words through his firmly-gritted teeth.
The other three men who held Ricky down were not in a better situation. They were recently released prisoners. After continuous battles, the replenishments they took could not match up to the energy they spent. All of them gasped for breath as they grimaced.
‘What do we do now?’ Thales inhaled deeply as he tried hard to eliminate the dizziness that seemed to have surged into his brain.
When they were held captive by the Disaster Swords, Yodel, who was hiding in the dark, could only hastily tell Thales about the rescue plan. At the time, Thales was watched closely by Ricky.
That hasty plan had now come to an end.
‘But what’s going to happen next…?’ Thales looked at Blade Fangs Camp and tried his best to think of a way out.
Zakriel still held his sword single-handedly while he was surrounded by mercenaries in a semi-circle. He faced the enemies’ gritted teeth and hateful gazes.
He was as calm and unshakeable as a mountain, and his expression was one of tranquility.
“This is not wise, Your Highness, Zakriel. You must understand that we mean no harm.” Samel stood in front of the mercenaries and tried to keep the Disaster Swords under control while he tried to persuade Thales.
“You had better listen to him.” Ricky gritted his teeth and closed his eyes while he was chained and his face was covered with sand and dust.
‘What do we do now?’ Thales closed his eyes. ‘Camp, prison, Disaster Swords, Shadow Shield… Let me think. Let me think…
‘Think of something, now!’
However, at that moment, Quick Rope suddenly shouted beside him, “F*ck!”
Thales opened his eyes, and turned his head along, with all the other impatient people, to see the trouble he was stirring this time. Surprisingly, Quick Rope was not the one who was the troublemaker this time.
Quick Rope was shocked to see his empty hands and could not stop himself from looking up and down.
“What the hell happened—”
