"What, Your Highness? As the crown prince of the empire, do you want to personally shoot down the soldiers of the empire, your [soldiers] for your own selfish desires? You must know that if you do this, if word spreads, your name of 'tyrant' will be withheld."
It's true." Laite said in a semi-threatening tone.
"But Laite, a [warrior] who disagrees with the monarch's ideals cannot be regarded as a real warrior. You... can only be called 'traitors'." Yin Fante leaned close to Laite's ear and spoke with a soft, but extremely powerful voice.
He retorted in a threatening tone.
As the crown prince of the empire and the actual person in power, he had information and had a brief understanding of it.
Naturally, Yin Fante had a rough estimate of the strength of the young man in front of him who was not afraid of threats.
Therefore, even though the situation was already at stake, he still chose to use intimidation as the main method, supplemented by real combat games.
However, Laite seemed to have completely failed to understand what he meant, or in other words, Laite had absolute confidence in his own strength.
He actually pressed down Yin Fant's "Empire Core" pistol with his hand, looked into Yin Fant's eyes with black eyes filled with coldness and gloominess, raised the corners of his mouth, put on a sarcastic smile, and retorted in a low voice.
:
"How many 'traitors' have you seen who have not committed any acts of rebellion? As long as you commit acts of robbery, the [order] that the empire is trying to reconstruct will create hidden dangers at the beginning of the reconstruction. The generals around you will
They will no longer serve you sincerely and loyally. Your subordinates will always be surrounded by an atmosphere of terror. In this way, your final ending will never be like the great 'Lai Tuo I' and 'Yin Fan Er'
The twelfth generation is so respected by people, but will be even more miserable than the 'fool' Carter I."
"Laite! How dare you curse me!" Yin Fante said angrily, but his voice remained very soft.
He didn't want a third person to hear such a conversation that was absolutely inconsistent with his character.
The two of them competed against the "Empire Core" pistol for four or five minutes. When their bodies were shaking due to excessive exertion, their breath was disordered, and they felt weak, Yin Fante took the pistol back completely.
Immediately afterwards, he took half a step back, thought for a while, and then slowly said:
"Laite... did you know? In the core area of Silent Highlands, only the 'Lake of Silence', which is not too large, has water sources. Therefore, the 'Silent Lone Wolf' and other beasts will choose to live here. Leave here.
, no matter which direction you walk, you are in a desolate and sandy place with no resources. Apart from the stinking and rotting bodies, the only things you can see are the 'Careless Vultures' and the 'Careless Vultures' that occasionally hover above your head, waiting for a meal.
'Careless bird'."
"Not only are resources scarce here, water sources are rare, but even the magic power is almost exhausted. If you try to escape here alone, your power will gradually be wasted in the desolate field. So, since you can't convince me, I won't
We can’t take away the mechanical core by force, so how about a duel under Crusted’s rules, where the winner unconditionally obeys the loser?”
"A duel under Crusted's rules? How to proceed?" Laite asked curiously, but did not agree immediately. He was afraid that this was Yin Fante's conspiracy, so he chose to find out the details first.
"This is one of the ancient cultures of the Krusted Empire and us. I think you imperial soldiers must break away from such barbaric behavior in the future and pay more attention to our greatness and grandeur, with thousands of years of history."
Precipitated history." After a few words of ridicule, Yin Fante explained:
"Our duel is different from the gladiatorial games in Ptoia and the Central Empire. As a place where the main ruler is involved, we pay more attention to the sense of honor of the 'knights' and the sense of ritual of the gods."
"A sense of honor...and a sense of ceremony?" Laite asked curiously, feeling a little more intense about the unique mystery and weight of Crusted culture.
In front of Laite, he handed the pistol to Kaiwukski behind him and continued to explain:
"This kind of duel is called a 'humane duel'. The two parties in the duel do not need to fight for their lives, but the losing party must unconditionally obey the victor's orders. Even if it requires death, the loser must obey. Of course, Laite,
If you fail, I will not ask you to commit suicide. After all, the fighting empire needs talents to rebuild, and you will be the force the empire needs most after its rebirth."
"You know, Laite? One era is coming to an end, and another is being born. Shamon once told me that the age of steam is long gone, the era of wasteland is coming to an end, and the age of electricity is coming. And more
The distant future is heading towards the glorious 'Information Age' before the stars and universe. Relying on the mechanical core of the 'Daughter of the Mechanical Element', our great Millennium Empire will soon enter the electrical age, unlocking higher and creating more
Possible 'electrical weapons', by then, the entire world will surrender under the double-headed eagle flag of the Zine Empire and move towards a greater and more resolute [order]."
"Of course, Laite." Yin Fante said, taking two metal long swords from Kaiwukski behind him, examining them carefully, and explained:
"The reason why it is called a 'humane duel' is that the desire to kill cannot be shown during the duel. In other words, no blood can be seen in this duel. Once one party's body is scratched
, blood flowing out, even a little bit, can declare the opponent's victory. Moreover, hot weapons cannot be used in duels, only knight's swords can be used mainly. In order to ensure respect for the rules, the '
The Annihilation A-01' machine will be activated, and no magic will be able to be used within a circular area of at least one hundred meters centered on it."
"'Humane Duel', 'Humane Duel', it really has a bit of black humor." Laite gave a wry smile, sighed and said:
"On the surface, it respects the lives of all parties, but gives the loser the authority to be punished absolutely. The duel method spread by Crusted not only does not want to be accused of being too barbaric, but also wants to show the barbarism itself. It can be said that on the surface, it wants to maintain
Polite and gentlemanly, but trying to satisfy his most primitive and ugliest nature."
"Laite..." Yin Fante felt a little impatient and urged:
"I don't have time to listen to your irrelevant analysis. Now you have only two choices before you, either accept the duel or voluntarily hand over the mechanical core. Otherwise, when my patience is exhausted, I will no longer have any scruples."
Seeing that Yin Fante, who wanted to maintain his image as a "wise monarch" and did not want to be criticized for taking things by force in the future, had lost his patience, Laite smiled helplessly, nodded slightly, and agreed to the duel.
Immediately afterwards, Yin Fante threw a long metal sword to Laite easily, and it was inserted directly into the soft soil at his feet.
Pulling out the long sword, Laite immediately felt the heavy feeling of metal. He looked at the silver tone, one meter long, sharp blade, and rounded tip. The sword body flashed dazzlingly with a cold breath as it flipped.
There was an inexplicable feeling of familiarity.
With a long sigh of relief, Laite held the long sword with both hands and assumed a posture that he thought people from the ancient Western Continent would use for fighting.
Yin Fante in front of him seemed to be quite familiar with the use of the long sword. He held the sword in both hands and tried to swing it a few times effortlessly. After getting familiar with the feel, he quickly adjusted his breathing and suddenly exerted strength all over his body.
, heading towards Laite.
when!
The first confrontation between the two long swords produced dazzling sparks. Laite, who was unable to use magic power and thermal weapons, truly felt the difficulty of the physical game.
With just one blow, he was shaken back several steps. After struggling to deflect Yin Fante's long sword, he quickly adjusted his position and distanced himself from it.
Yin Fante, who gained the advantage with the first blow, was not in a hurry to pursue the victory. After all, the game of strength and technology can be seen in the initial confrontation if the opponent does not deliberately hide his true strength.
Laite was not proficient in using the long sword, and in terms of physical fitness alone, he lagged behind Yin Fante.
With an absolute advantage, Yin Fante was not eager to give Laite a "crucial blow" to win, but instead suddenly came up with an idea.
He wanted to be an excellent hunter, like a warrior who led humans to victory in the war with the dragons.
He wanted to play with the prey in front of him and observe its miserable appearance, so as to relieve the depression that had accumulated in his heart for many years.
In his eyes, Laite is a talent and a minister who needs to be loyal to him in the future. Naturally, he needs to undergo gradual and long-term mental suppression in order to show complete obedience from the heart and better control himself.
Today's duel is better regarded as the first step of "loyalty training".
Thinking of this, Yin Fante couldn't help but raise the corners of his mouth, revealing a sinister smile.
Immediately afterwards, he picked up the long sword with one hand, looked at the panting Laite with his purple eyes, and said in a voice so soft that it was almost twisted:
"Laite, do you think that the royal family of the empire is just a group of [scholars] who live in palaces, sit at desks, and only know how to point out the country, talk eloquently all day long and then fall asleep? If you think so, you are wrong.
In order to lead the overall situation, we must not only master the specific data of the country's political and economic situation, but also have a thorough understanding of the military. Physical training is a subject that we cannot escape."
"Every year for more than a month of 'routine' training, I perform it according to the standards of the empire's most elite [soldiers]. As the supreme commander of the army, I must have strong physical fitness to ensure the long-term stability of the empire.
stability. Otherwise, I will have to be like my unsatisfactory father Rekha I, who was attacked by an 'unintentional man' only once and then became paralyzed in bed and unable to recover from illness."
"So, Laite. I don't know if it's because of the war, your own weakness, or your over-reliance on magic power. Now you are at an absolute disadvantage in physical competition. Even so, you still have to persist.
Is this a pointless, losing battle?”
"Your Highness..." Laite barely recovered his normal breathing and responded firmly:
"Victory and defeat often happen in a split second. No one can predict which way the balance will fall until the last moment."
"Well, I'll wait for you to destroy yourself!" Yin Fante said angrily, raising the sword with both hands again and assuming a fighting posture.
Install the latest version.】
"Ouch!"
A non-human sound suddenly came out of Laite's throat, and his arms suddenly glowed with a weak, indifferent red light. He raised his sword with both hands, like a ferocious beast stretching out of trouble, trying to break free from the shackles of the cage.
Then, pieces of warm, familiar, and gradually clear memory fragments flashed through his mind. They seemed to be dragged, intertwined, and combined by invisible forces, forming pictures that seemed to come from ancient times.
Field, memory related to "swordsmanship".
"ah!"
With a roar, Laite took half a step forward. The air around him was compressed and released like a weak hurricane, and then spun to a limited extent.
Then, Yin Fante suddenly discovered that Laite's eyes had turned from deep black to frightening red. He felt that his eyes, ears, skin, and even every pore began to accumulate and shrink due to inexplicable fear.
.
Suddenly, whether it was the fading of the sun's brilliance or the aura of fighting around him that was developing in an uncontrollable direction, he felt that the sky around him was darkening as if before a rainstorm.
Subconsciously looking at the sky, purple lightning was rolling between the dark clouds, and bright arcs were traveling through it, like "giant dragons" with a strong oriental style.
Gradually, Yin Fante felt that the sounds around him began to become noisy. The roar of steam, the roar of the wind, and the faint and shrill sound of rain gradually gathered in his eardrums.
The Laite in front of him began to swell and become distorted. In a few seconds, Laite seemed to have lost his human body and turned into a real beast with several terrifying creatures stacked on top of each other.
He felt his body getting colder, the "ferocious beast" in front of him expanding more and more, and the surrounding space becoming darker and darker.
Suddenly, he seemed to see a huge palm covered with sharp spikes hanging in the air, about to fall heavily.
Until, a stinging pain from his neck suddenly brought him back to reality.
"You lose, Your Highness." Laite's deep voice reached his ears.
After Yin Fante came back to his senses, he looked carefully. The distorted hallucination that had just appeared was no longer there. Standing in front of him was Laite with a firm face and piercing eyes.
At this moment, he was holding a long sword and pressed the sharp edge of the sword against Yin Fante's neck. Due to the rules agreed in advance, he did not slash down with the sword, but only slightly scratched the skin on his neck.
, causing slight bleeding.
When blood flows out, the opponent is declared victorious.
Obviously, Yin Fante lost.
But he didn't have the magnanimity of an empire controller at all. The hallucination he had just had severely restricted his actions. He couldn't accept such a humiliating failure from the bottom of his heart.
"You cheated, Laite!" Yin Fante pushed away Laite's sword and shouted almost hysterically:
"You learned the 'seduce' skill, made me hallucinate, and then attacked me secretly. No... you found a helper, the Lost One who can 'seduce', right? Where is he? Where is he!"
"You were suppressed by fear, Your Highness the Crown Prince. You were afraid of my power from the bottom of your heart, so when you were extremely confident but extremely nervous, you were under too much mental pressure, which led to hallucinations. You lost,
According to the agreement, you must meet my requirements. I am not greedy, Your Highness, please allow me to leave here with the mechanical core and go to the north." Laite begged.
"Dream!" Yin Fante roared:
"Traitor! Scumbag! A rotten fish! A coward who only knows how to cheat and a moron who only wants to sneak attacks. You still want to leave here? Don't be delusional. Even if my generals are no longer loyal to me because of my actions, I will still punish them.
You, execute you!"
As he spoke, Yin Fante tapped the "Time Wheel Watch" twice with his fingers. Then, a blue light group like a ghost in the dark night emerged from the "Watch" and quickly formed a six-pointed star and
Chamomile illustration.
Dark, deep sapphire-like light flashed through Yin Fante's eyes, and as he breathed, the fluorescent "Empire Core" pistol was pressed against Laite's chest.
"The ability to pause time?" Laite guessed as he looked at the space around him that seemed to have the pause button pressed.
"Yes, this is the exclusive sequence monster that can only be used by me, who has the blood of the imperial family. The reason why I pull you into a space that transcends three dimensions and where time and space are static is to let you see with your own eyes the silver in my pistol.
The bullet pierced your heart. I want you, a cheater, to know what a desperate experience it is to gradually die when you are unable to move and have no resistance." Yin Fante said viciously.
After Yin Fante's reminder, Laite suddenly realized that in the still space, he was just an "observer" who could see, hear, and feel everything around him. He could not move his body or use
The magic source resisted, and now he was nothing more than fish on the chopping board, a lamb to be slaughtered.
Watching Yin Fante load the bullets of the "Empire Core" with his own eyes, adjust the angle and press the gun against his already hot semi-mechanical heart, Laite's anxious heart felt the ultimate despair in the face of death.
He saw Yin Fante's finger slowly pulling the trigger...
Phew!
The desperate Laite did not hear the crisp gunshot he expected, but instead heard a dull, flesh-piercing sound.
After gradually regaining consciousness, Laite opened his eyes and saw that Yin Fante's hand holding the pistol lowered, and a stream of blood spurted out of his mouth.
After shaking his body and taking two steps back, Yin Fante lay down on his back with a very unwilling expression.
Looking closely, Laite discovered that there was a dark red hole on Yin Fante's chest, with bright "dye" flowing downwards.
Looking up, Laite saw a familiar body, and the "heart" he was holding in his right hand, covered in blood, filled with endless desire for control and anger, and still beating desperately!
As the blue flames rose between the palms, the "heart" suddenly turned into pitch black ash flowing down from the fingertips like sand.
Immediately afterwards, a weak, slightly delicate and hoarse voice came from the throat of the young man in front of him:
"Brother Laite, we finally meet again. We were so close that you were killed by this 'tyrant'. It was so dangerous... We were so close that I would never see you again."
Looking at the man in front of him who is wearing a military green uniform of the Imperial Army, wearing the "Chimney" badge of the Chekavsk Industrial Party, with short dark red hair, a boyish appearance, and a fair background but a face covered with small scars, Laite is completely gone.
The nervousness that flashed through the aftermath of a disaster suppressed his body that was slightly trembling with excitement, and he said with tears in his eyes:
"Miyou, you're here."
"Yes, Brother Laite." Miyou showed a pure smile, wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, and said:
"Ever since you were attacked and separated by Melinaer and 'Mad Body' in Donusk, I have been looking for your traces, Brother Laite. Did you know? You have red magic power and the profession of [Order]
You are an unparalleled asset to our Hope Church. Mr. Aaron told me that you are a messenger enough to lead the lost people to an extraordinary future. My task is not only to keep an eye on you and assist you in executing battle orders,
More importantly, your life is protected from threats."
"Ever since the nuns in the Church of Dark Night learned that you had entered the core area of Silent Highlands, I deliberately avoided Mr. Aaron and tried to break in from another way alone. Near the altar at the end of the sea of sunflowers, I
It's a pity that I almost caught up with you. But fortunately, we finally met again in the 'time lag' area." Miyu widened his blood-red eyes unique to the vampires and said with joy on his face:
This chapter is not finished yet, please click on the next page to continue reading the exciting content! "Do you know, Brother Laite? The 'time lag' area created by Yin Fante's sequential monster 'Time Wheel Watch' is not unbreakable.
.Having stolen the ability of [Standard], I happen to be immune to the influence of 'time stagnation'. Even if you are unable to move, I can still come and go freely here. This arrogant and arrogant 'tyrant' probably
Even before he died, he didn't expect that he, who had the absolute advantage including the forbidden demon, would die in such a humiliating way in his own domain, haha."
"Miyou." Laite, who was just about to reminisce about the past, suddenly realized that the things around him began to break away from stagnation and moved slowly, "We have to escape from here before the 'time stagnation' disappears. Yin Fante's death can
No joke, those generals and the surrounding imperial soldiers will not let us go."
"Don't worry." Mi You said with a smile:
"There are only three combat aircraft here. The other air and space forces have not landed next to the Lake of Silence. They are at least half a kilometer away from here. It will take several hours for them to discover the situation here. Moreover, you and the 'tyrant' just now
During the duel, I had already killed the two generals with my gun. In other words, the only people left alive here are you and me."
As soon as Miyou finished speaking, the time around him quickly returned to normal. The ripples spreading on the lake, the branches moving in the wind, and the "careless birds" hovering in the sky, these moving objects still made Laite feel very
nervous.
Being able to move freely, before he could even move his body and pull Miyou away from the "Lake of Silence", a deafening roar, as if coming from deep within the clouds, appeared in their ears.
boom--------
The two looked up and saw an unusually bright "fireball" emitting scorching light heading toward the "Lake of Silence" at a speed faster than sound.
Quickly, the fireball became larger and larger, and the surrounding space was instantly enveloped in a shocking red color. The temperature also increased rapidly within a few seconds, becoming extremely hot.
As the frightening red light around him completely overwhelmed everything, and the scorching flames devoured everything, the moment before he lost consciousness, an unusually ethereal girl's voice suddenly appeared in Laite's ears, haunting his soul like a dream demon:
"The real 'Fire of Punishment' was born in the Steam Age... Its power is enough to destroy half a country."
"It turns out that Yin Fante had a backup plan a long time ago. As long as his life force is exhausted, the 'Fire of Heaven's Punishment' will bombard the Silent Highlands and destroy everything..."
Smiling bitterly, Laite closed his eyes tightly. At the last moment, he chose to hold his head high, open his arms, and calmly welcome the arrangement that the goddess of fate made for him.