. There are no words that can perfectly describe the dungeon at this moment.
After the sound of neat gasps, for several seconds, only the heartbeats of everyone could be faintly heard in the air, and it seemed that even breathing loudly had become a luxury.
A few seconds later, the torch in Barney's hand finally went out completely after burning out the last few flames in despair.
The dungeon fell into boundless darkness, with only the unpleasant smell of smoke remaining, and the few living people seemed to have turned into corpses, motionless.
It's like going back to the dark path of the past.
So, in such silence and darkness, Thales felt the faint sound of breathing in front of and behind him, and spent the most special few seconds in his life in a daze.
At this moment, the darkness seemed to become his shield, burying his fear, numbing his pain, and blocking all kinds of eyes.
Finally, with a few rustling sounds, someone in the guard groped tremblingly, and lit another torch amidst the sound of flint.
Thales squinted his eyes to adjust to the firelight, as if he felt like he was back in the human world.
"I don't, I don't understand...disasters, magicians...they shouldn't be...thousands of years ago...immortal..." As a scout, Cannon held up the new source of fire and shook his head subconsciously,
My lips were trembling, but I couldn't form a complete sentence.
He could not take his eyes away from Thales, and Bree beside him was even completely stunned.
But with Cannon's reaction, everyone boiled like the water in a hot spring!
"Your Highness, this is a joke..." Punishment Officer Belletti was completely unable to digest the latest news. He stared at Sak'el and spoke incoherently.
"Watchman, sir! He means he is, he can, he will... That's another lie, isn't it?"
Taldin looked at Thales with eyes full of surprise, "What the hell... is the prince a disaster?"
"The Bright Star Royal Family...damn it, what did they do this time?"
Thales stared at the wound in his palm quietly, ignoring the uproar around him.
Strangely enough, Thales felt that the extremely calmness he felt at this moment was not the "calmness" that was so indifferent that it even frightened him when he knocked on the door, nor was it the "calmness" that was forcibly suppressed by the Sin of the Prison River in a dangerous situation.
, but really letting go of everything and removing anxiety, just like a chess player staring calmly at the chessboard.
"Oh My God."
Samir's eyes switched back and forth between Thales and Sak'el.
"Sak'el, those words you said before, those words about Queen Fiosa being a disaster and that you were determined to complete your mission... they were not all lies, right?" Sak'el said nothing.
He just stared blankly at Thales who was calm, his eyes full of sadness and confusion.
Samir gritted his teeth, trying to maintain himself between shock and anger.
"Impossible, his age...is he really only fourteen years old? If not, what does he have to do with the events of the Bloody Year?"
"What the hell is your damn mission!"
Thales watched the reactions of each of them and understood a lot with every breath.
so……
The young man slowly raised the corners of his mouth.
That's how it feels.
He could even feel that the eyes behind him looking at him were different.
Between the trust and respect that Thales had finally established, there were some other impurities.
Fear? Disgust? Doubt? Unknown? Rejection?
But that doesn't matter anymore, does it?
"Hey, that fake Wyatt!"
"It's you I'm talking about, my 'nephew'. You've known all this for a long time, right?" Tardin realized something clearly and turned his head to look at the fast rope behind him, lowering his head and shrinking his chest, trying hard to eliminate his own presence.
"Waiya? Nephew? Eh?"
He was staring at Thales' quick rope in shock, hugging the crossbow arm tightly in embarrassment, and forced a smile with an innocent look on his face.
"Oh! I, no, uh, um... it's my first time too..."
Just when the dungeon was about to turn into chaos, a muffled sound exploded out of thin air!
clatter!
"Quiet!"
The sound spread far away in the empty storage room, and everyone immediately stopped their voices.
It's Barney Jr.
He had just thrown away the extinguished torch in his hand, attracting everyone's attention.
The vanguard officer's face was ashen, and he glanced at everyone with the sternest eyes before finally turning back to Thales.
Thales took a breath and turned to look at him with a smile.
"I lost my sword."
After a long while, Barney, who was full of contradictions, spoke up.
"Just when I..."
He looked at the broken sword lying behind Thales.
Following Barney's hesitant words, everyone began to recall their previous memories.
"That's not a coincidence, is it you?"
Thayer paused for a few seconds and pursed his lips.
"Yes."
The prince said in a low voice.
Little Barney opened his mouth and looked at him in disbelief. After a few seconds, he turned to the two bodies on the ground.
"Why, why me..."
Little Barney stared at the dead Naki and Nai, his expression became very complicated.
"Why not save...them?"
Thales paused.
At that moment, a picture of him using magic energy in the "Contactor" stage flashed before him after experiencing Thoros's teachings.
That kind of indifference that is absolutely unreasonable.
And blood all over the ground.
The dungeon seemed to have entered a strange stage. Everyone was full of surprise and everyone had questions. But in the strange atmosphere and tacit understanding, no one spoke, and just stared at Thales in unison.
"I want to, but I can't."
Thales sighed and lowered his head
"sorry."
Little Barney was silent for a long time and finally lowered his head.
"Is it."
A touch of sadness spread, Barney's words seemed to have some kind of magic, and Thales suddenly felt that the eyes behind him were no longer so dazzling.
Until Sak'el's voice rang in the air.
"Why."
The hoarse and stagnant voice of the Punishment Knight attracted everyone's attention.
"Why? Why did you tell them?"
I saw Sak'el raising his head in the darkness and staring at Thales, his face mixed with hesitation, pain, sadness, disappointment and sadness.
"You may not be afraid of death, but at least... you don't have to... you don't have to endure this..."
Sak'el's eyes suddenly became very sad
"You can die in their admiration and respect instead"
Under the sad questioning of the punishment knight, Thales sighed.
"But they'll hate you."
The punishment knight hesitated slightly
"them?"
Thales looked at Sak'el silently, at the blood and dust all over his body, at the obvious tiredness and pain-bearing expression on his face, and at the conspicuous and ugly mark on his forehead.
Sacher.
This powerful and nearly invincible warrior.
I wonder how heroic he was when he was young?
Thales smiled, "I know that for a certain reason, you will never tell me about my identity until you die, and you are already prepared to keep it secret afterward, and then die willingly in their hands."
Thales turned his head and glanced at the guards behind him. Many of them were still immersed in surprise and suspicion.
Little Barney was stunned
"us?"
Thales ignored him and turned back to the knight and sighed.
"They respect me, so yes, they'll resent you."
"again."
Sacher was stunned.
"If I don't tell you, the misunderstanding you have finally solved will deepen again after I die."
Thales' expression looked a little sad when he said this.
"Once again, you will be abandoned, hated, and regarded as a madman and a traitor by your once most cherished companions."
"You will die carrying their resentment."
Little Barney and others watched the conversation between the two in surprise.
Sak'el was completely frozen in place.
After a long while, he gasped and spoke.
"I do not understand."
Thales snorted lightly, as if he had figured something out.
"Sak'el, in order to serve the kingdom, defend the royal family, protect your companions, and protect your beliefs," Thales said sadly with a heavy heart.
"In the past eighteen years, you have obviously carried so much past and paid such a heavy price..."
Thales raised his head and looked into the void, as a dazzling silver figure seemed to appear in front of his eyes.
The hero who has been forgotten by the world.
And the voice that seems to ring in my heart
I've been dead for a long time... a long time... so long that I don't even remember how long...
Thales was a little lost.
The scene of that silver figure standing in the bottomless darkness, facing countless dead souls alone, emitting both great and small light, seemed to appear in front of him again.
That figure spent countless years alone, sacrificing himself, shouldering the greatest selfless mission, and protecting the people and things he once loved most.
But no one has ever known or understood it.
But he still smiled, had no complaints or resentment, did not ask for help, and remained calm and content with himself.
May the mountains embrace your footsteps, and may the earth bless your journey.
Thales took a deep breath, pulled his spirit out of the nihilistic past, and tried to return to the present.
Return to the Punishment Knight.
"But you've never been understood."
"there has never been."
"Eighteen years have passed, and you have been able to bear the burden and face the price alone from beginning to end."
Thales's mood sank and his face turned slightly gloomy.
Just like that unknown lone hero.
Even if he is buried deep in the ground, he will not hesitate to ignite himself and dispel the darkness where there is no light and hope.
Even if he couldn't afford to sink, he still tried his best to reach up and lift those who had lost their feet and drowned to see the light of day again.
Even though the past has passed, he is still stubborn and persistent, sticking to his original commitment to the past.
No one knows.
No one cares.
Never ending.
There is never forgiveness.
Thank you for bringing her greetings.
He looked at Sak'el seriously, and his eyes trembled slightly.
"The worst thing is that in the end, the Punishment Knight is still misunderstood, hated, detested, ignored, and misunderstood as a traitor, a madman, and a villain by the people he cares about and cherishes the most."
Thales whispered, and the guards behind him reacted with different expressions.
But all of them had their blank gaze fixed on Sak'el.
Thacker breathed in a daze.
"The story of your life is all about others, Sak'el, the kingdom, the guards, brothers, responsibilities, missions... Your shoulders carry everything," Thales said here, paused slightly, and there was a concealment in his voice.
Constant fatigue and sadness
"But you are the only one without yourself."
Sak'el's right hand holding the weapon shook slightly.
Thales let out a long sigh and said dejectedly
"Everything you do is unknown and unappreciated."
"You can only sit alone and silently count the past in countless cold nights. The only comfort is the faith in your heart..."
"Even the final ending and death..."
Thales' voice was very soft.
"Although you don't care, but..."
Thales's quiet tunnel
"That makes me a little sad."
Sak'el gasped in a daze and looked at the young man in front of him in disbelief.
"Sacher."
Taylor paused for a moment, then said slowly, "You have already shouldered too much, and you should not continue to be misunderstood and hated."
A few seconds later.
"Pointless."
Sak'el's trembling and hoarse voice spread
"Do you think you did something smart? Pity me? Influence me? Shake me?"
The punishment knight lowered his head slightly, his eyes hidden in the darkness under his eyebrows. He suddenly clenched the ax handle and gritted his teeth.
"you are wrong."
Sak'el suppressed his tone, but could not suppress the trembling on his arm, which was caused by pain or mood.
"What you are doing now means nothing to me."
Thales exhaled and looked at the darkness between Sak'el's brows.
"But it means something to me."
He lowered his head, with sadness and sigh in his tone.
"to us."
Sacher was startled again.
"you?"
Thales nodded, his smile a little bitter.
"My family, Bright Star."
A second later, Sak'el's chest began to rise and fall visibly to the naked eye!
Thales raised his head again
"If I guess correctly, it was the late King Eddie who appointed you as the watchman of the royal guard."
"It's the same guy who got you involved in the internal strife of his family and ruined your entire life."
"But King Kessel cruelly and unfairly imprisoned you, causing you to end up in this situation today."
Thales' eyes dimmed and he sighed and knocked on his chest.
"As for eighteen years later, another bright star suddenly broke in, breaking your tranquility and rekindling your nightmare eighteen years ago."
Thales tried to look at each other with the most indifferent eyes
"The tragedy that happened to you, Sak'el, no matter what is right or wrong, right or wrong, all stems from the noblest but most indifferent family."
At that moment, Sak'el remained silent, but his breathing became confused.
"And the most ironic thing is that even today, you still want to fulfill your duties as a royal guard and protect our reputation."
"Although for various reasons, you will not have any complaints against the royal family...but it must be very hard."
Thales's voice was a little lonely
"I think we...the Canxing family owes you too much."
He saw that Sak'el's fists were clenching tighter and tighter.
But Thales ignored it and continued to look at the body on the ground. Thinking of the scene when the two left just now, his voice became hoarse.
"You know, as Thales Brightstar, facing you..."
"I can give comfort to Naki and Nai as a final farewell;"
"I can forgive Tardin and the others and relieve their pain;"
"I can inspire Barney, who is in a state of despair, and help him get back on his feet and face life."
Barney Jr., Belletti, Tardin... the people behind the prince looked at him blankly.
"But you, Sak'el..."
Thales deflected his gaze, avoiding eye contact with the knight, as if he could relax a little this way.
"As a powerless prince, I can't change the tragedy of the past, clear up your grievances, reopen the old case decided by the king, give you the justice you deserve, or even give the people you cherished a little peace.
A reasonable explanation.”
Thales looked at the two bodies on the ground unwillingly, thinking of the countless bones in the cell, and said sadly
"Facing you who have sacrificed so much, lost so much, and endured so much, I really don't know what else I can do for you."
"So, if you and I are destined to die here..."
"Then I want to leave without any worries, whether it's letting go of my own fears or settling my guilt for you," Thales smiled bitterly and uglyly, like a patient at the last moment.
"I also want you to go away peacefully."
Sacher remained motionless.
"I don't want others to continue to hate you, and I don't want you to still be alone in the darkness, carrying sins that don't belong to you."
"I want them to understand you or at least try to understand you."
Thales lowered his head and let out a long breath again, feeling as if he wanted to exhale all the anger today.
"Compared to this..."
The prince raised his head.
This time, there was no bitterness and hesitation on the young man's face, only a relaxed and relieved smile, facing the crumbling punishment knight
"My secret isn't that important anymore, is it?"
In the crowd, Kuaisheng stared blankly at Thales like this.
He was not the only one to have this reaction.
Sacher made no answer or move.
Thales shook his head, hid the sadness inside a little tighter, and tried his best to bring up a second smile.
"So, it's not just me."
Thales looked directly at Sak'el, but turned his head and looked at the remaining people.
"This is for them too."
"Them?" Sak'el replied in a daze.
As soon as these words were spoken, the surrounding guards had their own reactions.
Just listen to the prince saying calmly and seriously
"They should know that no matter what kind of person their commander and watchman was back then and today, Emmanuel Sak'el was never a traitor who betrayed his loyalty for his own selfish interests, let alone a lunatic who lost his mind after being imprisoned for many years.
"
Tardin sighed and lowered his head, Cannon twisted his face in pain, and Bree looked sad.
"They should know that you are still the same Sak'el they believe in, admire, and love. You are still the punishment knight who sticks to his beliefs, abides by his sacred duties, and deeply loves his brothers and sisters."
Samir looked conflicted, while Belletti looked sad.
"They need to know what you have done for them. They need to know that your sacrifices, efforts and struggles, even your most unreasonable actions, are just to carry out your mission and to eliminate terrible disasters."
Little Barney clutched his injured right arm tightly, biting his lower lip, and looked at Sak'el with increasingly complicated eyes.
"They need to know that they owe you and the watchmen of the Guard an apology and a thank you."
I don't know when it started, but Sak'el, who had buried himself in the darkness, became motionless.
After hearing all this, Samir closed his eyes and turned his head.
Little Barney, who had just stepped out of the darkness, stared at Sak'el, with endless sadness hidden in his eyes.
Others are not much better.
There was unspeakable silence again.
Thales chuckled, calmly and quietly
"Sorry, this is the last thing I can do for you."
He stared at Sak'el seriously
"At least, you no longer have to endure it alone and grit your teeth."
"At least, I can let them see the real you, let them understand, let them see the burden you carry. You have suffered too many injustices and misunderstandings. I don't want my death to become a part of it."
"At least I hope that after today, the darkness, the darkness you will still struggle with in the future, will be less cruel and cold."
Thales was talking one sentence after another, but Sak'el in front of him just bowed his head deeply, hiding his face from the light.
Finally, feeling another wave of dizziness, the young man sighed deeply.
He raised his lips, sneered and shook his head
"So, yes, I'm a disaster."
"Conversation ended."
Sak'el seemed stunned, and the others remained silent.
Until Thales sighed and spoke.
"Okay, now," the young man looked at Sak'el in front of him with relief.
"Let's end this."
The silence lasted for nearly ten seconds.
Finally, Sak'el in the darkness slowly raised the ax blade.
His hands were slow and even trembling.
But he still raised it.
Thales closed his eyes silently.
Waiting for that moment.
And he didn't wait long.
clang!
There was a dull sound of metal hitting!
"You know, if he's who he says he is," Barney Jr.'s weak voice sounded.
"Then your efforts are in vain."
Thales took a deep breath and opened his eyes.
Above his head, little Barney held the long sword he had used to commit suicide against Sak'el's ax blade.
The severely wounded Pioneer Officer's right arm was broken, and he was using his good left arm to hold the sword. It looked like he was struggling.
Opposite him, Sak'el also lost his left arm, so it looked like they were evenly matched.
Little Barney glanced at Thales who was as calm as ever behind him and sneered.
"You don't have legendary anti-demon weapons, so you can't kill him?"
In a corner where no one was paying attention, Quick Rope, dripping with cold sweat, subconsciously pulled on his clothes, trying to cover the crossbow in his arms.
Sak'el still lowered his head and hid his eyes in the darkness.
He gritted his teeth and spoke with difficulty
"He is not a qualified disaster yet. There are records in the secret department... He can still be stopped before the last step leads to a catastrophe."
Thales raised the corners of his mouth, sighed and nodded.
"He's probably right."
But little Barney replied rudely
"I didn't ask you, little prince."
Thales' face froze.
Little Barney turned back to Sak'el and shook his head.
"The records in the secret department? Qualified?"
"So what, you have to take the exam to be a disaster?"
Thacker's ax blade began to tremble.
His tone was already unstable, and now he became unhappy, "This is not a joke!"
"Get out of the way, you already know he is..."
But little Barney suddenly shouted loudly!
"so what?"
"According to your statement, the late king even had sex with one!"
Thales watched Barney's actions in silence, gritted his teeth, and felt his chest sink slightly.
The vanguard officer's arm shook, and the swords and ax blades intertwined between the two separated in the air.
Sacher was silent.
After he saw Barney Jr., Belletti and Tardin had re-armed themselves at some point and walked behind Thales.
Cannon and Bree followed closely behind.
They all looked at him with relief on their faces.
The knight's ax blade trembled slightly.
"You don't understand..." Sak'el's words were full of contradictory emotions.
"The Empire...the Kingdom cannot fall into the same trap."
Little Barney snorted.
It seems that he has returned to the chief vanguard officer of the Guard who always disliked Sak'el.
"I know, even if you are seriously injured, I still can't stop you," Little Barney hissed in pain and raised his sword again with great difficulty.
"Not to mention myself... I'm not much better either."
Little Barney raised his legs, eyes burning, and walked towards Sak'el step by step with difficulty, until the two were so close that they were face to face.
"But please listen to me, Sak'el."
In the darkness, Sak'el remained motionless, holding the ax blade in his hand tighter and tighter.
But unexpectedly, little Barney stood in front of him, suddenly relaxed all his expressions, and sighed sadly.
"sorry."
At that moment, Sak'el, who was prepared, was stunned.
"Barney, you..."
I saw little Barney turning his head and looking at the ground, as stiffly as if he was talking to the air.
"I've never been convinced by you, but today, ah..."
Sak'el didn't speak, but opened his mouth slightly in surprise.
"I have to say that His Majesty and the old captain have a very accurate vision," Barney said hesitantly with a look of disappointment and self-deprecation.
"You are indeed better as a watchman than me."
Little Barney opened his mouth, thought hard for a long time, and finally said the word
"Sir."
Sak'el shuddered slightly.
"And that..." Little Barney stared at the floor tiles under Sak'el's feet, as if he didn't dare to raise his head.
Little Barney's left hand was holding the hilt of the sword upside down. After much hesitation, he still raised it tremblingly.
"Thank you."
The next second, his left fist twisted and hit Sak'el's right shoulder twice quickly and hesitantly.
Poof, poof.
There were two muffled sounds as fists touched shoulders.
It breaks apart at the first touch, just like a dragonfly tapping water, but it is highly poisonous.
Because it seems like one more click will kill him.
After doing all this, little Barney breathed a sigh of relief as if he had completed the most difficult task.
He turned around as if fleeing, and ran back to the original confrontation position in a few steps.
The corners of Taylor's mouth slightly curled up.
"Okay, the debt is paid off."
Little Barney wiped away all the expressions of trepidation and embarrassment, and looked back coldly, "Let's start the fight."
But Sak'el stayed where he was, motionless.
The face he left at work in the darkness was still unclear.
Until another figure passed Little Barney and walked towards Sak'el.
What was surprising was that this man actually put his hands directly on Sak'el's right shoulder, stretched out his left hand, and gently clasped the opponent's back.
"This may be the last time we hug, sir."
Sak'el's ax blade shook slightly.
I saw Belletti pressing Sak'el's right shoulder, patting his back, and choked with sobs.
"Sunset, I really miss being in the Punishment Wing and under your command."
At that moment, Sak'el's shoulders shook slightly.
He took a deep breath and exhaled long and hard.
The knight's breathing became louder and louder.
"You shouldn't have let me be the torture officer," Belletti smiled miserably, his voice trembling as he turned his head and tried his best not to look at the other person.
"You know...I'm terrible. I never get it right."
He patted Sak'el's back hard, and the latter was shaking especially hard.
Belletti closed her eyes and turned back to Barney, not daring to look at Sacher.
"I'm sorry, sir," Cannon didn't come forward. The scout sobbed and lowered his head, "Back then..."
"Sorry, it was us, we messed everything up..."
"It's our fault..."
Sak'el let out a painful breath.
"Woo," Bree next to Cannon said in a confused voice.
"Woo."
"Ah, he probably said he regretted it," Tardin sighed, ignoring Bree's protests and showing a last pale smile.
"But...we are the ones who have caused trouble for you and others, Chief Sak'el."
Tardin stared blankly at the body on the ground.
"But at least, we can rest in peace together, just like those thirty fools."
"We will be reunited."
Sak'el's ax blade shook more and more violently.
"Hey."
It's Samir.
"Although I am no longer a guard."
"But I owe you a thank you, sir," the Sword of Disaster snorted, as if he didn't care, but he didn't realize that his attitude was exactly the same as Barney's. "It was thanks to you that I escaped.
"
For the first time, Sak'el opened his mouth and wanted to say something, but he hesitated.
Samir sighed and his voice deepened.
"And if it weren't for my escape, you wouldn't have been subject to solitary confinement."
"Anyway, I still owe you an apology."
Samir looked away, gritted his teeth hard, closed his eyes and said
"sorry."
"I no longer have any sense of mission as a guard, but... this child cannot die, so..."
Samir shrugged and said no more.
Sak'el didn't respond, but the veins on his hands moved slightly.
As Samuel finished speaking, everyone in the guard sighed together, as if a big thing had been accomplished.
Sak'el remained silent.
"Now."
Little Barney raised the corners of his mouth, looked at Sak'el, and said with relief
"Let's decide life and death."
However.
"etc……"
An unharmonious sob sounded faintly.
"Me too, I'm sorry too..."
Thales turned around and saw Quick Rope wiping his eyes and making a low voice.
Huh?
A second later, under the strange looks of everyone asking "Why are you crying?", Kuaisheng suddenly reacted and his face froze.
His sad expression disappeared instantly, and he subconsciously took a step back and smiled awkwardly.
But this time, no one scolded him, no one rolled his eyes, and no one stopped him.
On the contrary, Barney Jr., Tardin, Belletti... they just turned around together, dragged their weakest bodies, and with the deepest consciousness, stood next to Thales and raised their hands to Sak'el.
Pick up their own weapons.
Towards their final battle.
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