It is located in the middle of several sand dunes of different sizes, sleeping quietly under the bright sky, in complete silence.
Until all the gravel on the sand began to tremble slightly.
boom.
There was a muffled sound, and an irregular plane suddenly arched out in the center of the sand.
Boom.
In the muffled sounds that came one after another, countless pieces of gravel slipped from the gradually arching plane and fell into the dark cave exposed below.
The falling gravel rustled.
The plane, which is several meters wide, continues to rise, revealing its black and gray nature.
Ten seconds later, a dusty figure holding a torch took the lead in exploring the dark and mysterious cave.
The figure dusted off the sand on his body and looked around.
He then turned around, reached out to grab the second man, and pulled the latter out of the hole.
Then the third, the fourth... more and more people crawled out of this hole.
There are dozens of people.
Until a thin figure appeared from the hole in the ground, was pulled out, and stepped onto the sand.
"Cough cough cough..."
The disgraced Thales took off his turban, painfully coughed up dust and sand, and patted the gravel off his body.
The cold wind temperature before dawn and the smell of sand invaded his senses at the same time.
It made him shiver.
Familiar yet strange.
Thales subconsciously reached behind his waist but found nothing. Then he remembered that his dagger had been confiscated by Ricky again.
Behind the young man, Tardin, Bree, and Cannon had their hands tied tightly and were escorted out one after another.
Sak'el, Barney and Belletti were even more miserable. They were even blindfolded and under the personal supervision of Clay and Josh.
Quick Rope seemed to be regarded as an insignificant handyman, struggling to move the equipment recovered from the battlefield by a mercenary, and occasionally glanced at Thales as if asking for help.
The drill was also blindfolded and roughly pushed out under the guard of two mercenaries.
Everyone came to the ground one after another.
"This...isn't this the Prison of Bones?"
Stepping on the extremely friendly sand under his feet, Thales ignored the sad eyes of the fast rope behind him. While cleaning up the mess on his body, he tried hard to observe his surroundings under the slightly bright sky:
"Not even...Blade Tooth Camp?"
The vast yellow sand around him surprised and frightened him.
Ricky turned around under the shimmering eastern sky:
"how……"
"Do you still think we will go back the way we came?"
Ricky threw away the torch in his hand, shook his head sarcastically and said:
"The entrance to the Prison of Bones must have been surrounded by people from the secret department for a long time."
Thales sighed in his heart.
The prince crossed his arms, rubbed his body that was suddenly exposed to the cold wind, and looked around doubtfully:
"Where is this?"
"Not far from the Blade Tooth Camp," Ricky raised his head under the gray sky and looked at a small row of familiar fortresses in the distance:
"But just enough to see."
Thales squinted his eyes and observed the Sabertooth camp that seemed to be right in front of him, feeling frustrated.
In the desert, "just enough to see" equals "a full day's walk."
So, what will happen to them next?
"What are you waiting for?" Thales asked, rubbing his hands.
This time, Ricky just glanced at him coldly:
"opportunity."
opportunity?
Thales frowned.
In the cold wind howling, Ricky looked up at the sky, turned around and ordered:
"Everyone, final check."
"We're leaving."
Ricky walked past Thales who was thinking hard and walked towards Samuel who was standing in a remote place.
He stared at the tightly tied guards in the distance, and lowered his voice to Samir:
"How about it?"
Samir avoided everyone, glanced at Sak'el, and shook his head:
"They refused to join."
Ricky frowned and exhaled.
"Barney?"
Samir snorted softly, seeming to be particularly unhappy:
"Especially Barney, that guy's temper is tougher than a rock."
Ricky stared closely at Barney, who was blindfolded, and said softly:
"But he is the one who holds the secret of the Northland military swordsmanship."
Samir's eyes lit up:
"Then he is?"
But Ricky shook his head in disappointment:
"The melting of glaciers."
The two of them were silent for a while.
Ricky glanced at the subordinates behind him who were making final inventory and preparations, and pursed his lips in the direction of Sak'el:
"I have been trying to convince their commander, if he agrees first..."
But Samir shook his head decisively.
"It's not Sak'el," the determination in Samir's tone made Ricky a little stunned:
"The key is not Sak'el."
Samir looked at the shorter and thin figure behind him with a complicated expression.
"They are only loyal to him."
Ricky followed his line of sight and saw the young man with a broken body, a tired face, and a bruise on his chin, staring dejectedly at the sand under his feet, muttering something to himself.
"he?"
Ricky was stunned for a moment, his eyes focused on Thales for several seconds.
"You told me that you could make them fight among themselves," Ricky turned back and his expression became serious:
"What happened next? That child showed up and you all knelt down collectively?"
what happened.
Samir was silent for a while.
In front of him appeared the sleeping Naki and Nai.
And that boy's smile.
I have rested in peace on the emperor's side...
"nothing."
Samuel raised his head, shook off the memory, and tried his best not to look at Thales:
"He's just...very convincing."
Feeling the alienation in the other person's tone, Ricky raised his eyebrows.
"Hoo."
Very convincing.
Is it.
He took a deep look at Samir.
"I'm very curious about one thing, Samir," Ricky's words made Samir nervous, and Crassus narrowed his eyes:
"Before we arrive, did you ask: Why did the Punishment Knight kill that child?"
Samir's breathing stagnated slightly.
Why?
He was silent for several seconds.
Ricky slowly approached him:
"Is there something that you haven't told me yet?"
"Maybe...about the royal family?"
Looking at Samir's expression, Ricky chuckled:
"Okay, I know you may still be unable to let go of the vow you made back then. I completely understand this..."
But Samir took a deep breath and interrupted him.
"Sarkel did that"
Samir looked at Ricky seriously:
"Maybe it's because... he's really crazy."
Really crazy?
Ricky frowned, looking suspicious.
Samir lowered his head unnaturally:
"You also saw that one moment Sak'el was shouting to kill, and the next moment he came back to help them. I think he must be really crazy."
This time, under the gray but dawning sky, Ricky stared at Samuel for a long, long time.
But Samir didn't raise his head.
"Oh, that's crazy," Ricky looked at the other person, but his tone became weird:
"Is it any wonder it's so hard...to communicate?"
He was still observing Samir's expression.
Samir coughed and suddenly spoke:
"Listen, if you want the secret of Barney's swordsmanship, you can, if we can take the kid away..."
At this moment.
"Hey, Ricky! Uncle Ricky? Uncle Ricky?"
Ricky and Samuel turned their heads and were surprised to see Prince Thales raising his hand high in the crowd and shaking it at them.
Little...clumsy?
"Um, can we take a moment to talk?"
Thales' vigorous hand shaking and loud shouting attracted the attention of many people. Marina behind him even put her hand on the hilt of the sword at her waist.
"You said...take him away?" Ricky glanced at Samuel, sighed and walked back:
"I do think so."
Ricky came to Thales and returned to his calm and slightly humorous look: "Your Highness, don't tell me you want to find a secluded place to pee."
"Because you can deal with it right there and we don't mind."
To his surprise, Thales smiled, showing a row of teeth:
"I suddenly thought of a question. Regarding the Disaster of Qi, he went to the Tower of the End with you, right?"
As soon as these words came out, the mercenaries who were busy with their own affairs fell silent.
Many people are looking this way.
Ricky's expression changed.
He turned his head and said to Samir gloomily:
"Watch them."
After saying that, Ricky grabbed Thales' shoulders and pulled Thales to a secluded corner away from the crowd with great violence.
"Ah, oh, be gentle, be gentle...I'm still young...you can't..."
"Okay, okay, I just won't resist, don't use any more force..."
As Thales stumbled and protested along the way, Ricky threw him away.
"Give me a reason not to knock you out." Ricky said coldly.
But Thales just patted the sand on his body, gasped and shrugged.
"That Dragon Breaker or something, that's what Qi Disaster wants, right?"
Thales smiled and said:
"Your behavior in prison makes me feel... you are not that eager for this matter."
There was a subtle change in Ricky's expression.
"And what you want is the black sword with the sin of Hell River," Thales said in a formal tone:
"Yes, I know, that weapon was brought back by Black Sword."
Ricky's eyes widened a bit.
He stared at Thales for three seconds.
"Honey, I found out," Ricky's tone probably matched the temperature of the desert night:
"You are cuter when you listen carefully."
Thales bared his teeth helplessly.
The young man looked back at the crowd and scratched his hair:
"Those names."
"Those names you mentioned, they took me some time to recall, but..."
Ricky narrowed his eyes.
Thales turned around, took a deep breath, and said seriously:
"The Iron-Blooded King is the king of the north who died heroically in battle against the ancient orcs before the Age of Kings;"
"There is a scene from the imperial era drama about how the black knight was tried for committing regicide;"
"Solon Tann is the name of the Tann family in the North. They were deprived of the Welland Territory because of their intention to murder the king, and were removed from the ten grand ducal families of Exeter;"
Every time Thales said something, Ricky's expression darkened a little.
"As for Chu Crassus, he is the one who betrayed the Tower of Ending and established the Sword of Disaster more than a hundred years ago."
Thales finished the last sentence.
Ricky looked at him and snorted softly.
This kid, maybe Samir is right.
Thinking of this, Ricky said:
"Correction, we don't call it a disaster..."
Thales interrupted him again:
"According to your statement, they are all people who have awakened the sin of Hell River, right?"
Ricky raised his eyebrows.
"You once said that the power of ending is me," Thales took a few deep breaths:
"But it seems that every owner of the Hell River Sin has a bad end."
"Including Black Sword."
This time, Ricky looked at him deeply, as if he had discovered something extraordinary in Thales.
"I have a few friends who once practiced at the Tower of the End, and they told me," Thales tentatively said:
"The biggest difference between the Sword of Disaster's final power and theirs is that it surrenders to the worst things in its power - madness, violence, and pain. Even the opponent can feel it."
"Am I overthinking it?"
Thales paid attention to the other person's expression:
"Or should I really give up the sin of Hell River?"
Madness, violence, pain.
I don't know whether it was the "Tower of Ending" or the "Sword of Disaster" that stimulated his nerves, but Ricky's expression became ugly.
"Your friend must have a special status," Ricky was silent for a while, and then said:
"It should be noted that we, this group of people, are the secret scars that the Tower of Termination is most unwilling to reveal."
"Also, correction, we don't call it the Sword of Disaster."
Thales could not help but sigh when he heard that the other party was changing the topic:
"I've seen how you fight, and you can't deny it: you fight like beasts."
Ricky sneered and shook his head:
"Then you should know that our power is stronger than the average terminator swordsman, and we have fewer constraints."
But Thales didn’t buy it:
"What you taught me today, and what you said, I hope that one day I will reach the 'true world' or something."
"Will it turn me into that beast in the end?"
Ricky snorted in displeasure and was about to answer, but he suddenly remembered something.
"strangeness."
Ricky raised his eyebrows:
"Why are you talking so much all of a sudden?"
Thales stiffened slightly. He looked behind him furtively, as if he was afraid of being seen, and then awkwardly raised the thing on his right hand:
"because this?"
Ricky saw clearly what was on Taylor's right hand.
It was a dagger radiating cold light.
It seems that it was confiscated by him before...
Ricky’s expression changed drastically!
He subconsciously lowered his head and touched his arms:
"When did you steal?"
Ricky couldn't finish the sentence.
"laugh!"
The next second, a gray sword blade that he was very familiar with protruded from the air, like a battleship breaking through the waves, piercing the left side of Ricky's forehead and piercing his head!
Whoosh!
The gray sword blade pulled out the head, bringing out endless blood!
The sand was splashed scarlet red.
"Ricky!"
Thales gritted his teeth and ran a few meters to the side. Before he could say hello to the dark purple mask that appeared again, he heard an uproar and a cry of surprise from the mercenaries behind him who were paying attention.
"Enemy attack!"
Gritting his teeth in hatred, Josh roared and drew his sword, leading a few mercenaries to charge towards the figure in black that suddenly appeared!
"It's him again!"
Clay laughed angrily, and also surrounded him with several people:
"How many times is this...?"
But the next moment, Clay realized something was wrong.
"Boom!"
There was a heavy sound, and Josh felt a pain in the back of his head, and his whole body was spinning and he fell!
The three mercenaries beside him subconsciously turned around and saw the embarrassed prisoner with his left arm splinted squeezed into the middle of them!
Clay lay on the ground shaking and turning his head.
He saw in despair that Sak'el, who had escaped from the restraints at some point and regained his freedom, easily and quickly knocked down three people, or only one person, because the other two inexplicably knocked each other out and crossed his body.
.
Sak'el limped towards where Ricky and Thales were, leaving only one light word:
"the fourth time."
Clay took a painful breath.
No……
When did they loosen their bonds...
Not far away, Bree, who was also free from restraints, roared and knocked someone away. Barney Jr. knocked over the mercenary guarding him with a headbutt. Tardin snatched an ax from his hand and threw it to Belletti. Cannon threw it.
A flying knife came out of nowhere...
The team of mercenaries suddenly fell into chaos!
Josh, who was rushing forward, looked back in surprise and found that at some point, all the prisoners in the guard had broken free from their bonds. They took advantage of the shock caused by Ricky's fall to quickly break through the encirclement and fight Thales!
No.
they are……
"Whoops!" There was a sharp sound!
Josh lowered his head subconsciously, only to find an arrow shot into the sand at his feet.
"Why didn't my shot hit again... Are you a fake..."
Opposite him, Kuai Sheng banged the time crossbow in his hand angrily.
But after discovering that three people were surrounding him, Quick Rope immediately emerged from the dead and danced in the direction of Thales:
"Help"
In the crowd, Samir roared and reorganized the chaotic team and formation:
"Don't panic, they are just at the end of their efforts!"
"We have strength in numbers!"
In just a few seconds of chaos and uproar, Thales breathed nervously and turned around to see Yoder throwing something towards Barney and others who were running towards him.
But before the prince could make a speech, he heard a chilling rustling sound coming from nearby!
The cold wind blew, and Thales turned around with goosebumps.
"What are you..."
In a pool of blood, Ricky, who looked as pale as a dead man, got up from the ground again. Gritting his teeth and glaring angrily, he reached out and pulled out the "Eternal Truth" from his waist:
"Seeking death"
But before he could finish speaking, Sak'el, who was the first to run toward him, looked solemn, ducked, and suddenly leaned forward and stretched out his hand.
The next second, Thales opened his eyes wide and his mouth wide.
He was shocked to see the heroic and imposing Punishment Knight, facing the resurrected Ricky...
Throwing out a full handful...
sand.
"Ahhh!"
Perhaps he didn't expect that the famous Punishment Knight would act so cruelly. Ricky, who had just drawn his sword, was caught off guard and was slapped in the face.
"Damn it!"
Ricky screamed in pain, covering his gravel-filled eyes with his left hand. His right hand subconsciously thrust forward, but was avoided by Sak'el's flexible roll.
"right!"
"That's it!"
In the chaos, Quick Rope, who was rolling and crawling on all fours, gritted his teeth and pumped his fists, shouting loudly:
"Give it to him again!"
Cannon, who had escorted him to Taylor's side, frowned and looked at the fast rope after hearing this.
Quick Rope's voice suddenly weakened, and he looked at Cannon sheepishly:
"I, that... atmosphere, atmosphere..."
"Don't worry about Ricky, he will be able to fight back soon," Samir gritted his teeth, tried to restore order, and commanded the scene:
"Surround them first!"
The next second, Thales saw little Barney holding out what he took from Yodel, and his heart suddenly dawned.
"You think you can kill me like this?"
Ricky rubbed the gravel in his eyes painfully while swinging the blade according to the sound of the wind in his ears.
But soon, he heard a metallic sound in his ears.
With his eyes closed and enduring the pain in his eyes, Ricky felt a huge force rolling in, squeezing him from all directions!
It shocked him so hard!
puff.
With a soft sound, the eternal truth fell to the sand.
Amid the exclamations of the mercenaries, Ricky tried his best to open his eyelids and saw the scene in front of him:
Iron chain.
At some point, a vicious iron chain with countless barbs had surrounded him three or four times from top to bottom, locking him tightly!
His left hand was chained to the left side of his face, and his right hand was locked tightly to his body, with his legs barely able to kneel on the ground.
Barney and Belletti were seen holding one end of the chain with cold expressions, while Bree and Tardin were holding the other end. The strength of the four people stretched the chain to the left and right, making it straight and locked.
Following Ricky's actions.
"Come on, we know we can't kill you."
Sak'el, who was hanging his arms, gasped and came to Ricky:
"Then I'll just trap you."
The Punishment Knight ignored the weird looks from his subordinates and Thales' quick rope, and wiped off the remaining gravel on his right hand as usual, picked up the Eternal Truth in front of the immobile Ricky, and turned in the direction of the mercenaries:
"By the way, what a great sword."
Thales exhaled, held on to the fast rope that stumbled towards him, and recognized the chain on Ricky: it was the chain that Drill used to trap Yoder.
"Ahhh!"
Ricky, who was locked tightly, shouted angrily:
"Sarkel!"
But just like Yoder just now, the more he struggled, the deeper the barbs on the chain pierced.
The harder it is to break free.
Thales took a breath, smiled and gave Yoder a thumbs up.
Well done.
From the time Yodel appeared to when Ricky was trapped, it only lasted about ten seconds, but it felt like a lifetime had passed for him.
Yoder turned the Supreme Sword upside down, clasped the hilt in front of his chest, and bowed slightly to Thales.
The next second, the masked guard in black rippled and disappeared into the air again.
A few seconds later, under the leadership of Josh and Samir, dozens of Swords of Disaster swarmed up, spread out from the front, and surrounded the guards!
But another figure was already standing in front of them.
The body of the Punishment Knight seemed to have a certain aura. As long as he stood wherever he stood, the mercenaries who had seen his abilities would all stop.
"Hold on!"
Angrily, Samuel stopped all the angry mercenaries and stared at Sak'el in front of him:
"Don't forget his abilities!"
Josh gritted his teeth and said:
"He's hurt badly! We just want"
"No!"
Samir shook his head decisively:
"I can't risk it, don't forget that mask!"
Josh roared angrily.
Thales finally regained his composure and observed the situation where the balance of power returned to the confrontation between the two sides:
Ricky closed his eyes tightly and was trapped in a chain by four people. Thales stood behind him holding the fast rope, and Cannon guarded him vigilantly.
Sak'el, on the other hand, held up the eternal truth alone and calmly stood in front of the remaining mercenaries.
The small sandy area slowly returned to silence, and only countless gasps could be heard.
"My old masked friend."
Trapped in the iron chain, Ricky tried his best to open a slit in his eyes and searched hard for the mysterious figure:
"Marina said when did you come back after being killed?"
no respond.
Thales took a deep breath, smiled and said:
"Underground, while you are resting and waiting, while I am dragging you to talk about the knowledge of demons and the power of ending, so that you can enjoy the pleasure of being a teacher."
Ricky paused slightly.
The young man continued:
"Your old friend is sneaking in secret, busy untying ropes, delivering messages, and arranging plans."
What?
The pleasure of being a teacher...?
The tightly locked Ricky's chest rose and fell violently.
He tried hard again, but the four guards suppressed their blushes and locked him tightly.
"And you use this to relax my vigilance, and when the time comes, you will 'take a step to speak'?"
Although Ricky had his eyes closed, his voice was filled with rage that seemed to burn out everything.
Thales smiled and expressed his acquiescence.
Under the gray eastern sky, Ricky's face was full of anger, and he gritted his teeth and said to Thales behind him: "I underestimated you again, Your Highness."
"It's really... insidious, cunning, and full of tricks."
Insidious and cunning.
Scheming?
Thales sighed.
He turned his eyes and looked at the direction of the Blade Ya camp from a distance.
"You are too generous."
Thales turned around, showed a friendly smile, and showed his big white teeth to the group of frustrated mercenaries in front of him: