In the brightly lit hall, Thales was condescending and received countless surprised looks, but he just stared at the stunned Anke.
Wait for his reaction.
"you you?"
After a long while, Anke raised his head in disbelief.
Thales still stared at him coldly, with a calm posture, but his gaze was compelling.
Like a hunter after an arrow leaves the string, he confidently lowers his long bow.
"Your Highness, proxy duel," Anke finally figured out what just happened, his eyes were red and his breathing became heavier:
"Me and... you?"
Thales narrowed his eyes.
"no no……"
The spoiler of the banquet burst out with grief, anger and pain in his eyes, and hissed:
"No!"
In the hall, after the initial shock, everyone began to discuss the scene anxiously, but their voices became more and more restrained, and even the look in their eyes towards Duke Xinghu changed.
The shackled Val Arend no longer drank, and his eyes were fixed on the prince, with unknown meaning.
Zhan frowned and kept looking back to ask his butler.
The one-eyed dragon Kousted smiled half-heartedly, and responded to other guests' private inquiries leisurely.
Thales put aside the scenes he saw in his peripheral vision and snorted coldly.
"why not?"
The young Duke walked down slowly, and the royal guards behind him wanted to follow, but were held back by Mallos with an unquestionable gesture.
"Is this not what you want?"
Thales walked out of the surrounding team and slowly walked down the steps, his voice like a sharp blade:
"A duel with the second prince himself will not only shock the whole kingdom; everyone can hear about it, but you can also achieve your goal and seek justice - such a banquet dish..."
"Isn't it delicious?"
Anke gritted his teeth, the dagger in his hand began to tremble, and his eyes were almost on fire.
He was not the only one who couldn't believe it.
d.d stood there blankly, watching Thales fall from the sky and come slowly.
The evil spirit in Doyle's body that would never return slowly subsided, replaced by confusion and confusion.
"Your Highness, you don't need, I mean, you don't need to represent me, I can, can..."
Thales stopped and looked unhappy.
On the other side, old Baron Doyle showed unbelievable joy after experiencing the dual torment of sadness and surprise. He reacted and gave his son a wink.
But d.d obviously didn't notice his father's actions. He stared blankly at the imposing Thales, the sword sheath in his hand was raised and re-opened, his words were hesitant and wooden, as if he hadn't fully reacted yet:
"You don't need to, there's no need, I'm the guard, protecting you..."
Until Thales glanced sideways slightly, swept away the cold light, and sealed Doyle's words in his mouth.
"I didn't ask for your opinion, Danny Doyle," Thales called out the full name of his bodyguard inhumanely:
"I am ordering you: I will fight on your behalf."
Thales looked at the crowd with a cold expression:
"As a shining star, I command one of the seven attendants of the bright star."
"Do you... have any objections?"
d.d was stunned for a moment.
As soon as these words came out, several guests standing in the front also shuddered, and they instantly became the focus of attention:
The young and promising Viscount Adrian let go of his wife and looked back at Thales seriously.
The extremely old Viscount Patterson opened his cloudy and dim eyes and pushed away the two nephews who were supporting him.
The graceful Lady Eleanor firmly held Luther Barney, who was playing with his head down, in silence.
Baron Straw lowered his head slightly and glanced at the prince, his expression seemed to be sneering slightly.
Lozano Glover crossed his arms tightly, as if rooted to the ground, and remained motionless.
Thales' gaze passed by like a blade.
A second later, these five nobles all moved one after another, either lowering their heads and pressing their chests, or bending their knees and lifting their skirts, submissive and willing.
But no one responded as well as Baron Doyle.
"No, Your Highness, no objection, no wow!"
Thales' eyebrows twitched.
I saw old Doyle crying, rolling and crawling, which shocked everyone:
"As long as you are here, as the seven servants of the Brilliant Star, the Doyle family of Mirror River, we will fight to the death, ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh-"
Before the old baron, who had a bruised face and a swollen face and dripping with tears, could say anything, his shrewd wife quickly covered the baron's mouth and dragged him back into the crowd with D.D.
Thales breathed out.
He turned around and continued pacing.
The crowd below, whether it was guards, servants or guests, instinctively made way for the prince.
Until Thales stepped into the field, stepped on the lowest ground, and stood at the same height as Anke, who was tense all over.
"As for you..."
But Thales did not stop, but moved forward steadily towards the center of the hall.
Anke raised his head in a daze, slightly surprised.
He realized that as long as the sword in his hand caught up to two steps, he could reach the prince.
D.D, who was closest, was the first to react. He put down his father and rushed forward, exclaiming at the same time:
"Your Highness!"
The guards who followed Thales quietly down also noticed something was wrong. Mallos frowned and raised his voice:
"Your Highness, it's close enough!"
Lord Godwin panicked:
"Prince Thales! Your body of gold..."
Next to Mallos, Vogel, who was frustrated by a series of accidents, directly ordered:
"Surround up! Protect His Highness!"
In the hall, the astonished guards and the nervous royal guards acted at the same time. Their footsteps were chaotic for a moment, causing the guests to scream in surprise.
Until Thales roared loudly, shocking everyone who lost his temper:
"Stop!"
He turned around and raised his arms, pointing directly at Doyle who rushed forward:
"Back off!"
"You all stand back!"
The footsteps of the royal guards were in unison.
Under the spotlight, Thales ignored Mallos's frown and Vogel's anxiety and turned around.
Look at Anke who subconsciously raised his sword to defend himself.
"Since my guest has the guts to go alone and bring a sword to the meeting," Thales' eyes moved away from the opponent's dagger and focused on Anke's eyes, without stopping:
"Then I would naturally have the courage to stand in front of him and look directly into his eyes."
Anke shuddered.
"Calm down!"
In the chaos, Mallos ignored Vogel's angry protests ("Get him back!"):
"His Highness has spoken!"
He raised his fist high to defy all opinions and motioned to the royal guards to calm down.
Seeing that Mallos was openly setting the tone, Vogel could only grit his teeth and shut up, glaring at the watchman's wanton behavior.
Finally, Thales stood in front of Anke, facing his anger and misery.
"Duke Thales," Anke lowered his dagger and looked at the Duke angrily:
"Why?"
Thales' face was as dark as water, not impatient or impatient:
"Why?"
He snorted:
"Ank Bailar."
"You think you can come to my territory openly and do whatever you want. Do you think you have caught my vitals and use it to hurt me and threaten me?"
Anke clenched the sword in his hand.
His eyes kept wandering between Thales' chest and abdomen.
This made Vogel more and more nervous and kept urging Mallos to take action, but the latter remained unmoved.
Just like Thales, he also doesn't care.
"I don't know who gave you this bad idea, but a duel?"
Thales chuckled and glanced at the crowd intentionally or unintentionally:
"Just because I came back from the north?"
Thales slowly turned around and turned his back carelessly to Anke, who was holding a sharp blade and was emotionally unstable:
"You, and the people behind you, don't know that I have been facing such dilemmas and problems all my life, struggling to survive between the last and most desperate choices."
Thales glanced around at the guests before turning back.
He looked at Anke who was speechless and seemed to be hesitating whether to take advantage of the situation and kill the prince with a sword.
"Now, Anke, it doesn't matter who you are or who you are."
Thales spoke coldly, ignoring the opponent's sword, and continued to approach the opponent amidst everyone's inhalation, until there was less than half an arm between them.
"Whether it's for yourself or for others."
Thales said in a deep voice:
"Choose."
At such a close distance, Thales found that the other party was constantly shaking, his breathing was chaotic, and his expression was uncertain.
He's not in the mood.
Thales in Hell's Senses understood it with just one glance:
As far as the opponent's current situation is concerned, not to mention a duel, even the sword style may not be up to standard.
"choose?"
Anke finally couldn't hold it in any longer and spoke angrily.
"Either kill you, or, or..."
His aura was so heavy that it could almost hit Thales' face:
"You didn't give me a choice at all, did you?"
Anke's eyes were red, his expression was ferocious, and the dagger in his hand was trembling.
The audience was heartbroken and couldn't help but sweat for His Royal Highness - Mallos had to hold down Vogel who was gritting his teeth and never lowered his fist to restrain everyone.
But Taylor paused and said softly:
"wrong."
The prince's tone became serious:
"I gave."
"I give you not only choices, but also opportunities."
Thales looked at Anke's eyes that were filled with despair and desolation, and tried his best to say sincerely:
"The best chance, another option."
"You know."
Thales's voice was unknowingly filled with anxiety:
"You know!"
But Anke, who looked back at him, remained unmoved. The other person's eyes changed from hot to cold, from bright to dark, from resentment to loss, from pain to numbness.
Finally, Anke closed his eyes gently.
"Your Highness, can you help me," Anke said quietly, his voice seemed to be immersed in a dark tone:
"Kill me?"
The crowd of onlookers and the vigilant guards were all stunned.
Thales' eyes darkened.
"certainly."
But the next moment, Thales's voice became cold again:
"But only in a duel - on the terms we agreed."
Anke was silent.
One second, two seconds...
Until the third second, Anke suddenly opened his eyes!
What also moved at the same time was the sword blade in his hand, cutting through the air and making the wind sound.
Directly at Thales!
The next second, the crowd who was paying full attention instantly burst into exclamations!
"No!"
"Damn it!"
"Protect His Highness quickly!"
"Killing again and again!"
The chaotic crowd either retreated or moved forward, temporarily blocking the line of sight and leaving the royal guards preparing for rescue helpless!
"Damn it! Marius! Your bad idea..."
Vogel pushed away a guest who was blocking his way and said angrily:
"If the prince—you are doomed!"
Mallos said nothing, but clenched his fists calmly to signal his subordinates to maintain order.
Until a loud shout came out from the center of the hall, from the center of the chaos!
"In the name of Thales Bright Star, I say! Back off!"
"Fuck everyone!"
Thales's voice has never been so furious, even shaking the dome:
"I can handle it!"
The chaotic scene suddenly fell silent.
The guards took a few seconds to restrain the crowd again. The royal guards rushed to the front, led by Marius and Vogel, and surrounded the center of the hall tightly.
Only the two people in the center are left, almost sticking to everything else.
After seeing the scene in front of them clearly, many guests took a breath:
Anke's sword blade stayed between the two people's necks, unable to move forward or backward - his sword-holding wrist was firmly grasped by Thales, preventing him from moving forward or backward.
And Thales and Anke looked at each other, one was calm, the other was desperate, trembling slightly in the tense wrestling.
Mallos frowned.
Vogel was frightened and angry, and was about to instruct his subordinates holding the flag to move forward:
"Damn it, why don't you hurry up——"
But Mallos' words spoke louder than him:
"Hold on!"
The watchman's fist was raised high again, causing everyone to freeze:
"Your Highness's orders cannot be violated!"
Vogel paused in his steps forward.
Mallos said coldly:
"Your Highness is handling it."
"No interruptions."
Vogel was momentarily angry and lowered his voice:
"Deal with it? You are his personal guard captain! If something unexpected happens to him..."
This time, Mallos did not swallow his anger, but replied coldly:
"Then I am also his personal guard captain."
The words of the deputy guard captain were choked in his mouth.
In the field, Thales carefully soothed the sin of the Hell River that poured into his arms, blocking Anke's intentions while preventing the power of termination from transforming into a bloodthirsty beast.
"Anke, don't do this."
Thales shook his head, his eyes filled with warning:
"The warning person hasn't been brought yet, and our duel hasn't started yet."
But Anke shook his head.
"Let them go and let them kill me," Anke lowered his voice, his words full of darkness:
"I must die, I can't walk out alive like this."
Thales frowned.
At that moment, he seemed to have returned to the Prison of Bones.
Right in front of him, little Barney wiped the sword blade against his neck.
"Yes," Thales said firmly, driving away the unpleasant memories:
"But it's just a choice he gives you."
He balanced the strength on his arm to prevent Anke from moving at all, and at the same time stared into the other person's eyes:
"The person who gave you this sword is not worth your life."
Anke seemed to be offended, his pupils shrank, showing anger:
"I'm not doing it for him!"
Thales showed no sign of weakness:
"I know!"
The prince stared at the pair of eyes that went back and forth between anger and despair, hoping that the other party could understand what he meant:
"So I gave you a chance."
"Hold it!"
Thales's voice was a little urgent.
Anke was in a daze for a while.
His breathing slowed down and his pupils refocused:
"Why……"
"Because I know you are not his pawn," Thales said decisively:
"I know what you really want."
Thales used force on his hands to close the distance between the two, and said at a volume that only they could hear:
"You are not here to seek revenge, nor are you here for personal gain."
"Not for your father."
Anke was stunned at first, then in disbelief.
"You, how did you..."
Thales said coldly:
"Because I believe we are the same person."
Same people.
Anke's palms trembled slightly:
"What?"
"But the person who gave you the sword," Thales stared into his eyes:
"He's definitely not."
Separated by a horizontal dagger, the two looked at each other, one insisted, the other confused.
Anke's hesitation only lasted a moment.
He gritted his teeth and raised his eyebrows:
"He gave me a sword, and you gave me a 'bet'."
Anke stared at Thales fiercely:
"You are all forcing me to take the next step you want."
"Is there any difference between you and him?"
Thales was silent for a while.
After a second, the strength of the prince's hand gradually weakened.
"He wants to be a chess player and win chess games." Thales whispered.
Anke sneered sarcastically:
"And you want to lose?"
Thales slowly raised his head.
"No."
"I just, just understand..."
He was extremely tired and said:
"Other chess pieces."
Anke was stunned for a moment.
"I said, we are the same kind of people."
Thales said with difficulty:
"Ank Bailar."
Anke's hand relaxed, and the distance between the two returned to arm's length.
But the dagger still stands in the middle.
The prince looked at the other party with burning eyes and tentatively touched the other party's weapon:
"Now, let go and give me the sword."
Anke's eyes were confused. He glanced around and saw the royal guards staring at them as if they were facing a formidable enemy.
He gritted his teeth and said:
"I can not."
"The chess piece can't," Thales put his left hand on the opponent's sword hilt and said with firm eyes, "You can."
"Ank Bailar, you can."
Anke lowered his head.
"If I let go," Bailar's eyes regained clarity, but then became painful:
"what do I do?"
Faced with this question, Thales also remained silent for a while.
But he quickly looked up:
"I don't know, but I will try my best."
Anke snorted without distinguishing his emotions, seeming to cry and laugh at the same time.
"I have already done my best."
"No, you didn't," Thales shook his head without any doubt:
"You didn't see me."
"I."
He said firmly.
This time, Anke stared at him for a long time.
Under Thales' gaze, the other person's eyes went through a series of confusion, pain, torture, struggle, anger, and resentment.
Finally, there is relief and silence.
The next second, Thales felt a light touch on his hand.
In front of him, Anke's body drooped forward.
"Boom!"
Hearing a muffled sound, and under the gaze of countless eyes, Anke closed his eyes, knelt down beside Thales, and his whole body collapsed.
Thales breathed a sigh of relief, raised the dagger in his hand, and turned around with complicated emotions.
"It seems that the duel did not take place."
He raised his voice and returned to being the Duke of Star Lake who spoke the truth, forcing away the gazes of many onlookers who were swept away like razor blades.
The Duke stepped forward and walked towards Mallos, who had been clenching his fists.
Thales nodded. While feeling unspeakable, he forced himself to speak as before: "The bet has not yet been completed."
"Pity."
Under countless surprised looks, Mallos waved his hand.
The well-prepared royal guards swarmed forward and roughly suppressed Anke, who had long since given up resistance and had a numb look on his face, to the ground and tied him up.