Kingdom Bloodline

Chapter 355 The Toughest Battle

Exter, the city of Qiyuan, the wasteland.

Under the sunlight, Thales and Monty looked at the uninvited guests with extreme vigilance and suspicion.

Why is it him?

The meteorite dismounted expressionlessly.

He walked slowly toward a protruding rock, and as if nothing had happened, casually tied the reins.

It puts endless pressure on people.

“I heard you, Big Mouth.”

"What, are you overconfident in your abilities?"

Nicolai slowly tightened the reins, turned to Monty who looked as if facing a formidable enemy, and glanced back and forth at the dagger in his hand.

"Don't you think that after Isaiah left the White Blade Guard..." The Meteorite tied the reins and turned around.

His eyes were bloodshot, clearly from days of hard work, but the meaning in his gaze was chilling: "Is there no one in Dragon Sky City who can keep up with you anymore?"

The Meteorite gently swayed his shoulders, positioning the hilt of his Rising Sun Saber in the easiest possible strike position.

Monty's pupils contracted!
“Ah, I must say,” the experienced scout said softly, his short knife twirling slowly in his hand, “that’s been a thought of mine to some extent.”

Monty stared intently at his old comrade, motionless, his face almost frozen solid.

The same unsettling light that flashed in his eyes once again.

“You are an excellent scout, Monty,” Nicolai said coldly. “From the fabricated illusions to the chosen routes and the methods of concealment, almost no one can match you.”

"But it's only 'almost'."

Nicolai stepped forward slowly, gradually closing the distance between himself and Monty, his voice somber: "Like now, starting from Dragon Sky City, we've chased them for so many miles... from the Rocky Hills to the Snowy River, then to Spear City, and even here, in the desolate wasteland of Qiyuan City, we almost chased them into the desert..."

Thales instinctively stepped back.

But Monty stood still, motionless, only adjusting the angle of the short knife in his hand.

Conicole paid no attention and continued to close in.

Thales' breathing became shallower and shallower.

Finally, when she was still a few meters away, Nikolai stopped.

"But we still caught up with you."

He raised an eyebrow slightly and said casually:

"Ned Monty".

The eyes of the Meteorite and the Death Raven met in mid-air.

One side is indifferent, the other is solemn.

It was as if an invisible shackle had been placed over the air.

Thales didn't dare to breathe, and could only hold his breath and look at the two people in front of him, anxiously thinking of a solution.

This situation...

The two men stood frozen in place, facing each other like heavy icebergs.

The pale face of the fallen star star stared sharply at the bloodshot eyes.

The eyes of the Death Raven remained motionless, solemn yet seemingly indifferent.

Sunlight shone on Nicolai's hilt and Monty's blade, reflecting an eerie glow.

After a long while, one side finally made a move.

"Hey hey hey..."

Monty blew a strong breath, and the seriousness on his face disappeared.

Instead, a helpless smile appeared.

“I must admit, troublemaker, you’ve improved, and so have the White Blade Guards,” the old scout shook his head, as if reuniting with an old friend, and with a forced smile, sheathed the short sword at his waist.

"How did you do it?"

Seeing his old friend sheath his sword, Nikolai's eyes finally softened.

At that moment, Thales, who thought a battle was about to break out, finally breathed a sigh of relief.

"Starting six years ago, the Grand Duke's Guard reduced its training in charging into battle, commanding troops, and even individual combat."

Despite doing nothing, the Meteorite coldly said, sending chills down one's spine, "The extra energy and money were all invested in honing another skill."

He simply said, "Sentry and reconnaissance, stealthy tracking."

The air was quiet for a moment.

Monty frowned: "Six years ago..."

"So exaggerated?"

Nicolai stared at him for a long time before slowly nodding:
"It's so exaggerated."

Thales's gaze was fixed on mid-air.

The king's death had a far greater impact on this former swordsman than he had imagined.

Monty sighed.

"Uh, that's a good thing, really."

“The Guard reform,” Monty chuckled, raising his hand and waving it in the air. “You know, that old Guard… Kaslan’s influence was too strong. Even though you were captain for over twenty years, everyone still only remembered him…”

But Nikolai seemed to have no intention of reminiscing with him, and the Meteorite glanced lightly at Thales beside him.

Thales gave an awkward smile.

"You have ten seconds, Monty."

“Disappear immediately,” Nicolai said in a flat tone, as if he were just giving a casual greeting. “I’ll pretend I never saw you today.”

Monty's expression stiffened slightly.

He lowered his head, put one hand on his hip, and scratched his neck with the other, looking very troubled.

“You troublemaker, you need to let me explain about this prince…”

Nicolai's sharp gaze suddenly shifted and landed on the Deathrattle Raven.

There's nothing to explain.

“This is just between him and me,” Nikolai gestured toward Thales, his eyes turning cold again. “I don’t care where you were, who you intercepted him from, or where you’re going to send him.”

Thales couldn't help but tense up again.

“You can go now, old friend,” Nicolai said without any mercy.

Monty's smile froze instantly.

He looked away and exhaled.

Thales could tell that Deathrattle was suppressing his anger and clenched his fist tightly.

But just as the prince thought he was about to get angry, Monty let out a long sigh and smiled.

“Listen, you troublemaker.”

“Dragon Sky City and Qiyuan City are allies on the Western Expedition,” Monty grinned, pointing at Thales with a troubled expression.

“He’ll be going to Qiyuan City sooner or later. You don’t want to see him fall into the Black Sand Territory and into the king’s hands, do you? For the sake of our old friendship, and even more so for the sake of our respective superiors, we should stand together on this matter…”

Conicole interrupted him.

“Big Mouth,” the Meteorite said softly, “Things are not what they used to be.”

Monty paused.

"We're way past the age of jealousy and going to prostitutes together."

Nikolai shook his head, his gaze indifferent: "It's no use."

"I told you, you only have ten seconds to disappear immediately."

Monty's smile vanished.

The air suddenly became quiet.

A shadow fell over Thales’s mind.

Nicolai's pale face was expressionless; he simply looked at his old friend silently.

For several seconds, the muscles on Monty's face twitched slightly, revealing his thoughts.

“That’s right, troublemaker,” the old scout pondered the words, nodded slowly, and repeated emotionlessly:
"Things are not what they used to be."

Nicolaimer remained silent.

Suddenly, the Death Crow burst into laughter.

"Ha ha ha ha……"

But it wasn't the kind of smile that comes from happiness.

It was a sneer.

The laughter of the Deathraven carried a chilling undertone. He nodded slowly: "Very well, Lord Nicolai."

An ominous premonition gripped Thales' heart once again.

“Don’t forget,” the Deathrattle Raven grinned slightly, a faint threat emanating from between its teeth:

"This is a wasteland, now part of Qiyuan City's territory."

Monty stepped forward with a cold smile.

He looked directly into his old friend's eyes: "My—Qi—Yuan—City."

Thales instinctively turned around to look for the horse.

Unexpectedly, Nicolai also smiled.

As a smile appeared on his pale face, the Meteorite gently lifted his foot.

They went to greet the other party.

"Your Qiyuan City?"

He slowly walked up to Monty, and the two were so close that their foreheads were almost touching, almost able to kiss each other.

The Meteorite met the Death Crow's cold smile with sharp eyes and an unfriendly tone:
"So what?"

Monty's sneer gradually faded.

"When was the last time we clashed, you troublemaker? Eighteen years ago?" Deathraven asked softly.

With a knowing look that only they understood, the two old friends stared at each other for a moment, neither showing any weakness.

“Eighteen years.” Nikolai nodded.

"But today? I'm not planning to go it alone."

“You heard the signal arrow, old friend,” Nikolai said coldly. “The Grand Duke’s guards will be there shortly.”

Monty's pupils suddenly narrowed.

“Many of them are old acquaintances of yours,” the Meteorite emphasized, repeating the word:
"Afterwards."

"Do you know what this means?"

Monty's expression slowly turned cold.

The two remained silent for five seconds.

A second later, Monty abruptly closed his eyes, exhaled heavily, and gritted his teeth as he spoke:
"What the hell."

Nikolai scoffed lightly, revealing the smile typical of a victor.

"Yes, it's really a ghost story."

He looked at Monty, who was clearly overwhelmed with emotion, and said softly:
"I only counted to ten."

Monty seemed to be enraged.

He suddenly opened his eyes, his voice trembling with excitement: "You—"

But Nicholas remained unmoved, merely looking coldly at Monty and uttering the next word:

"ten."

Monty suddenly reached out and grabbed the Meteorite by the collar!

Nikolai simply smiled.

Monty seemed to be trembling with rage. He stepped forward and almost pressed his forehead against Nicolai's, roaring, "You! You troublemaker!"

"Hold!"

But Nicholas just smiled, his pale face as colorless as ever.

Thales sighed inwardly: It seems that Monty's old friendship is not going to work out.

Monty grabbed Nicolai furiously and roared, "I'll remember you, you troublemaker, I'll remember you!"

The Death Crow panted heavily: "One day, I will get my revenge."

boom!
Nicolai also suddenly stretched out his hand!
His arm crossed over Monty's arm, and he grabbed the other's collar in return.

“Then you have to leave first,” Nicolai retorted coldly.
"Only then did the saying 'get back at them' come about."

The gazes of the Death Raven and the Meteorite met once more, each burning with an unknown flame.

next second.

As if by unspoken agreement, the two simultaneously snorted and released each other.

Monty turned around without hesitation and walked toward his horse.

Nikolai stared at him coldly.

Thales, who was watching from the sidelines, was taken aback:
"Are you leaving now?"

Monty untied the reins, mounted the stirrups, and turned back with an annoyed expression:

"if not?"

"Are you just going to wait here to be taken care of?" Thales looked at the annoyed Monty, then at the icy Nicolai, and painfully rubbed his forehead.

God.

“You’re not so good at talking nonsense, kid,” Monty turned his horse around, glaring at the silent Nicolai through gritted teeth. “Help me out, be a good magpie—don’t shut up, and annoy him to death.”

Thales gave an awkward smile.

The next moment, Monty angrily flung the reins, and his mount reared up, heading west swiftly and without hesitation.

His figure disappeared into the rocks and vanished from their sight.

Until the sound of horses' hooves faded away and became unpleasant.

The prince, who had been holding his breath in the tense atmosphere, turned around in annoyance.

Look at the only person left.

“Impressive, Lord Nicolai,” Thales sighed. “He caught up with me so quickly.”

Nicolai crossed his arms and gave a chilling smirk.

Just like when they first met.

The Meteorite glanced down at the dagger in his hand, remaining silent.

The boy shook the police badge in his hand and smiled helplessly.

"So, before you wait for your companions to arrive and capture me, could you tell me," Thales awkwardly sheathed the JC dagger and stuffed it back into his pocket, "how did you do that?"

"I thought you had sealed off the city and were busy dealing with important figures, screening out anyone who might kidnap me."

"How did we suddenly end up here?"

Nikolai smiled.

With the unwavering determination of someone holding their prey, he nodded slightly: "Yes, your plan is quite good, little prince."

"Arrange for someone to attack the team and create the illusion that you have been kidnapped out of thin air."

"At the most complex moment, you let everyone in Dragon Sky City suspect each other," the Meteorite said, his eyes turning cold. "This greatly slowed down the search efficiency and misled our direction."

"In reality, he secretly escaped on his own."

"If we've really fallen into your trap, we could search for half a year and still not find you."

Thales felt a pang of sadness.

He still discovered the truth.

"So how did you find out?" Thales raised his eyebrows and crossed his arms, seemingly giving up all resistance.
"When did you become so smart, you deadpan face?"

Upon hearing this nickname, Nikolai's smile grew even colder.

“I’m not that smart,” he said coldly, “but compared to someone like you who comes up with ten brilliant ideas a second, my more than twenty years in the guard, especially the last six, have taught me at least one thing.”

Thales frowned.

“That is,” Nicolai whispered, reaching into his robes.
"When faced with things you don't understand, you can never be too cautious."

The meteorite took something out of his pocket.

He spread it out and then easily released his grip.

Thales' pupils contracted!
That thing floated in mid-air for a few seconds.

Until it fell at his feet.

"This is……"

The boy stared blankly at what the meteorite had pulled out, almost unable to believe his eyes.

Lying at his feet was a piece of paper.

A sheet of precious, light blue paper, covered with unsightly cracks and creases.

It was clearly torn up and then glued back together.

Thales looked at the thin piece of paper, his heart filled with indescribable emotions.

It's that piece of paper.

The invitation that Ashida wrote to him.

After being intercepted by the suspicious Nikolai in Valhalla, and with Thales's trickery and cover-up, the Meteorite angrily crumpled it into a ball and tore it into pieces.

but……

"I thought you had already thrown it away."

Thales frowned and looked at Nicolai: "Didn't you see the joke written on the paper? Do you need me to repeat it?"

Nikolai laughed coldly.

He took a step forward and stomped heavily on the thin, sky-blue paper.

A line of large, faded words was written on the paper, standing out prominently:
[The Meteorite is a big idiot.]

"Yes, but that's just the surface."

Nikolai slowly shook his head.

Thales' image was reflected in his eyes, and no matter how much Nicolai shook his head, it never left the center of his pupils: "You can't imagine that I spent two whole months, paid a heavy price, and mobilized almost all intelligence resources, from materials to sources, single-mindedly and meticulously investigating the details of this piece of paper."

Thales was startled.

“Lilan cardboard,” Nicolai repeated word by word, lifeless and without rhythm, as if reciting knowledge he knew absolutely nothing about:

"The raw wood comes from the Duchy of Norton, and the manufacturing and dyeing techniques are from Dragon's Kiss Land. The material is of excellent quality, durable, and can even be repeatedly erased and written on. It is a special paper supplied to the court of the Duchy of Anrenzo in the southern part of the Western Continent, and is used exclusively for writing invitations for nobles."

Thales looked at him intently.

Nikolai smiled, a hint of smugness in his eyes as he said, “In the North, wealthy and powerful nobles might spend a fortune to forge a sharp sword or to raise a fine horse, but no one would use such a luxury item—you can’t buy this kind of paper anywhere, not even the merchants of Cornus are bothered to transport it to the North.”

“We also searched the Starry Sky delegation before, including Viscount Putila Niemann—but found no trace of it.”

Under Thales's complicated gaze, Nicolai pointed to the crumpled cardboard on the ground: "This thing."

"It shouldn't have appeared in Valhalla, or in your hands."

The next moment, the Fallen One's voice turned cold: "This can only be something brought in from the outside, through some channel we don't know about, and it has to be deliberately kept in the sights and ears of the Hall of Heroes, because it must be carrying out some secret and special mission."

Upon hearing this, Thales gently closed his eyes.

A secret and special mission...

Ugh.

“Little Prince, it is clear that you have been hiding something from us for a very long time.”

Nikolai grinned, revealing a cruel smile: "Although I don't know for sure, you are indeed plotting in secret—by going out of the palace every month to play chess. Obviously, that chess and card room is also problematic."

“So after you disappeared,” the Fallen One’s gaze sharpened more than ever before, “while Count Lisbon was still wondering who had kidnapped you, while the major powers were still testing each other with suspicion.”

“I knew it, and I was absolutely certain: you were neither kidnapped nor abducted.”

"Instead, he ran away on his own!"

Nikolai shut his mouth and looked at Thales with disdain.

“At that time, I knew: all of this must have been a play you wrote and acted in yourself, nothing more.”

At that moment, a gentle breeze swept across the barren rocky ground, stirring up dust and making Thales's mood even colder and heavier.

"Thinking about it that way, your whereabouts after your disappearance become quite clear," Nikolai's words had never sounded so powerful, almost as sharp as his blade:

"At that time, the forces that everyone suspected and had deep suspicions about—Black Sand Territory, Qiyuan City, the Dark Chamber, including the forces of the vassals of Dragon Sky City—became the places you were least likely to go."

One sentence after another, Thales even had a feeling that Nicolai's words were almost driving him into a corner.

"Therefore, the Grand Duke's personal guards superficially sealed off the city, pretending to be suspicious of these forces and preoccupied with their own problems."

Nicolai's smile grew increasingly sinister: "In fact, within an hour of your disappearance, we had already devoted all our energy and resources to this one and only direction."

He spoke slowly, enunciating clearly:

"Star Kingdom, Secret Department"

Nikolai sneered repeatedly: this was an expression he had never shown during previous outdoor training sessions.

This seems to be the moment he finally defeated Thales.

“Yes, Thales, we caught up with you outside the city—we found your and the packhorse’s tracks in the bushes where you stopped, within half an hour of you leaving.”

Thales felt a chill run down his spine.

“If it weren’t for Monty’s interference, you would be in Valhalla by now.”

Nicolai shook his head, seemingly unconcerned: "But you must know: you can't escape."

The Fallen One's cold laughter continued.

This made Thales feel increasingly depressed.

The boy silently watched the papers that Nicolai was stepping on, without saying a word.

It was as if it wasn't paper.

It was his pride.

After a long while, Thales finally spoke with difficulty and a hoarse voice: "It's this."

"I never would have guessed that it was this piece of paper that was the problem, that the source of this piece of paper was the issue."

He sighed dejectedly:
"damn it……"

damn it……

"Little puppy Ashida," Thales added blankly to his mind.

Nikolai responded with a light laugh.

“See, once the key is exposed,” the Meteorite’s boots slowly turned, grinding gently over the thin paper:

"The renowned Kingdom Secret Service is nothing special."

"Your escape plan is full of mistakes, naive and ridiculous."

Thales took a deep breath.

The sun finally passed overhead and began to set in the west.

The wilderness remained silent, save for the soft murmur of the breeze rustling through the cracks in the rocks and the occasional bird call in the distance.

"Very impressive, Meteorite."

“You said you were careful,” Thales sighed deeply, “and you certainly didn’t underestimate me, and you made me pay the price.”

He slowly raised his head and spoke, word by word:
"But you underestimated the Secret Service."

Nikolai's eyes narrowed.

Thales didn't continue speaking; he turned around with a smile, his eyes lighting up.

“Wow, he left me a horse before he left,” Thales said happily, looking at the horse Monty had left behind.
"And longswords and shields."

"I guess he did it on purpose—he probably really dislikes you."

Under Nicolai's increasingly hostile gaze, Thales walked towards the horse without hesitation.

"Hmph," the Meteorite's smile was quite peculiar this time; he shook his head as he laughed.
"Really?"

"You and me?"

Thales smiled too.

He drew his longsword from his saddle, picked up his shield, and turned to Nicolai, whose expression was strange.

“Speaking of which,” Thales looked at his opponent with interest, swung his longsword, tested the weight of his shield, and nodded with a cheerful expression, “we’ve been sparring in class for so long, but it seems we haven’t really fought each other in a real, life-or-death situation yet?”

The next second, Thales put away his smile and assumed the starting stance of the Northern Army's swordsmanship.

Shield raised, sword ready.

The boy's expression was solemn as he faced the strongest opponent he had ever challenged, aside from the magic master.

The Meteorite of the Extreme Realm.

Serrey Nicholas.

This was probably not the most unequal battle he had ever experienced.

But it will definitely be the toughest battle yet.

You only have one chance—Thales stared intently at the person before him, silently telling himself:

Thales.

Only once.

Seeing Thales with his weapon in hand and fully prepared, Nikolai's smile slowly faded.

"That's a bad idea."

He remained expressionless, his words concise and to the point: "You? What makes you think you can defeat me?"

Thales snorted and shrugged: "What, at this point, you still expect me to obediently surrender?"

The Meteorite frowned deeply.

The wind howled, and the cold blade of the sword reflected the scorching sunlight.

Nikolai's brow relaxed, and he suddenly spoke:
"You eat with your right hand, right?"

Thales narrowed his eyes: "What?"

Nicolai's pupils slowly contracted.

"rest assured."

He cracked his knuckles, twisted his neck, and moved all the joints in his body, making a terrifying crackling sound between his bones.

The Meteorite clenched his fists and slowly walked towards Thales, who was waiting in full battle array.

"No matter how badly it gets later..."

The former commander of the White Blade Guard tore off his cloak and said coldly:
"I will always leave you that hand."

Helpful tip: Fasten your seatbelt.

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(End of this chapter)