Kingdom Bloodline

Chapter 359 Surpassing Kaslan

Thales lay on the ground, trembling with pain and drenched in cold sweat.

He was almost completely numb.

This was not the most intense pain he had ever experienced, but it was certainly one of the most unbearable, agonizing, and protracted.

I felt alternating, sharp, cutting, and even oppressive pain in three places: my left wrist, left calf, and right knee. The pain came in waves.

He wanted to stand up, at least move a few steps on the ground, and get away from the battlefield, but as soon as he made a slightly larger movement, the pain would spread from the wound to his brain and be amplified infinitely.

He could only close his eyes tightly and breathe heavily, no longer caring about the life-or-death struggle between the two men.

Listening to the sounds of fighting around him, Thales' face contorted, large beads of sweat sliding down his forehead, and it felt as if an eternity had passed—he suddenly felt an intense urge to "faint."

And things seemed to be going in the direction he had hoped for: as the persistent pain gradually exceeded his limit of endurance, Thales began to lose consciousness, and his whole body, especially the muscles and tendons in the injured area, began to twitch uncontrollably.

He was in so much pain he almost fainted.

But right now.

"boom!"

A surging, ocean-like sound rang in Thales's ears, temporarily drowning out the sounds of fighting around him.

The boy, who was enduring the pain in a daze, was suddenly startled and became slightly more alert!

This feeling……

It was as if something had suddenly seeped into his veins.

is it.

While suffering from his injuries, Thales struggled to turn his face, rubbed his mouth and nose on the ground, inhaled a breath of dusty air, coughed with difficulty, and then realized what was happening.

That was the sin of the River of Hell.

It was the black sword that warned him about that most dangerous power.

One of his longest companions through disaster and suffering, and one of the most unforgettable experiences of his life.

"boom……"

It is unclear when it began, but the sins of the River of Hell, which had previously been passively summoned, began to surge uncontrollably.

Like a ferocious beast unleashed from its cage, it was incredibly excited, letting out a roar before hunting.

Its "sound" is getting louder and louder.

Thales seemed to have a delusion: pain, dizziness, weakness—the Sin of the River of Hell thrived in this severely injured state, the power of termination invading every cell of its master's body without restraint, like river water overflowing a dry, cracked riverbed.

Including the brain.

In that instant, Thales took a comfortable breath—it was as if his whole body had been placed in warm water, and the pain and suffering turned into a gentle numbness, temporarily disappearing from his senses.

Time seemed to stand still again.

Thales lay weakly on the ground, his eyes vacant as he stared at the loess rock wall in front of him.

Very strange.

The battle that had just taken place flashed through his mind.

Nikolai's incomparably sharp blade pierced his shield, severed his longsword, and then swept him down.

The image of the blade that would later determine his fate replayed in his mind again and again.

He shouldn't have stopped.

Thales, his mind hazy, thought vaguely.

The sins of the River of Hell, like the flames of hell, actively licked his wounds, bringing a stinging, needle-like stimulation.

Yes, he shouldn't have stopped.

Thales gritted his teeth, a surge of urge to get up and fight again welling up in his limbs.

When his weapons were completely useless, he shouldn't have stopped. He could have gone against the tide and let the Rising Sun Saber pierce his shoulder.

Then, he thrust out the remaining half of his broken sword—Nikolai's blade was unhindered, and he had poured all his energy into it, leaving him powerless and unable to defend himself—and pushed it toward his opponent's neck.

He himself may pay a heavy price, that's true, but Nikolai will inevitably suffer huge losses.

He'll be in big trouble.

Thales smiled unconsciously in his daze, his right hand clenching involuntarily—as if the broken sword were still in his hand.

With this thought, the sins of the Hell River surged joyfully once more, roaring like a tidal wave.

Yes.

No need to dodge, ignore defense, and give up retreating.

forward.

Only forward.

Towards the enemy's direction...

Thales, trembling in the dim light, coughed violently, his mouth and nose filled with the stench of blood.

bloody……

Feel the sharp edge piercing the enemy's artery, feel the intense heat of the blood gushing from their neck, feel the despair of their life gradually slipping away.

Fighting amidst bloodshed.

Until death.

Thales slowly closed his eyes and grinned.

next time……

There will be a next time...

Just do it...

Just do it...

"boom!"

As his last shred of consciousness vanished, the River of Sin erupted in a roar!
Not far from Thales, Monty's face was stiff, his whole body tense, and his arms were tightly locked around Nicolai's neck.

Feeling the other person's struggle in the last second.

However, the Death Raven paused slightly.

With only a sliver of consciousness and strength left, Nikolai shakily raised his Rising Sun Saber with his left hand, the hilt teetering precariously in his grasp.

The next second, Monty suddenly felt a flash before his eyes.

A brilliant, golden-red light, like the blazing sun, shone from the golden blade!

The sight of the piercing light caused Monty's vision to go completely black!
"what--"

The raven closed its eyes tightly and couldn't help but let out a muffled groan.

But killing had become second nature to him, and he did not waver in the slightest. Instead, he bent over again and tightened his grip!

It sealed the neck of the meteorite.

Just a little longer, just a little longer...

Just fine.

Monty, his eyes tightly shut, blushed and thought painfully.

But he soon realized that the Rising Sun Saber brought more than just a bright light.

Monty's arms trembled violently—a sudden, intense heat surged through the skin pressed against Nicolai's!
It wasn't scalded by water, nor burned by fire.

It was a deep, agonizing pain that penetrated to the very marrow!
"Ahhhh-"

Monty couldn't help but scream in pain. His arms could no longer hold their shape and seemed to have lost all feeling. They instantly loosened, and he stumbled backward!

"boom!"

The Death Raven fell to the ground in agony, but he could no longer care about anything else and could only desperately pound his hands and the flames that had inexplicably ignited on his chest.

wrong.

wrong!

Monty stared in disbelief at the Meteorite kneeling on the ground, his mind still clouded—the latter's skin seemed to be enveloped in a golden-red light, radiating intense heat.

This is--

Before the terrified Monty could figure it out, the burning sensation on his body spread.

Suddenly, multiple parts of the Deathraven's body burst into flames!
It was as if an invisible, blazing flame instantly enveloped Monty.

"Fuck you—" Monty roared in pain, his body, which had just gotten halfway up, fell backward again.

Not only in these areas, but also on the head, shoulders, legs, waist, chest...

"Damn it, troublemaker!!"

The raven lay on the ground, its face contorted in pain, rolling around frantically without stopping!
They tried to extinguish the strangely lit flames.

In front of him, Nikolai, freed from his restraints, knelt weakly on the ground, his hands pressing tightly against the red-hot Rising Sun Saber.

The red light surrounding Nicolai gradually dissipated.

The meteorite lay on all fours, shivering as if he hadn't breathed air in ages, gasping for breath, feeling the relief of the depleted energy flowing back into his brain, even his fingers trembling.

Above the neck, Nicolai's face had never been so red—like the color of blood.

For a moment, only the screams and rolling of the Death Raven and the desperate panting of the Meteorite could be heard in the arena.

A minute passed, and Monty finally extinguished the last inch of flames on his body, but he looked incredibly miserable—white smoke was billowing from his entire body, and his clothes were covered in burn marks, especially his arms.

The raven groaned in agony, and a foul, burning smell spread.

Nikolai lay weakly on the ground, the surrounding wasteland scorched black, and wisps of smoke rising from his body. Both men collapsed, one too weak to rise, the other severely burned.

"what is that?"

Monty lay exhausted on his back on the ground, trembling all over, and said weakly, "I've never heard of... the Rising Sun Saber being used like this."

Nikolai struggled to lift his head toward Monty, shaking it violently, his eyes unfocused, as if he had just recovered from the nightmare of being choked.

He took a deep breath and used his last bit of strength to lie down on his side.

"Legendary anti-magic weapons... are influenced by their users, and in different hands, they will be adapted and changed to varying degrees—just like the power of termination."

Nikolai's expression was unfocused, as if he had just been tortured. He gripped the now-dead Rising Sun Saber tightly and said weakly and intermittently, "I've seen... Tuleha use the Rising Sun Saber as a magic gun, creating terrifying flames and explosions in narrow passages."

Monty groaned and struggled to get up.

“Don’t move, Monty,” the Meteorite said, his voice low and weary, “if you don’t want to be burned to ashes.”

"I still...can't control...it..."

Monty stiffened slightly upon hearing this.

He sighed softly and lay down again.

Seeing the enemy fall, the exhausted Nicolai finally let out a long breath, looking listlessly at the Rising Sun Saber in his hand: "As you can see, I... I... I really don't get along with this broken sword. In six whole years, this is all I can do."

There was a moment of silence between them.

"'Only'?"

Monty gave a bitter laugh, trembling as he stretched out his arms, their armor burned away and his skin charred black, feeling his last bit of strength disappear with the burning: "You just made yourself a suit of flame armor with the Rising Sun Saber, roasted me half-cooked, and you call this 'not getting along'?"

Nicolai smiled, his gaze towards Monty particularly complex.

"No, you've never been a captain, and you've never read the 'White Blade Legendary Book'—the records say that the Soul-Severing Blade once single-handedly withstood tens of thousands of Eastern Continent troops and nearly killed the Nightwing King, who was said to be invincible. But if I had it, I could at most seal off and isolate a hundred or so people."

The Meteorite seemed to have rested well, and his speech became fluent. He said sadly, "The rising sun, which is said to be able to burn everything, has become an armor that uses flames to protect and defend in my hands."

"I guess even the Soul-Slaying Spear that once created hundreds of miles of no man's land will only become a spear tip that says 'Keep away, or you will die' in my hands."

Nicolai looked up and gave a wry smile: "Otherwise, I wouldn't have wanted to play so badly."

Monty, who was breathing heavily in pain, suddenly stopped looking.

"what?"

The Deathcrow looked at its opponent in disbelief: "You mean, this is the situation you planned from the beginning?"

"Lure me out, then end the fight with the Rising Sun Saber?"

Impossible—Monty stared blankly at his old comrade, his old superior, his old captain, as if he no longer recognized him.

Nikolai lowered his eyes and pursed his lips.

“From the start of the battle, I was at my greatest disadvantage.”

"You gained the upper hand by staying hidden in the shadows, while I was seriously injured, my combat strength has declined, and then there's this terrain," the Meteorite said, glancing at Thales, who appeared to be unconscious in the distance, and curling his lip.
"This is your best fighting style, your most advantageous battlefield, while I could search for you for another twenty years and still not find you, unable to retaliate, and only suffer in vain."

"With that kid's interference, I'm not confident I can survive until your crossbow bolts miss."

Monty froze completely.

“I had no choice but to grab that kid, pretend to lose my mind, and risk taking two of your arrows—I even sacrificed my leg for it,” Nikolai seemed to have finally gotten rid of the aftereffects of having his neck locked. He slowly sat up and reached out to treat the wound on his calf: “I tried to lure you out and kill me at close range.”

Monty gritted his teeth slightly.

The Meteorite stared intently at the wretched Monty: "Of course, it was still very risky. Your timing was too cunning, and the noose formed too quickly. I didn't even have a chance to retaliate and almost passed out."

Monty took a deep breath, his eyes showing exhaustion.

“You son of a bitch,” Deathrattle said dejectedly, lying on the ground. “If it hadn’t been so rushed, I should have made a few poisoned arrows a few days earlier.”

“Hmph,” Nikolai smirked as he silently began bandaging his wounds, “Do you know where you went wrong?”

Monty didn't speak, but clenched his burned fists slightly.

"You've been a scout for too long, and you're used to maintaining an absolutely safe distance."

Nikolai seemed somewhat sentimental, his hand movements pausing slightly: "You're used to attacking from behind, a single, fatal blow."

"I bet you've almost forgotten what it feels like to fight face-to-face with bloodshed."

"Is it."

The Raven first frowned slightly, then asked in confusion, "But you, troublemaker, you..."

"When did you become able to think about all this while fighting a war?"

Nikolai shook his head, his eyes filled with complex emotions: "A commander must always think one step ahead of others."

The two remained silent for a short while, seemingly deep in thought.

"You're different now."

Monty struggled to sit up, exhaling through the pain, and said resentfully, "Like Kaslan, someone who fights with his brain... are you still the same person I know, that annoying, universally disliked, bloodthirsty troublemaker?"

Nikolai managed a weak smile, wincing as he pulled the crossbow bolt from his calf.

"Can you say it now?"

The Meteorite tore open his clothes and tightly bound the wound on his calf. The Rising Sun Saber was within his reach: "Why?"

"Why did you betray us?"

Monty closed his eyes in despair and tilted the back of his head back to the ground.

"Does that even matter?"

“We’ve already come this far,” the Deathraven’s voice was utterly exhausted. “Let’s get started.”

"End it."

Nikolai remained silent for a moment.

He turned his head: Thales lay unconscious on the ground, motionless.

The next second, the Meteorite tightened his grip on his wounded hands, binding his calf tightly: "This is very important."

“Because I am your captain,” the Meteorite’s eyes were like knives, slowly shifting from the wound to Monty, as if they were tangible: “I am your leader.”

Monty chuckled, slowly shaking his head on the ground: "Ridiculous, you certainly enjoy reminiscing..."

Nikolai suddenly raised his voice, forcefully interrupting him: "Because I am the commander of the White Blade Guard!"

"The head of the melee blade!"

His expression twisted, and he gritted his teeth: "I should be the one who leads you, protects you, and spurs you on."

"Ned's mother Monty!"

Nikolai slammed his fist into the scorched ground beside him.

He loosened his teeth and breathed softly.

The man's pale face darkened: "And if... if any of you get into trouble, it will be my responsibility."

"I failed."

The raven trembled slightly.

Nikolai reached into his breastplate and gripped a small stone tightly.

He struggled to keep his expression unchanged, his voice slightly choked: "And I... I need to know why."

“I need to know, I need to know,” Nicola said after a long pause, her voice tinged with sadness.
"why."

Silence returned to the earth, leaving only the mournful sobbing of the breeze blowing through the cracks in the rocks.

“Hahahaha,” Monty reopened his eyes, looking at the clear blue sky, his laughter tinged with bitterness: “You’ve really changed, you troublemaker.”

"Now I finally understand why you were able to kill Kaslan—even when he was old."

Nikolai didn't answer, but just gripped the pebble tighter and tighter.

"It's clear that, whether in combat or... you have completely... surpassed Kaslan."

The Raven's eyes were distant: "Even at the peak of 'Earthshaking,' you are still just like you now—you are not outstanding in any way, you are usually inconspicuous, you look ordinary, but in actual combat, whether in favorable or dangerous situations, whether you have the initiative or the counterattack, no matter what kind of enemy you are, as long as they stand on the ground, they can't beat you."

Monty chuckled softly, "Worse, yet better."

Nicolai slammed his fist on the ground again, a hint of anger in his voice: "Don't mention him again."

"After today, you'll have plenty of time to confess to him face to face."

Monty responded with a bitter laugh: "Hahahaha... Here's the problem, you troublemaker..."

"You admire him so much, you admire 'Iceberg'?"

The Raven laughed so hard it was almost choked: "But have you ever really understood him?"

Nicolai frowned slightly.

Monty struggled to lift his upper body, shifting to lean against a low rock. His chin was burned, giving his smile an ominous look: "Do you know what kind of being Caslan Rumba really is?"

Nikolai's heart sank.

He remembered that day six years ago, when Kaslan stopped breathing forever in Valhalla.

Monty sighed softly, his eyes filled with endless sorrow and regret: "I really miss that day..."

“Troublemaker, the day we formally swear the oath of the blade, from being a candidate in the guard to officially becoming a new member of the guard.”

Nikolai seemed to understand something, and he thoughtfully raised his head.

Monty said quietly, "At least, we had a choice that day."

"And after that day, my future, my life, was forever shrouded in darkness," he murmured, lost in thought.

"Only darkness remains."

(End of this chapter)