Kingdom Bloodline

Chapter 405 Sinner
Marina's blade was cold, especially when it was pressed against her throat.

After that bloody battle where he was forced to be caught between the Meteorite and the Death Raven, and all three sides had to use their trump cards, Thales could feel his improvement: he reacted better in actual combat, moved faster, and his finishing power flowed more freely.

but……

Thales watched Ricky's indifferent expression and his composed demeanor with resentment, his neck forced to move along with the blade.

hateful.

From the prince's sudden outburst to Ricky's successful counterattack, the two sides exchanged blows in a single glance, and the dramatic turn of events lasted less than two seconds.

Quick Rope and Dean, who were covering for Thales, were pinned to the ground by a group of opponents, unable to move and in pain. Many mercenaries, still in a fighting stance, watched in astonishment as the situation suddenly reversed.

“Clearly, someone needs to teach our prince when not to do what.” Clay scoffed dismissively, sheathing the lightning-fast Dark Light sword.

“I told you,” former Baron Russell, having calmed down from his initial shock, looked disapprovingly at the surrounding Swords of Calamity, “this prince is troublesome…”

Meanwhile, Chisel frowned as he looked at Thales, whose counterattack had failed: "You restless little fellow, aren't you?"

"Bastard..." Marina gritted her teeth, her face flushed, and stepped forward with a single sword in hand, ready to capture the audacious prince and teach him a lesson.

But right now.

Snapped!
The prince disregarded everything, rolled over, stretched out his right arm, and firmly grasped the enemy's swordsman's hand.

Ricky's expression shifted, and he looked at Thales with surprise.

Even Marina paused in her tracks.

"Hey, swords of calamity."

Thales' arm muscles tensed as he desperately pushed the sword away from his throat, his voice trembling slightly from the struggle: "It's not... over yet..."

However, at that moment, the prince felt that the other person's wrist was like an ancient tree that had taken root for thousands of years, or a huge boulder that had sunk into the ground.

It cannot be moved by pushing or shaken.

"I heard you're quite interested in the Black Sword, is that right?" Thales forced a smile, trying hard not to think about the cold blade at his neck. "What a coincidence, I'm also very interested in it..."

Ricky frowned as he watched his opponent's final, desperate struggle, seemingly quite dissatisfied.

"A wise person knows when to give up..."

As Ricky spoke, a strange power continuously flowed from the other person's wrist!
Thales' expression suddenly changed!

At that moment, Ricky's finishing power flowed into his entire body through Thales's palm.

Thales felt as if he had been thrown into a giant pot, covered, and set on a fire.

piping hot.

Tingling.

Thick.

In a daze, his blood made an uneasy, muffled sound, his skin felt a slight tingling, and all the bones in his body were immobilized, as if they were being tightly bound and subjected to heavy pressure.

In Hell's Senses, the End Force within Ricky is like countless deep whirlpools, devouring everything in the ceaseless, surging undercurrents.

Once you're trapped, there's no escape, no way to leave.

What exactly is this—Thales thought painfully—what?
Only then did Ricky's icy voice slowly reach Thales' ears:

"...like you."

Ricky watched with satisfaction as Thales' face turned from red to white, his breathing became labored, and he watched as Thales' eyes glazed over under his terrifying power, his hands trembled slightly, and his grip loosened.

every time.

Ricky curled his lip, thinking with a bored and indifferent expression.

It's like this every time.

When their finishing power surges into their opponent's body...

He shook his head dismissively, but just as Ricky was about to push away the helpless Thales, the prey beneath his sword suddenly trembled slightly.

Boom!
Under everyone's gaze, the prince, who was already at his limit, suddenly took a deep breath, reached out his left hand, and grabbed Ricky's collar tightly!

Ricky's pupils shrank instantly.

Thales gritted his teeth, exerted force with his hands, and closed the distance between the two.

Ricky stared blankly at Thales in front of him, a hint of doubt in his eyes: "You, you can still move?"

“As a leader, you are indeed special, Ricky,” Thales’ breathing quickened, sweat beaded on his forehead, but his face remained flushed, and his words flowed smoothly: “They are all cold and violent, but you…”

Ricky flinched: "What?"

“Yours is scorching, oppressive, heavy, and all-encompassing, like a terrifying vortex from which there is no escape,” Thales said, smiling through a bead of sweat on his forehead, feeling the power of annihilation surging within him, as if it were consciously expelling and clearing away the foreign forces that had invaded his body.

"But that ominous feeling is still the same."

"Swords of Calamity".

The power of termination began to seep into Thales's brain, boiling with excitement.

Upon hearing Thales' words, Ricky's eyes widened in astonishment:

"You...how did you..."

Thales gripped the other's wrist and collar tightly, suppressing the effects of the finishing power on himself and the urge and desire to retaliate immediately.

hateful.

Not enough, not enough.

He still... didn't believe it!
We need...more!
Lost in thought, Thales let out a muffled groan as he worked up a sweat.

He observed the characteristics of Ricky's finishing power, and, just as he had not long ago imitated the Fold of Fate, urged the power within him to change.

Scorching hot.

As Thales thought this, the River of Sin within his body began to flow spontaneously, radiating a terrifying heat within his senses.

Repressed.

The power of termination roared, covering blood vessels, muscles, bones, and almost all human tissues, like dark clouds obscuring the sun, leaving no gaps.

heavy.

An inexplicable pressure descended upon Thales's body, becoming increasingly pronounced as his power shifted, almost tangible.

Cover the sky.

Soon, the River of Sin began to swirl around a center, as if it were about to tear apart or devour everything—at that moment, Thales had a strange feeling: no matter what kind of attack it was, as long as he remained immersed in the vortex of the power of termination, he could easily withstand it.

Thales let out a painful sigh: he could vaguely hear his body protesting like an overburdened machine, with chilling creaking sounds.

No one knew that in less than a second, he experienced terrifying ups and downs from the peak to the valley, and from the ground to the clouds.

Compared to the twists of fate that were almost "familiar," this time, the transformation of the River of Prisons brought him a greater burden and cost than he had imagined.

but……

Thales strained to focus, gazing at the enemy before him.

The boy took a deep breath, tightened his grip on the other person's wrist slightly, and smiled with relief.

"Like this?"

Soon, the newly born River of Sin, which had undergone a transformation in a daze, poured into Ricky's body.

Ricky was initially confused, but as that strangely familiar power gradually came over him, the man's breathing became more and more rapid.

"This is……"

Scorching hot.

Repressed.

heavy.

Cover the sky.

Just like...

Just like...

Looking at Thales' smile and feeling the sensations emanating from his body, no words could describe Ricky's current expression.

"Do not……"

His eyes widened, and he instinctively shook his head, as if he couldn't believe what he was seeing:
"impossible……"

Thales coughed painfully, and the nascent power of termination dissipated.

His hand left Ricky's collar and fell limply to his side.

The onlookers, unaware of the truth, listened to the conversation between the two with expressions of surprise and doubt.

Anxious Sonny tried to step forward, but Ricky waved him away.

"What's wrong, Ricky?" Clay asked tentatively.

But the leader of the Sword of Calamity merely shook his head slightly, offering no reply, still lost in his incredulous astonishment.

"I know."

Thales looked rather faint, his expression dazed, but he forced himself to grit his teeth and say, "I know why you want the Black Sword."

Ricky's shock slowly subsided, but his brows furrowed even more deeply.

He began to face the facts before him.

"Who exactly are you?" Krassus, the Sword of Calamity, asked in a deep voice.

But Thales just took a deep breath and shook his head.

“Believe me, Ricky, you don’t want the Black Sword,” the prince said wearily.
"You want me."

"The people you really need."

The boy stared intently at the other person:

"I."

The lights in the tavern were much dimmer than before, making Ricky's expression appear extremely solemn.

On the other side, the Shield of Shadows coughed, reminding the people of the Blade of Calamity.

"What are they doing?" Russell asked impatiently. "Chatting?"

The masked man looked at Ricky with concern, watching him subdue the prince without moving: "Ricky, we should move now..."

He waved to Sonny and Marina, who then stepped forward, some cautiously, others with gritted teeth.

But Ricky suddenly raised his head!
"Back off!"

The leader of the Sword of Calamity had never been so serious.

He coldly looked at his subordinates who were preparing to seize the prince and said in a chilling voice, "All of you."

The mercenaries were all taken aback.

Before they could react, Ricky withdrew the sword from his right hand, grabbed Thales by the collar with his strong left hand, lifted him off the ground, and slammed him hard onto the table next to him!
boom!
Amidst the loud crash, Thales lay sprawled on the table, groaning in pain.

Before he could react, Ricky reversed the sword, cleaved through the air, and thrust it down at his head out of nowhere!

call out!
Thales's mind went blank.

Boom!
With a muffled thud, the sword tip barely grazed Thales's scalp before embedding itself deeply into the table.

It was only an inch from Thales' forehead.

The prince caught a glimpse of the cold glint of the sword out of the corner of his eye, and, his heart pounding, stared in shock into Ricky's eyes.

"Hey, watch out!"

Chisel's eyes widened, and he reached out, exclaiming, "We don't want to get a corpse..."

But Ricky ignored him, and the masked man coldly blocked the way for the chisel, preventing him from taking another step.

The leader of the Blade of Calamity slowly bent down, approaching the still-shaken Thales.

"tell me."

His hand was still gripping the hilt of the sword, twisting the blade, which made a frightening scraping sound as it pierced the wood: "Arrogant Prince."

Ricky said, enunciating each word clearly, "Have you... tasted death?"

His eyes were like ice, and even the light reflected in his pupils was chilling.

In that instant, both the masked man and Klay opened their eyes wide and stared at each other in disbelief.

It was as if they had found out something.

Thales stared intently into the other person's eyes, trying to process what they were saying.

The taste of death.

The other party understood.

Thales breathed a sigh of relief.

He achieved his goal.

But clearly, the others didn't understand.

“Your Excellency Crassus, if I may be so bold, perhaps he has offended you, but this prince in your hands is extremely valuable…” The man with the skewer seemed very worried about the implications of Ricky's tone, and anxiously raised his hands: “If you have any complaints about him…”

Ricky suddenly turned around, his eyes wide with anger, and shouted fiercely:
"Shut up!"

The chisel fell silent, its remaining words trapped in its mouth.

The next second, Ricky turned back and continued to stare at Thales on the table, saying sternly, "Answer me, Prince."

He was breathing heavily: "Have you ever seen death?"

At this moment, Ricky was like a ferocious beast with sharp claws and bristling whiskers, no longer possessing the tranquility and indifference he had shown at their first meeting.

death.

Thales frowned, his thoughts drifting away.

Only those who survive death are qualified to use and control it.

In the instant it becomes one with you, you float between life and death, blurring the boundaries between existence and extinction.

As he relived the past, the prince clenched his fists while recovering from his earlier exhaustion.

Ricky, however, remained holding him hostage, showing no sign of letting up.

The whispers in the tavern gradually faded away. The mercenaries, though puzzled, remained steadfast in their positions, awaiting their leader's decision.

A few seconds passed.

“Of course,” the prince said through gritted teeth, his breath ragged, “I’ve seen it.”

“More than you think.”

Ricky's brow slowly relaxed.

“But you’re alive,” he said slowly, his anger and shock gradually fading.

This is not a question.

"Yes."

Thales repeated his words with a forced smile.

“Although I can’t remember clearly, but…” Thales took a deep breath, avoiding looking at the sword blade resting beside his forehead: “Yes, I’m back, I’ve come back every time.”

He shakily raised his right hand and tapped his chest:
“Stay with it.” Ricky’s brows relaxed completely, and he stopped twisting the sword on the table.

"How did you know?"

His tone was cautious:

"About us, about..."

Ricky's gaze followed Thales' finger as he solemnly uttered the next word: "It?"

Thales let out a hard breath.

“Don’t forget, I am Shining Star,” the prince said weakly with a smile. “We know everything.”

Ricky's expression froze, and his eyes narrowed.

“Brilliant Star…”

"Horace Shining Star?"

Ricky took a deep breath, his voice dropping as his head drooped: "Is it him?"

"He knew all of this from the Tower of the End?"

Thales was slightly taken aback.

what?
“Whether it’s him or not…” Thales swallowed, determined to get through the immediate crisis first: “But you want me.”

He stared intently at the slightly bewildered Ricky: "You want me more than anything else."

“Because I represent the miracle and opportunity you have been dreaming of,” Thales whispered, repeating their words:
"It marks the end of the old era and the beginning of the new century."

As Thales spoke, Ricky's expression gradually lost its confusion.

He looked up.

“Yes,” Ricky looked at the prince before him, sighed, and said with relief:

"I want you."

His words were quite profound.

The next second, Ricky used his right hand to pull the blade off the table and turned to the others.

Thales was left alone, lying on his back on the table, panting heavily, still shaken.

“Take him down—be polite.” Ricky twirled his sword, tossing it far back to Marina, who was staring intently at Thales, unwilling to give up.

Sonny nodded and stepped forward.

“Get ready,” Ricky seemed to transform back into the calm, indifferent leader he once was, in that instant: “We’ll begin the next step.”

Clay and the masked man exchanged a glance, then gave Thales an uneasy look before nodding in unison.

The mercenaries sprang into action.

“Now that we’ve subdued this mischievous prince,” Chisel coughed, signaling his presence, “let’s take him away, at least to a safe place…”

But Ricky suddenly looked up and spoke, interrupting him.

"The prince must remain in our hands as collateral."

His resolute words startled the chisel.

“We can only hand it over to you after we have completed our objective and withdrawn from the camp,” Ricky said casually.

Upon hearing this, both Chip and Russell widened their eyes in astonishment.

Thales breathed a sigh of relief, feeling somewhat at ease.

at last……

Quick Rope and Dean, who were subdued on the ground, were even more confused, just like the mercenaries, and had no idea what was going on.

"and many more!"

Chisel stared at Ricky from afar, his voice incredulous: "I gave you such a huge guarantee, and you still insist on the status quo?"

He pointed at Thales, who had been roughly dragged off the table by Sonny.

But Ricky just snorted.

"You gave me nothing, Chisel. The Shadow Shield is an enemy of the stars," the leader of the Blade of Calamity said coldly. "Even if that letter were exposed, it would only move you up a few places on the Secret Society's enemy list."

Chisel's face turned cold.

The veins on his hands were faintly visible.

"So, the letter I wrote to you was just a waste of time?"

Chisel's tone, along with his expression, slowly tightened: "This isn't how you do business."

He tucked his hands into his robe and slowly walked forward.

The masked man instinctively stepped in front of him.

The mercenaries sensed a subtle tension and, without being reminded, spontaneously began their pre-battle preparations, taking their positions and keeping a watchful eye on any enemies lurking outside the eaves.

“We mercenaries have our own way of doing business.”

Ricky said nonchalantly, "Accept it, or mess it up, it's your choice."

Chisel's eyes turned icy cold.

"Screw it?" The guest of Shadow Shield gritted his teeth, each word chilling.

"Gentlemen," Russell said hastily, seeing the situation about to become deadlocked again, "this camp is full of Star People's armies. If we hold each other back, no one will be able to leave here safely, let alone achieve our objective."

Ricky smiled in response.

"We have fulfilled the agreement we promised you, and the prince is right here."

“I suppose you wouldn’t mind if we held the goods as collateral for a while,” Ricky called out, glancing intentionally or unintentionally at a few corners of the tavern’s roof. “Until you pay the balance?”

The chisel stiffened.

He knew that the places Ricky had just looked at were all positions where the Shadow Shield assassins had been lurking outside for a long time, ready to strike at any moment.

but……

Chisel clenched his fist in resentment.

"You don't think I'm blind, do you?"

Chisel gritted his teeth and said, "Just now, you and that prince were whispering to each other for so long over there..."

Thales was being roughly tied up by Sonny, noticing that he was carrying his own baggage on his back, and was taken aback when he heard this.

Chisel glared at Ricky, who was standing calmly in front of him: "You didn't actually fall for this prince and make some kind of deal with him, did you?"

"For example... certain transactions between you and the Star Kingdom, such as the Prison of Bones?"

Ricky stopped what he was doing.

Russell fell silent, his eyes filled with deep distrust as he looked at the others.

The masked man frowned.

“That would be very ugly,” Chisel said coldly. “Do you think the Shadow Shield would travel all this way just so you could so easily take away our target?”

Ricky took a deep breath, turned around, and met the masked man's gaze.

He smiled.

"Ha ha ha ha……"

The masked man laughed too.

It was like hearing the biggest joke in the world.

“I understand. You gave that letter, so you’re very resentful, feeling like you’ve been taken advantage of…” Ricky laughed heartily and waved his hand: “Are you worried that we might assess the situation and turn to collusion with StarCraft?”

"So you've failed at the last minute?"

Chisel's face grew increasingly grim.

Ricky stepped forward, past the masked man, and came to the chisel.

"But what I want to say is, Chisel, like you, we were destined to be enemies of the stars long ago."

The chisel was slightly taken aback.

Ricky stared at him and said calmly, "As a reward for that letter to you, as a return for my 'sincerity'..."

He calmly beckoned with his finger behind him:
"Samir?"

Amidst the confusion of Chip, Russell, and Thales, the masked man snorted and stepped forward.

He reached out and pulled down his mask without hesitation.

The flickering lights cast indistinct shadows of the masked man's face.

He had a weathered face, looked about forty or fifty years old, with high cheekbones and faintly visible graying temples.

Chisel looked at him, his face puzzled, as if he didn't know what was going on for a moment.

"You are……"

The masked man shook his head dismissively.

But Russell, standing next to the drill, changed his expression!
“That is…” The former Baron of Exeter stared at the other person, his voice trembling slightly.

Many mercenaries, including Quick Rope, looked at each other in bewilderment, utterly perplexed.

Thales strained his neck, but could only see the masked man's profile.

hateful……

Who exactly is that guy...?

But Thales was immediately stunned.

Side profile.

That's right, he could only see the masked man's profile.

But this is enough.

On one side of the other person's face, from the chin to the cheekbone, was a clear and hideous brand.

The skin and flesh were turned inside out, and blood was crisscrossing the wound.

Just like...

Thales stared blankly at the brand on the other person's face.

Just like six years ago, Raphael Lindbergh from the Secret Service had two brands on his wrist, bearing the name of the Arund family...

But the prince was immediately startled again!
He recognized it.

The branding on the masked man's face was regular and shaped...

That is……

Thales couldn't believe his eyes.

But the masked man quickly spoke, ending Thales's question.

"This is the letter 'S' from the ancient empire, representing the royal family of Shining Star. It was branded on a long time ago." He gently touched the ugly and terrifying mark that had stood for so many years on his face and said coldly.

The drill bit jerked violently!
The masked man said coldly, "Those who are branded with this mark are sinners who have been punished by order of the Supreme King of the Stars, bearing an eternal shame and sin that can never be redeemed."

He took a step back, his expression one of surprise.

Ricky crossed his arms and gave a slight sneer, while Clay looked as if he had known all along and showed no surprise.

Marina listened to the masked man's confession with a complicated expression.

Thales stared blankly at the man named Samir, his heart filled with indescribable emotions.

Chisel seemed to remember something and asked hesitantly, "You said your name is Samir? You are...?"

Samir, no longer wearing a mask, gave a soft hum.

"As you said, everyone has a past."

Selmi turned around to face the people in the tavern.

"Eighteen years ago, after the great battle, besides you assassins who deserved to die... there was also a group of people in Yongxing City who were imprisoned by the newly crowned King Kessel."

Samir slowly began to pace, his tone cold.

"They were all highly skilled, experienced, and powerful warriors of noble birth who had sworn a glorious oath to protect the most esteemed bloodline of this kingdom."

Samir suddenly turned his head to look at Thales, startling the latter.

Under the light, the brand on the other person's face became more and more obvious, and even more terrifying.

His gaze was strange; though he was staring intently at Thales, it was as if he were looking through a curtain of water, gazing into the distance through the mist.

Samir slowly began, “But because of that world-renowned defeat and humiliation, they suffered an unjust injustice in the new king’s anger, burdened with heavy sins, and could only waste their lives in the miserable underground.”

"Never to be free, never to see the light of day again."

Selmi raised his head, his tone a mixture of pride and pain.

“I am Colin Samir, from Everstar City, the youngest son of Viscount Luca Samir.”

He said with deep sorrow.

“I was once the second-highest standard-bearer of the Star Royal Guard, a personal guard of the late King Eddie II, and a glorious ‘Imperial Guard’.”

He stared at Thales with an incredibly complex expression: "And during the bloody year, he was a member of the royal guard who protected the Palace of Restoration."

Thales stared back at him, bewildered, his mind in turmoil.

Royal Guard?

Isn't that just...

Samir gritted his teeth and clenched his fists, and said angrily in the almost suffocating atmosphere: "He was also the only lucky one to escape on the way out of the forty-six members of the Royal Guard who were sentenced to life imprisonment in the Bone Prison for refusing to plead guilty after an unfair trial."

"He is a criminal who has nowhere to go in the entire Star Kingdom—a serious offender."

Chisel stopped talking; he just stared intently at Samir.

The tavern was completely silent.

Ricky spoke again: "Compared to your letter, which was more hype than substance, this is our guarantee, Chip."

"It is impossible for us to cooperate with the Star Kingdom."

“So the prince will remain in our hands, and even travel with us,” Ricky said coldly. “His safety, and whether he can be successfully handed over to you… depends entirely on the success of our next move.”

"And here I would like to express my gratitude in advance for your generous help?"

Ricky's allusions to the tunnel.

Chip and Russell frowned.

Ricky snorted, turned his head away, and ignored them.

"Now."

The leader of the Blade of Calamity swept his gaze across the serious mercenaries, his eyes lingering particularly on Thales's face, which held a complex expression:
"Let's go."

"Target - The Prison of Bones."

(End of this chapter)