Kingdom Bloodline

Chapter 411 Seven
As Barney spoke coldly, Naki muttered something and lay down on the spot, while Cannon curled up and shrank back.

The others went their separate ways and returned to the darkness behind their cells.

Samir looked at them in surprise, unable to comprehend their indifference.

how……

"Barney, it's me!"

Samir took a step forward, and the firelight caught up with Barney's retreating figure.

He could barely contain his emotions and shouted anxiously, "Second Chief Standard Officer, Colin Samir!"

"Naki? Cannon? Belletti?"

But no one paid any attention to him.

Samir stared blankly at the five cold cells, watching several figures disappear before his eyes.

Ricky coughed.

"Samir, our mission..."

But Samir clearly refused to believe it. He suddenly gritted his teeth, rushed to Barney's cell, and angrily gripped the metal bars:
"Hey! Barney, you little rascal—"

However, Samir's words came to an abrupt end!

Snapped!
With a loud bang, a visible burst of fire erupted between his palm and the fence!

Samir cried out in pain, as if he had been hit hard, and flew backward, crashing to the ground with a low groan.

His torch fell to the ground, raising a cloud of dust.

The sudden change startled everyone.

Clay caught up quickly and, together with Sonny, helped up Samir, whose face was ashen. Samir stretched out his trembling hand, which had burn marks on it.

"careful!"

Ricky stared intently at the metal fence, noticing the clear handprint Samir had left on it: "This is a trick by mages. There's something strange about these fences. No one should touch them."

Thales looked at the fence with lingering fear, wondering what it was.

Samir, panting heavily, gritted his teeth and stared into the darkness of the cell ahead, supported by Clay.

“Barney!” he roared.

But the cell remained dark and there was no response.

Chisel frowned in the crowd: "What's going on with them?"

Josh shook his head, his eyes sharp:
"This is what prison is like."

"A place that can drive you crazy."

The crowd remained silent for a long while.

Ricky cast a questioning look at Samir, but the latter just lowered his head and remained silent, his face contorted with struggle.

Clay tentatively began, "We..."

Just then, Samir broke free from Clay's support and suddenly shouted!
"In the name of the supreme god Losophia, in the name of the King of Comoros, in the name of the magnificent gods, the ancient kings, and the knightly spirits..."

Samir's voice was deep and resonant, yet incredibly clear, as if possessing a power that could penetrate the heart, echoing throughout the hall.

"I inscribe this oath today."

Thales was stunned.

The supreme god...

Emperor Comoros...

Samir gasped for breath and looked up at the five cells in front of him.

In the darkness, several breaths could be heard, gradually quickening.

Soon, Barney's voice came from the cell, tinged with hesitation and confusion:

"You, what did you say..."

Samir took a deep breath and stepped forward.

Thales saw that Samir's expression was unlike anything he had ever seen before: the firelight grazed the brand on his face, reflecting the resolute look on his face.

Samir then spoke:

"I swear that I will dedicate my life to the throne, serve the imperial power forever, and have no other master."

He gritted his teeth and stopped speaking, his words echoing through the hall.

The former standard-bearer continued to stare into the darkness of the cell, as if waiting for something.

One second, two seconds...

He was not disappointed.

A voice, as if startled awake from a nightmare, suddenly rang out:

"I swear that this sword will only be wielded by the Emperor's command, and will only be broken by the Emperor's decree; it will have no other use."

Following the sound, a figure appeared in front of the fence: Thales recognized him; it was the lazy Naki.

But his voice was no longer lazy.

A complex look of pain crossed Samir's face.

A third voice spoke softly, taking over their words:

"I swear that my body will either be buried where the throne rests or be buried halfway through the imperial mission, or I will have no other end."

In the cell, Tardin's bewildered expression left the darkness and entered the light of the fire.

Without prompting, the fourth and fifth voices followed, continuing the oath:
"I swear that this soul will not go to hell, nor enter heaven, nor be attached to the mortal world, but will only be forged into a magnificent empire, with no other place to belong."

A glint flashed in Samir's eyes. He opened his mouth slightly and, together with the prisoners, recited this unusual passage:
"Where the edict was issued, knights gathered in droves."

The prisoners who had previously disappeared reappeared in the firelight, joining the chanting through the bars.

"Where the iron hooves go, all the villains perish."

Bitterness, excitement, blankness, confusion, bewilderment—Thales read a wide variety of emotions on the prisoners' faces.

"Where the sword points, chaos will surely end."

Finally, Barney, with a serious expression, stepped out of the darkness and stood behind the fence.

“The legacy will never perish,” he said, exchanging glances with Samir as they uttered the final words together.

"Eternal Empire".

silence.

The empire is eternal.

Thales's hand muscles tensed slightly.

At that moment, everyone—from Chisel, Russell, and the Blades of Calamity, to the prisoners Quick Rope, Dean, and Tampa—looked in astonishment at these special prisoners and their interactions with Samir.

Amidst the flickering firelight, Samir sighed softly.

“I remember that your father, Big Quill Barney, specifically mentioned it before the oath-taking ceremony that day,” he said with a bitter smile.

"He said the original text of this oath was in an ancient imperial language, representing past glory, and he also said..."

Barney, in the cell, shook his head and continued his words.

“He said he felt that we bunch of good-for-nothings were not qualified to join the Royal Guard, not qualified to become the glorious ‘Imperial Guard’,” Barney said calmly. “It would be a disgrace to even share a room with us.”

"Until that day, he died in battle in front of the palace gates."

Samir's face darkened, and he lowered his head.

“My God…you are, you really are…” On the other side, Belletti’s gaze was fixed on Samir, unmoving for a long time.

Barney Jr. didn't remain silent for long; he turned to another cell.

“Naki, Cannon.”

"Light up."

His words were poignant, concise, yet still undeniable.

Naki rubbed his already filthy face: "Are you serious, Vanguard Officer? This is oil we extracted from that gerbil. Even with all this dried stuff, it won't burn for long... I don't know how long it will be before we catch the next one..."

From inside the cell, Barney shouted angrily:
"Light up!"

Naki didn't say anything more. Soon, a fire broke out in his cell, illuminating the figures outside.

“Samir,” Barney said, his voice filled with endless sighs and complex emotions as he looked at the other’s illuminated face.
"It's really you."

"Second Flag Officer."

Samir did not speak.

The other prisoners gasped and moved closer to the bars, trying to get a better look at the person in front of them.

Naki rubbed his eyes frantically, while Cannon beside him took deep breaths and trembled uncontrollably.

"Bri!"

Tardin, who had just been imitating thunder, turned around and yelled at his roommate, "Bri!"

"Ahhh!"

The people outside the cell were slightly taken aback. Before they could react, they saw Tardin's rather large cellmate roar in response: "Ughhhhh!"

Immediately afterwards, he pounced on Tardin like a giant bear!
Boom!
There was a muffled sound.

Thales stared wide-eyed as he roared and threw a punch that struck Tardin squarely in the face!

Its power was astonishing, showing no mercy.

What are they doing?
Tardin slammed into the wall behind him, letting out a painful groan.

But just as Brie's ferocious second punch was about to land, he miraculously leaped up from the wall, swung his elbow horizontally, and slammed it hard into Brie's chin!
boom!
Bri shook his head and took a step back, groaning in pain, then his eyes flashed with ferocity as he attacked Tardin once more!
Boom!
And so, everyone watched in shock as the two prisoners in the cell engaged in a fierce fight.

boom!
Every punch landed hard, every move was brutal. But whether it was Barney, Nye, or Naki, Cannon, and Belletti, they all turned a blind eye to the infighting among their fellow inmates.

Samir watched their fierce fight in disbelief, completely bewildered.

Finally, after Tardin delivered a powerful kick to Brie's chest, sending his ferocious opponent flying, he roared, "Enough!"

Brie lowered his arms, panting heavily, and glared at him fiercely.

Soon, Tardin, with a bruised and swollen face and blood dripping from the corner of his mouth, got up and spat out a mouthful of blood: "Damn, that really hurts."

He looked at Samir, gave a forced smile, and mumbled:
"Sorry, this is the only wild method, hehe."

Samir was taken aback.

Tardin rubbed his swollen chin, and he and Brie supported each other, staring intently at him. Tardin chuckled strangely, "Hehehe, confirm that the person inside is real, not just our illusion."

After a long while, Samir, having figured something out, silently lowered his head.

“I am real, Tardin,” he said sadly, “I am standing right here.”

"It's not a hallucination."

"No."

Thales sensed a lot of emotion from his words.

On the other side, Nai stared intently at Samir: "What, Samir, they still managed to bring you back? Right? What's their scheme this time? Who are they going to kill this time?"

Samir shook his head.

Cannon trembled slightly, hiding nervously behind Naki: "What, beheading? Or hanging? Are we in there too?"

Samir stared at them with an unreadable expression, and shook his head again.

“You’ve lost a lot of weight and aged a lot,” Naki sneered in the cell. “Of course, at least you don’t need a stone knife to shave.”

“Something’s not right,” Belletti, with long hair falling over her face and a beard reaching her chest, asked warily and with ill intent, arms crossed.

"What are you doing here, you coward? Who are those people outside?"

Samir remained silent, letting them scrutinize him and listen to their strange questions.

Until Barney Jr. asked a question.

“Now, Samir,” Barney took a deep breath and asked an unexpected yet thought-provoking question:

"What year is it now?"

Upon hearing this, the prisoners in the cell fell silent.

They gazed silently at Samir.

After a long pause, Samir finally let out a breath: "The End of the Calendar, 679."

Barney was slightly taken aback, then his face turned pale and he took several steps back.

The prisoners were also stunned.

“My head’s not quite clear, help me with some math,” Naki nudged Cannon, who anxiously turned around, scratching his head in distress.
"679, 679, so, six hundred and seventy-nine minus six hundred and seventy... no, six hundred and fifty, no, six hundred and sixty... When did we get here again?"

Cannon did not answer him, but simply curled up and sat down, his face filled with fear.

"how come……"

"Eighteen years."

Little Barney looked around in a daze, then laughed inexplicably: "Eighteen years."

Samir did not speak.

Eighteen years.

With mixed feelings, Thales silently watched this special reunion after a long separation.

"Cannon said it's been about thirty years, Naki said it's been at most five years..."

Little Barney was lost in his own world, his face contorted with pain, the brand on his face trembling slightly: "But I don't believe either of them. I... I've been counting the number of supply drops myself. I thought it was only seven or eight years..."

He plopped down, his face contorted, and burst into loud laughter: "Hahaha, hahahahahaha..."

The laughter was bitter, hoarse, and unpleasant.

Soon, Naki and Tardin joined in the laughter, while the other prisoners either looked dazed or stared blankly, remaining silent.

Samir closed his eyes, and only opened them after a long while.

"You're here...where are the others?"

He asked with difficulty.

The laughter in the hall stopped.

Barney raised his head, his gaze cold and aloof.

Didn't you bring torches?

He spread his hands and said coldly, "See for yourself."

Samir's brow twitched.

He strode forward, ignoring the prisoners' pain as they covered their eyes and retreated in agony from the blinding firelight, illuminating every cell through the bars.

A few seconds later, Samir swayed several times and weakly took a few steps back.

"How...how could this be..." he murmured.

The prisoners fell silent.

In the cell, Cannon covered his face, slid down against the wall, and sobbed in anguish.

At that moment, Thales saw the scene before him clearly:
There were nearly seven or eight cells, each filled with human skeletons and mummies.

But unlike before, most of the skeletons were neatly stacked, with the heads on top and the bodies on the bottom, arranged on the ground one after another.

Behind Barney, there were five neatly arranged skeletons, one of which still had dried skin and muscle.

Just like...

Like a cemetery, Thales murmured to himself.

Samir twisted his face as he looked at Barney.

"How did they..."

Barney gave a cold sneer.

"Take your torch further away. Unlike you, we don't see light often, and it's too bright for us."

Samir gritted his teeth and put down the torch.

Barney stared at him for a long time before finally speaking.

"Allen and Walker had a fight in their cell, and eight or nine of them died."

“Molian had a persistent high fever, Toby had an infection from an injury, Ross had a strange illness whose name we couldn’t recall, and ‘The Bedbug’ had a mental breakdown; several other people were like him…”

The more Barney talked, the more depressed and gloomy he became.

He turned slightly to the side, his eyes vacant: "Chimera went mad. One day, she suddenly stopped eating and drinking..."

"Bobby tried to pry open the fence until he discovered that prolonged contact with it was fatal."

The hall fell silent for a moment, the atmosphere heavy with tension.

“Milo just inexplicably stopped waking up,” Barney said, his expression hardening as he clenched his fists in pain.
"As for big Larry, well, he's gone a bit eccentric. Before he kills a third person, the people in their cell have to do something, so..."

He took a deep breath, forcing his emotions back into his body.

"King left with 'Skull.' They were the last two people in the same room, and they agreed to cut each other's wrists..."

"One day, Rogo suddenly went crazy, shouting and laughing for a whole day and night, and then he fell silent."

Samir listened quietly, his torch trembling slightly with each new name he heard.

"Cox passed away peacefully, and even had time to leave his last words."

“Colemen just had a common cold, but we didn’t have any medicine. We just watched him get worse day by day… In the end, he couldn’t take it anymore, so I did it.”

Barney chuckled dryly a few times.

“The cells are not connected, we can only hear the sounds—what has happened over the years is like a fucking play.”

"Humph."

“In the same cell, those who die young can at least have a dignified funeral,” Barney looked at his hands, then glanced at the five skeletons behind him, a subtle emotion flashing in his eyes:

"As for the last few remaining, just lie down and wait."

Little Barney was lost in thought.

Thales stared blankly at the disheveled prisoner.

He looked at the deep, dark cell, at the gleaming bars, and thought of the skeletons and mummies on the upper floors; a complex mix of emotions welled up inside him.

thump.

Samir knelt on one knee, his face deathly pale: "So, so..."

Barney looked up and gave a cold snort to the man outside the cell.

"Yes, Second Standard Officer, His Excellency Colin Samir."

"Eighteen years have passed. Forty-five men, in the prime of their lives, forty-five noble knights..."

Barney's smile widened until it became a bitter, sarcastic, and acrimonious grin.

"Forty-five members of the royal guard were imprisoned in the prison of bones."

He raised his head, looking blankly at the surrounding skeletons, and silently exchanged glances with the other six prisoners.

"perhaps……"

"There are only seven of us left."

(End of this chapter)