Kingdom Bloodline

Chapter 417 The Punisher Knight
The iron curtain was completely lowered, and the firelight shone into the space behind the fence, illuminating a figure kneeling on the ground.

Ricky and Samir stood in front of the cell, staring intently at him.

Thales squinted and, in the flickering light, made out the person in the cell.

It was a middle-aged man who looked quite old. He knelt on the ground behind the fence, clasped his hands to his chest, and shook his head incessantly, muttering to himself.

"Of course, I will fulfill my obligations, and I will face my culpability..."

It was as if they hadn't heard the iron curtain fall, nor seen the flickering firelight.

No wonder Ricky said it sounded like a prayer.

but……

Thales stared blankly at the man: What was he doing?
Ricky and Samir exchanged another glance, both looking puzzled.

“Sak…Sakel?” Samir stepped forward with a hint of emotion and asked tentatively.

Having learned from his previous experience, he was especially cautious this time and didn't even expect a response.

But the man responded.

The person kneeling on the ground, muttering to himself, slowly stopped talking.

He slowly raised his head, his shoulders moving so slightly that he resembled a porter carrying a heavy load.

As he looked up, Thales saw his face clearly.

Brown hair, long face, and well-defined features.

He looked even younger than Putila, who looked like a little old man.

Clearly, compared to the seven disheveled and filthy former royal guards imprisoned above, this man was dressed rather "well." At least his messy hair didn't grow to his chest, and the ends were neatly cut. His beard wasn't a bird's nest either; it was only a few inches long, and he didn't look particularly emaciated.

On the very center of his forehead, a clearly visible "S" mark with exposed skin and flesh is visible.

If it weren't for the dirty clothes, the stained face, and the equally unpleasant odor, Thales would hardly have suspected that the person in front of him was a prisoner.

The man stared at the firelight before him, squinting his eyes with a look of confusion.

A few seconds later, he raised his hand to block the blinding flames, as if he had just realized what was happening.

"Light...and sound?"

The middle-aged man had a dazed look on his face and seemed somewhat slow to react.

"There are... more people?"

But soon, the man hid his face behind his hands again, pressed his head to the ground, curled up on the ground, and let out painful moans.

"No no no..."

Samir and Ricky exchanged surprised glances, completely bewildered.

The middle-aged man, his face buried in his hands, asked indistinctly, "Is this yet another test from you?"

“Sa…you…” Samir took a step forward, looking at the person's reaction in disbelief, hesitating to speak, but finally finished his sentence:

"What test?"

In just a few seconds, the middle-aged man suddenly raised his head again.

"The test before us."

This time, the long-faced man looked tense. He finally turned his gaze to the three guests: "Three people, two of whom look alive, two of whom are carrying weapons, and one of whom is young and inexperienced."

"What is this? An opponent that must be defeated, or a hostage that must be rescued?"

"Or is it an illusion forged from hope that lures me into a trap of despair?"

The three people mentioned all stiffened.

Suddenly, the long-faced man's expression changed again. He turned to Ricky outside the cell, frowning, and spoke in a serious tone:

"Hey, are you... a demon?"

Ricky's torch trembled slightly.

The Sword of Calamity gritted its teeth, looking at its companion with bewilderment: "What is he doing...?"

Samir shook his head, his expression heavy and his eyes filled with pain.

The long-faced man didn't seem to want their answer. He took a deep breath, got up from the ground, and smiled.

“I must admit, I always see them: the demons of legend that bewitch people, the monsters that never see the light of day in hell.”

"Their claws have been scratching at my heart, their tongues have never stopped whispering in my ear, and their eyes have been lurking in the shadows for a long time, changing their own images every minute and every second, trying to lure me into the abyss and into hell."

The man leaned against the wall, gazing intently into the distance, as if conversing with them, or perhaps talking to himself: "They would tell us this: Give up, accept, compromise..."

"Anyway, there's no hope left in your world..."

Samir could no longer bear it. He stepped forward, his torch illuminating the man's face, and shouted his name: "Sakel!"

The sound was very loud, shaking the hall.

The long-faced man in the cell was startled!
He paused for a moment, his confused gaze slowly focusing.

“Sa, Ke, E, Er?” the middle-aged man repeated slowly, almost syllable by syllable.

Samir gritted his teeth, a nameless resentment rising in his heart, and fiercely waved the torch in his hand, making it burn even more fiercely.

"Correct!"

Samir tapped the fence with his torch, sending sparks flying, and shouted, "It's me! Samir!"

"Wake up!"

“‘Knight of Punishment’ Sacel!”

The man named Sakel paused.

He breathed slowly, uttering a questioning phrase: "Punishment Knight?"

But then, Sacel shook his head and burst out laughing: "In the past, yes, in the endless years, the demons in my heart always liked to use this to bewitch me... the glory of the past, the regrets of the past, the remorse of the past, but those are all false, they are deceiving me, trying to make me believe."

As he spoke, Sacelle seemed to fall into a muttering to himself:

"Perhaps I am not perfect enough, perhaps I am not resolute enough, perhaps I am not strong enough, so they once again had the opportunity to follow my trail and try to defeat me and crush me... But at least I am comforted: I am aware of their existence and know that we must fight each other."

Communication failed, and Samir stared blankly at the person in front of him, while Ricky beside him let out a soft sigh.

Ricky suddenly noticed that Thales was staring blankly at the seemingly abnormal man, his eyes fixed on him.

It seemed like he remembered something.

But as Sakel spoke, his expression slowly changed.

"However, yes, I will pull myself together. I will remember that I have fought to the death with the most powerful adversaries and sacrificed myself for the noblest ideals. And everything before me is just a detour when I was lost."

The middle-aged man's smile slowly faded, and his breathing quickened.

He seemed to remember something, grabbed his hair with both hands, and knelt down again.

The man's lips trembled, and his whole body shook.
"Wait, Sacel, Sacel, Sacel?"

Those outside the cell looked at him in this state, but didn't know what to do.

Suddenly, Sakel's eyes lit up!
"Yes, Saxeel!"

A fire blazed in the man's eyes, and his face instantly turned incredibly ferocious!
"Ahhhh!"

Sakel roared, grabbing his hair and shouting back:

Get out of my head!

His shouts were loud and his movements were exaggerated, forcing the three men in front of the cell to instinctively take a few steps back.

But Sackel's madness did not end there.

"Filthy monsters! Despicable scoundrels! Sneaky demons! Cunning tricks!"

The man in the cell was frantically scratching his head, kneeling on the ground and crying out in pain:

"I am Emmanu Sakel, a glorious Ludor! A noble descendant of the great empire who walks on the ancient lands of Chauvin! Born into an ancient knightly family that served as the vanguard under Emperor Komora!"

Thales stared intently at the other man's madness, not even noticing what he was shouting.

Immediately, Sakel clenched his fists, unleashing tremendous force from his muscles, and slammed them hard into the ground!

Boom!
Sacel grew increasingly frantic and out of control, his roars echoing through the hall, causing Samir and Ricky to turn pale.

"I am a Royal Knight and Honorary Lord of the Star Kingdom! A Executioner of the Royal Guard, a Watchman, a Guardian of the Throne, and a Custodian of the Royal Treasury..."

Boom!Boom!Boom!
He pounded his fists repeatedly, his eyes seemingly filled with an anger that was difficult for ordinary people to bear.

"The world has given me the name 'Knight of Punishment'—I will surely punish sin severely and bring injustice to its utmost!"

Sakel howled in pain, and after a moment he seemed a little tired, but he only stopped pounding the ground. Instead, he stood up and threw himself against the fence!

"What are you! How dare you, how dare you lay a hand on my spirit and will!"

He gritted his teeth, staring at the empty, dark void, his hands gripping the railing trembling uncontrollably: "Aaaaaah—Get out!"

"You dare to think you can destroy me!"

The three men outside the cell watched in horror as the prisoner went on a rampage, exchanging bewildered glances. "I will crush you, defeat you, destroy you—I will die with you, even at the cost of my own!"

Sacel's madness seemed to have reached its peak; he gripped the fence and roared hysterically.

Finally, the wisps of smoke between the railing and the palm of the hand transformed into a bright light.

"boom!"

After a loud bang, the crazed Sacel fell to the ground and lay motionless.

The hall fell silent again.

The three people outside the cell held their breath, and it took them a long time to come to their senses.

“I thought, I thought Barney and the others were serious enough,” Samir turned around with difficulty, “but I never imagined that even a strong warrior like Sakel would become… become…”

He couldn't speak anymore.

Ricky scoffed, glancing disdainfully at the cell and the motionless figure on the floor, adding to Samir's words:
"Going insane."

silence.

The silence was broken by a slightly immature voice.

"He's not crazy."

Ricky and Samir turned around in surprise to look at Thales, who had spoken.

The prince stared intently at the people in the prison cell, a deep sorrow that seemed to come from nowhere flashing in his eyes:
"He just... just lives in another world... a world different from ours."

Thales struggled through the tunnel.

Mixed feelings.

Ricky gave the prince a strange look.

“He was held in solitary confinement for eighteen years,” Samir sighed.

"This is not his fault."

However, a few seconds later, a monotonous sound that they hadn't expected rang out from the cell again.

"Even if you lock up a coward for eighteen years, he will not become a hero."

Compared to before, this male voice had a more resolute and profound quality.

“But you locked up a strong man for eighteen years, letting him confront his own heart,” Sacel said, as he struggled to his feet, leaning against the wall for support.
"He will only become stronger."

Now a prisoner, formerly a guard of the royal guard, Sacelle turned his indifferent and cold face, but his eyes were incredibly clear, and looked at them through the fence.

The three looked at Sacel in surprise as he spoke again, recalling his earlier performance, and stared at his figure with suspicion.

"He's... talking to us?" Ricky looked at the prisoner, then turned back to Samir and asked incredulously.

But Samir just stared blankly at Sakel in the cell, without saying a word.

Sacel snorted coldly and glanced at the three people outside the cell.

There was no trace of his previous madness.

Thales felt tense when his gaze swept over him.

But the prince wasn't sure if the prisoner was acting rationally at that moment.

"Could there be someone else?"

Sacel's monotonous voice was somewhat deep, filled with a tense rhythm: "So... I have a visitor today? That's rare."

The three exchanged glances and finally realized that the long-faced man was talking to them.

Samir looked at the prisoner and a look of shock slowly spread across his eyes:
“Sakel? Are you alright…”

“Don’t worry about me, I’m perfectly sober now, I just haven’t seen the light in a long time,” Sacel frowned, patted the railing, and then shook his hands, clearly not feeling well.

"This thing is actually quite useful."

"As for what just happened, it's just a routine I go through every day... It might seem a little strange, but it's nothing."

Indeed, at this moment, Sacel looked perfectly normal.

He was too normal, almost... unlike someone who had been imprisoned for eighteen years.

Ricky stared at him distrustfully, and said with a hint of sarcasm:

"Something seems off? Are you sure?"

“Just another journey,” Sacelle replied indifferently, then gave Thales a special look:

"As you said, child, another world, a different world."

His gaze was indifferent, yet it always made Thales unconsciously clench his fists and tense his muscles.

This person... in this state, is the legendary...

Punisher Knight?

But Samir and Ricky still exchanged worried glances.

Do you want to ask any more questions?

Samir lowered his head and whispered, "He might not even recognize me. I'm not sure if what he says in this state is accurate..."

Kesakel had clearly overheard their whispers.

The Knight of Punishment chuckled softly in the cell, his shoulders trembling slightly as he leaned against the wall.

“Didn’t I tell you this a long time ago?” Sacelle leaned against the wall, exhaling, squinting as he examined his fingernails by the firelight, looking rather casual.

"Many times, you have to fight with yourself, and this enemy called 'yourself'... is very powerful."

He clenched his fist and turned to Samir with a meaningful look.
“But you just can’t give up, Colin Samir.”

"you can not."

Samir's expression changed slightly, as if he had remembered something.

He took a breath, stepped forward, and looked slightly excited.

"Sakel, you... you still recognize me?"

Sacel twitched the corner of his mouth, loosened his fist, and began to examine the nails on his other hand.

“I recognize everyone in the guard, and I recognize the brand on your face,” he said, picking up a stone-like tool and, oblivious to his surroundings, gently sharpening it on his index finger.
"As I said, I am very clear-headed now—after all, the sounds of fighting coming down from the upper floors are not common."

Ricky watched his calm demeanor, his expression growing increasingly serious.

Sakel blew on his fingernails, which he had smoothed with a stone knife, and gazed at Samir from afar.

"You just said eighteen years, right?"

Samir's cheek twitched.

Eighteen years.

Ricky and Thales were both startled: These were the words they had just said when they were "going crazy" in Sackel, and the latter remembered them all?
"So, the fugitive Colin Samir."

"Eighteen years. They finally caught you and sent you down here to rot..."

Sakel squinted at his old colleague:
"Or have you broken the rules and laws again, appearing here in a somewhat 'illegal' way?"

Thales took a closer look at this seemingly unusual royal guard legend, wondering what kind of person he was.

Samir pursed his lips. Having experienced the previous "reunion" with the guards, he was at a loss for words.

Ricky, who had been skeptical all along, spoke up: "Good, he can still talk."

"Although it still doesn't look quite normal."

He nodded to Samir: "Give it a try."

Upon hearing the leader of the Blade of Calamity speak, Sacel's gaze swept over Ricky and Thales, his eyes flashing as if he were deep in thought.

Samir took a deep breath and spoke gently but earnestly, "Sakel, listen, eighteen years. You shouldn't be trapped here. We're here to..."

But Sakel quickly interrupted him.

“Prison breakout, rescue, treasure hunt, revenge, suicide, atonement, enlightenment,” the former royal guard prisoner sneered. “Your purpose in being here is nothing more than these.”

He propped himself up against the wall and turned his head.

“I’m not interested in any of them,” Sacel said coldly without turning his head.
"You can go."

For a moment, Ricky and Samir were stunned.

Both of them were thoroughly taken aback by his uncooperative attitude.

However, Sacel didn't even look at them, leaving only a heavy and sluggish back view for the people behind him.

The three people outside the cell looked at each other in bewilderment.

Inside the cell, Sacel stroked his rough chin, a hint of regret in his voice, and murmured, "Ah, perhaps..."

"I need to shave."

(End of this chapter)