Kingdom Bloodline

Chapter 519 Two Hands

and many more.

Thales had an idea.

Six years later, among the old friends of the stars, one person did indeed discover his own power of ending.

Right there... in the prison of bones.

but……

The dark purple mask flashed before Thales' eyes.

He instinctively gripped the sword hilt tighter.

impossible.

“I’ve said it before, the process of training a knight… is only for you.”

Marius's smiling words brought Thales back to reality:
"If you cheated, it wouldn't be hard to tell."

The Watchman pointed to Thales' arm, with the satisfaction of catching his prey.

Under the pillar on the other side, Doyle blinked in surprise and instinctively nudged the person beside him.

"Really?"

The guard's mouth opened and closed again:

"How old is that child again?"

Doyle hadn't expected anyone to answer.

But unexpectedly, this time, Golov's deep voice rang out:
"According to the records, she was fourteen years old..."

The vanguard officer, nicknamed "Zombie," narrowed his eyes:
"One hundred and twenty-eight days".

Doyle was startled.

"Holy crap, almost catching up to the youngest awakening record, wait a minute," But Doyle immediately realized something, and he looked at Golov strangely:
"How do you remember it so clearly?"

Golov ignored him and simply tightened his grip on his arm.

His eyes were fixed on the field.

As Thales struggled to catch his breath, pondering what was happening, what the consequences might be, and how he should respond, Marius spoke again.

"This wasn't mentioned in your briefing, so..."

Marius rubbed his hands together and said in a nonchalant tone:
When did you awaken the power of termination?

Thales shuddered again.

The Sin of the River of Prisons...

It may seem insignificant, but in fact, this power accompanied him through the birch forest, overcame the Ugly Woman's schemes, survived the disaster in Dragon City, helped him escape into the desert, and brought him safely back to the stars.

It concerns a secret, and the things that happened...

Whether it was Black Sword who told him, or Ricky who said it...

There are too many...

No.

He can't reveal too much.

At least... we can't tell you everything.

The question and answer between the two lasted only a few seconds, giving Thales no time to hesitate:
"When I was in the North."

The young Duke of Starlake quickly devised an excuse and organized his thoughts while clearing his throat.

"Valhalla is fraught with crisis, and I must conceal myself and keep my trump card to myself."

He spoke more and more fluently, his face revealing timely worry and vigilance:

"As for you, Lord Marius, where did your briefing come from?"

Marius did not answer immediately, but stared at him for a while.

The other person's gaze made Thales extremely uncomfortable.

A few seconds later, Marius gave a strange smile, but then turned to another question.

"What kind of power of termination do you possess, Your Highness?"

An equally critical problem.

“I…” Thales frowned at just the right moment, feigning thought before revealing his helplessness:
"I do not know either."

Marius was silent for a moment, then continued to ask:

"What are its characteristics? What changes does it bring to you?"

The crime of the River of Prisons.

What are the characteristics?
What has changed?
Um... Hellish senses?
Thales recalled the night vision effects in the tunnels and dungeons.

Rapid treatment?
He recalled the excruciating pain he felt when the battlefield was reopened.

4D ghost effect?

Thales tried to banish the memories of the Blackpath from his mind.

Or perhaps, a beastly fighting impulse?

Thinking of this, Thales shook his head.

He looked completely innocent and bewildered.

This time, it was Marius's turn to frown, as he had been watching Marius's expression intently.

"So it just... popped out without any warning?"

"And you don't have a single clue?"

Thales nodded pitifully, giving an awkward and embarrassed smile:
"Bad, about the same."

Marius looked at him, his expression growing increasingly grave.

The two were silent for a while—the Watchman seemed to need some time to think.

"If I remember correctly, all you learned was the basic swordsmanship of the Northern Army?" Marius spoke again, his tone becoming cautious.

“Yes.” Thales gave an awkward smile.

"Was this also mentioned in the briefing?"

Marius's eyes flickered, but he didn't answer him, instead staring intently at his nominal master:

"So what abilities did you acquire?"

Thales subconsciously repeated, "What what ability?"

Marius squinted.

He looked at Thales with the eyes one would give a rookie, and gritted his teeth, saying:
"I mean, when you awaken the power of ending..."

"Did you gain... extraordinary observation skills, balance, and rhythm? I remember this is the Pegasus Movement..."

Thales shook his head.

No.

"That is the melting of glaciers—greatly enhanced endurance, mastery of strength? Or willpower and spirit?"

Thales continued to shake his head.

"Then, greater strength, speed, and offensive advantage?"

Marius was somewhat unsure:

"The Radiance of the Stars?"

Thales was still shaking his head, his eyes innocent.

Marius's expression grew increasingly serious:
"Could it be... a desperate, one-shot burst of power?"

Please don't let it be that...

Fortunately, Thales shook his head for the fourth time.

This made Marius frown even more.

Yes, not this one, and not that one either...

Assessing the effectiveness of the lie, Thales muttered to himself.

But.

The Sharingan in the form of the power of termination?
Does this count?
Finally, Marius let out a long sigh and hugged his arms tightly.

"Okay, let's assume that you don't have any of the four types mentioned above."

"So, what fighting techniques did the Exter people teach you that influenced the awakening of your finishing power?"

Thales twitched the corner of his mouth.

Exter people?
"I have no idea."

"They've just been..."

Thales shrugged, gave an awkward laugh, and while trying to suppress the urge to "beat me up," uttered a few more polite words:

"Combat training?"

Marius's expression turned grim again.

He stared at Thales as if he were staring at a cunning fox that could never be caught. Finally, the Watchman looked up.

“It’s remarkable, indeed, to awaken the power of termination at your age.”

Marius spoke words of approval, but his tone was entirely devoid of approval.

"But in fact, awakening the power of termination too early is not a good thing; shortcuts often make people lazy and careless."

The Watcher smiled slightly:
“Especially since…you know nothing about it.”

Seeing the other person's elegant and calm smile as always, Thales suddenly felt a little flustered.

The prince tried to calm himself down:
"At least it saved me many times... especially on this journey back home."

"This shouldn't be a bad thing, right?"

Once again, Marius gave him an unsettling smile.

"Take a rest, Your Highness, drink some water and relax your muscles."

"The previous phase of practice has come to an end."

Thales felt a sense of relief and secretly let out a breath.

But Marius turned and called to one of his guards:
Toledo!

"Call everyone here except those who cannot leave their posts."

Thales, who had sat down to drink water, twitched his ear.

The soldier named Toledo frowned slightly:

"Everyone?"

Marius nodded, his calm smile returning.
"Yes, everyone from the Royal Guard or the Star Lake Guard, have them all come to the training ground."

"Your Grace, we will need the help of all of them."

As Marius said this, he slowly narrowed his eyes.

Thales's hand holding the water bottle froze instantly.

Toledo was clearly used to Marius's orders; he hesitated only slightly before turning to relay them.

“You too, Golov, Doyle,” Marius said, his sharp eyes darting into the distance.
"A title does not mean you can slack off."

Golov and Doyle exchanged glances, then had no choice but to step closer.

But it was the prince himself who replied to Marius first.

"help?"

"The entire guard?"

Thales looked at Marius with a puzzled expression, then glanced around the training field:

"You, what are you going to do?"

Marius turned around, revealing a smile that, compared to his previous calm elegance, now carried a hint of eeriness and wickedness:
"As you wish, Your Highness, your course has entered a new realm."

"What we're going to do next is..."

Marius grinned, but it sent a chill down Thales's spine:
"Combat training."

Correct……

confrontation……

Thales was stunned for a fraction of a second before he reacted.

"why?"

Thales pointed to the sword on the ground, puzzled:
"Wasn't it just here a moment ago...?"

But this time, Marius interrupted him.

Don't you understand?

Marius's smile vanished, and his gaze sharpened, leaving Thales speechless for a moment.

"It would have been better if they hadn't discovered it."

"But now that we've discovered it..."

Marius's expression turned solemn and extremely grave:

"From now on, our sole objective for today's training is..."

"It's about figuring out the power within you..."

Marius's expression suddenly turned cold:
"the truth."

At that moment, facing the rather aggressive Watchman, Thales' heart seemed to skip a beat.

He stared blankly into Marius's deep, complex eyes, astonished and bewildered.

What are you doing?
On the other side of the field, Doyle, who was walking slowly towards them, said to Golov in surprise:

"Wait, they're already having combat training?"

"Isn't it a bit too early? Those guys in the guard..."

He didn't finish speaking.

Because the next moment, footsteps came from all around.

One, two, three...

As the sun set, the royal guards responsible for protecting the Duke surged in from all directions of the Mindis Hall. Most of them had burning eyes, filled with the grim determination of warriors, and they all looked at the two people in the center of the hall with questioning eyes.

Golov shook his head and did not answer DD.

“Attention, Your Highness, the Royal Guard are all carefully selected,” Marius said as he watched his men file in from the training ground.

"Among them are veterans who have fought their way up from the battlefield, as well as noble knights who have been gifted with a family tradition of learning since childhood."

Marius turned to Thales, his eyes gleaming:
"Not to be underestimated."

Thales tried to control his expression and sort out his chaotic thoughts.

He is going to...

What?
The watchman smiled slightly.

“But as I said,” Marius sighed slowly, staring at Thales’ right arm, the one he had wrestled with for the sword:

"Bumps and bruises are inevitable."

The moment Marius looked over, Thales sensed that the River of Sin within him was stirring restlessly.

Just like...

A beast that has been provoked.

The prince took a deep breath, trying his best to suppress the strange sensation within his body:

"Is this necessary? I'm already exhausted..."

“You do not understand your power of termination, Your Highness,” Marius said casually, averting his gaze as he returned the salute to his subordinate.

"And this is dangerous..."

"Like a knight who doesn't know the sword in his hand or the horse he rides."

Marius slowly turned his head:
"Know yourself, Your Highness, understand yourself."

His expression turned serious, his gaze so sharp it seemed to pierce through Thales' armor:
"Only after that can we tailor the training you need."

"Believe me, Your Highness, this is for your own good."

Marius stared intently at Thales and said calmly:
"And I thought... His Majesty was also concerned about your health, wasn't he?"

Upon hearing that address, Thales froze.

It seemed that even the sins of the River of Hell paused for a moment.

“Let’s not let him worry while he’s reading the briefing in the Mindis Hall…” Marius said expressionlessly.

"Wouldn't it be better to ascertain your strength here and report the good news to him?"

Under Marius's scrutinizing and suspicious gaze, Thales remained speechless for a long time.

The royal guards, silhouetted against the distance, had already taken their positions around the perimeter, quiet, solemn, and perfectly aligned.

We are just waiting for orders from our superiors.

Thales lowered his head and took a deep breath.

He suddenly realized an absurd possibility.

Maybe.

Thales said quietly.

Perhaps from the very beginning, Marius's purpose in giving him martial arts lessons was...

It wasn't for...

train?

“Alright, Piloga,” Marius turned around and called out to one of his subordinates in the ranks, “Warm up, pick a good practice sword.”

Amidst the palpable expressions of the royal guards, the Watchman casually walked out of the arena, leaving Thales with his back turned.
"To accompany His Excellency the Duke..."

"Let's go through a couple of rounds."

(End of this chapter)