Kingdom Bloodline

Chapter 176 The Same Kind (Part 2)

Black Sword stared at Thales's resolute face for a very long time.

“Not bad,” Black Sword finally nodded slowly, a perfectly ordinary smile appearing on his lips:

"You really are a... shining star."

Shining Star...

At that moment, Thales was shocked, and his eyes widened suddenly!

"you……"

He unconsciously tightened his grip on the Blade of Purification.

"Ah, if even now I still can't guess your identity," Black Sword shook his head with a half-smile, "what's the point of talking about finding the magic master?"

"Your Highness Thales."

The next moment, he was firmly lifted up by Black Sword's right arm!

"Take your sword!"

Black Sword said coldly. He swiftly leaped onto a half-collapsed rooftop in Kirica's direction and soared away.

Thales, still in astonishment, felt the wind whistling past his ears.

He now knew who he was.

Thales couldn't help but recall the words of King Nunn and Aishida.

The leader of that mercenary group possessed uncanny skills...

[Carrying a strange longsword...]

[Map of Fuxing Palace...]

[You're the assassin who killed the Crown Prince, aren't you...?]

Thales' heart was pounding.

What would he do?
But there's no going back for him.

A deafening explosion could be heard in the distance.

It was as if Kilica was angry.

"What are we going to do?"

It took Thales a long time to react. He forced down his nervousness and shock and asked in a trembling voice.

"What should we do?" Black Sword used his intact right arm to hold him in his arms, his feet never stopping, and he continued to rush forward despite his weak body.

“The Blood Mage,” the second prince frowned, “that woman… I saw it with my own eyes, she couldn’t be sealed by the legendary anti-magic forces…”

"If we can't seal her away... given those incredibly strange abilities, if we're to fight her face to face..."

An overwhelming sense of worry welled up in Thales' heart.

“Of course there is a way,” Black Sword said with certainty. “There has never been an enemy that cannot be defeated—such a creature only exists in chivalric novels, and its name is ‘protagonist’.”

"Huh?" Thales was taken aback. "What method?"

“First of all,” Black Sword deftly swerved to avoid a tentacles that were vaguely visible ahead, “you need to change your mind.”

Thales was slightly taken aback.

Get a... brain transplant?
"You feel weak, don't you?"

Black Sword lowered his head, letting his voice drift on the wind to Thales' ears: "Do you think the chances of winning against that guy are slim?"

Thales opened his mouth, let in a breath of cold air, and then spoke, shivering.

“Isn’t that so?” Thales hugged the Blade of Purification tightly, and said somewhat dejectedly, “I am very weak.”

"Faced with such an enemy... apart from you, let alone me, even those who are above the highest level are insignificant."

Upon hearing this, Black Sword let out a clear, unmistakable sneer.

“What I said to Ashida just now was far from over,” Black Sword’s voice suddenly turned serious: “And now, listen to me carefully.”

Black Sword paused, stopping in front of a low wall. Beside them lay a pair of motionless lovers embracing each other.

“No, little one.” Black Sword’s tone was icy cold.

In the distance, the sound of houses collapsing could be heard again.

The battle appears to be intense.

Under the menacing gaze of the black sword, Thales suddenly felt inexplicably tense.

He said with absolute certainty:
"You are not weak at all."

This time, Thales was truly stunned by the unquestionable tone of the Black Sword.

"Do you think you're powerless, easily defeated, and that anyone with even a little ability can manipulate you at will?" Black Sword lowered his voice as he and Black Sword hid behind a low wall, listening to the hissing sound coming from not far away.

"Then why are you still standing here?"

“I…” Thales was speechless for a moment: “I’m lucky? And sometimes I’m a little clever? I always manage to get away with it…”

Black Sword's eyes narrowed to slits, yet the glint within them was more intense than ever before.

A few seconds later, the fraternity leader said casually but undeniably, "Only the truly weak would regard mere strength as proof of power or weakness."

Thales raised an eyebrow.

"For true powerhouses, strength is merely an embellishment."

“True strength is not in how many pounds of axe you can wield, how fast you can thrust with your sword, how strong your bow can be drawn, or how accurate your blade can be,” Black Sword paused slightly when he saw Thales frown, then continued expressionlessly, “It is not even in how many tens of thousands of troops you can command or how strong your city can be breached.”

“I have seen renowned experts die in humiliation in beggars’ sacks, and powerful lords fall in despair under their servants’ axes,” Black Sword’s pupils narrowed, his voice chilling. “I have even seen an arrogant mage be terrified and at a loss for what to do by a frail girl.”

Thales took a deep breath, raised his head, and said in a low voice with a furrowed brow, "Extreme Realm, Lord, even Magister... that's just a coincidence. In extremely rare circumstances, coupled with some impossible luck, they have the chance to die at the hands of the weak..."

However, as Thales spoke, his voice gradually faded.

He stared blankly as the black sword slowly shook its head.

“You’re right,” the ordinary man exhaled. “Coincidence, circumstances, luck, opportunity, and so on—all of these combined are the key to determining the difference between strength and weakness, superiority and inferiority, and victory and defeat.”

Thales' eyes widened, and he was slightly taken aback.

"what do you mean……"

Black Sword slightly curled the corners of his mouth, as if looking at a mischievous student: "A true strongman sees all the factors that determine victory or defeat as his own power."

The buzzing sound disappeared from my ears.

The next moment, the figure of the black sword rose up from the ground once again!

Thales closed his eyes tightly, feeling the frost and snow rushing towards him.

But Black Sword's words still reached his ears clearly and without error:

"True strongmen turn disadvantages into advantages, disadvantages into strengths, dead ends into opportunities, and absolutes into uncertainties. They turn the enemy's strength into its weakness and amplify their own strength infinitely."

"They seek hope in desperate situations, turn defeats into victories, elevate favorable circumstances to certain victory, and transform unforeseen events into their own strengths."

Black Sword's footsteps trod over a dead man, whose face still bore the marks of suffocation.

They turned into an alleyway that was missing half of its entrance.

The sounds of fierce fighting ahead grew closer and closer.

Braving the biting wind and the cold, Thales couldn't help but speak up, "But..."

But Black Sword didn't allow him to interrupt and continued speaking.

"They unfold a chessboard in the vast天地 (heaven and earth), using all living beings as chess pieces and all things in the heavens and earth as chess squares, transforming what seems like a simple duel into an unparalleled game of strategy to calculate victory or defeat," Black Sword took a deep breath and looked up at the sky: "These are the people who turn what the enemy relies on into their own, treating factors including the enemy, themselves, the situation, and luck as bargaining chips..."

"This kind of person has everything in their hands, the world in their heart, and the whole picture in their eyes..."

“Only then can one be called…” Black Sword lowered his head, the profound meaning in his eyes causing Thales to freeze involuntarily, listening quietly as he finished speaking:

"A truly strong man."

The buzzing sound of the Kirika was already clearly audible, and even getting closer.

There was a moment of silence between them, with only the snow water shaving their faces reminding them of their predicament.

Thales slowly opened his mouth, hesitated for a moment, gritted his teeth, and finally spoke.

“But,” Thales gave a wry smile, which made him look quite haggard, “that kind of cheater, a mage, no matter what schemes or tricks they have, no matter how many factors they consider…”

"The effects are probably limited."

"You're wrong again," Black Sword said coldly.

Black Sword spun sharply, caught Thales in his arms, and slid across a dry, frozen ditch.

The movement was a bit too sudden, and Thales felt a wave of dizziness.

"Even those who seem to possess unparalleled power, capable of destroying cities and nations with a mere gesture, making them invincible and even immortal..."

At this point, Black Sword seemed to intentionally glance around at the surrounding ruins, but Thales could only squint, trying his best to reduce the impact of Black Sword's movements on his balance.

“If you can’t do that,” Black Sword slapped the ground with his left hand, leaped up, raised his head, and snorted, “you’ll still be a weakling—at best, a relatively strong weakling.”

The multi-headed snake was now close at hand, clearly visible in the distance.

"Didn't it spot us?" Thales asked nervously.

“I have my own methods,” Black Sword glanced at him dismissively. “How do you think I survived the Blood Mage?”

They stopped again, and Black Sword reached out and touched a spot on the ground, closing his eyes slightly.

Like feeling something.

But his words rang out again.

"In short, to the truly powerful, they—even those calamities, even their seemingly unstoppable power—are ultimately nothing more than a slightly larger piece on the chessboard."

“As long as this big piece is gently removed from their chessboard because of your reasons,” Black Sword withdrew his hand that had touched the ground, and gently tapped the Cleansing Blade in Thales’ hand, his eyes filled with wisdom and shrewdness: “these so-called ‘invincible’ are utterly useless, even laughable and despicable.”

Thales lowered his head thoughtfully.

Black Sword took a deep breath, his eyes drifting and deep, as if lost in memories of the past.

He said in an ethereal tone:
Have you ever seen a swordsman who lost both arms, and then break down in tears upon waking up?

Thales was slightly taken aback.

The Black Sword continues:

Have you ever seen an elite scout who could travel a thousand miles a day become a drunkard and despondent after his leg bones were shattered?

Have you ever seen a high-ranking official who has lost power and status, living a life of madness in the countryside, going crazy every night?

Have you ever seen a renowned general who commanded thousands of troops but was convicted in a single day, only to die in prison, his hopes extinguished, in despair?

Have you ever seen a thousand-year-old nobleman stripped of his surname, giving up on himself like the most desperate beggar?

"Have you ever seen a terrifying calamity, powerful and boundless in strength, tremble and flee in terror before a small, legendary anti-magic weapon?"

“I’ve seen him before,” the man said calmly. Thales’ breathing began to quicken and become heavier.

“Ah,” Thales let out a soft breath, a weary smile on his face: “Golden finger addiction.”

“But I’ve seen more than just them.” Black Sword didn’t understand his words, but took a deep breath, as if concentrating.

“I have seen the legend of a prince who fell into enemy hands overnight, had both legs broken, was stigmatized and reduced to a lowly slave, and then spent two years overthrowing the slave owners, leading a new army, and trekking thousands of miles back to the capital.”

"I have seen weak women stripped of all power, powerless to even kill a chicken, move swiftly among ill-intentioned enemies, using soft laughter and graceful movements, with eloquent tongues and eloquent arguments, to kill silently and destroy armies in an instant."

Thales did not speak.

Black Sword frowned slightly and pressed his palm against the ground in another direction.

Black Sword's keen senses provided him with invaluable battlefield intelligence.

Someone is confronting and maneuvering against the Blood Demon Master.

two.

Given this situation, it's highly likely that he's someone with legendary anti-magic weaponry.

The opportunity is good.

But it's not the best opportunity yet.

Be patient and wait.

“That’s a true powerhouse.” The black sword, which had been using two minds simultaneously, came to its senses and slowly nodded, seemingly confirming that the path ahead was safe.

"The existence of such a person is free from the constraints of all power, authority, and status—no matter where he is placed, he can shine brightly, and even the smallest ant can shake the supreme god."

Thales frowned slowly: "Are you that kind of person too?"

Black Sword fell silent.

“No,” the man said in a low voice, “I’m just one of the people trying to catch up with them.”

"But you, little one."

“You have that potential,” Black Sword turned his gaze, his eyes slicing through Thales’ face like a blade. “Your performance on the cliff surprised me.”

Thales' eyes widened.

"You had fewer pieces than everyone else, yet you seized every opportunity, useful or useless, clutching every possible advantage, and made the most crucial move, thus changing the entire battle."

“Little guy, just based on those few points, you’re already stronger than most people in this world,” Black Sword observed the scene in the distance—Kilika’s figure was already close at hand: “You are stronger than most people in this world.”

“You are a strong person. Even in such an adversity, you were able to find a way to escape and stand firm—something that many so-called extreme powerhouses cannot do,” Black Sword said in a low voice. “Then you must believe in this even more and unswervingly implement the attitude of a ‘true powerhouse’.”

Thales looked doubtful.

“That was your plan on the cliff,” the second prince argued. “From the initial probing attack to kidnapping me to find an opportunity, I even suspect that your final acceptance of my suggestion—throwing me off the cliff—was also part of your calculations. And don’t forget the climbing ropes you had prepared long ago…”

"'A crucial move' and stuff like that," Thales scoffed. "Don't try to comfort me."

Black Sword's expression froze.

“I’m doing this to encourage you…” Black Sword, whose face was pale, coughed lightly. “And—don’t interrupt.”

Thales gave an awkward smile.

Black Sword sighed.

A man's angry roar came from the direction of Kirika.

Thales hesitated for a moment, wanting to stick his head out to see what was happening outside, but Black Sword pulled him back down without any politeness.

"In comparison... those who regard pure strength and power, the single factor that determines victory or defeat, as the supreme scripture, and distinguish between the strong and the weak... are long outdated."

“Strength is not a title, and it can never be translated into a visible numerical rank—I have seen those at the pinnacle of power die at the hands of ordinary people, and I have also seen unarmed so-called ‘weaklings’ wipe out more than a dozen squads of super-rank warriors…”

"The era of knights dueling one-on-one is long gone. Sadly, even though bows and crossbows can pierce iron armor, horses' hooves can crush flesh and blood, catapults can breach city walls, and magic lances are already roaring in this era," Black Sword peeked out, observing the outside world, his eyes gleaming, "the minds of most people are still stuck in the ridiculous knightly era, treating battles as a farcical game of two people arm wrestling on a table."

"Their pitiful vision is like being locked to their wrists and muscles, locked to the two of them, locked to the table, locked to the arm wrestling," Black Sword gave Thales a deep look and smiled disdainfully.
"Just like you right now, your gaze is fixed on the myth of the indestructible magic master and their unparalleled power."

“What else?” Thales retorted, somewhat unconvinced. “It’s not just a ‘big piece’—it’s a ‘big piece’ that can smash through the chessboard.”

"Then give it your all!" Black Sword coldly interrupted him: "Let it smash through the chessboard, all the way down into the ground!"

Thales was somewhat stunned—was this some kind of excuse?
“Remember, in my eyes you are not a weakling,” Black Sword lowered his head, his tone very serious and intimidating: “Never have the doubt that ‘I am not strong enough’—that’s only for the weak.”

"How did humanity defeat the ancient orcs under such overwhelming odds? How did they win the final war?" Black Sword's eyes shone with an unprecedented determination: "Isn't it clear?"

Thales stared blankly into Black Sword's eyes—those firm, cold, yet incredibly clear eyes.

"Northern military swordsmanship."

Thales spoke unconsciously.

Black Sword's expression shifted: "What?"

“I remember now, your action of rushing towards Ashida on Skycliff just now... was Northern Army swordsmanship,” Thales narrowed his eyes, “swordsmanship to resist the ancient orcs.”

He quickly looked up at the black sword:

"Why are you telling me this?"

Black Sword stared at him, slowly twitching the corners of his mouth to reveal an ugly smile.

“First of all, I won’t bring a burden along,” Black Sword said calmly, “especially a burden who has the potential to be a strong person but is full of the self-awareness of a weak person, and only knows how to desperately try his luck at crucial moments—that kind of person is the most deadly.”

Thales raised his eyebrows helplessly, but felt a little anxious inside.

What are they waiting for?
Mingming Kilika—and Giza are right in front of us.

But Black Sword stubbornly finished speaking:
"Secondly."

"Only when you change your mindset—understand this principle—can you make the most efficient use of all your pieces."

Thales' heart skipped a beat, and he looked at the black sword with a puzzled expression: "A chess piece?"

“You mean, this sword?” Thales scratched his head, raising the Blade of Purification in his hand.

"Correct."

"But it's not just that."

Black Sword slowly adjusted his breathing, his eyes growing colder: "You possess a strange power, don't you?"

At that moment, Thales was struck dumb.

No way?
A strange power?
Could he be referring to my demon...?

But Black Sword's next words stirred up another wave of turmoil in his already astonished heart.

"It was that power that allowed you to see the invisible wall of Ashida, to see through its essence, and even to remind me..."

Black Sword's words struck Thales' heart like a heavy hammer.

"It can even make you see further, run faster, be stronger, and react more quickly."

power?

Thales stared blankly at the black sword.

Not magic power?

and many more……

What kind of fluctuation is it?
How did he know?
"It was precisely because of that power that you were able to dodge that tentacle just now," Black Sword said coldly.

Thales opened his mouth wide, unable to close it for a long time.

The silence lasted for several seconds.

“You mean,” Thales heard his heart pounding and his blood surging, and he frowned, “that power…”

“That’s the power of termination,” Black Sword answered his question bluntly: “An extremely rare power of termination.”

"The Sin of the River of Prisons".

Thales' eyes widened, his pupils constantly shifting between focusing and dilating.

The power of termination?

The River of Prisons...

The River of Prisons...

“Although I don’t know how you acquired it at such a young age,” Black Sword took a deep breath, his brow furrowing as if somewhat disappointed, “there is no doubt that this is likely one of your most valuable pieces, even capable of deciding the outcome of a battle.”

"The River of Hell...the Sin?" It took Thales a long time to react, and he said blankly, "What kind of weird name is that?"

“I didn’t say its name was nice,” Black Sword stared intently at his expression, as if trying to see something out of him. “It just needs to be useful, that’s enough.”

"Effective?"

Thales looked up, trying to sort out his chaotic thoughts.

He recalled the first ripples that surged up in the birch forest.

I recalled the moment when I first noticed those strange fluctuations in Ramon at the Dragon Fortress.

“I don’t even know what that is,” Thales frowned. “Do you know?”

A series of intermittent rumbling sounds came from behind the low wall.

Several seconds passed, and under the moonlight, Black Sword's ordinary face suddenly appeared somewhat frightening.

At that moment, Thales vaguely sensed that the expression on the black sword before him was somewhat lonely... and sorrowful.

"I know more than just that."

Thales blinked.

Amidst the increasingly noisy hissing of the Hydra, Black Sword spoke softly:
"We are the same kind of people."

"It's that kind of cursed power—a slave."

Thales gasped in surprise.

similar?

slave?

Wait, that power...

But Black Sword didn't give him any chance to ask questions.

“Listen carefully,” the legendary leader of the Brotherhood looked up at Kirika’s increasingly massive and terrifying body, and said in the most calm, even somewhat somber tone, “before we make our final move…”

"Regarding how to utilize the Sin of the River of Hell..."

"I will only teach you once."

These two chapters were written amidst a bunch of unruly kids, and I'm not entirely satisfied with some of the details and the pacing of the plot.

I'll come back and revise it later.

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(End of this chapter)