They kept telling him to be sensible.

His father, his mentor, his seniors, his friends, and Dineh—everyone had told him over and over again that only by calming down could he make the right judgment, and that letting his emotions control him would only make things worse. So he tried his best to restrain himself, whether it was being framed for righteousness and courage but no one helped him, or being kidnapped in the gladiatorial arena and constantly killing people in order to entertain others, he forced himself to be patient, calm and firm to endure.

—but when he saw Dineen collapse, the last string in his brain snapped.

Albert had no idea how terrible the roar was coming out of his mouth at this time. His eyes were blood-red, and all he could see was the roaring orcs with their heads up. The brain that was about to boil completely forgot the feeling of death that had just passed by. Before everyone could react, he suddenly kicked in and pounced on Sal almost with his hands and feet.

At the last moment of contact, Albert jumped with the momentum of the charge, his outstretched arms hooking the orc's thick neck. The height difference forced him to keep his feet off the ground, but he didn't care about that at all, and grabbed Sal by the throat.

The threatened orc suddenly roared in rage, trying to turn and face his opponent. But the man hung over him completely, and the turn was as useless as chasing his own tail. So he backhanded Albert off the back. The human frantically gave the hand a sword, the blade easily piercing through the tough skin. Sal let out a loud cry of pain and swung his body to knock him down.

Albert did fall back to the ground, but not from a violent shake, but from his own loose hand. As soon as his feet hit the ground, his eyes were red and he jumped again, and with all his strength, he slammed into Thrall's back. The brutal blow threw the orc off balance and plunged forward—

"Bang!"

The wall that had just made a contribution yesterday was once again washed with blood. Hit his head against the wall, Sal was completely dizzy, and he fell face down to the ground, unable to get up for half a day.

His furious opponent couldn't get him back up. Albert grabbed the sword that had fallen on the sand, stabbed it with both hands, and with a savage and brutality that had never appeared on him before, he pinned Sal to the ground!

In an instant, blood gushed out, and the orc's painful roar resounded throughout the field, and gradually weakened again. The pain and despair contained in it sent chills to the long-forgotten audience. But Albert, as if he had not heard at all, grasped the hilt of his sword and tried to pull it out and stab it again. But the broken ribs gripped the sword tightly, and the blood-stained palm kept messing around, and Albert hesitated briefly for a second before letting go. He roared in anger like a lion, and slammed a punch into Thrall's face, followed by another punch, and another punch—

"Get him away!"

It's been a mess all around. This reversal came as a surprise to everyone. But regardless of the outcome, the Gladiatorial Arena's administrators knew they couldn't let Albert kill Thrall, or Blackmore's thunderous wrath would pour out on everyone.

It took three people to drag Albert, who was bent on killing Sal, and four if you count the unlucky guy who was knocked unconscious by a punch. But even after seeing his opponent completely out of sight, Albert could not calm down. He struggled and roared in a rage, unwilling to give up.

In the end, the captain of the guard, who finally arrived, caught the key. He punched Albert in the shoulder and yelled in his ear, "He's alive, boy!" Your partner is alive! ”

These words are like a basin of cold water poured on the head. Albert suddenly stopped resisting. He gasped for a moment, then shook off his grip and glared at those who still tried to drag him away, but his gaze had regained its coolness.

Looking at the people around Dinen and Thrall, completely obscuring his vision, Albert stood still for a moment, and finally stepped forward under the nervous gaze of the others. But instead of going to any circle, he picked up a small piece of steel from the ground not far away. It was part of the blade of those two broken swords.

It wasn't that long ago that it looked brand new, sturdy and reliable, as trustworthy as the weapons they had ever used. But when Albert flipped it over, he saw a thin void and rust in the middle.

Then here's why they're vulnerable. It was also the reason why Dineen snatched the captain's weapon, the reason why he was desperate to end the fight, the reason why he exchanged weapons with himself - and the reason why he was seriously injured and dying.

This was what Lieutenant General Blackmore insisted on.

This sentence suddenly flashed through his mind. Albert clenched his palms slowly, slicing through his skin to the edge of the blade. Blood was dripping down, but he didn't feel it at all, just slowly raised his head and looked at the audience.

Albert easily found Blackmore in that area, the man with jet-black hair and a neat goatee arguing with another man. When Blackmore noticed Albert's gaze, his gaze was full of resentment and anger. Albert immediately reciprocated him with ten times as much anger and hatred as he did. At this moment, he hated this vile villain like never before, and even longed to slash his throat with his own hands, without feeling any remorse for his bloodthirsty thoughts.

I'll make you pay. I swear I would.

***

"I'm sorry, but he's hurt too badly." After stepping away from the bedside, one of the healers said to the captain of the guard, "Most of them are internal wounds, broken ribs, and there may be abrasions on internal organs. But we only have planks, bandages, and ointments, and we can't cure that...... Deep wounds. ”

The captain of the guard turned his gaze to Albert, who was standing straight to the side. The latter was silent for a while, then asked in a hoarse voice, "Isn't there a priest here?" ”

"The pastor is not going to come here. No matter how much they offered, they wouldn't do it. The healer replied cautiously. Having seen how the young man had gone mad, no one wanted to anger him. But who knows if he will be angry?

"So," Albert asked, "there is no hope?" ”

"I'm sorry, but I'm really left to fate." Another said, "We've done everything we can, and it's up to him to see what he does." ”

Albert fell silent. Seeing this, the captain of the guard patted him on the shoulder sympathetically and comforted: "This kid's bones are three times harder than the hardest person I have ever seen, he will definitely be able to hold on." ”

He received no answer.

The captain of the guard sighed and drove the healers out the door. But when he tried to return to the house, he found Albert standing in the doorway, staring at him intently.

"Let's be alone for a while." He commanded in a strong, irrefutable tone. Then he closed the door in front of the captain of the guard.

“……”

This honest kid must have been spoiled by his bastard partner! The captain of the guard thought indignantly, and then reluctantly slipped into the next room—he was trying to find a place to sit.

After closing the door, Albert listened quietly for a while, until the footsteps disappeared and the sound of the door closing, he slightly loosened his tense shoulders, and then returned to the hospital bed, quietly looking at the unconscious Dinein.

His partner had never been so quiet, but the meaning behind this quietness was the most terrifying. Dinen used to wake up from his dreams at the slightest sound or gaze, but now, no matter how painfully he frowned, and fought with death in a way that no one could see, he could not jump as fast and powerful as before.

It was I who dragged him back. I made him like this. If Dinen was alone, or if I was reassuring enough, he could have defeated Thrall, even with a sword. He always had a plan and knew what to do.

Albert buried his face in his hands, and as the fury that had supported him subsided, the young man felt tired like never before. It was more of a mental frustration that made him almost unable to stand. So Albert let himself sit on the ground, curled up helplessly.

Albert painfully realizes that Dinein's tenacity, ruthlessness, and pride not only sustain him, but also himself. His partner is like a wolf waiting for an opportunity, or a sword that refuses to be sheathed, alert and resilient to the challenge. And he was so accustomed to following the other person and walking along the path he stepped out. And when Dineh needed help the most, he was helpless, as if the only thing he could do was watch.

"O Light......," he prayed lowly, "what the hell should I do?" ”

This was originally an instinctive reaction to the habit he had developed since childhood, but when he subconsciously said this, Albert suddenly remembered what else he had.

Once upon a time, it was one of the meanings of his life, but now he just forgot about it!

Albert was eager to scold his own stupidity, and at the same time jumped with joy. He couldn't wait to reach out his hand, but hesitated in mid-air.

Can you do it? He asked himself. Or will it cause worse? You know almost nothing about it, and the only thing you can rely on is a few words you have witnessed and heard by chance. And now, without guidance, without trying, you only have one chance, can you take on this responsibility?

At that moment, Albert almost wanted to back down. But a force grabbed him and didn't let him escape.

"I can't ......," he paused, then insisted again, "I can't just give up. ”

If he could only watch his partner struggle on the brink of death, the feeling of powerlessness would surely drive him crazy. It's not a question of whether he can do it or not, he has to do it. There is no retreat, and there is no room for escape and failure. He could only make a desperate bet.

You have to succeed.

Albert took a deep breath and placed his palm in the air over Dinein. Then he recited the verses that he had memorized since he was a child. He made several mistakes in the first few sentences, but Albert forced himself to continue. His voices gradually grew smooth from stumbling to smooth, and finally they almost jumped out of his mouth on their own. As he read it, he prayed in his heart that he would succeed. Holy Light, you must let him succeed—

Then, the light appeared.

Warm, bright, pure, familiar almost made him want to cry, flickering in his hands, quiet and steady, falling down with his heart.

Albert looked nervously. When Dineen frowned, he was so frightened that he almost removed his hand. But then his partner's expression calmed down again, and slowly, blood appeared on the pale face.

He continued to heal the other party, praying repeatedly until his spirit could no longer support it. Albert fell to his knees and pressed his aching forehead against the cold ground, full of joy and gratitude. He said that familiar sentence from the bottom of his heart-

"Praise the Light!"