In the evening, the forest was devoid of heat, and the silent river flowed slowly in the shadows, the surface of the river was white mist, both damp and cold, and the dark blue starry sky was slightly the color of the setting sun, and the sparse stars shone faintly through the trees. Sitting alone by the river, away from the warm campfire, as far away from the green light and shadow that appeared in her dreams, she listened to the crisp beating of the river, the ethereal birdsong coming from the dim woods on the opposite bank, and the gentle breeze above the trees. When she looked up, there were swift clouds streaking across the sky, and although there were few stars, they were particularly charming.

It was still the same voice, the sound coming from behind the valley, the clash of swords, the neighing of war horses, the screaming and whimpering, cold and terrifying. The flowing stream became the trampling of horses' hooves, the swords of Xu Feng were lightly caressed, and any parting and grass movement seemed to be the echo of the invisible battlefield, and she heard the bursting sparks from the flames behind her, and the collapse of the burned firewood turned into a rush of horns.

Itong raised her hand to cover her ears, she didn't want to hear anything. But the dream question was like a sword, cutting through the back of her hand, picking her fingers open, and burrowing into her ears. "What's unfair to you?"

Itong tried to stay calm, she knew she wasn't back to the damn place, she wasn't alone in the darkness, she was accompanied by Kairol and Amanda, who were sitting by the fire and talking softly. Itong looked back at the faces of the two, Kyrol's hooked nose was scary, but he suddenly felt that he was a little cute, and Armanda, who was seventeen years old and an adult, but he did not receive the blessing of Grevyn's stars. If there are two more years, he will be older than me, Yi Tong couldn't help but think to himself, but soon, once this mission is over, he will accept the blessing.

Maester Pesil once said that where there are stars, there will be blessings, where there are stars, there will be light, and even if the night is long, the stars of Grevyn will always be with you. It will be a night of stars, and the castle at dusk will be devoid of torches and candles, and the fireflies will replace the fickle flames—the flames of the Church of Dashtur's soul revelators peeping into the secrets, the flames of the black and white warlocks playing with their applause. It would be a sacred moment, and Maester Pesil would put on a silver silk robe, hold an ancient book, and recite an ancient language, and although no one could understand the meaning, they all knew that when the recitation was over, something would change for the blessed person.

Yi Tong imagined that she was there, also wearing moonlight-colored silk shoes, with a hairnet inlaid with pearl gauze on her head, and she held a silver basin in both hands, and the moonlight shone on her face from the clear water in the silver basin. I will definitely be more beautiful at that moment. With her sweet voice, Aisala sings a ballad from ancient times, praising the earth and the sea, and the sound pierces the night sky and makes the stars clearer and brighter.

Ormond, Say, Irina, Kairol, and Woragan will be by my side, along with Kramon 'Blackclaw', his partner Weeks, as well as Ivan, Boo, Edith, Amber, Leoya, Guise, Nofio, Vidal, Nurzai, Younis, Arreda, Jarf, Shibusi, Lacey, Torrian, Rama, Liszt, Ivy, and Baruelin, and ...... And a lot of my friends who will witness Amanda become the Man in Black.

He fell to his knees and listened humbly, Maester Pesil pressed his star-reflecting sword against Amanda's shoulder, the cholera disease would stay away from him, and time would not leave its mark on him. Scordy would present Amanda with a new cloak of the Man in Black, and Itong would hand over a silver basin, and the blessed one would be baptized with starry water, and at that moment, the Grevyn Star would have his place, which was the highest honor.

A cool breeze blew down the river, ruffling her hair, and she realized that she hadn't showered in a while, and her skin was oily and greasy, and her underwear was clinging to her skin, making her feel uncomfortable. But it's better than that nightmare. Itong got up and walked over to Kyrol and Armanda.

The temperature of the campfire reminded her that it was safe, but she didn't know what she was worried about.

"Good Yitong, Amanda was completely fascinated by the silver-haired, green-eyed woman, oh, she can't be called a woman yet, he said she was still young, her face was childish, and there was a faint sadness. Sitting on the grass with his legs curled up, his big sword squared on his knees, he chuckled as he stroked the blade, "This kid is worried about her, he wants to go back to her." ”

"Nonsense, I didn't think so. Amanda sat stiffly on the side, looking nervous, "I'...... I just said what I saw, and her situation was inherently insecure. ”

"Then why did you leave her alone?" asked Itong, "you should escort her to her home." ”

"Ito-senpai, you must believe my words. ”

"If we have enough time, we will go to the village you mentioned and meet the beauties who have charmed you. Yi Tong said, "Is your teacher Irina beautiful, or is this girl beautiful?"

"The girl's name is Lilio. Amanda reminded, "She can't be compared to Teacher Irina, it's different, Teacher Irina is a man in black, and Lilio is just an ordinary villager, she has a short lifespan, I mean...... Her beauty doesn't last as long as Irina's, she doesn't know how to do swordsmanship or bowing, she doesn't know how to ride horses, she hasn't traveled all over the world, and she probably hasn't seen dwarves, in short, how can mortals compare to the men in black. ”

"You're speaking for her. Carole said.

"We are all human beings, and we all have the moment when our lives end. "If the Man in Black really has infinite time, why haven't I seen the Man in Black who has lived for hundreds of years?" Except for Master Pesil, Ivan and Bo'o, and Baruelin should be the oldest, but the three of them have only lived for more than a hundred years. ”

"But ....... ”

"Don't be stupid, the world treats everyone the same way, and tell the beggars on the streets about your injustice. Itong reminded him, "At the end of this mission, you will be blessed by the Grevin Star, don't do anything stupid until then, or I will rip your ear off and turn you into a man in black with one ear." ”

As they were talking, there was a commotion from behind the trio, and the branches of the trees broke in response, and the echoes were clear and ethereal. "There are undead!" Amanda drew her bow and arrow, inspecting the source of the voice. Carol jumped to his feet, his greatsword flicked, and sparks flew everywhere. "It's right there. He lowered his voice. When Yi Tong got up, the two short swords were already in her hands, and she knew that this ghost thing had not left, so she used lightning speed to go up the river for dozens of meters, made a bend in the riverbank, and then rushed into the forest.

"Ishun! Carole's voice fell silent, and the firelight behind him quickly faded away, leaving only trampled marks and fallen leaves and broken branches in front of him. It was not the footprint of a wild beast, nor was it like a ghost, but like a man.

With the advantage of his speed, Itong had firmly left Kairol and Amanda behind, but the faceless figure had already run into the depths of the forest. Damn, whether you are a human or an undead, I will never let you run away, Itong swore secretly, but in his heart he was a hundred unwilling. She rounded the thick and tall shadows, the thick trees hanging down to the ground, blocking her path, and she swung her short sword to cut a path, the surface slippery and sunken feet, the bare roots intertwined, all trying to grab her ankles, she fell and got up, and then fell and got up, the branches whipped her cheeks, and the thorns scratched her skin, and the darkness around her made her unable to discern her direction, and even the stars above her seemed to hide their light.

She stopped and listened carefully, there were heavy footsteps behind her, the sound of rapid breathing, it was the 'Great Sword' Carol, he was always like this, he never changed, he never knew how to hide his voice. And ahead, the footsteps in front of them were so light, like the wind. It's not far from here, it must not be far, Itong looked up at the terrain, crouched into the dark trees like black walls, she carefully groped for a way out, the blood on her face tingled, and her right ankle was injured as a result.

There was another thud, not far from Yi Tong, and she lowered her body and quickly made her way through the trees, not expecting that this short pursuit would make her so embarrassed, and another pain in her ankle, she forced herself to step over the bushes and through the thorn bushes. A dark shadow swept through the trees less than thirty meters away from her. It was a black figure, not an undead. Itong bit his lip tightly and rushed over in a hurry. The distance between the two was narrowing, but the twisted ankle could not allow Itong to catch up with the shadow. We have to find a way, and if it continues like this, I'm afraid it will be ....... Itong saw the sloping tree in front of her, so she jumped up to the trunk in three steps and two steps, and threw the short sword in her right hand as she jumped, only to hear a 'bang', and the short sword stabbed firmly into the tree.

The black shadow stopped motionless under the tree. You finally accept your fate, and Yi Tong limped closer to the black shadow, and the distance between the two was less than ten meters. "Who the hell are you?"

"The man in black is really not slow, and he can easily catch up with me. The dark shadow turned to face Itong, "You know my name, especially your companion, the dumb and silly boy. ”

"Oh! So you're the one named Leho, hmph, Amanda seems to like you. Itong took a few more steps forward, trying to see the woman's face. "I thought you were just an ordinary village woman, you have some skills, but you are in the wrong place, this is not where you should have come, let alone following us. ”

Lilio took a few steps back, leaning against the tree, Ito's short sword was above her head, she raised a hand, and said a dwarven riddle in her mouth, a blue flame appeared out of thin air, and then slowly bypassed the tree trunk, rising into the air, and in an instant, surrounded by blue light, Itong saw the woman's face clearly. Amanda was fascinated by her, and it was no wonder that she was indeed beautiful, but her beauty was unusual.

"Do you really believe what Amanda says?" the woman sneered, "If so, you're just as stupid as he is." ”

"Where are you from?" said Itong, "there is no one dressed like you east of Lethe Town, and I have never seen one west of Lethe Town, and you just used the riddle of the dwarves of the Hata Hills, what do you have to do with the dwarves?"

Lilio pulled out a needle-thin sword from the side of her thigh, revealing a clear pale blue in the blue light, and she replied as she held it in her hand, "The dwarves are a closed race, they are small in stature, they don't have martial arts, and one thing has to be admitted, these dwarves are degrading, and sooner or later, they will disappear from this land." I was just a passer-by to them, and I learned their best riddle of making a fire. As for where I'm from, listen, man in black, if you can see me here, someone has set their sights on the land. Unfortunately, when that day comes, you will endure everything. She raised her needle-thin sword, and with a gentle prie, the short sword stuck in the tree was taken down by Lilio, "Give it back to you!

The dagger stood at Ito's feet, and this provocation annoyed Ito, "Are you sure you want to fight me?"

"I'm sorry, but I'm here to compete with someone like you, otherwise I wouldn't have come. ”

Itong lifted her foot and stomped the sword into the dirt, the pain in her ankle was like a tear, and she suddenly collapsed and fell to one knee. "You're so arrogant, all you need to fight me with is a sword, you know? A fearless charge is no different from a lone wolf who gets off the line, a moment of courage will only make you die faster, so... I'll do it for you!" After saying that, Yi Tong rushed forward with a short sword in his hand. In just a split second, the edge of the weapon approached the center of Lilio's eyebrows, almost a millimeter, and with a wave of the thin needle, the force bounced off Ito's attack. In the afterglow, Lilio raised her foot to kick Ito, but the same blow was seen through by Ito, and she spun back, and the two swords stood in front of them, and then the two sides launched a second round of onslaught.

The swords collided and rubbed, the branches and leaves flew everywhere, and the two of them came and went, and neither of them had the upper hand. But at the moment when Itong swung his sword and slashed, there was a stabbing pain in her ankle, and her whole body suddenly went limp, and at this moment Lilio's thin sword had stopped in her chest, and with a light send, the sword would pierce her heart, and the battle would be over. But Lilio also stopped, and when she realized that something was wrong, she flew with her back and kicked Itong six or seven meters away.

This kick made Yi Tong breathless, she collapsed weakly on the ground, she didn't even have the strength to struggle, and she kept cursing her own incompetence in her heart. She could feel the coldness of the damp cold air from the wet and slippery dirt on the surface, and she could feel the coldness against her skin. I had to stand up, Ido encouraged himself, and as I got up, warm tendrils gushing down my throat and blood spurting out. She wiped it off, cursed, and looked at Lilio across from her.

"You're hurt, it's not fair to me, it's not fair to you. Lilio said coldly, "You also have two companions, Amanda is stupid and stupid, in addition to him, there is also a guy with a big sword, he should be able to fight on behalf of the man in black." ”

"That's a lot of nonsense. Itong straightened up in a trance and pointed his sword at her, "I don't need your pity, go on!"

"Then I won't be able to beat you up. Lilio leaned forward. Yi Tong tried to use his sword to resist her attack, but it was too late, and a heavy fist hit her on the left cheek, then in the abdomen, followed by another kick, and Yi Tong staggered back, sitting in the mud puddle, unable to resist. But Lilio showed no mercy, she stood in front of Ito, grabbed her hair, and kicked her in the stomach until Itoku lost consciousness.

"Your path is not over yet. That strange voice came to my head.

"I don't need you to care. There was only darkness in front of Ito's eyes, even the bonfire was gone, and she wasn't sure where she was. "This woman doesn't want to kill me. ”

"This woman doesn't want to kill you?" the voice sounded, followed by echoes around her, "but that doesn't mean you don't want to kill your companions." ”

"Shut up, you shit who only dares to hide in the dark, who has the right to speak of my companion?"

"Listen. ”

From the darkness came the screeching sound of swords clashing, faint at first, and finally intense. Itong opened his eyes suddenly, and his whole body was in pain. In front of her, 'Greatsword' Kyrol is in a fight with Lilio. "Carol...... Be careful. She found that her voice was as weak as a mosquito, her limbs were limpable, and the tree behind her became her dependent. It was Kairol who helped me here, where is Armanda, why didn't I see him?

The battle between the two was soon one-sided, and Carol's two-handed greatsword was unable to resist the needle-thin assassin weapon, and under Lilio's overwhelming attack, he retreated again and again, his defensive movements became clumsy, and finally he had to retreat quickly.

"Carol. Yi Tong gasped weakly, "You can't beat her, quick, help me up." ”

Carol turned his back to her, his gaze never off Lilio in front of her. His greatsword was scarred, and there were several gaps in the blade. "No, you can't fight anymore, I'll leave it to me here. ”

"Stupid...... If you keep going like this, you'll ....... ”

"Say no more. He tilted his head with a smile on his face, "You should encourage me at this time." ”

What a fool you are, big fool, Yi Tong thought to himself, but his weakness was like that of an old man lying on a sickbed, and he couldn't stop the ridiculous decision of 'Greatsword' Kairol. Lilio won't show mercy, she'll kill you, kill you. Yi Tong tried to move, but her limbs regained some strength, and she stood up in a trance. At this point, Lilio attacked again, and this time the attack completely destroyed Cairol's momentum, he only had a chance to defend and not counterattack, the sword pierced his elbow and thigh, and he staggered to his knees, blocking the slashing blow hard. The two weapons let out a piercing impact, and Carol let go of the greatsword, and just as Lilio stabbed him in the forehead, Ido threw the short sword with all his strength, the force was insufficient, but the distance of more than ten meters was enough to pierce the chest of an adult.

Lilio's shoulder was cut open by Ito, and her rapier was thrown into the fern bushes, and she was angry, and Ido could tell. "Come back, hurry!" she shouted.

It's too late, it's too late. Carol glanced back at Ito, his eyes filled with despair, and at the same time, Lilio pulled a pale dagger from her waist and raised her sword in a flash. Kyrol's right arm was severed by Qi Brush, and blood gushed out.

Yi Tong's mind went blank. I hate you, I hate you, I'm going to kill you, she rushes at Lilio with all her might, her fist flimping, and Lilio catches her attack with one hand. "Like you said, momentary courage will only make you die faster. ”

Ido could feel the cold blade against his abdomen. Your path is not over. She remembered the whispers in the darkness, and suddenly began to believe that all this was true, and that it was true. "I swear I won't let you go. ”

"We're going to have a fair fight. Lilio whispered in her ear, "We'll meet again." She pushed Itong away and spun around and jumped onto the trunk of the tree overhead. "Hurry up and save your friend, time is delayed, I'm afraid he will be poisoned by the venom on my dagger, hmph, save him...... If the Man in Black had the ability. She jumped off the trunk and disappeared into the forest to the west.

In the pool of blood, Carol's face was pale and breathless, and his severed arm and great sword were soaked in blood. The blood is still flowing, no, stop, stop. Itong came to Carole's side, tears blurring her vision, she took off her cloak, covering her wounds, and soon the cloak also turned blood red. "Tell me, what do I do, what do I do!"

"Yi ...... Yi Tong, it's useless...... It's useless, you can't save me. He sighed weakly, "You're right, everything is fair to everyone, get ...... It's the same with the man in black who was blessed, I thought it was ...... I...... I thought we would be together forever...... Execute ...... together Perform tasks. Kyrol smiled calmly, blood streaming from the corners of his mouth. He raised his hand and grabbed Yi Tong's arm, "I can't go with you to Kuchigi Town to support Ormond and them this time, I want to ...... I'm waiting for you in the castle...... Your news. ”

Itong shook off Carol's palms, covering the wound firmly with both hands, and when the blood stopped flowing, she tore off a piece of cloth from her clothes and tied it to the wound, "Yes, you're comfortable." Itong smiled back, but the words became choked, "You're going to be fine, I swear I'm going to ......." ”

"No! Don't do stupid things. Carol's voice grew weaker, "Don't bother with her, let her go, listen to my ...... Listen to me this time. ”

"I listen to you. The wound was briefly bandaged. Itong believes that the severed arm will not take Carol's life, and the man in black is tenacious, and has always been like this.

"Yi Tong...... My greatsword, where is my greatsword?"

Itong shoved the greatsword into Carol's palm, and slowly, Carol closed his eyes.