Tails couldn't believe his eyes.

Forever hiding in the shadows, the yodel who will kill him......

Captured?

The shadowshield behind the hammer lit two torches, illuminating the small hallway.

Unable to see his expression through the mask, Yodel's struggle grew weaker and weaker.

Bearing the pull of his limbs in all four directions, his figure faded several times, trying to enter the path of shadows, but under the strength of the chains, his intentions repeatedly failed and he was forced to manifest.

"Lurking, provoking, profiting, you've had a great time down here, dear companion. ”

The hammer seemed to breathe a sigh of relief, and he showed a slightly hideous smile, looking at the masked guest invited by the chain: "Maybe you are quite sorry that we did not fulfill your wish, and under the strange provocation, we fought to the death with the sword of calamity?"

In the gloomy black cell, Yodel didn't answer, his dark purple mask facing the drill at least five paces away.

His silence made the chisel frown slightly.

Worst.

Tails forced himself to calm down.

He gritted his teeth, his knees bent slightly, and the silver-diamond sword in his hand was raised to eye level.

There are not many two-handed sword styles in the Northland military swordsmanship, and most of them are forced to fight back after the shield is broken.

But now......

With his sword in both hands, he looked at the nearest messenger of chains.

Just push one of them back.

Tails called out for the sin of the river of hell on his feet, ready to exert his strength.

"Ah, no, no, no. ”

The sharp-eyed chisel didn't let go of this scene, he raised his eyebrows, kindly raised his index finger to Tails, and shook it slightly from side to side.

"If it were me, I wouldn't do that," the chisel shook his head, his smile still polite:

"Your Highness. ”

As he spoke, the awl in his hand was gently pushed out, and he pointed to the yodel's throat in front of him.

This action stopped the anxious Tails alive!

"After all, you're a precious being. ”

The hammer shook the weapon in his hand, the corners of his mouth curled a little wider, and the words meant something.

"If there's an injury, I can't afford it. ”

Damn it.

Looking at the smug smile on his chest, Tails took a deep breath, put down the long sword in mid-air, and had to give up his intention to break the siege by surprise.

He tried his best to get rid of the idea of not being cool, and he was desperate to think of a way to get rid of yodel's trouble.

Yodel struggled with his right arm again, and the tip of the Supreme Sword stabbed into one of the links in the chain, but the chain-wielding assassin immediately reversed the force and angles sharply, shattering the masked guard's intentions.

"You're talking so much nonsense," Tails said with a deep sense of distress as he looked at Yodel, who was fighting against the four men:

"Just to lure him out?"

The chisel shook his head.

"It's not all nonsense, Your Highness," the Assassin leader bowed, as polite as ever, but Tails no longer felt the deference in his words:

"Please believe in my sincerity. ”

It was as if from this moment on, he had mastered the last move of the general on the chessboard.

Calm down, Tails.

Calm down.

The prince took a deep breath and listened to the direction of the drill in his hellish senses.

Four people wrestling with yodel, breathing unsteadily and constantly depleting.

The two assassins behind the hammer, silently trimming, were replying.

The left arm of the hammer himself was still trembling slightly, and it seemed that he was not uninjured after the hand-to-hand encounter with yodel.

But......

Tails looked worriedly at the darkness behind the drill: there were still plural breaths coming from there.

The biggest reliance was suddenly lost, and he couldn't save the hostages with one enemy.

What to do?

How can I ......

He looked at the beleaguered yodel, rubbing Ricky's silver-diamond longsword and feeling its almost perfect balance, but he knew he was in the most unbalanced situation.

The drill seemed to have fully recovered from the sudden attack, and he took a few steps to the side, looking at the yodel who was being bound to death, and sighed.

"Six years ago, two of my men were commissioned by Val Arlender to travel south to the interior of the stars, which they had not dared to set foot in for many years. ”

He sighed softly, his eyes narrowing slightly as he looked at Yodel.

"Eventually, after a failed carriage assassination and the ensuing ensuing siege of the secret department, only two of the sentry returned alive. ”

Hearing this, Tails was slightly stunned.

Six years ago.

Val Arend.

Carriage Assassination......

Isn't that ......

I saw the chisel snort coldly, and the awl in his hand crossed Yodel's mask:

"Coincidentally, in their descriptions, a similar mask appears. ”

"So...... Who are you?"

Yodel remained silent, but Tails saw that the chain barbed hook that held Yodel's arm was oozing blood, and the latter's struggle was getting smaller and smaller.

But the masked guard shook his head at him slightly.

"Hmm," the chisel, who hadn't received a response from his target for a long time, curled the corners of his mouth:

"You can see that you are not an eloquent. ”

Damn it!

Tails' breathing became more and more rapid, and the long sword in his hand was raised several times.

Yodel remained silent, as if someone had burned his mouth with an iron.

In the dim light of the fire, the familiar and unfamiliar dark purple mask looked plain and monotonous.

The leader of the Assassins finally gave up trying to communicate with the masked monsters.

Maybe...... Maybe he's a dumb person.

"Now, the uncertainties affecting our communication have been resolved," the chisel slowly turned his head and suddenly looked at Tails:

"Can you come with us, Your Highness?"

He still had the same amiable smile, standing in the midst of the cloak-covered horde of Assassins, standing in front of the impenetrable darkness, reaching out far away at Tails.

But the prince felt only a chill down his spine.

"We get along and will work well together. ”

Looking at his palm, Tails' eyebrows couldn't be tighter, and a mouthful of teeth was about to crush.

He swung his hands and drew an arc with his long sword, accustomed to the weapon's properties.

"Ambushing my guards, this does not bode well for cooperation. ”

The hammer put down his palm and smiled: "I think so, after all, he didn't hesitate to swing his sword at me." ”

Tails was momentarily speechless.

He changed his attitude and said coldly: "Listen, Hammer, if you still want to get out alive......"

When the prince said this, he stiffly shut his mouth and cut off the rest of the "secret department has surrounded this place" to his lips.

No.

Confirming the news in front of the drill only made him more desperate and more concerned about the hostages and chips in his hands.

What to do?

Tails looked at Yodel, but could only see a reflection in his mirror.

"We can discuss what you said," Tails said stiffly, "but as a first step in negotiations, I would prefer to see my bodyguards healthy." ”

The hammer stared at him carefully for a long time, and then smiled, and laughed very happily.

With his smile, the chain-wielding Assassins tightened yodel's binding.

The masked guard shuddered and shook his head at Tails again.

"There's only one way to keep him safe, Your Highness. ”

Perhaps tired of Tails' words, the chisel's smile was a little cold.

The chisel narrowed his eyes into thin slits and tilted his head slightly:

And you already know it. ”

Tails clenched the hilt of his sword.

Damn it!

A guy who doesn't get in oil and salt, who doesn't slip his hands, cooperation, negotiations, interests, nothing can attract his attention in the slightest.

All he wants is me!

I!

The drill stared at Tails for a long time, and didn't seem to be in a hurry at all.

"In fact, I heard a lot about you from Baron Russell, and he heard a lot about you, including your character. ”

Hearing the name again, Tails suddenly felt a bad feeling.

The chisel smiled and stepped forward, looked at Yodel, and then at Tails.

"For example, you are both kind-hearted and resolute. ”

The hammer's face moved slightly, and he gently raised the awl: "But I've always wondered, how can these two characteristics appear in the same person?"

"So, we have a chance to verify it today. ”

In front of Tails' ugly face, the chisel grinned as he gently fastened the tip of the awl to the neck of the mask-guard.

Yodel remained motionless, his arms dripping with blood.

The Assassins strained his limbs harder and harder.

"What does that mean?" Tails turned pale and spoke faster.

"As I said, I'm a businessman. ”

The chisel seemed to spread his left hand helplessly, but the awl on his right hand suddenly grabbed Yodel's throat!

Makes Tails clench his fists.

"Transactions are always consensual, so I want to see you come with us quietly and willingly – without getting into trouble, without spoofing, without playing tricks, knowing that we know how tricky you can be. ”

The chisel tugged at the corners of his mouth meaningfully and gestured to the silent yodel.

"Choose, Your Highness," the chisel smiled, but a cold light flashed in his eyes:

"Do you want the benevolence of the king, or the decisiveness of the king?"

Benevolence......

Tails glanced at Yodel, who was unable to move, with a pale face.

Or decisive?

His gaze swept over the awl that had been pressed against the throat of the mask-shielding guard.

Damn it!

In the dim light of the fire, Yodel shook his head imperceptibly again.

Tails looked at him bitterly.

Damn it.

No.

Tails took a light breath and suppressed the resentment in his heart.

Calm down.

Calm down, Tails.

Calm down!

He took several deep breaths, his gaze grazing over each of the Shadow Assassins.

They want me.

Tails subconsciously repeated in his heart.

Want me.

I!

After a few minutes, the Star Prince curled the corners of his mouth and laughed.

Smile extra confidently.

The hammer looked at the prince and wondered if he should move the awl in his hand and urge him again.

"Come with you, of course it's fine, but I have a problem. ”

The drill raised his eyebrows, indicating that he was willing to listen.

I saw Tails say in a deep voice, "You don't care about me, do you?"

What the?

The chisel was slightly stunned.

"Whatever you want from me, wealth, secrets, chips, power, hostages, or talismans...... Don't forget, I'm the heir of the Kingdom of the Stars first and foremost. ”

Tails glanced at him and spoke in the most indifferent and detached attitude he could think of:

"Shadow Shield, you might as well take into account the king's attitude and perception - assuming that you are still in that position after today, giving orders to your men, Hammer, then guess what kind of future Tyers I will give you after today, compared to Rumba, compared to my father?"

The expression of the drill changed slightly, and his face slowly turned cold.

Call.

The prince coldly raised his sword and pointed it at the hammer!

"In the decades of my reign, what kind of future will the entire Star Kingdom give you?"

"If you really value me, then you won't threaten me with the life of a guard," the hard-nosed Tails said coldly, "but you did it anyway, maybe because you didn't care." ”

The chisel squinted slightly: "Your Highness, we ......"

But Tails interrupted him with a quick remark.

Just listen to the prince calmly and steadily:

There's only one explanation. ”

"Maybe you're not afraid to kill him, to anger me, or to the consequences. ”

Every word he said made the brow furrowed even more.

Tails watched the embarrassed yodel from afar.

But in his mind, when he was a child, he held his scarred and dying self, shuttling through the rooftops, alleys, and guard towers of Eternal Star City.

He unconsciously clenched his fists.

"Perhaps, it would be a lie to serve me and cooperate with me," Tails sneered, "because when you first came to me under the banner of goodness, you didn't intend to put me on the throne at all, and you didn't want me to be crowned and become a king to trouble you, right?"

"Perhaps, after taking me and using me, you planned to kill me. ”

Listening to Tails' words, the face of the drill became more and more ugly.

At that moment, Yodel's mask moved slightly, and a reflected fire flashed through the mirror hole.

"In this case, I don't have much choice at all," Tails gritted his teeth and raised his sword:

"Once you kill him, you prove your attitude. ”

"For the sake of my future, for my throne, I can only fight to the death, and the blood will be exhausted. ”

He looked at each Assassin with determination and coldness:

"Right?"

The black prison suddenly became very quiet, except for the distant sound of fighting.

Yodel struggled again, but the awl of the drill was on the ground, making it impossible for him to move again.

The drill stared at Tails.

It was like getting to know him for the first time.

A few seconds passed, and the chisel finally took a deep breath and tried to squeeze out a smile:

"Your Highness, we didn't have to make such a fuss......

But Tails interrupted him again.

"But you have a choice. ”

Unexpectedly, the Prince of Stars, who was full of death a moment ago, now smiled: "It's just a hypothesis, a drill, a hypothesis once you kill him." ”

The drill frowned again.

"But I guess you're not the kind of person who willingly goes all the way down the old road, Hammer, so if you want to prove your sincerity, prove that you are useful to me, and I don't have to fight against the water, then I might as well start now. ”

The drill stared at him with a frozen expression.

Tails restrained his aggressive expression and raised a finger seriously:

"There is only one way to secure your future. ”

Tails lowered his sword and stretched out his palm to Yodel, his gaze not taking his eyes off the chisel:

"And you already know, drill. ”

Listening to the lines that the prince gave him in return, the chisel had to frown.

Tails stared at him steadily.

Yodel's mask was still gray and heavy, with the only aperture reflecting a faint glow of fire.

The face of the drill was distorted.

"Choose, drill. ”

At this time, Tails's eyes were blazing, and he deliberately said in a deep voice: "There are also two roads in front of you. ”

He curled the corners of his mouth, his left hand brushing the spine of the silver-diamond longsword, and his chin was nude at the bound yodel.

"You want the king's leniency......"

Tails tightened his fingers, and Yun lightly nodded his head:

"Or do you want the life of a king?"

At that moment, the hammer's face turned pale.

There was a terrible silence in the black cell, as if the people in the distance were separated.

Even the sound of the Sword of Calamity and the Shield of Shadow had not been heard for a long time.

The eyes of the Prince of the Stars and the Assassin leader met several times in the firelight.

The masked guard slowly lowered his head, not moving.

Finally, after struggling for a while, the face of the drill was completely relieved.

He reluctantly pulled the corners of his mouth into an unwilling smile.

"You live up to your name, Your Highness. ”

The hammer let out a long sigh and resigned himself to removing the cone from Yodel's throat and leaving the masked guard.

At that moment, Tails, who was clutching the long sword, finally breathed a sigh of relief in his heart.

I only heard the hammer put away his weapon, rubbed his chin, and said with deep meaning: "Pushing both of us into a desperate situation at the same time, and throwing back to me the dilemma of choice, forced me to retreat." ”

"Who taught you these hot-blooded Northlanders?"

Tails chuckled.

"My father. ”

He lowered his sword, wandering slightly, and his thoughts returned to the past:

Six years ago, he used this method to eliminate a blood feud war between the stars and the dragon. ”

The drill nodded.

But at this moment, Tails only felt his hairs stand on end!

His hellish senses instantly felt strange.

Someone!

At that moment, the prince, who had experienced all kinds of dangers, subconsciously turned around and waved his long sword!

The sin of the Prison River surged and flooded the brain, as if time had slowed down in an instant.

"Whew!"

In the wind with his sleeves torn, Tails was shocked and angry to see the attacker's figure.

Assassin.

In that stretched second, Tails saw the situation clearly in shock:

Three Assassins in the costume of the Shadow Shield came in two directions, either in his left and right directions, wearing fists or holding blunt weapons!

On the other side, with a satisfied smile, the chisel took a strangely shaped silent bone whistle from his mouth back into his arms.

This is......

Give the dummy.

They're going to capture me alive—they're not prepared at all......

Negotiate with me.

Tails said subconsciously in his heart.

Worst.

The Sins of the Hellriver surged upward, filling his hands and legs, and with his long sword, he broke through the usual speed and slashed at the sneak attacker in the left rear.

But this was already his limit, and Tails simply couldn't afford to take care of the other two.

No.

No!

Worst.

It's too late.

For a second, Tails thought blankly.

Another lesson.

Don't talk to the Assassins......

Be reasonable.

His Prison River sin reached its limit, receding from his brain, and time seemed to return to normal.

But the fainting that Tails had expected didn't happen.

Instead—

"Whew!"

A monotonous and crisp sound of metal entering the flesh suddenly sounded!

Tails was taken aback.

I saw a blade burst through the air and flew towards the two assassins he hadn't been guarding against!

The two assassins trembled in the air as if they had been hit head-on by a speeding warhorse!

"Bang!"

The two flew out in opposite directions, one on top of the other, and crashed into the wall.

Tails looked at the two Assassins in amazement: they were like meat skewers, broken through the air of their weapons, an ordinary long sword that pierced through the chest, one in front of the other, nailed to the wall.

Only convulsions.

The hammer and his companions were completely unresponsive, and just watched in amazement as the javelin-like sword that rained down from the sky shook against the wall.

"Tread, tread, stride!"

Before Tails could think about it, an unfamiliar figure suddenly appeared beside him.

The prince turned his head and saw only the unfamiliar figure stretching his arms, unmistakably choking the throat of the third assassin.

The Assassin seemed incredulous and struggled to fight back, but his opponent didn't give him any chance, and slammed diagonally at the wall next to him!

"Boom!"

There was a heavy muffled thud.

The unfamiliar figure withdrew its arm, grabbed the assassin tightly, and slammed into the wall again!

"Boom!"

A second muffled sound.

For the second time, the Assassin's opponent pulled back the Assassin on his arm and slammed it against the wall one last time!

"Kara!"

I heard a strange, ominous crunching sound.

In the next second, the assassin slipped limply off his opponent's arm and fell to the ground, motionless.

The air returned to calm.

Tails stared blankly: two Assassins were nailed to the wall, groaning in pain and dying, and one fell to the ground silently.

From the moment the sword was shot to the last assassin falling to the ground, it was only a little more than a second.

The three Assassins who were about to attack him had all been killed.

This is......

"Really...... I'm rusty. The new figure walked up to Tails, flicking his left hand desperately and grumbling inarticulately.

The prince looked at the man dumbfounded.

The Hammer and the Shadow Assassins looked at him with equally unconcealed anger.

This uninvited guest.

In the faint light of the fire, the figure of a man was reflected.

A very special man.

He was dressed in the lightly worn leather armor typical of mercenaries, but he was armed with eight or nine weapons:

In his right hand, he held two cross swords, one long and one heavy, with a slightly old one-handed axe and a bag of crossbow arrows tied to his back, a well-wound infantry crossbow on his left leg, an unsheathed saber on his right leg, a bloodstained hammer pinned to his waist, and a straight-edged saber with a broken corner tied to his waist.

Even in his mouth, he was biting a short sword the length of his forearm.

It's like a ...... Humanoid arsenal.

Tails thought blankly.

Dressed like a mercenary, a man who is the sword of calamity?

No.

Not quite like that.

The man was not young and untidy.

In fact, his hair was messy and his ears were tied behind his head with only a dirty string, and his whole person was described as sloppy, with a blue nose and swollen face, a piece of scalp missing from his right forehead, and a black-framed bruise on his left eye.

At first glance, there is hardly a good piece of meat.

It was as if he had just come back from being tied to a horse and dragging around in the sand.

But what is special is his jaw.

Despite his dirty appearance and some exuberant hair, the man shaved the beard from his chin clean, leaving only a patch of blue, which contrasted with the upper half of his face.

Wait, beard?

Tails suddenly became agitated.

He looked at the man's forehead and was shocked!

Sure enough.

There was a hideous and terrible blood-colored brand.

An ancient imperial alphabet.

Tails stared at the man beside him in amazement, as he removed the dagger from his mouth, as he arched his back and swung his arms with bared teeth.

It's like a war horse that hasn't been out of the gate for a long time, moving its joints.

It's him.

Tails thought blankly.

Although I didn't recognize it for a while after shaving my beard, I ......

It's him.

"The action is beautiful. ”

The Knight of Punishment, Sakel stood beside Tails with a flat expression.

His left eye with dark eyes narrowed slightly, glanced at the shadow assassins in front of him, and said coldly to the prince in a characteristic dry voice:

"It's stupid to wander your mind. ”

There was silence again.

At that moment, Tails looked dumbfounded at Sakel, who had changed his description and equipment.

On the other side, the hammer also looked at his fallen subordinates in disbelief.

Even Yodel, who was trapped by death, shuddered slightly.

"Where are you?"

Shocked and vigilant, the hammer looked tensibly at Sacrael, motioning for the Assassins to trap yodel tighter.

This man ...... Gives him a very bad feeling.

Sakel snorted coldly, as if he didn't seem interested in paying attention to him, just staring at the captured yodel and slowly shaking his head.

"Where's our sentry?" asked the hammer, cautiously surveying the new guest.

Sagar frowned slightly.

Sentinel?

"Didn't meet it. Sakel shook his head and muttered.

Well, on the way here, except for a few blind men hiding in the dark—Sacael thought for a moment—it seemed that he had not encountered a normal sentinel.

Like what......

Glacier Sentry looks at that kind of difficult character.

Remembering the unpleasant past, Sakel frowned fiercely.

Beside him, Tails took a long, deep breath.

"You, you're still alive?"

Tails couldn't believe his eyes, he looked Sakel up and down, stiff and awkwardly asked.

"Hmm. ”

Sakel's eyes were still misty, as if he was inattentive, and he snorted like a troubled patient in reply.

Tails blinked in surprise: "What about the enemies?"

Those...... What about those who besiege you?

Sakel rubbed his eyes, as if he wasn't quite comfortable with the light source.

"Ran. He replied dullly.

The Star Prince rolled his eyes in confusion: "Ran away?"

"They just ran away?"

How can it be?

Eighteen Swords of Calamity ...... Leaving you alone?

Tails couldn't understand.

Sacrael tugged at his mercenary leather armor and shook his shoulders in extreme discomfort.

That's right, ran.

The Knight of Punishment who was released from prison silently recalled the battle just now:

The sword-sellers, they ran - how many ran?

Sakel scratched his head.

Two, or three? Maybe four?

Alas, I can't remember exactly.

Thinking of this, Sakel exhaled unhappily, beat his forehead in pain, and felt sadly:

He's probably ...... It's old.

(End of chapter)