There are no words that can perfectly describe the dungeon at this moment.

After the sound of neat gasping, for a whole few seconds, only the heartbeat of the crowd could be faintly heard in the air, and it seemed that even breathing loudly had become a luxury.

After a few seconds, the torch in Barney's hand was completely extinguished after desperately burning the last few flames.

The dungeon was plunged into endless darkness, with only the foul smell of smoke, and the few living people seemed to have all turned into corpses, motionless.

It's like going back to the black path of the past.

So, in such silence and darkness, Tails felt the sound of breathing in front of him and behind him, and spent the most special seconds of his life in a trance.

In this moment, the darkness seemed to become his shield, burying his fears, numbing his pain, and obscuring all kinds of eyes.

Finally, with a few rustles, someone in the guard trembled and fumbled and lit another torch to the sound of flint.

Tails narrowed his eyes and adjusted to the firelight, as if he felt like he was back on earth.

"I don't, I don't understand...... Calamity, Magi...... They shouldn't be...... Millennial ...... Immortal ......" Cannon, who was a scout, held the source of the newborn fire, subconsciously shaking his head, his lips trembling, but he couldn't form a complete sentence.

He couldn't take his eyes off Tails, and Brie beside him was even completely stunned.

But with Cannon's reaction, everyone boiled like the surface of a hot spring!

"Your Royal Highness, this joke ......" The penistor Belletti was completely unable to digest the latest news, and he stared at Sakel and spoke incoherently:

"Watchman, sir! he said he was, he could, he would...... That's another lie, isn't it?"

Tardin's eyes were full of surprise as he looked at Tails: "What...... The prince is a scourge?"

"Bright Star Royal...... Damn, what did they do this time?"

Tails stared silently at the wound in the palm of his hand, ignoring the uproar around him.

Strangely, Tails felt that he was extremely calm at the moment—not the "calmness" that was so indifferent that he even frightened him when he knocked on the door, nor the "calmness" that was forcibly pressed down by the sin of the prison river in danger, but really, letting go of everything and removing the uneasiness, as if a chess player stared at the calmness of the chessboard.

"Oh my God. ”

Samir's gaze shifted back and forth between Tyers and Saker.

"Sakel, those words you have spoken before, those words about Queen Fiosa being a scourge, and those words that you are determined to accomplish your mission...... They're not all lies, are they?" Sacrael said nothing, he just stared blankly at the calm Tails, his eyes full of sadness and doubt.

Semir gritted his teeth, struggling to sustain himself between shock and anger:

"No way, his age...... Is he really only fourteen years old? If not, what does he have to do with the Scarlet Years?"

"What the hell is your goddamn mission!"

Tails watched each of them react, and understood a lot in a breath.

So......

The boy slowly curled the corners of his mouth.

That's what it feels like.

He could even feel that the gazes of those behind him who were looking at him were no longer the same.

Between the convincing and respect that Tails had managed to build, there were a few more impurities.

Fear, disgust, doubt, unknown, rejection?

But that doesn't matter, does it?

"Hey, that fake Waiya!"

"It's you, my nephew, you already know all this, don't you?" Tardine realized something, and turned his head to look behind him, shrinking his chest, trying to destroy the fast rope of his presence.

"Wya's nephew?"

A spirit who was staring at Tails' fast rope in shock, clenched his crossbow arm in embarrassment, and forced an innocent smile on his face:

"Oh, I, no, uh, that...... It's my first time......"

Just when the dungeon was about to turn into a pot of porridge, a muffled sound exploded out of thin air!

Da!

"Quiet!"

The sound was heard far away in the empty storage room, and everyone suddenly closed in unison.

It's Barney Jr.

He had just thrown away the extinguished torch in his hand, attracting everyone's attention.

I saw that the vanguard officer's face was pale, and he swept everyone with the most stern gaze before finally turning back to Tails.

Tails took a breath, smiled and turned to look at him.

"My sword is out of my hand. ”

After a while, little Barney, who was full of contradictions, spoke up.

"Just now I ...... When. ”

He looked at the broken sword lying behind Tails.

As Barney Jr. hesitated, the crowd began to resound from the previous memory.

"That's not a coincidence, it's you?"

Tailston pursed his lips for a few seconds.

"Yes. ”

The prince said in a deep voice.

Barney Jr. opened his mouth and looked at him in disbelief, before turning to the two bodies on the ground after a few seconds.

"Why, why am I ......"

Barney Jr. stared at the dead Naki and Nai, his expression becoming complicated.

"Why don't you save ...... They?"

Tails paused.

At that moment, images flashed in front of him of his use of magical energy during the "contact" phase after being taught by Taurus.

That absolutely unjustified indifference.

And blood all over the ground.

It was as if the dungeon had entered a strange stage, everyone was full of surprise, everyone had questions, but under the strange atmosphere and tacit understanding, no one spoke, just stared at Tails in unison.

"I want to, but I can't. ”

Tails sighed and lowered his head:

"I'm sorry. ”

Barney Jr. was silent for a long time, and finally lowered his head.

"Yes. ”

A faint sadness spread, and little Barney's words seemed to have some kind of magic, and Tails suddenly felt that the gaze behind him was no longer so dazzling.

Until Saqel's voice rang out in the air.

"Why. ”

The Punishment Knight's hoarse and sluggish voice attracted everyone's attention.

"Why? Why are you telling them?"

Sakel looked up in the darkness and stared at Tails, his face a mixture of hesitation, pain, sadness, disappointment, and sorrow.

"You may not be afraid of death, but at least ...... You don't have to...... You don't have to endure these ......"

Sakel's eyes suddenly became very sad:

"You can die in their admiration and respect, and not—"

In the Punishment Knight's sad questioning, Tails sighed.

"But they're going to hate you. ”

The Knight of Punishment froze slightly:

"Them?"

Tails looked silently at Saker, at the blood and dust that covered his body, at the look of obvious exhaustion and pain on his face, at the conspicuous and unsightly mark on his forehead.

Sakel.

This warrior is almost invincible.

I don't know what kind of heroic appearance he was when he was young?

Tails smiled, "I know, for some reason, who I am, you won't die - and you're ready to keep your mouth shut afterwards and willingly die at their hands." ”

Tails turned his head and glanced at the guards behind him, many of whom were still immersed in surprise and suspicion.

Barney Jr. was stunned:

"We?"

Tails ignored him, but turned back to the knight and sighed:

"They respect me, so, yes, they will resent you. ”

"Again. ”

Sakel froze.

"If I don't say it, then after my death, the misunderstanding that you have solved with great difficulty will deepen again. ”

Tails' expression was a little gloomy when he said this:

Once again, you will be abandoned and hated by your once most cherished companions, and will be regarded as a madman and a traitor. ”

"You will die with their resentment. ”

Barney Jr. and the others watched the conversation between the two in disbelief.

Sachael froze in place.

After a while, he gasped and spoke:

"I don't understand. ”

Tails snorted, as if he had figured something out.

"Sakel, to serve the kingdom, to defend the royal family, to protect your companions, to protect your faith," Tyles, who was in a heavy heart, said sadly:

"In the past eighteen years, you have obviously carried so much of the past and paid such a heavy price......"

Tails raised his head and looked into the void, as if a dazzling silver figure appeared in front of him.

The forgotten hero.

And the voice that seemed to ring in my heart:

"I've been dead for a long time...... For a long, long time...... I can't remember how long it was......]

Tails was a little distracted.

The silver figure stood in the bottomless darkness, alone in the face of countless souls of the dead, and the scene of radiating a light that was both great and small, seemed to appear in front of him again.

That figure had been alone for countless years, sacrificing himself and taking on the greatest and most selfless mission, guarding the people and things he once loved the most.

But no one ever knew about it, no one understood.

But he still smiled, no complaints, no rescue, and calmly so me.

May the mountains contain your footprints, and may the earth bless your journey. 】

Tails took a deep breath and pulled his spirit out of the void of the past, trying to return to the present.

Return to the Knight of Punishment.

"But you've never been understood. ”

"Never. ”

"Eighteen years, you can only bear the burden alone, and face the price alone. ”

Tails' mood sank, and his face darkened slightly.

Like the lonely hero who is unknown.

Even if he is buried deep underground, he does not hesitate to ignite himself and dispel the darkness where there is no light and hope.

Even if he couldn't afford to sink, he tried his best to reach out and lift those who had lost their feet and drowned to see the light of day.

Even though the past is gone, he is still stubborn and persistent, sticking to his original promise to the old days.

Nobody knows.

Nobody cares.

Endless.

There is no forgiveness.

[Thank you for bringing her greetings.] 】

He looked at Sakel earnestly, watching the other's eyes twitch slightly.

"Worst of all, in the end, the Knight of Punishment is still misunderstood, hated, hated, and ignored by those whom he cares and cherishes the most—by those whom you most want to protect, as traitors, madmen, and wicked people. ”

Tails whispered, and the guards behind him reacted with different expressions.

But all of them locked their stunned gazes on Saker's body.

Sakael breathed in a trance.

"Your life's story is about others, Sakel, the kingdom, the guards, the brothers, the duty, the mission...... You carry everything on your shoulders," Tails said, pausing slightly, his voice concealing exhaustion and sadness:

"But you are not alone. ”

Sakel's right hand holding the weapon shook slightly.

Tails let out a long sigh and said dejectedly:

"What you do is unknown and appreciated. ”

"You can only meditate alone in countless cold nights, silently counting the past, and the only consolation is the faith in your heart......"

"Even the final curtain and death ......"

Tails' voice was soft.

"You don't care, but ......"

Tails said quietly:

"It makes me a little sad. ”

Sakel gasped in a trance, looking at the teenager in front of him in disbelief.

"Sakel. ”

Tailston paused for a moment before he said slowly, "You have carried too much, and you should not continue to be misunderstood and hated." ”

A few seconds later.

"It doesn't make sense. ”

Sakel's trembling and hoarse voice spread:

"Do you think you've done something clever, pity me, influence me, shake me?"

The Knight of Punishment bowed his head slightly, his eyes hidden in the darkness under his eyebrows, and he clenched the handle of his axe sharply, clenching his teeth.

"You're wrong. ”

Sakel forced his tone, but he couldn't suppress the tremor in his arm, whether it was pain or mood:

"What you're doing now doesn't mean anything to me. ”

Tails exhaled and looked into the darkness between Sakerel's brows.

"But it makes sense to me. ”

He lowered his head, sadness and sigh in his tone.

"Yes. ”

Sakel was stunned again.

"You guys?"

Tails nodded, a bitter smile.

"My family, Bright Star. ”

A second later, Sakel's chest began to rise and fall visibly with the naked eye!

Tails looked up again:

"If I'm not mistaken, it was King Eddie who appointed you as the watchman of the royal guard. ”

"The same he is the one who has drawn you into the infighting of his family and ruined your entire life. ”

"And King Kessel has cruelly and unjustly imprisoned you, and you have been reduced to this day. ”

Tails' eyes darkened, and he tapped his chest with a sigh:

"Eighteen years later, it's the sudden intrusion of another star that shatters your tranquility and rekindles the nightmare you had eighteen years ago. ”

Tails tried to look at each other with the most indifferent gaze:

"The tragedy that has happened to you, Sakel, whatever is right and wrong, is rooted in the bloodline of the noblest and most indifferent kingdoms. ”

At that moment, Sakel was still silent, but his breathing became chaotic.

"And the irony of all is that even today, you still want to fulfill your duties as a royal guard and protect our reputation. ”

"Although for various reasons, you will not have any complaints about the royal family...... But that must have been hard. ”

Tails' voice was a little lonely:

"I think we'...... The Bright Star family owes you so much. ”

He saw Saker's fists clenched tighter and tighter.

But Tails ignored it, and continued to look at the body on the ground, remembering the scene when the two of them had just left, and his voice was hoarse:

"You know, as Tails Bright Star, ...... face you"

"I can give comfort to Naki and Nai as a dying farewell;"

"I can give them forgiveness to Tardin, talk about their pain;"

"I can motivate a struggling Barney and help him get back on his feet and face life. ”

Barney Jr., Belletti, Tardin...... The people behind the prince all looked at him in amazement.

"But you, Saker ......"

Tails deflected his gaze and avoided making eye contact with the knight, as if this would allow him to relax:

"As a powerless prince, I can't change the tragedy of the past, I can't clear your wrongs, I can't reopen the old case of the king, I can't give you the justice you deserve, and I can't even give the people you cherished back then a slightly reasonable explanation. ”

Tails looked at the two bodies on the ground unwillingly, remembered the countless bones in the cell, and said sadly:

"I don't know what else I can do for you when you give so much, lose so much, and suffer so much. ”

"So, if you and I are destined to die here......"

"Then I want to go without any hindrance, whether it's letting go of my own fears or ending up with my guilt for you," Tails smiled bitterly and ugly, like a patient at the last moment:

"I want you to walk peacefully and peacefully. ”

Sachael remained motionless.

"I don't want other people to continue to hate you, and I don't want you to remain alone, carrying sins in the dark that don't belong to you. ”

"I want them to understand you — at least try to understand you. ”

Tails bowed his head and let out a long sigh again, feeling like he was going to exhale all the resentment of the day.

"It's ...... compared to that"

The prince looked up.

This time, there was no bitterness and hesitation on the young man's face, only a relaxed and relieved smile remained, facing the crumbling Punishment Knight:

"My secret isn't that important anymore, is it?"

In the crowd, Fast Rope looked at Tails in a daze.

He was not alone.

Sakel did not answer, nor did he move.

Tails shook his head, hiding the grief in his heart a little tighter, and reluctantly raised a second smile:

"So, it's not just me. ”

Tails looked directly at Saker, but turned his head to look at the rest of the people:

"It's also for them. ”

"They?" replied Sakel in a trance.

As soon as these words came out, the surrounding guards reacted in their own way.

Just listen to the prince calmly and seriously:

"They should know what kind of person their ruler and watchman are then: Immanu Sacael was never a traitor who betrayed his loyalty for his own selfish interests, nor was he a madman who lost his mind after years of imprisonment. ”

Tardine sighed and lowered his head, Cannon's face twisted in pain, and Brie looked gloomy.

"They should know that you are still the Saqel they believe, admire, and love, and you are still the Knight of Punishment who adheres to his beliefs, abides by his sacred duty, and loves his siblings deeply. ”

Semir looked conflicted, and Belletti looked sad.

"They need to know what you have done for them, of your sacrifices, of your efforts and your struggles—even your most unreasonable actions are nothing more than carrying out your mission to put an end to the terrible scourge. ”

Barney Jr. clutched his injured right arm tightly, biting his lower lip, and looked at Sacrael with a complicated look.

"They need to know that they owe you and the watchmen of the guard an apology, a word of thanks. ”

I don't know when it began, Saqel, who had buried himself in the dark, was already motionless.

Hearing all this, Semir closed his eyes and turned his head away.

Little Barney, who had just come out of the gloom, stared at Sacrael with endless sadness in his eyes.

Others are no better.

Again, there was unspeakable silence.

Tails chuckled, plain and quiet:

"I'm sorry, but that's the last thing I can do for you. ”

He stared earnestly at Saker:

"At least, you don't have to be alone anymore, gritting your teeth. ”

"At the very least, I can let them see who you really are, let them understand, let them see the burden you are carrying—you have suffered so much injustice and misunderstanding, and I don't want my own death to be a part of it. ”

"At least I hope that after today, that darkness, the darkness that you will struggle with in the future, will be less cruel and cold. ”

Tails said one by one, but Sacrael in front of him only bowed his head deeply, burying his face in the light.

Eventually, the boy who felt another wave of dizziness hit him sighed deeply.

He curled his lips and shook his head with a sneer:

"So, yes, I'm a scourge. ”

The conversation ends. ”

Sakel seemed stunned, and the others were silent.

Until Tails sighed and spoke.

"All right, now," the boy looked at Sakel in front of him with relief:

"Let's get it all over. ”

The silence lasted for nearly ten seconds.

Finally, in the darkness, Sachael slowly raised the axe blade.

His hands were slow, even shaking.

But he still held it up.

Tails closed his eyes silently.

Waiting for that moment.

And he didn't wait long.

Clang!

A muffled thud of metal!

"You know, if he's what he says he is," Barney Jr.'s feeble voice rang out:

"Then you are in vain. ”

Tails took a heavy breath and opened his eyes.

Above his head, little Barney held the sword he had used to kill himself, against Saker's axe blade.

The seriously wounded vanguard officer's right arm had been broken, and he was holding the sword with his left arm intact, looking quite struggling.

And Sakel, who was opposite him, also had his left arm gone, and it seemed that he was evenly matched.

Barney Jr. glanced at the calm Tails behind him, and sneered:

"You don't have a legendary anti-demon arm, you can't kill him?"

In the corner where no one was paying attention, the fast rope drenched in cold sweat subconsciously pulled his clothes, trying to cover the bow and crossbow in his arms.

Sakel still kept his head down, hiding his eyes in the darkness.

He gritted his teeth and struggled to spit out the words:

"He's not a proper scourge yet, according to the secret department...... He could be stopped before the last step could lead to catastrophe. ”

Tails curled the corners of his mouth, sighed and nodded:

"He was probably right. ”

But Barney Jr. replied unceremoniously:

"I didn't ask you, little prince. ”

Tails' face froze.

Barney Jr. turned to face Sacrael and shook his head.

"Secret's account?"

"So what, do you have to take an exam to be a disaster?"

Sakel's axe blade began to tremble.

His tone was already unstable, and he became unhappy at the moment: "It's not a joke!"

"Get out of the way, you already know he's ......"

But little Barney suddenly shouted!

"So what?"

"According to you, the first king also went to one!"

Tails watched Barney Jr. in silence and gritted his teeth, only to feel a slight heaviness in his chest.

The vanguard officer's arm shook, and the blades of the two intertwined swords and axes parted in the air.

Sachael was silent.

When he saw Barney Jr., Belletti and Tardine had somehow finished rearming and walked behind Tails.

Cannon, Brie also followed.

They all looked at him with relief on their faces.

The knight's axe blade shook slightly.

"You don't understand...... Saker's words are full of ambivalent emotions:

"Empire...... The kingdom cannot fall into the same trap. ”

Barney Jr. snorted.

It seems to have reverted back to the chief vanguard officer of the Guard who looked at Sakel at every turn.

"I know that even if you're seriously injured, I still can't stop you," Barney Jr. hissed in pain and struggled to raise his sword again:

"Not to mention myself...... It's not much better. ”

Little Barney lifted his legs, his eyes fiery, and walked with difficulty towards Sacrael until the two were close enough to face each other.

"But listen to me, Sakel. ”

In the darkness, Sakel did not move, and the axe blade in his hand became tighter and tighter.

But unexpectedly, Barney Jr., standing in front of him, suddenly relaxed all his expressions and sighed gloomily.

"I'm sorry. ”

At that moment, Saker, who was ready, was stunned.

"Barney, you ......"

I saw little Barney turn his head to look at the ground, so stiff that he seemed to be speaking to the air:

"I've never been convinced of you, but today, ah......"

Sakel didn't speak, just opened his mouth in a slight startup.

"I have to say that Your Majesty and the old captain have a very accurate vision," Barney Jr. said with a look of loss and self-deprecation, and said:

"Indeed, you are better than me as a watchman. ”

Barney Jr. opened his mouth and pondered vigorously for a long time, and finally said the word:

"Sir. ”

Sakel shuddered slightly.

"And that ......" Barney Jr. stared intently at the tiles at Sakel's feet, as if he didn't dare to look up.

Little Barney held the hilt of his sword upside down in his left hand, hesitated, but raised it tremblingly.

"Thank you. ”

In the next second, his left fist was clenched, and he slammed it twice on Saker's right shoulder, quickly and hesitantly.

Poof, poof.

Two muffled thuds of fists touching shoulders.

One touch is like a dragonfly dotting water – no, it's poisonous.

Because it was as if one more click would kill him.

After doing all this, Barney Jr. breathed a sigh of relief as if he had completed the hardest task.

He turned around as if he had fled, and ran back to his original confrontation position in three or two steps.

The corners of Tails' mouth curled slightly.

"Okay, the debt is paid off. ”

Little Barney swept away all the twisted and embarrassed expressions, and looked at it coldly again: "Let's fight." ”

But Saqel stayed where he was, motionless.

The face he left behind in the dark to go to work still can't be seen clearly.

Until another figure crossed Barney Jr. and walked towards Saker.

What is surprising is that this person actually directly attached to Sakel's right shoulder, stretched out his left hand, and gently clasped the other party's back.

"This may be our last hug, sir. ”

Sakel's axe blade shook slightly.

I saw Belletti leaning against Sakel's right shoulder, patting him on the back, and choked up:

"Sunset, I miss being in the Punishment Wing, when I was under you. ”

At that moment, Saker's shoulders trembled slightly.

He took a deep breath and exhaled a long breath.

The knight's breathing grew louder and louder.

"You shouldn't have made me a penistor," Belletti laughed miserably, his voice trembling, turning his head, trying not to look at the other man:

"You know...... I'm terrible, I've never been good. ”

He patted Sakel the back, and the latter shook particularly violently.

Belletti closed her eyes and turned back to Barney's side, not daring to look at Sakel.

"I'm sorry, sir," Cannon didn't step forward, and the scout sobbed and bowed his head, "...... back then"

"Sorry, it's us, we messed everything up......"

"It's our fault......"

Sachael exhaled in pain.

"Woo," said Brie next to Cannon, in an inexplicable voice:

"Whew. ”

"Ah, he probably said he regretted it," Tardin sighed, ignoring Brie's protests and giving his last pale smile:

"But...... It's us who hurt you, and we're the others, Lord Sakel. ”

Tardin looked blankly at the remains on the ground:

"But at least, we can 'rest on the emperor's side' together, just like those thirty fools. ”

"We'll be together. ”

Sakel's axe blade shook even harder.

"Hey. ”

It's Semir.

"Although I'm not a guard anymore. ”

"But I owe you a thank you, sir," the Calamity Sword snorted, as if he didn't care, completely unaware that his attitude was the same as that of Barney Jr., "I was able to escape thanks to you." ”

For the first time, Sacrael opened his mouth to say something, but he stopped talking.

Semir sighed, his voice low:

"And if it weren't for my escape, you wouldn't have been subjected to solitary confinement. ”

"Anyway, I owe you an apology. ”

Semir looked away, gritted his teeth vigorously, closed his eyes and said:

"I'm sorry. ”

"I don't have a sense of mission anymore, but ...... This kid can't die, so ......"

Semir shrugged his shoulders and said no more.

Sakel didn't react, but the green tendons in his hands moved slightly.

As Semir's words fell, everyone in the guard sighed in unison, as if they had accomplished a great event.

Sakel remained silent.

"Now. ”

Little Barney raised the corners of his mouth, looked at Sakel, and said with relief:

"Let's decide life and death. ”

However.

"Wait......"

A not-so-harmonious sobbing sounded faintly.

"I'm too, I'm sorry too......"

Tails turned his head and saw Fastrope wiping his eyes and speaking low.

Hey?

A second later, under the strange eyes of everyone, "What are you crying about", the face of the fast rope who suddenly reacted stiffened.

His mournful expression disappeared instantly, and he subconsciously took a step back and smiled awkwardly:

"That, that...... The vibe, the vibe, the vibe, the ......"

But this time, no one scolded him, no one looked at him, and no one stopped him.

Instead, Barney Jr., Tardin, Belletti...... They simply turned in unison, dragging their weakest bodies, with the deepest realizations, to stand beside Tails, and raised their weapons at Saker.

Facing their final battle.

I know, I was wrong! Before I finished this chapter "Rebirth", the word count was too much!

It's okay, there's another chapter, after twelve o'clock, and it will be sent next year.

(End of chapter)