Yodel knelt silently in place, a pair of mirror holes in a strange dark purple mask.

Tails suppressed his thoughts and sighed slightly.

"So, you're there. ”

Yodel's mask moved.

"Yes," a hoarse, muffled voice sounded from under the mask:

"I'm here. ”

The man behind the mask gently stretched out his gloved right hand:

"I've always been there. ”

Tails was silent for a few seconds, the pain in his arm fading away.

He took a deep breath.

"yes. ”

The prince looked up and smiled gently, "I know. ”

"I always knew that. ”

He grabbed Yodel's palm and stood up with the latter's strength.

The flame of the torch in Yodel's hand shook softly, illuminating the surroundings, but it seemed to restrain the color when it hit Yodel, and there was little reflection.

Only his mask is more mysterious and profound.

Tails let go of Yodel's hand and watched him silently.

Not long ago, the bloody battle between Nicollet and Monty in the rocky lands was not only thrilling, but also affected the pond fish, and poor Tails was caught in the middle of it, which was not only the core bargaining chip for both sides, but also the key means by which the two of them could defeat the enemy, and even suffered serious injuries and wandered between life and death.

Under a rare opportunity, the sin of the prison river evaporated for a long time and devoured the young man at that moment.

And while Tails was lying dying on the ground, suffering from the uncontrollable pain of the sin of the Prison River, the spiritual officer who was inspired at that moment gave back new information to the Star Prince.

In addition to the Meteorite and the Death Crow, who fought to the death, and his immobile self, Tails sensed a fourth person.

The fourth breathing, the fourth rubbing between his footsteps and the ground, and the fourth hiding a mysterious character in the shadows as if through a curtain.

It leaned silently against the boulder where the White-Bladed Guards faced off at the pinnacle, a rock that remained motionless, almost blending in with the environment, lurking silently even when Tails was in danger, indifferently and cautiously awaiting the victory of Nicollet and Monty.

And the two Extreme Realm masters in the fierce battle didn't know anything.

It's like...... Same as in the past.

Tails may not have recognized the figure, but that didn't prevent him from recognising the "curtain" through his short-lived enhanced infernal senses—the strange, unusual, invisible ripples separating color and sound that even the prince himself had experienced.

Realm of Shadows.

At that moment, Tails suddenly understood that in the secret headquarters of Longxiao City, if the treacherous Raphael was still right, it must be this:

[We will make sure that you have trusted power and manpower to protect you all the way from outside Longxiao City to the Great Desert - of course, there will not be too many people, but they are all rare elite ...... in the world]

It's yodel.

That's why Tails was able to leave Nicola and Monty alive and go into the desert without looking back.

After escaping from Dragon's Sky, Monty, as the best scout, escaped the threat of the pursuers with Tails, and secretly, Yodel, who had infiltrated the Northlands at some point, acted as a shield in the shadows, monitoring their movements - perhaps Mycco had long doubted the loyalty of the Dead Crow, or perhaps this was originally the final test for Monty.

In the Great Desert, Tails was in danger several times, and in the end, there was always miraculous "luck" that allowed him to escape from the cold trap of the desert god: whether it was when he ran out of water and food and lost consciousness and lay down in the yellow sand, he should not have "crashed" into Dante's greatsword team, or when the orcs were besieging the enemy on all sides, the star army attracted by the strange fire in the merchant camp.

Now it seems that most of these luck and coincidences are in line with Yodel's usual style of stealth and covert shots.

More than this, maybe, maybe on the way out of Valhalla, maybe the black-robed swordsman who came with two swords......

In that second, the thoughtful Tails silently looked at Yodel's mask, looked at the man who had always been silent, and remembered the scene when he first appeared on Red Square Street and stretched out his hand to the little beggar at that time.

He suddenly realized that he was already the shoulders of a masked guard.

Right now.

"Who are you?"

A deep, long voice rang out from the void, and Tails subconsciously became vigilant, only to find Yodel motionless, just turning his head to look behind him.

Look at the cell that was shrouded in darkness.

"What a terrible ability to hide," said Saker's exhausted voice, who had been tortured so much, that it came out of the darkness:

"I didn't even feel anything strange until you drew your sword. ”

Tails frowned, and he noticed that yodel seemed a little too silent.

"But that mask. ”

Sakel in the dark said lightly:

"I recognize the mask. ”

Mask?

Tails' eyebrows jumped, and he quickly looked at Yodel, especially his strange dark purple mask.

Something that had made him extremely curious since they first met.

Only to hear Sakel's laughter come coldly: "It is not for nothing that the 'Myojin Trick', which is also one of the dowries of the elven queen, has been classified as a 'forbidden object' in the royal treasury for three hundred years. ”

Myojin tricks?

What's the name?

Saker's words were tinged with emotion that made Tails uneasy.

"Latent, disguised, observed, perceived, and even delayed ...... harm," the prisoner said slowly, "it can give the owner so much benefit......"

"It's almost up to the price it is taking. ”

Price.

Tails couldn't help but glance at yodel again, but the latter was silent, not saying a word.

"Who are you?"

It seemed that Sakel was also a little impatient, and his voice took on a hint of impatience: "Even if you don't look at that mask, not everyone is qualified to wield the supreme sword. ”

"Secrets, or the royal family?"

Just as Tails was glaring, trying to remind them of their current situation, Yodel suddenly spoke up.

"I'm just a nobody. The masked guard said lightly.

The prisoner in the darkness was silent for a moment.

"No, you're not. ”

His tone was affirmative.

"You're not. ”

Behind the mask called "Myojin Trick", his eyes moved slightly.

Sakel let out a long sigh.

Something seems to have come to mind.

"I said it......"

"A long time ago, when I taught you hand-to-hand combat in the Fuxing Palace," said the former watchman of the royal guard with indescribable desolation:

"You're not fit to be a royal assassin. ”

Tails saw the figure of the masked guard who had not moved for a long time, and shook it after the words.

I only heard Sacael sigh and spit out an affectionate salutation:

"Little Yod. ”

The scene seemed to stand still in the air, and only the light of the fire continued to flicker.

After a few seconds, Yodel turned slowly, and a hoarse voice rang out with difficulty:

"Long time no see. ”

"Sir. ”

Tails looked awkwardly to both sides.

Obviously, this is a reunion after a long absence.

"You shouldn't have put on that mask," Saker didn't listen to Yodel, his voice tinged with a hint of sadness:

"You shouldn't. ”

Those were the last words, and with a rustling sound, his movement was lost in the darkness of his cell.

Yodel didn't speak.

Tails, who had been so affected by the atmosphere that he didn't dare to take a breath, rolled his eyes and cautiously pointed to the way he came, the deep passage.

"So, we're ...... now"

Yodel raised his head and no longer looked in the direction of Saqel:

"Don't worry, the secret department is on the ground, ready for everything. ”

Now it was Tails' turn to frown slightly.

"Secret Branch? Did they know all along? Since I came back, about the Shadow Shield, about the Prison of Bones, about ......"

He looked at Yodel suspiciously.

"Half," Yodel nodded, then shook his head, "they know half of it from the Terminator. ”

"The half of the Shadow Shield, I told them - your journey back is not easy, and many people are interested in you. ”

The masked guard said silently.

Tails exhaled.

"That's great news. A faint sense of chagrin welled up in his heart.

It's terrible.

This is the voice of the prince.

Tails tried his best to get rid of his irritability, cleared his throat, and said to Yodel:

"Listen, yodel, uh, what should I say, when I come back, there is such a mercenary......"

While Tails was upset, Yodel suddenly spoke:

"'Fast rope'. ”

He said simply, straightforwardly.

It made Tails stunned.

"Myko doesn't know him," Jodel said as if he knew what Tails was thinking, "let's see what we can do." ”

Tails opened his mouth and closed it again.

He looked at Yodel and was suddenly grateful.

I am grateful that the other party understands so much, and it is easy to understand.

But Yodel apparently did not need the prince to express his thanks, and he nodded lightly and turned away consciously.

"It's time for us to go. ”

Tails' eyebrows moved.

"Oh, wait a minute. ”

At the Prince's signal, Jodel held a torch and followed Tails to Ricky's fallen body.

Tails looked at Ricky in a pool of blood, and it was hard to imagine that in the tavern just an hour ago, this guy had effortlessly put himself down.

It's so cold.

Leader of the Sword of Calamity.

The prince could only shake his head helplessly, crouching down and bulldozing Ricky's corpse.

The latter's dead, hollow eyes were revealed.

"Excuse me, dear Crassus," Tails looked at Ricky's pale face with mixed feelings, took the confiscated dagger from his bosom, and shook it at the dead man before clasping it around his waist, regardless of whether the other could hear it:

"I believe it's mine. ”

Yodel looked silently at the sheathed dagger, watched the prince speak to a corpse, and remained silent.

Tails dug in Ricky's arms again, skillfully moving, straight to the point, fast and efficient.

It's like going back to being a kid, searching for unconscious drunks or unclaimed corpses in the stinking gutters of the lower city.

"And this ......"

Tails sighed, took out a yellowed piece of precious letterhead, shook it open in front of him, and looked at the "H· N. Bright Star" is quite embarrassing:

"I believe, and not yours. ”

The prince didn't have time to look at it closely, he took a deep breath, folded the unusual posthumous letter, and put it into his arms.

But Yodel suddenly spoke:

"Weapons. ”

"Huh?" Tails turned around.

"You should take his weapon," Yodel's mask moved slightly, "we are not out of danger yet, and you can't rely on a self-defense dagger alone." ”

Tails raised an eyebrow.

"All right," said the prince, shrugging his shoulders, looking at Ricky's waist, at the slender saber that had been wrapped tightly in cloth and had never been unsheathed:

"I guess the sword is of little use to him. ”

Tails ripped off Ricky's belt and ripped off his saber belt.

"You're a good man, Ricky, and thank you for your protection and ...... Generosity. ”

Tails muttered to himself as he unwrapped the shroud and exposed his longsword to his eyes.

This is an unusual sword.

Tails felt this way at the first sight of it.

He saw a soft silver diamond set in the sword grid, which set off the elegant and quiet nobility of the weapon, its carefully cast gauntlet and hilt formed a standard right angle, which looked neat and sharp, and the two edges from the tip to the blade of the sword had a graceful arc, even in the dim light of the fire.

And when Tails grabbed the hilt of the sword and lifted it, he immediately noticed that the weapon in his hand had an astonishing sense of balance, and it swung smoothly and without sluggishness.

"Good fellows. Tails pulled a few sword flowers and exclaimed.

Compared to it, the weapons of the Northlanders look like they are shoddy, and even the creations of the Star People are inferior, and as for the weapons of the Orcs, they are not ......

But what attracted Tails the most was not its shape, but the inscriptions engraved on both sides of the blade.

"Ancient Imperial Language. Tails muttered as he looked back and forth at the inscription on the blade.

But compared to other ancient imperial scripts, this time, he could only recognize a few phrases on two lines of inscriptions.

"What is ...... endless"

Tails looked at the inscription with a headache that was completely different from most of the writing fonts: "What is eternal......"

Oh, my God.

He really needs to make up for the star culture.

Tails shook his head, pulled the last thing out of Ricky's arms, and just after a glance, casually tossed it to yodel.

"Hey, take this, it's going to work. ”

"As for him......"

Tails glanced at Semir, who was lying on the side, unconscious, remembered his sensitive and complicated identity, and sighed: "Let the secret department handle it." ”

At this moment, Yodel's figure flashed in an instant!

"W-thump!"

There was a loud bang, and before Tails could react, he was thrown to the ground!

"Hold it down!"

Anxious shouts rang out from the passageway: "Don't hurt our target. ”

Tails gasped, grabbed Ricky's sword, grabbed Yodel's arm and stood up, looking at himself with trepidation: a crossbow bolt nailed in place, the tail of the arrow trembling.

But now is not the time to rejoice.

In the next second, a sword light as fast as lightning came from the air!

Meet another dark blade in the air.

"Bell!"

A piercing clash rang out.

Tails only felt his eardrums for a while, and he was immediately pushed backwards by Yodel, and he took a dozen steps backwards in a row!

The masked guard's figure flickered in the air several times, trying to avoid two backstrokes that were faster and more ruthless than the first sword, and a backflip landed in front of Tails.

More or less embarrassed.

Tails saw the sudden attacker clearly, and his heart tightened.

Worst.

I saw the middle-aged swordsman in the Northland, Clay standing coldly in front of them, staring at Yodel with resentment, the "dark light" long sword in his hand trembling endlessly.

He's not the only one.

Step, step, step!

Plural footsteps rang out from the aisle, approaching with the firelight.

Joshqiqi, the sword of calamity, appeared at the entrance of the passage, followed by more than a dozen fierce mercenaries.

"Oh my God!"

Josh put down his crossbow and stared at the situation in a daze.

He looked at the leader and the unconscious Semir in a pool of blood, and joined his companions in shock.

"This ...... Ricky ......"

"No ......"

From shock to resentment, from anger to hatred, the Swords of Calamity looked at the only yodel and Tails who were left.

Tails gritted his teeth and clenched his fists.

And they came ...... It's too fast!

Just now, yodel knocked out two men, almost silently the whole time......

And it takes a long time to pass through this channel.

How can they be so fast......

"Siege formation!"

Cleistorm, who had seen the situation in the field, shouted, his face full of anger.

The swords of calamity spread out in a semicircle, their eyes fierce but carefully surrounding the prince and his guards.

Faced with countless hateful and murderous gazes, Tails subconsciously raised Ricky's sword.

Yodel's knee bent slightly, and the Supreme Sword was swapped for a backhand in his palm.

"Ricky was right. ”

Clay looked hatefully at the corpse of the leader on the ground, and then at the special long sword in Tails' hand, "He's right. ”

He finally raised the dark light and angrily pointed at the masked guard yodel:

"Sure enough, it's you, a sneaky guy, who has been secretly following us back and forth!"

Tails' heart moved:

"He knows?"

He looked at the Calamity Sword leader on the ground in disbelief, "Ricky knows?"

Clay snorted hatefully, extremely unwilling.

Of course he does. ”

The middle-aged swordsman from the Northland said coldly:

"Just now, when we confronted the Shadow Shield, you were the one who secretly took the lead in attacking and provoking the battle, right? ”

Yodel was silent.

Clay gritted his teeth, "Ricky has been suspicious ever since - the battle started too quickly, too suddenly, too unprepared, not like the coercion and seduction style of the chisel. ”

Tails understood something, and his face turned pale.

That is to say......

"So Ricky deliberately withdrew his men and brought me here," the prince looked at Ricky's corpse in amazement, and looked at the empty hall:

"Just for, for ......"

"To lure out this mouse, who is secretly wreaking. Josh coldly threw away his crossbow and drew two oddly shaped hand axes from behind his back:

"An assassin master who lurks in the shadows, and even has the ability to hide his figure. ”

The eyes of all the Swords of Calamity were fiercely fixed on Yodel.

"The only thing Ricky didn't expect was that this rat with a hidden head and tail actually had the strength to kill him," Clay looked at Ricky's dead corpse on the ground, full of hatred: "I didn't even have time to signal the ambush." ”

Tails looked at Yodel with an ugly face.

But all he could see was the dark purple mask.

"You know what, the masked one. ”

Clay's sword trembled slightly, and Tails could see the power of the end build up within him, alongside his rage, "I promise you—you'll pay for it." ”

The Swords of Calamity all pulled out in unison, and the hall was filled with murderous intent in the hall.

Tails suddenly had a big headache.

Yodel looked up slowly.

His faint voice came from under the mask: "I know. ”

"I knew it from the beginning. ”

The next moment, the torch in Yodel's hand was suddenly extinguished and fell to the ground!

The whole person of the mask guard disappeared like morning dew, and disappeared in front of everyone's eyes in an instant!

It's weird.

"He's invisible again!"

The men of the Sword of Calamity were obviously experienced, and they were not confused by the sight before them, only to see Clay roar angrily:

"Don't use your eyes, feel that killing intent with the power of the end!"

At that moment, Tyers' hairs stood on end in the Hell's senses—he felt the dozen or so Calamity Swords in front of him raise their swords in unison, ready for battle.

The power of the end emanated from their bodies, each in a different way, or gathered in one place, or rushed, or ignited the rhythm, or endless—but it was so turbulent, violent, and crazy that even Tails felt inexplicably tingling when he looked at it from afar.

It's very different from ordinary people.

"Take that little one first!"

"No matter what kind of trick it is, if he wants to attack, he must first show his body, and even show his killing intent!" Clay calmly ordered, telling the mercenaries to surround the exit and pay attention to every corner.

"The moment he appeared," Clay said coldly, looking around:

"It's the time of death. ”

Tails' eyelids jumped, and he suddenly felt bad.

"Eighteen," Tails slowly stepped back, counting the enemies in front of him, moved his lips, and whispered into the empty void where no one was:

"There are a few more masters who are no less than Ricky. ”

"Are you okay?"

A characteristic hoarse voice quietly sounded in the air, just like six years ago: "They have numbers, formations, preparations, and they know my existence, if they break through head-on......"

After hearing what the other party meant, Tails felt heavy in his heart.

"I am not Kingdom Fury. Yodel's voice was gloomy.

In front of them, the people of the Sword of Calamity were vigilant and pressed forward step by step.

So the answer is no. ”

Tails was frustrated and frowned, but he could only bite the bullet and figure it out: "Okay, then I'll try to ......"

But Yodel's words continued to come and interrupt him:

"But someone can. ”

Tails was stunned.

Yes?

Can someone?

In the next second, the wind howled!

"Boom!"

A mercenary with a torch staggered back, the torch coming out of his hand and hitting the wall with an incoming stone.

It was as if a gust of wind was blowing, pinching it in the hand of the Sword of Calamity, and the only three remaining beams of fire in the field were blown to the side!

"There!" Clay shouted angrily, his sword light like a thunderbolt!

Tails only had time to see Yodel's figure flash in the air, his blades clashing.

"Bell!"

The masked guardian ghost's figure forced one person back, and then retreated in embarrassment in the midst of the three's attack.

After flashing countless times into the palace, he rolled over, but his back leaned against the stone pillar in the hall, and there was no way back.

"Surround him and kill him!" Clay was merciless in his murderous voice.

But the next moment, Yodel's form disappeared again from the stone pillar.

"Bang!"

A heavy hammer slammed into the stone pillar where the mask guard had disappeared, causing a splash of stone chips.

"!" scolded Josh, who had fallen short.

The Swords of Calamity calmly turned back, set up their formation, and waited for their opportunity again.

And yet a few seconds later—

"Kela ......"

A strange voice came from a faint distance away!

The Swords of Calamity were stunned in unison.

Clay frowned and looked back: "What the hell-"

But then, another Calamity Sword spotted the enemy's trail and shouted:

"There!"

The mercenaries turned their heads in unison, and on the wall behind the hall, they spotted Yodel's figure.

"Kill!"

Josh rushed forward with a burst of swords, and the four blades came out together, forcing Yodel to scramble.

But Clay saw more.

He saw that the masked dark weirdo had put his left hand on the wall and easily opened a ring.

Rings?

Next to the ring, there is an iron plaque engraved with words.

Clay's face changed!

He subconsciously turned his head and saw a familiar emblem on the stone pillar where Yodel had disappeared.

That eye.

Leads to the all-knowing eye.

And I don't know when, the long strip of crystal green key that originally belonged to Ricky has been firmly inserted in the center of the emblem.

No.

This was Clay's first thought.

The next moment, the rough metal friction and the crisp sound of the machine sounded one after another!

"Kala-Kala-Kala!"

Shocked by the swords of calamity, yodel escaped once again, diving into the shadows and knocking a torch away.

"Kera - Kela !"

A loud and piercing sound rang for several seconds, tormenting everyone's ears.

"Boom. ”

Until it disappeared abruptly with a muffled sound.

It was as if the blade of the axe on the guillotine, after experiencing the friction representing death and blood, fell to the low end with a loud bang.

Clay and Josh turned their heads in astonishment, and looked at the back of the hall in the barely lit light of the last torches.

Gone.

Clay stared blankly at the infamous black cell.

Gone.

At some point, in the deep cell behind the hall, there was a mysterious barrage that isolated and tormented the prisoners......

It's gone.

Only a few dozen round holes in the ground remained, telling where they went.

Leaving only a quiet darkness behind it, set off by the faint silence.

"Oops. Clay blurted out subconsciously, not even caring about Yodel's whereabouts.

Looking at the ominous darkness that should have been separated by a mysterious fence, the Swords of Calamity subconsciously retreated and gathered.

They looked at each other, and many people's hearts swelled with inexplicable unease.

A second later, a long, long inhalation sound slowly came from the dead darkness that no one knew:

"Hah-"

The voice is slightly heavier, and the breath is slightly urgent.

It's like a person who hasn't breathed for a long time gets his first breath of air.

Even the dim light of the fire flickered slightly.

At that moment, the mercenaries immersed in the power of the strange end were numb in unison, and their hairs stood on end!

Their finishing power erupted in unison, like restless animals.

How-

"Steady!" Clay gritted his teeth and ordered, "Formation!"

Under the surging force of the end, the mercenaries had to restrain themselves and hold back their uncontrollable anger and inexplicable panic.

Then they all looked at the mysterious darkness.

The sound of exhalation sounded again in the darkness.

Compared to before, this time the breath seemed dull and steady.

"Hoo ......"

It's a bit boring.

There was a rustling sound in the darkness.

Beads of sweat ran down Clay's forehead, and he gripped the hilt of his sword, suppressing the "greedy touch" that was working wildly in his body, alert to the unknown darkness ahead.

What the?

He knew that there weren't many cases where the end power of the Sword of Calamity could be so riotous.

And what exactly is that......

Right now.

"Ah......" A dull, unremarkable male voice spread faintly from the darkness:

"It's really time for me to shave. ”

The accent is pure, and the tone is sad.

In confusion and horror, the Swords of Calamity looked at each other, their breathing accelerating.

Clay's eyelids jumped slightly.

The moment he heard this voice, he suddenly had a delusion:

In the darkness ahead, it was as if some terrible beast had just woken up from a hibernating cave.

Exhale its first breath of laziness and unpleasantness.

Clay tightened his grip on the sword, and he swallowed hard.

"So. ”

The boring male voice sounded again, with a little more life and a little smile:

"You ...... Do you have a razor?"

Burst!

With a muffled sound, the only remaining torch in the field was extinguished, and the light disappeared from sight.

The entire hall, including the eighteen Swords of Calamity, was completely plunged into the deep darkness of dead silence.

Bottomless.

(End of chapter)