Chapter 106: The Failed Bet

Liroque yelled and took a few steps back in an urgent manner to avoid Arracca's offensive move.

Under his command, the dozens of Eckstedt infrantrymen beside Liroque neither formed a formation nor retreated. Instead, they pounced directly at the Fury Guards flanking Arracca. Arracca's expression darkened.

In the midst of the angry roaring and sounds of collisons, Eckstedt's soldiers tenaciously wrapped themselves around the Fury Guards.

Standing at the forefront, Arracca was left alone in an instant with no one shielding and protecting him on either side. Seven or eight of Eckstedt's warriors surrounded him with vicious expressions on their faces.

Thales's expression changed drastically.

'Oh no.'

Arracca relied heavily on the sacrifice and protection of the guards by his sides to maintain his absolute advantage in front to fight the enemies without a worry. Otherwise, maybe after Arracca had killed up to ten people, his speed would decrease and he would be caught up in the impenetrable encirclement once again.

Even a skilled supreme class elite would have died after such a huge consumption of energy.

Also, to face countless enemies, various types of attacks, and many weapons all at the same time on the battlefield... like Aida said, even a supreme class elite could never be entirely unscathed. Just like Arracca's current situation, the gradual accumulation of injuries and the increasing consumption of energy...

Arracca stared at the situation before him as he panted slightly.

"Cover him!" Aida agilely made her way through the three well-coordinated Eckstedt infantries, but it was obvious that she was not used to the rhythm of the battlefield what with the swords coming from all directions, so she could not free herself for a moment.

"Cover Arracca!" she yelled exasperatedly, "Otherwise, they would drag us back into their tight encirclement once again!"

Wya was held back by two enemies. He could not escape swiftly from battle due to him being injured, but it was clear that since Putray did not possess the same skills as they did, he could shake off his enemies calmly and easily to protect Arracca.

Because Arracca's Conical Attack Formation helped him to break through very quickly, the numerous Eckstedt soldiers that fell behind them ran and pursued after them once again.

Ralf widened his eyes and a gust of strong wind hurriedly raged and blocked the first few rows of Eckstedt's soldiers by using the scattering snowflakes as a barrier.

"Those soldiers carrying the Fury Guards' equipment with them are all held back!" Putray was having a lot of trouble dealing with a fierce and violent infantryman's attacks. "And it is obvious that our diplomat group, including you, have never fought in a war before—we are unable to break through!"

"Are there any more people other than the Fury Guards and the diplomat group?" Wya used his sword to fight his enemy, but with very slow efficiency. "As long as we can break away from this encirclement, we can reach to the prince's side!"

A young soldier, and a veteran who held a sword and shield, suddenly turned around amid the fierce battle.

.....

If Arracca had the soldiers of the Fury Guards by his side, he would not have to consider the threats beside and behind him at all. He would only have to face his enemy from the front. But now, he had to face the threats from all around him.

*Clang!*

Liroque aimed and swung his greataxe sturdily onto Arracca's newly-snatched nail hammer! Arracca bellowed like a beast in a low voice. Even Thales could feel the oppressive atmosphere.

Then, the Kingdom's Wrath could be seen with both of his eyes red. The nail hammer that was hooked onto the greataxe suddenly trembled as the power from his body exploded in an instant.

*Clang!*

As the flame and sparks flickered, Liroque clenched his teeth and retreated in a disheveled state.

"Behind—" Thales anxiously yelled.

But before Thales could finish yelling, Arracca had turned his head back in an instant. He struck the sword attack away from his back while he roared furiously, to ensure that Thales would not be hit.

The figure of the Kingdom's Wrath whirled around soon after and avoided the tip of a spear that attacked at the same instant. He had already thrown out the nail hammer in his hand as he was turning back and pierced through the chest of the swordsman behind.

Without others to shield and cover him, Arracca was unable to continue attacking. He limped with slowed footsteps as he retreated. He managed to dodge the blade that was aimed for the vital organs in his left side, but his waist was still cut open and blood bled from the wound.

"Maybe we should retreat and meet with the guards!" Thales yelled in pain due to an earlier injury to his back.

The beastly man did not pay attention to the prince. He turned around and roared in a low voice. With a shoulder slam that exerted a force as strong as a volcano's eruption, he knocked over the blade and shield soldier who could not put away his blade in time with the shield was wedged between them.

*Rip!*

Arracca forcefully seized the opponent's blade and sliced open his throat. The blood splattered all over Arracca's body.

Without any time to rest in between, the Kingdom's Wrath lowered his waist as he swiftly turned around. The broad sword that attacked laterally from behind could only cut into his shoulder slightly.

Arracca immediately aimed a low-angle kick right onto the opponent's knee. The latter grunted and lost his balance after he heard the sound of his bone fracturing. The blade of the Kingdom's Wrath sliced through his neck, and caught his falling sword in a smooth motion.

The wind howled right at this very moment!

*Dang!*

A tremendous noise made Thales' eardrums vibrate with pain.

Arracca was seen raising the blade and the sword over his head while his feet sank into the ground. With an unwavering force, Arracca resisted the greataxe by Liroque that forcefully hacked downwards.

"You have meticulous control, so your energy is always just right and never wasted... is that not so, the Kingdom's Wrath of the supreme class?" Liroque exhaled sinisterly, "Even though we attacked at the same time, you still managed to kill three of us."

A longspear charged towards Arracca's heart. The Kingdom's Wrath used both his hands to fend off the greataxe. With unimaginable skill, he managed to turn his chest around to avoid the sharp tip of the spear and forcefully pinned the attacking longspear between his torso and his left underarm.

Another longspear attacked from nowhere. Arracca unleashed his Power of Eradication in an instant and avoided the spear tip. Then, he stomped on the attacking longspear ferociously with his foot.

Thales felt his skin crawl when he watched Arracca firmly hold and block the two spearmen back. The spearmen were clenching their teeth strenuously and their faces were flushed red from the exertion of trying to kill Arracca.

'This is not good.'

As expected, the enemy did not give him any chance to breathe. Two Eckstedt soldiers, along with their two longswords, attacked Arracca's torso and head.

Arracca spared no effort as he deflected the sword aimed for his chest, then he firmly held on to the other sword to stop it from attacking.

*Whoosh...*

A howling sound came when the greataxe swung down again.

"But this is a battlefield! The battle has never been just one-to-one!" The commander of the enemy laughed sinisterly. He swung his greataxe in a wide arc to attack. "Supreme class elites also have limits!"

The few of Eckstedt's infantrymen howled in anger. They appeared from behind Liroque and surrounded Arracca.

Thales hovered his hand over his dagger in shock as he yelled, "Be careful!"

In the next second, the sound of an axe piercing into flesh and a fear-inducing clanging sound of the weapons rang through the air!

*Splash!*

*Clang!*

Thales felt shivers down his spine and his eardrums were in excruciating pain. 'No...'

The prince panted and, with his widened eyes, he witnessed the blade of the greataxe firmly chop into Arracca's left shoulder. The greataxe broke through the breastplate and cut open Arracca's flesh before it stopped between Arracca's shoulder blades and clavicle.

The greataxe was only an inch away from Thales' shoulder.

Arracca panted heavily while blood flowed out of his wound and soaked through Thales' shoulder.

The sword in the right hand of the Kingdom's Wrath had already disappeared without a trace. With just one hand, he blocked Liroque's greataxe by the hilt. His whole body trembled as he was engaged in a life-and-death battle with the enemy's commander.

But he was not alone.

Before the edge of the axe, a black-haired, brown-eyed young soldier of Constellation knelt on one knee beside Arracca. He clenched his teeth tightly and raised both his hands over his head. He held a pair of even-length pikes in each hand as he used all his strength to withstand the axe blade that had hacked into Arracca's left shoulder.

"Damned bastard!" Liroque's eyes strained with redness while his Power of Eradication burst out. He gradually pressed down on the axe blade in his hands.

At the same time, the two spearmen who wrestled with Arracca had also exerted themselves, hoping to kill the Kingdom's Wrath here. "Don't even think about it..."

Willow Ken's hands trembled as he held the twin pikes with all of his strength to withstand the greataxe above him—under gravity's pressure and Liroque's strength—to ease Arracca's burden.

Arracca was panting hard and he was in excruciating pain while he stared at Willow with a complicated gaze.

Strong wind howled in the air when Ralf's figure glided towards them. Ralf swept past the Eckstedtians' weapons with great effort. He brought along two Constellation soldiers dressed in the apparel of the fortress' soldiers to fight with Liroque's subordinates—who were preparing to enter the battlefield.

A sturdy veteran of Constellation abruptly dashed over. With his shield, he knocked the Eckstedt soldiers who were fighting with Arracca just now onto the ground.

Genard, the veteran from the Starlight Brigade, held down his madly struggling enemy. The both of them held each other's sword hand and competed against each other with their strength and stamina, wanting to bury their swords into each other's vital organs before the other does.

"Is there anyone else?" Thales asked anxiously while he pulled out his dagger with great effort. He hesitated on whether he should cut the rope that fastened him behind Arracca.

"There are only a few of us left. The Fury Guards and your subordinates are all being entangled!" Genard yelled as if his life depended on it while he wrestled with his opponent, "You had better be useful, you twin pike wielding army deserter!"

Willow's face was flushed red and his hands shook continuously as they withstood the greataxe.

"I said this before..."

The Eckstedt infantryman whose longspear was wedged between Arracca's left arm and torso roared as he threw down his longspear. The infantryman pulled out a dirk from his back and charged at Arracca who was caught in a deadlock. Arracca loosened his left arm and held on to Liroque's greataxe with both hands. His eyes were burning with rage.

"I am not an army deserter!" Willow spat out those few words through clenched teeth.

The soldier charged frantically at Arracca and Thales with his dirk in hand. Thales trembled as he cut the rope.

Willow pulled back his right arm that was holding a pike while he withstood Liroque's greataxe with his left hand laboriously. He yelled desperately, "Also... I really know how to use... twin pikes!"

Willow's right hand suddenly lashed out! The Eckstedt soldier, dirk in his hand, stepped away from Willow's single pike.

Thales had a cold feeling in his chest. 'This is bad. He missed the target.'

But Willow's hand suddenly trembled. The spear tip flashed while the pike shaft flew from his hand.

*Rip!*

The Eckstedtian lowered his head in shock and the dirk fell from his hand.

Willow's pike was no longer in his hand. The tip of the spear was already lodged in the soldier's throat.

Thales exhaled a long breath and his mind began to unwind and relax. 'What a close call.'

With all his strength already used up, Willow panted while his left pike trembled and dropped from resisting the greataxe. He then collapsed onto the floor, exhausted.

But Liroque's greataxe did not come down.

Once more, Thales felt newborn power explode from the body of the man carrying him.

Liroque stared at his own greataxe in surprise as the Kingdom's Wrath lifted his axe up inch by inch with his arms.

The beast-like man slowly stood from the ground like a volcano at the point of eruption.

"Did your commanding officer not tell you?" Arracca breathed heavily and he trembled like a beast. A scary strength exploded once again from his arms and pushed the greataxe forward. Liroque stumbled and almost fell to the ground, but his subordinate was there in time to support him from behind.

"If you have a chance to kill me, it is best that you kill me in one strike. If you do not manage kill me... Heh..." Arracca sneered through clenched teeth as his countenance suddenly changed.

Filled up to his eyes with the fluctuations, Thales watched in surprise as the previously stirring ripples and explosions within Arracca's body start to boil vigorously like lava!

Liroque furrowed his brows and stared at the faint red light shining from Arracca's eyes. The muscles on his injured shoulder began to contract and block his wound to stop the bleeding.

'What is that?' He recalled the legend of the Kingdom's Wrath again. 'No... Impossible. He is only human after all, isn't he?'

In the surrounding noise of carnage, Liroque roared angrily. He used all the strength in his body and charged at Arracca with his few most trusted subordinates. Seven or eight weapons thrust out at the same time.

.....

Count Levan asked the military courier before him in surprise as his face was filled with disbelief, "Four minutes? That man charged at the forefront alone... and he used only four minutes to break through our battle formation?" The count grabbed the courier's collar in one swift motion as he angrily yelled, "Impossible! Those are six military units! Almost two thousand and five hundred people! Flanking from all directions!"

"It- it has yet to break through completely." The military courier gasped for breath and it seemed as if he, too, was extremely irreconcilable. He could be heard hatefully saying through clenched teeth, "Soldiers from the other directions are also trying to fill in the gap... We-we can drive him to death by exhaustion..."

He did not continue to speak. For a valiant Northland Soldier like him, saying the phrase "driving him to death by exhaustion" was already close to disgrace.

"Do not be surprised." From the side, Viscount Kentvida walked forward, placed his hand above the count's hand and sighed. "We have been looking forward to meeting the Kingdom's Wrath for a long time. Even the White Blade Guards could not hold back his beast-like frontal attack."

"But... four minutes..." Count Levan had a solemn look on his face. "This is too..."

"Arracca Murkh and his strength was originally part of our plan." A steady voice from behind was heard. Both Kentvida and Levan bowed down. "If he takes the lead in attacking, he can certainly break through even further on with Constellation's prince."

On his warhorse, Archduke Lampard stared at the distant battle and sighed. "If they want to break through to the direction of the fortress, the psychological shock delivered to the fortress will be stronger... Then the chances of success for our plan in luring Sasere will probably become higher. By that time, the fortress' morale would not depend on whether Sasere wants to send her troops out or not.

"What a shame. Whose idea it was that actually made them face north instead of the fortress and attack in the opposite direction—it is unknown." Archduke Lampard shook his head with an abnormally regretful look on his face.

Count Levan resumed his calm state and said with his brows furrowed together, "Does the seven-year-old prince also agree to court death like this?"

"There is no point in overthinking." Lampard steeled his expression and shook his head resolutely. "It is already impossible for us to take back the fortress."

"There is another problem. So long as Murkh brings along his bow, it will be very hard for the infantries to exhaust his physical strength through sheer numbers." Viscount Kentvida furrowed his brows and pondered. "The infantry's encirclement on the north side is not as tight as the south side. There is a large possibility that he might rush out until he stands before us. That would be very awkward. How should we handle Murkh and that prince?"

"If the light infantry cannot surround and stop him..." Count Levan's eyes sparkled and he said in a serious tone, "But he still has a baggage with him, and he cannot enter or leave the battlefield at will! Let the light infantry continue holding the others back and transfer the main force prepared to attack the fortress back here. Regardless of whether it is the Doppelsöldners's attack or the heavy cavaliers' long-distance indiscriminate charge, either one can easily kill them all... including Murkh."

"It is not like we do not have any experience before. Based on the battlefield skills of Kingdom Wrath's, his efficiency in killing light infantry and Doppelsöldners are the same." Viscount Kentvida shook his head. "And even if we succeed, it is very likely for us to kill the Constellation's prince along with him. This is not a good choice... I am afraid we have to come up with another plan."

"Please, let ME go, Your Grace." Behind Lampard, Lord Tolja held a peculiarly shaped saber, and bowed down slightly from his horse. His eyes were glinting with an unlimited desire to fight. "From Murkh's dead body, I will surely seize back the bow that belongs to Eckstedt. If we cannot dispatch our main force... Then I am the only person here who can confront Murkh." Tolja stared at the archduke with his burning gaze. "Let the Rising Sun Saber confront the Motionless Bow."

Lampard caressed the sword at his waist as he thought carefully. After more than ten seconds, Lampard slowly shook his head and declined. "No, I do not wish for any accident to happen to you. Even if Murkh does not bring along that bow, he is still too valiant."

Disappointment flashed across Tolja's eyes.

"After all, he must already be covered all over with cuts and bruises since he has fought for around eight minutes. This will make him even more dangerous." Viscount Kentvida vigilantly continued the archduke's speech.

"We all know the legend of that man. I heard the Tower of Eradication specifically gave his mutated Power of Eradication another name?"

Lampard lifted his head and sighed faintly, "Yes, the Wrath of the Dark Sky—the Power of Eradication that was born for the battlefield."

Tolja clenched the knife tightly in his hand. The archduke was heard saying faintly, "The more he fights, the more injuries he will have. The more injuries he has, the stronger he will become."

.....

When Thales regained his sense, he watched in surprise as Arracca charged at full speed towards the seven or eight people in front of them.

Without any protection by his side, he started his breakthrough once more. Faced with the opponents' blades, Arracca's body suddenly moved in a peculiar motion. The movement seemed to have brought a fluctuation in the air. On his back, Thales suddenly felt dizzy.

A sword sliced through Arracca's breastplate and left a deep wound between his ribs. A hammer-and-chain brushed past his raised right leg and tore away a piece of flesh. Countless sparks burst out when a saber was deflected by the gauntlet on his right hand.

On the other hand, Liroque's greataxe swung past Arracca's head when he suddenly turned his head around and the motion of the axe blew a wind past his ear. A longspear missed and slid over his thigh by a few centimeters. Finally, a knife cut into his unprotected left bicep, but not much blood gushed out.

It seemed as if Arracca only moved slightly, avoiding all attacks to his vital organs during the attack from all the weapons in an instant. But Thales knew that this was definitely not a simple, slight movement.

Arracca appeared as if he did not care how many wounds were added to his body. He only rushed forward and attacked with a feverish look on his face... Until he barged right in between his enemies.

"Kill him!" Liroque retracted his greataxe and commanded in exasperation.

But it was obvious that the somewhat frenetic Eckstedtians could not keep up with Arracca's rhythm anymore.

In the next second, Arracca unleashed a furious roar that could shake the skies. An astonishing heatwave exploded from his right fist and he punched that fist into the face of a swordsman. A clear sound of bone breaking was heard. The Eckstedtian howled frantically.

Arracca laughed heartily when the Power of Eradication erupted violently and exploded from his body. With a zealous power, Arracca used his shoulder to knock into the shield of the hammer-and-chain wielder. The latter let out a miserable shriek as he flew backwards.

The Kingdom's Wrath grabbed the hammer-and-chain released by the opponent in one swift motion. With the hammer-and-chain, he turned around and slammed it into the saber aimed for the back of his head and sent the saber flying into the air. The hammer-and-chain flew around without slowing its momentum, until it slammed into an enemy's skull.

Red and white fluids splattered in all directions. Arracca made another turn and accurately used the chain to lock a knife, then pulling his next enemy to him. He then used the enemy's lower abdomen to block a longsword that had immediately followed afterwards.

The swordsman that accidently killed his own comrade was stunned for a second before Arracca grabbed his clothing and pulled him closer to crush his trachea.

All five Eckstedt soldiers fell at Arracca's feet in an instant. Liroque roared furiously as he swung his axe downwards!

Arracca immediately retreated with an astonishing speed and avoided the axe's arc with precision. Thales was already dizzy from the battle that involved rapid left and right movements, he almost passed out when Arracca retreated.

But then, an astonishing explosion was heard from the body of the Kingdom's Wrath.

That force from the explosion instantly rose up and, like a swallow that suddenly turned around and darts back, that force rushed towards Liroque, who could not pull back his axe in time!

Thales could see stars and his vision blurred. Both of Arracca's hands pressed on the long hilt of the greataxe.

"I like your axe."

Thales vaguely heard the hearty laugh from Kingdom's Wrath, and Liroque's angry howl of despair.

When he raised his head again, he could see Arracca waving Liroque's double-sided axe valiantly, then slammed it into the face of its original owner.

The latter flew off like a kite with a broken string.

With his face covered in blood, Arracca brandished the greataxe and yelled at the comrades behind of him, "Follow me!"

Arracca waved the double-sided axe and barged into the crowd before him like a fierce beast, slaughtering a bloody path through.

Everywhere he went, the blood splattered in all directions and body parts flew in the air. The surrounding Eckstedtians began to become chaotic after witnessing their commander's death and the ferocious anger of the Kingdom's Wrath.

But in the next second, the body of the Kingdom's Wrath suddenly swayed!

He planted his axe on the ground and glared at the Eckstedtians before him while he panted. The Eckstedtians still stood in their orderly rows with hesitation on their faces.

Thales was quite shocked. "Hey... Baron Murkh, are you still strong enough to hold on?"

"This is only an attack at a formation of light infantry," Arracca panted laboriously and replied with dissatisfaction, "I have to go so far as to use this toy. If only I was ten years... no, five years younger..."

Thales was momentarily stunned.

Right at this very moment, a cold metallic sensation... one so cold he had never felt it before, went through his senses.

It was the bow. The bow Arracca carried on his back!

Following Arracca's words, the great, silver-black bow pressed against Thales' skin suddenly began to vibrate. The boy quivered.

In that instant, Thales suddenly felt a burning sensation erupt from within his body—just like the greatbow that suddenly had a faint electric current passing through it. As if it was repelling his touch.

In the next instant, the exhausted Arracca took a deep breath and his entire frame started to shake.

Eckstedt's infantrymen stared at the Kingdom's Wrath in disbelief when he slowly stood up and waved the greataxe with ease, as if his energy was once again replenished.

"Let them reminisce the good old days." Arracca revealed a scary smile as he stared at his enemies, who wore complicated emotions on their faces.

That uncomfortable feeling that was like an electric shock slowly disappeared from Thales' body. Thales endured the uncomfortable feeling caused by the greatbow and asked, "What is this?"

Arracca exercised his neck and, once more, revealed his murderous spirit to the enemy.

"This is the most unbelievable weapon in the entire world," he grinned as he said, "Each weapon will bestow its user their corresponding powers."

Thales was surprised, then he scrutinized that silver-black, metallic greatbow again.

"The legendary anti-mystic equipment?" He suddenly realized that this bow did not have a bowstring.

"Right." The Kingdom's Wrath nodded. "Motionless Bow."

"Then... what is its ability?" Thales asked in puzzlement, even though he already had the answer in his head while watching Arracca's physical strength return to him like a phoenix rising from ashes.

He only heard Arracca snorting. "Perpetual motion."

Thales was slightly stunned. After he understood the meaning of this word, his expression changed drastically.

'Perpetual motion? If it is the literal meaning... That is too ridiculous!'

Memories from the past suddenly emerged in his mind...

"Archers always die? Hey, what does that mean?"

"Oh, oh, oh! Master Qiren—who only has the heart to study the Four Books and Five Classics [1]—is going to join the world of anime, too?! Come here, I have an amazing piece that I want to introduce to you because of what you said just now... It is a story about the love-hate relationship between a Master and his Servant [2]..."

"Eh, I'm just a little curious after reading this post... Hey- you- don't snatch my mouse from me!"

Thales shook his head and forcefully suppressed the flickering memories, as well as the nausea caused by the smell of blood on the battlefield, back inside himself.

Genard finished off his opponent and pulled up the exhausted Willow. Each of them stood on either side of Arracca. Ralf followed behind them with a complicated expression on his face.

Liroque's death brought chaos to this large Eckstedtian troop. The Fury Guards also finally broke from the infantry's entanglement.

"Hey, the brat with the twin pikes." Arracca suddenly turned his head around and looked at Willow.

Willow shuddered suddenly. Three days ago, this man wanted to send him up to the scaffold.

"It seems that you truly are not an army deserter." Arracca snorted lightly.

Willow's face became joyful.

"But your skills in dual-wielding pikes are rubbish."

Willow's expression froze.

"Do not mind it." Thales gave him a smile from behind Arracca. "This is his way of saying 'thank you'."

Arracca snorted coolly as he swung the greataxe and walked forward with large, quick strides.

"Next time you should switch to a long pike and a short one." the Kingdom's Wrath voice came from the front. "Even-length pikes... are much too foolish."

Willow was stunned, but a smile immediately spread across his face. He followed them immediately.

Already, the Eckstedtians before them were not as dense as before.

Lampard's military camp was just a small distance away.

.....

A member of the Fury Guards howled in anger as he stabbed his sword into the body of a soldier of Eckstedt who was beside Arracca. At the same time, he pulled an axe out from his lower abdomen. He panted twice before he glanced at Arracca powerlessly, then fell to the ground.

Arracca trembled slightly, but he still broke through the last line of enemies without looking back.

The surviving Fury Guards and members of the diplomat group finally made their way out of the siege.

It was as if the light infantrymen behind them had received some command and did not pursue them anymore once they managed to break through the encirclement.

They could already see the thick mass of the Lampard Family's army before their eyes. Thales had hardly recovered from his shock when he raised his head.

Arracca threw Liroque's axe from his hand, and ripped the rope that was fastened around Thales when he asked quietly, "Are you sure that this is our chance?"

"We must make a bet." Thales landed on the ground and felt the change in his balance. He retched for a moment. "Bet that Lampard does not dare to kill me. The stake is my life."

However, he was immediately lifted up by Arracca and placed back on Arracca's back. Arracca then continued to move forward.

Putray's body was covered entirely in blood when he hurried to them from behind. He rushed as he said exhaustedly, "At least Lady Sasere does not have to hesitate between you and the fortress anymore, Your Highness."

Thales grasped Arracca's shoulders and nodded. He turned his head around and suddenly saw Ramon, who was still in the troop.

"He is still alive?" Thales furrowed his brows.

"Yes, even though I saw him in grave danger a few times. But each time, his luck had been pretty good," Putray said with an apologetic expression on his face.

Thales exhaled and stared at Ramon, whose face showed that he still had lingering fear from earlier.

'I knew it.'

Putray continued. "But the Fury Guards have had substantial damage, and almost half of the diplomat group's veterans were sacrificed..."

Thales' face darkened. He suddenly felt Arracca's body tremble while carrying him.

"You had better be right, young prince," Arracca's tone was shaky as he spoke in a low and deep voice, "Because of you alone..."

He turned his head around with an ill expression on his face and looked at the scarred soldiers and the numerous corpses behind them.

Thales also turned his head around and stared at the path Arracca had broken through. From there to here, there was an almost straight line of the dead bodies of the Fury Guards.

Three days ago, they held their sword hilts with serious expressions on their faces in a tense confrontation with Sonia and her Starlight Brigade at the fortress.

Three days later, they will never return.

"You want me to prove to you that I am the most valiant warrior of Constellation?" Arracca said in a low voice. Thales was stupefied.

Arracca furrowed his brows and his breathing sped up. "This is the proof... I was never the Kingdom's Wrath, there was only the Fury Guards and their sacrifices."

Arracca turned his head around and continued to carry the stunned Thales onwards. The Iron Fist Flag was just a short distance away from them.

"Dunn, Losa, Gillian, Perland!" Arracca shouted one name after another through clenched teeth. "Without them, I would have already died ten thousand times.

"They... since the past, the present, and the future, all the members of the guards who gave up their lives... THEY are the true Kingdom's Wrath."

Thales lowered his head with a complicated expression. Right at this very moment—

"Wait!" Arracca suddenly yelled!

Thales was startled and immediately raised his head.

From one side of Eckstedt's military camp, a troop of soldiers—with very few members but were armed heavily—were seen walking out in an orderly manner ahead of them. Everyone also raised their heads to look in front.

The survivors from Constellation suddenly burst into an uproar; almost everyone was shocked.

"Damn it!" Aida punched her fist at Putray and said angrily, "What exactly did you do?"

"Do what? No." Putray stared at the troop in bewilderment. "Everything that happened today is not right! It should not be like this!"

Ramon screamed and threw himself onto the ground. "I knew it! To follow this prince... is simply..."

Wya was terror-stricken and rushed towards Thales. "Your Highness, please seek cover immediately!"

Ralf was nervous and seemingly out of his wits. He kept shaking his head.

In the crowd, Willow poked Genard beside him with a strange expression on his face. "What is that?"

"What is that?!" Genard also furrowed his brows while he harshly replied, "The ferrymen of Hell's River!"

Willow shook his head with a dumbfounded look on his face.

On the other hand, Thales looked at everyone with a confused expression on his face, 'What is going on? That troop of sparse soldiers...'

"Arched light shield!" Arracca placed Thales down and roared frantically, "Form a formation immediately! Adjust the angle of deviation!"

Every soldier of Constellation began moving frantically. The Fury Guards and the fortress' veterans rapidly took the shields from their backs, especially the shields that glinted with a metallic sheen.

The soldiers arranged themselves into a battle array with different layers, they then raised their shields in front of themselves.

Even though it was tradition to use the infantry battle formation that Constellation had inherited from the empire, it was different from the usual array. This time, the battle formation was particularly concentrated. There was only one row where the soldiers were either squatting or standing. They stuck tightly together while facing the direction of the small, peculiar troop of Eckstedt soldiers.

While he watched the situation, Thales asked aloud because he was unaware, "What is happening? Who exactly... are those soldiers?"

Everyone suddenly fell silent.

Arracca broke the silence and asked through clenched teeth, "You said you bet that Lampard does not dare to kill you?"

Thales looked at Arracca's complexion in bewilderment.

"It seems that this is a failed gamble." Arracca wore an angry expression on his face as he pointed at the troop of soldiers in the distance. "Do you see the ones coming to greet us?"

Thales narrowed his eyes. He suddenly realized that the soldiers were holding peculiar but heavy long strips in their hands. They placed one hand on the front and another on the back as they aimed one end of the long strip at them.

'This position...' His heart suddenly trembled!

He could hear Arracca's low roar as the man forcefully suppressed his anger.

"That is... the Mystic Gun unit."

Translator's Note:

1. Four Books and Five Classics: The authoritative books of Confucianism in China. For more information, please go to this link: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Four_Books_and_Five_Classics

2. Master and Servants: From the Fate/Stay series, all of them.