245 Severing Souls with a Slash!

The instant he heard Count Levan shout the order, Thales subconsciously shook for a moment.

'No.

'We've already arrived…'

A chill ran up the prince's spine, surged to the top of his head, and spread across his whole body.

*Shing!*

It was the sound of weapons being unsheathed. They came from all around them, jumbled up and chaotic. It could have made a person's heart to freeze.

Thales felt like he was about to stop breathing. His eyes slowly widened too.

'No.'

He did not even need to call forth the Sin of Hell's River. It just rose in his body and surged into his mind.

'Calm down.'

Thales said to himself.

From the confusing shouts from both parties to the tense yet swift draws of the warriors' swords, Thales watched as everything before his eyes slowed down at once.

It was as if the clamorous scene was dunked into the water of a lake. Majority of the sounds were eliminated in a split second.

Thales clenched his jaw tightly. With the sensation of time slowing down, he gradually turned his head around.

In his field of vision, Count Levan slowly waved his left hand with a ferocious expression. He was shouting something.

Next to Count Levan, the shocked expression on Shiles' face was laced with a trace of subtle emotion as he slowly twisted his head. The complex gaze he cast on Thales was hard to decipher.

Severity and pain were hidden beneath Vlad's gloomy expression. He stared at Miranda amid the chaos, then took gradual steps as he retreated into the ranks of his own people.

On the ground, two small troops of Black Sand Region soldiers stood with resolute and ferocious countenance. With weapons in their hands, they stepped on the accumulated snow, pressing forward step by step.

'We've been exposed.

'It's just the gatehouse and we're already exposed. We haven't even touched the entrance of Heroic Spirit Palace.

'Lampard… We haven't even seen the shadow of the team of personal guards by his side, much less the four archdukes.'

Thales gasped for breath absentmindedly.

Behind him, with a sword in hand, Kohen spoke anxiously to Miranda, who still had disbelief written on her face.

Raphael's expression had never been so solemn and grave. The youngster of the Secret Intelligence Department resolutely drew out the sword by his waist.

The dozen or so White Blade Guards emitted an orderly yet stunning bellow and brandished each of their own weapons. Absolutely undeterred, they resisted the first defense line.

'What do I do?'

Thales almost crushed his teeth into bits while he trembled.

He was taken by surprise when he was ambushed by the vampires in Mindis Hall. He had been struck by panic when he was accidentally dragged into an assassination in front of Renaissance Palace. He was suddenly ambushed by the Night Queen and her Sacred Blood Army in the birch tree forest. He was also filled with anxiety and terror when he was surrounded outside Broken Dragon Fortress.

Desperate, Thales recalled these battles, which occurred abruptly, and how he escaped from them every single time.

'Useless.

'Every method has been used...

'Compared to the circumstances right now…'

His sense of time had been lengthened considerably while he thought of these things. Thales anxiously watched the two paths leading to the wide flight of stairs, which headed to the top of the gatehouse. The Black Sand Region soldiers who were prepared to return to their posts spun around uniformly and came down. With slow and powerful steps, they charged towards the small group of twenty individuals. Their large group contained a number so great that it was uncountable.

It chilled the heart.

At this moment...

*Preett—*

A swift, ear-piercing and panic-inducing whistle suddenly rang from above their heads in the distance!

Thales trembled slightly.

The urgent whistle, which sounded like an alarm broke through Thales' train of thoughts while his perception of time was slowed down. Everything before his eyes resumed its regular flow of time.

*Preett—*

The whistle directly penetrated everyone's ears.

Whether it was those from Black Sand Region, or those from Constellation and the White Blade Guards, everyone who heard the whistle had a sudden change of expression!

Count Levan, Nicholas, Vlad and Mirk all raised their heads in unison. They looked at the gatehouse above their heads, and the movement of their hands involuntarily waned.

That scene at the moment was similar to a sudden thunderclap causing everyone to wake up from their dreams.

*Preett—*

The whistling continued, spreading far into the distance.

Astonished, Thales also raised his head towards the top of the gatehouse along with everyone else.

'What's going on?'

But he did not have to wonder anymore.

Once the whistling paused, the loud and clear voice of a man came from the sky. It broke through the clamorous crowd and exploded in the archway.

"Emergency!"

"Enemies—their patrols are assembling!" His voice contained an anxiety and agitation that he could barely suppress. He had practically screamed himself hoarse, but he still continued to shout desperately.

"They want to invade the city!"

This piece of information came out of nowhere. In that instant, Count Levan's face turned incomparably pale as Vlad's gloomy expression froze.

Thales was also shocked by this news.

'This is…'

"Everyone!" the bellowing voice rang again above their heads.

"Return to your positions!"

Once he finished speaking, the sound of hundreds of people moving simultaneously in the gatehouse above them rose into the air. Everything sounded chaotic and shocking.

The soldiers of Black Sand Region on the stairs and ground were instantly bewildered.

But in just a mere fraction of a second, as a commander, the experienced Count Levan gritted his teeth and turned to Thales as well as the others. He roared in anger.

"First, get these people—"

But before he could finish shouting the entire sentence...

*Bang!*

An astonishing and terrifyingly heavy, blunt sound rang in the air!

It attracted everyone's attention.

Thales instinctively turned his head and looked at the source of the sound.

It was the Star Killer.

Right before Thales' eyes, Nicholas resolutely hacked into the shield of an enemy, who was blocking the archway with an unprecedented fierceness on his face.

Without a single pause, the Star Killer roared, and with a twist of his hip, he kicked with his left leg!

*Boom!*

It was yet another terrifying, blunt sound.

His enemy flew two meters away, coughing up blood.

"Break the siege!" the Star Killer shouted at full volume.

Nicholas was like a continuously-burning, human-shaped weapon. With the Severing Souls Blade in hand, he struck once again at his next opponent.

The Star Killer bellowed as the Severing Souls Blade drew a line of blood on his enemy's abdomen. With a face full of blood, he yelled, "Leave your horses, guard the rear, charge inwards!"

At the next second, almost all the White Blade Guards began to move immediately.

Approximately a dozen ferocious Northlandic men roared as they dashed in the direction of Heroic Spirit Palace. They formed a line with Nicholas, and charged towards their enemies—who had either reacted instinctively to the situation, or had long since been prepared for this—while they brandished their weapons!

"Bastard!"

*Clang!*

Blood and the reflection of light from the metal appeared in the air. The temperature from blood and the clashes of metal came into existence at the same time.

The White Blade Guards charged forward regardless of the cost, and the moment they appeared, they cut down quite a number of men.

Only then did the soldiers of Black Sand Region react to the situation.

The soldiers on the steps quickened their pace as they descended. The two squads on the ground also shouted and rushed to the group, who was trying to break out of the encirclement. There was zealousness, and rage in their roars.

"Charge!

"Kill them all!"

Thales had only just begun to understand what was going on when Kohen, with a fierce look on his face, wrapped his arm around Thales' waist and picked him up from behind!

'What the—'

In that instant, Thales only managed to catch a glimpse of the indescribably stunned Marquis Shiles among the crowd, as well as his instinctive steps of retreat.

The young police officer was like an antelope on its highest guard. His figure straightened as he dashed off in an instant!

He clenched his teeth, and veins popped up on his neck. With his left arm around Thales, he followed Nicholas and rushed out of the archway.

'This feeling'—a fire seemed to be burning in Kohen's heart—'it's like we're back at Blade Fangs Camp, the Western front line and the nightmarish desert battlefield.

'Break through the siege, or get killed.'

Kohen roared as he unsheathed his sword.

*Clang!*

He struck his first enemy on the chest, only to realize that the other party was clad in chain armor. His attack bore limited effect.

The violent Kohen did not care. He took advantage of the superiority of his figure, clenched his teeth, and applied force in his footsteps. He struck with his right shoulder!

At the next second, the police officer's entire body slammed into the other party, knocking him over.

Thales was being held in his left arm. All he could see were the images before him jumping all over the place. The ground in his field of vision was moving backwards endlessly. His brain was in chaos, and he was seeing stars.

Even his thoughts were interrupted.

A single-edged sword reached from the side, slicing an enemy's throat open. Wya's figure then emerged next to Kohen.

Wya and Ralf had just arrived by their sides. Raphael and a tensed Miranda caught up soon after.

"Charge!" Raphael's complexion was grim. His message was simple and also firm.

Kohen did not say anything. He just held Thales tighter and charged forward again!

Everyone on their side began to move. They followed the footsteps of the White Blade Guards in an attempt to rush through the archway and dash into Heroic Spirit Palace!

Fortunately, a majority of the Black Sand Region soldiers were on the steps. Only two small groups were left on the ground. For a moment, the thin defense line could not resist the intrepid assault headed by the White Blade Guards.

"Harlson, Jason, hold them back!" Count Levan shouted.

Count Levan watched the soldiers who were still rushing down from the steps, and a flustered as well as exasperated cry rose seemingly out of nowhere from him, "Get your a**es moving, you bastards!

"Surround them!"

On Thales' side, Mirk had a fierce look as he drew his blade. With a slash, he cut off the rope on the carriage, which Thales had previously been riding, and stabbed the horse's butt!

While it whined in pain, the pitiful Northlandic horse charged towards Count Levan as though it had gone mad. The soldiers protected the commander in a flurry amid Count Levan's harrowing and angry howls. This chaotic event affected quite a number of soldiers from Black Sand Region and prevented the soldiers who had just run down the stairs to join the fight.

Another White Blade Guard swung a horse whip without a care for the horse's remaining power, driving the other carriage out of the archway. He chased after Nicholas' shadow.

"Archers, fire at the path ahead of them!"

Vlad's voice rang in the thick of the chaos. It seemed like the disciplinary officer still maintained a fair degree of calmness. "Aim for the prince, stop them!"

Thales was shocked. He raised his head on Kohen's arm and saw a small number of archers drawing their bowstrings as well as anchoring their crossbows. They were aimed in the direction of where they were breaking out of their siege.

'What?'

He felt a chill in his heart.

"The carriage!" Putray's voice rang anxiously from behind.

Once he finished speaking, another carriage drove by Kohen's side and knocked over a Black Sand Region axemen blocking the road.

In the next moment, Kohen let out an angry yell. Thales felt his eyes blur. His body leaped into the air as he was tossed by the police officer!

*Bang!*

Thales was thrown through the vehicle's window. He fell into the coach and rolled a good few rounds until he hit the wall.

When he eventually climbed up in a daze, the first thing he saw was Little Rascal, whose face was full of bewilderment and terror.

"What's going on outside?" The girl's dark green eyes were wide as she helped him up.

The panting Thales had no time to reply as the traveling carriage took an immediate sharp turn!

Both of them stumbled, simultaneously crying out in fear as they were caught unprepared, and fell in the vehicle.

The rustling sound of arrows was heard.

*Thud! Thud!*

Arrows successively struck the coach.

Thales raised his head just then and felt his skin crawl.

An arrow had pierced through the thin coach, revealing a sinister arrowhead several feet from their heads.

"Beautiful driving skills!" Amid the chaos outside the vehicle, Putray still somehow found the energy to praise the White Blade Guard's driving skills.

"Restring your bows!" Vlad's calm voice rang once again, overlapping Count Levan's howling.

"The others, march forth from the side where there are no enemies! Catch up first, form a defense line and block them!"

Thales was hugging Little Rascal. He laid on his stomach on the floor without attempting to do anything else. He did not dare get up.

"Did something go wrong?" Little Rascal asked in fear. "Where are we going now?"

"Heroic Spirit Palace." Thales gritted his teeth as he felt the pain on his thigh. "If I'm not mistaken."

Outside the coach, a White Blade Guard knocked over an enemy. However, the back of his leg was immediately pierced through by a soldier behind him. He was howling in anger as he fell from the countless blades behind him.

But the rest of the White Blade Guards had charged out of the thin encirclement. Only eight of them were left protecting the carriage as they charged towards the ten pillars in the corridor of Heroic Spirit Palace.

They were brought from the fortress, and now, four veterans among those from Constellation had fallen.

At the same time, Nicholas was already at the back instead of his initial position in the front as a vanguard.

Rays of fury flashed in the Star Killer's eyes. The Power of Eradication surged in his body.

He was seen abruptly stopping during his sprint. A back elbow attack followed immediately after!

It slammed right into the face of an unprepared pursuer.

*Thud!*

A terrifying dull sound rose, followed by the sound of bones cracking.

The pursuer fell like a whirling rudder. Upon impact, he was knocked over in a flash with his waist acting as the axis. From standing and running, he fell into a position where he had the back of his head crash against the ground. He spat out a mouthful of teeth, and finally stopped moving altogether.

"F*ck! And we thought of deceiving our way through the gatehouse?

"I knew it," Nicholas roared and cursed. He delivered a strike with his blade, and it grazed the shield that his second enemy used to block his attack before drawing blood from his enemy's neck. "The Northlanders' method is still more effective!"

While in battle, he turned his head around and watched his comrades follow the carriage. They had already gone through the archway. He was the only person left behind.

The Star Killer saw more and more Black Sand Region soldiers come down into the archway from the steps. They formed lines of pursuit, and went forth to chase after the carriages.

Nicholas frowned.

Someone suddenly grabbed his arm.

"Why are you still daydreaming?!" Putray had a firm grip on the Star Killer's arm. He looked unhappy. "Are you actually thinking of acting as a rearguard alone?"

Nicholas shook off Putray's hand, not accepting Putray's act of kindness to him. He then turned around and ran.

"Keep running!" the Star Killer said discontentedly. "Make sure they are ten meters away from you!"

Nicholas followed Putray. They were the final two people of the team, and they ran forward a little before Putray shouted back anxiously.

"Widen the distance between us? What happens next? They will catch up eventually. We're too heavily outnumbered!"

"Less nonsense, more running!" Nicholas' complexion was ferocious as he angrily yelled, "I'll cover you!"

The running Putray was momentarily stunned.

Nicholas pressed his palm on the small of Putray's back and pushed him one step forward.

At the next second, Nicholas spun on his foot. With his right leg as an axis and the left anchored to the ground, he turned around in an instant to face the aggressive pursuers behind him.

"Watch carefully." The Star Killer gnashed his teeth while he said, "This is how Northlanders solve our problems!"

Putray frowned. However, he only hesitated for a fraction of a second before he resolutely continued to sprint forward.

Nicholas watched the gradually approaching pursuers and let out a deep breath—right in front, two of the pursuers were only five meters away from him.

From up above, the Black Sand Region pursuers were like an endless swarm of ants. They formed lines on the horizon and pressed towards the lonely small dot that was Nicholas.

Behind this small dot was a carriage.

'Damn it.

'These sloppy citizens of the Empire.

'Serves you right to be unlucky,' he silently cursed.

"Archers!"

Vlad's orders rang again amid the pursuers, "Fire the second round!"

The sound of bowstrings being drawn rang from the crowd.

The Black Sand Region pursuers grew ever nearer. Nicholas could even clearly see the pores on their faces at this point.

But the Star Killer still did not move a single step back.

Alone, he faced these people. He took a deep breath and gritted his teeth.

He did not intend to turn back.

The next second, this man with his resolute expression and fierce eyes gently raised the Severing Souls Blade in his hands.

The Star Killer's hand stroked the edge of the blade.

*Clink!*

The sharp sound of clashing metal was heard.

Without suffering from any form of obstruction, Nicholas broke off a piece of the blade from his weapon. He then flung it forward indifferently.

Nicholas heaved a sigh and muttered, "The border ends here."

With a chilling gaze, he watched his pursuers draw closer. A sneer appeared on his pale face.

The charging carriage finally gained a stable speed.

Having just recovered from his shock, Thales got up in the carriage, stood on a seat and pushed the window open.

Little Rascal huddled up to his side. In a panic, the two small heads watched what was transpiring behind the carriage.

Nicholas stood behind them all, serving as a wall before the hundreds of pursuers.

Only the sight of his back could be seen.

The sounds of bowstrings being released rose from the enemy camp.

Arrows darted straight towards Nicholas, leaving their ghostly shadows in the air.

Thales widened his eyes as panic struck his heart for a moment.

Yet, the Star Killer just lightly brandished his blade in the air with a feeling of indifference.

In the next second, a dazzling yellow ray suddenly shone from Nicholas' blade!

The light was incredibly eye-catching even though the sun was still out.

*Clank! Clank!*

The crisp sound of clashing metal rang.

Thales widened his eyes. Right before his line of sight, dozens of arrows froze high in the air before Nicholas.

It was as if they were all being blocked by an invisible hand.

A bizarre, yellow ray radiated from the point of the arrowheads. It was identical to that of the Severing Souls Blade.

A few seconds later, the arrows fell in succession.

Thales' mouth hung wide open.

But the arrow situation was not the only strange thing that happened.

The rows of Black Sand Region soldiers roared viciously and surged forth at Nicholas like black waves.

They charged until they got into the area three meters away from Nicholas.

At the next second, yellow rays suddenly flashed in the air.

The first row of Black Sand soldiers all stopped at once!

It was as if they had knocked into a transparent wall and crashed 'face-first' into the air in a very pathetic manner!

*Bang!*

The second row of soldiers knocked into the first row as yellow rays flashed in the air again.

But the Black Sand Region soldiers remained suspended, staring at each other in astonishment.

The invisible protective screen was still in effect.

The third row, forth row… More and more soldiers knocked into the row in front of them.

The sounds of cursing, rebukes and groaning rang non-stop.

Some soldiers held weapons, ruthlessly stabbing the air; some cooperated and used their shields to slam against the air; there were even some archers who drew their bowstrings to the limit and shot arrows.

But apart from the yellow ray shining brightly over and over again, their attacks practically had no effect.

Some soldiers also tried to bypass the mysterious barrier from the side. However, even when they had their backs against the palace walls, they realized in astonishment that the strange protective screen still existed.

They remained firmly locked in the area before Nicholas—just three meters away from him, and unable to move an inch forward.

They looked on helplessly as the carriage went farther and farther away.

The Star Killer coldly observed all of it and snorted lightly.

Count Levan and Vlad's figures appeared among the crowd. They were both astonished by the sight of the mysterious barrier before them.

"What's going on?" Vlad furrowed his brows, surprised and bewildered.

Count Levan even reached out to touch the barrier.

The next moment, Count Levan looked at the blade in Nicholas' hand. He recalled something and his complexion paled. "This is..."

While wielding the Severing Souls Blade, Nicholas sneered and stuck his thumb out at them. Then, he slowly flipped his hand down with his thumb pointed to the ground.

Thales' carriage had already stopped without anyone noticing.

Apart from the indifferent-looking White Blade Guards, almost everyone from Kohen, Miranda, Putray to Raphael watched the sight behind them in surprise.

"It can't be." Putray was extremely surprised. He was dumbstruck. "Could it be that…"

Just like that, they stared at Nicholas in surprise, shock and confusion.

They stared at him as he, all by himself, blocked off the countless Black Sand Region soldiers behind him.

"That is…" Thales watched Nicholas' impressive feat of single-handedly turning the tables. He widened his eyes. "What is that?"

'Is it Asda's air wall?'

Little Rascal answered him.

"The Severing Souls Blade," Little Rascal lay flat next to him and muttered. Her face was full of astonishment. "So the legends are true…"

Thales was stunned.

'Legends?'

Little Rascal turned her head around, the hues of excitement on her face could not be concealed. "Three hundred years ago, with a force no one could stand against, the Night Wing King conquered Dragon Clouds City in one go. However, he encountered Army Destroyer Moust, who defended the city before Heroic Spirit Palace and the first gatehouse. The latter was supposed to have exhausted all troops and food. He was supposed to have no power to reverse the perilous situation. Yet, he miraculously ensured that the palace gate and gatehouse were not lost, protecting the final Walton bloodline!"

Little Rascal took a deep breath. "So, the Army Destroyer defended the city with just one blade. The legends of him solely fighting back against ten thousand soldiers… is real!"

Thales felt his heart tremble.

He raised one of his brows. "Defended the city with just one… what?"

Little Rascal looked at Nicholas' back. Gradually, her expression turned from one of entrancement to one of reminiscence. She then exclaimed in admiration, "Legend has it that in the most dangerous moment, the Army Destroyer awakened the legendary anti-mystic equipment—the Severing Souls Blade, a weapon used for war strategies!"

Thales was stunned for a moment. "War strategies?"

"Severing Souls." Little Rascal nodded excitedly. In that moment, terror was nowhere to be found on her face, as if she had found the most beautiful dessert. "It can lock down everything in accordance to its user's intent!"

Thales blinked.

'Lock down everything?'

Little Rascal's excited words continued, "It is said that as long as the Severing Souls Blade and its user can form a powerful resonance…

"As long as the user of the Severing Souls Blade doesn't hesitate at the price he has to pay and acts regardless of the cost…

"As long as he is resilient enough, his willpower is firm enough, and his powers are strong enough…

"As long as these things can be done…"

The girl turned around. She was so worked up that her eyes lit up. "Then even if it's the long and endless border between Eckstedt and Constellation, the Severing Souls Blade will still be able to seal off the whole thing without missing an inch!

"Not a drop of water and a feather can go through it!"

One second.

Two seconds.

Three seconds.

In surprise, Thales hung his mouth wide open. His gaze transitioned back and forth between Little Rascal's small face and Nicholas' back.

'What?

'Lock down… the border between Eckstedt and Constellation?'

While Thales was dumbstruck, Little Rascal lowered her head.

"So that's it, that's how it is…"

She took a deep breath and softly recited a few ancient Northlandic poems.

"The Night King spreads his wings, the dead knocks on the door.

The Wrath King has died, the Dragon's vein runs cold.

Hope completely broken, hot blood non-existent."

After reciting the tragic verse, the girl looked at the pursuers who were blocked off in front of Nicholas. She recited the final line absent-mindedly.

"The Army Destroyer… severs souls with a slash!"