358 The Three-Second Figh

"In all these years…"

"Monty, this is the first time you're not bickering with me," Nicholas replied calmly to the Raven of Death's extremely cold words. It was as if he had lost all his emotions a moment ago.

"You're not even going to bother explaining yourself?"

However, he was only met with the soft sound of wind blowing through the cracks between the rocks.

Then...

*Swish!*

When he heard the sudden sound of a crossbow, Thales held his breath.

Nicholas moved rapidly. He turned sideways in a disheveled fashion and dodged the fatal arrow, which swooped through the air!

*Thud!*

There was a loud sound. A short arrow landed on the ground not far away from the Star Killer's shoulder. The shaft of the arrow was still vibrating.

"You dodged the shot beautifully."

Monty's voice rose again from behind the rocks. 

Nicholas, who was lying sideways on the ground, panted intensely. Even though he tried his best to evade the shot, the light armor on his left shoulder was still grazed by the arrow, leaving behind an ugly tear.

"But how many more times can you roll around with that arrow in your body?"

The Star Killer furrowed his eyebrows slightly and turned to glance at the arrow shaft sticking out of the right side of his back. He then endured the pain and looked at the wound on his chest. A small part of the arrowhead could be seen, and there was a lot of blood.

It was obvious that his act of dodging Monty's shot had worsened his injury.

"Why?"

"What benefits did the Constellatiates promise you? Nicholas said hoarsely.

"Monty!"

But before Nicholas could finish interrogating, his expression changed abruptly. He propped himself up with his left hand and dodged another shot!

*Flick!*

The crossbow string made a sound again, and a sharp arrow swooped through the sky.

*Clang!*

Another arrow was stuck into the ground beside Nicholas' thigh, producing a frightening, dull sound.

The armor on the Star Killer's thigh was torn, and splotches of blood could be seen on his clothes.

Next to the stream, the heavily-injured, pale man lay face-down on the ground in the small clearing surrounded by rocks. He panted in the face of his frightening and powerful opponent who was hidden from his sight.

"Do you hear it? The sound of your flesh and blood continuously being torn open by barbs?" the Raven of Death's voice rose. It was filled with cruelty and malice to continuously attack Nicholas' mental state.

But this time, Nicholas said nothing else, even though he still suffered greatly.

On the contrary, his sweat-drenched face spoke of deep concentration.

The Star Killer endured the pain in his chest and firmly extended his left hand to grab the golden, black-hilted saber.

Thales furrowed his eyebrows.

"It's a pity that the Rising Sun Saber's power can't ward off arrows…"

Monty's cold sneers drifted over from the cracks between the rocks. They rode on the drifting sounds of the wind, appearing to be near at times, and far at others. "Are you thinking about how nice it would be if you still had the Severing Souls Blade…"

But the Raven of Death suddenly stopped talking.

Nicholas calmly rose to a kneeling position. He moved his left hand past the back of his head and pushed the Rising Sun Saber towards his back.

Thales' gaze froze, and he was shocked.

'Is he…'

The Star Killer's blade grazed the arrow shaft, which was exposed outside his back armor. It produced a few sparks.

*Sizzle…*

The arrow shaft that was instantly cut into two fell limp on the ground while strange sizzling sounds echoed in the air. One of the sides was slightly red and smouldering a little.

Nicholas coughed. "You know, it's true that this saber, which looks like it's on fire, cannot be used to ward off arrows…"

He moved the blade to his chest near his wound.

The frightening sizzling sounds appeared again.

Nicholas grunted laboriously. The blade and his right hand moved away from the wound on his chest at the same time.

Thales widened his eyes.

Without the slightest bit of hesitation, the man pulled a small but hideous barbed arrowhead out of his chest together with the snapped shaft.

The Star Killer's forehead was drenched in sweat, but apart from that, he did not even frown. It was as if he just cut open somebody else's wound. "Nonetheless, it's still very useful when it comes to cleaning wounds and taking out arrows. I can even stop my bleeding while I'm at it…"

The moment Nicholas finished speaking, another arrow came charging towards him!

*Whoosh!*

As the arrow swooped through the air and whistled, Nicholas turned quickly.

The Twist of Fate surged within him and caused his body to move!

*Sching!*

The new arrow passed through the afterimage of its target and landed a few inches away from Nicholas' boots. It buzzed from its remaining energy.

Thales looked worriedly at the scene before his eyes. He stared at the arrow on the floor. The Star Killer panted softly, but he was not injured.

Compared to a few moments ago, Nicholas seemed to be moving effortlessly and was much more at ease after taking out the arrow in his body.

For the first time since the fight began, the Raven of Death's fatal shot did not hit its target.

'Sh*t.' Thales could not help but grip his sword tightly.

"Six seconds, old friend.

"You took a whole six seconds to draw the bow, aim, measure the distance and shoot—the same as eighteen years ago." The Star Killer inhaled deeply. He extended his right hand and clenched his fist slightly. Even though he was not as agile as before, he no longer had difficulty moving due to an arrow being inside his body.

"Together with the one second it takes for an arrow to move after you shoot it, there's a gap of at least seven to nine seconds between each shot… I have seven to nine seconds of safety."

Nicholas' expression became calm again. He unfurled his fist, and a small arrowhead fell from his hand.

The wound on his chest had been sealed by high temperature, and the wound on his back was no longer bleeding either. His Power of Eradication gathered in the bones near his wound and surged ceaselessly, powering the contraction of his muscles and closing the wound.

*Whoosh!*

The sound of an arrow swooping through the air rang again.

The Star Killer suddenly spun around before he finished speaking and swung his blade!

Thales shuddered violently. His Hell's senses immediately slowed down the scene before his eyes. Nicholas' body emitted a silver light, which drove his body to turn in an unbelievable manner, leaving behind a trail of afterimages.

He cut down the arrow in the air with a swift and nimble slice.

*Shick!*

Sparks flew as the Rising Sun Saber cut the arrow into two without problems.

The Star Killer paused momentarily.

The scene before Thales' eyes went back to normal.

The two halves of the short arrow continued to move in a forward momentum until they fell to the ground a distance away.

Thales' frown deepened. He could see that even though the Star Killer was still slowed down by his injury, he was slowly regaining control of the situation.

Nicholas raised the slightly red Rising Sun Saber with his left hand and inhaled deeply. "You're right, Monty."

The pale-faced man looked at the area below his left ribs. There was a rather bad new scratch on his light armor.

He shook the weapon in his hand in dissatisfaction. "This steaming hot saber is too sharp. Even if it hits the arrow, it cannot change its direction.

"I'm starting to miss my old blade."

The Star Killer lifted his head. He started to walk forward slowly, vigilantly sweeping his gaze over the rocks around him.

"Son of a b*tch," Monty's voice was heard again. His voice was slightly louder, and there was a hint of annoyance in his vulgar words, echoing Thales' worry. "Pulling out the arrow on the battlefield while under immense pain, and still having the time to calculate the speed at which I shot the arrows…

"You were a simple-minded soldier who only knew how to injure people. Since when did you become so sharp?"

Nicholas slowly exercised his right arm, which was rather heavily injured, to test its limits while it was injured. He sneered in contempt. "Haven't I told you before that this is the age at which we are at our most powerful? Even though we are physically weaker and our skills are on a decline, our experiences, knowledge and willpower will gradually become our most reliable abilities."

The Star Killer sneered, and there was fury in his eyes. "And you won't be able to imagine what sort of experience that night six years ago in Dragon Clouds City has given me…"

Thales, who was resting to replenish his strength, was triggered. He could not stop himself from recalling that nightmarish night.

Especially when the intimidating sounds of arrows being fired by crossbows stacked neatly together under Lampard's command while he sneered coldly.

Ruthless and cold.

And those White Blade Guards who desperately protected him and Little Rascal, as well as the indignant and pained expression on their faces when they were badly injured…

"Compared to that… Ha." Nicholas' sneer brought Thales back to reality. "Monty, every time you shoot an arrow, you calculate the opponent's trajectory of movement according to the distance and the direction of the wind, right…?"

Monty did not answer.

"What a coincidence."

Nicholas sneered. "My Power of Eradication is best a person's trajectory while he is moving."

*Whizz!*

The next shot was accompanied by a dull sound.

But…

Thales saw grimly that the Twist of Fate in Nicholas' body flashed slightly.

Nicholas instantly stopped moving forward. He turned backwards, as if he could see into the future and dodged the arrow, which was supposed to pierce through his chest!

"F*ck!"

Monty's exasperated yell came from far away. "You can even dodge this… are you a f*cking fly?"

Nicholas answered by apathetically shaking his head. "Come on, Monty. I almost know where you are now."

He fixed his gaze on the area ahead on his left, spinning the saber on his left hand non-stop.

The Land of Barren Rocks was silent again.

There was only Nicholas, who fixed his gaze on the stone, and Thales, who leaned against his shield and recuperated while sitting on the ground.

Thales sighed loudly. It was obvious that the tides had turned.

"Hahahaha." The Raven of Death's laughter echoed airily. There was a faint desolate tone in his voice. "You know, Spiky, you reminded me of Kaslan…"

Nicholas' gaze froze.

'Kaslan?'

The heroic old man who advised Thales to drink alcohol, flashed before Thales' mind. But the prince had not seen him ever since. He heard that in the end, the old man died in Heroic Spirit Palace.

"Every time Kaslan and Terende sparred, when the Inextinguishable Blaze had the upper hand due to his fierce attacks and is about to defeat the Iceberg…"

Monty continued speaking. "Kaslan would counterattack, place traps, and lure Terende into his traps… Kaslan always had a way of pulling a deadly stunt at the end, turning the tide and defeating Terende. Even the Motionless Bow could not help Terende."

Nicholas was first taken aback due to confusion, and registered what was going on.

Terende the Inextinguishable Blaze.

His gaze dimmed. Terende was once the White Blade Guards' vanguard, and was a mighty fighter from the same generation as Kaslan.

"Always having a way out, always having a way to win… you're really becoming more and more like the Iceberg," Monty said with a sigh.

'No.'

Nicholas breathed quietly. 'It's not just Kaslan and Terende…

'There's also Dominic, Bryke, Lyken, Sol, Bauer… and other old faces from the White Blade Guards.'

Nicholas tightened his grip on his saber while remaining expressionless.

At this moment, the Raven of Death said flatly, "What are you waiting for, Your Highness?"

Once he spoke, the sound of the bowstring being drawn rang again!

The slightly absent-minded Star Killer was shocked. He immediately activated the Twist of Fate and turned, dodging the arrow!

But that was not the end!

*Whoosh!*

The sound of a sword cutting through air appeared!

At some point of time, Thales had already gone right behind Nicholas!

The prince swung his sword with a fierce expression and cut towards Nicholas, who just dodged the snipe and still had not regained his footing.

*Clang!*

Nicholas lifted his blade calmly and laboriously staved off Thales' attack while his body was positioned in the most unfavorable position for attacks.

Thales gritted his teeth hard and took the opportunity to thrust his shield forward!

*Bang! Clang!*

Nicholas warded off the shield with his right shoulder, then parried the prince's subsequent thrust with the blade on his left hand.

"Step back, little prince." The Star Killer gathered strength on his waist, then shoved Thales off before he gave him an impatient warning. "Or else you'll lose a hand… or more."

Thales snorted coldly. "Didn't you say that I just need to retain one hand to eat?"

The furious Nicholas was about to speak when alarm bells rang in his head.

He immediately lowered his head!

*Whizz!*

Another arrow shot through the air towards him!

It grazed past the back of Nicholas' left ear and produced a billow of hot air.

"Look, actually, you don't have to worry about me." Thales exhaled. He estimated the strength remaining in his body and said solemnly, "Your real opponent is on the other side."

Nicholas growled. His gaze was unpleasant, and the cut left by Thales' sword on his face was still red.

The second prince swung his longsword again!

The moment the Star Killer raised his saber to fend off the attack, he realized that something was not right.

Then, just as he expected, Thales suddenly turned his longsword halfway in the air and circumnavigated the Star Killer's blade—meant to parry his attack—in an unbelievable manner!

'It's a feint.

'A feint made by the Twist of Fate.

'Damn it!'

The Star Killer cursed internally. 'That's my move.'

He immediately took a step back and dodged Thales' attack, which seemed like a thrust but was actually a slash.

Thales, who had just drove off his opponent in a direct confrontation for the first time, curled up the corners of his lips.

'As expected.'

The right side of Nicholas' chest was badly wounded. Even though he suppressed the wound for the time being, it was obvious that the Star Killer was greatly affected from the fact that he had to wield his blade with his left hand instead, and from how his dominant hand, footsteps and balance were far from being in their best state.

Thales exhaled. 'It's not as stressful as it used to be to fight against this frightening man anymore.

'And.' Thales rested his sword on his shield. His gaze was ferocious. He knew that he had two great advantages.

'First of all, Nicholas won't be willing to kill me unless it's a last resort.

'Otherwise, there would be no point in him running after me on Dragon Clouds City's behalf.

'Next, this is not a fight between me and Nicholas, but a duel between the Raven of Death and the Star Killer.

'They are placing all their attention on each other. The Prince of Constellation is at most an arena for their duel.

'So, I just need to try my best to create trouble for Nicholas so that the Star Killer reveals enough of his weak points. That way, while hiding in the dark, the Raven of Death would be able to…'

"You want to continue playing, huh?"

Nicholas stared at him in annoyance. "Then, open your eyes and take a good look!"

The next moment, Nicholas immediately moved the blade in his left hand in front of Thales!

Thales held up his shield, but he was immediately shocked!

Through his hell's senses, he saw that there was an upsurge of Power of Eradication in Nicholas' body. Immediately after, Nicholas thrust his blade forward, then he instantly changed the direction in which the blade moved.

'The Twist of Fate.

'Again.

'The Twist of Fate that can change the direction of movement in a flash and reverse inertia, and brings about miraculous effects whether its user is dodging or attacking!'

Thales instinctively activated the Sin of Hell's River and imitated the silver light that burst out of Nicholas' bones. He forcibly retracted his shield while his joints cracked and ached in pain, and thrust the shield at the real direction of his opponent's attack. At the same time, he swung his sword with his right hand and thrust it straight at his opponent, preparing to play another game of 'I will change direction if you do'.

His shield and Nicholas' weapon grazed past each other in the air and produced a faintly discernible sound. *Sching!*

'No.

'Wait.'

Thales stared at Nicholas' fierce expression. His heart was beating fast, and it dawned on him that something was not right.

'It's not so simple…'

*Whoosh!* The blade made a whistle in the air, moving straight with a fierce momentum.

Thales was shocked.

This time, dead face did not activate the Twist of Fate!

He did not utilize the special effect of his Power of Eradication either. He did not change his movement and inertia, or skirt around Thales sword!

Instead…

"AAAAHHHH—" Nicholas roared furiously.

Instead, he swung his saber and advanced on Thales with an indomitable spirit!

*Schick!* Thales' sword grazed past Nicholas' left shoulder. Blood splattered out.

But the Star Killer did not care about his injury. He simply went straight towards Thales!

The next moment, Thales, who was still in a dodging position and was flustered as he withdrew his sword and shield, felt a chill creep down his spine. He shuddered with fear.

When he came round, the Rising Sun Saber was already placed against his neck.

"Just like war, the Twist of Fate is an art form that is used to deceive your opponents." Nicholas did not care at all about the wound on his shoulder. His gaze was cold. "But if you're too indulged in its effects to deceive your enemies and rely too much on feints and changing directions to obtain an advantage…"

The man did not continue.

Thales sighed. He lowered his shield and held his sword upside down to show defeat.

Nicholas exerted a little force with his hand and threatened Thales with a cold snort. "This is what happens to you in the end…"

*Whoosh!* A distance away, the sound of a bowstring being released appeared again!

The Star Killer's expression changed.

At the same time, Thales swung his sword outwards with a backhand grip!

Nicholas' expression changed due to the attack from both sides. He opened his mouth to curse, but only had time to utter one word. "F*ck!"

The Twist of Fate in the Star Killer's body circulated again and forcibly turned his body!

Nicholas dodged Thales' backhanded slash, which was right in front of him, perfectly. However, the arrow, which was moving at a very fast speed, sliced his arm, bringing with it a trail of blood.

He lost his footing. The Star Killer gritted his teeth and took a few continuous steps backwards, moving out of the danger zone. He stopped the bleeding with the heat of the Rising Sun Saber.

"I think what he meant was that, Your Highness, you know how to deceive your opponents, and you also know how to give it your all in a fight too."

Monty's voice, solemn, with a hint of fierceness, and no longer lackadaisical, traveled out from the cracks between the rocks around them. "But you have experienced too few battles. You don't know when you should deceive your opponents, and when you should fight at full strength."

Thales frowned.

The Raven of Death said softly, "Regarding this, I have a suggestion. When your opponent is used to you going at full strength, you deceive him. When your opponent is used to you deceiving him, you attack him at full strength."

"Thank you for your guidance." Thales exhaled. "I feel that I had learned more today than the past six years of outdoors training lessons combined."

The Star Killer pressed the wound on his chest and leveled a hostile glare at Thales. "I know what you're doing, brat. You're scolding me?"

Thales smiled amicably.

"And, speaking of training lessons, if I remember correctly…" Thales stared at Nicholas and sighed, seemingly in resignation.

"Six years ago, his left leg and arm were hit by arrows, but he held on despite the injuries and continued fighting for an entire day. The arrowheads were not taken out in time, leaving behind problems."

Nicholas froze when he heard that!

'Six years ago…

'This little bastard…

'This…'

He tightened his grip on the hilt of his saber.

Thales said solemnly, "During our training lessons, compared to his right side, the movements of his left side are always slightly uncoordinated."

"Understood." Monty gave a brief and satisfied reply.

Nicholas was silent for a little while.

"Both of you." The Star Killer gripped the hilt of his saber. He was no longer smiling coldly, and his gaze was fierce.

"Both of you… get along really well."

Thales sighed in resignation. He shook his arms slowly. That numbness and pain had appeared again.

'I'm almost at my limit.'

The next moment, the fight restarted!

The prince turned sideways and charged unceremoniously towards Nicholas, who was so angry that his whole body trembled!

Nicholas responded by lowering his body and extending his leg, trying to kick Thales, who was charging forward, down.

This time, Thales gritted his teeth. He no longer utilized the Twist of Fate to dodge.

He activated the Sin of Hell's River to increase his strength and maintain balance. He lowered his body with his feet on the ground and withstood Nicholas' kick!

*Thud!*

Thales swayed, but did not fall. He roared furiously and fended off Nicholas' saber by shoving it away.

Monty's laugh echoed from the cracks between the rocks. "Look, he learned."

The Star Killer activated the Twist of Fate with all his might. With strange steps, he skirted around the edge of Thales' shield. He then extended his weak right hand across the shield, grabbed Thales' left arm and yanked him skillfully!

Thales lost his balance from the pull and missed his thrust.

He hurtled past Nicholas, lost balance after charging a few steps forward and fell on the ground on one knee.

But where there was gain, there was loss.

*Whoosh!*

Nicholas, who had been held back by Thales, heard a sound beside his ear. He only managed to dodge with his upper body, and he felt a sudden pain on his leg!

*Schick!*

Monty's arrow shot through his left calf.

The Star Killer cried out in pain and cursed loudly, "Monty!

"You motherf*cker!"

The prince let out a few pained coughs and rose up to his feet. He looked at Nicholas and furrowed his eyebrows a little.

He turned and, with an infuriated tone, said to the Raven of Death, who remained hidden from the battlefield. "Calf?

"Can't you attack a vital part?"

Monty's voice appeared to refute Thales brusquely. "I need to find a firing area too!

"Unless you want me to—"

Before he finished speaking, the sound of a bowstring being released appeared again!

Nicholas' expression was indignant. He dragged his injured leg and tried his best to spin around!

*Whizz!*

Fortunately, the arrow only grazed past his thigh and tore his armor.

After firing the arrow, Monty slowly finished his sentence, which carried a hint of mockery. "...shoot through you too, my. Esteemed. Prince!"

Thales was rendered speechless for a time being. He shook his head in resignation. "Forget about it. Next time, we…"

But before Thales could finish speaking, he felt a chill down his back.

In his fear, Thales turned. The Rising Sun Saber's blade was right in front of his eyes!

*Clang!*

The prince raised his shield with all his might and desperately parried Nicholas' blade, which he had swung down with both hands!

"Both of you!"

Nicholas paid no attention to his shot thigh at all. His face was red with rage, and the blood from the scratch Thales inflicted on him was visible.

"I've enough of both of you chatting with each other!"

With bloodshot eyes, the Star Killer shouted furiously, "One of you is shameless and full of tricks, while the other is despicable!

"Is this even a fight to you?!"

Thales tried his best to attack, attempting to force his opponent to retreat.

But the moment he thrust his weapon out, he heard a strange sound.

*Sizzle, sizzle…"

A section of Nicholas' blade suddenly appeared behind his shield. It was slightly red and was smoldering a little.

Thales felt his blood run cold.

'Oh, no.'

Then, just as he expected, at that moment, the red Rising Sun Saber pierced through the shield and went before his eyes!

The legendary anti-mystic equipment cut Thales' shield into two. It then changed direction and cut his longsword into two.

*Sizzle, sizzle…*

All of Thales' weapons were reduced to scrap metal at that moment. It was as if they were paper.

Even the skin covering Thales' entire arm became roasted and red after the Rising Sun Saber grazed past it. Wisps of smoke even rose from that limb!

The prince grunted in pain.

*Thud!*

The next moment, Nicholas shouted madly and in rage. He extended his leg and tripped Thales!

At that moment, Thales' face contorted in pain, and he fell to the ground.

*Whoosh!*

The sound of arrows traveling through air appeared again.

The Star Killer subconsciously leaned forward, bent down, and pressed himself tightly on Thales' back, successfully dodging the murderous arrow!

*Schick!* This was the sound of flesh and blood being torn open at a high speed.

"Urk—" Nicholas' grunt was followed by an arrow grazing treacherously past his lower back. The arrow tore through his light armor, and as Nicholas bent down, it sliced through his skin and shot past his neck!

This arrow caused the Star Killer to shed the most blood since the fight began. The liquid with the bloody stench even sprayed on Thales' head.

The blood dripped down Thales' head. He sucked in a breath laboriously, and his mouth and nostrils were filled with the smell of blood.

This reminded him of many bloody nights.

Such as the Abandoned House, the King's Street and Shield District.

But Monty's shot did not stop the Star Killer. The immense pain Nicholas suffered even seemed to be driving the man further into madness.

Nicholas kneeled on Thales' back and straightened his body as he trembled.

"Monty…

"Monty…"

Nicholas roared furiously in resentment. "Monty!

"Motherf*cker…"

The Star Killer was in so much pain that his teeth chattered. His eyes were bloodshot, and he spoke falteringly and with a hoarse voice.

But he could not find Monty, even after such a long time had passed, and could only lower his head in resentment and look at Thales, who was on the ground.

Thlaes struggled with all his might and tried to get up by supporting himself with his hands on the ground.

But he had long since been pinned to the ground by the experienced Nicholas and could not even roll over.

'Shit.

'I… forced him to a corner, didn't I?'

"Yes, I can't find Monty." Nicholas' eyes were filled with an insuppressible anger. "But I caught you!

"Yes, I won't kill you!

He aimed straight for the back of Thales' left hand, which was pinned to the ground, with the back of his saber's blade.

*Thud!*

Thales entire body shuddered. He felt a massive pain in his left wrist.

*Crack…*

The clear sound of bone breaking appeared.

"AAAHHH—" Thales wailed in pain. He struggled desperately, extending his right hand backwards and trying to grab onto something, anything!

But it was as if his left hand had gone numb. There was only pain left.

The Star Killer then punched the back of the prince's head hard!

Thales saw stars.

"But I mean every single word I said!"

The Star Killer's eyes were red. He swung his saber again with the back of the blade facing downwards.

*Crack—*

This time, a frightening crack rang out from Thales' right knee cap. The immense pain shot straight to his entire body!

"AAAHHH—" The prince's pained screams became more and more intense. His back arched, as if he was spasming. He struggled more and more frenziedly.

But he was still pinned to the ground by Nicholas.

The Star Killer gritted his teeth. As he listened to Thales' shrill cries, there was a joy in his eyes that was hard to understand. "I will let you…"

He roared furiously. He pinned down the teenager under his knees and lifted his saber again.

"Retain your right hand!"

The next moment, he swung his saber with its back facing downwards for the third time!

*Crack!*

A clear sound that would strike fear in people's hands rose into the air, and during that time, Thales' left tibia broke.

The prince was in so much pain that he could practically not make a single sound. His shoulders fell on the ground, and he trembled feebly on the ground.

Time seemed to have slowed down.

Thales breathed in a daze. He was quivering.

At that moment, under this intense pain, he felt as if death had truly arrived.

'Is this… the end?'

"Monty!" Nicholas crawled up from Thales' body and raised his head swiftly. He roared with a ferocious expression while surveying his surroundings. "Come on! Come and kill me!"

*Whoosh!* Another sound of a bowstring being released appeared, and an attack came from the right.

Once he sensed danger, Nicholas swiftly activated the Twist of Fate without hesitation!

The Star Killer leaned forward quickly, and an arrow stabbed the ground feebly.

But that was not the end!

'Huh?'

The alert Nicholas tensed up. A shortsword and a figure pounced towards him from the sand to his left!

'So the arrow to the right is just a bait, and he's actually lurking around here to wait for me…'

As he pondered over this, the war-seasoned Nicholas activated the Twist of Fate again. The Rising Sun Saber changed trajectory and was flung out fiercely at an unimaginable speed.

*Slice... Clang…*

The sharp legendary anti-mystic weapon cut the person to Nicholas' left and the shortsword in his hand in half.

But when Nicholas turned his head around, he was taken aback.

He had only managed to cut through a shortsword…

… and a light armor?

'This is bad. He's not to my left, but my—'

He felt a chill run down his spine, but before Nicholas could think too much, a thick and powerful arm with a powerful, chilling and murderous intent shot out suddenly from the direction of the arrow to his right, in a manner where he could not possibly block it!

His enemy's left arm moved past Nicholas' left shoulder, then wrapped itself around his neck. The crook of his arm was locked on his throat.

At the same time, his right arm moved past his right shoulder to lock onto the joint of his upper left arm, and his right palm was pressed tightly on the back of Nicholas' head. 

"Is it left or right? War is an art of deceiving the enemy, don't you agree?" That familiar sonorous voice traveled into his ears coldly.

Nicholas felt a chill run through his body. He had just realized that he had made a fatal mistake.

In the next second, his opponent behind him suddenly exerted force in his arms!

"You seem to have told this brat before that you can break my neck in five seconds?" His enemy still stuck himself closely to him, but he made his body bend into an arc, and he used his face as well as his right palm to push the Star Killer' head forward. His arms clamped down tightly behind Nicholas' head, locking down on his neck.

"Do you miss this? It's Terende's favourite strangulation method… It doesn't require five seconds. Just three, and it will end the fight."

His enemy chuckled coldly. He used his full strength in his hands.

One second.

Nicholas' face turned pale. His vision swayed. His blood flow was cut off at his carotid artery. It could no longer flow to his brain. 

His arms began feebly struggling.

The voice behind him said coldly. "I was having a headache on how to deal with that almost instinctive sense of yours towards danger. Makes you seriously hard to kill. I have to thank that boy, though. It doesn't matter whether it's his reminder or his sacrifice… It's just as he said, you become much slower when you have to turn back from the left…"

Two seconds.

The Star Killer' vision became dark. His consciousness faded. Even the trembling Prince of Constellation on the ground started gaining overlapping images over his own body in Nicholas' eyes.

He had just brought the Rising Sun Saber he had previously sent backwards back to his chest and wanted to thrust backwards, but as his brain suffered from a severe lack of oxygen, his arm went limp and could no longer find its target. 

Nicholas twitched while he fell unconscious. The only thing remaining in his ears was the Raven of Death's dark words—short, clear, and brought fear to all those who heard it.

"It's over, Spiky."

Three seconds.