Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
In a far distance.
The narrow and simple but warm and bright tavern cellar…
“‘I probably won’t be able to escape. But they will be able to live…’”
A battered boy in shaggy clothes clenched his fists.
He raised his head and looked at the heroic and valiant looking brunette who had a pair of khukuris strapped to her ankles and forced a smile.
“‘I have to depart now to Red Street Market.”‘
‘That was…’
He thought with a blurry mind.
*Boom… boom!*
A loud thunderclap sounded. His thoughts became clear because of it. Then, he saw another scene.
It was a magnificent hall built in the shape of a semi-circle. The same boy who seemed to be dressed in beautiful clothes and gorgeous ornaments but was actually badly injured stood before many important officials dressed in luxurious clothing, had stern expressions, and had dignified mannerisms…
“‘Yes, Duke Covendier. … It was me who saved your life…”‘
He bit his lip stubbornly but also in a manner as if a burden had been lifted off his shoulders as he faced another young, round-faced man with an unpleasant expression. He said,
“So, you are the one who owes me a word of thanks.”‘
This was…
Thales’ breathing quickened. He felt as if there was some sort of emotion stirring in his heart.
He felt his consciousness tremble. The illusions that once mystified him appeared again. He saw the realm that he could touch just by extending his hand.
Supreme.
Omnipotence.
Perfection.
The tempting call.
But those temptations could no longer affect what he saw in front of him.
Thales’ vision only blurred for a second before he shook his head firmly to shake them off.
“‘Wait!”‘
It was still the boy’s voice.
This time, his face was covered in dust, and his hands were bound, but he still sat on a big black coffin with a forced smile on his face. His smile was directed towards an incredibly coquettish but extremely dangerous woman.
“‘I heard that there is a Mystic inside here? He is even the type that can be let out.”‘
The boy kicked the coffin board with a haughty face.
“‘Do you want to meet him?”‘
The dangerous woman’s smile. She revealed her hideous-looking fangs.
‘It’s her.’
Thales smiled while he drifted in the storm.
‘It’s me.
‘It’s us.’
The next moment, the storm roared again, but they were seamlessly replaced by another similar but different sound.
Battle cries.
The sky was filled with battle cries. It rose and fell while blood was shed, while people died, and while there were battles all over the place.
“‘No matter what Sonia chooses, it will be a predicament.…”‘
When countless people fought at the risk of their lives and fought until they had lost all rational thought, the boy stood at the center of the crowd who protected him and panted. He could not suppress his nervousness.
“‘We can only choose for Lady Sasere.
“‘To eliminate her indecisiveness and hesitance.”‘
Under the surprise of the other people, the boy stared at the terrifying man before him who was filled with murderous aura, who seemed to be filled with endless vitality, and who breathed like a volcano.
He stared at the silver-black bow behind the man and pointed at the flags in the north that filled the sky. He gritted his teeth and said,
“‘Prepare to break out of the encirclement.”‘
*Bang boom!*
Thales clenched his teeth in the black storm while he was tormented by the pain in his body and the thoughts that filled his mind. But he smiled.
‘I see… so that’s how it is.’
“‘That is enough!”‘
A decisive and resolute roar broke the darkness and silence in memory.
The boy’s expression was calm under the light from the flaming brazier burning in the crudely made hall. At this moment, his footsteps were steadfast, and he kept moving forward. He walked past a pale man with a cold expression and a blade on his back. He walked past the silent old man who wore a crown and who had an awe-inspiring presence.
He went towards the horrified girl in glasses who knelt on the ground as she cried in agony with a ring on her palm. He did not hesitate to hold her arm.
He pulled her behind him.
“‘She will stay with me tonight!
“‘You bunch of lunatics!”‘
Thales’ smile became broader as he looked at these memories that happened in the past.
The flame in his heart burned stronger.
“‘The sword’s name is the Blade of Purification…”‘
The boy stood in front of the man who was holding a black sword in a district now ruined and filled with misery. The boy stared at the red shortsword. He sighed softly, looked up, and smiled.
“‘Let’s go meet that cute, big sister… and test our luck.”‘
Pictures flashed before his eyes.
In a solemn and dignified temple, the boy looked at the girl in front of him with a bitter and resolute gaze.
“‘Little Rascal…
“‘If we just walk away and leave everything behind, the burden of running away will make me unable to catch my breath…
“‘We can’t leave, we can’t run away…”‘
The ripples that served as his memories rose again. He saw himself in an extremely perilous situation. He was a simple and crudely made carriage. The boy shook his and smiled at the middle-aged man who was smoking a pipe.
“‘Whether you believe it or not, Putray.
‘”I am convinced that in that unique battlefield, I’m the only one who can contend with him.
“‘Capture me… And send me to Heroic Spirit Palace… back to Lampard.”‘
*Boom!*
Thales was about to be unable to last in the black storm, but at that moment, he took a deep breath.
He knew it.
He understood it.
‘An object not tainted by any other thing.
‘So that’s how it is!’
“Enough!”‘
He saw weapons clash and people shoving at each other while screaming bloody murder. The boy was still in the damn hall., He climbed onto the table and screamed as he swung his small fist before several men in luxurious clothes who had been fighting.
“‘You Northern barbarians… Listen to me very carefully!
“‘I have an idea… And it’s much better… than a no-win conclusion.”‘
As the pictures flashed in his mind, Thales’s consciousness became clearer, and he became more energetic.
*Clack… bang!*
Thunder roared!
At that moment, Thales gritted his teeth silently in the dark ink storm. He continued to resist it silently while still powerless to fight against it.
*Whoosh!*
A gust of wind came charging at him and blew him higher until he lost track of how high he was.
The storm was still howling and roaring. The ink blades were still painful.
But at that moment, Thales stopped at the centre of the storm’s depth.
He no longer went back and forth with the wind, no longer rose and fell in pain.
It seemed like this terrible storm can no longer move him.
Thales slowly lifted his gaze and smiled faintly and in a relaxed manner.
He looked down at his non-existent body and, with his mind, stretched out his ‘left hand’.
*Boom!* The black lightning flashed again.
It struck his side.
When that fierce bolt of lightning struck him, the black wind gathered together, as if it had life, and rushed to Thales’ left.
They broke down into numerous particles before they reassemble.
They formed the shape of an arm.
The storm seemed to have received an order. It roared and howled, and blew even more violently!
Thales did not even move or look at his newly assembled left arm.
*Boom!*
Another terrifying thunderclap that almost caused his eardrums to burst sounded.
The storm raged, and the black wind enveloped Thales, causing him to tumble about rolled back and forth.
Thales’ heart and mind were clear.
He knew what his anchor point was now.
‘An object that will not be tainted by any other thing.
‘Any other thing!’
*Bang!* The black storm howled, but Thales closed his eyes gently in the eye of the typhoon.
What should be his anchor point? Thales was a name he only acquired later on, a label born due to the situation he was in at that time.
His family name, Jadestar and his identity as a prince were also only titles that he had at some point and did not have at other points. It was given to him by other people, and it could also be taken back. It could not bear the test of time.
The Sin of Hell’s River, mystic energy?
These seemingly unique and powerful forces were actually nothing. According to Black Sword, if the strong and weak cannot be determined, then how could these forces that the world sought for blindly serve as an anchor point?
They were just icing decorations on a cake in life. If they could be obtained and used, they could also defeated and abandoned at any time.
Not to mention foreign objects—JC, the Blade of Purification, even Little Rascal’s glasses.
All of these were not his.
And his thoughts? His knowledge? His wisdom?
Similarly, those were not his, they were also instilled in him at some point in his life.
As for Wu Qiren, his identity as a transmigrator? The things he misses in the other world? No. Similarly, even if they were in another world, those things were not his.
These were not his anchor points.
None of them pointed to himself.
Barely discernible words echoed into Thales’ ears.
“‘But one day, you might have to make an important decision again, one that you could even say will be critical.”‘
He still saw the boy in the simple and solemn temple. The veiled high priestess’ voice sounded distant.
“‘When you stand at a level and height no other existences can possibly imagine and are an existence that surprasses the limits of mortal minds… Perhaps you will come to remember what I said today.”‘
Thales remembered her gaze.
The High Priestess of Bright Moon Temple, Juwle Holme.
‘Important decision.’
Thales laughed heartily, and his gaze was firm when he thought of this.
He did not move.
‘I see, so this is the one.’
Through his entire life, everything…
In the end, what truly belonged to Thales Jadestar himself and was not to be tainted by other things, could serve as his anchor point, and pointed to himself… was and could only be this!
*Bang! Boom!*
The practically overflowing memories in Thales’ mind trembled!
Countless pictures appeared in his head.
It was a quiet night in the vast desert. There was only quiet moonlight shining over it. A much more mature teenager stood wearily before a room. He looked at the bald man asleep on the bed, looked at the vital spot on the other person’s throat, and gritted his teeth as he raised the dagger in his hand.
A few seconds later, the conflicted teenager exhaled. He seemed as if he had been released of his burden as he decisively… lowered his dagger.
At this moment, Thales, who was in a state where he lost control of himself, suddenly blinked!
‘The anchor point…’
His face tensed. He screamed in the deafening storm, shouting the answer that belonged to him alone—
“Decision—”
At that moment, it was as if all the rampaging noises fell silent!
Only Thales’ roar broke through the sky and resounded in this world!
“…Decision!”
Almost at the same time, the uncontrollable storm howled fiercely as several black bolts of lightning flashed.
*Boom!*
As the black wind blew, an intact left hand appeared at the end of Thales’ newly formed left arm. It looked as if it was a physical entity built by wind and sand.
Thales’ scream faded away, and he held up his new left hand with a faint smile.
‘Decision.
‘That’s right.’
After he arrived in the world, in his short and exciting life… what truly belonged to Thales Jadestar alone and was something that only he could make… were his decisions.
During the fourteen years of his life, every scene, every crossroad he faced, and ever dilemma he faced… he made every single one of his decisions without outside interference, and without being affected by others. He made these decisions on his own, with all his power, with a clear mind, and a willingness to fully bear the consequences!
*Boom!* Lightning flashed continuously.
Left hand, left arm, right hand, torso, left leg, right leg…
In the mysterious storm, Thales’ body appeared part by part, as if it had just been reassembled in space.
Every time the black wind roared and black lightning struck, another part of Thales would be formed.
As if he had just emerged from water and his mind had just become clear.
Thales stared calmly and indifferently at the endless deep space in front of him.
All was false before life and death.
He lowered his head and silently stared at the familiar but unfamiliar scratches on his left hand. He slowly furled his fist.
All that he gained belonged to someone else.
*Boom!*
Thales stared coldly at the dark storm around him. He watched them pass by him over and over again to form his other body parts.
His mind was incredibly clear.
His thoughts were not muddled.
Only by making choices could he obtain his freedom.
Only his decisions were not bound by anything, it belonged solely to him!
This was the one thing on him that pointed to himself right from the start to the end, and was not tainted by anything else!
Thales’ decisions!
*Boom!*
The last crackle of thunder roared. When Thales’ body finally appeared fully and firmly in the center of the storm…
*Whoosh——*’
The last gust of wind blew at him before it went further into the distance. It also became weaker.
It turned into a pleasant and comfortable breeze.
The storm disappeared.
No thunder could be heard.
All the racket and violence stopped abruptly at the same time.
Thales slowly raised his head and stretched out his arms in the air to feel his change.
‘So…
‘This is “losing control”?’
The teenager smiled.
At this moment, his mind was very clear.
He could only see clear sky.
Bright, clean and clear.
‘So… that’s how it is.’
The next moment, Thales gently closed his eyes.
And when he opened his eyes again…
“Stay calm!
“Guard the hostage!”
In the dark dungeon, Stake pressed a dagger against Marina’s throat. He roared wildly and madly at the people in front of him,
“Stay back, Knight of Judgment!
“The hostages are in my hands! No matter what tricks you have prepared with the brat who disappeared…”
On the other side, the Masked Protector was still under the control of the four Shadow Assassins. Quick Rope and Tampa were also threatened by the assassins and were trembling.
He understood now.
Zakriel raised the saber in his left hand with fury that he could not hide while he stood on the other side of the chaotic situation. He swept his gaze over the assassins in front of him,
“The prince is no longer here. Do you think I care?”
In the chaotic situation, the assassins’ breathing, the cries of pain from the hostages, the Masked Protector’s struggle against the chains, the friction of weapons in hands, and the arguments from both sides were mixed together!
Stake clenched his teeth as he said angrily,
“Try it then—”
But at this moment, Stake suddenly stopped speaking.
He was not the only one.
Everyone was stunned.
*Tap tap tap*
Gentle footsteps echoed.
The people’s gazes were focused on one place.
All of them were cast on the sudden appearance of a teenager.
The dungeon returned to silence. Immediately after, it was broken.
“You… prince… how did you… you disappeared just now… now you…”
Stake stared at Thales in shock. He spoke falteringly. He could not even speak in complete sentences.
His gaze continued to move between Thales and the silver sword that was stuck on the ground.
He looked as if he just saw Thales crawling out of the ground.
‘So…
‘I disappeared just now?’ the prince thought plainly.
‘Seems like I scared them quite badly.’
“How did you do it, child?” Behind him, Zakriel was equally in disbelief and stunned.
‘Was it… the magic from Alchemy Tower?’
In the distance, Marina still struggled, Quick Rope blinked curiously, and the dejected Tampa did not seem to have noticed anything.
The bound Yodel remained motionless. He did not show any of his emotions.
Thales nodded at him and smiled.
He suddenly remembered the conversation between the two of them in the past.
“‘No.
“‘You will be better than him.
“‘I know that you have within yourself something he does not.”‘
Thales sighed and stretched out his right hand. Ricky’s longsword was pulled out of the ground. He brandished it.
The silver blade flashed, and the tip of the sword looked eerie.
But the prince’s gaze was no longer on the sword.
He thought it was amazing.
The current him could sense many things.
‘The dust, dirt, scrap wood, and tunnels in the prison…
‘The position of both the enemy and myself, their breathing, their secrets…’
But at the moment, Thales was completely different from the time he fought in Dragon Clouds City against Giza. He was not as tired, scared, and anxious.
Right now, he was absolutely indifferent and calm.
It was as if all impulses and recklessness had faded away from him.
Only rationality remained.
That was not all.
Thales cast a slight glance at the all the people before him.
He was different.
He felt it.
Now, he could do a lot of things.
But the most important thing was…
He was very much awake now.
“Let them go, Stake.”
Under the people’s astounded gazes, Thales stared indifferently at the dagger-wielding Stake.
“I only say this once.”
Stake breathed in a daze, and then, while still completely bemazed, he accepted the fact that the prince appeared again.
‘Not now.
‘Now, I must solve the current situation.
‘I still have an advantage. With this weak and indecisive prince present, everything would be more successful…’
Stake smiled coldly when he thought of this.
“Watch, Your Highness.” Stake once again placed the dagger against Marina’s throat as he threatened, “I will also only do this once…”
Thales also chuckled as he enjoyed being in this state, something that he rarely felt on his person.
“Go on, then.”
Stake’s eyebrows furrowed.
‘What’s happening?
‘This brat…
‘No.’
He must make him aware of the situation.
“You became confident, Your Highness.”
Stake looked at Thales’ smile, clenched his teeth, and pushed his hand. “But sometimes, it’s not good…”
In the next second, right when he was ready to attack, Stake was shocked!
‘What?’
He realized that something was not right.
The leader of Shadow Shield quickly looked down.
His pupils expanded after he saw what was before his eyes!
“Are you looking for this?”
Thales smiled in a calm and composed manner. He lifted a dagger Stake was familiar with in his left hand.
“It looks like you slipped, Stake.”
*Clang!*
Thales loosened his grip and dropped Stake’s dagger to the floor. He smiled warmly.
This feeling of controlling everything… He liked being in this state very much.
At that instant, Zakriel frowned, and Stake’s expression froze.
The assassins’ leader stared blankly at his empty hand, then at the dagger by Thales’ foot.
‘That…
‘That dagger…
‘How—’
He subcounsciously took a step back.
As the flames swayed, many people sucked in air. The Shadow Shield assassins stared at the dagger on the floor, and faint puzzlement began to creep into their hearts.
Zakriel also frowned.
Stake’s breathing became rapid. His left hand trembled inconspicuously.
The assassins’ leader jerked his head up and clenched his teeth,
“What was that? What trick was that? A psionic ability, magic?”
He stared at the prince.
Firelight shone on the prince’s face in the dark prison, highlighting his indifferent expression.
“I said it just now.” Thales winked and shook his head. Then, he said sincerely, “Your hand slipped.”
Stake suddenly turned around and ordered another man in a decisive manner,
“Do it! Kill the one named Wya…”
*Clang!*
Stake’s words froze in the air again.
He stared at Thales in a daze.
The prince smiled and gently unfurled his left hand.
*Clang!*
At least three daggers fell from his hands and fell to the ground with loud clanks.
The assassin behind Quick Rope looked incredulously at his empty hand. At some point of time, there were no longer any weapons in his hands.
“I think, all their hands slipped.” Thales smiled and raised his left hand, throwing the last dagger on the floor.
Stake widened his eyes.
‘No.
‘No…
‘This is impossible…’
At that moment, all the assassins behind Quick Rope and Tampa as well as the ones around them were suddenly unarmed!
The feeling of losing their weapons was always bad.
In a brief second, the puzzled and confused assassins burst into an uproar. They subconsciously stepped back!
Zakriel suddenly raised his eyebrows in surprise as he observed the situation. He instinctively lifted his saber and faced his enemies, who were now in a disadvantage. “What is this…”
“Stay calm!’
Stake clenched his teeth when the situation suddenly went out of control. He pushed Marina backwards!
The leader of the assassins resolutely raised the Alchemy Ball with his left hand and tried to force the aggressive Knight of Judgment back. “Damn it, if you dare to take a step forward, I’ll throw it—”
But the next moment, Thales’ laughter drowned out his words.
“You mean this little thing?”
The noise in the area stopped abruptly.
One second, two seconds…
He heard sharp intakes of breaths.
In absolute silence, the prince stepped forward in a relaxed manner with his sword in hand.
He raised his left hand indifferently under everyone’s gazes.
‘No.’
Stake stared at the prince’s left hand in a daze and retracted his arm with a stupefied expression.
‘No.’
But just as he expected, there was nothing… in his palm.
“I don’t like it. A bad woman once kidnapped me using it…”
Thales pouted and observed the ball in his hand. He looked at the strange inscriptions on the metal casing and suddenly felt a sense of cordiality with it.
Stake stared at the sight before him in a daze.
He stared at the prince holding the Alchemy Ball, then at the Knight of Judgment who narrowed his eyes and lifted his saber.
He stared at the daggers lying quietly on the ground.
‘No.’
He suddenly felt his arm begin to tremble.
“But, the feeling I have when I hold it in my hand…”
The Prince of Constellation looked up and opened his mouth.
He stared at the assassins’ pale faces and grinned, something that had not been seen on his face for a long time.
“…is actually pretty good.”
‘No.’
At that moment, Stake was in a daze as he stared at Thales’ grin.
He could only feel his body grow cold.
…..
In a strange space not known to others, a man with a blurry face and was surrounded by thick fog moved slightly.
He looked at another spot.
“That brat… actually managed to succeed with that method?” he mumbled to himself.
‘Hmm, looks like…
‘The anchor point… a dangerous method that only exists in theory and in which no one has ever managed to use it successfully… still has a trace of feasibility.’
He smiled and shook his head, then turned around and disappeared into the blurry world.
He left behind two vigilant and fierce gazes staring at him from the distance. These two gazes did not dare approach him.
They could only continue searching through this space in vain.
