Kingdom’s Bloodline

"Uh, no?"

The boy asked suspiciously: "What's wrong?"

But this time, Ricky obviously didn't intend to ask Thales to answer.

"Barney's finishing power is the 'melting of the glacier', which is known for following the trend, but can you feel any 'following the trend' from his battle?"

The melting of the glacier?

Follow the trend?

etc.

Thales was stunned for a moment when he heard the familiar term.

The melting of the glacier, isn't this... the flower of the fortress six years ago, the final power of Sonia Sutherley?

She has the same finishing power as Little Barney?

But little Barney...

The leader of the Sword of Disaster turned his head self-consciously, looked at the little Barney who was tightly guarded in the distance, and spoke Thales' heartfelt thoughts:

"He's a tough guy, isn't he?"

Ricky looked at Barney's looming figure with some emotion:

"With a body like that, you can still seize the opportunity and force me to be like that."

Thales paused for a moment, remembering Barney's battle.

The prince was full of doubts: he couldn't put the flower of the fortress, the heroic female warrior Sonia who was still able to do a job under the siege of Giza's endless tentacles, and the hero who gave up her life and carried blood all over her body to defeat the enemy fiercely. Little Barney connected.

Ricky turned around and continued to ask: "Do you know Barney, what kind of person do you think he is?"

Barney, what kind of person is he?

Thales suddenly remembered how the other party wanted to kill himself in despair.

The boy was about to answer, but suddenly realized that he couldn't give more information to his opponent, so he couldn't help but shut up.

Ke Ricky didn't care, he lowered his head and asked himself:

"Let me guess"

He raised his right hand,

Slowly tap the finger above:

"He should have had a complete cavalry training when he was young, you can see it from his footsteps and habits."

"But he has become what he is now, daring to risk his life, just to make an effective kill at a dangerous and dangerous moment."

Ricky stared:

"This is not a coincidence: he must have experienced something unforgettable when he was young, so that he decisively and resolutely gave up the orthodox swordsmanship he was used to, and finally took risks and completely changed his style of play, becoming what he is now Sacrifice everything for one victory."

While listening to his seemingly logical analysis, Thales recalled Little Barney's unusual battle and tried hard to keep up with the rhythm.

Ricky raised his head again, looked at Little Barney, and said with emotion:

"Even his glacier melt is so affected I can barely recognize it."

Thales raised his eyebrows:

"But you still recognized it."

Ricky shook his head and showed a mysterious smile:

"You missed my point."

When Thales touched his head ignorantly, Ricky sighed, as if talking to himself:

"I think, Querbani, his youth experience was probably not very good, even withdrawn, indifferent, and gloomy."

"And his tragic experience in the past ten years has shaped his extreme, fierce, and vicious fighting style, not only for the enemy, but also for himself. I think he is probably indomitable in life, stubborn to the end, even Some dead-brained, difficult to get along with is like his finishing power."

Thales thought about little Barney in prison, and what happened to the royal guards in the past eighteen years, but he didn't speak.

Ricky put away his sighing expression and said with a smile:

"Tell me, am I right?"

Thales looked at Barney in the distance, and looked at Ricky suspiciously:

"You heard it from Samir. They are old acquaintances."

Richie laughed.

But he just continued to turn his head and pointed to Sakel who was walking beside Semir.

"Sakel, the famous punishment knight, what kind of person do you think he is?"

Sack El.

The image of him painfully preventing Barney from committing suicide appeared in Thales' mind.

Ricky should recall the scene where Sackel rushed towards him before, and said in a daze:

"Samir told me about his finishing power, and I've seen it before. That guy is a giant army with a full range of arms, making everyone feel at a loss with every gesture..."

"What's rare is that he was able to turn around freely and without hesitation between movements and movements, and he actually had the leisure to think about things other than fighting when he was in a critical situation. God knows when he stuffed the oilcloth on me."

Chaos army.

Thales whispered in his heart.

This time, he subconsciously thought: If I want to imitate that power of end...

"To achieve that kind of battle result, he must observe the details on the complex battlefield, be cautious, take everything into his eyes, know the enemy's situation in an instant, make accurate judgments, react immediately, link his body and mind, take into account the enemy and himself, and be consistent. What a genius."

Ricky said with emotion:

"If he is not a fighter, he will definitely become the best chess player, multitasking, quick thinking, far-reaching considerations, and an overall view."

"And our conversations bear that out."

Thales frowned.

Listening to Ricky's evaluation of Sackel, he seemed to have slowly grasped a little bit of the other party's meaning.

Ricky took a sip from the water bag, then threw it to Thales indifferently:

"So I guess, in his daily life, he is a person who is cautious, comprehensive, sensitive and considerate of the overall situation, a person who can entrust his life."

But Ricky sighed immediately:

"This is probably also unfortunate: Compared with Barney who sacrificed everything just to win, he has too many worries and factors that he cares about. His omnipotence and genius have become his curse and burden."

"But he obviously doesn't like complaining and venting. He just acts silently and bears the burden. People who carry too much will always falter. Over time, they will either become steadfast and unable to extricate themselves, or become crazy, violent and unpredictable."

Listening to his narration, Thales was secretly startled.

Did Ricky... know Thackel before?

After Ricky finished speaking, he smiled and said:

"Look, through the power of the end, I can learn a lot about them, but why?"

Thales frowned and shook his head:

"This must also be what Semir told you, and you collected intelligence about the target in advance."

Ricky chuckled.

Amid Ricky's laughter, Thales pursed his lips.

"All right."

The boy turned his thoughts, and dug out a long-lost figure from his mind:

"If... I mean if, if there is a powerful warrior in the extreme realm, he has a rare finishing power..."

Ricky listened to Thales' words with great interest.

"...you can let him change the momentum and posture that he has exhausted, withdraw this sword, thrust out the next sword, make multiple feints or fake moves, between being unpredictable and unpredictable, deceiving the enemy to win through this , what can you recognize?"

After Thales finished speaking, he thought of the man who beat him to the ground countless times on the training ground in the past six years.

I also remembered...

Dragon Clouds City.

"Feint? Oh, that's not common."

Ricky was taken aback after hearing the narration, and pondered for a while:

"It should be noted that almost every fighter is taught: to attack decisively, defend firmly, step steadily, and concentrate mind. This kind of people are generally recruits, and they die the fastest."

Ricky raised his eyebrows, not sure:

"But your friend, maybe he is quite a special person, maybe he is another kind of genius, turning his disadvantage into an advantage, one more chance to repent than the enemy."

Thales chased away the memories and looked at Ricky seriously:

"Then what kind of person do you think he is...?"

This time, Ricky pondered for a long time.

"I'm confused if I had to guess."

ah?

Thales was taken aback again.

confused?

Ricky nodded and speculated:

"Withdrawing this sword and stabbing the next one, I guess such a person may always want to do things better, and to some extent is a person who pursues perfection."

"So this kind of person...I'm afraid he won't live a very comfortable life at ordinary times. It's hard for me to imagine that when he faces himself alone, he won't feel confused and bewildered."

Thales blinked in disbelief.

No way.

That dead face... Confused?

Thales couldn't help but automatically evolve the scene of Nicolai standing in a big city, facing the heavy traffic, staring blankly at the map, and scratching his head in confusion.

Confused?

Or, the meteorite stands in front of the neon lights at night, looks up at the sky, and takes a melancholy puff of cigarette in the breeze and siren.

Thales snorted and quickly covered it up with a cough.

"Impossible." He subconsciously said.

no……

The picture is too beautiful.

The painting style is clear and strange.

Don't dare to look, dare not look.

Ricky also laughed when he saw Thales.

But he smiled for a few seconds, and suddenly put away his expression:

"Do you think this is funny?"

Thales froze for a moment.

Ricky's tone was quite formal, and for a moment, Thales thought that he had returned to the classroom, whether it was the classroom in those broken memories or the classroom of Ashida in reality.

This made Thales subconsciously put away his smile and sit up straight.

"The power of termination in each person is unique. It is formed in the long-term life and battle of the user, and gradually becomes one. It is closely related to their character, experience and habits, and is inseparable. Even if the power of termination is the same, In different people, it will become very different."

unique.

The power of the same kind of end will be very different...

Thales listened carefully, and immediately remembered the glacier melting on Sonia and Barney.

Ricky's tone dropped:

"In this way, the style of the power of termination matches and echoes with the characteristics of the users, reflecting their understanding of combat, themselves, and the enemy, and it is a unique coat of arms imprinted on each warrior."

Branded on every warrior...

Unique coat of arms?

Thales immediately remembered the topic of their conversation, and doubts arose from the bottom of his heart:

But the sin of Hell River, the so-called omnipotent power of end...

Ricky looked at him, his eyes were cold and sharp, and his tone was sharp and firm:

"And you, you want to perfectly present every battle, every life and death, and every experience accumulated by countless masters in their lives with a few minutes or even a few seconds of observation and contact. , experience, body, and even the great power molded by enemies and opponents?"

Thales was stunned.

Personality, experience, body...

Even enemies and rivals...

Ricky narrowed his eyes:

"When you are obsessed with 'imitation', the biggest mistake you make, Thales, is to use the power of the end as a tool to break away from the warrior himself. You imagine the power of the end as a few lifeless pieces A platter of parts that you feel you can always take without the other, that you feel you can take their strengths and ignore their weaknesses."

"You think you can only imitate the strong benefits of the soldiers at this moment, and easily throw away the sweat and price they have paid in the past decades of life; you think you can only remember the state you want to imitate now, and Regardless of how they went from what they were to what they are now."

Thales frowned heavily, and began to think carefully about Ricky's words.

Ricky leaned forward and stared at Thales, his tone became more brutal:

"Did you know that on the Western Wilderness battlefield, even the most desperate death squads need the help of chaka wine when they charge suicide?"

"But Quelbani, this noble guy, did it so easily. This means that he has to pass under the tip of the sword countless times, between narrowly winning and falling short, to hone his spirit, to abandon The hesitation of pros and cons, seizing the momentary opportunity, and turning it into the norm, made him what he is today."

"So his melting of the glacier, his kind of strength and fighting, I can imagine, but I can never learn: because I can't feel the terror of the close shot, and I can't practice the decisive style of play , unable to reproduce his distinctive battles."

Ricky's eyes flashed, and he said decisively:

"So, no, Thales, the power of the end is not a power, nor a weapon, nor a state."

"It is the warrior himself."

Thales was slightly shocked!

From Yongxing City to Longxiao City, and then to Xihuang Territory, although Thales himself has awakened the sin of Hell River and practiced swordsmanship, in fact, he always has a disapproving attitude towards the power of the end in his heart .

It's very simple, what Ashida once said affected his judgment: the power of the end is just an accessory product created by mages for knights. In this world, forbidden magic represents the highest knowledge.

What's more, after experiencing magic energy, even experiencing "knocking on the door", and entering the "thing" stage mentioned by Thoros...

But it wasn't until now that Thales suddenly understood, and he forgot again.

Forgot the old crow's teachings and his own experience:

humble.

Yes, magic may be all-encompassing, all-encompassing, seemingly boundless, and fascinating.

But the power of the end...

According to Ricky, it's far more focused and simpler than magic.

Because it is the warrior himself.

Thales pondered.

Ricky's words continued, one sentence more severe than the other.

"In other words, Thales, your crime of Hell River is a true portrayal of yourself."

"I only know the imitation of adapting to the situation, but I can't find the unshakable self."

However, Ricky's next words pierced his heart like a long sword:

"This is your final power, and it is you who you are now: being forced forward, being dragged forward, without a goal, without a direction, swaying from side to side, drifting with the flow, and even..."

At that moment, Ricky stared angrily, as if he wanted to see through Thales' soul:

"No ego."

Thales was stunned.

He also found it interesting when he watched Ricky rely on the observation of the power of the end to speculate on the characteristics of Barney Jr., Thackel, and even Nicolai.

But when it was his turn...

Thales took a deep breath.

If his sin of Hell River is his own.

The young man lowered his head in bewilderment.

No goal, no direction?

Swing from side to side, go with the flow?

There is no... ego.

Ricky didn't notice Thales' abnormal state, but the boy was in a daze, and could only hear his own breathing for a while.

He's always been like this...

Until Ricky spoke again, the stern tone brought Thales, who seemed to have been thoroughly blown in the cold wind, back to reality:

"The omnipotent final power? Imitation? No, it's far less beautiful than you imagined."

"If you're not me, if you don't know my character, if I'm aggressive or cautious, if I like to stab or chop, if you don't know my habits when defending against enemies, if you don't know the strength of my sword, I don’t know which muscles I used to draw the sword, I don’t know the situation and history of my past battles, I don’t know the life and past I have experienced, I don’t know why I formed such a final force..."

Ricky's eyes became more and more terrifying, as if he was looking at the unbearable shame, as if Thales had committed a heinous crime:

"Then, you won't be able to imitate the most important and most essential of my power of end, those things that make it 'so' to me."

Thales, who had just been thinking about a certain sentence, could only listen quietly.

"If you haven't experienced the life of a punishment knight, you can't just get Sack El's multitasking but ignore the terrible burden he bears every moment. If you haven't seen Barney's world, you can't do it either Only enjoy Barney's horrific lethality and ignore the tragic price of his failure."

Ricky snorted coldly, reprimanded mercilessly:

"No matter how exquisite the imitation of the sin of Hell River is, its products can only be inferior products, nondescript dross."

Inferior...

nondescript...

At that moment, Thales looked into Ricky's eyes, and suddenly felt that his long-established impression of the power of termination, and his complacency and pride in the crime of Hell, were all shattered and shattered at this moment.

No, maybe not just the End Force.

besides……

Thales clenched his fist subconsciously and gritted his teeth.

he himself.

Ricky looked at the slightly depressed Thales, and shook his head slightly:

"More importantly, when you rely on imitation but ignore these things, it is equal to the final power you have condensed with your life for others, for each of your imitation objects, for each of your rivals, and even for you. I myself lack the most basic things..."

At that second, Ricky corrected his posture, his eyes were extremely serious:

"respect."

Lack of... respect?

Thales was taken aback by his attitude.

But the boy couldn't help but start thinking at the same time: Black Sword, the imitation and duplication he taught himself for six years, the so-called "universal power of end"...

Could it be...

Not a good thing?

Ricky's tone can almost freeze the entire dungeon:

"You're not imitating at all, you're plagiarizing."

"For a plagiarist, the sword in his hand or in his heart will never be his own. The counterfeit you imitate is just the skin, and will forever lack the most important core."

"You can never become those great warriors who have internalized the power of the end in their lives."

After Ricky finished talking about him, he stared at Thales motionlessly.

Waiting for his response.

Thales didn't speak.

He didn't know how to respond.

It wasn't until several seconds later that the boy exhaled with difficulty and asked:

"So, the so-called 'omnipotent ending power' of the crime of prison river is actually nonsense?"

Ricky snorted coldly.

"No." He leaned forward and gently raised his index finger to Thales: "That statement is correct."

"But your approach is wrong."

Under Thales' confused and puzzled eyes, Ricky spoke softly:

"The point of imitation is to understand."

"Understand your opponent."

understand?

Thales blinked.

Ricky looked around and raised the corner of his mouth slightly.

"I don't know Barney, I don't know Sackel, I don't know your confused friend."

"But I can understand them on another level by feeling their finishing power."

Another level?

Thales thought hard.

The eyes of the leader of the Disaster Sword flashed:

"For example, through analysis and speculation, I can know..."

"Facing Barney, I may not be able to resolutely fight the sword that he risked his life to attack, but must use other factors on the side to delay, disrupt, and frustrate his attack until I finally defeat him."

"Facing Sackel, I can't compare with him in the perfect overall consideration. I can't even hesitate or think too much, but I have to concentrate on my strongest point to break the surface. The power of battle."

While talking, Ricky suddenly froze.

Thales, who listened humbly, showed doubts.

"So that's it, ha," Ricky suddenly thumped his palm lightly. He looked in the direction of little Barney and Sack El, as if he understood something:

"Barney will probably be a good matchup against Sack El."

Ricky let go of his excitement and turned around:

"As for your confused friend, my best choice is not to confront him head-on, not to fight him in rounds, not to prolong time with him, not to give him the opportunity to deceive the enemy and feint to find out my weaknesses , but to cover up himself, hide his motives, and before he has time to react, he will kill the enemy with a fatal blow from behind or even in the dark."

Thales frowned.

But Ricky changed the subject immediately:

"But do you know..."

He stared at Thales meaningfully:

"You can do this better than me."

Thales thought about it.

Ricky sighed:

"My terminating power has its own characteristics, and the style of facing the enemy has become a set pattern, so that I can exert my strongest point."

"But you, Thales, your prison river crime is changing all the time. You can do more, understand more, and master more finely through so-called imitation, through short-term contact and observation. Understand your opponent faster, better, and more perfectly than I can."

Understand my... opponent?

Referring to Ricky's example, Thales chewed on the meaning of this sentence.

"The power of the end is one of the most magical powers of human beings. How many masters have gone through countless hardships to achieve such an achievement?"

Ricky seemed quite emotional.

"The imitation of Hell River's crime is not to simplify this process, on the contrary, it is to better grasp the opponent's process, and then better adjust and enhance yourself, increase your advantage in battle, and improve your response. Give a choice."

Taylor's eyes brightened:

"You mean... I don't want to copy the opponent's advantage, but to find my chance to win?"

Ricky smiled.

The surprised boy recalled the masters he "saw" through the crime of prison river:

The volcanic eruption in Arakamu's body fluctuated violently.

The colorless but resolute power that fills the whole body with the flower of the fortress.

Nikolai had erratic silver needles all over his body.

The gray color on Raphael's body.

Thales suddenly understood.

He is not trying to become them.

but to...

surpass them.

"Through the imitation ability of the sin of Hell River, you can infer his experience, characteristics, strengths and weaknesses, grasp the most essential and purest parts of their respective martial arts skills, and turn them into your advantage against the enemy, not Skip this step lazily, delusional to become them directly, copying their achievements."

Ricky tapped Thales, who had some insights, with his finger:

"Remember, the focus is on how you are, not how strong your opponent is."

"It's about gaining geometry, not how much you imitate."

"Having mastered this, you will be able to find a way out in every situation, and find a solution when dealing with every powerful enemy."

Thales was slightly shocked.

It was as if, in his mind, some thought that had been blocked for a long time was opened up.

Ricky squinted at Thales, whose eyes became clearer, and the sternness on his face gradually melted away:

"The advantage of Hell River's infinite variety is not that you can pretend to be all opponents."

"It's about allowing you to face all opponents calmly and fearlessly."

Ricky took a deep breath, looked at Thales with a different expression, and sighed softly:

"This is the real 'universal ending power'."

Thales stared firmly, nodding slightly with a serious expression.

"I see."

"but……"

Thales hesitated for a while, before asking:

"Why are you telling me this?"

Ricky stared at him without speaking for a moment.

But before Ricky can answer...

Boom!

A slight shaking came from under his feet.

Everyone's expressions changed.

Including Thales.

After a few seconds, the rumble stopped and everything was silent.

Thales looked at his feet in surprise.

This is……

Feeling the sudden lightness from the soles of his feet, Thales' face sank.

The platform... stopped.

At that moment, everyone on the platform stood up, causing a small commotion.

"Ricky,"

A few seconds later, Clay walked slowly holding a torch, and solemnly said:

"We're on the ground."

Ricky nodded and waved.

The Swords of Disaster took action one after another, ready to go.

Thales subconsciously looked around and found helplessly that he and his companions were still captives.

"why tell you?"

Ricky turned his head and stared at Thales, and said with deep meaning:

"I said, honey, you have a key..."

"It will open a door we've all been waiting for."

key?

Thales frowned:

"Has anyone ever told you that you look like a priest in a temple?"

Ricky was slightly taken aback.

But then he laughed.

"Yes, there are."

While Thales was stunned, Ricky raised his head and looked at the ceiling that was already close before he knew it, as if he saw the outside world.

Just listen to him order loudly:

"Everyone is ready, the day of release is here."

"It's time to deal with the prison of bones..."

Under the watchful eyes of all the mercenaries, Ricky's eyes turned fierce:

"Say goodbye."