Thales could not help but turn pale-faced.

Samel stared into the darkness of the exit and frowned slightly. “They might be a little late and need some reminding...”

Samel tightened his grip over the silver longsword in his hand, and tapped the stone tiles. The blade instantly let out a clear sound that traveled into the empty darkness beyond the exit.

*Ting... Ting... Ting...*

During that moment, Barney Junior and Beldin’s expressions changed!

“Samel?”

Samel turned his head around and snorted softly. He did not say anything. Soon, abnormal changes appeared in the room.

*Thud.* Footsteps.

The sounds of mysterious footsteps appeared from the darkness in the exit. They traveled into Thales’ ears.

They were right behind Samel.

Barney Junior instinctively took a step forward and formed a two-man formation with Beldin. They protected Thales behind them while the prince was busy being shocked and bewildered. The two guards confronted Samel, who had an odd expression on his face.

*Thud, thud, thud...*

Multiple footsteps appeared, more of them arose, and they grew from faint to loud, far to near; they were once barely distinct, but now they were clear.

Everyone became alert!

“Samel, what did you do?” Barney Junior stared at his former colleague in disbelief. But Samel only stared back at him coldly.

*Thud, thud, thud...*

In the end, a pair of desert boots appeared on top of the stone steps. The owner of those boots walked out of the darkness and continued to move down the stone steps at a leisurely pace.

“Well done, Samel.” A voice—so unfamiliar that Thales had almost forgotten but immediately remembered once he heard it—rose from above those boots. “We waited for so long that I thought you died.”

The voice was composed, but also very cold and indifferent. Samel snorted coldly and did not answer.

Barney Junior and the guards looked at each other in puzzlement, but they did not get their answer. However, they noticed that Prince Thales’ expression had suddenly become unpleasant and surprised.

‘Impossible.’

“So, all of our troubles...”

Those desert boots slowly traveled down the stone steps, and their owner’s figure was gradually revealed. The person with the composed voice continued to speak,

“Shadow Shield, Northlanders, Secret Intelligence Department, your prisoner friends, and that damn masked man... They should have already suffered considerable losses from their fight against each other, right?”

Samel nodded. He ignored the puzzled and disappointed looks from the others around him.

“Of course. The people here are all wounded. They are no longer threats.” Samel swept his gaze over his former colleagues, and he said coldly, “But Shawn did not manage to survive.”

The owner of the desert boots froze for a moment. “Ah, a pity, but we will remember him.”

Barney held his sword with one hand, and was completely on guard. Beldin guarded Thales’ side tightly, and the others went into formation with serious expressions on their faces.

But Thales was completely rooted to the spot. ‘...Impossible.’

The owner of the desert boots finally made it to the bottom of the stairs, and his entire figure was revealed under the firelight.

“No, no.” Thales stared at the person dumbly. “I personally saw you get impaled...”

The owner of the desert boots sighed slowly, as though he was a little displeased.

“Yes, yes, I know.” He sounded like a librarian who had explained the rules of a library countless times to others, but still ran into people who violated the rules on a daily basis. His words were laced with a lackadaisical tone and impatience. “You saw it with your own eyes. I died.”

At the moment the guards were surprised and bewildered, Thales stared at the person who should not appear in this place. ‘Impossible.’

“So, why don’t you take a guess, Prince Thales?” The newcomer spread his arms in a relaxed manner. With the same polite smile as before, he showed Thales his undamaged neck and chin. “Just what kind of existence in this world...”

The newcomer paused for a moment, as if he was enjoying Thales’ reaction, before he continued with a chuckle, “...would not die after he is killed, and would be reborn?”

The newcomer’s chuckles seemed to contain some form of magic, drawing out the deepest fear in Thales’ heart.

‘...would not die after he is killed, and be reborn...’ Thales turned his head stiffly to look at the man on the stone stairs. He felt as if his thoughts had halted. ‘An existence that won’t die even after it’s killed?

‘In this world, that would be... that would be...’

“By the way, thank you for helping me take care of Everlasting Truth.”

Right before Thales’ shocked gaze—his eyes were practically fixed on that man—the newcomer politely and indifferently took the silver longsword Samel handed to him.

‘It’s Ricky,’ Thales thought to himself in confusion and panic. ‘It’s him.’

This person should have died long ago under Yodel’s sword, but right then, the leader of Blood Whistle, Crassus of the Disaster Swords, and the constantly composed Ricky, stood on the stone stairs while he flashed the two lines words engraved on the blade with a streamline design.

*Thud, thud, thud...*

More footsteps appeared from above. The prisoners’ expressions changed.

Right behind Ricky, Klein, Josef, and many of the Disaster Swords who had disappeared from their sights just now walked down the wide stone stairs one after another. They were fully-equipped, and they were watching the heavily injured warriors—who had just fought continuous intense battles.

“But I do remember that you did not manage to understand the engraved words on the sword.” Ricky clicked his tongue and shook his head slowly.

As he stared at Thales, who was utterly baffled, Ricky’s eyes shone with a chilling glare. The man, who seemed to have been resurrected, recited the engraved words on the sword in a completely relaxed tone,

“We struggle endlessly. The truth never dies.”