Venia roared heartbreakingly, looking like a defeated dog. "Oh? Do you have any tricks? Hurry up and don't waste time..." Pace looked at Venya with pity, looking forward to his dying struggle. However, what Pace did not expect was that Venia suddenly turned slightly and roared behind Pace: "【Iron Guard's Executioner】!! Execute that Federation man!!!" ...... 7) Blooming on the Mountaintop (Part 8) The moment Venia's order came out, the snowflakes on Wanren Mountain hovered in the air as if time had stopped, and the coldness in the air dissipated in the daylight. In this gradually quiet atmosphere, everyone's eyes instantly turned to the execution platform: "Gululu..."
The [Executioner] dragged the huge axe embedded in the ground the moment he heard Venia's order, and slowly walked towards the tree stump where Perlis was leaning. Seeing this scene, Pace glared at Venia and yelled: "You! You fucking—" "Kill her! [Executioner]! Kill her!!" Venia roared at the Executioner, his eyes bloodshot. He smiled crazily and turned his thoughts back to Pace: "Come on, Monark, kill me, and then go collect the body of that federal man, yihahahaha!!" Looking at Venia's crazy appearance, for a moment, Pace felt that he was back to that icy lake, shoulder to shoulder with Perlis. There, he chose his family and abandoned her. So many words that had never been spoken were sealed in his mouth by the cold wind blowing from the icy lake, and were swallowed up by him along with the biting chill. Pace knew that this was his only chance to kill Venia. If he turned and left, he would be seen as escaping from the "Battle of Blood and Steel", and after that, he would no longer be a Thebitman. “Venya,” the Iron Lord looked down at Venya from the platform and whispered, “Stop.” "Shut up! You old bastard!" Venia screamed like a madman, completely losing his previous pretended obedient appearance, "The Executioner is mine! The Iron Guard is mine! It's none of your business to talk nonsense!" The Iron Lord didn't say anything else. He just looked at Venia, who was going crazy after his wrist was broken, with a scrutinizing gaze, and his sculpture-like eyebrows wrinkled slightly. But Pace didn't care about all this. He seemed to be stuck at the moment before making a decision, and his black pupils seemed to be covered with a layer of fog. If I go to save Perlis... I won't be able to avenge my family... I probably won't be able to go back to Dibit... I won't be able to go back to Monarch Mansion... If you don't save Perlis...then... In a trance, Pace recalled the rainy night in the tavern. The girl in front of him raised her head with an unwilling expression: "Ok, I trust you." The red pupil contained the rain of Loton. A flash of thunder passed by, and Pace's hesitation was instantly shattered:
Things have come to this point, how could I still have any hesitation? Seeing Venia's triumphant evil smile, Pace turned around without saying a word and ran towards Perlis: "Perlis!!" In front of them was a wall made up of a giant armored array. They all stood there motionless, with no intention of moving away. Damn... I have to break through forcefully... Pace thought so and tightened the axe in his hand. However, when he was about to run to the front of the formation, a figure waved his hand: "Get out of the way! Let him pass!" It was the captain. He roughly pulled the two soldiers apart, creating an opening for Pace, and then nodded at him. Ah...Captain, I love you so much. Pace looked back with gratitude and sped up to pass through the gap. As the Executioner got closer and closer to Perlis, the black axe inlaid with rust dragged on the wooden board, making a "creaking" sound, like some ominous string music. "Stop!" Pace roared, using all his energy to drive his legs to run at high speed, "Come at me! Stop!" However, the Executioner seemed not to hear anything and continued to move towards Perlis, as if that was his only purpose. Faster, faster! Faster!! Pace ran towards the guillotine at high speed, while Perlis still leaned against the tree stump with her eyes closed, unaware of the impending death. "Little Princess!! Perlis!" Pace yelled, watching the figure dragging the giant axe getting closer and closer - No, absolutely not!! Lianna's face appeared in front of Pace. He would not allow it, he would never allow it. "Ahhhhh!!!" Pace used all his strength to tighten his legs, then he spread out the silver wings behind him and poured all the last energy of [Dome Wings] into this final leap. "Bam—" Pess leaped high into the air, raised the axe in his hand high, aimed at the moving [Executioner], and chopped it down fiercely— "clang--" The sharp axe hit the executioner's chest. Pace exerted great force and drove the axe into the chest. The sound of flesh and blood cracking could be heard from the axe tip. "Gululu..." [Executioner] The head wrapped in a black sack turned slightly towards Pace, and an unclear sound came out of the mouth. Success! Pace thought so and put all his strength into his arm. As long as he could kill him quickly, he could - "Gula!" With a strange cry, the [Executioner] swung the axe handle fiercely, hitting Pace's chest and knocking him out -
"Ah!" Pace fell to the ground in the snow, feeling a sharp pain in his spine. How... is it possible... Pace staggered to his feet. He watched the Executioner continue to move towards Perlis as if nothing had happened and had already reached in front of Perlis. Wait!! Why!? Without giving Pace any time to think, the Executioner raised the axe in his hand high and aimed it at Perlis. "Ahahaha!! Kill her!!! [Executioner]!! Kill her!" Venia's heart-wrenching laughter came from behind, but Pace didn't care anymore. He got up again and staggered towards Perlis. "don't want!!!" Pace desperately reached out his hand towards the small figure leaning against the wooden stake. He watched the huge axe raised high, but he was completely powerless to do anything. What should I do... What should I do... Is this the end? The sturdy arms were as angular and powerful as the mountains of Thebes. The eyes of the Executioner, covered by a black sack, looked down at Perlis, the white flower that was about to die under the axe. "Gurgle..." A few inhuman low tones burst out from the throat that seemed to be full of phlegm, as if mocking the damsel in distress. Everything seemed to be frozen at this moment. All the lords, soldiers, and snowflakes in the sky were staring at the axe raised high, the boy running like crazy, and the girl who had no idea that her death was approaching. In an instant, everything stopped, as if it had been frozen in a yellowed black-and-white film by a bored creator. Suddenly, a sonic boom that tore through the air broke the silence that had been frozen in time. "boom--" Under the gazes of everyone, a bullet pierced through the violent wind of Wanren Mountain and accurately hit the head of the "Executioner", causing a burst of blood. The tall body shook slightly at first, and then fell heavily to the ground. Black blood flowed out from the gap in its head, soaking the floor of the wooden execution platform. Who is it? Pace looked towards another mountain peak in the distance reflexively. In the dim white snow, a faint green light was flickering. Green light...? That is... Everyone was attracted by the sudden bullet and looked around. Some timid lords even lay on the ground, fearing that their heads would end up like the executioner. Taking advantage of the moment when they were distracted, Pace shook his head fiercely, then ran to Pearlis without caring about anything and picked her up. At the same time, a familiar roar came from behind him: "Hey! Stop standing there! Shoot!" Venia was the first to react. He immediately mobilized the investigators under his command and pointed at Pace with his left hand: "For violating the [Law of Blood and Steel], execute Pace Monarch immediately!!" The investigators belatedly raised their guns and pointed them at Pace's back. "Boom-boom-boom-"
The bullets hit Pace's outstretched silver wings, leaving a few dents on them, but did not cause any harm to Pace at all. Amidst the hail of bullets, Pace quickly ran to the edge of the cliff and stopped in the strong wind at the top of the mountain. "It's a one-way ticket, little princess." As if inspired by God, a blizzard suddenly blew up without warning, blocking Pace's sight and the shooting vision of the investigators behind him. The snowflakes turned into icicles and hit Pace's silver wings that had been tattered by bullets. [Dome Wings] had completely lost the energy and structural integrity to supply flight, and it was impossible for it to fly again. In the sweeping snowstorm, Pace lowered his head, looked tenderly at Perlis in his arms, and hugged her tighter. "Like you said, don't die, okay?" The shouts behind him, Venia's roar, and the sound of the giant armor moving forward had completely become a bit of noise under the cover of the wind and snow, and were completely unheard of by Pace. At this moment, there was only him and the girl in his arms. "Goodbye, my homeland (Thebitten)." Pace murmured in a low voice, and the Monarch Mansion appeared in front of him again. He had just taken it back...haha... The next moment, Pace leaped off the cliff holding Perlis in his arms. ...... 7) Blooming on the Mountaintop (Part 9) The wind and snow engulfed everything. The strong wind shattered countless window panels and knocked down one tree after another. This is the [land of frozen bones], this is the winter of Thebeth. The land that the ancestors had stepped on no longer had any traces of their presence. The blizzard that seemed to be able to swallow up time itself wiped out all traces of things, like a ruthless painter, splashing white paint on the graffiti-covered walls, covering everything. “Ahaha…Ah…” In the picture dyed pure white by the snowstorm, a hunched figure was moving forward with difficulty. This is...where...? Pace's vision was completely blocked by the wind and snow. Everywhere he could see was endless white. He could not see anything except the snow that was above his knees. The gust of wind that was buzzing like a knife blade almost cut his ears off, and it also made his steps forward weaker and weaker, as if he would fall into the snow in the next second. "Not yet... yet..." In the wind and snow, Pace's consciousness gradually became blurred, and the coldness on his face gradually disappeared, becoming numb. Falling from the top of the mountain was not a pleasant experience, but thanks to the [Dome Wings] that he had snatched from Ye Lina, even though he had no power to support his flight, Pace managed to glide for a distance in the air with the iron wings. When he landed, he used the steel wings to wrap himself and Perlis together, offsetting most of the damage. Jumping down from the top of a snowy mountain...ha! This can be called a legendary experience, isn't it? However, the price of falling was that [Dome Wings] completely turned into a pile of scrap metal and could no longer move. Wearing such a huge armor was a complete burden, so Pace left its broken parts in an inconspicuous snow pile under the cliff, and then carried Perlis on his back and began to move forward along the mountain road. But now it seems...I can't get out...
Even though Perlis was very light, it was like carrying a heavy weight for Pace at this moment. He had to use all his strength to move forward. The blizzard mercilessly enveloped the entire Wanren Mountain, turning it into an eternal purgatory of ice and snow. Under the cover of this harsh winter, all living beings are equal. "Ah... Damn..." Pace gradually began to lose the feeling of his knees. He knew that he would soon collapse from exhaustion. Then he and Perlis would turn into dry bones in this icy purgatory, buried forever on the Wanren Mountain. "I'm sorry... little princess..." Pace whispered, taking another step in the snow, "I really am..."