"Captain..... Thank you." The men in the out said in unison while looking at Belbooza as if he were a God.

Even though their teeth were all dyed red from all the blood that had been pouring out of their mouths continuously, they still smiled broadly at Belbooza with sincerity.

From today on, this man was their lifesaver!

'Captain!

You're such a good man.' They thought.

On the other hand, Belbooza still maintained his ice-cold looks while scanning through the cave briefly.

"Hmmm...

As I said, we'll give you all the help you need... So there's no need to thank me.

You all have fought bravely, so how can I not do so?

It is only because you all have been good men, that I've decided to make this as quick as possible and painless too.

Archers!... Come forward now!"

"_"

Silence once again filled up the cave.

The men in the out quivered from fear and rage when the looked at their Captain.

What good guy?

This man was definitely the devil's son alright?

They trembled and struggled to beg for their lives once more.

But of course, it all fell on deaf ears.

and before they knew it, several arrows were sent flying their way.

'Thup! Thup! Thup! Thup! Thup! Thup!'

The arrows had all aimed straight for their vital points.... and soon, they lost their consciousness.

They were dead.

Indeed, the whole process was swift and painless just as promised.

Those who had seen the scene, took in large gulps of saliva .... as they felt their hairs stand from fear and shock.

'Gulp!'

Their Captain was really a brutal man.

Belbooza, who didn't care what the men thought of him.... calmly turned around to face the frightened group.

"Let this be a lesson to you all.

Rather than running around stupidly, talking or bragging about your skills, I expect you all to pay attention to your surroundings.

Because if this repeats itself, just know that we won't use or waste any of our precious time in saving any of you!

Now..... You! You! You! You! And you!

Carefully step down into the pit and use their bodies to get to the other end.

I expect this job to be done in not less than 3 minutes, or I'll shoot you 5 dead!

Now, get to the other side, and let down that iron bridge now!!"

"Yes, Captain!"

.

For fear of their lives, the men quickly threw out any pity or sympathy that they had towards their dead comrades..... and hastily did as they were told.

And within a few minutes, the bridge was finally lowered from above.

'Bam!'

Alright everyone, cross over now.

We have to catch up to the enemy fast!"

'Din! Din! Din! Din! Din! Din! Din! Din!'

And so just like that, the men continuously tried their best to avoid all traps along their journey.

This time, everyone was more cautious than ever... even though they still lost a few more men every time that they come fell into a new trap.

And at the end of the tunnel, they even met Captain Zion from the enemy base... who gave them a hard time before finally falling to his death.

Of course, Connor's men in the other cave also experienced similar situations as well.

Connor passed through the cave while looking at all his fallen men in calmly.

What he hated most was losing manpower.

He needed manpower if he ever wanted to bet Eli or even attempt an assassination attack on Alec.

He was clearer than anyone else about his strength, and knew that these 2 men had more resources and manpower than he did.

So on another day, he would've pushed all the blame of him losing his manpower to someone else.

But at this moment, he wasn't angry at all.

How could he?

For sure, after dealing with this cousin if his.... wouldn't his manpower increase substantially?

He grinned and rode his horse majestically across the cave.

Both parties quickly passed through their perspective caves and were immediately greeted by a massive estate a tad bit far from the cave's exit/entrance.

Eli and Connor smirked, as they both watched their men charge straight for the base.

Soon, they would real their rewards!

.

Of course while the duo were independently thinking of their victory, back at the base.... several men hurriedly made their way towards the main building at the back of the base.

"Young master!

Word just got un that both groups of men have already exited the caves.

As of now, we have successfully sent out the queen mother, father king, and royal uncles and many more guards through the secret tunnel below."

"Good!

And how many of our men have escaped?"

"Young master, only about 6/10 have managed to make it out."

"Hm... we need to buy more time."

"We do.

But Young Master, I beg of you..... please leave now.

You are our leader and the hope of everyone he, so let us handle matters here while you escape."

"No!

I will buy more time for everyone to escape.

Eh, you should know that there's a high possibility that the enemy might want to torture me before killing me.

So if that's the case, then you'll have a better chance of regrouping and coming back for me later on."

"Then what happens if they decide to kill you on the spot instead?"

"Then I die!"

"_"

William's aides anxiously and helplessly looked at his determined eyes... and finally came to the conclusion that nothing would change his mind on this matter.

They had been trying to convince him for a while now, and he still hasn't budged ever since.

Sigh... Their young master sure was stubborn.

William on the other hand, quickly took out a pen and a piece of paper and wrote as fast as he could.

"Here!

If I don't make it, make sure that this letter gets into my cousin's hands.

Only he can take care of you all, and become the ruler of Arcadina.

So follow him loyally.

Is that understood?"

"Y....Yes, young master!" The aides said in unison while trying to hold back their tears.

They had volunteered to fight alongside their young master till death... but who would've known that he would deny them even that privilege by entrusting his family and this letter to them?

William looked at their departing figures and couldn't help but look outside his window for a bit.

Even though the night was cold and looked somewhat deserted, William still felt like it was indeed a good day to die.

Right!

It was time for him to buy more time for the men.