40 Season 1 Episode 40: Blood and Betrayals

Sweat rolled down Hannibal Bancroft's neck and forehead, his heart hammering inside his chest, burning like fire. How long has it been since he last slept? He honestly didn't know. He had lost count of how many days he had been imprisoned inside the Bouldergate Prison, a Maximum Security Prison under the control of the Royal Family.

Silence reigned within the Bouldergate Prison, where the only sounds that sounded were the footsteps of the guards passing by the cells every now and then. And in these cells, one could see prisoners locked up within.

Hannibal gripped the bars and sucked in a deep breath through his parched lips, as he clenched his hands into fists in an attempt to ride out the pain. He thought that his health had improved over the past week, but it appears that he had made the wrong assumption.

"Dammit! Why on earth is this happening to me?" He raised his cracked voice, but it simply bounced away from the walls, returning no answer. 

'You'll get used to it in time,' he remembered what his prisoner neighbour had told him, but to Hannibal, time did not seem to pass in his cell. There were no days for him to keep track of, and no nights to sleep. 

"Hannibal Bancroft, you have a visitor!" Abruptly, a cold voice called out, and the pitiful Hannibal lying on the floor opened his eyes. He then heard the sounds of the metallic door being unlocked and a familiar figure entered the cell, causing a cold light to flicker in his eyes with an intent that was as sharp as swords.

"YOU!" He shouted. Or at least, he tried to, but it came out only as a wheeze. 

"It's good to see you too, father.." Prince Blake Bancroft stood opposite to him, his hands clasped behind his back, as he stared at the pathetic state his father was in. 

The countenance of Hannibal turned extremely ugly as he shouted in anger, "What do you want now, you lowly bastard? Isn't it enough to imprison me in this cell? Isn't it enough to leave your own father in this hellhole to rot? Or do you intend to finally finish me off? Is that what you want, you bastard? Are you here to take the life of the man who brought you into this world? Is that your intention?"

Hannibal shouted out loudly and the expression on his face turned extremely ugly, as an intense killing intent gushed out from his weak and frail body. All of a sudden, several cultivators appeared around the Prince, protecting him.

This scenario caused Hannibal to tremble in fear and he fell down to the ground, coughing out blood as a result.

"Father, you shouldn't push yourself too hard. You're old and frail, and you'll only end up hurting yourself," Prince Blake Bancroft drew in a huge breath as he spoke. His gaze was as cold as ice as he continued, "And don't even think about placing the blame on me for getting double crossed by your own council. Should I remind you that it is because of your ineptitude that we're all in this mess? You've caused too much trouble, father. And now I have to deal with the consequences of your actions."

"Am i supposed to feel relieved by your statement?" Hannibal sneered as he raised his voice over the Prince's complaints. "Don't think that you're special just because you sit on the throne, dog! You'll always be a lowly slave, just like your worthless mother!"

A cold light glinted in the Prince's eyes as he stared at his father, but in the end, he simply sighed. 

"Insulting your future King, your crime should be worthy of death..." The Prince went silent for a moment before he continued in an icy voice. "But I'm not going to execute you. No, I'm going to make sure you live through the rest of your life, rotting inside this cell, all while you witness the glory brought about by your 'dog' son. I'm going to make sure that you feel the same misery that my mother felt, right up until the light leaves your eyes."

He turned then and, leaving the cell door wide open, said to the cultivators by his side, "Break his legs, but don't kill him. And make it as painful as possible."

Then, with his back facing Hannibal, the Prince walked back in the direction he came from, while loud screams could be heard coming from behind him.

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Invisible Sword Technique!

A terrifying blade strike blasted forwards, as Claude executed the Invisible Sword Technique, and Nathan Archer took a step forward in response to his attack. 

Claude narrowed his eyes. Usually, moving forward is always better than moving back, as it unsettles your opponent, confusing him as to why he wasn't retreating. It was a simple tactic, yet it was an effective one to mess with your enemy's focus. 

'I knew it! He isn't like the other students,' Claude thought to himself. For him to make such a risky move at a close distance… He definitely wasn't normal!

Whoosh! 

He raised his right hand, and in an instant a blue sword appeared in his hand, as a cold light gleamed forth, circling around the arena.

Claude's face abruptly darkened. The cold aura that his sword emanated wasn't something an average sword technique could compare to. 

However, Claude wasn't normal either!

Clack!

As soon as the two swords collided, a fierce and piercing sound was issued. Claude immediately planted his legs firmly on the ground right before the fierce after-effect of this collision, reducing its impact on his body, and using the Floating Footsteps technique, he went for him once again, with a long, fast, skipping stride.

Nathan Archer, who was pushed back by the after effects of the collision, watched his opponent fast approaching and, his back arching a little, utilised his footwork technique once again to move back.

Not this time!

Claude was keeping an eye on Nathan's body language, his hips and his waist. He waited for the first small sign of imminent action, and in the space of a split second, he caught the motion. 

Smack!

As his right leg took a step back, causing his knee to rise an inch, Claude immediately swung his left leg and struck his knees, exploiting his own momentum and forcing the backwards motion to be way faster than Nathan intended it to be.

Nathan, who lost his balance, decided to switch from an offensive mode to a defensive mode out of panic, but this turned out to be a weakness. Recalibrating your attack mid-way requires time, which he currently didn't have.

Star Fury Palm Strike!

Claude swung his palm immediately without wasting any time, striking him right on his chest, in and out real fast, and a cold gleam flashed through the air, as Nathan was capulated through the air before slamming onto the ground.

Nathan involuntarily screamed as he clenched his hands in shame. Gritting his teeth, he glared upwards, but Claude had already appeared in front of him, and from his hands rose countless light gleams as he blasted forth with the Astral Wing Blade.

Nathan changed his direction instantly, as he rolled to the side and raised his arm, striking out with his own palm strike techniques. 

However, his opponent was Claude! As the sound of the two attacks colliding echoed, Claude slid around him, and implementing the Invisible Sword Technique, he swung his blade at an extremely close distance, aiming for his midsection!