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The moment he laid eyes on Babel, Samail's chest surged with hatred, and he could hardly wait as he spoke:
"Babel, you never would have imagined this, would you? I endured the hatred of your assassination attempt for nearly twenty years!"
"How have you lived all these years? Did you ever think someone would remember you so obsessively? Or did you think that what you did would never be known?"
"Hahahaha! You filthy dog!"
"Nineteen years ago, you pretended to send members of the tribe to Mt. Damavand in search of the Eternal Oasis and Gurabad. You knew full well it was impossible, yet you did it anyway—sending batch after batch of people to their deaths. In the Corridor of the Dead, how many of our people did we lose because of you?"
"In Wadi Al-Majuj, the six of us—Uzad, Bouhanu, and Izder—were all assassinated by Azariq, whom you roped in by acknowledging him as your adopted son. Only Jebrael and I narrowly escaped and lived to this day."
"When you looked at the list of the missing, did no one in the tribe really notice? Everyone you sent out were followers of King Deshret! You used despicable means to defile the bond between King Deshret and the Goddess of Flowers, all for your unjust power!"
"Heh, but even if someone noticed, it was useless. In today's Tanit Tribe, there are probably no believers of King Deshret left, are there?"
Babel stood at the very front of the Tanit Tribe, facing Samail from afar. The elders at her side wore different expressions—Gwaffah, who regarded her as a thorn in his eye; the female elder Tafreh, who saw her as a rival; and Masseira, who did not agree with her methods…
Her authority was already unstable, and Samail's accusation seemed to shake it even further.
Yet her scheming was as deep and broad as her composure.
She let out a deep sigh and, facing suspicion behind her and furious glares ahead, spoke with remarkable tolerance:
"I understand your dissatisfaction with my arrangements. The path to the Eternal Oasis is indeed fraught with danger. I can understand your resentment toward me, but who can truly clarify those old matters now?"
"Withdraw, Samail. The desert tribes have tolerated the growth of your Thutmose Tribe to this day—haven't you realized what that implies?"
"I decided long ago to let go of the matter of you and Jebrael defecting. Many within the tribe supported this decision as well. Don't destroy your Thutmose Tribe here. Don't turn your blades against your own kin."
By muddying right and wrong and binding herself together with the tribe, no one would be able to use this matter against her in the short term. As for the future… she only needed to eliminate Samail, the living witness.
Samail neither wanted nor was able to retreat. He cursed bitterly:
"Don't turn our blades against our own kin… heh. I truly never thought I'd hear such words come out of your mouth, you wretch. Your hypocrisy makes me sick!"
"What are you supposed to be? Why should the efforts of Jebrael and me be credited to you? Isn't it because you're afraid that if you pushed us too far, we'd drag you down with us?"
"If given the chance, hehe, I have no doubt you'd wipe us out completely."
Comparing the manpower on both sides through the translucent red veil, even though they would suffer losses in a clash, it still seemed like a good choice to deal with Samail now.
So—fight.
Babel sighed again. "It seems negotiations are no longer possible."
With a few casual words, she took the initiative to cut off any chance of reconciliation.
Samail bared his teeth in a grin. "If it's war you want, I'm not afraid!"
Even though some of the other Tanit elders were at odds with Babel, with foreign enemies invading and the situation unclear, they could hardly abandon the matriarch. And so, swept along by both Babel and Samail—each intent on resolving things through force—they were dragged into battle.
In the end, Victor Wang's shield was tougher.
By the time the Tanit people realized this, it was already too late. At the gates of their own tribe, they were beaten back step by step by a force smaller than their own.
Seeing that the Thutmose people, led by Samail, had no intention of stopping, Victor Wang called out loudly to the Tanit Tribe: "Give up your futile resistance. We are here only for revenge. As long as you hand over Babel and her accomplices, we will stop."
Samail cast an unhappy glance his way. For the moment, no one from the Tanit Tribe responded, and Victor Wang could only wait.
After the battle dragged on for another two minutes and the Tanit losses continued to grow, an elder finally could no longer bear it and chose to speak:
"Samail, do you have any evidence for what you've said?"
"Ha! The evidence lies in Wadi Al-Majuj and the city of the Deceased, keeping company with yellow sand and withered bones! Babel, that wretch, sealed off the outsiders' path under the excuse of 'taboo,' forbade you from entering as well—and even if you retrieved it, so what? Whether you believe it or not depends on what's in your hearts! Be realistic—both you and I act for benefit!"
"…If we hand over Babel, will you really stop?"
"Gwaffah! Are you betraying the tribe?!" Babel cried out in panic.
"I'm doing this for the continuation of the tribe! And if what Samail says is true, then you truly deserve to die!"
"You… you're truly too foolish. You'd rather believe an outsider… Do you really think that if you hand me over, they'll obediently stop?!"
"Get one thing straight. Whether we stop or not is up to me." Victor Wang raised his hand and clenched it slightly, linking all the shields protecting the Thutmose people to the ground and pinning them in place. Then he looked at Babel. "And I always keep my word."
Babel's face turned ashen.
Samail was also displeased that his side's assault had been halted, but enduring a moment for calm seas—for someone who had endured for nineteen years, patience was hardly an issue.
As long as he could find the Golden Slumber, as long as he could obtain the power of King Deshret, he alone could sway the tide of battle, even rule the desert!
This revenge—taken as an appetizer—was quite palatable.
With such thoughts, his restless heart quickly calmed, and he reminded Victor Wang: "It's not just Babel. Everyone on this list must offer their hearts to King Deshret to earn forgiveness!"
Victor Wang took the list, saw several familiar names on it, and nodded in satisfaction.
"Which one of you is Elder Bleda?"
"I am."
An elderly man with completely white hair stepped forward.
"Elder Bleda, although this list looks fine, I don't trust Samail. Help me vet it."
"This…"
"Babel's crimes are absolutely real. She is far more vicious than she appears. You only need to judge whether the closeness of those on the list to her is appropriate."
"…All right."
A few minutes later, after Victor Wang confirmed once more that there were no issues with the list, he returned it to Samail and lifted the restraints on the Thutmose people.
What remained was the joint execution—by Thutmose and Tanit—of the judgment upon Babel and her accomplices…
After this trial came to an end, it was finally the moment when great vengeance was repaid—and Samail, too, had his heart pierced by the Wentian Sword.
"I'm sorry. I lied to you. You should also atone to Yufei, to Jebrael, and to Jeht."
"You… heh… I knew it…"
The grudges born in the Tanit Tribe, extended to Thutmose, and ultimately borne by the innocent Jebrael and Jeht finally came to an end—or rather, would never happen again.
Victor Wang spoke to the still-stunned crowd: "Continue to pursue your dreams, whether it's the Golden Slumber or the Eternal Oasis. But remember this—once you commit an unforgivable mistake, even after ten years, a hundred years, someone will return for revenge."
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