Out of Prison

"Uh, nothing?"

The boy asked in confusion, "What's wrong?"

But this time, Ricky clearly had no intention of waiting for Tales to answer.

"Barney's Ending Power is Glacier Melt, which excels at going with the flow. But did you sense any trace of 'going with the flow' in his battle?"

Glacier Melt?

Going with the flow?

Wait.

Hearing the familiar term, Tales froze for a moment.

Glacier Melt—wasn't that the Ending Power of Sonia Satherley, the Flower of the Fortress, six years ago?

Did she and Little Barney possess the same Ending Power?

But Little Barney...

The leader of Calamity Sword turned his head of his own accord and looked toward Little Barney, who was being watched over heavily in the distance. He voiced Tales's thoughts:

"He's a ruthless man, isn't he?"

Ricky looked at Little Barney's indistinct figure with some emotion.

"Even dragging around a body like that, he still managed to seize an opening and force me into such a state."

Tales paused slightly as he recalled Barney's battle.

The Prince was filled with doubt. He simply couldn't connect the Flower of the Fortress—the Female Warrior Sonia, who had remained perfectly at ease beneath Giza's endless tentacle assault—with Little Barney, who had staked his life, carrying blood all over his body as he viciously cut down his enemies.

Ricky turned back and continued asking, "Do you understand Barney? What kind of person do you think he is?"

What kind of person was Barney?

Tales suddenly remembered the way the other man had looked when he had lost all hope and wanted to end his own life.

The boy was about to answer, but suddenly realized that he couldn't give his opponent any more information. He forcibly held his tongue.

Ricky didn't mind. He lowered his head and answered