Arthur was overcome with panic as he broke out in a sweat. Dustin was the Rhys family's Kirin and the future Prince of Theswe. The Grants had provoked someone they never should have."It's over … we're done for!" Trent fell to the ground with a thud; the color drained from his face. The elders of the Harmon family were also filled with despair, deeply regretting their actions. Nobody expected Dustin to have hidden such a terrifying background. It sent shivers down their spines. The Grant family was powerful and influential enough to have support from the Minister of War and other high-ranking officials. They were undeniably a force to be reckoned with in Balerno. But all of that was nothing compared to a colossal figure like the Prince of Theswe. They were but insignificant pawns that would never be able to put up any resistance. They stood on entirely different planes of status. As the Crown Prince, Dustin could destroy the entire Grant family if he wanted to. And the Har
Arthur was slapped so hard across the face that he almost stumbled. A handprint was visible on his cheek. But he didn't dare voice his frustration. Instead, he turned around instantly and roared at Trent and his group, "All of this is happening because of all of you! "What are you doing just standing there? Let them go!" Arthur quickly distanced himself from them to avoid being implicated. "What?" Trent and his group exchanged glances, unsure of what to do. Although they knew they kidnapped Natasha, they didn't know where she was being held. Feeling helpless, they could only look to Kate for help. "In … In the secret room. They're being held in the secret room." Kate shrunk back. In the end, she confessed with her head down. "Hurry! Save them!" Landon cried as he led a group of high-ranking officials straight to the Grant family's secret room.It was the best chance for them to make amends. Naturally, they had to perform well. "All of you better pray that Natasha is s
It was the Harmons themselves, Natasha's own family, who kidnapped her and led to Hector's death.Dustin could no longer tolerate their selfish behavior. "Dustin, we were wrong. We won't do it again. Please spare us!"We promise never to go against Natasha ever again!" Kate quickly begged for mercy when she noticed their dire situation. "What's the point of saying all these now?" Dustin replied coldly. "You've repeatedly resorted to dirty tricks and fought for power. While it was already getting out of hand, at least you hadn't crossed certain lines. "But this time, your actions have shown a complete lack of humanity! You've lost all conscience and are worse than animals. What makes you think you deserve forgiveness?""Regardless, we are still Natasha's relatives. We share the same blood. If something were to happen to us, she would surely be heartbroken. "You love her so much; you wouldn't want to see her in tears, would you?" Kate began playing the emotional card. "Re
"Hey! Stop spouting nonsense! I didn't do anything! It has nothing to do with me!" In the face of the crowd's accusations, Kate was exasperated. "I'm warning you! If you accuse me again, I'll beat all of you up!"Naturally, as the matter involved her life, she would never admit her involvement. She couldn't let herself die in vain. "Kate Harmon! Stop messing around! If you don't confess, none of us will survive!""That's right! It is your crime! Why must you push the blame onto us?"The Harmon family members grew agitated. They never expected Kate to be so shameless and unapologetic in her lies. Everyone knew that the situation was already beyond redemption. There was no saving for the mastermind behind it all. If Kate confessed to her crimes, she would at least be able to save the Harmons. However, she wasn't only unwilling to admit it; she was trying to implicate the entire family. What a malicious woman! "Kate! The evidence is as clear as day. It's not something you
Despite her shameless and disgraceful behavior, she was only concerned about her life now. She was betting on whether her father would be willing to sacrifice himself for her. "Kate Harmon! Are you even human? How could you accuse your father to clear yourself of guilt? You're worse than an animal!""That's right! Your father worked hard to raise you, yet you're framing him? It's one thing to be ungrateful, but this is too much!" "What an unfilial child! You're a monster!"The Harmons rebuked her angrily. Kate's unfilial behavior angered them. She caused this mess, yet she wanted her father to bear the blame. She had no conscience at all."Shut up! All of you shut up!" Kate was furious and yelled repeatedly. She then turned her attention back to Trent and appeared pitiful once again. "Dad, you watched me grow up. You've always been so fond of me. You certainly can't bear to see me die, right?"You're already old and have a few years left to live. But I'm still young. I h
The moment the sharp blade cut through his neck, massive amounts of blood gushed out. The next second, Trent's body fell to the ground with a loud thud. There seemed to be a serene smile on his face as if he was finally free. "Dad?" Kate was bewildered as she stood frozen in place. For a moment, she was unable to react. Trent's blood just so happened to splatter onto her face. And her already maniacal expression became even more deranged, like a demon's. "Mr. Hector!" "Trent!"The Harmons screamed, filled with a mix of grief and anger. They were Trent's close confidants and shared his glory and downfall with him. With Trent's death, they knew the Harmons would never be able to recover from this. "He's dead … The criminal is dead!" After a momentary daze, Kate was relieved. She began to scream frantically, "Dustin! Did you see that? My dad is dead! "The mastermind had paid for the crime with his life! Please, put this matter to rest now." While she was slightly sad
"Your Highness, it has nothing to do with us! "We didn’t do anything!" The Harmon family members panicked, groveling as they begged for mercy."None of you are blameless in this incident," Dustin stated coldly. "All of you betrayed the family by acting as accomplices to the mastermind. Tearing the family apart and bringing the family business to a slump ultimately led to its downfall. "How can any of you claim innocence?""We …" They had no words. The Harmons were once one of the top prominent families of Millsburg. But now, they were falling apart, heading towards their doom. They indeed bore their share of responsibility. If they hadn't joined Trent in pursuing power and wealth and hadn't started an internal strife in the family, they perhaps could have had better lives. Unfortunately, it was all too late."I won't get involved in your crimes. Natasha will deal with all of you when she regains consciousness." Without another word, he waved. "Take them all in and keep
"The stakes are alright, but why should I agree to the bet?"Dustin stated calmly, "Your life is currently in my hands. What makes you qualified to propose a bet with me?"Hearing this, Tyler gritted his teeth. Eventually, he said solemnly, "I have a piece of the treasure map, the result of my many years of relentless searching. "I am willing to stake it against my life in a bet against yours!" Tyler would never have revealed this secret if it weren't for being cornered. There were three pieces to the Harmon family's treasure map. And he happened to have gotten his hands on one of them in a fortunate coincidence, along with some insider information. It was precisely because of this that he had been scheming in secret, attempting to get his hands on the piece the Harmons had. But he never expected to land himself into such big trouble before he could get his hands on the second piece. Now, he could only gamble with the map he had. "So, it turns out that you have one piece o
"Damn it! This punk's tougher than I thought. We're in real trouble if this keeps up," Connor said, swinging his twin blades relentlessly. Every strike was aimed at Axel's vital points.But Axel was quick. He weaved in and out of reach and avoided direct confrontation. It was obvious he was just stalling for time."Sir Prescott should be far enough by now. There's no point dragging this out. Let's fall back."Sensing the futility of their efforts, Dave considered retreating. He didn't fear death, but he wasn't about to waste his life for nothing.Since Warrick had escaped, their interception mission was also completed."You guys hold him off. The rest of you, fall back with me."Connor was decisive. Realizing they weren't making any progress, he quickly ordered a retreat and left a few decoys behind to buy time.They had barely run a hundred yards when a wave of soldiers suddenly appeared at the alley's entrance. Hundreds, maybe even thousands, filled the narrow space and comple
"This punk's a real pain in the ass!"Connor glanced over his shoulder and noticed Axel was still hot on their trail.The squad he had sent to intercept Axel was completely outmaneuvered, and they couldn't get anywhere near him.To Connor's dismay, Axel kept shooting off signal flares as he pursued them. Each flare gave away their position. At this rate, it didn't matter which direction they ran—they were bound to be intercepted."Connor! Dave! Make a move and swat that damn fly," Warrick ordered decisively."If we leave, who's going to protect you?" Connor hesitated.Warrick was in bad shape. Without them guarding him, a single attack from an expert could be fatal."If you don't take out that fly, I'll be in even more danger. Get moving now!" Warrick snapped."Yes, sir!"Connor and Dave exchanged a glance before splitting up with their squads to surround Axel.They both knew what was at stake. If they didn't take Axel down quickly, their entire force would be stranded and do
"Kill them all!"At Warrick's command, the Red Legion charged without hesitation. Blades flashed as they stormed toward the elite enforcement unit.This time, nearly a thousand Red Legion soldiers arrived. With their sheer numbers, they launched a pincer attack from both flanks, leaving the enemy with no way to fend it off."Form the Shield Formation!" Axel shouted upon seeing the dire situation. His men immediately sheathed their blades and raised their shields to form a defensive line. Their pursuit had cut them off from the main force. Since they were up against an enemy ten times their size, forming a defensive line was their best option.If they could stall for even a moment, reinforcements from the castle would arrive, and the tide would turn in their favor. Once that happened, the thousand-strong Red Legion would be the ones on the defensive.After a brief charge, the two forces collided.Warrick had personally trained the Red Legion. He selected only the most loyal and
Axel had no time to hesitate. He lunged forward and grabbed the overturned Dragon-Binding Net. Then, he used every ounce of his strength to pin Warrick down again."Get over here! We have to keep him restrained."As the net strained under Warrick's sheer power, Axel let out a roar and pushed his cultivation to the limit. His veins bulged and blood pounded in his ears. He threw every last bit of strength into holding Warrick down.For now, he managed to pin Warrick down, but the elite enforcement unit on the other side wasn't faring well. Warrick thrashed wildly, sending more than a dozen men swinging through the air. Some slammed into trees, while others crashed into walls. Within moments, the Dragon-Binding Net flipped over again.Several elite enforcement units tried to rush in and help, but they barely got close before getting hit by their own airborne comrades and sent flying.Against Warrick's Divine Strength, they were utterly outmatched. The regular guards didn't stand a
If Warrick had been at his peak, Axel might have been more cautious. But with Tranqurin coursing through his vein, Warrick had barely a fraction of his usual strength left. His power was still fading, and Axel wasn't about to waste the opportunity. He had to capture Warrick while he had the chance."Get the hell out of my way!"As the enforcers closed in, Warrick let out a furious roar and slammed his massive fist into the floor.With a loud explosion, the earth shook violently. The ground within dozens of yards cracked and caved in, splitting apart like a spiderweb. A powerful shockwave tore through the air, sending dirt flying and walls shattering. The entire meeting room collapsed into ruins.The elite enforcers, caught in the blast, were flung backward like ragdolls. They crashed to the ground, disoriented and battered. Even Axel was thrown back more than ten yards.Warrick panted heavily, his face pale and drenched in sweat. Forcing his internal energy into action had only
Austin's words were strong and commanding, each one landing like a thunderclap.Warrick felt the weight of his presence. His brow furrowed for a moment, but he quickly regained his composure. He glanced at the so-called evidence on the floor, showing no sign of panic or guilt. Instead, he said indifferently, "Your Highness, these dead men were nothing more than ants. Is this really worth making such a fuss over? I doubt you haven't killed anyone before."As the old saying went, the higher one climbed, the heavier one's purse. Warrick had clawed his way up, risking his life at every step for the sake of rising above the masses. Everyone had their own desires—some sought fame, others fortune. Some were greedy for money, some for power, and others reveled in the adoration of the masses. To achieve those things, one inevitably had to engage in shady dealings. It was an unspoken rule among officials, and Warrick saw nothing wrong with it."Ants?" Austin sneered. "Without these 'ant
The ashen-faced Huxley was dragged away. With his crimes exposed, his fate was sealed. His entire family would be implicated, and their assets would be seized.Those guilty would be punished, and even those who had merely benefited from his corruption would be held accountable. To put it bluntly, Huxley's entire family was about to be annihilated.Austin issued his next order once the bloodstains were cleaned up. "Axel, it's time to bring in the mastermind."With Huxley dealt with, the next step was to confront Warrick. Unlike Huxley, Warrick wouldn't be easy to deal with. After all, he commanded a large number of troops. If backed into a corner, he could become a major threat."Understood!" Axel responded respectfully, then turned to his subordinates. "Gather more men and come with me."Warrick had earned his prestigious position through years of fierce battles. On the battlefield, he was a one-man army, a warrior capable of taking on thousands. His strength was beyond what mos
"You bastard! With all this evidence in front of you, what do you have to say for yourself?" Austin barked."Your Highness, please let me explain…" Huxley broke out in a cold sweat, his voice trembling with panic."This is a lie. Someone's trying to frame me! I've always followed the law—how could I possibly be involved in something so vile?""The evidence is right in front of you, and you're still trying to weasel out of it?" Austin shot back. "Looks like you won't confess until death is knocking at your door."He raised his hand and ordered, "Guards, throw him into Grimhold Keep. Use whatever means necessary—let's see how long he keeps up this act.""Yes, Your Highness."A squad of enforcement team members rushed in and surrounded Huxley.Cornered, Huxley finally lost his nerve. He dropped to his knees with a thud and begged, "Your Highness, I admit I made a grave mistake."His voice cracked as he continued, "I wasn't thinking clearly at the time. Please, for the sake of my y
Night had fallen. Austin sat in the meeting room, quietly reading a book as he waited for the results of the investigation.After successfully turning Percival against his allies, it was only a matter of time before they uncovered solid evidence of Warrick and Huxley's crimes.For years, the castle had turned a blind eye to their shady dealings. After all, corruption among officials was nothing new.But this time was different. The two had secretly orchestrated Jovian's murder, a direct challenge to the authority and dignity of the royal family. Such defiance couldn't be ignored. If Austin didn't set an example, others would surely follow."Your Highness!"Axel burst into the meeting room, panting heavily. He had clearly run the whole way to avoid any delay.Austin set his book aside and asked calmly, "Well? How did it go?""Your Highness, we've completely shut down all of Warrick and Huxley's illicit operations. Every hidden network they had built over the years has also been d