"Alright, alright. Let's put all those behind us and talk business, shall we?" Matt stepped in to smooth things over. "Dustin, let's be professional here. I'm really interested in the company's rights. Here's a million-dollar check. I'd like to buy an allocation for the rights.""A million dollars? Do you take me for a beggar?" Dustin found it ridiculous."Hey! Are you saying that a million dollars is too little? Aren't you getting greedy?" Julie protested indignantly. "Just because the Harmons' gave you a prescription formula, you think that you can flaunt your authority? You only have authority because you are affiliated with the Harmons!""Dustin, let's cut to the chase. Name your price; how much will it take for you to give me the company rights?" Matt tried his best to stay calm."No amount of money will be able to get you that. A person of your character is simply not qualified to obtain the company rights for Immortunol," Dustin flat-out rejected him."What? You're rejectin
An hour later, James burst into the Nicholson manor hurriedly. "Mom! I've got bad news! Julie's in big trouble!""Trouble? What trouble?" Florence was enjoying her tea and responded slowly."Matt just called to tell me that Julie's been sent to jail!" That was a shocking piece of news."What?" Florence sat bolt upright when she heard that. "How did that happen? Why would Julie suddenly be locked up?""Matt said that Julie went to the Harmons' to buy something called Immortunol, and she got into some sort of conflict with Dustin. Somehow, Julie ended up detained for stealing drugs," James explained."Stealing drugs? No! That's impossible! Julie might be spoiled, but she would never commit theft!" As Florence spoke, she suddenly seemed to catch an important piece of information. "Hang on, did you just say that Julie had a conflict with Dustin, which was why she got caught? Could it be possible that the worthless piece of trash pulled a dirty trick on her?""That's right! That's wha
At noon, after settling the issue with the dealer, Dustin returned to Peaceful Medical Center.However, as soon as he walked in, he realized that there was an additional person there—an 18-year-old girl with a sweet face.Her hair was tied in a ponytail, and she was dressed casually. She was cleaning the medical center, and sweat poured down her face from how hard she was working.Meanwhile, Gregory was passed out on a recliner, snoring in his sleep. He was covered in a blanket, which was rare."Mr. Rhys, you're back?" When the girl saw Dustin, she immediately stood up straight and greeted him, looking nervous."Who are you?" Dustin found the situation rather strange."I'm Caitlyn Lawler. Ms. Harmon sent me here to take care of Mr. Jones," the girl replied, nodding her head in greeting."A—are you of age?" Dustin was a little taken aback. He thought Natasha was going to send a middle-aged housekeeper, not a young teenager."I am! I'm already 18 years old!" Caitlyn nodded her he
Dustin knew that Caitlyn deeply lacked a sense of security.If he asked her not to do anything, she would feel even more lost.At that moment, his phone rang.When he picked up the phone, he heard an unfamiliar voice. "Hello, is this Mr. Rhys? I'm the new chief inspector from the investigation bureau, Aspen Cruiser.""Oh, it's you, Chief Cruiser. Is something the matter?" Dustin was surprised."Here's the deal. We just arrested a suspect named Julie Amberson. According to our investigation, she was your sister-in-law, and she's involved in the theft of Immortunol. I wanted to ask if you wanted to take her case?" Aspen asked tentatively."It's fine. This has nothing to do with her," Dustin replied.Although he didn't like Julie, he wouldn't stoop so low as to use his power for his personal revenge and send her to jail."Alright, I know what to do now. Enjoy your day, Mr. Rhys."Dustin said nothing as he hung up. Then, he took out an ancient text and began to leaf through it.I
"James, I'm giving you three seconds to apologize to Caitlyn!"Dustin slowly got to his feet, his expression dark."Apologize? Who the fuck do you think you are? As if I'm going to apologize just because you asked me to. Not to mention, isn't she just a stupid bitch? So what if I hit her? What are you doing to do about it? If you're going to keep yapping at me, I might even hit you too!" James yelled; his expression was ferocious."You dimwitted fool!" Dustin snorted humorlessly, launching a kick at James' abdomen.The latter let out a pained cry as he flew a few feet backward. His entire body was curled up into a ball as he rolled backward.At first, Florence was utterly dumbfounded. Then, her eyes flared with rage, screaming as she pounced at him, "How dare you hit my son?! You ruthless animal, I'm going to teach you a lesson!" She started to scratch and hit him, throwing out moves like it was a catfight."Get off!"Dustin's body shook, and an invisible force pushed Florence
Dustin finally let out the grievances that he had bottled up for a long time."You ... That's bullshit!" Florence did not believe it in the slightest. Her tone grew even shriller as she screamed, "As if you had the capability to help us! My daughter's achievements today are all thanks to her own excellence! It has nothing to do with you! Also, don't think you're all that. You had to rely on a woman to climb your way up to where you are today! If Ms. Harmon hadn't protected you, the Hummers would have slaughtered you long ago! So don't feel too happy now. Ms. Harmon will kick a useless gigolo like you to the curb sooner or later. And when the time comes, you'll become the public enemy!"Hearing these words, Dustin simply shook his head and laughed.Sure enough, there was no point in saying all those things. These people wouldn't believe it at all.In the Nicholson family's eyes, he had always been nothing but an incompetent average Joe.Of course, he didn't care."Alright, I don
The video on James' phone showed Dustin getting violent.First, he kicked James, then he pushed Florence aside, causing her to fall onto the floor and bang her head against the door.Finally, it ended with Dustin slapping James twice.The start and end of the video had been edited out, and there was no audio, only images.After watching it, Dahlia was frozen.She couldn't believe it before, but the video was right here; she had to believe it."Dahlia, you saw what happened, right? This is proof that he beat us! Mom is already getting old; she can't handle that piece of trash's beatings! We already went to the hospital to get checked out. The doctor said that her concussion is so severe that she might develop Alzheimer's disease! Not to mention, she even broke a few bones. She'll have trouble looking after herself in the future. Dahlia, do you still want to believe such a savage?!" James spat through gritted teeth, looking downtrodden and furious."Why? Why would he do that?" Dah
"You don't have anything else to say? I knew you were lying! Why? How did you turn out this way? Why do you have to push my boundaries over and over again? Must you keep causing trouble until we turn against each other?" Dahlia's face was full of disappointment, and she felt disheartened."It's not that I've changed, but you've never believed in me, whether it was before or now. Since you won't believe me anyway, then there's nothing to talk about. I'll figure out a way to repay you for what you did for Gregory." As soon as Dustin finished speaking, he hung up.Could things go back to the way they were before?No, it was impossible.This was his answer to her question last night."Dustin, what do you mean? Are you trying to cut ties with me? You ..." Dahlia still had more to say, but the line had already gone dead.Dustin's indifference and coldness felt like a knife in her heart.She couldn't understand why the two of them couldn't get along peacefully. Why must they hurt each
Dustin had boarded the plane back to Oakvale. His trip to Sacred Wrym Summit had been full of ups and downs. From the Combat Tournament to the invasion of the Hall of Gods, his journey had been perilous. Thankfully, the outcome was favorable. He had won the championship at the tournament, acquired three Dracan essences, and ultimately foiled the Hall of Gods' plan. In every way, the mission had been nearly flawless.After bidding farewell to his newfound allies, Dustin joined Grace on the return flight. Four of the five Dracan essences had already been gathered, leaving only one remaining. According to Grace, the last essence had been located, and the person holding it was in Oakvale. Though their identity was still unknown, she suspected it was most likely one of the three princes.With the position of heir to the throne still uncertain, the three princes were all eager to secure their power. Whoever obtained the Dracan essence would be blessed with fortune and have a higher c
The chaos of the night quickly settled.By morning, as the first light of dawn broke across the horizon, Sacred Wrym Summit had regained its usual tranquility. Yet, the bloodstains across the ground and the wreckage of buildings stood as grim reminders of the previous night's violence.The military forces summoned by Grace had already taken the Hall of Gods' prisoners into custody.Rumors spread like wildfire, fueling gossip throughout the martial world as all the major guilds watched with keen interest. After all, very few in history had ever dared to challenge Sacred Wrym Summit, and a bold invasion aimed at destroying it was nothing short of unprecedented.The outcome was clear to all who bore witness. After many years, the world had come to recognize the true terror of Arion. He was no mere mortal—he was almost a godlike figure.…Inside the Hall of Gods' headquarters in Streuqua, the core members were gathered, seated in two rows on either side of the grand hall.On the thr
After dealing with the Hall of Gods' elite fighters, Arion disappeared in a blur. When he reappeared, he was hovering above the forbidden ground of Sacred Wrym Summit.The scene at the entrance to the forbidden ground was one of utter carnage. Bodies lay strewn across the ground, and rivers of blood flowed freely. All members of the Hall of Gods, including Hank, lay motionless on the ground.Dustin and Willard, both covered in blood and exuding killing intent, had fought fiercely. After a long, grueling fight, they succeeded in defending the forbidden ground of Sacred Wrym Summit. They had thwarted the Hall of Gods' plan to destroy the Dracan force.At that instant, Dustin seemed to sense something and suddenly looked up. Through the mist and darkness, he pinpointed Arion's figure hovering above. Arion smiled faintly and nodded at Dustin before disappearing again.Crossing several mountains in mere seconds, Arion arrived above the Sacred Wrym Summit's grand hall. Below, the discipl
When the dust finally settled, Arion was the only one left standing.Bailey, Willem, Anthony, Batuul, the three elite assassins from Eskus, and several gods from the Hall of Gods were either dead or gravely injured.Willem's body had been blasted into countless pieces. Each fragment wriggled on the ground as it struggled to piece together. Batuul fared even worse. He was utterly obliterated, leaving no trace behind, not even ashes. On the contrary, Bailey and the three Eskus assassins had both their arms severed and were gravely wounded. Though Anthony's limbs were still intact, his crushed internal organs left him coughing up blood. The backlash from the demonic blade had also taken a devastating toll on his body. He now appeared decades older, his face gaunt and hollow, his hair gray. His frail frame made him look like a man standing at death's door."H-How is this possible? No… this can't be happening!" Bailey's expression was a mixture of shock and disbelief as he stared a
Arion's sudden appearance caught everyone off guard. They stared, wide-eyed and slack-jawed. What was going on? Wasn't Arion already dead? How could he be standing there in front of them? Could it be a ghost?They exchanged baffled looks, and their faces were filled with disbelief. They couldn't make sense of it. How could Arion possibly be alive? It was beyond their comprehension."You… you're not dead?" No one was more shocked than Willem. After all his effort, he had finally found the chance to bite into Arion's neck and drain every drop of his blood.He was certain Arion had died—there was no way he could have survived. But if Arion was dead, who was this person standing before them?"Everyone, calm down!" Bailey spoke up. "Arion's body is still over there. This person must be an imposter."At his words, everyone turned to look at the corpse lying nearby.Bailey was right. The body was still there, and there was no way Arion could still be alive. So, the person in front o
As the Snow Maiden attacked, Batuul's illusory Elephantine stirred into action. With a mighty roar, it charged forward and slammed into Arion. Its tusks, sharp as spears, aimed directly at his chest.Caught in the swirling snow, Arion couldn't avoid the attack and quickly invoked the Glow Incantation to shield himself. The tusks collided with the barrier in a deafening crash. The impact sent Arion flying, and the golden light surrounding him shattered like glass. Clearly, the illusory Elephantine's strength had far exceeded the Glow Incantation's limits.As Arion was tossed into the air, the three-headed, six-armed Chimera Wrath seized its moment. With six different weapons in hand, it launched a relentless assault.Arion swung his sword to block but was driven further back with each blow. With no solid footing in midair, his agility was useless against the onslaught.After several exchanges, one of the Chimera's weapons struck Arion squarely in the chest, sending him crashing to
After a prolonged battle, Anthony and the others finally realized the gravity of the situation.Arion wasn't just a sword master but also had unpredictable agility. No matter how they attacked, they couldn't even land a single hit. On top of that, his sword was a constant threat.If this deadlock continued, the situation would only worsen. So, when Bailey spoke, they knew it was time for decisive action, and there was no turning back. It was either kill or be killed.At that moment, Anthony, who had been holding back, finally decided to use his ultimate technique. He bit his finger and smeared the blood across his blade. His lips moved quickly as if whispering an incantation."Snow Maiden, arise!" As soon as the words left his mouth, he swung his sword. A white figure shot out and hovered in the air. It was a woman with fair skin and mesmerizing beauty. Her long hair cascaded like a waterfall, her dress was as white as snow, and her eyes had a sinister gleam.The moment she appe
"How many tricks does this old geezer have?"The impact of the divine talisman explosion left everyone both shocked and enraged. No one had expected that Arion would still manage to unleash such a powerful supreme divine power even after the Glow Incantation was broken and the lightning strikes failed to cause any harm.The impact of the thousands of divine talismans exploding at once was terrifying. Only the strongest fighters—Willem, Bailey, and Batuul—could withstand it. The rest of the group was severely injured. At that moment, they finally realized the terrifying strength of Dragonmarsh's strongest man."Impressive," Willem said, landing smoothly after being thrown back. His withered skin was now covered in cracks, and blood oozed from it.Most of the shockwave from the explosion had hit him directly. Despite his impressive defense, he still took some damage. However, these injuries were nothing to him. His wounds had already healed within a few seconds, as if nothing had hap
Willem's wings, black as night with a metallic sheen, erupted from his back. Fully extended, they stretched over 30 feet. With a gentle flap, a storm of wind and eerie howls swept through the air. The sheer force was intimidating to behold.His appearance had also undergone a drastic transformation. Willem's once-handsome face was now gaunt, his skin wrinkled, and his cheekbones jutted out. Fangs protruded from his mouth, and two sharp horns sprouted from his head. He had grown taller, but his body was unnaturally thin, with his ribs and sternum visible beneath his skin. From a distance, he looked like a towering, monstrous skeleton. It was an unsettling sight that sent a chill down anyone's spine.This was Willem's ultimate form. After the transformation, his speed, strength, defense, and reflexes were greatly enhanced. His thirst for blood grew even more intense, turning him into a bloodthirsty demon.The gods, who had expressed dissatisfaction moments ago, now stood paralyzed