"Alright, that's enough. Stop crying. Can't you see I'm alive and well?" Dustin patted Dahlia's back, consoling her. This was the first time they were wrapped in such a tight embrace. Dustin could not only smell the natural body scent she emanated, but he could also feel her voluptuous breasts pressing against his chest. It distracted him momentarily. "Hmph! But you almost died earlier!" Dahlia pounded on his chest again. "I had no choice. You were the one who told me to jump." Dustin put on an innocent expression. "You jumped just because I told you so? Why don't you eat shit too if I ask you?" Dahlia's tone was upset."Heh … that's too much," Dustin replied awkwardly."Eating shit is too much, but jumping down a building is not? What exactly were you thinking?" Dahlia jabbed a finger against Dustin's forehead."I was too impulsive earlier. I promise there won't be another time," Dustin admitted to his faults. He had witnessed the entire scene earlier, where Dahlia cried
"Dahlia! Did this bastard feed you a love potion? How can you believe him?" Florence was both furious and shocked. She couldn't believe her daughter had turned into such a shameful woman. She was ignoring her brother's death for the sake of a wretched man. She was even defending the killer. It was foolish behavior!"I believe him because there are indeed questionable circumstances surrounding James' death. I don't wish to unjustly accuse a good man," Dahlia explained."A good man, my fucking ass! You can tell he's a wretched person just by how obnoxious and cunning he is! I must hand him over to the authorities today!" Florence was unyielding, shouting, and ready to act. "Mom, can you calm down?" Dahlia stood in front of her mom, trying to stop her.Florence was enraged and tried to push her daughter aside. "Get out of my way!" The result was the same, as Dahlia stood her ground. In the end, the two started pushing each other. "Mom, listen to me. This situation—" Before Dahlia
Dustin's phone suddenly rang on his way back to the Flame Dragon Dojo. Abigail's voice came through on the other side of the line when he answered. Her tone was anxious as soon as she spoke. "Sir, things are not good! There's some trouble at home!""What kind of trouble?" Dustin's forehead creased slightly with worry."I'm not sure of the exact situation, but there are a lot of people outside our house and two excavators. It seems like they are going to forcibly demolish our house.""Forced demolition? That's going overboard!" Dustin's expression darkened. "Try to hold them back; I'll be there immediately.""It's no use; they're starting—!" While Abigail was speaking, she seemed to notice something and cried out, "You bastards, how dare you lay a hand on my father! I'm not going to let you off!""Abigail, don't be rash!" Dustin tried to warn her, but she had already hung up. As they were clearly in danger, Dustin didn't hesitate when he turned the car around and sped toward Cent
"Good job; you gave them a good beating!""These bullies who only pick on the weak deserve to be punished!"The onlookers, who were all Abigail's neighbors, cheered and applauded when they saw that Abigail had won. They were often bullied by the gangsters and finally felt avenged. "Abigail, you're too impulsive. You shouldn't have laid a hand on these people!" At that moment, Mr. Robinson limped forward, his face etched with worry."Why can't I? They're bullying us. Do you want me to just take this sitting down?" Abigail frowned. She thought her courageous act would earn her father's praise. She didn't expect him to reprimand her instead. "Abigail, you're too young. You don't understand how evil society is. These men have people backing them. The situation will only worsen since you beat them up." Mr. Robinson had a pained expression."So what if they have someone backing them? Do you think I'm afraid? Not to mention, if I hadn't acted, would our house still be standing here?"
Abigail was shocked by how easily he had broken the baseball bat. It was thicker than her arm, for goodness sake! And that person had just snapped it in half like it was nothing? This man must be ridiculously strong!"Is that all you've got? How dare you attack my boss when you're so weak?" One of the bodyguards sneered disdainfully and sent a kick straight to Abigail's abdomen. Abigail was sent flying into the air and landed heavily on her back, almost 10 feet away. Blood trickled down from the corners of her lips, and for a moment, she could not even get up. She was all out of internal energy, and her body was exerted beyond its limits. She had no strength left to fight back. But her gaze was still firm; it was obvious she wasn't ready to admit defeat."Oi, bitch! Don't you ever, for a single second, think that you can pull this kind of shit with me just because you practice some martial arts! I am from the Charging Tiger gang, and we have countless experts among us. Defeating a
"Hey, punk! Where did you come from? How dare you meddle with my business!" Chad glared at him. He had yet to come across someone who did not tremble at the name of the Charging Tiger gang, but here was this insolent bastard who stood up for others and went against him. Did he have a death wish? "You will pay back 10 times what the house is worth for demolishing it against their will. And whoever struck them, chop your hand yourself. If you do what I say, I'll consider letting you go," Dustin said nonchalantly."Let us go?" Chad cackled and looked at Dustin like he was an idiot. "Hey buddy, do you even know what you're saying? Go, take a look in the mirror, man! You're not a hero, and you damn sure ain't going to be saving the damsel in distress today!""Where did this impulsive lad come from? Where did he get the courage to interfere with the Charging Tiger gang? Does he have no fear?" "I applaud him for his bravery, but he must not be too bright to be doing something like that!
"Why are you getting on your knees, Mr. Robinson?" Dustin was surprised by the sudden turn of events and quickly reached out to help him up. Though Mr. Robinson was just a regular civilian, Dustin had always viewed him as an elder who deserved respect."Mr. Rhys, I know that you're trying to defend us, but while you may be able to protect us this time, you won't be here to protect us forever." Mr. Robinson continued, "Using violence against violence will never solve the problem. Why don't we all take a step back? I don't mind suffering a little unfairness in life as long as we can continue on with our lives."Dustin was rendered speechless when he heard what Mr. Robinson said. When he put himself in Mr. Robinson's shoes, he had to admit that what Mr. Robinson said made a lot of sense. Dustin might be able to help them out this once, but he wouldn't be able to be there to help them out all the time. Peasants had their way of life. Since they could not afford to offend anyone, they h
Caught off guard, Chad stood frozen in place before he could react. When the pain finally hit him, he reached up to touch his head, only to find his hand covered in blood. There was a huge wound on his head!"You—How dare you hit me?" Chad stared at Abigail in shock and anger. "You are done for! All of you are! I'll—" A hard slap from Dustin shut him up and sent him sprawling to the ground. For a moment, Chad saw stars and bled from both his nose and mouth. Even two of his teeth were knocked out of his mouth."100 slaps, was it? Fine. We can do that." Dustin grabbed a fistful of Chad's hair and lifted him off his feet. Then, a torrent of slaps rained down on Chad's face continuously. Following a series of sharp slapping sounds, Chad's face became red and swollen, and he was on the brink of losing consciousness.Shocked by Dustin's violent assault, the onlookers gaped in terror. The person who was being beaten up was the son of the leader of the Charging Tiger gang! A person whose po
"Your Highness, you mustn't speak such nonsense." Langdon put on a righteous front.He continued, "I've always prided myself on my integrity and never done anything dishonorable. I've never betrayed the prince's trust or let the people down, and I have nothing to hide.""Such lofty words," Austin scoffed. "If you have nothing to hide, why not let the enforcement team investigate?"Langdon's face tightened, and a flicker of unease crossed his eyes. After all, what official didn't have some skeletons in the closet? A full investigation would likely turn up something, no matter how small. Even if the offenses weren't serious, the damage to his reputation would be permanent.With so many officials watching, Langdon couldn't afford to back down. If he did, he would lose his standing in the political world—and his claim to integrity along with it."Go ahead and investigate." He raised his chin and said confidently, "I've lived an honest life and never engaged in anything illegal. No m
Austin sat in his chair and silently watched the royal advisors put on their pretentious act. He slowly sipped his tea as if he couldn't be bothered by their so-called accusations.His nonchalant demeanor made Langdon and the others frown. Their once-outrageous voices began to falter.They had stormed in full of righteous fury earlier, only to be met with complete apathy. What was the point of arguing when he wasn't even listening?"Are you done?" Austin finally spoke once the room had quieted down. "If not, go ahead and keep talking. Say as much as you need to until you're satisfied.""Your Highness, we're here to discuss serious matters. Your dismissive attitude is truly disappointing," Langdon said sharply."Serious matters?" Austin let out a short laugh.He went on, "You barge in here without even understanding the full picture and spewing accusations like they're facts. As far as I'm concerned, you're no different from clowns putting on a show.""You… How dare you!" Langdon
"Are you even qualified to sit while speaking to me?"Austin's words struck like the blow of a hammer. They were sharp and unrelenting, and they left no room for retort.Langdon sat frozen and was momentarily speechless. He hadn't expected a brat like Austin to have such a sharp tongue.If he admitted he had come for personal matters, he would keep his pride intact, but he would lose control of the conversation. Everything he had prepared—and all the accusations he meant to throw—would be meaningless.But if he insisted it was official business, he would have to show proper respect and offer a formal greeting. No matter how he answered, he would be conceding ground."I'll ask one more time. Are you here on official or personal matters?" Austin asked coldly."O-Official matters." Cornered, Langdon barely managed to get the words out."Well? Is this how an official conducts himself?" Austin pressed.Langdon had no choice but to rise and offer a deep bow. "Your Highness, it's an h
After a night of chaos, some of the Red Legion's members were killed, others were captured, and the entire force had been wiped out.But the fallout didn't stop there. The Prescott estate was also raided. All embezzled wealth was confiscated, and those found guilty were thrown into prison.Anyone connected to the Prescotts was placed under house arrest and subjected to rigorous investigation.And the man behind it—Warrick—had become the kingdom's most wanted fugitive.Until he was captured, Celestria remained under lockdown. Major roads were sealed off, and patrol teams scoured every corner to ensure Warrick had no way out.Austin's crackdown sparked outrage among senior officials who didn't know the full story. They voiced their dissatisfaction, with some even gathering outside the castle gates in protest. They stomped their feet in outrage, just short of openly cursing him.To them, Warrick had made great contributions to the nation. Even if he had committed crimes, he didn't d
Austin's words were calm and almost casual. Yet, they struck like thunder and echoed in the hearts of the three assistant generals of the Red Legion.If they answered Austin's questions, there might still be a slim chance of survival. But if they refused, death was the only outcome.After all, who would willingly choose death when they had worked so hard to achieve their wealth and status? Yet, pride and dignity held them back. They didn't want to be branded as traitors.Now, they were caught in a dilemma. Which was more important—their honor or their lives? It was an impossible choice."You have ten seconds left. If you don't speak, you'll lose your chance." Austin's voice was utterly devoid of emotion.His words seemed to pierce their souls, and the three Red Legion assistant generals broke into a cold sweat.As the countdown neared its end, Auron finally couldn't hold back. "Your Highness! I'll talk—I'll tell you everything."Dropping to his knees, he scrambled forward and wa
Axel swallowed hard, shock written all over his face. He had always known the Draken Guardians were formidable, but he had never expected them to be this lethal.He had pushed himself to his limit just to hold his own against Connor and Dave, only to end up seriously wounded. Yet, when the Draken Guardians arrived, they wiped them out—along with several dozen Red Legion soldiers—without losing a single man.If Axel hadn't seen it with his own eyes, he would never have believed that the Red Legion, a force renowned for its elite soldiers, could be so easily crushed. Or perhaps it wasn't that the Red Legion was weak, but that the Draken Guardians were far stronger than anyone had imagined.Even their most ordinary members were strong enough to become a mighty general. As for those at the level of captain, their strength was far beyond Axel's. The lethality of a team made up of such skilled experts had reached the point of being an overwhelming force."Mr. Cruz, please arrange some
"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