Dalton's mocking laugh echoed through the room. "If you're so eager to die, I'll gladly oblige."Pierre sneered. "You're too ignorant, Matthias. With no connections in New Avalbourne, where do you get the nerve to act so boldly?"He continued, his voice dripping with disdain, "Even if you have some impressive status abroad, this is New Avalbourne. You've sealed your fate, and the Lowells will crush you like you're nothing!"Pierre held back from revealing their trump card—the Crimson Titans, the family's formidable international force. Even if Matthias had foreign backing, it would not matter.Brock bit his tongue, realizing he could not stop Dalton and the others from rushing to their doom."Elite Squad, attack!" Dalton barked. "Kill anyone who interferes!"His glance at Brock made the threat clear—If Brock insisted on protecting Matthias, he would face the consequences.As the Elite Squad charged forward, Brock stepped aside, observing silently. Dalton and his allies smirked,
The crowd's initial shock at seeing Dalton's men defeated quickly turned to excitement when he announced he would handle the situation personally. They were certain Matthias and Alpha stood no chance against a warlord.Pierre laughed. "Dalton's stepping in! Matthias, dying by a warlord's hand is more than you deserve."Another voice said, "With Mr. Archer stepping in, Matthias won't even have a chance to fight back. This is what happens when you mess with your betters!"Stuart grinned maliciously. "Matthias, you still have a chance to beg for forgiveness. Who knows? Mr. Archer might be generous enough to let you live a few moments longer.""That's right! If you all get on your knees now, Mr. Archer might show mercy. He might just cripple you instead of killing you outright!"Matthias regarded the speakers with cold disdain, and a hint of mockery flashed in his eyes.He turned to Dalton and asked contemptuously, "Are you sure about this? Once you make your move, there's no turning
"Dalton, how's this possible?" Hazel's face turned ashen, her body trembling. She could not believe her idol, her pillar of strength, had fallen.Even Dalton was in disbelief. Since joining the military, he had never tasted defeat. Yet, he had been beaten by a single kick."Warlord? What a joke!" Alpha scoffed. "If Lord Matthias hadn't held me back, I would've crushed you with one punch!""This can't be happening! I refuse to believe it!" Dalton roared, his eyes bloodshot as he glared at Matthias.The Hero's Banquet was supposed to be his moment of triumph, but he had become a laughingstock."I've buried hundreds of nobodies like you," Matthias said icily.The crowd held their breath, cold sweat running down their backs. Matthias described a warlord like Dalton as a nobody, even mentioning he had defeated hundreds of them.When did warlords become so weak?Most of the onlookers felt like they were dreaming. Young admirers who had idolized Dalton felt their faith crumbling, and
Delilah's words sparked hope in the previously dejected crowd. They realized they were in Reirmunt, New Avalbourne's capital. Matthias' disrupting the Hero's Banquet and injuring Dalton, the guest of honor, were a direct challenge to the military and the entire nation.No matter how powerful Matthias might be, he could not possibly stand against the military, let alone an entire country. Even the mightiest individual was like a speck of dust before the wrath of a nation.Pierre sneered. "Matthias, you've insulted a New Avalbourne warlord and disrespected our entire military. The million soldiers of New Avalbourne won't tolerate such audacity. Tonight, your strength means nothing. You'll die all the same!"Others joined in, laughing as they shouted one after another."That's right! A loser is still a loser. So what if you're strong? You can't escape your fate!""Call for the military patrol! Let them deal with Matthias, an obvious criminal!"Dalton stood up, his face dark with rag
The crowd eagerly piled on, exaggerating Matthias' alleged misdeeds. They were certain Russell was on their side, given that he had proposed this banquet in the first place."Enough! Silence! All of you!" Russell's unexpected outburst stunned the room into silence.Then, his gaze swept over Dalton and the others, his voice seething with anger as he said, "How dare you! Mr. Lowell is my honored guest and the most esteemed visitor to New Avalbourne."You, the so-called elite of our city, not only failed to host Mr. Lowell properly but dared to accuse him of wrongdoing? You've ruined his evening. You should be ashamed!"Russell's words hit like a thunderbolt, leaving Dalton and the others frozen in shock. They could not believe their ears when Russell said Matthias was his guest, and he even addressed Matthias so respectfully. Not only that but apparently, he was also New Avalbourne's most honored visitor.Everyone's eyes widened in shock. They had assumed Matthias was a nobody from
While Dalton wrestled with his pride and the Reilley family trembled with fear and regret, the Lowell family seethed with anger. As leaders of one of New Avalbourne's top three families, Pierre and his grandson Blake found the order to kneel before Matthias utterly unacceptable."Mr. Bridges!" Pierre shouted, his jaw clenched. "We're one of New Avalbourne's elite families. Even if we've made a mistake, we won't kneel to someone who threatens to destroy us!"Russell's face darkened. "How dare you! Do my words carry no weight? Or are you questioning me, the first commander of our military?"The Lowell family paled, whereas Pierre felt a sense of foreboding. He was surprised that his slight show of defiance had provoked such a reaction from Russell.Just who was Matthias to command such respect?"Kneel and apologize! I won't repeat myself!" Russell growled.The Reilley family, led by Stuart, reluctantly knelt before Matthias."We acknowledge our wrongdoing, and we beg for your forg
The sight of Reirmunt's most powerful families—the Lowells, Ramsays, and Reilleys—along with Dalton, a warlord, all kneeling before Matthias was utterly surreal.Their earlier arrogance had utterly transformed into humiliation.Soon, the crowd buzzed with speculation about Matthias' real identity. However, what happened next left them even more shocked.Russell strode over to Matthias and bowed deeply. "Mr. Lowell, I sincerely apologize for tonight's poor arrangements and the distress caused to you and your family!"The room instantly fell silent, everyone stunned by this scene. After all, Russell was one of New Avalbourne's most influential figures, yet he had apologized to Matthias.Whispers rippled through the crowd as they could not wrap their mind around the matter."Even Mr. Bridges is bowing and apologizing to him? Who on earth is this Matthias? How have we never heard about him before?""It's unbelievable. The city's top families are kneeling, and Mr. Bridges is apologiz
"Mr. Bridges, if you hadn't shown up, I might have thought this was all an elaborate act to embarrass Lord Matthias!" Alpha scoffed from the sidelines.As Matthias' right-hand man, he had been itching to intervene and would have done so if Matthias had not restrained him.Russell forced a smile. "Mr. A, you're such a funny man. Why would I do such a thing? What good would that do for me or New Avalbourne?"Inwardly, he was relieved that Matthias had only brought Alpha. If the other Legion of the Unbreakable commanders had been present, all of Reirmunt might have been in chaos.Alpha snorted. "I'm not joking. Mr. Bridges, before you arrived, these people were unbearably arrogant." Then, he scoffed and continued, "When we entered with our invitations, some lowlifes claimed they were stolen and that we had no right to be here."The Reilley family broke into a cold sweat, realizing Alpha's words were directed at them."We acknowledge our grave error! We were ignorant and foolish. We'