It was strange for government officials to attend the match, let alone the two deputy mayors. Caleb and Lou were caught off guard by the sudden attention on themselves. They did not expect Gareth to call them out in front of the audience. It seemed like Gareth’s men had already noticed them when they entered. Was it an exertion of dominance? Caleb took a deep breath and got up. He said, “Grandmaster Hornberg, this kind of underground deathmatch is illegal. The city council believes this match should be a friendly spar. I hope you can hold back a little.” Now that his identity was exposed, the only thing he could do was try to deter Gareth and prevent him from causing more trouble. Unfortunately, Caleb was wrong because Gareth never took him seriously. “Deputy Mayor Leed, are you begging for that useless punk?” Gareth laughed. His laughter ceased all of a sudden and he said coldly, “You two are not powerful enough to tell me what to do, tell your mayor to talk to me
Gareth openly called out to the mayor of Lilyrose and said there was no one in the city who could oppose him. He looked down not only on the mayor but also on the entire city. Unfortunately, no one had the power or the guts to challenge him with actual actions. Some of the local Lilyroseans started to root for Kaze, hoping that he could defeat Gareth. Winning the match would certainly make Lilyrose proud. However, Kaze has yet to appear. Gareth frowned. “Where is Kaze Lee?” Everyone looked around but did not spot Kaze anywhere. “Hahah! That useless bastard is afraid! He’s a no-show!” “I think he used tricks to defeat the four titans, not his own fists!” “He’s just a clown with a loud voice. When he has to fight with his fists, he chickens out!” Dakota and his fellow investors continued to mock Kaze. The Lyfe family members cackled as well. They knew about Gareth’s backup plan and that Kaze would certainly appear. Gareth was simply shouting to undermine the c
Everyone was shocked and suspicious when they heard Kaze accusing Gareth of being a liar. Syed was the first to speak up, saying, “You little bastard! How dare you call Grandmaster Hornberg a liar in front of so many people?” “Yeah! He is the grandmaster of the martial arts world, unlike you, a useless guy who does nothing good!” The other family members mocked Kaze instantly. Gareth a liar? Impossible. They would never believe Kaze. They could not believe Kaze, for if they did, their entire family would be finished. Kaze looked at Gareth, who reacted bitterly to his claims. He smiled and said, “I didn’t say he is not the grandmaster but anyone can be one if they throw enough money. If you know, you know.” The entire room was silenced once again. “Kaze Lee! Shut your mouth! Stop accusing our master!” “Believe me if I say I can beat you to death!” “You cheap ass!” Gareth’s disciples lost their cool and shouted at Kaze. Kaze simply smiled at their threats. “If y
“W-Where am I?” Darcy blinked as she tried to regain her vision. The first thing she saw was a pair of blurry figures further away, seemingly talking to each other. Her vision remained blurry and she could not get a clear look at their faces. The coldness attacked her body from the floor, giving her chills. A bad feeling rose in her heart. Darcy tried to recall what happened but her head suddenly hurt badly. She groaned in pain and could not remember exactly what happened. The last thing she remembered was going to her grandfather’s place with her parents. “Oh, the girl is up.” The two men smoking and chatting further away turned around when they heard the painful groans. The two of them were obviously foreigners and they looked hostile. One of them had a large scar on his bearded face, making him look ferocious. The man stared at Darcy viciously. After a few glances, he took the bottle of whiskey and had a few gulps. The alcohol made his face red. He loosen
Darcy was furious. Earlier when she arrived at her grandfather’s place, the whole family welcomed her and her parents with open arms, especially Deborah. Deborah apologized sincerely and even invited Darcy to have a facial treatment with her. Blood was thicker than water. Darcy’s heart grew soft. Since they were all family, she wanted to let the bygones be bygones. She accepted the invitation and went out with Deborah. Little did she know, she once again stepped into Deborah’s trap. Deborah went up to Darcy and stared at her coldly. “Darcy, how dare you say that in my face? Do you know how much I’ve been through while I was taken away? It was all because of you and that stupid husband!” Back at Mountain Dew Estate, Deborah ordered someone to drug Darcy but her evil plan backfired on her, causing her to be raped by three stinky thugs for the entire night. She tried to accuse Darcy but she was arrested. On top of that, she lost her reputation and status. The entire
Darcy went to her grandfather's place and Conan had men protecting her secretly. Even now, Conan did not receive any unusual reports. How did Darcy end up in Gareth’s possession? Kaze had a glance at Conan, who looked calm and confident, somewhat ignorant. He sighed and went into the ring. Since Darcy had gotten involved, whether the picture was false or Gareth was trying to blackmail him, Kaze would never dare to take the risk. He stepped into the ring and toned down his intense aura. He reverted to his usual demeanor but his expression remained cold. “Gareth Hornberg, you’ve crossed the line. You really went the extra mile to secure your goal. I don’t care about the result of this fight. If you want to win, I’ll let you win, but you shouldn’t have used my wife against me just so you can save face. “The consequences of making me mad are extremely severe.” Kaze stood in front of Gareth in the ring, warning him. Since the ring was quite a distance from the audience,
“Grandmaster Hornberg, is this the legendary Cotton Palm?” Looking at the grin on Kaze’s face, Gareth got furious. He further pushed his palm into Kaze’s chest. Kaze simply stood still and allowed the man to hit him. There was no way a palm strike, as soft as cotton, could hurt him. It was just slightly stronger than a tickle. However, because of the picture of Darcy being held captive, Kaze played along and took a few steps back and even feigned a painful look. “Huh!?” The scene left everyone in awe. The crowd cheered and grew tumultuous. Since Kaze crippled the four titans, they thought Kaze was able to last more than a few rounds or a dozen moves in the ring. Even if he lost then, the crowd would be more accepting of the outcome. To everyone’s surprise, Kaze could not even take one attack from Gareth. “Kaze Lee is weak! Did he really cripple the four titans?” “It’s not that Kaze Lee is weak, it’s Grandmaster Hornberg! He’s too powerful! This is how experts figh
“Still being stubborn, aren’t you? You really think you lost because you are unlucky?” Gareth turned around to the audience and said, “Is it really luck that he lost and I won?” “Hahaha!” The audience cackled. “Kaze Lee, you can’t even take one hit from the grandmaster, what are you talking about now?” “You challenged the grandmaster, beat up his disciples. If I were the grandmaster, I would have crushed you in the ring!” “The grandmaster is simply being kind for not taking your life!” “You lost the match and also the respect people have for you. Why are you still being so stubborn? What an embarrassment!” Those who sided with Gareth continued to mock Kaze. Caleb and the other Kaze’s followers reacted bitterly. They did not expect Kaze to lose so quickly. The heads of the Vikrom, Logman, and Joestar families were petrified. Their faces looked pale and their hands turned cold as if their souls left their bodies. Kaze’s loss was not only embarrassing, but it also
It took a lot of effort for Agnes to break her daughter up with Kaze. There was no way she would allow Kaze to have a second shot with Darcy. The way Agnes saw it, her daughter was the head of the Quints in the South River State and the chairwoman of Sky Ocean Corporation. Darcy was beautiful and a great catch. Kaze did not mean squat. While Agnes danced with joy, several vehicles turned up outside the villa. These cars belonged to two different parties. The first group was in fancy cars while the other group was much more discreet. Still, nobody would dismiss government vehicles. Though surprised, Darcy quickly went up to greet the people. “Chief Yaphet, Mr. Jayne, what brings you here?” The alphas of both groups were not some big VIP to Darcy’s family. However, they had control over Sky Ocean Corporation’s future. More accurately, the entities that these people worked for held the fate of Sky Ocean Corporation in their hands. Welson, a middle-ranking official in the
“No way! Madam Quint had no reason to kill Madam Dark.” There was a bustle at Villa No. 1. Despite the statement coming from the police, the crowd was skeptical that Phoenix would kill anyone. Agnes and Darcy found the truth hard to swallow. If Phoenix were behind the evil assassination, they would be wrong about Kaze. The police officer said, “We learned that the dump truck driver received 1.2 million dollars before the accident. We tracked the money to one of Phoenix’s people in Ridgesouth. “We looked into Phoenix’s phone records and discovered that she contacted the Steelclaw Guild through the dark web. “She had no idea that we have eyes on the dark web. Though we don’t know the specifics of her deal with the Steelclaw Guild, she would only have one reason to contact an assassination organization.“The Steelclaw Guild’s killer then showed up at the funeral parlor.“We are linking these two incidents, and our prime suspect is Phoenix, who is now deceased.“We didn’t de
“Kaze, do you know how unfamiliar and frightened you’re making me feel right now?“Why was the Steelclaw Guild’s killer after you? If today didn’t happen, I wouldn’t know that you had gotten yourself in deep trouble. “I don’t know what else you are hiding from me. I even wonder if you were behind Madam Dark’s car accident. “My feelings toward you have been true, but family is equally important to me. “I’m afraid that one day, you will get my parents and brother killed.” Darcy let everything out. The storm in Kaze’s eyes quelled.He grabbed a pen and signed his name before taking his copy. Kaze placed the other copy on the table before walking away. As the people in the villa watched on in shock, Agnes dropped her jaw in joy. Agnes thought that it would take a lot of talking and crying to push Darcy in the right direction. To her surprise, Darcy filed for divorce right away. Nevertheless, she was quick to complain. “You are silly, Darcy. You should have asked for V
“Oh, don’t give me that!” Agnes said without a care, “All I know is that you stood by and got Madam Quint killed. “Why can’t you think before you act, Kaze? What are you going to do when the Quints hold you responsible?“Do you think this is the end of the matter? With Madam Quint dead, the Quints would demand answers.“Here you are, saying that you weren’t trying to get us killed. “You should set my daughter free now! I demand a divorce.” Agnes clamored. “I can’t sleep well at night, thinking I have to spend another day with a snake. “The ball is in your court, Darcy. Either he stays, or I go.” Agnes was determined to force her daughter into dumping Kaze’s sorry ass. Kaze turned to Darcy. “Let’s move out, babe. We can buy another house to live in.” He looked weary for once. Kaze felt drained. There was never a moment of peace whenever he was at home. Agnes would push Darcy into getting a divorce every time Kaze showed his face. Kaze had tried addressing the iss
Kaze said indifferently, “I don’t want to talk to you about this. Just carry on living in their own world.” “What? You have nothing to say for yourself, so you shut up?” Agnes was on full steam ahead. “Why didn’t you kneel when we were on our knees? Don’t you care whether we die?“Are you wishing we were dead?” Despite the grilling, Kaze remained indifferent. Agnes took things far and pressed on. “Were you trying to egg the killer into killing Madam Quint and Joan?“You were afraid of Madam Quint’s retaliation once the word about Madam Dark and Shadow’s accident got out, so you wanted to silence her.” Sky could not stand by anymore. “That’s extreme, Mom. K-Kaze—” “Was what?” Agnes glared at him. “The killer broke Madam Quint’s fingers, fractured her leg, and killed her and Joan. It’s clear that she was triggered by Kaze. “Once or twice might be a coincidence, but we’re talking about this happening multiple times. Isn’t it a deliberate act?” Agnes was witty to make
It had only been an hour since Phoenix met her demise. Yet the Ridgesouth Quints had already come to a decision. Even Kaze had to admit that the Ridgesouth Quints were highly efficient. The Quints’ approach was simple but highly effective. With Phoenix dead, the Quint family members in the South River State were without a leader. As the situation remained unclear and loomed with potential threats, it was best to put Darcy in charge of picking up the pieces. One thing stood out when the Quints handled business. It showed the Quints prioritized their own interest above all else. The Quints were not in a rush to investigate Phoenix’s death, avenge her, or question Hector’s family. Their aim was to cut their losses and reassure the family. The Ridgesouth Quints did not even mention Phoenix’s funeral. Different from Hector’s family’s joy, the other family members were horrified. “I’m sorry to upset you before, Darcy. Please forgive us.” “We were wrong. We are terribly so
“The head honcho made a wise choice.” South talked as if the plan benefited them all. The Steelclaw Guild did not consider the risk of sending Anzu after Kaze and his loved ones. Kaze survived the assassination and proved to the Steelclaw Guild that he was worth the risk. However, what if he had died? The Steelclaw Guild would let Phoenix know that she owed them one. Either way, the Steelclaw Guild would not be losing out on anything. The Steelclaw Guild had a collaboration with Kaze, but they were not in on it together. Kaze shook his head. The Steelclaw Guild was an assassination organization for a reason. They only worked for themselves and were not worth Kaze’s trust. He said curtly, “Tell your head honcho that I don’t owe your people anything anymore. “But you owe me one.” No one else but Kaze would demand something from the Steelclaw Guild. Anyone else in Kaze’s place would swallow the bitter pill and move on. Not Kaze, though. He was not scared of the
With Anzu dead, Kaze got rid of one major problem. Since the police would tie up loose ends at the funeral parlor, Kaze and Darcy’s family were free to leave under the escort of police officers. Other Quint family members in the South River State departed alongside Kaze and Darcy’s family. These people feared for their lives. It dawned on them that they were safe with Darcy’s family, especially since the police were determined to keep Darcy’s family safe and sound before. They followed Darcy’s family, not leaving them out of their sight. Dozens of members swarmed into Villa No. 1, leaving the residence rather cramped. “It’s such a waste of space for a small family to live in a big, luxurious place.” “I guess there are perks to kissing up to the mayor.” The Quint family members, making themselves too at home, occupied the space and made snide remarks. Darcy did not possess power or influence after losing Sky Ocean Corporation. They did not care what Darcy’s family t
Like Joan, Phoenix never would have imagined that she would die in such a humiliating way. Kaze did not even move his hands. He simply said a few words and Anzu killed her. Phoenix died with her eyes wide open, but the light quickly faded. The last image reflected upon her eyes was Kaze grinning brightly with his teeth gleaming under the light. “Bastard…” That was Phoenix’s last word. In just the blink of an eye, the respected elder of the Quint family had turned into a lifeless corpse. Every other family member at the scene gasped in shock. “Die, Kaze Lee!” Anzu’s killing spree did not stop with just two deaths. She shouted at Kaze but she dashed toward Darcy. Swoosh! Kaze had anticipated this. With a swift movement, he shifted sideways to position himself in front of Anzu, blocking her. Anzu swung her arms forward, launching multiple poisoned shurikens at him. Darcy was right behind him, so Kaze dared not dodge the shurikens. It was either him or Darcy. Howe