"What did you say? You want to be my wife?" Gideon was a bit stunned, but immediately, his face clouded over.He felt like Simon had tricked him. That old man wanted to make him the Avila family's son-in-law. Was he asking to be taught a lesson?Meanwhile, Rachel was completely serious. She thought to herself that if marrying Gideon would solve the Avila family's crisis, then she was willing to make the sacrifice.Besides, she didn't think Gideon was as ordinary as he appeared. She knew how shrewd Simon was. If Simon valued Gideon enough to want her to marry him, it meant Gideon had some hidden power."Have you thought it over, Gideon? As long as you're fine with it, we can get our marriage certificate right now. I consider myself decent enough to be worthy of you," Rachel said earnestly.Amused, Gideon shook his head. "You're indeed beautiful and very capable, but unfortunately, I'm already married.""You're married?"Rachel was surprised. Did Simon know Gideon was married? And
"I'm telling the truth!" Gideon declared."You still refuse to admit it, huh?" Marion rebuked in outrage. If not for Arnold holding her back, she would've slapped Gideon already."Who the hell do you think you are, Gideon? How dare you doubt Matthew? Apologize to him at once!" Elara demanded in fury.Despite being generally cool-headed, Gideon couldn't help but feel angry. Snorting, he shot back, "You're believing everything he says? You foolishly believe he received Rachel's recognition just because he says so? "Where's the evidence? Have him call Rachel up right now."Matthew's heart thumped nervously.However, Marion said in distaste, "You disgust me, Gideon. You're just stubbornly refusing to admit you're wrong. Since that's the case, Matthew, call Ms. Avila right now and prove it to him!"Matthew wanted to cry. He dared not call Rachel, of course—he'd be on cloud nine if he even managed to get her number!"Make the call, Matthew, so that we can shut him up and stop him fr
Their mockery made Elara turn red, and she grew even more disgusted with Gideon.He was useless, but he still behaved so arrogantly! What an embarrassment he was!Elara was already regretting bringing Gideon along.Matthew laughed and said, "Since Mr. Snow here insists that someone will come to pick him up, let him be. We need to hurry because the visit to Beaker Island has a time limit."Everyone scurried off.Just as Gideon was about to make a phone call, it hit him—there was no one at the villa!Leopold had previously offered to arrange some household staff for him, but Gideon had declined. Now, there was really no one who could come to pick him up.Gideon cursed under his breath. He'd dug this hole for himself, so he had to see it through, no matter what.He called Leopold, and 15 minutes later, Leopold drove up in a rush."Get in the car, sir!""Sorry for troubling you," Gideon said."Please don't say that. It's my honor! Sir, why don't I arrange a few beautiful maids f
"Gideon!" Elara screamed.Everyone, including Matthew, Lavinia, Benny, and Derek, was all stunned."What are you doing here?" Elara and Lavinia questioned in unison.The two women exchanged glances before asking each other, "You know him?"Elara replied, "Ms. Mosley, Gideon is… my husband, but only in name!""Your husband?" Lavinia was filled with doubt.Wasn't Gideon supposed to be unmarried? Why did he have a wife now?Elara asked, "Ms. Mosley, do you know him?"Lavinia thought for a moment. Not wanting Gideon to use her name to deceive others, she shook her head. "No. I don't know him."Elara breathed a sigh of relief."Gideon, what are you doing here? Ms. Mosley said this residence belongs to Mr. Zeller, the King of Battle! How dare you sneak in here? Do you have a death wish?" Elara angrily scolded him.Matthew and the others also erupted with righteous indignation, shouting, "Gideon, how dare you break into Mr. Zeller's house? Are you insane? You're done for!"Everyon
"Come in. The door's unlocked."Dominic trembled slightly before carefully opening the door. As soon as he stepped into the villa, he spotted Gideon, who was sitting on the couch."Sir!"Dominic rushed over and gave a low bow of respect.If Lavinia, Elara, and the others had seen this, their jaws would've dropped.Glancing over at Dominic, Gideon asked, "Didn't you give this villa to me? Why did you come back? Have you changed your mind and decided to take it back?"Dominic shook his head fervently. "No, of course not, sir. You've misunderstood me. I came here to see you.""What for?""I'd like to head to Oasis Vale. I hope you can fulfill my request," Dominic beseeched with a solemn expression.Chuckling, Gideon asked, "Why do you want to head to Oasis Vale? You're good friends with Hercule, right? Do you want to visit him?""I'd like to move into Oasis Vale and train," Dominic replied.Gideon was startled. Dominic wanted to train at Oasis Vale? Did he get hit on the head
Marion explained, "For some reason, Mr. Duran's people said we stole some of their business. They want us to apologize and make up for it.""Mom, Dad, we can't afford to offend Mr. Duran. Let's just apologize and compensate for it," Elara said grimly.Smiling bitterly, Arnold said, "Mr. Duran wants us to compensate him with ten million dollars. Where can we get that kind of money?""What? Ten million dollars? He might as well rob a bank!" Elara exclaimed in anger.Just then, she turned to Matthew and pleaded, "Matthew, can you help us?""That's right, Matthew," Marion chimed in. "You and Elara are the best of friends. Do help us. You can lend us ten million dollars first."Matthew's lips twitched. As it was, the Carters were in urgent need of money. He'd managed to gather a little over 20 million dollars by lying that Rachel thought highly of him, but he wasn't going to lend that money to anyone!That being said, he couldn't possibly reject the Seymours outright, so he assured
The slap left Matthew rather dazed.Marion and Elara exchanged looks. They realized that even Nino's subordinate showed no respect for the Carters, let alone Nino himself. Shawn had gone so far as to hit Matthew without hesitation, too.Clutching his face, Matthew got back on his feet. Sensing the strange looks in the women's eyes, he felt humiliated, but he dared not say anything.After seeing that even Matthew couldn't do anything about it, Arnold knew there was no use in saying anything else. With great bitterness, he said, "I'll pay ten million dollars in compensation. Please tell Mr. Duran to give me three days to gather the money.""Three days? That's too long. You're not even getting an hour, let alone three days," Shawn retorted."What do you want, then?" Arnold fumed. "We're a modest family with a small company, and business hasn't been going too well. I can't fork out ten million dollars in cash right away. If you insist on being unreasonable, I'll have no choice but to
"I'll go!"It seemed to have taken every bit of Elara's strength to get those words out. She felt weak and wobbly on her feet, as if she could fall at any minute."How wise of you, Ms. Seymour," Shawn remarked with a grin. "Excellent. Come with me, please.""Ella!"Arnold and Marion were extremely agitated. They wanted to rush up to Elara and pull her back, but the men stopped them. All they could do was watch as Elara got into the car.Overwhelmed by his anger and sorrow, Arnold spat out the blood and fainted. Marion was so terrified that she didn't know what to do. Too beside herself to even call 911, she simply clutched Arnold and sobbed."Dad! Mom!"At some point, Gideon came back and was shocked by this sight. He quickly checked on Arnold and used some medical techniques to stabilize his condition.Slowly, Arnold regained consciousness, coughing as he did."Arnie!" Marion was overjoyed. "You're finally awake. You scared me half to death!""Ella…"Arnold had a dead loo
Maximus felt like crying but had no tears left."Alright. I've put it away. You can get up now," Gideon said. He tucked the Imperial Token into his coat and patted Maximus on the shoulder. Then, he added, "Mr. Cook, you've worked hard. You're busy, so I'll take my leave.""Marshal Snow, take care."Maximus nodded repeatedly, only relaxing once Gideon left Imperial Palace. He wiped the cold sweat off his brow, his mind still in a whirlwind."His Majesty actually gave Gideon the Imperial Token. This is a one-of-a-kind thing. That means Gideon is essentially His Majesty's representative. Holy shit…"Maximus was a bit shaken by the weight of it. He dared not speak of this, nor reveal it to anyone, for fear of angering Chase.…After Gideon left Imperial Palace, he returned to the hotel and immediately began studying the Five Emperors Warlord Fist, paying no attention to Elara.In fact, Elara wasn't even in the room. After Gideon left for the palace, Elara, bored out of her mind
Gideon was floored when he heard that he had to gather nine different types of heavenly flames to evolve the Solar Divine Physique. Was that even possible?Then, a memory clicked. Back in the Spirale Clan's city, when he faced off against Pope of Light, he had summoned a white flame called Light's Fire.At the time, Gideon could feel that his Solar Titan Physique core had reacted, like it was hungry for that flame.Now, what Logan said suddenly made perfect sense."Collecting nine different heavenly flames? That's no walk in the park. It's damn near impossible. But if your fate's strong enough, and you manage it, you'll unlock the full Solar Divine Physique. "Once that happens, your control over your own power will be absolute. No outside force could mess with you," Logan said. "Thank you, sir," Gideon said, truly grateful. He gave a deep nod of respect.Logan just went right back to snoring.Gideon didn't waste any more time. He turned, pushed open the door to the old est
"The promise I made to teach you the art of the Triarchs' Codex still stands," Chase said. He continued, "But I warn you that it won't be easy. Morgan has already drafted the royal decree. Tomorrow, I'll announce your appointment publicly. You'll be granted the title of High Marshal. "You'll be independent of court control and are allowed to enter and exit Imperial Palace freely."Then, Chase added, "You will also receive the Imperial Token. With it, you carry my authority. Show it, and it will be as though I stand before them."As soon as the words left his mouth, a token the size of a palm flew through the air, landing in Gideon's hand. It was heavy, black-gold in color, and radiated a supreme energy. Gideon was stunned. Holding the Imperial Token was as good as standing in for Chase himself. It was essentially a free pass to act with full authority in Dasovia. No one outranked it except Chase.Simply put, Gideon now stood just beneath the King of Dasovia and above everyon
Chase's voice echoed like thunder, shaking the very air.It crashed into Gideon's mind like a celestial thunderclap. His ears rang, his vision blurred, and for a moment, he almost dropped to his knees on reflex.But in the next second, he snapped back to awareness, scalp tingling.Chase was clearly trying to put him in his place.For a citizen of Dasovia, kneeling before the King was tradition—absolute, unshakable, and beyond challenge. There was no flaw in the logic. So, how the hell was he supposed to counter that?Chase didn't rush Gideon for an answer. He simply sat on the throne, calm and composed, silently watching him.The palace was dead silent.Gideon's mind raced. But when he finally spoke, his voice was steady—neither arrogant nor meek. "As a citizen of Dasovia, it is right for me to pay my respects. But I am also the king of the champions—the ruler among rulers. Such a title forbids me from kneeling.""That's not convincing enough," Chase said calmly, shaking his he
That evening, Gideon and Elara arrived in Drammore. They checked into a luxury suite at Cherron Hotel. Gideon turned to her and said, "Do whatever you want. I'm heading to Imperial Palace to meet the King of Dasovia.""Imperial Palace? Sounds exciting! Can I come with you?" Elara asked.Gideon shot her a look and rolled his eyes. "What do you think?"He didn't bother waiting for her. She was a grown woman, and he wasn't about to play babysitter. Without another word, he left the hotel and made his way toward the palace under the cover of night.He'd expected to be stopped at the gates, maybe go through a whole mess of formalities. But surprisingly, a seventh-tier transcendent was already waiting for him outside the main gate."Greetings, Mr. Snow. I am Maximus Cook, Commander of the Imperial Guard. His Majesty ordered me to await your arrival," Maximus greeted."Appreciate it, Mr. Cook." Gideon replied."Please, follow me." Maximus was respectful and led the way through the pa
Arnold and Marion stared at each other, wide-eyed. Elara caused a massive hole in the roof. Was she really their daughter?"Mom? Dad? What's wrong?" Elara asked. Their thoughts snapped back. Looking down and seeing Elara's innocent face staring up at them, neither of them knew what to say. Or maybe… they just didn't dare ask."N-Nothing," Arnold stammered. "We've got another big villa. You and Mom can stay there. I'll stay here and get someone to fix this place.""No need. I'll just stay at Beaker Island. When this place is fixed, just give me a call.""Beaker Island?" Arnold repeated, stunned.That place was strictly off-limits in Goldspire—a restricted zone, officially sealed off. Rumor had it some top-tier figure lived there. Even Caius wouldn't dare step foot on the island without permission.And Elara was just casually… moving in?He opened his mouth to ask more, but Elara was already gone. The next second, Marion suddenly jumped up, eyes shining with excitement. "Arnie
"What?" Arnold and Marion were visibly shaken.Gideon then calmly said, "Don't panic. It might just be temporary. Besides, you're her parents—there are plenty of ways to help her believe. Old photos, everyday memories… stuff only family would know. That kind of proof can go a long way.""Yeah. You're right." Marion rushed to the bedroom and came back with a thick photo album. She grabbed Elara's hand, her voice trembling with hope."Ella, look. This is you from the day you were born all the way up until now. Your dad and I documented every stage of your life. Every little change is all right here. Look…"This was the day you were born—so adorable… This was your first birthday party… Here's your first steps… Your first day of kindergarten… And this one…"Marion walked Elara through the photos one by one.Elara's cold expression slowly softened, and the tension in her eyes began to fade.Gideon didn't rush to leave. He stood quietly to the side, watching and listening. Deep down,
Elara began questioning herself, who she really was and where she was.She sat there, looking totally lost. Her eyes scanned the room before landing on Gideon and Umbra. In an instant, her presence shifted—sharp and defensive."Who the hell are you two?""Do you not recognize me?" Gideon asked, surprised.Elara's expression turned cold. She kept her distance, completely on guard. "Why would I know you? Who are you? What am I doing in this place?"Gideon's brows furrowed.Last time she woke up with amnesia, at least she still remembered him and even thought he was her husband. But now?He glanced over at Umbra. Did she scramble Elara's brain or something?Umbra looked just as unsure. "Elara, you don't need to be afraid. Just think of us as friends. You were in a deep coma. We're the ones who brought you back."Elara narrowed her eyes, scanning both of them skeptically. She didn't fully trust them, but a part of her was curious. "You guys know who I am?""You don't remember?"
Who knew what Arnold and Marion would be feeling at that moment?"I want to try again," Umbra said firmly.Gideon suggested, "Don't you think you're rushing it? Take it easy. Don't let something go wrong."But Umbra was dead set. "Elara's sense is actively fighting to break free. If we stop now, it'll set her back. We've got to push through while the momentum's still there."She continued, "Gideon, if her energy flares up again, don't jump in right away. As long as neither of us is in mortal danger, let me keep going."Seeing how determined she was, Gideon knew there was no point arguing. He gave her a solemn nod. "Go for it. I've got your back.""Thanks."Umbra closed her eyes again.15 minutes later, she was back in peak condition. Then, the second round of the awakening began.…Back in the dark space, Elara noticed the strange sound was gone. The pounding from the outside had stopped, too. Disappointment hit her hard."Am I really going to be stuck here forever?" she