After Gideon left, Marion brought Arnold to Prestige Hospital for treatment. Although he was bleeding profusely, his injuries were mostly superficial, so he was fine. They were most worried about Elara, but despite crying their hearts out, they couldn't do anything."Dad! Mom!"When they abruptly heard the familiar voice calling out to them from the doorway, they looked up and were instantly stupefied.Elara flew into Marion's arms and started wailing.Back at Monarchy Club, she'd been stricken with terror. After managing to escape, she was too panicked to think of anything else. Now that she was at the hospital with her parents, she could finally vent her emotions.Marion was shocked and thrilled. "Ella! I'm so glad you're okay!"Arnold looked a little more alive, too.After a while, Elara finally stopped crying. Only then did Arnold ask, "How did you escape, Ella?""It was because of Gideon."Biting her lip, Elara sighed and said, "I guess you could say he saved me."Marion
The Seymours all sported strange expressions. They didn't know what to say about Matthew, who'd fled off quicker than anyone would've thought. What was he doing here now?Matthew also felt awkward, but he tried to explain himself. "You've misunderstood me, everyone. I only ran off to get help!""To get help?""Of course! How could I have possibly abandoned you guys? If not for the backups I found, Ella wouldn't have been able to return unscathed."Gideon's lips twitched. He couldn't believe how shameless Matthew was. From the looks of it, Matthew was trying to twist things around.However, Marion's eyes lit up as she exclaimed, "It's all thanks to you, then! Here we were thinking it was Gideon who saved Ella."Matthew was secretly pleased. He'd only made it up on a whim to see if he could get lucky. He didn't expect to actually succeed.Was it Gideon who saved Elara? Regardless of whether it was the case, Matthew was certainly going to take the credit for it.He thought, "Oh, G
"I also get a share?" Matthew asked."Of course! If not for you, Ella would've had to suffer, and we wouldn't have gotten five million dollars. You deserve half of it."Matthew was tickled pink. Why would he reject such a windfall? He was getting 2.5 million dollars without having to do anything."Well, in that case, I won't stand on formalities, Mrs. Seymour," Matthew said as he cast a smug look at Gideon.He no longer thought it was Gideon who saved Elara, either. Only a big shot could get Nino to humble himself and hand over five million dollars as a token of his apology. Neither Gideon nor the Snows could do it.Gideon was also thoroughly disappointed with Marion and Elara. Why didn't they use their brains? Did they not stop and consider what kind of family the Carters were? How could they get Nino to back down?"I'm heading home, Dad," Gideon said before leaving the room. He didn't want to waste any more of his breath on them.Marion glared at Arnold and complained, "See th
"I won't take the 2.5 million dollars you're offering me, either. Let's put all five million dollars as an investment in your name. Would that be alright with you, Mr. and Mrs. Seymour?""We couldn't possibly do that, Matthew," Marion said. "It'll be at your expense."Matthew replied, "Ella and I are such good friends. This means nothing to me. It's not like I need the money, either. I'd feel bad about taking 2.5 million dollars from you guys. Let's just invest everything to save you the trouble of having to put the money in the bank."Arnold was a little hesitant. After all, five million dollars was a massive sum of money. He was a bit worried about handing everything over just like that."What's there for you to think about?" Marion questioned. "Matthew is clearly doing us a favor. We should be overjoyed. There's no reason for you to hesitate."While speaking, she passed the box of cash to Matthew."Here. Take it all. We'll invest all five million dollars. I wish you all the be
"Ms. Mosley, I have received an urgent report!" Benny cried out as he came rushing up to Lavinia, who was in the Mayor's Mansion discussing something with Caius Grayson, the mayor of Goldspire.She shot Benny a look and said in displeasure, "Can't you see that I'm talking to Mr. Grayson? What's so important that it can't wait until we're done?"Benny lowered his head before saying, "I'm afraid it's something major, Ms. Mosley."Seeing that, Caius smiled and said, "It's alright. Ms. Mosley. Why don't we hear what it is? I doubt your guard would be impolite enough to interrupt us if it wasn't something serious."Thinking he had a point, Lavinia said, "Go on.""Ms. Mosley, we received an urgent report saying that Reaper, the ninth-ranking hitman on the hitman tier list, has come to Goldspire.""What?" Lavinia exclaimed. She was a little taken aback.Caius' expression stiffened as well. As the mayor of a major city like Goldspire, he was well-informed. The Hitman Guild was a dark do
Meanwhile, Gideon was at the lakefront, looking at the figure in black with keen interest. He chuckled and asked, "You seem strong, but I don't recognize you. Where are you from, or rather, who sent you?" "Tom," the man replied flatly. "Ah, I see. That fat pig's got some nerve to be still causing trouble," Gideon remarked.Reaper's gaze turned ice-cold. He stated, "Tom is my friend. Insulting him is insulting me, and doing so is a death sentence. "Take ten seconds to savor the sun and this world one last time because I'm sending you to meet your maker soon." Gideon laughed, genuinely entertained. "At least tell me who you are, so I don't die clueless.""Reaper—Ninth on the Hitman Guild's Shadow Ranking!""Hitman Guild?" Gideon pondered thoughtfully. He suddenly remembered the self-proclaimed King of Hitmen, Jeremy Boisclair, who ranked first in the Hitman Guild's Shadow Ranking. Jeremy had been caught and brought to Oasis Vale years ago, initially defiant but eventually b
"Staying in Goldspire was the right choice," Lavinia thought, her mood significantly improving. She even believed Dominic would change his mind in time and agree to help her deal with Tylland. She looked at Reaper's body again, her expression turning cold. "Take photos and send them through Cipher. Let the entire Hitman Guild know that Shadow Ranking's Number Nine, Reaper, has died." "Yes, Ms. Mosley!" her guards immediately complied.Poor Tom was still waiting for good news at his mansion, unaware that Reaper had already crossed to the other side.…Elsewhere, Gideon casually strolled into Snow Corporation, completely unbothered by his earlier encounter. Killing Reaper had been such an insignificant matter to him that he had not given it a second thought."Mr. Snow!" Fred greeted him as soon as he entered the building. Fred, now appointed as the company's CEO by Gideon, wielded considerable power and was immensely grateful for the promotion. The company had been on the brink
Gideon arrived with his entourage and surveyed the scene. Besides Eric, there were five other young men, all dressed in designer brands and wearing watches worth hundreds of thousands of dollars. They were clearly spoiled heirs from wealthy families. Fred leaned in and whispered, "We might have a problem. Those are the heirs from the Mackenzie, Winston, Campbell, Lane, and Torres families—all second-tier families with close ties to the Gross family."Gideon nodded slightly, understanding the situation.Meanwhile, Eric's laughter dripped with mockery. "Gideon, you finally decided to show yourself. I was starting to think you would hide like a coward." Gideon smirked. "After yesterday's beating, you should know better by now. Look at you. Your face is still swollen and bruised. Do you really think I'd back down?"Eric's face turned ashen, unable to respond. At that moment, Ivan Mackenzie stepped forward with a sneer. "Gideon, long time no see! I heard you've been farming for the
Brantley truly lived up to his reputation. As soon as the netherflame entered his body, he immediately sat down cross-legged and began channeling his energy. His Martial God Physique reawakened, and he tried to forcefully suppress the netherflame.His body would turn blazing red one moment, as if it were about to melt, and then be covered in frost and ice shards the next.The alternating waves of fire and ice quickly tore through the internal structure of Brantley's Martial God Physique, and his condition kept worsening."No!"Harmoni was terrified. She quickly spat out an inner core—a treasure her father had given her. It was said to be the inner core of a half apex overbeast. However, it was badly damaged and no longer contained the full power of its original level.She instantly sent the inner core into Brantley's body. It exploded instantly, releasing a surge of energy that began to repair his damaged body.But it still wasn't enough. The netherflame was far too powerful. It
"Once you get the netherflame, your Martial God Physique will fully awaken in no time. When that happens, even Gideon won't be a threat."We can track Gideon down, crush him, and strip his Solar Titan Physique at the source. We'll also get the Beast Supreme Bone! Everything will be yours!" Harmoni shouted, cheering Brantley on.Gideon sneered. So, that was their plan.At this moment, Gideon couldn't help but admire the power of the Pharaoh's Shroud. They were just 100 yards away, yet neither Brantley nor Harmoni noticed them.Of course, it might have been because their attention was fully locked on breaking through to the third floor that they let their guards down."Open!" Brantley roared.His energy surged, and behind him, a phantom slowly took shape, radiating a fierce warrior-like energy. That phantom looked like a war god.Brantley kept swinging his fists, perfectly synchronized with the movements of the war god phantom behind him. Each strike made the floating palace tremb
Sure enough, floating in the deep sea ahead was a palace. It was pitch-black, and in the darkness of the deep sea, it was genuinely hard to spot.The glowing fish darted into the floating palace. Thanks to its golden light, Gideon was finally able to see that the palace gates were open.Strangely enough, the entrance seemed to carry some sort of mysterious power that blocked out the seawater completely. Not a single drop made it inside the palace."Marshal Snow, someone beat us to it.""It's fine. That just means they'll go and clear the way for us," Gideon said calmly.It didn't matter who got the heavenly flame first. As long as they weren't peak Supremes, he was confident he could take them on."Now that we've found our destination, do you two want to head back to shore first?" Gideon asked.Elara shook her head. "No. I'm not some helpless little thing. I've learned all the secret techniques you taught me. I can handle myself."Jessica chimed in proudly, "Marshal Snow, don't
Nethercult's outfits were nearly identical across the board, making them easy to recognize.As a major power in the northern region of the Wasteland, Nethercult kept a low profile. Tristan Neblanc, the leader, was as elusive as a ghost. He was heard of but rarely seen."Mr. Ballard, Harmoni and Brantley have started moving. Do you think they can get their hands on the heavenly flame?"Three people turned toward the eldest man among them—Nethercult's grand elder, Chaim Ballard.With Tristan absent, Chaim was in charge of the cult's operations.He pondered for a moment. "There's a decent chance. Brantley's working on forming the Martial God Physique. Though he's only at the half-step stage, his powerful body will attract the netherflame.""Mr. Ballard, are we waiting for the netherflame to enter Brantley's body before we suppress him?""Exactly.""That could tick off Talonclaw. And Harmoni said Brantley's from Martialgarde, the biggest faction in the eastern plains.""So what? I
Even though Gideon was locked in place and restrained, Gideon didn't sense any hostility from the giant fish. He met its gaze without flinching or acting humble.After a moment, he said, "I used your blood and triggered your phantom once, which helped me out of a tight spot. Thank you."The giant fish didn't move. It shut its eyes, clearly not interested in responding to Gideon."Mighty One, I came this time just to express my gratitude. I'll be on my way. If I get the chance, I'll come see you again."With that, Gideon bowed and turned to leave.Suddenly, a beam of golden light shot out like a sword and pierced into his body."Marshal Snow!" Jessica cried out in alarm.Gideon's body trembled, nearly losing his breath, but the sensation quickly faded.He touched his body and checked himself over. Nothing felt out of place.When he looked back, he saw the giant fish's eyes slowly closing. Clearly, that beam of light had come from its eyes just moments ago."Thank you." Gideon
"The Heavenly Sovereign is the ultimate trump card. As long as Chase doesn't have it, Attwell will always have a shot at pushing back against him."Of course, we're not expecting Attwell to actually beat Chase. We just need him to stir up some trouble and pull Chase's attention. That way, Chase won't have time to focus on the power grab," Jandial explained.Edric nodded to himself. "What you're saying makes sense, but why would Attwell even listen to you?"Jandial paused, looked around the room, and said in a low voice, "I'm only telling you all because we're brothers. Listen closely. When Attwell lost and fled to the Wasteland, his whole family was wiped out. But in reality, I secretly saved one.""What?" Everyone was shocked.Jandial said, "Attwell's only son has been living in my estate. I gave him a name—Alfsee… Alfsee Cook!"The princes around the table started murmuring, "Now that you mentioned it, I've seen that boy at your estate a few times. So that's Attwell's son? Unbe
As the saying went, good fortune hid misfortune, and misfortune might lead to good fortune.After everything Elara had just gone through, her strength had actually improved when she woke up. Her core had already advanced another step.However, Elara still hadn't undergone any formal training. She had all this energy in her body but didn't really know how to use it.Gideon passed on a few top-tier techniques to her—Voidpoint Touch and Cloudborne Palm—ones more suited for a woman to use.But for actual training, Elara would need to rely heavily on Umbra for guidance. When it came to refining the pure-essence physique, Gideon didn't know much himself.…The next morning, Jessica arrived at the High Marshal's estate. Gideon brought the two of them aboard an aircraft and left Drammore."Your Highness, I have news. Marshal Snow has left Drammore."In the grand hall, Edric, Freddie, and several other royal princes were seated together, expressions mixed.Edric asked, "Freddie, are yo
"Then, is it possible that Marshal Snow planted something in Jessica's body? Quick! Summon the four renowned physicians immediately. Have them do a full examination of Jessica," Freddie ordered.The four renowned physicians of Drammore arrived swiftly. After examining Jessica's body, each of them showed visible shock."Your Highness, Princess Jessica's body has no issues at all. She's just a bit weak. With some rest and care, she'll make a full recovery in just over a month.""It's truly remarkable!""The High Marshal isn't just a powerhouse. His medical skills are practically otherworldly, too. He's a true prodigy!""Even our own skills can't hold a candle to Marshal Snow's!""He's a giant among men!"The four renowned physicians sang praises nonstop.Only they knew just how miraculous the treatment was. Within just three days, Jessica's injuries were already 70% to 80% healed. It was like watching a living immortal at work."If only Marshal Snow would give us a few pointers,
"Where exactly did you get exposed to the fire poison?" Gideon asked.Jessica tilted her head, thinking for a moment, then said, "I remember now. It was probably in Tyrant Sea!""Tyrant Sea!"Gideon's eyes narrowed. That was the inland sea within Mulstead and the largest ocean in all of Dasovia. The weather above it was notoriously violent and unpredictable, with thunderous storms raging frequently. That was how it got its name.Jonathan asked, "Jessica, when did you sneak off to Tyrant Sea? That place is crawling with lightning storms. You've got some nerve."Jessica grinned. "I was just planning to sightsee along the shore of the sea, but then I spotted a shiny golden fish. It was so pretty, so I followed it right into the sea.""Princess Jessica, could you describe what happened in more detail?""Let me think… I dove into Tyrant Sea, chased that glowing fish, and went deeper and deeper. Then, I realized something wasn't right. I was way too far from the coast."I tried to sw