Drake knelt before Gideon, sniffling and wiping away his tears. Gideon scowled. "Six thousand people, and you brought every single one of them to Goldspire? They're quarantined in a hotel right now? "Damn it! You're not asking for help. You're forcing me to deal with your mess!"Drake looked pitiful as he pleaded, "Sir, I had no choice! I swear! Remember how obedient I was in Oasis Vale? I worked hard and stayed out of trouble. "Please, with your unmatched medical skills, this should be a piece of cake for you."Gideon sighed, his expression dark. "We'll deal with your punishment later."Turning to Leopold, Gideon barked, "Get a fleet of buses ready. Head to the hotel and bring all six thousand of them to Beaker Island."While they prepared the logistics, Gideon examined Drake. He quickly identified the toxin, confirming it was as nasty as the man claimed—potent enough to stump even the so-called Drake. But to Gideon, it was just difficult, not impossible.By that evening,
"Sir!" Lysander burst into the room with urgent news. "There's a massive force moving in Goldspire tonight. Two well-coordinated groups, and they're clearly targeting someone.""Oh, really?"Gideon leaned back in his chair, his fingers steepled thoughtfully. "Hmm… could be the Farrell family," he mused. "But no… They are more likely from the Yelverton family from Drammore. Yovarian Guild's destruction must have enraged them. They wouldn't let it slide. "By now, their forces would've arrived, and splitting into two teams sounds like their style—especially if they're gunning for Leopold and Nino."Gideon wasted no time and summoned Drake.Moments later, the cloaked figure entered, his demeanor more respectful than usual. "Sir, what do you need?""No more grunt work for you tonight." Gideon smirked. "I've got something much more interesting. You'll be coordinating with Lysander on this. He's the deputy leader of the Cipher. Lysander, meet the King of Venom—the undisputed mast
The four thousand elite soldiers of the Yelverton family had endured a nightmare. First, the poison mist left them debilitated. Then, came the venomous insects, whose bites brought chaos and suffering. Their combat strength had been severely drained."Now's the time to charge," Leopold declared."Take it slow." Drake held up a hand, his expression calm and confident. "Give it a few more minutes. The venom from the bites needs time to fully kick in."Ten minutes later, the battlefield echoed with screams of agony. The effects were gruesome. Some soldiers' skin turned black as their bodies stiffened, blood seeping from their eyes, noses, and mouths. Others emitted a putrid stench as their flesh began to rot. A few simply dropped dead where they stood, their hearts stopping without warning.The most horrifying cases were those who succumbed to madness. Poisoned and delirious, they turned on their comrades, attacking with frenzied violence."This is… monstrous," Leopold mutter
Ellis felt a chill run down his spine. A deep, primal sense of danger gripped him as he faced the cloaked figure before him. This man in a black robe radiated an air of death."Who… Who are you?" Ellis demanded, his voice trembling.Drake's lips curled into a condescending smile. "You're not worthy of knowing my name. Show me your strength, you little kid.""Have it your way!" Ellis wasted no time. His bulging muscles tensed, veins popping as he channeled all his might into a ferocious punch aimed at Drake's head."Watch out!" Leopold shouted from the sidelines.But Drake didn't flinch. With an almost lazy motion, he raised a hand and deflected the punch effortlessly, redirecting its force into nothingness."Are you using softness to counter hardness?" He sneered, his lips curling into a predatory grin. "That's your trick? Let's see how long that works. Power always trumps finesse!"Ellis lunged again, this time with even more ferocity. But once again, Drake neutralized the bl
"Mr. Yelverton, we've lost all contact with Ellis!" "What?" Harry's face darkened. The ominous feeling in his gut was now an unbearable weight. "Send out search teams. Find him." "Understood!" An hour later, his bodyguard returned, visibly shaken. "Mr. Yelverton, we couldn't find them. Not Ellis, and not even the eight thousand soldiers. It's like they vanished into thin air.""That's impossible!" Harry's voice thundered, his disbelief painted across his face. "Mr. Yelverton, there's chatter in the underworld about a major battle tonight. It could have involved our forces against Leopold's and Nino's men, but there's no confirmation. What's certain is that none of our men returned, and no messages were sent. It's… unsettling.""'Unsettling'?" Harry's frustration boiled over. "This is beyond unsettling! Eight thousand elite soldiers gone without a trace!""Mr. Yelverton, Goldspire is far more complicated than we anticipated. For your safety, I recommend you return to Drammo
"Such an eyesore," Marion muttered under her breath as the family gathered in the living room.Arnold cleared his throat and addressed Gideon, "Gideon, I called you back because we're expecting guests soon—Marion's sister, Maisy, and her family.""Understood," Gideon replied with a nod.The sisterly competition wasn't new to Gideon. He knew this was another chapter in their ongoing rivalry.Marion cut in sharply, "Gideon, you overheard what I said earlier, didn't you? I suggest you quietly step aside. I'll have Matthew come over. There's no way you can compete with Maisy's son-in-law."Gideon smiled faintly. "How can you be so sure before I've even met him?""You're all talk!" Marion sneered. "Their son-in-law is a government official with real connections and a promising future. "And you? A so-called head of a failing family with a company on the brink of bankruptcy? What could you possibly bring to the table? Please enlighten me!"Gideon leaned back casually. "Even world lea
The atmosphere grew tense, with awkwardness hanging in the air. Elara didn't know how to respond. Saying Gideon was the head of a family sounded impressive, but anyone who looked deeper would discover the truth—he was leading a declining household on the brink of financial ruin. It would be mortifying.Noticing the hesitation on Elara's and Marion's faces, Maisy's spirits soared. Her instincts told her that Gideon was no match for Sebastian. Feeling smug, she couldn't help but revel in the moment.Maisy had spent her entire life competing with Marion and losing. When Marion married Arnold, the Seymour family was prosperous and prominent, making Marion's marriage a glamorous affair. In contrast, Maisy had married Kristian, who was then a lowly salesperson. Though she'd been frustrated by his lack of status, Kristian's unwavering devotion won her over, and she chose love over status.Over the years, Kristian's fortunes turned. With the help of a well-connected benefactor, he built
Sebastian set down his coffee cup, a polite smile on his face. "Mom, as a matter of fact, I do have two friends here in Goldspire."One is in the business world and runs a sizable company. The other comes from a powerful underworld family and is the heir to a prominent faction."His words instantly elevated the room's atmosphere. Maisy and Kristian beamed with pride. Sebastian's connections bolstered their social standing, after all. Even Arnold couldn't help but feel impressed—Sebastian truly lived up to his reputation, rubbing shoulders with the elite from both business and underground circles.Meanwhile, Marion seethed silently, her frustration aimed squarely at Gideon. She could barely contain her disdain for Gideon, who had embarrassed her to no end. Her anger boiled alongside Elara's. Their thoughts aligned—Gideon was dead weight. Divorce was the only option to save their family's dignity.Arnold, oblivious to the tension, praised Sebastian, "Sebastian, you're quite rem
Douglas rolled his eyes and said, "Gideon, there actually isn't any deep-seated hatred between us. Why don't we take this opportunity to bury the hatchet?""What do you mean?""Do you have any champions under your command who are younger than 30 years old? You can lend them to my family."Gideon said, "Are you planning to recruit outside help to participate in the Martial Arts Tournament? Is that even allowed?"Douglas answered, "It wasn't allowed in the past, but it's permitted for this time round. The Foxhall royal family fought hard for this change, as their young leader's death has left them with a lack of capable successors. They have no choice but to seek help from outside."Moreover, the participants in this tournament are all familiar faces from the previous one, which can be quite dull. So when the Foxhall royal family suggested inviting outsiders to compete, the other royal families simply agreed."What do you say? Do you have any skilled young champions in your command
In any case, Douglas took a brief moment to gather his thoughts before saying, "I've heard rumors about the Jaeger royal family having powerful secret weapons. It's probably why they're so comfortable living deep in Kitherglen."Did you know, even the Nevitt royal family, who hold the highest rank, didn't select Kitherglen as their territory? They opted for the region surrounding Solaris instead."In the heart of Kitherglen lies many unknown and perilous dangers. Rumors say there are monstrous beasts there that cannot be found elsewhere. These beasts can easily overpower masters and even wipe out transcendents.""Sir, that's correct," Ian confirmed. "Cipher managed to capture three of those creatures in the depths of Kitherglen. But it came at a great cost, as we lost valuable members in the process."Gideon perked up with interest. "If there's any possibility, I want them brought here for me to examine.""Consider it done," Ian replied. He promptly sent a message to Cipher headqu
"Gideon, I advise you not to go too far. I am royalty. You should know how high my status is! How dare you make me kneel? This is outrageous! "Since you're also from Dasovia, you should know that you should respect the royal family and even hold it in awe! It is you who should be on your knees!" Douglas ranted.He was extremely angry, but he could not do anything about it as he was firmly pinned to the ground.Gideon sat with his legs crossed, swirling a glass of red wine in his hand and smiling. "I have to admire you. You're a prisoner now, yet you're still so full of yourself."Douglas snorted coldly, "Gideon, this humiliation won't last long. But you've caused a huge disaster. My family will definitely take action and gather hundreds of thousands of troops. "Even though you have 180,000 masters and 30,000 transcendents, they'll be like paper in front of a fully armed army. They won't withstand a single blow! If you're smart, release me right away and come with me to surrender
"What?" Howard and the others were really mad.Even though a lot of powerful masters and transcendents had been taken out, the rest of the forces were still in good shape. They were still backing up the Chapman royal family. Now that six of these factions were completely gone, it looked like Mullong Dragons and Thunderbolt were bound to meet the same fate of being wiped out as well. Howard and the others were grinding their teeth in frustration.But then Willis said, "Actually, this could work in our favor. We were just worried about not being able to make a move on the battlefield, right? So let's use this to force Dominic to show up.""What do you mean?""Let's send out the troops right away to surround those masters and transcendents. That should bring Dominic and his crew running."Lyle thought for a second and nodded. "Yeah, that’s actually a pretty smart move!"Howard agreed right away and gave the order. Before they knew it, 300,000 men were on the move.Among the eight
It couldn't be Gideon, right?Although Ruby knew that Gideon had considerable power and could make Geoffrey submit to him, it was too astonishing to conquer so many world-class champions. If Gideon could achieve this, he could directly establish a country and become its ruler.Why would he return to Dasovia and stay cooped up in the small Goldspire? Who could it be, then? Ruby was also very puzzled. The two sisters each had their own thoughts and left Beaker Island.…The Chapman royal family was still moving. Finally, after three days, all 300,000 troops were assembled. The forces of the Blood Demons and Thunder Gods also arrived in full. In total, there were 500,000 men.Among them, the number of masters added up to 30,000, and the number of transcendents totaled up to 10,000!The Nine Provinces of Dasovia were extremely vast. Among them, Dalhurst was the largest, with an area equivalent to that of two other provinces. However, two-thirds of it was occupied by mountains and r
This was also what Lavinia was looking forward to."I've read about your deeds carefully. Over the years, you've been silently making contributions to Dasovia and have achieved countless military exploits. I know that you're a patriotic hero."Currently, Tylland is recklessly provoking us by causing chaos at the border, destroying, and stealing from our people. I don't believe that you are not furious about this, and I also doubt that you will remain apathetic."With your strength, we could easily take on Tylland together. I need to understand why you rejected my proposition."Dominic was touched. He could sense a strong feeling of patriotism in her eyes. It was uncommon to see such a deep sentiment in a young woman in her 20s.At that moment, Dominic couldn't help but appreciate her talents and potential. He knew that if she were to be sacrificed for no reason, it would be a tragic and unfortunate loss."Lavinia, there are hidden talents in Dasovia. There are other powerful peop
Blood Demons and Thunder Gods were among the top forces in the world-class arena. They were huge and well-known far and wide. Willis and Lyle were also powerful figures who had made a name for themselves globally.When these two factions sent out all their forces, no one could afford to be careless or underestimate them."Those two, Willis and Lyle, do have some skills. Years ago, I tried to seize them and bring them to Oasis Vale, but they managed to slip away and vanish without a trace. I even went to the headquarters of Blood Demons and Thunder Gods but couldn't find them."It'll be perfect if they show up now. We can take them down, capture them, and throw them into Oasis Vale for some toughening up!"The champions' eyes lit up as they heard this. In their minds, they were already silently offering condolences for Willis and Lyle. "These two factions definitely need our attention, but there's no need to stress too much. We can call on our formidable troops if needed. That's i
"Damn it!" James slammed his fist on the table. "These jerks!""Mr. James, has His Grace given any instructions?""His Grace is in Kitherglen visiting the Jaeger royal family. He should have heard about this by now, but we haven't gotten any word yet. We need to handle this before he gets back."James looked dark and furious. He took a deep breath to calm himself and said in a chilly tone, "Sure, 180,000 masters and 30,000 transcendents are formidable, but they're still just humans! "Humans won't stand a chance against our tech weapons! I've decided to use our advanced weapons and send in the royal army to take them out.""And…" James paused for a moment, then added, "Just to be safe, let's reach out to those world-class champions for backup. After all, they owe us a few favors from back when we helped them out. Anyone have any objections?"Everyone exchanged glances, shook their heads, and didn't raise any objections. Even if they had doubts, the current situation left them no
At the Cabinet, many Elders sat quietly, not saying a word. They had just gotten the news. The numbers of gathered masters and transcendents hit them like a thunderbolt, leaving them stunned.It was shocking, and they couldn't help but start thinking. Could all of Dasovia even gather that many masters and transcendents? Maybe. If you added up everyone from all the factions, Great Families, and officially trained powerhouses, it might be possible.But the kicker was that Gideon managed to mobilize 180,000 masters and 30,000 transcendents in just one day. That was what really made this situation so unbelievable.Could the Dasovia authorities even unite all the factions and clans in just one day? No way.After a long pause, Mose sighed and said, "Gideon is probably unmatched when it comes to strength. This time, he didn't even pull out all his stops. If he really tried, the numbers would be way more than that!"The Elders started murmuring among themselves.Casse chimed in, "The onl