Frank reared his chin and bellowed, "Die!" It was only then that Sif noticed that Frank's eyes had gone blood red.At the same time, the death aura around him was so condensed it could well be solid, and it swirled rapidly like an unfurling gale."Come and get it!" he bellowed as he met the charging Lionheart bodyguards without flinching, even charging at them in turn and shattering a machete swung at his face.As the Lionheart bodyguard looked on in shock, Frank punched his face, rupturing it like a watermelon."What?!" The other Lionheart bodyguards felt pangs of terror within them, as they could see that the machete could not even pierce Frank's skin.They were Birthright rank, but their sword techniques required weapons to truly shine.And the man with blood red eyes who stood before them was immune to said weapons!What rank was he?! Peak Ascendant?!"Hyah—!" With a raging cry, Frank caught the sword another Lionheart bodyguard swung at him, snapping the blade and sh
"Heh."Frank snorted fearlessly despite Sif's threat, even grabbing her thighs."What are you doing—argh!!!"Sif actually thought for a moment that Frank would force himself on her, only for Frank to break her legs with relative ease, leaving her with heartrending agony."You're not getting away now," Frank smiled sinisterly, flashing his bright white teeth.Sif finally understood fear in that instant even as she was left sprawled on the floor.She watched as Frank left her and walked toward Vicky, intent on cursing him, but she was in too much pain to do so.All she could think just then was that Frank was far more powerful than she thought, and barely a handful of individuals in her family could take him down…And that she could not die here yet!Gritting her teeth, she started crawling toward the stairs with all her strength, bolstered by the thought that she must escape. And once she did…-On the other hand, Frank had cut Vicky loose and relocated her arm."Frank…" V
Seeing that Damon had Vicky, Frank did not hesitate. "Deal."His quick response actually left Damon taken aback. "Are you sure, kid? Were you really listening to what I'm saying?"Despite his nonchalant expression, his eyes were glued to Frank, as if to read what was really on Frank's mind."I am, though I have a condition in return," Frank said and pointed at Vicky. "I'm not interested in the Turnbulls' affairs, but the Lionhearts are not to bother Vicky's immediate family in Riverton.""Sure." Damon nodded, but he soon snorted.Both his eyes and Frank's narrowed, reading each other's intentions right then.Damon was just using Vicky to divert Frank's attention and find an opening, while Frank was just responding haphazardly in his attempt to get Vicky back.For Frank's part, he could see that the old man was more than met the eye, and the fact that he easily agreed to Frank's request meant he was at minimum a Lionheart executive.On the other hand, Damon was narrowing his eye
Damon laughed. "Hah! Names are all the same. They're all just syllables. But you are here now, a mere Birthright rank. Your abilities really leave much to be desired!""That's not up for you to decide." Frank sneered, his eyes red—he could not hold back against an opponent who was a full rank higher, or he would get killed."Very well." Damon smiled. "It seems you're ready to put your life on the line… Though you have been a constant thorn to the side for us Lionhearts, I shall be getting rid of you once and for all. Remember—when the reaper asks, it's Damon Lionheart who sent you!"Suddenly, a gust of violent pure vigor erupted away from him, almost knocking Frank off his feet."So this is the power of peak Ascendant ranks…?" Frank muttered to himself.While Ciril Janko was a peak Ascendant rank individual as well, Frank fought him under unusual circumstances, and Ciril was barely going all out.And now that Frank was facing one who was not holding back, he was certainly pressur
A old man in Draconia's military uniform emerged from the darkness, laughing raspily. "Hehehe…""What…" Frank struggled to get up despite the agony of his broken ribs, as he recognized the geezer right then.He was Frank's father, worshiped and admired across Draconia, and the bane of Talnam—the Lord of the Southern Woods!"What are you doing here?!" Damon was actually panicking, even fearful as he stared at the rows of military medals adorning Godwin Lawrence's jacket.It was certainly unusual for a peak Ascendant rank to react like that, especially when he was so nonchalant when he first showed up.And he was a man whose power was above question, too!"Hehe. I'm just taking a stroll before I kick the bucket," Godwin said calmly, a slight smile showing on his lips as if recounting the good old days with a friend.Damon kept backing away until he felt his back reach a wall. "Don't you remember the agreement you signed three years ago?!" Damon snapped, but he was glaring warily
Frank struggled to look up just as the scarlet lion shot past him, his pupils dilating when he saw what happened.Damon, who thoroughly overwhelmed him and unleashed such a frightening technique at Godwin, was caught by the neck, his feet dangling and kicking in the air.It was such a plain counter, as if Godwin did not use an ounce of pure vigor."What the…" Frank was actually left murmuring out loud in disbelief. "Watch closely now, brat," Godwin said calmly. "This is called the Lioncrusher—your grandfather taught me that, and it's used specifically to crush Lionhearts."On the other hand, Damon's eyes were starting to roll up into their sockets even as he flailed around, his entire body feeling like it was being jolted persistently."I know what you're going to say." Godwin chuckled. "Why is it called the Lioncrusher, no?"Damon gasped. "You wouldn't dare…"Splat!Suddenly, Damon's body bloated like a balloon before blowing up in a large puff of bloody mist. His blood spla
Vicky breathed a sigh of relief when Frank appeared, but Jet and the other Turnbull blackguards were immediately snapping at him."What have you been doing, Frank Lawrence?!""Why weren't you protecting Ms. Turnbull?! What were you doing down there by yourself?!"Frank was so shocked by their accusations that his vigor churned, aggravating his blood and causing him to cough out a mouthful of blood."Are you alright, Frank?!" A petrified Vicky hurried to his side before wheeling on Jet and the other Turnbull blackguards with a furious glare."How many times do I have to tell you?!" she bellowed. "Frank was fighting one of the Lionhearts' best, and none of you helped him! And you're now snapping at him after he won?!""Forgive me, Ms. Turnbull, but we're supposed to prioritize your safety," Jet replied, frowning and clearly upset that Frank was alive.In fact, Frank vaguely sensed his look of disappointment when he stepped out of the elevator."Heh. Well, that's not important." F
"Oh, what a pathetic bunch…" Vicky sighed as she suddenly remembered everything Sif said to her downstairs."The geezers of the Turnbull family would never dare turn against us Lionhearts! I've looked into your family—none of them would even give a damn if you die here. All they care about is protecting their precious wealth, while living in fear of the day we Lionhearts would come for them!"Vicky's heart bled even as she laughed at the thought—how could her family be so short-sighted? Endless compromising and never stepping up against their enemies, all in the name of self-gain. What was that if not handing their enemies rope to hang them with?They felt nothing even if Titus was exposed for his savage ambition, rather living one day at a time.Likewise, they never showed any gratitude, not even if Frank saved them from the literal lion's jaws."Mongrels," Vicky swore under her breath."What was that?" Jet thought he misheard."I called you a mongrel!" Vicky snapped at him i