As the head of the Turnbull family, Glen could certainly see through the agenda of the elders and executives in his family.Being businessmen through and through, they simply had no intention to go to war against the Lionhearts, if only to protect their precious money and estates.Even if war was inevitable, they would try to delay it as much as they could.Unlike them, Glen had already come to understand that it was no more than a slow death, but those elders and executives were just that rotten. They would rather die than lose their money, and such was the corrupt nature of businessmen."You can go," Glen said, waving Jet off. "I'll see to it myself."Jet bowed and turned to leave, while Glen returned to his seat, taking a deep breath.The Lionhearts had more than overreached, but his family was still a mess. All of them were just too busy prioritizing their wealth that they could not stop for a moment to stand united against the Lionhearts.As a dynasty of business folks, t
Meanwhile, at Lionheart Residence in Morhen, Titus was pacing around, holding a book and reciting the text.It was the punishment his father had sentenced him to—he had to commit to memory fifty tomes of ancient scriptures before leaving his room.And Titus accepted the punishment without complaint."Terrible news, Mr. Lionheart!"Just then, Luigi, one of the family's stewards ran into his study, crying out panickedly.However, Titus only waited until he finished the verse he had been reciting before finally turning toward Luigi. "What is it?"In contrast to Luigi's flustered reaction, Titus remained impassive, his thoughts inscrutable."Sir, we've just received word from the Soranos," Luigi cried mournfully. "Lady Sif has been killed in Jundo Showtown!""Killed?" Titus's eyes flashed coolly as he looked at Luigi. "Tell me everything.""So, the Turnbulls conspired with Frank Lawrence and the South Sea Crow to abduct Lady Sif before, and she wanted revenge. She contacted Blackr
Titus' gaze was dark as he spoke coolly, "The worst thing to do in disputes between dynasties is to seek petty revenge. It ignores the big picture, causing more friction and obstructing any attempts at alliances."Snorting, Titus continued, "But I'm not the same. What I'm doing is to set my chess pieces in my place and wait to make my move. As for Sif, even if she succeeded, all she'd manage is to exile the Turnbulls from Morhen. And is that really a cause for worry for them?"Luigi the steward was actually confused. "But they're one of the Four Families of Morhen now. If they're exiled, wouldn't they lose the title?""Wrong."Titus smirked. "The strength of the Four Families of Morhen is more than what you see. Let's take the Lawrences for instance—their Morhen residence is dilapidated and neglected, but you'd be naive if you claim that they are not one of the four."Looking up, Titus' gaze appeared distant. "Each of the Four Families embodies horrific strength, which not everyon
The black-clad man then asked, "What should we do, Mr. Lionheart?""Stay calm," Titus replied. "Just find out what he came back for, and tell my father about this—warn him to be careful.""Understood." The black-clad man nodded and disappeared with a puff of black smoke."The Lord of the Southern Woods…" Titus then murmured to himself, "Don't tell me he's dying soon? But it isn't the time for that yet…"-Meanwhile, at Turnbull Estate, Vicky regained consciousness around noon, and Frank was checking on her facial injuries.It went without saying that his medicinal paste was highly effective, as the cuts on Vicky's face were already scabbing. At that rate, she would make a full recovery in this."Frank, do you think I'd have to live with this?" Vicky asked as she kept looking at herself in the mirror.Though she sounded relaxed, Frank could see the hint of worry in her eyes. "Maybe."Vicky flinched right then and turned to find his sly grin."Hmph!" She snorted, throwing a p
Naturally, it was none other than Jet, followed by many Turnbull elders and executives."What do you think you're doing, Jet?!" Vicky snapped furiously, while quickly picking up a veil to cover her face.This was her room—who would ever stay calm if they had their door kicked open?!It was fortunate she was wearing clothes. What if she and Frank were up to some hanky panky instead?!Despite her fury, an old man nearly the age of Vicky's grandfather strode up, barking, "We're here because of that prick!"The man was Tamon Turnbull, brother to Vicky's grandfather and whose branch family was assigned to Jarden.And despite his age, he was full of vigor—and spite for Frank.Both of Tamon's sons strode up too, pointing at Frank and snapping, "How dare you kill Sif Lionheart?! Get down on your knees right now, and come with us to apologize to the Lionhearts!""Exactly! Prepare yourself!"As the other Turnbull elders and executives started yelling at Frank too, Vicky leapt in front o
Seeing that some of the Turnbull blackguards were becoming hesitant, Tamon quickly moved to seize the moral high ground instead."Quit being stubborn, Vicky!" he bellowed. "Our family will fall if we don't surrender Frank Lawrence! I don't mind letting Glen keep his leadership, but I won't forgive Frank! We can't afford to bear the crime of killing a direct heir of the Lionhearts! What are we going to do if Simon Lionheart storms our homes with his martial elites?! We'd all be dead, all because of that scumbag!""No, we aren't that weak," Vickly calmly retorted. "You're human, Granduncle. Quit being an ingrate—you look worse than animals."Then, she whipped out a knife from under her bed, pressing it to her neck. "Frank has saved me and our family repeatedly. If you want to take him, you'd have to do it over my dead body!""Vicky!!!" Tamon was clenching his fists in rage at Vicky's radical retort, especially when she called him less than an animal. "You're beyond saving! Don't you
Having received Tamon's orders, Jet gestured for the blackguards to advance, intent on subduing Frank and Vicky."Stand back!" Vicky snarled viciously as they got closer and whipped out a black handgun from under her bed, bringing it to bear at Jet. "I'll shoot if you take another step!"She then wheeled on Tamon. "Starting with you, geezer!""Are you challenging me?!" Tamon bellowed furiously."Put down your gun!" Quentin snapped as well. "Don't make a bigger mistake than you already did!"On the other hand, Wes was laughing as he strode toward Vicky. "Hah! Kill me if you can. I really doubt you'll shoot!"Bang!Everyone was left staring in shock as Vicky shot Wes squarely in the chest.The man did not even realize he was shot until he looked down and found a hole on his chest. He was bleeding straight from the heart.He collapsed to the floor right then, shock still showing on his face as he died."Are you crazy, Vicky?!"Tamon and Quentin were left gaping—Vicky had real
Fortunately, Jet was prepared—projecting his pure vigor over himself as much as he could, he managed to stop Vicky's bullet.However, it still struck him in the chest, shattering a rib and leaving him collapsing miserably.Tamon finally saw that Vicky was not budging and decided to change tactics.Turning away from Vicky, he wheeled on Frank and bellowed, "Frank Lawrence! You murdered Sif Lionheart, heiress to the main Lionheart family! Are we Turnbulls supposed to bear that cross for you?!""Enough already."Frank finally moved, though only to put a hand on Vicky's gun and shake his head at her.If things continued like this, there would really be no turning back.He understood Vicky's intentions too, but he would still rather she did not go on a killing spree."I didn't murder Sif Lionheart… But I can and am willing to take the blame," he told the Turnbull elders and executives, holding up a hand and stopping Vicky before she could interrupt."Since I'm taking the blame," he
Frank's tone was calm, as if he was merely stating a fact. "What's there to deny? Even if I spilled my guts, do you stand a chance against me? See, no one does!"The man was furious—he had met plenty of conceited individuals, but Frank definitely took the crown!And seeing that Frank was not even in his thirties and was definitely small fry, he did not hesitate to slam his palm on the ground, which promptly started to move! "Interesting!"Frank stood his ground instead of leaping away, staring cooly at the molehills that streaked toward him. Even as the molehills were reaching Frank's feet, the man was left wondering why Frank did not dodge when the unexpected happened.The molehills struck the brat, but he remained unscathed!Earthbending was their cabal's signature technique, capable of causing seismic tremors—even if it was no match for real earthquakes, most people would still have trouble dealing with it.They were either torn into pieces by the shockwave, though the mor
Frank waited for a taxi and headed to his destination. Soon, the taxi stopped outside a dilapidated apartment.As Frank alighted and stared at the cracks on every block or the shaky foundations, even he could tell that it was in such a bad state it must be demolished. Shaking his head, he sighed in exasperation and entered the fifth unit on the sixth floor of Block D.He knocked on the door, and a smiling geezer opened it as he studied him. "What can I do for you, sir?"Able to tell right away that he was special, Frank asked, "Let's just call it a visit. I heard you could craft mystic items?"The geezer laughed right then. "I knew it. The nail that sticks out really gets hammered! I just want to keep my head down and live out my days, but you found me anyway.""Please don't misunderstand, sir," Frank quickly said. "I'm no robber, and I'm not going to steal from you. As long as you assist me, I can do anything for you.""Let's talk inside." The geezer stepped aside to let Fr
The motel owner thought Frank was trustworthy and told him everything he knew."Good. Thanks for cooperation—now do it yourself."Frank snapped his fingers again, and the mystic gun returned, lying quietly beside the motel owner as if it never disappeared."What? You're a martial elite! Don't you think people would talk behind your back about our deceit?!"The motel owner thought Frank was joking, but his expression was not.As such he pinned his hopes on emotional blackmail, but Frank was impervious to that too, even chuckling. "What's there to worry about? It'd just be hearsay, and they would be gone a couple of centuries later."Also, everyone would only find out if I spared you instead of avenging your victims. Now that's proper evil. You're naive if you think that I'm not the scourge of injustice. You won't be getting any chances from me."Even as reality sank in for the motel owner, he cried, "Y-You can't do this! We had an agreement!"Frank shrugged. "First of all, I onl
The motel owner snorted. "You're all so ignorant! It's true that most guns are pointless against Ascendant ranks, but this is no ordinary gun—it's a mystical item refined by a master craftsman."Not only are the bullets much faster, the gun's penetration power is even more formidable. I used it to bury many while I was young—even martial elites like you!"Everyone became restless at those.However, while Drunken Moon and the others were worried, Frank was actually excited.Mystic items were a quintessential part of high fantasy, and he might reach a treasure trove through the master craftsman whom the motel owner spoke of."Aren't you scared?" the motel owner asked just then, puzzled seeing that Frank was fearless, even smiling.Frank chuckled. "Why should I worry about a mere toy? Start shooting if you want—I'm sure everyone's busy and has better things to do."The middle-aged man snapped, "You're getting too full of yourself, brat! That thing has clearly seen plenty of action
Drunken Moon was definitely not going to tolerate that, and she snapped, "What are you going to do if I don't apologize?"The motel owner growled coolly, "I've already shown you what I can do, and I don't mind showing it again. Don't take me for some angel—push me too far, and I'll even make you my slave."Drunken Moon was simply amused. "Then show me what you've got to grow as conceited as you are!"The middle-aged man was snapping at Drunken Moon even before the motel owner could. "Bitch, you can't even win against my friends! What, do you think you can challenge me just because you have your boy toy?"He's quick, but so what?! Speed is pointless against absolute power!"The motel owner certainly felt buoyed by the flattery. After all, one would never look a gift horse in the mouth, and there was no one who despised being praised.Spreading his arms, he laughed. "Come on—seeing those pretty cheeks of yours, let me give you a nice hug.""Go fuck yourself!" Drunken Moon snapped,
Frank gestured at the door with his chin, and everyone turned to see a diminutive man.Despite his small frame, his eyes made it clear he was no average Joe. There was also a spring in his step—clearly having treated himself physically."Hello, everyone. I'm the owner of this premises!"The owner was clearly not inclined for matters to escalate, which was why he never intervened.That was until the manager accidentally touched the pendant!It was a family heirloom that, according to the owner's forebears, had the power to eat through everything—it just had yet to be proven.Horrified, the manager told the owner everything, and he came over to check out the situation. He would deal with Frank and the rest of the troublemakers, only to run into the troublemakers first."You're no slouch yourself!"Cyclops was delighted and lunged straight at the owner without hesitation, his hands outstretched like talons.The owner did not even seem to move, but Cyclops somehow missed."Fall."
Drunken Moon laughed coolly. "You're the one who kept bragging so much at first, saying that the strong decide on justice. And now that I've beaten you, it makes everything I said right, no?"The middle-aged man smirked. "Really? You're good, but not that good—if you're that brave, let me go, and I will call in my boys so we can have a rematch!"Drunken Moon laughed. "Why would I be afraid of that? Though I'm sure you're just going to bail and never come back."The middle-aged man snapped, "Do you think everyone's like you?! If you're afraid, just say it out loud!""Fine, then go. Why are you still here?"Drunken Moon shrugged, even moving aside for him.The middle-aged man smirked as he pushed himself to his feet and fled—the bitch chose this, and she would only have herself to blame for it!The bellgirl was concerned and came over to Drunken Moon. "Priestess, are you sure this is going to be alright?"Drunken Moon laughed. "Don't worry—even if you doubt me, know that the boy
Her skin and fingers were rotting where the motel manager touched the pendant, as if being corroded by acid at a visible rate. Worst of all, she could not even feel any pain from it!"W-What's going on here?!"Horrified, the motel manager turned and ran.Drunken Moon was ready to give chase, but Frank stopped her. "She's not going to have it easy without her fingers. Let her go."Drunken Moon nodded and pointed at the pendant on the floor. "What the heck is that?"Frank then told her about Reverend Quietus, to which Drunken Room exclaimed, "You meant to say that there are bodies of energy that are basically identical to the paranormal that people speak of?"Frank nodded. "I'm sure it's not just rumors, with the way it remained over a thousand years—things like that do exist. But in the end, it's no different from a spell, and you can handle it if you're strong enough."Drunken Moon smiled. "That only applies to you. I don't know about anyone else, but I really can't deal with th
After she calmed down, the bellgirl took an interest in Frank. "Is he the one who could beat you?"It was the new age—ladies were not shy, and the bellgirl actually liked lookers like him."Hello." Frank greeted her, and she smiled in turn. "Sorry for having to bother you, handsome."She would really have asked for his number if circumstances allowed.That was when footsteps could be heard, and Frank glanced sideways outside as he told Drunken Moon, "Now's your chance for revenge. Don't hold back now.""You don't need to worry about that!" Drunken Moon exclaimed as she flexed her muscles—she was waiting for this moment.The motel manager led several burly men inside, standing at the center proudly like she owned the place. "That's for insulting me, bitch! Go! Show her who she was messing with!"Though the motel manager did not hesitate to send her men after Drunken Moon, Drunken Moon smirked, waiting until the bouncers were about to reach before punching them.Soon, they wer