Noticing Walter's gratitude, Frank smiled but shook his head—it was nothing.Still, he felt a pang of guilt toward Silverbell. She would definitely have been made to pay for harboring Walter.On the other hand, the Turnbull elders and executives were quickly expressing their disapproval at Walter for thanking Frank."Walter, it's all thanks to Titus Lionheart that you've returned safely! He killed his own sister in the name of justice and exposed the truth. You would otherwise still be in custody!""Exactly! Why would you thank Frank? If Titus didn't clear this misunderstanding, you wouldn't have made it back to us.""He must have gotten a good word from the mayor.""Tut, tut. It seems that Titus is serious about Vicky and our family. I mean, killing his own sister in the name of justice!" "Probably because Walter is Vicky's father, don't you think?""Oh, such loyal devotion! What a shame, Vicky…""Heh. Unlike a certain someone who's nothing more than some doctor without pr
Walter then continued, "When the Martial Alliance took me, Mr. Lawrence was the one who stepped up. He threatened their chief Lady Silverbell, saying that he would fight them on the spot if she refused to protect me!" "And Lady Silverbell agreed to it, even though it meant braving the wrath of Morhen's mayor. Hell, as she kept me in custody, she told me so much about Mr. Lawrence, and I've come to realize that we're the ones who don't deserve him."Turning and leveling Frank a troubled look, Walter wiped a tear as he asked with a choking voice, "I'm sorry, but can I count on you to take care of Vicky from now on? Is that too much to ask for?""Of course not." Frank smiled, nodding repeatedly."Oh, thank you…" Walter sighed. "Whatever happens now, Frank… You will have a home wherever I may be.""Yeah," Frank nodded, feeling warmth in his heart thanks to Glen and Walter, even though it had recently grown cold toward the Turnbulls."Last but not least…" Walter suddenly added quie
Frank left Turnbull Estate alone the next day.He never told anyone where he was going as he drove alone to a mansion in the outskirts of Morhen.The mansion was modest in size but stood in the middle of a small forest—a quiet and clean environment far removed from the bustling city.Frank's heart calmed considerably just from seeing it, and he stepped through the front door to find a faint tea fragrance wafting from the drawing room.An ancient, familiar voice spoke from the door. "Ah, you're here." "Yeah," Frank replied as he strode in to see his father, the Lord of the Southern Woods, seated primly.He had an antique tea cup beside his fingers, and Frank had picked up its aroma earlier."You should sit." A pretty silhouette appeared out of nowhere with another cup of tea, putting it respectfully on the opposite end where Godwin Lawrence was seated.Frank turned to see that it was none other than Silverbell, and he wanted to thank her for protecting Walter Turnbull but could
Frank finally gave in to his curiosity and frowned. "You called me here just for tea?!"He had thought a lot about his father along the way here, that pleading look in his eyes and claiming that his days were numbered…"What, is there a problem?" Godwin smiled after having another sip of his tea. "Silverbell brews good tea. You can ask her to brew it for you from now on.""Whatever!" Frank sniffed and turned to leave.He really thought his father would at least explain himself, but he once again treated him like a child as he always did, saying nothing.Silverbell watched as she left and turned worriedly toward Godwin. "Is this really alright?""What's not alright?" Godwin smiled and took another sip of his tea. "Don't worry—I've left everything to him that I should, and as they say, ignorance is bliss. If I tell him anything now, he'd be storming our enemy's doorstep and just get himself killed.""Yeah." Silverbell nodded in agreement despite her conflict, since she knew ve
Clearing her throat, Helen said, "I'll send you the address. You can head over now. Remember, you're signing the contract, but only after the video conference is over. Do you understand?""Yep," Frank nodded, then turned to glance at the serene mansion and sighed.It turned out that he traveled all this way for tea…Still, he did not drag his feet and drove to the address Frank gave him in his Maybach.When he entered the designated cafe half an hour later, he found a familiar face right then and was stunned. "You're the one from Waver Street…"It was indeed Clarity, wearing a tight black skirt and a blouse with a low neckline and taking a sip of her coffee elegantly.Her red lips parted in a smile when she saw Frank, and she licked her finger as she breathed charmingly, "I'm surprised we meet again so soon, handsome."Frank was not flinching but was merely surprised.He looked around, but as she was the only customer, Clarity must be the client.As Frank walked over to her an
The beauty mark beneath Clarity's eye only added to her charm. In fact, not many men would be able to resist her."What's wrong, Frank?" Helen seemed to sense that something was wrong on the screen and frowned slightly."It's nothing." Frank shook his head, reluctant to let it go or Helen would definitely get jealous and misunderstand.Still, despite his antsy attitude, he was not about to play along to Clarity's tune.He understood that the more beautiful a woman was, the more dangerous they would be.Likewise, she was definitely up to something if she appeared very interested in someone.And the fact that Clarity came to him twice so enthusiastically made it clear it was no coincidence, and she was planning something.Meanwhile, Helen opened a presentation file on the other end, introducing her project with a professional script. "Ms. Clarity, we've drawn up plans and blueprints for the resort you asked for. Do take a look…"The exchange took less than ten minutes, and it w
Helen, however, could hear Clarity's immodest voice on the other end and snapped, "What?! What are you doing over there, Frank?""Wait, that was you?!"Frank was flinching as he remembered—so that was why he found Clarity so familiar. She was the companion of one of the bigwigs attending the bid event in Zamri!She had invited him to a masquerade ball, but he thought nothing of it since he was not interested.And now, she actually showed up here in Morhen…"What do you want?" he snapped, glaring sharply at Clarity even as he caught her foot.Clarity gasped. "Oh, you're hurting me… I mean, it's not like I hate it, but are we really doing this in front of so many people?"As she turned pointedly elsewhere, Frank turned to find that other guests had arrived at the cafe and were staring at them.It would certainly look like they were getting frisky, with Frank holding her leg."Tut, tut… Men these days are real pigs…""No way, doing it in public? How immodest…""Mommy, what is
Shutting the laptop, Frank glared at Clarity. "What the hell do you want?""Nothing. I like you, that's all!" Clarity beamed, leaving Frank even more frustrated."Hmph." Frank ignored her and turned to leave. "Hey, wait!"Clarity caught his wrist and flashed an apologetic smile. "Calm down. Don't you want to know who I am, Donn Lawrence?""What?!" Frank turned right then. "You know my name?! Speak! Who are you?!""Well…" Clarity shook her head mysteriously. "I'm a displaced vagabond like you."Frank charged his Five-Peat Archaeus right then, ready to attack—since she refused to go along when he was nice, he just had to get tough!But even as Clarity took a step back, she was beaming charmingly. "Oh, calm down! How impatient can you get? Well, since you're so eager to find out, I guess I can tell you… I go by many names, so which should I tell you? Oh, right."Suddenly, the air around Clarity changed, and the bewitching lady was an Ascendant rank with a death aura swirling
Frank snorted. "Alright, I'm hanging up. I'm getting started over here soon.""Yeah. Good luck," Jouri replied.Hanging up, Frank looked up at the waterfall overhead, and then at Skyler, who was standing beside him. "So? Is it time yet?""Almost… Now!" Skyler's eyes were glowing even as she stared at her watch."Alright."Frank looked up just as the skies abruptly darkened. "Ah, there it is—the eclipse."The sun seemed to disappear, and the world was suddenly shrouded in darknesses.And beside him, a stone door imbued with the power of the spiritron vein also rumbled as it parted."Got it!" Frank rushed inside without another word as soon as he saw it."Hmph. I'm surprised that you could reach this place." A cold, wrathful voice resounded inside even before Frank got a hold of his surroundings.Looking up, Frank found a youth in a black cossack and sporting grey-white hair, standing upon a cliff as he looked down on him.Frank chuckled. "Hehe. Like I said, I've come to kill
Frank narrowed his eyes. "Is that so?'Crane shrugged. "I don't mind giving it to you straight—members of Torrent are actually… Ahem. A part of Torrent himself."Frank paused. "What's that supposed to mean?""You don't get it, do you?" Crane grinned. "Then let me put it to you this way—every member is a clone of Torrent.""A clone?" Frank gasped in realization."Yes," Crane nodded. "That's why I believe that challenging Crane is just suicide. You have no idea how powerful he is—only death awaits you down that path."Frank smirked. "Oh, but I don't think so."Crane rolled his eyes. "Fine, whatever—now listen closely. You will find Torrent in the Mystic Trail, but you would only find that place when the sun and moon coincide, and the entrance is beneath the waterfall south of Horton."As he finished, he snorted coldly. "I have no idea if you can actually do it, but I'm hoping you do kill him… Heh. I'm getting tired of being stuck under his control for so long."Then, waving off
Frank abruptly turned, immediately noticing one of the Cranes crouching, ready to spring forward and blindside him."Got you!" He laughed."Hah! You fell for it!"Just as Frank swung a punch to pulverize that Crane, he suddenly burst into pus that splashed at Frank's face."Damn it!" Frank took a step back, surprised that the clone's presence was identical to the real Crane, and a trap on top of that!"Die!"The Cranes around him each whipped out a dagger, all of them stabbing at Frank at the same time."Get off!" Frank bellowed, unleashing a shockwave that sent all the Cranes flying across all directions."Frank! Above you!" Skyler suddenly shrieked."Yes! I'm right here!" A strange laughter sounded above Frank just as he wiped the pus off his face.Crane was suddenly directly above him, launching an aerial kick straight at Frank's head, and Frank had no time to dodge!"Die!" Crane's smile curled into a twisted angle as he saw that too.He was very confident with this kick
"Disgusting…" Skyler murmured through her hand.Despite being skinned and scalped, the women were all still alive and singing to the music that was playing despite their anguish."Talk about a terrible fetish."Frank was scowling too—why were all the members of Torrent such sick deviants? It seemed like his plan to wipe them out was absolutely correct!"So, you killed my clone?"The lanky man on the couch slowly turned to level his bloodshot eyes at Frank.His lips were wet with bed as they curled upward into an eerie smile."Clone?" Frank narrowed his eyes."Hehe. It's a sage art."Crane shrugged as he stood up and wiped the blood off his lips. "It's only natural that you don't understand… Still, you deserve praise. If you can kill my clone, that means you're not just slightly stronger than Ghost."Naturally, the man was none other than the real Crane.Still, as Skyler studied him from a corner, even she could notice the strange twitch of his fingers, and his veins were pro
Even as Crane ran, he was looking over his shoulder, his heart pounding. "No… I won't win in a one-on-one!"No, as long as I get back to my real body… we can do this together!" He frowned, having seen how Frank sliced off the pinkies of those hood rats. It hence quickly dawned on him that Frank was not just slightly stronger than Ghost, as Torrent had put it!"Almost there!" He gasped when he saw the signboard of Pegasus Showtown in the distance. "As long as I get there and rendezvous with my real body, that brat will lose—"That was when he turned and saw that a shadow had caught up with impossible speed."What?!" Crane's eyes almost popped out in bewilderment. "What speed is that?! Are you kidding—"Even as he spotted the shadow, the shadow turned into a youth with an impassive visage.His fist outstretched, he was clearly punching toward Crane's forehead!"Argh…"Even as Crane looked on, the youth's punch slowed down by tenfold, but his fist kept closing in.Then, whe
Seeing Skyler sigh, the tattooed thug presumed that his extortion worked.He strode up, grabbing Frank's shoulder. "No one's gonna help you, boy. Pay up, or you're not leaving.""Exactly! You're not getting away!" the crowd of hood rats hollered. "Last chance."Frank's eyes were cold and fixed on Dani, however. "Are you going to intervene? If you do, you can keep that check. If you don't…""Ugh. Fuck off! I don't care!" Dani spat, her expression smug as she folded her arms before her chest. "Who do you think you are to threaten me?!""Exactly! Pay up, and you can leave!""Yeah! Ten grand, at least!""You probably don't know my boss Wyvern, but when he's here, you won't get away with just ten grand!"Even as the crowd closed in, Frank shook his head. "Well, you had your chance. Don't blame me for what happens next.""You're giving us a chance?! Hah! Who—argh!"Even before Dani could finish gloating, Frank was suddenly in front of her, grabbing her viciously by the wrist."Arg
"Five grand?! Did you hear that?! He just threw five grand!""Must be a rich kid coming here for a secret rendezvous, out of prying eyes? Those types are the easiest mark!""Fuck! And Dani got one of us… It hurts me more than losing at the races!"Frank could hear the buzz around him but ignored it as he strode past the men flanking him and headed toward the street that stank of blood."Stop!" A big tattooed man grinned sinisterly as he intercepted Frank.As his buddies encircled Frank as well, Frank snorted—it seemed that they took his reaction for a sign of weakness and thought that he could be cowed.The tattooed man rubbed his chin as he leered at Skyler's voluptuous figure, chuckling. "Look, boy. I'm short on cash, so let me take a loan. I'll pay you back some other day, how about that?"His friend laughed. "Exactly! You just gave Dani five grand, and we won't ask for more… just four, how about that?"Skyler scowled in turn and glanced worriedly at Frank beside her—was he
Frank himself had just stepped out of the nightclub when his eyes narrowed."Blood," he murmured, his nostrils twitching."Blood?"Skyler sniffed the air, puzzled. "I can't smell it.""It's from the opposite street… I smell the blood of over a dozen people.""A dozen?!" Skyler did a double take.He could identify the number of people who were killed?! That was just ridiculous!"Come on, let's take a look."Just as Frank led the way toward the source of the stench, a woman suddenly came up, catching Frank off guard and throwing herself into his arms."Hmmm?" He looked down to see that she had thick makeup, average looks, and a rather pudgy belly."Argh! He touched me!" she pointed at Frank and shrieked even before he realized what was happening."What?!" Skyler was staring at the woman too, mystified."Oh, sister! You just didn't see it!"The woman kept hollering, pointing at Frank's face. "Your boyfriend grabbed my ass! Is that how you teach him manners?!""Teach him ma
Wyvern screamed even as he clutched the stump that was his hand, screaming so shrilly one might mistake his voice as inhuman."Oh, just shut up." The lanky man glowered and launched a kick, reducing Wyvern into puddles of blood and pieces of innards, splattering all around the lobby. "Argh!!!" the devilish lady screamed as she watched the carnage unfolded."Another sound, and you'd end up just like him." The lanky man turned and frowned at her impatiently."Hngh…" The devilish lady promptly clasped a hand over her mouth, tears welling up in her eyes as she trembled."What the hell?!"Outside, Wyvern's lackeys heard the screams and ran inside, looking for him. "Hey, where's Wyvern?!"However, the lobby was too dimly lit for them to notice the blood and guts scattered around the walls, and they only sensed that terrible stench."Hngh…" The devilish lady was too scared to speak, and tears trickled out of her eyes."Fuck!"One of the lackeys strode up and seized the lanky man