Aiden made a subtle hand gesture behind his back. He and Meredith knew that someone like Felix, who would not even acknowledge his own father, would never respect the Greene family's authority.They had not really brought him here to treat Meredith's condition—their true intention was to eliminate Felix. The Greene family had always been ruthless—if someone could not be controlled, what was the point of letting them live? This was especially true since Felix carried Greene blood but refused to serve the family's interests.However, Felix's Dragon Knight status complicated matters. Since it was an official position appointed by headquarters, killing such a person would mean directly opposing the organization—something even the Greene family could not afford."What do you think you're doing, Felix?" Aiden asked with a barely concealed smirk. He had deliberately used Felix's friends to provoke him into attacking first, which would give the Greene family legitimate grounds for retal
"Have you forgotten what I always taught you? The Greene family never fights a battle without certainty. Send an expert to test Felix's abilities first—just testing, mind you, nothing lethal," Meredith instructed.Aiden nodded in understanding. "Yes, Grandma."…At Xena's residence in Yartford, Felix sat silently on the couch until Xena broke the silence. She said, "About your earlier situation, you don't need to worry for now. "While you're on assignment, headquarters will protect your family members, and since you have no acknowledged relatives, this protection extends to your friends."Felix looked up with interest. "Is that really possible?"Xena nodded. "Yes, I've authorized it personally. No matter how powerful they are, the Greene family wouldn't dare openly defy headquarters. "You can rest assured about that. However, how you resolve your conflict with them after the mission is your own business."How to resolve it? Through elimination, of course! Now that his anger h
While looking into those bright eyes, Felix, who intended to brush things off, finally admitted it. "Yes, it's me."Xena waved her hand dismissively, silently telling him to leave.Felix couldn't figure out what was going on in Xena's mind. He didn't know if Willow's letter affected her.For some reason, Felix felt a sense of relief. He had done what he could—the rest didn't matter.By the time he returned to Gray City, night had fallen. Nala greeted him, "Welcome back. Come eat."The timing was perfect, and Felix didn't question it since he was hungry. "Thank you."After finishing his meal, Felix stopped Nala from doing the dishes. "You gave up everything to be with me. Is it truly out of love?"Nala thought for a moment. "Not entirely. At the very least, I do care about you."Nala was being genuine, that was if she ignored Felix's abilities and his overly protective mother.However, Felix shook his head. "You don't even dare to show me your face. You should leave. There's no
"There is a way. That woman told me that if I could find a husband to defeat her brother, she'd give me the antidote. The only condition is that my husband cannot be from our place," Nala explained.Felix understood everything. "Is that why you targeted me? Did you think I could win the antidote for you?"Nala nodded. "Yes. I didn't think much of anyone from this part of town before. But then you appeared and won my heart."Felix studied her carefully. "Here's the deal. I'll ask for your help if I ever need it. In return, I'll defeat her brother as your husband and get you the antidote. After that, we'll be even."Though Nala was excited, she felt her heart clench. "Is that it? Can't we go further in our relationship?"Judging by his gaze, she knew it wasn't because of her appearance."At least for now, it's not possible. I'm going to bed." Felix waved her off.The next day, Nala went to the clinic early. Felix, who slept in until past 9:00 am, was startled to find Averill besid
When Felix arrived at the clinic, he saw a teenage girl sitting nervously while Melissa tried talking with her.The girl was simply dressed and seemed incredibly shy."I'm Felix Zeller. Are you looking for me?" he asked curiously. He had never seen this girl before and was even more confused about who her sister might be.When she heard his name, the girl shot to her feet, flustered. "Hello, Felix."Felix tried to appear as kind and approachable as possible. "Don't be nervous. What's your sister's name? How does she know me?"The girl seemed to struggle with her words and finally pulled out her phone to play a video. "Hello, future brother-in-law. Tammy is an acquaintance. If she's ever in trouble, please lend her a hand. I'm not around anymore."Cynthia? Felix was speechless. He had never expected that the sister Tammy referred to would be Cynthia."I do know Cynthia. Tell me what's wrong, and I'll help you." It didn't matter to Felix where Cynthia was from. She had helped him
Tammy's grandmother, Gloria Locke, asked nervously, "Is… is Tammy not doing well in school?" Felix smiled. "Not at all! Tammy is doing great. I'm just here for a visit. Please don't worry."After chatting for a while, Felix excused himself and went downstairs. According to Tammy, the people threatening them had told them to leave today, or they would take drastic measures."Go back upstairs, Tammy. I'll handle the rest. I promise they won't disturb you and your grandma again," Felix promised.Tammy was moved by his actions and thanked him."I meant what I said earlier. If you get into college, I'll sponsor you with a hundred thousand dollars a year until you graduate." Felix smiled.Felix admired Tammy's resilience. He was cautious not to give her too much money all at once, fearing it might spoil her. He planned to continue supporting her once she entered the workforce."Thank you, Felix. I'll work hard!" Tammy planned to skip college, telling Gloria she failed the entrance e
Billy grinned and pointed at himself. "What's the matter? Are you mesmerized by me? Or do you know me?"After taking a deep breath, Selmer forced a smile and waved it off. "Sorry, I mistook you for someone else."Once Billy left, Felix turned to Selmer. "What was that about? Did you mistake him for someone else?"Selmer's expression was a mix of shock and fear. Only a few people could get such a reaction from Selmer, someone close to achieving Blood Realm.Selmer clenched his teeth. "Here's the thing, Mr. Zeller. 50 years ago, I was injured and fleeing through a forest. That's when I stumbled upon a fight between two people. No, you can't even call it a fight since it ended in the blink of an eye. The old man was instantly killed by a young man."Felix chuckled at the story. "You're not about to tell me that young man was Billy, are you?"Selmer nodded. "Yes! At least, he looked exactly like Billy. They have the same face and build."Felix's eyes sparkled with interest. He trust
"Interesting. Where did you learn that?" Billy asked.Felix recalled hearing about it from Nala while in Astoria. How could he forget? "You're not pulling my leg, right?"Billy was annoyed. "I never lie! Well… except for that time with Queenie when she paid me extra. Anyway, this harmonica is a genuine artifact. So, do you want it?"Felix extended a finger toward the harmonica. "I owe you one." "Two favors," Billy countered. "One," Felix insisted."Deal!" Billy huffed.As Felix fiddled with the harmonica, he asked, "Do I just play it?""First, you need to perform a blood-binding ritual. Once the artifact gets your blood, it will merge into your body, and you can use it as naturally as your own hands."Felix felt his excitement grow. This was the first time he had encountered something out of a fantasy novel. This artifact worked with a blood-binding ritual, unlike the Dragonspine, which required the Dragons Destroyer.Felix pricked his finger and let a drop of blood fall
The existence of crossbreeds was classified as top secret by headquarters. If word got out, even if the general public remained unaware, just the knowledge reaching certain members within headquarters would cause mass panic.Would you dare to question whether your partner might be a Malevolent Phantom? Would you risk wondering if your child inherited some of its traits and became a crossbreed? No one wanted to shoulder that responsibility.Take Johann and his team, for example. They had absolutely no knowledge of crossbreeds, and their resistance right now stemmed entirely from their own moral convictions."Sir!"Johann didn't dare stop Felix outright, but he raised his voice to make his stance clear. The others followed suit, not to mention Lina, who was still sobbing uncontrollably, and Steve, whose eyes were red with fury as he glared at Felix without a hint of fear."Mr. Zeller! If you're really going to take my grandson, you'll have to step over my dead body first!"Tears st
"So what?" Lina asked. "Even if I lied, what does that person's death have to do with my son?"Felix suddenly roared, "Are you telling me that when you opened the door, your son never left your sight for even a second?""I—"Lina opened her mouth but suddenly found herself at a loss for words. That instinctive hesitation was the most telling of all."Get the car ready. Take her with us. We're going to Lina's house.""Yes, sir!"The convoy arrived at a luxurious mansion in Zuera. The moment Felix and his team rushed inside, they saw Steve sitting in the living room, holding a three-year-old boy in his arms."Mr. Zeller, why are all of you here?"Lina, restrained by Felix's men, screamed in a frenzy, "Dad! Save Leonardo! They're trying to take him away!"Then, she turned to Felix, shouting in fury, "You monsters! He's just three years old, and you suspect him of murder? I'll expose you! I'll take you to court!"By the time she finished, she was sobbing uncontrollably."Mr. Zel
Even though Lina knew Felix held an unimaginably high status—so high that even Steve feared him—his continued questioning and the direction of his suspicions pushed her to the edge. The mere idea that her son might be involved sent her into a silent rage.She was a mother, and when it came to her child, she did not care who the hell the other person was."I'm just asking questions," Felix said flatly. "Just answer them. Don't make me start quoting laws and rights to get you to cooperate."His voice was so calm. For a moment, Lina wondered if she had overreacted, so she took a breath and continued.She explained, "He wasn't in the stall. It's way too small in there. I left the door cracked open so he could see me, and since I had the tether on, plus the nanny and driver waiting outside, I wasn't worried about him wandering off."Felix did not say anything right away. He stood there, clearly deep in thought.Silvercrest Restaurant might have been an upscale dining place, but it was
"Can you cooperate now?" Felix asked calmly.Lina snapped back to her senses, her face burning with embarrassment. "I'm sorry," she said quickly. "I'll fully cooperate from now on."Sure enough, seeing the richest man's daughter completely fold made the rest of the group abandon any rebellious thoughts. Whatever frustration they had been feeling vanished instantly.Once they were settled, Felix began examining them closely. This was not just a casual observation. He activated his Spirit Eye, a skill from the Phaeron Codex that allowed him to see into a person's soul.After reaching Higher Spirit Realm, Felix had gained access to this ability, but he had never actually used it to inspect a Malevolent Phantom before. Still, he was sure of one thing—their souls would look nothing like normal humans'.So, checking with Spirit Sight was a far more reliable method than looking at whether someone's wounds were healing.When Felix finished scanning all nine people, he froze, completely s
A few minutes later, Felix stepped into the restroom that had been sealed off. It was a fully enclosed space, with no windows—just a single ventilation fan. That meant there was only one entrance and exit.He examined the body sitting upright on the toilet in one of the stalls. The man's head was resting gently against the tiled wall. His pants were already pulled back up and fastened, clearly indicating he had finished using the restroom. More importantly, it was obvious no one had touched or tampered with the body.Felix commented, "No need to call in forensics. There are no external wounds, and his internal organs are completely intact. We can also rule out heart failure or brain hemorrhages. This wasn't caused by any natural condition."With his medical background, it only took Felix a glance to determine the truth.Johann replied, "Yes, sir. But then… what now? Should we interrogate those nine people?"The closer they got to confirming Malevolent Phantoms were involved, the
Felix said, "Go ahead, Delilah. Zara's in your hands now—take care of her on the road.""Don't worry," Delilah replied.Once Zara was gone, Felix stood there for a moment, feeling a weight settle over his chest. She had already been through so much just surviving the ordeal of Twinshade Body, and he had promised himself—without saying a word—that he would make sure she never suffered like that again.However, no one could have predicted the sudden arrival of the Malevolent Phantoms. That was a nightmare nobody could escape, and only by ending it would they have the right to even dream of a peaceful life.…That evening, as the sun dipped low on the horizon, Felix was having dinner with Luna at a quiet restaurant, and Paul had joined them, too."Thank you, Mr. Zeller. Holden is awake and doing surprisingly well," Paul said, raising his glass.He was genuinely grateful. Even the doctors had called it a miracle. Holden had a severed artery and was transported across a long distance
"Mr. Hoffman?" Felix muttered. No wonder Delilah had shown up in person."Why didn't Mr. Hoffman just call me?" he asked.Delilah shrugged, raising both hands. "Because it's not convenient. If you make one choice, I can report back and be done with it, saving everyone the time."Felix nodded, finally curious about this big choice. Then, Delilah asked, "Zara, the one with Twinshade Body, came to see you, didn't she?"That caught Felix off guard. "How do you know about that?"Delilah rolled her eyes with a little smirk. If one of her fans saw her like this, they would probably faint from the shock.She explained, "It's not like I'm psychic. Mr. Hoffman told me. Ever since you left Martial City and came back, he's had Ophelia keeping an eye on Zara the whole time, so of course he knows."Ophelia? That explained why he had not seen her around since coming back. "So, what's the choice Mr. Hoffman wants me to make? Is it really about Zara?"Delilah nodded firmly. "Exactly. Mr. Hoff
Donna said, "Felix, Specter's the kind of guy who'll stop at nothing. I'll hold back and observe for now, but if you really prove you've got what it takes, I'll act like I never even saw that woman."…Later, Zara was resting her chin in both palms with a sweet, innocent smile on her face. She hummed, "Mhm!"Felix let out a groan and rubbed his face. "Don't just say 'mhm'! Did you even understand what I just told you?"After piecing together everything Donna had said, Felix laid it all out for Zara. Since Specter could strike at any time and Zara still did not know what Malevolent Phantoms even were, he figured she needed to hear it all."Of course I understood. Relax, honey. I'm not stupid," Zara replied casually. Since she got it, Felix finally let himself relax, too. A weight lifted off his chest, and for the first time in a while, he really looked at Zara's flawless face. He thought, "Yeah—there's no way I can hold back anymore."He said, "Let's take care of something… imp
Felix finally snapped out of it. Just moments ago, Donna had looked so grim, claiming something big was about to happen. Yet now, after her whole speech, it was all about the benefits of Zara being a Hollow Soul.Donna said, "Hollow Soul has a unique trait. If consumed, it can greatly boost your chances of success.""Consumed?" That one word made Felix's face darken instantly. "Success in what exactly?"Donna had tried to be vague, but there was no way Felix did not get the implication. To put it bluntly, she was talking about eating Zara's soul."Whether you're stuck at a plateau in your cultivation, your soul is mutating, or you're trying to master powerful soul-based techniques—offensive or defensive—if it's soul-related, Hollow Soul can drastically increase your chances of success."Felix's expression shifted as something came rushing back to him. Billy had once told him that when the Mystical Explosive Orb absorbed enough soul essence to reach capacity, it could be used to re