“Defender! Please, spare me! I beg you, Defender, don’t kill me!” Kendall wailed, dropping to his knees and crawling toward Kayden in desperation.
Kayden didn’t spare him so much as a glance. He walked straight to Georgia, who stood frozen in shock and fear. Reaching out, he gently clasped her trembling hand. “Let’s go, Georgia,” he said calmly. With her hand in his, he led her away without looking back.
“Defender, what about him?” Greedy Wolf asked, his gaze falling on Beckett’s lifeless body sprawled on the ground.
Kayden paused, his eyes lingering on the corpse. After a moment of silence, he said, “Honor Beckett with the highest recognition as a hero of the Battlefield. Bury him with full military honors and respect him as a soldier of Nine Dragons’ Souls.”
“Got it, sir!” Greedy Wolf replied, standing at attention as Kayden’s figure disappeared into the distance.
After that, his demeanor shifted. He squared his shoulders, his every movement exuding dominance, as he strode toward Kendall. His heavy boots came to a stop a mere inch from the cowering man.
Kendall looked up with wide, bloodshot eyes, his entire body trembling with fear. “Please… please don’t kill me!” he begged, his voice cracking. “I’ll give you everything-anything you want!”
Gone was the imposing Kendall Lindsey, the man who once exuded authority and power. In his place now knelt a shell of a man, stripped of all pride, drowning in terror.
Greedy Wolf stared down at him. He leaned in slightly, his voice dripping with disdain. “Do you think I need anything from you?”
As the Deputy Commander of Seclela, Greedy Wolf was second only to Kayden himself. He was revered and feared by tens of thousands. What did he have to fear? What could Kendall possibly offer him? Nothing. And he would never stoop to accept bribes from a coward.
He raised his hand, letting it hang above Kendall’s head. He squinted, and said in a low, deliberate voice, “In your next life, don’t let arrogance be your downfall.”
The words barely left his lips before his palm came crashing down on Kendall’s skull. A sickening crack echoed through the room. Everyone heard it, their hearts seized by the horrifying sound. Kendall’s body convulsed violently as blood gushed from his eyes, nose, mouth, and ears.
Blood gushed from all the openings of his head!
That single blow had obliterated Kendall’s internal organs, leaving no room for survival. His life ended in an instant. The sheer force drove his blood upward in a gruesome torrent, bursting through his ears, eyes, mouth, and nose.
The raw, brutal power of the strike was enough to drain the color from anyone’s face, to root them to the spot. But Greedy Wolf stood there, still cold and detached, as if he had simply swatted a fly. Killing, for him, was as ordinary as breathing!
Without a second glance at Kendall’s lifeless body, he turned on his heel and strode toward the door. Behind him, Kendall’s corpse collapsed with a heavy thud.
Stepping outside, Greedy Wolf’s sharp eyes scanned the gathered soldiers of the Nine Dragons’ Souls. His voice rang out, “Soldiers, raise your rifles in salute!”
The next moment, the Fcon Hotel erupted in a thunderous symphony of gunfire!
This was no ordinary salute. It was the highest honor reserved for warriors, a final farewell to Beckett. Though an ordinary man in life, he was sent off as a hero of the Battlefield. Just as he himself had said, to die for protecting Defender’s wife was his greatest honor!
The elite guests at the Fcon Hotel witnessed everything. Each second dragged on like a century as though they had been thrust into a waking nightmare. But this nightmare would remain confined to their minds. No one would dare speak of it. What had transpired here would be shrouded in secrecy, forgotten by the world after today.
Hiphia Executive Office!
Deputy Chief Esteban Sutton pricked up his ears at the unmistakable crack of gunfire. His head snapped toward the direction of the sound-Fcon Hotel. His eyes widened, his expression hardening in disbelief.
Having just returned from an out-of-town training program, Esteban was unaware of the lockdown already in effect in the region, let alone the chaos unfolding at Fcon. But gunfire? That was utterly unacceptable.
His temper flared, and he slammed his fist on the desk, bellowing, “What’s going on? Have those bastards gone completely insane?! Guns? It wasn’t just a single gunshot or two-I heard an entire barrage! What the hell do they think this is? This is downtown, not a battlefield!”
Without hesitation, Esteban grabbed a whistle and blew a sharp, piercing blast to gather his men.
Within moments, tens of thousands of soldiers had gathered, their formation sharp and disciplined. Facing this sea of determined warriors, Esteban’s voice thundered, “Did you hear those gunshots?!”
“YES, SIR!” The deafening chorus reverberated like a battle cry.
While others might have dismissed the sounds as firecrackers, these seasoned soldiers knew better. The sharp, distinct crack of gunfire was unmistakable to their trained ears.
“If there’s gunfire in our city, we have a duty to respond!” Esteban growled, his eyes blazing with determination. “I want to see who has the audacity to stir up trouble on my turf! Everyone, fall in! We’re heading to the Fcon Hotel-NOW!”
Before his words had fully faded, a man in his sixties rushed over, whose face was a mix of shock and urgency. “Esteban!” he called out sharply.
Hearing the familiar voice, Esteban spun around and immediately snapped a crisp military salute.
“Yes, Chief!” he exclaimed, his tone brimming with excitement. “Gunfire is erupting outside-thousands of rounds! It’s clear there’s a massive disturbance. I was just about to mobilize the troops to bring it under control.”
“Are you insane?” The Chief’s graying eyebrows shot up like storm clouds, his voice thundering with fury. “Do you have any idea that this area is under a lockdown order?”
“What? A lockdown order?” Esteban was bewildered.
The Chief sighed deeply, his gaze drifting toward the horizon as if trying to peer into the unseen. “Yes, the order was issued directly by the region’s highest authority. Whatever happens in Hiphia today and no matter how catastrophic it would be, it’s none of our business.”
Esteban’s expression shifted as realization dawned on him. “Are you saying… he’s here?”
The Chief gave a slight nod. “It’s him. Who else in all of Seclela could issue such a command? Who else has the power to orchestrate this kind of spectacle in a bustling city?”
“It’s really him?” Esteban’s eyes lit up with an almost childlike awe, his entire body trembling with anticipation.
“Do you think I might have the honor of seeing him in person?”
That man wasn’t just a figure of admiration; he was a living legend, the kind of person whose name carried reverence even in whispers!
The Chief chuckled softly, waving his hand. “Esteban, dismiss the ranks. Let’s not get ahead of ourselves.” He paused, a faint glimmer of longing in his own eyes. Actually, even the Chief craved a glimpse of that legendary figure.
Hiphia Guard Unit.
A newly appointed deputy captain heard the sharp crackle of gunfire echoing outside. Unable to contain his curiosity, he turned to Captain Iron Neville.
“Captain, what’s happening out there? All that shooting… are they trying to kill someone?”
“They’re paying tribute to the dead,” Neville said. His expression stayed stern, though a flicker of reverence glimmered in his eyes. He held a deep respect for not just the Battlefield, but also for that person.
Neville’s transfer to Vernon was only a month away. The new deputy had been sent to step into his shoes, but Neville knew this arrangement wasn’t a coincidence. It was all orchestrated by that man. Without that man’s intervention, Neville might have spent his entire career languishing in Hiphia.
“Captain, is it really true? Is there someone influential like that in Hiphia?” The deputy asked, his tone almost theatrical with disbelief.
Neville let out a dismissive snort and retorted, “What would I gain from lying to you?”
“No, no, of course not! I just find it hard to believe that this little city is hiding so many extraordinary people. It makes me… a bit wary.”
Neville cast him a cold, penetrating stare. “Stick to your duties. Do what you’re supposed to do, and do it well. Don’t meddle in things that aren’t your business, and don’t take what doesn’t belong to you. Remember-what goes around comes around. Keep those words in mind, and you’ll stay out of trouble.”
The deputy captain stood straighter, nodding quickly. “Understood, Captain Neville! I’ll remember your words!”