“Master Holloway!” Everyone stared nervously at the highly respected Master Holloway. Yet, no one dared to step forward.
Master Holloway clutched his own throat tightly, his face darkening from a flushed red to a horrifying black. Desperately, he raised a hand and pounded the floor, like a defeated martial artist surrendering in a duel.
Just when it seemed like he was about to die, his hand suddenly loosened. Then, with all his remaining strength, he slapped himself fiercely across the face. The impact sent a tooth flying, splitting his lip wide open.
A sickening tearing sound followed. He raised his hand again and clawed at his face with such force that his nails dug into his flesh. Blood streamed down his cheeks as his face tore under the pressure.
“Help! Help! Save me!” Master Holloway looked up helplessly at the members of the Alfredson family, pleading for aid.
But the Alfredson family had never encountered anything like this before. Terrified, they staggered backward, too afraid to take even a single step closer.
Master Holloway let out another agonized scream. That same hand returned to his face with a sickening sound, raking it again and spraying blood everywhere.
“No! Stop it!” he shouted in utter desperation, unable to control himself.
“Help me! Please, help me!” Apart from his possessed hand, he could still move his legs. He fell to his knees, his face twisted in agony, and turned pleading eyes to the Alfredson family.
“Mr. Alfredson, help me! I think something has taken control of my hand. It’s no longer mine! It’s no longer mine!” Master Holloway begged Derek Alfredson with pitiful desperation.
Derek Alfredson frowned deeply. Watching the once-mighty master reduced to such a pitiful state left him with a storm of emotions.
This was Master Holloway, the renowned figure. How could he have fallen so far? Shouldn’t he have been able to save his father with ease?
As Derek wrestled with his thoughts, Seraphina suddenly had an idea. She turned sharply toward Kayden. “You! You’re supposed to be the expert, aren’t you? You can save Master Holloway, right? Do it! Hurry and save him!”
Kayden remained unmoved, while Wood Faulkner turned to look at Seraphina with an icy stare.
Derek Alfredson quickly shifted his pleading gaze toward Wood Faulkner. “Miss Faulkner, could you-”
Before he could finish, Wood Faulkner interrupted him. “Absolutely not. Didn’t you all doubt Mr. Scott’s abilities? He never helps those who question him.”
“I came to repay a debt to Mr. Alfredson, but you all refused to accept it. That’s not my fault.”
This was Kayden’s principle-he would never extend help to those who doubted him.
“Mr. Scott, let’s go. This trip was a waste of time,” Wood Faulkner said decisively, her tone as sharp and unyielding as her demeanor.
She had come to aid them out of gratitude for past kindness, but they had rejected her. And now, after things had gone wrong, they expected her to return? What did they take her for? What did they take Kayden for? People to summon and dismiss at will?
Sorry, they weren’t qualified for that.
“You’re nothing but liars! Now that you can’t even handle Master Holloway, you’re just trying to flee. Don’t think I don’t know your true intentions. You two are nothing but venomous snakes!” Seraphina shouted, pointing at Kayden and Wood Faulkner, her face twisted with anger.
Smack! Before her words even finished, a slap landed squarely on her face.
“Shut your mouth!” It was Derek Alfredson who had struck her, his eyes burning with fury.
“If you say one more word, I’ll make sure you regret it!” he growled, his voice menacing.
Seraphina opened her mouth to argue, but when she saw the murderous expression on Derek Alfredson’s face, she hesitated and closed it.
“Mr. Scott, if you can save my father, I’m begging you! If you can save him, I’ll pledge my loyalty to you from now on!” Derek Alfredson’s voice was filled with desperation.
Though he still harbored some doubts, he had been observing Kayden’s demeanor throughout the ordeal. Despite the horrific events surrounding Master Holloway, Kayden remained calm and composed, as if he had known all along that such a thing would happen. That kind of steady confidence was not something an ordinary person could possess.
As the heir to the Alfredson family, Derek wasn’t blind. He could see that Kayden was no ordinary man.
“Derek, are you insane? How can you beg this guy? Do you really think some kid can handle something even Master Holloway couldn’t solve?” Seraphina, still fuming from the slap, shouted angrily.
Smack! Another slap. Derek Alfredson hit her again without hesitation.
“Shut up!” he barked, his patience wearing thin.
Then, turning back, he bowed and pleaded, “Mr. Scott, please, I beg you-”
Before Derek could finish, Master Holloway let out another scream. His hands shot up and aimed directly at his own eyes, fingers poised to gouge them out.
“Enough!”
Suddenly, Kayden’s voice rang out, sharp and commanding.
He turned to the mysterious force controlling Holloway and barked, “This isn’t your place. Don’t let yourself be destroyed over garbage like this. Return to where you came from. I’m giving you one chance.”
A guttural roar echoed through the room, and Master Holloway’s body was lifted into the air. It was as if some unseen force had hoisted him up, suspending him above the ground.
The sight defied all logic, yet it was happening right in front of everyone.
“Such hostility,” Kayden muttered, his voice low and steady. “Must I really intervene?”
“Help me! Please! Master, help me!” Master Holloway cried out desperately.
Facing death, Holloway’s pride crumbled. He no longer cared about appearances. Once, he had looked down on Kayden, but now, he begged for his life.
Kayden ignored his pleas. He spoke calmly to the air, “I know he shouldn’t have summoned you, but your rage is unjustified. Leave now, or I’ll shatter your very existence. This is your final warning.”
With that, Kayden stepped forward. As his foot struck the ground, a golden rune appeared in the air above his palm, glowing with an otherworldly light. Beneath his feet, seven radiant beams of light erupted in different colors.
The sight stunned everyone in the room. If they hadn’t seen it with their own eyes, they would never have believed such power was real.
At that moment, Kayden was no longer just a young man. He was a true master.