Antovan and Gustav knew they were brought to Arcadia by Gunter because of the man before them. They grinned viciously and their eyes gleamed with a bloodthirsty glow. When they exuded their murderous aura, the air in the living hall froze. Niko’s other men felt so pressured that they dared not make a noise, let alone move. Sonny pointed at Antovan and said, “Antovan the White Python. A genius in martial arts, a master of jiu-jitsu, Muay Thai, and karate. His combat capabilities are unrivaled in Zion Mercenaries. “Try not to get caught by him or he will constrict you like a python, strangling you to death. He then pointed at Gustav and continued, “This one is Gustav the Kodiak, born with super strength. You’d better be careful, Kaze Lee. One slap from him can smash your head and it might explode like a watermelon. It’s going to be gory.” He introduced the two legati in meticulous detail, explaining their traits and revealing some of their weaknesses. It was foolish to re
“The Fatty didn’t die after taking a slap from Gustav, he’s quite sturdy.” “Kodiak, don’t hold back! Slap him to death!” Niko and the others burst into laughter, with some even tearing up. They had never seen such a foolish person who got stunned before the fight even started and did not fight back. In the midst of the laughing, Gustav raised his hand. Bang! The slap turned Wolf’s face to the side, his face swelled even more. To everyone’s surprise, Wolf did not die. Not only did he survive the second slap, but he was also standing straight and firm as if his feet were rooted to the floor. With Gustav’s strength, he could easily send a man of 120 kg flying with one slap, yet Wolf did not budge. At that moment, even Niko and the others sensed something was wrong. They stopped with the sneers and humiliation and stared at Wolf with uncertainty. Spat! Wolf spat a mouthful of blood to the floor and then stretched his neck. He grinned and said, “Furball, that’s all
Kaze actually sent Sven and Wolf to the labs in Lilyrose Strategic Department for testing and studies. Both of them had unusual physical traits, which made them stronger than ordinary humans. Not even the lab could provide a precise explanation. Compared to the gigantic Gustav, Wolf, who looked just like any bloated man, was the one with super strength. If he had been born in ancient times, he would probably rule as a king. “Hmph!” At that moment, Antovan grunted and went to Wolf, looking emotionless. “Arcadian monkey, simply being strong is not enough. I always looked down on Gustav, he’s all muscles and no brain. I bet you are the same as him. Now, I will take your life,” he said as he shot a murderous glare at Wolf. “I will be your opponent.” The quiet and frivolous Sven finally responded. He strolled up to the man and looked into his eyes. He flatly said, “You have three shots at me as well. After that, I will kill you.” Antovan was not in a hurry to kill Sven
The reason Antovan used the jiu-jitsu technique last was that it required less endurance and strength than the first two, relying more on agility and technique. To his surprise, Sven did not seem to be familiar with the danger of jiu-jitsu, which allowed him to draw closer. It would be the best chance for Antovan to kill Sven. He strongly believed once he got a grip on Sven, no one could break him free. He would eventually strangle Sven to death like a giant python. Unfortunately, he was soon disappointed when he realized Sven’s body was as hard as steel. No matter how hard he pulled or twisted, he was not able to move Sven at all. “What the hell?” Antovan was losing his calm. He exhausted most of his strength and it would be dangerous for him if the fight continued. Without further ado, he wanted to draw distance from Sven to regroup and rethink the situation. Sven did not give him the chance to retreat this time. “My turn.” The defensive Sven looked into Antov
Sonny did not break eye contact with Kaze, his face grimacing. A student of Gunter, Sonny knew best what these two legati were made of. Though they were a lot weaker than Mosiah, not many in Glowmoss could defeat them.Yet, they were crushed. Niko found it the hardest to accept reality. He was convinced that the Three Great Legati would make Kaze grovel at his feet and submit to him. Reality told a different story. The weight of the situation came crashing down on Niko. “That’s impossible. No way.“Uncle Gunter took the legati under his wing. They couldn’t possibly be killed easily. I bet he played dirty,” Niko yelled menacingly. He seemed to be at breaking point. “Played dirty? Ha.” Kaze scoffed and drew close to slap Niko in the face. Wham!Niko crashed to the ground, his jaw dropped as blood gushed out. Kaze did not hold back his strength, nearly whipping the life out of Niko. Unable to take it anymore, Sonny stepped forward and said grimly, “Niko belongs to
Sonny’s death struck fear in Niko and Cosmo. They did not expect Kaze to get blood on his hands. Sonny was Gunter’s most cherished student. Yet, Kaze killed him without hesitation. Even though Niko and Cosmo were no saints, they would never hurt Sonny. Fear finally sunk in for Niko and Cosmo. Thump! They fell to their knees. “Don’t kill me, Kaze. Please don’t kill me.“Just name your price.” They crouched low, laying their heads down before Kaze in a plea for forgiveness. “I can spare your lives, but you can’t escape a punishment.” Kaze, aloof as a god delivering final judgment, said, “You prey on the weak, and for that, I’ll strip off your manhood.” “Thank you.” Niko and Cosmo were overjoyed by Kaze’s show of mercy, but the punishment threw them for a loop. “No! Please, Kaze. Don’t do this.” They begged desperately. Niko and Cosmo would rather die than live without being men. “The punishment fits the crime.” Kaze shook his head and left those words
After driving the Hornbergs out, Gunter occupied the Hornberg Manor in Sunrise City. Gunter was having his usual tea. Mosiah, the top Great Legatus, stood quietly by the wall, his presence still. It would be hard to notice a person standing there. Gunter took a sip and tilted his head at Mosiah before sighing. “It’s a shame. Looks like you might not be put to use on this Arcadian trip.” Niko and Sonny took the two of the Great Legati to Lilyrose. Gunter kept track of Niko and Sonny’s every move in Lilyrose. He had utmost trust in Sonny’s competence too. Niko stood out among his peers in the Powell family. Gunter believed Sonny and Niko would have no problems with their journey to Lilyrose. “Not much is worth my time in Arcadia.” Mosiah was a man of few words. After a brief silence, he gave such a response and ended the conversation there. He only responded because it was Gunter. Mosiah would ignore anyone else, and that included Antovan and Gustav. Knowing t
Gunter stood there, staring blankly at the three coffins without a word. He would grimace at times, a clear sign that he was not as composed as he seemed. Even without opening the coffins, Gunter realized the inevitable and mentally prepared himself for the outcome. “My condolences, Mr. Powell,” George, the head of the Lees, approached with his men and uttered. The Lees escorted the three coffins from Lilyrose. George received the tragic news that revolved around his son, Cosmo, who had turned out to incite Sonny to wreak havoc in Lilyrose.To prevent Gunter from getting the wrong idea and resenting the Lees, George swallowed his grief and fetched the coffins back to Hornberg Manor. Brushing George off, Gunter took a deep breath after a long, stifling silence and spoke, “Open them.” Mosiah went up without a word and whacked his palm on the covers of three coffins, slamming the lids off the caskets. Gunter drew close and scanned each coffin emotionlessly. They were
The incident did not sit well with Kaze, so he left them out to dry. After much searching, Kaze came across a café. Kaze bought a cup of coffee. Cupping the drink between his hands, Kaze sipped slowly. Many passengers swarmed the arrival hall in the airport, dragging along their luggage or pulling out their phones to get a pick-up. They all had a destination, a place they had to be in a rush. Intrigued, Kaze followed the crowd out. Kaze turned on his phone, and a text message from his airport pick-up came in. He glanced at the message, curious about who the person was. Nevertheless, Kaze trusted that the Westeros Branch members would not set him up out in the open. At most, they would pull little stunts to mess with him. Kaze was not the type to sweat the small stuff. However, he would not tolerate any extreme behavior. He had been keeping a low profile back in Butterworth, keeping the limelight off him. The purpose was to handle Jet without unnecessary complicati
“Alright. I will work hard to be the manager of the Northborn Group. You need to show me the ropes and teach me about management.” Leah looked at Katie with a smile. She believed Katie had not lost her mind. Katie simply had her memory mixed up. “You need to keep your people in line and reward those who deserve it. It all boils down to profits. “You need to work toward managing your people and working with rivals. You’ve got to keep the balance, and nobody loses out. “You need to build your own system when it comes to working together. Don’t be led around by the nose.” Hearing that Leah would start work soon, Katie imparted her knowledge. “Don’t worry too much about things. Joey is nice. You can go to her for help,” Katie said earnestly. Katie seemed to be herself at the moment. Leah wondered if Katie faked her insanity to escape the punishment. “What have become of you? Did they do something to you? “Did you really betray Kaze?” Leah whispered while leaning close
Leah kept working on her knowledge until late into the night. Just as she was about to hit the sack, she got a message from Snow. Learning was a hard enough process. The text message came out of the blue. Leah did not expect Snow to contact her at night. The message was strange as well. Leah could not understand why Snow would give her the address of a nursing home. Leah was determined to turn things around. She strived to become stronger instead of being a burden. She was grateful for Kaze’s help. At least, she had a job now. However, her gratitude was not extended to Snow. She believed Snow had gone too far. Snow left her feeling powerless. Leah did not think much about the message. She assumed that the text was not meant for her. Since Leah did not respond to the text, Snow put the matter aside and went to bed. Leah called Snow the next day. “Why did you send me an address?” Leah went straight to the question. She had been equipping herself with knowledge before
Snow could not believe her eyes. Katie suddenly went quiet and behaved like the CEO she was.However, Katie did not look like she was right in the mind earlier. “What’s going on? She seems to have gone insane.” Snow turned to the warden, still digesting the change. Katie had lost touch with reality before the Viper’s Den did anything to her. “How did this happen? She has been taking her meals. Just days earlier, she nagged about getting out because she was worried about her daughter. As usual, we didn’t respond to her requests.” The warden found the whole thing peculiar too. Just a few days ago, Katie demanded her release. Now, she kept to herself and abided by the rules. Out of the blue, Katie went nuts. Things had gotten complicated. Snow wanted to keep Katie behind bars due to her betrayal. However, Kaze decided against pursuing the matter for Leah’s sake. Katie would be let go soon enough, but she would lose her job at the Northborn Group. Katie’s presence woul
It was quiet in the office. Snow sorted the last bit of paperwork before picking her head up in exhaustion. Her initial plan was to delegate the tasks. However, Katie was controlling. Previously, she personally oversaw many matters. Snow could not distribute the responsibilities because the employees had no experience in handling them. They came to Snow for every tiny, little thing, and Snow really got her hands full. Despite her frustration, Snow could let things go as Katie was locked up. “I should pay her visit.” Snow decided to see Katie. Some things should not be left unsaid. Leah would be working for the Northborn Group soon, and the mother and daughter should meet to tie up loose ends. The truth would put Leah to shame, and her guilt would stop her from ever betraying Kaze. After a quick bite, Snow drove to the prison. Katie was furious when she was imprisoned. She was one step away from victory. She was so close to leaving Butterworth to head to Westeros
“Why do you want to sell the properties? Do you need money? Don’t you have some saved?” Joey had a good understanding of Leah’s finances since she ran all the paperwork. “My mother is being held, and I need money to ask favors. Maybe I can get her out.” Leah was not thinking much. Money could always be replaced, but not her mother’s freedom. “Don’t be silly. This is not the way to go.” Though Joey did not have the details, she observed that things were not as simple as Leah thought. Kaze was safe now, but the fact that Katie had betrayed Kaze and revealed his whereabouts remained unchanged. Katie had broken the Viper’s Den’s rules. Even if she got out, she would be a wreck. With Snow running the Northborn Group, Katie would remain a failure. Either way, Katie would not get away with it. Even if Leah offered all her assets, Katie’s situation would not change. It was a waste of money and resources for Leah to save her mother. Nothing would come out of it. “But I
“Give me an answer. Are you taking the job? If you are, you should sort out your affairs. Don’t bring your personal feelings to work.” Snow was not the type to go easy on fragile women. If Leah did not have what it took, she could be forced to leave the company. Nevertheless, Katie had left a lot of assets to Leah. Even without work, Leah could very well survive. The girl would have trouble keeping the wealth, seeing that she was without power or connections. If Leah had a job, she would have the resources to hold onto her assets. Leah had seen the best and worst of mankind. She was once the center of attention, and now, everybody avoided her. It dawned on Leah that it was over for Katie. If Leah could not even keep a job, she would lose everything. “I didn’t know things would happen.” Leah never thought that Katie was capable of stabbing Kaze and her in the back. The thought of betrayal put Leah in distress. Kaze was a great guy who helped Leah a lot. Feeling ete
Leah got dressed and was ready to leave, but she did not know who to turn to. She thought about going to her wealthy friends to see if they could uncover anything through their connections. However, Leah could not get a hold of them. It dawned on Leah that loyalty would fade when power was gone. Even though Katie was just missing, intel spread around Butterworth very quickly. These people must have found out and have chosen to stay away. Leah had always been treated like royalty. Nobody had ever avoided her like the plague. Nevertheless, she had not been in touch with these friends since her injury. Now, in her attempt to contact them, she could not reach them. “Why is this happening? My good friends have gone MIA, and I’m getting silence from those who have been trying to connect.” Sitting on the couch, Leah looked out the window in despair. She tried to seek help with her mother’s search, but her efforts were futile. She could do nothing for her mother. All al
“I have to work hard starting today. But before that, I have to get some sleep.” Snow remembered that Kaze punished her to get some sleep. He said her face looked tired and pale, signs of how hard she had been working. It felt great being cared for. It was because of his kindness, Snow fell for Kaze uncontrollably. Yet she understood not all things were meant to be. After she returned home, she went to sleep immediately without talking to anyone. She only woke up in the afternoon after a comfortable and easy sleep. Next, she would have to work on many things, first being taking over Northborn Group. Katie’s disappearance had the company shaken, but it gave many others a chance. They tried to calm their subordinates down and contact the higher-ups for more information, hoping that they could replace Katie as the new CEO. Little did they know, their preparations would eventually fall short. Snow and her secretary arrived at Northborn Group in the afternoon, and her a