“What more is there to discuss? Back off! Everyone, just back off!” Brian’s voice boomed as he motioned for everyone to retreat.
He decided not to return to the Celestial Alliance and confess his wrongdoing. His sole recourse now was to keep Alicia captive and seek sanctuary at the Hall of Gods.
“Brian, there’s no escaping this. Release Alicia and I assure you, I’ll find a solution.” Fenley’s expression grew solemn.
He was confident that he could swiftly defeat Brian in a direct confrontation. However, with Alicia held captive, Fenley hesitated and was reluctant to take the risk. If anything were to happen to Alicia, he’d be the one to blame.
“Brian, it’s not too late to repent. Stop making one mistake after another,” Alicia pleaded, her voice strained with anguish. “If you stop now and confess willingly, I can plead with my dad to be lenient in his judgment.”
“Mistakes? Where have I gone wrong?” Brian snarled. “Survival of the fittest is the rule of nature. Everything I’ve undertaken is for my own future and advancement.
“If anyone is at fault, it’s all of you. You all favor Fenley regardless of my efforts. Since you’re all so oblivious, I’ll ensure you regret it!”
“Is your so-called power really worth it? Is it more important than family and friendship?” Alicia frowned.
“Family and friendship? They mean nothing to me!” Brian yelled. “I’ll sacrifice anything, even your life, to seize the guildmaster’s throne.”
“Ungrateful bastard!” Aurora seethed with anger. “If it weren’t for my dad taking pity on you and giving you shelter when you were starving, you would’ve been dead in the streets.
“He gave you a second chance at life, treated you as a family, taught you martial arts, and nurtured you. And what did you do?
“For your selfish ambitions, you betray our guild, betray him, and even turn against your comrades. Are you even human?”
Brian, an orphan, was discovered severely ill and unconscious by Alloy during his travels. He brought Brian home for treatment.
Alloy eventually took Brian in as a disciple and nurtured him. But nobody expected this so-called disciple to be such an ungrateful bastard.
“Don’t you dare lecture me!” Brian roared. “Yes. Alloy did save me, but I’ve risked my life for him over the years. I’ve repaid all the debts I owed. Now it’s him who owes me, not the other way around!”
“You’re right. Even if you don’t feel indebted to Master Alloy or the guild, what about Alicia?” Fenley asked. “She looked up to you as a brother and respected you. Why would you hurt her now?”
“I don’t have a choice! You’ve backed me into a corner.” Brian’s expression contorted with malice. “If I could leave here, Alicia would be safe. But if any of you dare to stop me, I’ll take her down with me!”
As he spoke, his emotions intensified, and he seemed determined to drag her down with him.
“Calm down. I’ll let you go,” Fenley hastily promised after sensing the urgency. “As long as you don’t harm her, I can let this matter slide. But I won’t let you off the hook if she’s in danger.”
At that moment, his priority shifted from capturing Brian to ensuring Alicia’s safety.
“Quit the chatter and step aside!” Brian shouted as he retreated while still holding Alicia hostage.
The enforcement team surrounding him hesitated to advance. They scattered around to prevent provoking him.
“You!” He pointed at one of the Celestial Alliance disciples. “Come here and drive the car.”
The disciple hesitated and glanced uncertainly at Fenley.
“Do as he says.” Fenley nodded.
“Okay.” The disciple complied and reluctantly stepped forward to act as the driver. Since Fenley had his back, he didn’t have to worry about taking the blame.
“Heh… thought you had me, huh? Not today!” Brian laughed triumphantly. When he saw the others keeping their distance, he prepared to hop into the car and leave.
Just as he relaxed his hold on Alicia’s throat to get in the car, Fenley sprang into action. He swiftly threw a dart aimed straight for Brian’s forehead. If it hit, it could kill him instantly.
Fenley took the risk because he knew that if Brian took her to the Hall of Gods, her fate would be grim.
“How dare you!” Brian exclaimed as the dart sailed through the air.
Despite briefly lowering his guard, Brian had kept his eyes on Fenley and didn’t overlook his subtle movements. With the dart flying toward him, he couldn’t afford a direct hit and promptly dodged sideways.
The speedy dart narrowly missed Brian’s ear and blasted a big hole in the wall behind him.
Brian’s eyes widened in shock, but a surge of anger quickly replaced it. ” Fenley! You brought this on yourself!” He gritted his teeth, and his features contorted with rage.
Amid the shocked spectators, he abruptly lunged toward Alicia and struck her head. He intended to bring her down with him.
“No!” Fenley’s face paled in terror. However, he was too far away to stop Brian.
