Chapter 515 Reluctantly Taking Action
"Yo, Brian Rodriguez, what the hell, man? We've been chill, but you're really testing us now. You think we're just gonna roll over?"
"Tyler Clark, save the drama. Hand over the goods, and I swear I'll bounce without any trouble."
"So, it's the Sacred wood you're after, huh? Let's see if you got the guts to take it."
Ethan overheard the heated exchange, scratching his head in confusion. But the mention of the Sacred wood got his attention real quick.
"Angel, you got any clue what this Sacred wood is?" Ethan shot a quick question at Angel.
"No idea. Hold up, I'll go bug those guys upstairs!" And with that, Angel vanished from the first floor of Requiem Tower, probably off to mess with those poor souls again.
The brawl outside was still raging, and since it was a showdown between Half-Step Grandmasters, it was pretty wild. If this was happening in a hotel, the place would be trashed by now.
Ethan was getting antsy waiting for Angel. She probably wouldn't get any answers soon, but the fight outside was already tipping in one side's favor.
The six who had the upper hand got ambushed and poisoned by the other three, making them weak as hell. Even though they had numbers, only two were Half-Step Grandmasters, and it showed.
Ethan was torn about jumping in, but the dirty tricks used by one side made him scowl.
"Brian, you're a big shot in the ML Guild, and you pull this crap? Aren't you worried people will laugh at you?"
"I only care about winning. Besides, you're all dead meat today. Who's gonna spill the beans?"
"You just want the Sacred wood. I'll give it to you, but you gotta let my crew go."
"You think you can bargain with me?"
"If you don't agree, I'll smash the Sacred wood right now. Try me!"
The two sides started haggling again.
"Alright, you win. I'll let your crew go, but you gotta die. And don't even think about wrecking the Sacred wood after they leave. If you do, I swear they'll die today." Brian was clearly worried Tyler might actually destroy the Sacred wood, so he caved. But he was pissed and wanted Tyler dead to blow off steam.
"Tyler, don't do it. If we die, we die together," Tyler's crew shouted in unison.
"Don't be idiots. As long as you live, the JE Guild has a shot," Tyler snapped.
"Tyler."
"Go! I said leave. You gonna ignore me? You want me to die right here?" Tyler yelled, pressing his sword to his neck.
With tears in their eyes and fists clenched, Tyler's crew glared at their enemies. Reluctantly, they turned and left, following Tyler's orders.
Tyler suddenly dropped to his knees, his sword clattering to the ground, his face pale as a ghost.
"Where is it?" Brian strolled up to Tyler, looking down with a smug grin.
"Here, just keep your word," Tyler muttered, pulling a black cloth-wrapped item from his chest and tossing it to Brian before closing his eyes.
"Smart move. If you’d handed it over earlier, none of this would’ve happened. But I never planned to let you off easy," Brian sneered. After confirming the Sacred wood was legit, he signaled to his two goons.
"You promised not to hurt them!" Tyler's eyes shot open, glaring at Brian in disbelief.
"I only know that winners take all. Losers don’t get to negotiate. Did I agree to any of your terms? Don’t think so." Brian shook his head, pretending to be helpless, then burst into laughter.
"I'll fight you to the death," Tyler roared, grabbing his sword and charging at Brian.
"You're asking for it," Brian snarled, swinging his long knife at Tyler.
Tyler, already poisoned and beat up, couldn’t react in time. The knife was about to split his head open when a resigned sigh echoed. A flash of cold light struck Brian's knife, sending it flying.
"Who dares mess with ML Guild's business?" Brian's face twisted in shock as he stepped back, scanning the area nervously.
Just then, the two Half-Step Grandmasters Brian had sent after Tyler's crew were tossed back. Ethan strolled into the courtyard.
"I didn't want to get involved, but even an outsider like me can't ignore what you're doing," Ethan said to Brian, looking all innocent.
"Who the hell are you?" Brian eyed Ethan suspiciously, clearly on edge. Anyone who could handle two Half-Step Grandmasters with ease was no joke.
"Thanks . I owe you big time," Tyler said, struggling to stand despite the pain.
"No problem," Ethan replied with a slight smile, then extended a hand toward Brian.
"What do you want?" Brian asked, his face going pale.
"Are you gonna hand it over, or do I have to take it myself?" Ethan asked calmly.
"No way, this is something the ML Guild is dead set on. Our leader is a master-level expert. You sure you wanna mess with us?" Brian backed up, trying to scare Ethan by name-dropping his guild and leader.
"Using your own words, winners take all. If you can't beat me, you gotta hand it over. Simple as that. And if your leader is so tough, let him come and get it himself," Ethan chuckled, totally unfazed.
"Who are you?" Brian was horrified. Even mentioning his master-level leader didn’t faze Ethan. He thought, 'Did I really run into a badass today? Just my luck!'