Leon and Jill walked out of the Trident Sea guild headquarters and headed toward the city’s teleport crystal.
It was the only fastest way to reach Mavelard, costing around 5000 MP per person to perform the teleportation.
However, with their abilities, 5000 MP was a small amount compared to their total MP.
After setting the destination, Leon and Jill vanished into drifting magic particles that were absorbed by the crystal.
In less than five seconds, they arrived at the teleport crystal near the city’s north gate. Jill opened her eyes and looked around, surprised when she saw the banner flying above the northern gate.
It was clearly the banner of LionArk.
There were no signs of damage or anything else. Jill felt confused by that. Leon turned to her and explained sothing.
"There’s a chance Ethan repaired the vital parts of the city that were ruined during the invasion, maybe the gate, the walls, the city roads, or buildings inside it," Leon replied.
"Have you ever entered the city after it was taken?"
Leon shook his head. He actually wanted to confirm who had taken Mavelard from Silver Star, but the city had been in chaos recently.
The only entry route into the city that day was through the north gate, where several people were on guard, forbidding anyone from entering until construction was finished.
Yesterday, Leon saw that most of the destroyed city walls and gates had already been repaired. However, he chose to report this incident to Ashley.
That was why Leon left one week after the city was taken from Silver Star.
Even though the buildings were still being repaired, many people guarded the city gate to ensure those entering were not mbers of the Big Three Guilds.
Leon and Jill entered through the north gate. Their steps halted when a man from the Twin Sun Guild approached to check them.
"We’re from LionArk," Jill said.
The man flinched, then checked the abbreviation on their clothing and asked Leon and Jill to show their guild panels. Their identities were confird.
"Nathan! Escort them to the LionArk headquarters," the man ordered, and his companion obeyed.
In truth, Jill and Leon didn’t need an escort because they weren’t criminals, and they knew exactly where LionArk headquarters was.
But the new city leader had enforced strict policy amid the unstable situation in Mavelard.
Ethan was clearly worried about retaliation from Silver Star and Scavenger, which was why strict inspections were being enforced.
They walked along the main road of the city, seeing many destroyed shops and guild buildings reduced to rubble.
Jill and Leon could only stare in disbelief. They couldn’t imagine how Ethan had fought so many people in this city, judging by the massive scale of destruction.
They turned and walked along the eastern road, the quickest path to reach the LionArk headquarters. From a distance, Leon and Jill felt emotional when they could finally see their guild building again.
But their emotional relief quickly turned into horror. Jill stopped walking with wide, shocked eyes. Leon showed the sa expression.
Above the walls of the LionArk headquarters, there were human heads, severed and dried without blood.
There were so many of them, stretching from the north wall to the south wall, a total of thirty-eight heads mounted on spears.
"W-What... actually happened?" Jill asked.
Nathan, the man from Twin Sun, noticed their shock. But that was Ethan’s decision as the new city leader.
Ethan clearly wanted to show everyone that he could kill many mbers of Silver Star and humiliate them, even in death.
Fear made people easy to command and easy to subdue. Ethan held onto that principle.
"This... is horrifying," Leon muttered.
Nathan urged them again toward the LionArk headquarters, and Jill and Leon followed.
If their suspicions about Ethan were true, then Leon would question Ethan’s decision to display the enemy’s heads on the walls.
To Leon, it was extrely inhuman.
The guards at the headquarters gate opened the doors for Nathan, Jill, and Leon. One of the gate guards turned, telling Nathan sothing.
"The City Leader is in a eting with visiting guilds. You can wait until their eting is over," the man explained, and Nathan nodded.
They waited in the front courtyard, sitting in the garden gazebo while Nathan spoke with one of the gate guards. Jill and Leon remained in the gazebo.
"Did sothing happen to Ethan?" Leon asked.
"I don’t know, but whatever happened before the City Authority Challenge must have hit him hard," Jill replied.
"Maybe he still hasn’t been able to forget it."
"Not to ntion he’s been busy exploring the Tower. He’s the only person who managed to reach Floors 40 to 50 alone," Jill continued.
"His strength is terrifying. No wonder he could destroy a whole city with ease," Leon said.
"True, but that’s going to be a dilemma for Miss Ashley. Not many people know Ethan was the forr guild leader. They only think Ethan is Ashley’s friend," Jill answered.
"People will lose trust in Ashley if they find out Ethan was the one who took Mavelard from Silver Star. That won’t be good for her," Leon said.
Jill agreed. It was truly a complicated situation Ashley faced while managing the guild. She had incredible talent, strong allies, and a guild filled with history. Yet she always carried all that weight alone.
It overwheld Ashley, which eventually led her to make the wrong decisions.
Before long, the doors of the LionArk headquarters opened. Several people wearing different guild uniforms walked out, many of them discussing the result of the eting.
Nathan saw that and told Jill and Leon to go in. The three of them entered the headquarters building and stood in the guild hall. Ethan heard the knock on the door and told the visitors to co in.
The door opened, and Jill and Leon walked inside. Their steps stopped instantly when they saw Ethan sitting on the guild leader’s throne in the hall, alone.
Ethan looked cold and indifferent. He already expected LionArk to figure this out, but he didn’t expect Jill and Leon to be the ones coming to see him instead of Ashley.
"Ethan? So it’s true that—"
"Tell them to leave," Ethan said firmly, still sitting on the throne.
Jill was shocked when her words were cut off by Ethan. His order clearly ant he was expelling them from LionArk headquarters. That alone was enough to shock and confuse both Jill and Leon.
"Leave? Why are you kicking us out, Ethan?" Leon asked.
"That’s my decision. I have the right to accept or reject any of you."
"I’m the leader of Mavelard now," Ethan said firmly.
Leon clenched his fists tightly, feeling insulted by the arrogance Ethan showed. Leon suspected sothing had happened to Ethan for him to change this drastically.
"A city leader can be replaced!" Leon shouted.
He grabbed his bow and fired a magic arrow at Ethan, attacking him out of frustration toward Ethan’s behavior.
Ethan extended his hand, summoning the Bloodblade Ashura, gripping it as he remained seated. His appearance changed significantly as a surge of power burst through his body.
[Mode Ashura Activated]
He stabbed his sword into the ground and created a wall of sword defense, a protective force more than enough to block Leon’s magic arrow.
The arrow shattered upon impact with Ethan’s sword shield, doing absolutely nothing to him.
Ethan narrowed his eyes sharply at Leon.
"What do you an by that, Leon?" Ethan asked.
"That was an attack to snap you out of it. You’re part of LionArk. You’re my friend. You’re Ashley’s friend!" Leon shouted.
"LionArk rejected when I tried to participate in the City Authority Challenge. If I wanted, I could abandon this guild and turn Mavelard into a Free City."
"You won’t do that. I know who you are, Ethan!" Leon said firmly.
"If you still want Mavelard, tell Ashley to co here."
"I will not speak with any of you."
"Get out of my sight!"
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