Ethan fell silent for a mont, his eyes narrowing when he heard Arthur’s request. To Ethan, those were the most absurd words he had ever heard.
Arthur was the leader of Redemption Sword. Ethan knew exactly what Arthur’s relationship with Xeno was like, more like brothers than re allies.
Before the VR fulldrive tragedy happened, Redemption Sword and Scavenger had already been together.
When the tragedy struck, their relationship only grew closer and stronger.
They ruled the central plains, becoming the top guild for several months, completely unrivaled. It was impossible for Arthur to ask Ethan to eliminate Scavenger.
"What makes you say that? Everyone knows what the relationship between Redemption Sword and Scavenger is like."
Arthur remained there, standing in front of his tent, his gaze lifted as he looked up at Ethan flying in the sky.
It was natural for Ethan to question Arthur like that. All Ethan knew was what had happened between the two guilds in public.
He had no idea that sothing had been going on behind the scenes.
"You think my relationship with Xeno is good? Unfortunately, it’s not," Arthur explained.
"Scavenger is trying to take my power away!"
Arthur stepped forward, standing alone without anyone accompanying him. "If you kill , Xeno and Scavenger will take over the central plains."
"He’s far more dangerous than I am. You should know that."
Ethan went quiet, his focus shifting to the mbers of Redemption Sword stationed at their small camp.
Their faces always looked tense, hands gripping their weapons as if they were constantly on alert. It was clear that Ethan was a real threat to them.
"You and I have been rivals in this ga for years. I know you. I know your strategies."
"Attacking the archipelago region is not your style," Ethan said firmly.
"That’s because Xeno influenced . I only realized it after you attacked ," Arthur replied.
Ethan fell silent. Too many things were being revealed in this war. Arthur claid that Xeno was the mastermind behind Redemption Sword’s alliance invading the archipelago.
Yet from Yuna, Ethan had learned that Arthur himself had ordered the invasion of the archipelago.
Two pieces of information, two different perpetrators. Ethan did not know who to believe.
"I don’t care about your problems with Scavenger. My goal is to defeat you, destroy your alliance, and seize your core crystals!"
Arthur raised his hand, revealing his core crystal. Ethan gasped in shock, still flying together with Sera.
"I can hand everything over to you. But if I do that, Scavenger will return, and Xeno will remain alive."
"The Shadow Guild will continue to operate, possibly becoming even more terrifying than before," Arthur added.
Ethan was startled. He lowered his sword, which had been pointed forward, now aiming it down toward Arthur.
"You know about Mr. X?"
"Of course," Arthur said firmly. "Mr. X is Xeno!"
"What? Are you trying to..."
"Nicholas from Silver Star holds a grudge. He asked Scavenger for help to cause chaos in the eastern plains."
"Xeno was the one who persuaded Noah from the Trident Sea and destroyed the city belonging to the Star Shield Guild."
"Xeno is the one you should be watching!"
Ethan remained silent, still unsure whether Arthur’s words were true. However, Arthur was the leader of a major guild called Redemption Sword.
For years, he had maintained his guild’s status as the best across the entire continent.
That achievent alone was proof enough that Arthur was not an ordinary man, soone who would make decisions based solely on ego or desire.
"How can I trust you?" Ethan asked.
"I will hand over all of Redemption Sword’s core crystals to you, right after you kill Xeno for ."
"I must remain in power in the central plains. My guild’s contribution points will certainly decrease, but it won’t cause my guild to fall in rank."
"What matters most to is the central plains, and the other guilds that have sworn loyalty to ."
Ethan fell silent. There were no signs that Arthur was lying. The man’s face remained serious, as if everything he said was bound to happen.
"I could take those crystals from you and then go to Aqua City to cut off Xeno’s head myself."
Arthur grinned. "Then the central plains will fall into chaos. Criminal guilds will grow and spread disorder across the eastern and western plains."
"Redemption Sword exists in the central plains to prevent criminal guilds from growing!"
Ethan realized that. The Shadow Guild alone was already troubleso enough for him.
If even more criminal guilds erged after Redemption Sword was gone from the central plains, it would be far worse.
This is bad.
Regional stability would collapse, and both the western and eastern plains would be affected.
In the end, Ethan would still allow the Redemption Sword to remain in the central plains.
What Arthur said was true. A dominant guild was needed to maintain such a vast territory, especially the central plains.
"Redemption Sword and its alliance were destroyed the mont we decided to attack the north. We have no chance against the Eastern Alliance’s forces."
Arthur smiled faintly. "You’ve ford an impressive alliance, Ethan."
Slowly, Ethan descended and set his feet on the ground. He walked forward until he stood directly in front of Arthur, eting his gaze at eye level.
Sera remained beside Ethan. She could not offer any advice, but if it ca to protecting Ethan or helping him attack, she was more than reliable.
"What if I choose to trust you?" Ethan asked.
"Redemption Sword will beco your trusted partner. The Eastern Alliance will be our allied friend."
"No more rivalry. We’ll focus on destroying the towers."
For a long ti, Ethan remained lost in thought. Then he slowly extended his hand, asking Arthur to shake it.
Arthur smiled and clasped Ethan’s hand tightly.
That handshake was a sign of Ethan’s trust in Arthur, and the Eastern Alliance’s trust in allowing the Redemption Sword to remain in power in the central plains.
"I... trust you. After all, you are my greatest rival. I respect you because you are my rival!" Ethan said firmly.
"HAHA! It feels like reliving old mories, doesn’t it?"
"I can see it. LionArk has reached a new peak of glory now."
Seeing Ethan and Arthur shake hands made everyone present feel relieved. They put away their weapons and returned to normal, though they remained cautious.
"So, what do you think I should do?" Arthur asked.
"In this event, you and I are enemies. I still have to treat you as an enemy," Ethan said firmly.
Ethan ordered Arthur to hand over Redemption Sword’s core crystal to his most trusted aide. Arthur was confused but still did as Ethan instructed.
"Chain him, Sera!"
Sera nodded, extending her hand and binding Arthur’s body with golden chains.
That act angered the mbers of Redemption Sword. They thought Ethan intended to parade Arthur around and humiliate him.
Ethan shook his head. "I’m taking Arthur to Aqua City. After Scavenger is defeated, I’ll exchange Arthur for your core crystal."
"HAHA! You’re trading like an object," Arthur said.
"That’s the only option I can give. After all, my alliance mbers still consider you an enemy."
"If they see us together, they’ll hesitate and lose trust."
"But if I bind you with chains, then..."
"They’ll see as a hostage. Am I right?" Arthur asked.
Ethan fell silent, then nodded. Everything Arthur said was correct. He had to bring Arthur as a hostage, not as a friend.
"I guarantee his safety. I ask you all to stop attacking Nuwa City."
The mbers of Redemption Sword instinctively turned to look at Arthur. Arthur told them to follow Ethan’s orders.
"In that case, we’ll withdraw to the coastal region and wait there. Take care of him for us, Ethan!"
"I will."
They began dismantling their tents and headed toward the southern dock to repair it. Only those with land access could fix that dock.
Unlike them, Ethan walked with Arthur and Sera at his side. Nash, Peter, and Jack gasped in shock.
The three of them saw that Ethan had successfully dispersed Redemption Sword’s camp without a fight, simply through Arthur’s surrender.
The gate opened, and thousands of soldiers were already there, hurling insults at Arthur.
Ethan glanced around, unable to completely suppress the anger of his alliance mbers and the city’s forces.
"You’ll die by my hand, Arthur!"
"I’ll cut off your head, Arthur!"
"Damn you! You’re lucky Sir Ethan made you a hostage, otherwise I’d kill you myself!"
Ethan heard their curses, sharp and filled with hatred. Arthur received his judgnt, but he neither resisted nor argued.
After all, the decision to attack the archipelago had been his. He was the one they blad, since they did not know the full truth.
Nash, Peter, and Jack arrived in the city. Nash tried to punch Arthur, desperate to vent his anger, but Ethan stopped him.
"He’s LionArk’s hostage. You are not allowed to hurt him!"
"But he attacked my city. I’ll never forgive him."
"He has surrendered. Don’t make yourselves the sa as them!" Ethan said firmly.
Jack pulled Nash back, calming him down. Peter walked closer to Ethan, curious about what trick Ethan had used on Arthur.
"There’s nothing. They surrendered because they’re tired of fighting."
"Since the situation in Nuwa City is now stable, I order all forces to sail to Aqua City."
"So, we’re attacking Scavenger?" Peter asked.
Ethan nodded. He briefly glanced at Arthur, who was still standing nearby.
"That’s right."
"By defeating Scavenger, we can ensure victory in this war," Ethan said firmly.
"But I’m leaving you with one order," Ethan added.
Nash, Jack, and Peter turned their attention fully to him, focusing on Ethan’s face.
"Don’t leave a single mber of Scavenger alive," Ethan said clearly. "I want Xeno’s head."
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