The human heart is a complicated thing. Sotis, the more you back down, the more people think you’re easy to push around—they’ll keep pressing, taking inch after inch.
But if you suddenly stand your ground, refuse to yield, and push back just as hard, they might unexpectedly lose their nerve.
Just like now.
Roland hadn’t taken Ethan seriously at all in the beginning. But the mont Ethan snapped and started fighting back, Roland suddenly felt... uneasy.
There was no trace of empty bravado in Ethan’s stance.
Instead, he radiated dominance—absolute, unshakable confidence.
That kind of presence... Roland had only ever seen it in one person before: his own lord, the Wisdom Angel, Cain.
For the first ti, doubt crept into Roland’s mind.
He didn’t dare say another word.
At that mont, Grand Duke Theodore’s eyes flickered, and he stepped in to smooth things over. "Co now, both of you, let’s not get worked up. This is all just a misunderstanding, nothing more. Please, as a favor to , let’s put this matter to rest."
Of course, deep down, Grand Duke Theodore would have loved nothing more than to see Roland dead. But that was just wishful thinking—he couldn’t actually act on it. At least not openly. Outwardly, he and the Cavaliers of the Castle faction were supposed to be on the sa side. If he didn’t step in now, it would look bad.
But Ethan didn’t respond.
He just stared at Roland, his expression cold and unreadable.
Roland’s face darkened. He couldn’t help but snap, "What more do you want?"
"Did you think you could just run your mouth without consequences?" Ethan said coolly.
Roland stiffened. A flicker of resentnt flashed in his eyes as he glared at Ethan. "And what exactly do you want to do?"
"Did your lord never teach you what to do when you say sothing you shouldn’t? What do you think your mouth is for? Have you never learned how to apologize?" Ethan’s eyes narrowed, his voice like ice.
"What did you just say?!" Roland thought he must have misheard. Then, as the words sank in, he let out a sharp, incredulous laugh. "You want to apologize to you? I’ll ask you one more ti—are you sure about that?"
"You don’t have to," Ethan said, his gaze locking onto Roland’s. "But whatever happens next, you’ll have to deal with the consequences yourself."
With that, he turned and walked away. "Grand Duke Theodore, my apologies—I’ll be taking my leave."
As he spoke, he cast one last glance at Roland.
There was a flicker of sothing in his eyes.
Killing intent.
And in that instant, Roland froze.
So did Priest Maya, who had caught that look as well.
"Wait..." Priest Maya gritted her teeth and stepped forward, blocking Ethan’s path.
"Move." Ethan’s expression darkened. His voice was cold, unwavering.
"Lord Valkarion, please," Priest Maya said, lowering her stance as much as possible. "Roland truly didn’t an to offend you. He only acted impulsively because Lord Wisdom Angel Cain is deeply invested in this matter. Please, I ask for your understanding."
"Wisdom Angel Cain?" Ethan let out a low chuckle, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "How impressive."
"What do you an by that?" Roland’s expression twisted with fury. His killing intent surged as he glared at Ethan. "Are you insulting the great and revered Wisdom Angel Cain?!"
Just as Seraphina, Cicero, and the others held Ethan in the highest regard, placing him above all else—
Roland felt the sa way about his own lord, Wisdom Angel Cain.
And right now, Ethan’s attitude was nothing short of blasphemy.
"Offended? Ha." Ethan let out a cold chuckle. "I’ll say it right to your faces, and I’d say the sa thing even if Wisdom Angel Cain himself were standing here."
His gaze locked onto Roland, sharp as a blade. "In fact, I’d ask him directly—how does a lord like him end up with subordinates this brainless? What kind of leadership is that?"
"You—" Roland’s face twisted with rage, his glare burning into Ethan.
"Roland, apologize."
Priest Maya’s voice cut through the tension, cold and firm.
"What did you just say?!" Roland’s expression changed drastically. He turned to her, utterly stunned. He couldn’t believe what he’d just heard—Maya was telling him to apologize?
Priest Maya t his gaze, her eyes flickering with sothing unreadable. Slowly, she spoke. "Count Valkarion is not only a Count of the Light Alliance—he is also a lord. Your words earlier were far too disrespectful. Whether toward a Count of the Light Alliance or a lord, what you said was an insult."
"Apologize. If you don’t, I will report everything to Lord Cain exactly as it happened. Whatever consequences follow will be yours alone to bear."
Roland opened his mouth, his face shifting between shades of red and purple. His fists clenched so tightly they trembled.
But in the end, he gritted his teeth and forced the words out through clenched jaws. "S...sorry."
Ethan barely spared him a glance. Without a word, he turned and strode away.
"Roland!"
Priest Maya’s voice rang out again, sharper this ti. Her expression darkened, rare anger flashing across her face. "Apologize properly."
Roland’s fists tightened until his knuckles cracked. His face burned with humiliation.
But in the end, he lowered his head. His voice was barely above a whisper.
"Count Valkarion... I was in the wrong earlier. I spoke out of turn and offended you. I apologize. I’m... sorry."
Ethan shot Roland a deep, piercing look before finally speaking in a calm, almost indifferent tone.
"I’m letting you off this ti out of respect for Wisdom Angel. But if there’s a next ti—no matter what it takes—I’ll make sure you understand the consequences of running your mouth. If you’re curious, go ahead and try ."
Then, turning to the others, he added, "Grand Duke Theodore, Priest Maya, my apologies, but I’ll be taking my leave now. There are still remnants of Hell Gate deep within Molten Gold Gorge. If you’re interested, you might want to take another look."
With that, Ethan turned and walked away, leaving Priest Maya and Grand Duke Theodore standing in silence, saying nothing.
"Ah!"
"Maya!"
Roland’s face twisted with rage, his whole body trembling. Unable to contain himself, he let out a furious roar and slamd his fist down on the table in front of Priest Maya.
BANG!
The crimson aristocratic table shattered instantly, splinters flying in all directions—only to be stopped midair by the holy light radiating from Priest Maya.
"What’s wrong? Feel like I embarrassed you?" Priest Maya looked up at Roland, her expression completely unreadable.
"Didn’t you?" Roland bellowed, his fury barely contained. "Why the hell should I have to apologize to him? And he actually dared to insult Lord Cain—"
Before he could finish, Priest Maya cut him off coldly. "Do you really think if this gets back to Lord Cain, your situation won’t be even worse?"
Roland’s face stiffened. His expression was still twisted with anger, but he didn’t argue.
At that mont, Grand Duke Theodore let out a quiet chuckle. "A count of the Light Alliance, huh? I wonder how many contributions one has to make to the Alliance to earn such a position. And yet, with just a few words, he was accused of being an Inferno spy. If word of this spreads, do you have any idea how much outrage it’ll cause?"
Roland’s entire body tensed, his expression growing even darker.
But he still wasn’t willing to back down completely. "But what if he really is an Inferno spy?"
"Then go find the evidence," Priest Maya said icily, her gaze sharp. "The remnants of Hell Gate are still there—they didn’t just vanish into thin air. And that Infernal Lord? No way he just dropped dead without a fight. There has to be so trace of battle. Go check it out, and you’ll have your answer."
"Then we leave now!" Roland had no face left to save here. With a grim expression, he stood up and stord out.
At the sa ti, Ethan, who had just stepped out of the Grand Ducal Palace with a blank expression, finally let his guard down.
Exhaling in relief, he grinned. "That performance was at least a solid ninety-nine out of a hundred!"
Clearly, his entire confrontation with Roland had been an act.
He had been walking a razor’s edge the whole ti...
If he had pushed things even a little too far, the consequences would have been disastrous.
After all, Roland was a second-awakening, close-combat Legendary hero, over level sixty. If things had actually co to blows, even Seraphina and Cicero together wouldn’t have stood much of a chance...
But almost imdiately, Ethan shook his head and muttered to himself, "Bluffing can only get so far. At the end of the day, I need real strength."
"I really need to step up my ga."
Bluffing and intimidation worked once or twice, but if he relied on them too often, cracks would start to show. In the end, the only thing that truly mattered was power.
If he were strong enough, he wouldn’t have even bothered with all that posturing today. He would’ve just had Seraphina strike first and cut Roland down on the spot.
After all, he wasn’t blind—he could see exactly what Roland was up to. The guy was testing him, trying to gauge his strength before deciding whether to make a move against him.
That was just how things worked.
Factions and forces had to devour each other to grow stronger.
It was the sa for lords and hero units.
If you were weak, others would invade and absorb you without hesitation to strengthen themselves. And if you were strong enough, you could do the sa to them.
That was the fundantal rule of Glory Lords X—a world where the strong consud the weak.
Honestly, Earth wasn’t much different. The only difference was that on Earth, people at least tried to cover it up. Here? There was no need for pretense.
Invade.
Conquer.
Dominate.
It was all just the natural order of things.
Power.
Might.
Strength.
That was the only language that mattered.
Nothing else.
With that thought, Ethan exhaled and let his expression return to calm. Without wasting any more ti, he headed toward the Hall of Radiance.
As he approached, a Tier 13 Legendary Unit Angel stepped in front of him, speaking in a slow, asured tone.
"Honorable Count, my apologies, but the Hall of Radiance is currently conducting a hero advancent ceremony. You cannot enter at this ti."
"Can I wait here?" Ethan asked. "The one undergoing the ceremony inside is my younger sister."
"You may wait here for a while."
"Alright." Ethan nodded and casually found a spot to sit.
With nothing else to do, he started observing the Legendary Unit Angels inside the Hall of Radiance.
And honestly? These Angels were every bit as powerful as their reputation suggested.
Just like the Inferno Devils, they were absolute top-tier units—maxed-out strength, flawless appearance, and an overwhelming presence.
They were in a league of their own. Top-tier. Absolute peak.
And their racial abilities? Insanely tempting.
Just like the Inferno Devils’ spatial movent, the Angels’ innate skills were sothing anyone would kill to have...
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