Though mildly surprised by their reaction speed, he was not truly caught off guard. After all, the special enrollnt students of the academy were not selected for nothing. If they were easily ambushed, the academy’s reputation would have long since beco a joke.
Zora narrowed her eyes as she studied the unfamiliar faces before her. Her heart sank slightly. This man was not soone she recognized.
Not just her.
Alaric Von Seraph and the others also frowned.
In their mories, they had no prior dealings with these people. That left only one possibility. Either this was a random robbery, or soone had deliberately brought trouble to their doorstep.
"Who are you?" Alaric Von Seraph asked coldly, his voice edged with frost. "We have no grudge with you. Why attack us in the middle of the night?"
Thaddeus’s gaze settled on Alaric Von Seraph. "You may not have a grudge with ," he replied calmly, "but you do have one with my brother. And his enemies are naturally my enemies."
At those words, expressions shifted subtly across the group.
So it was revenge.
Before anyone could speak again, two familiar figures stepped forward from the shadows. The flickering firelight revealed their faces little by little.
"Julian. Nathaniel..."
Alaric Von Seraph spoke his na slowly, disdain and cold contempt etched plainly into his eyes.
"Ju... Julian?" Sylvandria’s face drained of color almost instantly. To her, Julian was a nightmare she could never quite escape. She had thought that once he was taught a lesson last ti in the White Mountains, she would never see him again.
She was wrong.
Like a lingering ghost, he had appeared again, standing right in front of them.
As long as the resentnt between them remained unresolved, Julian would never truly disappear from her life.
Fear crept into Sylvandria’s heart, and her complexion grew even paler.
Zora noticed her reaction imdiately.
From behind, Sylvandria looked utterly lost, her body tense and uncertain. Even among spirit warriors, reputation and past entanglents carried heavy weight. The more Sylvandria shrank back, the more relentless Julian would beco.
"Alaric Von Seraph," Julian sneered, his gaze brimming with naked hatred. "We et again."
Marcus and Tifanny exchanged glances, their expressions darkening. They understood Julian’s history all too well. What had happened back then was complicated, tangled with fault on more than one side. Still, seeing him standing here now, leading enemies to strike in the dead of night, left little room for sympathy.
"You really are a persistent bastard," Raphael said coldly, the warmth that usually lingered on his face completely gone. "Didn’t you learn your lesson last ti?"
Julian let out a harsh laugh. "If it weren’t for that Zora bitch interfering back then, do you think even you’d have walked away so easily?"
His eyes slid toward Zora, filled with venomous intent. The hatred there was so dense it was almost tangible, hanging in the night air like a blade poised to fall. As Julian’s words fell, everyone’s gaze inevitably shifted toward Zora.
Marcus and Tifanny exchanged looks filled with subtle astonishnt. The last ti Julian had retreated, it really had been because of Zora turning the situation around. Back then, they only knew that her dical skills were outstanding, yet they had never truly understood how deep her strength ran.
Now, recalling that mont, the pieces slowly fit together.
Prince Kael’s eyes, on the other hand, held nothing but quiet admiration.
From the very beginning, he had never believed his wife to be weak.
Otherwise, she would never have qualified as a special enrollnt student of the academy.
More importantly, he had personally witnessed her cultivating beneath the waterfall, enduring pain and exhaustion without complaint. Talent alone could take one only so far. True strength was forged through relentless effort.
And Zora had never lacked that.
Julian’s gaze burned as it fixed on her, thick with resentnt and malice. If hatred could be condensed into flas, he would have already burned her to ashes.
"Julian," Marcus then said slowly, his voice steady but cold, "leave now, and we’ll pretend this never happened. Once things truly begin, it won’t benefit either side."
Nathaniel laughed harshly at that, stepping beside Julian. "Open your eyes and look around. We outnumber you. You’ve already lost."
Zora calmly swept her eyes across the opposing side. Fifteen mbers of the Black vulture rcenary Group, plus Julian and Nathaniel. Seventeen people in total.
On their side, there were only nine.
In terms of numbers alone, the disparity was obvious.
Marcus frowned slightly but did not retreat. "Numbers don’t equal strength. You’ve been part of the academy before. You should know exactly what the special enrollnt students are capable of."
Those words instantly darkened Thaddeus’s expression.
"So that’s how you see us?" he said coldly. "A bunch of pampered academy brats think they can look down on real rcenaries? Every mber of the Black Vulture rcenary Group has fought on the edge of life and death. Compared to people who only train within protected walls, who do you think is truly stronger?"
His words carried biting scorn.
Hearing the na "The Black Vulture rcenary Group," the expressions of Alaric Von Seraph and the others shifted subtly. They were not ignorant of this group’s reputation. among countless rcenary teams, the Black Vulture rcenary Group had carved out a formidable na through blood and corpses. Their strength was undeniable.
"I didn’t expect Julian and Nathaniel to be tied to them," Raphael said quietly, his brows drawn together. The rcenary group’s base was not far from the entrance of the White Mountains. Once things spiraled out of control, this conflict could easily beco far more troubleso than anticipated.
Julian caught the hesitation on their faces and felt a surge of satisfaction.
"Since you know who they are," he said smugly, "you should understand your situation now."
All this ti, Alaric Von Seraph had always stood high and aloof. Today, Julian was determined to tear that composure apart piece by piece.
"Alaric Von Seraph," he continued, slowly raising one finger, "I’ll give you two choices."
"The first." His voice turned vicious. "Kneel down and apologize to . Then hand Sylvandria over. If you do that, we’ll consider this matter settled."
The mont those words left his mouth, fury erupted across the faces of Alaric Von Seraph and the others.
Julian had gone too far.
Sylvandria’s face had already turned deathly pale. The delicate features that once drew admiration now only made her look pitiful and fragile, stirring instinctive sympathy in those who saw her.
She knew better than anyone what Julian harbored in his heart. His resentnt toward her had long since twisted into sothing poisonous. If she truly fell into his hands, what awaited her would be far worse than death.
Julian’s cold gaze lingered on her, and the more he took in her frightened, helpless expression, the more distorted satisfaction crept into his heart.
Once upon a ti, he had been deceived by this very weakness. By this harmless façade.
Now, all he wanted was to personally tear it apart.
"The second choice," Julian said slowly, a cruel smile spreading across his face, "is that all of you fall here tonight. And Sylvandria... still ends up in my hands."
His laughter was sharp and unhinged. His life was already ruined. Since that was the case, why should he show rcy to anyone else?
"You’re dreaming!"
Alaric Von Seraph’s expression darkened instantly, disgust and fury flashing in his eyes. Julian’s current deanor was nothing more than that of a despicable villain, repulsive to the core.
anwhile, Nathaniel’s gaze locked firmly onto Zora. "And you, Zora, I won’t forget what you did to this arm of mine. I won’t let you off!"
Hearing this, Zora rely lifted the corner of her lips, her smile sharp and arrogant.
"If you have the ability, then co." Her voice was calm yet filled with biting contempt. "Last ti, I only used one arm. This ti... you won’t be getting off so easily."
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