The black-haired girl froze for a split second, her emotionless eyes widening just a fraction as she sensed a presence directly behind her.
She whipped around, the scythe fragnts still fading in the air.
Alex stood there casually, hands in his pockets, his skeleton mask tilted slightly.
Her dark eyes narrowed sharply.
Without a word, she imdiately backed up a few steps, creating distance, her small fra tense and ready.
Remus, the blond-haired man, tensed visibly beside her, his amber eyes locked on Alex.
He spoke cautiously in a loud voice, projecting authority despite his wariness.
"Why are you attacking us?"
"I don’t rember if we did sothing to offend soone nad Lucifer."
Alex slowly turned his masked face toward him.
"Look, guys, I’m not here to create trouble. You were the ones who attacked us first and took our supplies."
Remus gestured sharply toward the scattered remains of his clan mbers across the courtyard, his voice rising.
"You’re saying that after doing all this? Do you even know the consequences if our clan master finds out about this after we clear this floor?"
Alex shrugged casually, his voice calm.
"Well, if I cared about that, do you think I would’ve done sothing like this?"
Remus gritted his teeth, his jaw clenching hard.
"What do you want? Say it clearly."
Alex’s voice brightened, as if pleased.
"Now we’re getting sowhere."
He paused for effect.
"First things first—vacate this place. I’m taking it as compensation."
Remus and the grim girl beside him were baffled beyond belief when they heard that, their eyes widening in sheer disbelief.
The girl blurted out, her quiet voice laced with incredulity.
"For so useless supplies, you want us to give up our base? Are you insane?"
Alex tilted his head slightly.
"Well, people do call insane quite often, but I assure you, I’m not. And the compensation isn’t only for that."
Suddenly, a small rift tore open beside Alex, space warping with a faint crackle.
From within that spatial tear, he reached in and pulled out Jas and Clara.
Jas and Clara tumbled out, disoriented and frightened for a mont, blinking rapidly.
But when they saw Lucifer standing there calmly, they let out huge sighs of relief, their chests heaving.
Alex gestured toward Jas’s face, pointing at his swollen jaw and split lip.
"Are you looking at his face? One of your lackeys pushed him hard and then attacked him rcilessly, breaking his jaw with a single punch."
Jas’s gaze snapped to Alex, his eyes bulging as he couldn’t believe soone could lie so flawlessly—without even flinching.
Alex patted his shoulder reassuringly.
"Don’t worry, brother. I’m here for you. Tell them the truth."
Jas’s face twitched at the fake reassurance, a mix of shock and awkwardness crossing his features.
Jas slowly lifted his gaze toward the blond-haired man and the dark-haired girl standing before them.
And the mont he saw their faces clearly—
His heart skipped a beat.
He recognized them imdiately.
Remus Clint.
Camila Hosten.
They were not ordinary challengers of the Tower.
Not run-of-the-mill fighters trying to scrape their way upward.
They were core mbers of the Scorpion Clan.
Nas spoken with caution.
Powerful enough to command fear even among other major clans.
Jas swallowed hard.
His voice trembled slightly.
"W-we... well, sir... I didn’t exactly get punched—"
Suddenly—
Alex’s hand clamped down on his shoulder.
Hard.
The pressure made Jas wince in pain.
"You don’t need to be afraid of them at all."
"Tell them the truth without flinching."
"I’m here with you, Jas."
Jas felt his shoulder creak under the grip.
’He’s going to break it at this rate...’
For a split second, he debated whether to tell the actual truth.
Then he looked at Remus.
At Camila.
At the shattered courtyard.
At Lucifer.
And he understood sothing.
This situation was already beyond normal.
Jas took a shaky breath.
"One of your mbers... pushed hard."
"And... hit ."
"My jaw..."
He gestured weakly toward his swollen lip.
Alex imdiately turned toward Remus.
"See?"
"What did I just tell you guys?"
"Your underlings committed violence."
"And now you will have to compensate —"
He paused dramatically.
Coughed lightly.
"I an... compensate us."
"First, you stole from us."
"And then you beat us up."
"So I demand this mansion of yours as compensation."
Clara nearly choked.
Jas felt his knees weaken.
’This has gone completely insane.’
Jas grabbed Alex’s arm urgently.
"Lucifer!"
"What are you saying?"
"Getting back our supplies will be enough!"
Alex brushed him aside dismissively.
"You are not in your right mind after getting hit so hard."
"So be quiet for a mont."
"The adults are talking."
Jas stared at him, speechless.
Alex looked back at Remus and Camila.
"So... what will it be?"
Remus didn’t answer imdiately.
He glanced sideways at Camila.
A silent exchange passed between them.
Camila stepped forward calmly.
Her dark eyes were sharp and unwavering.
Pointing toward Jas, she spoke clearly.
"That man lied."
"Apart from the supplies being taken, everything else he said is utter bullshit."
Alex placed a hand dramatically over his chest.
His tone wounded.
"How can you say that?"
"After everything he’s been through?"
"You guys really are heartless, aren’t you?"
Remus’s composure began to crack.
His jaw tightened visibly.
"Cut the bullshit, you bastard."
"Camila can always tell when soone is lying."
"So stop acting."
"If you want a fight, just say so."
The air grew heavy.
Jas and Clara instinctively stepped back.
Remus’s aura flared.
Power surged around him like a rising storm.
The ground beneath his feet began to crack.
Alex suddenly laughed.
Loud.
Carefree.
"If I wanted to fight..."
"You would already be lying on the ground."
Remus’s pride burned.
If he backed down now—
The Scorpion Clan’s reputation would crumble.
The surviving mbers watching from a distance would never forget this humiliation.
Alex’s voice turned cold.
"So what will it be?"
"Either you vacate this place."
"Or I’ll make you."
The tension reached its peak.
Silence hung like a blade over their heads.
And then—
Remus stepped forward unexpectedly.
His voice steady.
"We will fight."
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