Chapter 97: An Unexpected Bluff

Zhang Wen, caught in a dire predicament, didn’t hesitate for long. He knew all too well that the longer he delayed, the more disadvantageous it would become for him.

In the Kemal Arena of Babylon City, Zhang Wen, hailing from Casares, had never been a welcomed figure in the first place. His actions—storming into the arena and kicking open the planetary gladiators’ lounge—reeked of deliberate provocation. If the henchmen of the five major organizations gathered outside detected Zhang Wen’s identity, there would be no escaping for him at all.

He had no choice but to fight head-on! When it came to making critical decisions, Zhang Wen had never lacked decisiveness. He clenched his teeth sharply, showing no hesitation, and charged once again at his five opponents, who held an overwhelming advantage in strength.

“Hmph!” Seeing Zhang Wen’s speed clearly reduced by half compared to before, the golden-haired leader blocking his front let out a scornful snort.

The golden-haired leader had already sensed Zhang Wen’s depletion of battle energy earlier, which was why he remained completely unaffected by Zhang Wen’s powerful first strike.

Before the golden-haired leader could act, the silver-haired man standing beside him couldn’t wait any longer. He raised his slender sword and rushed toward Zhang Wen. Having just been blasted away by Zhang Wen, the silver-haired man, Olyphis, was furious about being humiliated in front of his comrades. He had been eagerly waiting for this chance to redeem his honor against Zhang Wen.

Zhang Wen wasn’t surprised by Olyphis’s proactive attack. Facing the shimmering energy of the opponent’s rapier, Zhang Wen casually swung his arm, lifting his longsword from below in an upward slash.

Unexpectedly, when Zhang Wen’s sword met Olyphis’s rapier, there was no energy explosion that should have occurred from the clash of battle energies!

Clang! The collision of the two swords produced only a faint metallic sound, like that of ordinary steel.

“Hehe! You fell for it!” A sinister smile flickered across Olyphis’s face. Immediately afterward, the battle energy that had been swirling around his rapier suddenly seemed to be sucked inward, vanishing entirely into the blade itself!

In the next instant, Olyphis’s “rapier” transformed into a flexible whip! Moreover, the whip, faintly glowing with a blue hue, emitted a strange suction force that tightly coiled around Zhang Wen’s crystal-energy sword, making it impossible for him to separate the two weapons!

At the exact moment Olyphis’s “rapier” collided with Zhang Wen’s sword, his four companions, as if receiving a signal, simultaneously charged at Zhang Wen with full force!

Besides Olyphis, the remaining four Saint-tier experts each occupied a corner of the room. As they all lunged toward Zhang Wen at once, only one idiom could perfectly describe his current plight—attacked from both front and rear!

Facing Zhang Wen’s direction was a large full-length mirror. In the mirror, Zhang Wen could clearly see his situation.

Directly in front of him was the golden-haired leader, the closest opponent. On Zhang Wen’s left side was Willy, who had just been severely injured by Zhang Wen. Willy raised his massive horse-chopping blade high and grinned maliciously as he slashed down from Zhang Wen’s upper right.

On Zhang Wen’s right side stood the bald giant, Murphy, now missing his left arm. In his right hand, Murphy held a double-edged great axe, even more imposing than Willy’s horse-chopper. He leaped high into the air, his massive frame and body covered in tattoo-like scars combining with the terrifying axe to resemble a barbarian from a classic video game Zhang Wen had seen in his past life.

Approaching from behind Zhang Wen was the only female among the six Saint-tier fighters, the blue-haired girl, Saya. Compared to her companions, Saya’s petite frame lacked their intimidating presence. However, recalling how Saya had once sealed Melissa inside a psychic control terminal, no one would dare underestimate the unassuming daggers in her hands.

As the deadly weapons of his four opponents drew closer, Olyphis couldn’t help but laugh in excitement. He had successfully immobilized Zhang Wen’s only weapon. If Zhang Wen refused to abandon his sword, he would inevitably be torn apart by the four Saint-tier fighters rushing in from all sides. However, if Zhang Wen let go of his sword, he would be defenseless against even a single full-power strike from any of the Saint-tier experts!

The Saint-tier fighters rushing in from all directions blocked every possible escape route. In other words, Zhang Wen was now facing an unsolvable death trap!

With just a simple trap, Olyphis had placed their opponent—who had injured three of them—into a deadly predicament. Olyphis nearly wanted to applaud himself for his brilliant design!

However, just as Olyphis reached the peak of his excitement, he suddenly realized with shock that not a trace of panic appeared on Zhang Wen’s face, despite his dire situation. Quite the contrary, Zhang Wen, who had been solemn throughout, actually curled his lips into a mocking smirk after Olyphis entangled his sword!

Then, Olyphis felt a tremendous force suddenly surge through the sword he had entangled!

What the hell! How is this possible? Olyphis roared inwardly.

Before deciding to entangle Zhang Wen’s sword, Olyphis, like their golden-haired leader, had already seen through Zhang Wen’s facade of strength! As a Saint-tier expert, Olyphis could clearly sense that after that powerful initial assault, the battle energy remaining in Zhang Wen’s body was definitely less than half of his peak.

Could this guy have been hiding his battle energy all along? A thought flashed through Olyphis’s mind. However, within a brief moment, Olyphis dismissed it. Even while being blasted away by Zhang Wen’s immense strength, Olyphis could still clearly feel that the battle energy on Zhang Wen’s sword had not increased significantly.

Precisely because of this, Olyphis felt even more terrified! If Zhang Wen had been hiding his battle energy, Olyphis might have been able to devise new countermeasures. But now, Olyphis couldn’t even begin to understand how Zhang Wen could suddenly unleash such unimaginable power from his body!

“Ahh! Aaaa!!!” Olyphis screamed as he was lifted off the ground by Zhang Wen. Under Zhang Wen’s hand, Olyphis became like a human whip, swinging sideways straight toward Willy, who was bringing down his massive horse-chopping blade from Zhang Wen’s left side!

Willy hadn’t expected that Zhang Wen, whose battle energy had clearly weakened, could still manage to flip Olyphis into the air and send him flying. Olyphis’s body now blocked the path between Willy’s horse-chopping blade and Zhang Wen.

Although Willy didn’t particularly care about Olyphis’s life or death, with Olyphis’s body in the way, continuing his downward slash would no longer hit Zhang Wen.

“Tsk!” Willy could only reluctantly spit in frustration, shifting his horse-chopping blade sideways to avoid Olyphis and slamming it into the wall beside him.

As Willy redirected his blade, the Olyphis-turned-human-whip had already spun halfway around Zhang Wen’s body, swinging toward Saya, who had silently approached from behind Zhang Wen!

Without hesitation, the blue-haired girl thrust her twin daggers forward. The sharp blades pierced through Olyphis’s thighs as easily as cutting tofu, encountering no resistance whatsoever. Unlike Willy, Saya had no qualms about harming a teammate if it meant getting her revenge.

“Aaa! Saya! You little bitch!” Olyphis screamed in pain.

“Ick!” Immediately afterward, Saya herself let out a startled cry.

Saya’s exclamation wasn’t out of remorse for attacking a teammate. She had no intention of holding back against anyone she disliked, even if it meant taking the opportunity to settle personal scores. Even if they were comrades!

The reason Saya was so shocked and couldn’t help crying out was because, before she could even pull her daggers out of Olyphis’s thighs, she suddenly felt a tremendous force surging through the hilts of her daggers!

Immediately afterward, Saya felt her body losing control, pulled along by the force. She stumbled forward a few steps with Olyphis’s body. By the time she stopped, she had accidentally ended up directly in front of Zhang Wen, facing the incoming massive axe of the bald giant, Murphy!

“Ahh!” Seeing Saya stumble unpredictably into Zhang Wen’s front, Murphy could only let out a startled and furious roar. He redirected his massive axe to the right with all his might, narrowly avoiding both Saya and Zhang Wen, and slammed it down onto the ground beneath his feet!

Crack! The ground let out a painful groan. Under the full-force impact of Murphy’s axe—an attack powered by battle energy rivaling that of an Over-tier expert—even the ground, reinforced with native stone, split open, creating a massive fissure that ran across the entire room!

“Whoa!” The dramatic collapse of the ground caused Zhang Wen to exclaim involuntarily. Fortunately, he had reacted quickly enough, using Saya to force Murphy to change his attack direction. Otherwise, with Murphy’s terrifying battle energy, even at his peak, Zhang Wen doubted he could have withstood such a devastating strike.

In the blink of an eye, Zhang Wen had neutralized the enemies on both sides and behind him. Yet, the golden-haired leader attacking from the front seemed completely unfazed by the failure of his three companions.

Facing Zhang Wen’s fierce counterattack, the golden-haired leader didn’t even accelerate his assault!

Instead, with a confident and cold expression, the golden-haired leader took two steps, covering the less than ten-meter distance between him and Zhang Wen. At the same time, he twisted his body sideways, swinging his right arm, which tightly gripped the broadsword, back behind his neck like a compressed spring, accumulating power to the maximum!

In truth, Zhang Wen could feel that this golden-haired leader was the strongest and most formidable among the six Saint-tier fighters he faced! Whether in terms of attacking momentum, strength, or confidence, this golden-haired leader was on par with Murra, the captain of the Fourth Imperial Eagle Guard Division—an Over-tier expert Zhang Wen had once encountered in Casares!

The only difference between them might be that this golden-haired leader had not yet crossed the threshold into the ultimate realm attainable by martial artists—the final transformation from quantity to quality. However, judging by the golden-haired leader’s current state, he was merely a single step away from the highest aspiration of all martial artists!

His own strength was the golden-haired leader’s greatest confidence when facing enemies. Therefore, when Olyphis’s small scheme against Zhang Wen seemed to succeed, he showed little joy. When Olyphis’s plan failed and three other Saint-tier comrades were defeated by Zhang Wen, the golden-haired leader still showed no sign of disappointment or concern.

He even deliberately slowed his attack slightly, giving Zhang Wen ample time to prepare. He believed that his full-power strike would make Zhang Wen realize that, in the face of absolute strength, all “schemes and tricks” were nothing but laughable games.

From the moment Zhang Wen dealt with the attacks of the other three Saint-tier fighters to when the golden-haired leader rushed up to Zhang Wen and swung his fully charged broadsword, barely a blink of an eye had passed. In such a short time, Zhang Wen, already exhausted from using every trick he had, had already maneuvered Olyphis and Saya into the front line.

Saya disliked being controlled like a puppet. After several failed attempts to regain control, the blue-haired girl glared at Zhang Wen angrily before reluctantly releasing her grip on the daggers. Meanwhile, the human whip, Olyphis, was still swinging through the air.

As Olyphis’s body spun halfway around Zhang Wen, heading toward the golden-haired leader, with two daggers still embedded in his thighs, he could no longer afford to maintain his dignity. “Hector, watch out!” Olyphis cried out desperately.

But Hector, the golden-haired leader, acted as if he hadn’t heard Olyphis’s scream at all. His eyes remained locked firmly on Zhang Wen’s position.

“Damn it!” Olyphis shouted, retracting all his battle energy at the last moment. The metal whip in Olyphis’s hand quickly dimmed.

Without battle energy support, the whip that had tightly coiled around Zhang Wen’s sword was instantly shredded by the sharp blade. Without support, Olyphis himself was flung outward, narrowly avoiding Hector’s full-power broadsword.

In an instant, Zhang Wen had lost all his shields, standing alone and facing Hector head-on! Even at his peak, Zhang Wen’s battle energy was at most only half of Hector’s! After exhausting himself in the earlier assault and then struggling to fend off the other three Saint-tier experts, Zhang Wen’s remaining battle energy was less than one-sixth of Hector’s!

In the split second before reaching Zhang Wen, Hector suddenly twisted his waist and swung his broadsword, which carried the full force of his body in a lightning-fast diagonal slash. The momentum of this strike seemed as if it could cleave anything standing in Hector’s way into two halves! Just from the whistling sound of the sword cutting through the air, Zhang Wen could imagine the immense power and speed behind it. If possible, Zhang Wen would rather evade this powerful strike from Hector at his peak.

However, Zhang Wen, who had just dealt with several opponents, no longer had the speed or space to dodge. If Zhang Wen insisted on retreating, Hector would certainly cut him down without hesitation.

Better to lose one’s life than one’s dignity! Without hesitation, Zhang Wen summoned his final strength, charged forward to meet Hector head-on, and faced off against his opponent in a straightforward, decisive confrontation! With no room left for retreat, Zhang Wen’s determination surpassed anyone else’s.

Yet, whether he could withstand Hector’s powerful strike at his peak, or if his parrying sword would be effortlessly knocked aside, leaving him sliced into pieces by Hector’s sweeping sword energy, Zhang Wen himself had no idea. This head-on confrontation with Hector was the most uncertain battle Zhang Wen had ever faced since arriving in this world.

As his sword made contact with Hector’s broadsword, Zhang Wen immediately felt the terrifying and violent power of his opponent’s battle energy. Although Zhang Wen’s Spring Water Sword Technique was exquisitely refined, facing an opponent several times stronger than himself, finding the balance point in Hector’s battle energy was no easy task.

If Zhang Wen truly tried to match Hector blow for blow, Hector probably wouldn’t even need to strike him directly with his broadsword. The tremendous recoil generated merely from the collision of their battle energies alone would be more than enough to overwhelm Zhang Wen!

In fact, Hector had already sensed that Zhang Wen’s remaining battle energy was insufficient to withstand the impact of his energy surge. That was why Hector was so confident—his full-strength strike would surely kill Zhang Wen on the spot.

Yet just as Hector confidently anticipated Zhang Wen’s demise, he suddenly widened his eyes in shock. Because after Zhang Wen’s sword touched Hector’s broadsword, the two battle energies, which should have collided head-on, did not produce the energy explosion Hector had anticipated!

“Huh?” Hector first let out a surprised grunt as he noticed the stark discrepancy between reality and expectation. Then Zhang Wen noticed that Hector’s face instantly turned pale, as if he had seen something deeply terrifying. The battle energy surrounding his broadsword also became extremely unstable.

Zhang Wen was equally surprised by Hector’s unexpected reaction. However, a rare opportunity like this, in such a perilous situation, was not something Zhang Wen would dare to miss.

Under the immense pressure of being surrounded by five Saint-level experts, Zhang Wen exceeded his normal capabilities. Within the span of a single breath, Zhang Wen located the center of Hector’s power.

As Zhang Wen twisted his crystal-energy sword inward, Hector, who had been radiating immense power moments earlier, was suddenly thrown backward like a sandbag!

“Hector!” The bizarre behavior of Hector caused all the Saint-level experts, who had just been forced back by Zhang Wen, to cry out in alarm.

Of course, the Saint-level experts who had served under the golden-haired leader for countless years naturally understood his strength. Hector’s full-strength strike had actually been casually neutralized by Zhang Wen!

Was Hector caught in a hidden trap set by Zhang Wen, or had Zhang Wen secretly concealed his true power? If his hidden strength was enough to casually defeat Hector, who had already reached the peak of the Saint level, then wouldn’t that make him a Transcendent-level expert? But Zhang Wen was definitely not a Transcendent-level expert. Therefore, the only explanation for Hector’s defeat was…

Hector’s companions couldn’t help but think such thoughts.

Wilby and the silver-haired man, who had originally intended to charge toward Zhang Wen after landing, hesitated and stopped in their tracks, filled with doubt and uncertainty. Similarly, the blue-haired girl, Saya, was held back by the giant Murphy, her expression serious. Suddenly, the small room fell into complete silence.

“Hector!” It was only after Hector rose from the wreckage of the shattered wardrobe that the silver-haired man, Orpheus, gritted his teeth and forced those few words from his throat.

“I’m fine,” Hector said coldly. His face was still somewhat pale, and the gaze locked onto Zhang Wen carried an inexplicable fear.

“Hector, what exactly happened? How could that kid block your last strike? And throw you away like that?” Wilby shouted angrily at Hector.

“Fool, are you questioning me?” Hector didn’t even glance at Wilby, his voice icy.

“Hector, the facts are right here—we have no choice but to question,” the giant Murphy said gravely.

“Hmph! You fools, after fighting him for so long, haven’t you realized yet?” Hector roared furiously. Then, suddenly raising his broadsword, he pointed it at Zhang Wen from afar, his tone dropping to freezing coldness: “Zhang Wen, right? What’s your relationship with Arthur? Has the Grand Captain of the Imperial Eagle Guard already arrived at Fira?”

“What? Arth—Arthur?! Yes! It really does resemble… No! He’s even more strange than that woman!” The silver-haired man Orpheus’ eyebrows twitched rapidly, and an involuntary flicker of fear crossed his face.

“T-That… that… that woman? She’s here?” Wilby’s fear surpassed even Orpheus’. His teeth chattered, and with a loud clang, his massive cleaver fell to the ground.

Even the blue-haired girl Saya, who seemed to fear nothing in the world, instinctively took half a step behind Murphy upon hearing that name.

The terror displayed by the Saint-level experts at the mention of Arthur greatly shocked Zhang Wen. Moreover, from what Hector and the others had said, this Arthur was the Grand Captain of the Imperial Eagle Guard—a terrifying woman bearing certain similarities to himself.

In Zhang Wen’s memory, he naturally had no connection whatsoever with the Grand Captain of the Imperial Eagle Guard. However, under the current circumstances, Zhang Wen believed the wisest choice was to remain silent.

“Tch! Doesn’t matter if you won’t talk,” Hector said, frowning tightly while still pointing his broadsword at Zhang Wen from afar. “Even if that woman really has arrived at Fira Planet, she won’t be able to protect you now!”

“Hector, are you really going to kill this kid?” Wilby nervously asked Hector.

Clearly, after realizing that Zhang Wen might be connected to “that Arthur,” Wilby had already begun considering retreat. Anything related to that terrifying woman, he didn’t even dare touch!

“Heh! Wilby, you fool! Now that it’s come to this, you’re still thinking about running away? If that woman has secretly come to Fira Planet, what else could she possibly want? Other than our big sister, who else in the Empire is worthy enough for that woman to take action?” Orpheus growled, his eyes flashing with the desperate ferocity of a trapped beast.

“Big Sister Leika!” As soon as Orpheus finished speaking, Saya cried out.

“Ahh!” In an instant, the expressions of the six Saint-level assassins changed dramatically. They all understood what Saya meant.

At the moment Hector closed in on Zhang Wen, he suddenly twisted his waist and swung his arm, unleashing the full force of his broadsword in a lightning-fast diagonal slash. The sheer momentum of this strike seemed capable of cleaving anything in Hector’s path in two!

Just by hearing the whistling sound of the sword cutting through the air, Zhang Wen could imagine the immense power and speed behind it. If possible, Zhang Wen would have preferred to dodge Hector’s overwhelmingly powerful strike.

However, having just dealt with several opponents, Zhang Wen no longer had the speed or space to evade. If Zhang Wen were to retreat, Hector would undoubtedly cut him down without hesitation.

Losing face but not the battle! Without hesitation, Zhang Wen summoned his last reserves of strength and charged towards Hector, determined to face him head-on in a decisive confrontation. With no room to retreat, Zhang Wen’s resolve was quicker and firmer than anyone else’s.

Yet, whether he could withstand Hector’s overwhelming strike, whether his sword would be easily knocked away, leaving him to be sliced into pieces by Hector’s relentless attacks, Zhang Wen had no idea. This direct confrontation with Hector was the most uncertain battle Zhang Wen had faced since arriving in this world.

As his sword met Hector’s broadsword, Zhang Wen immediately felt the opponent’s terrifying combat power. Although Zhang Wen’s “Spring Water Sword Technique” was exquisite, finding the balance point in the combat power of an opponent several times stronger than himself was no easy task.

If Zhang Wen were to clash head-on with Hector, Hector might not even need to use his broadsword to attack Zhang Wen; the sheer recoil from the collision of their combat powers would be enough to overwhelm Zhang Wen!

In fact, Hector had long realized that Zhang Wen’s remaining combat power was insufficient to withstand the explosive force of his strike. That’s why Hector was so confident that his full-powered attack would surely kill Zhang Wen on the spot.

However, just as Hector was confidently anticipating Zhang Wen’s demise, he suddenly widened his eyes in surprise. When Zhang Wen’s sword met Hector’s broadsword, the two combat powers that should have collided head-on did not result in the expected explosive force!

Huh? Sensing the stark difference between reality and his expectations, Hector first let out a surprised grunt. Then Zhang Wen noticed that Hector’s face turned pale in an instant, as if he had seen something he feared the most. The combat power enveloping the broadsword also became extremely unstable.

Zhang Wen was equally surprised by Hector’s unexpected reaction. However, in such a perilous situation, how could Zhang Wen let go of such a rare opportunity?

Under the immense pressure of being surrounded by five Saint-level experts, Zhang Wen performed far beyond his normal capabilities. In the span of a single breath, Zhang Wen found the center of Hector’s power.

With a twist of his energy sword, Zhang Wen sent Hector, who had been overwhelmingly powerful just seconds ago, flying like a sandbag!

“Hector!” Hector’s bizarre performance caused the Saint-level experts who had just been pushed back by Zhang Wen to exclaim in unison.

The golden-haired leader’s strength was well-known to these Saint-level experts who had served under him for years. Yet, Hector’s full-powered strike had been effortlessly deflected by Zhang Wen!

Had Hector fallen victim to Zhang Wen’s trickery? Or had Zhang Wen been hiding his true strength all along? If his hidden strength could easily defeat Hector, who had reached the pinnacle of the Saint-level, then wasn’t Zhang Wen a Transcendent-level expert? But Zhang Wen was definitely not a Transcendent-level expert, so the only explanation for Hector’s defeat was…

Hector’s companions couldn’t stop themselves from pondering this question.

After landing, both Welder and the silver-haired man, who had intended to charge at Zhang Wen again, stopped in their tracks, filled with doubt. The blue-haired girl, Saya, was also held back by the giant Murphy, his expression grave. For a moment, the small room fell into complete silence.

“Hector!” It wasn’t until Hector stood up from the shattered remains of the wardrobe he had crashed into that the silver-haired man, Orpheus, gritted his teeth and squeezed out a few words from the depths of his throat.

“I’m fine,” Hector said coldly. His face was still somewhat pale, and the look he fixed on Zhang Wen carried an inexplicable fear.

“Hector, what just happened? How could that kid block your strike and even throw you out?” Welder shouted at Hector, both shocked and furious.

“Fool, are you doubting me?” Hector didn’t even glance at Welder, his voice icy.

“Hector, the facts are right in front of us. We can’t help but doubt,” the giant Murphy also spoke, his expression grave.

“Hmph! You fools, after fighting him for so long, haven’t you realized it yet?” Hector let out an enraged roar. Then, he suddenly raised his broadsword, pointing it at Zhang Wen from a distance, his tone dropping to freezing point: “Zhang Wen, right? What’s your relationship with Arthur? Has the Empire’s Eagle Guard Commander arrived in Fila?”

“What? Ar… Arthur?! That’s right! It’s similar… No! It’s even stranger than that woman!” The silver-haired man, Orpheus, had his eyebrows twitching rapidly, an involuntary flash of fear crossing his face.

“That… that… that woman? She’s here?” Welder’s fear far surpassed Orpheus’s. His teeth chattered, and with a loud clang, his massive horse-slaying sword fell heavily to the ground.

Even the blue-haired girl, Saya, who seemed fearless, instinctively took half a step behind Murphy upon hearing the name.

The fear displayed by the Saint-level experts at the mention of Arthur’s name shocked Zhang Wen. Moreover, from Hector’s words, it seemed that Arthur was the Commander of the Empire’s Eagle Guard, a terrifying woman who shared some similarities with Zhang Wen.

In Zhang Wen’s memory, he had no connection whatsoever with the Commander of the Empire’s Eagle Guard. However, in the current situation, Zhang Wen believed that his wisest choice was to remain silent.

“Tch! It doesn’t matter if you won’t talk,” Hector frowned deeply, his broadsword still pointed at Zhang Wen from a distance. “Even if that woman has indeed arrived on Fila, she can’t protect you now!”

“Hector, are you really going to kill this kid?” Welder nervously asked Hector.

It was clear that after sensing Zhang Wen’s possible connection with “Arthur,” Welder had already thought of retreating. Anything related to that terrifying woman, he didn’t even want to touch!

“Hey! Welder, you fool! At this point, are you still thinking of running away? That woman sneaking onto Fila, what else could she be here for? Besides our big sister, who else in the Empire is worthy of that woman’s attention?” Orpheus shouted through gritted teeth, his eyes flashing with the ferocity of a cornered beast.

“Big Sister Laka!” As soon as Orpheus finished speaking, Saya exclaimed.

“Ah!” The six Saint-level assassins’ faces changed dramatically in an instant. They all understood Saya’s implication.

If Arthur had indeed come to Fila with Zhang Wen, and now Zhang Wen was sneaking into the arena alone to rescue his companions, didn’t that mean Arthur was targeting someone else? And on the entire planet of Fila, the only target worthy of Arthur’s attention was their big sister—the terrifying Queen Laka!

“Damn it!” Orpheus once again squeezed out two words from the depths of his throat.

“Damn it!” Orpheus once again forced those two words from his throat.