Chapter 434: The General’s Might

The General’s Might

The burly man stopped in front of James.

He looked at the prince for a moment before cupping his hands respectfully.

"I am General of Ashford City. Greetings, Your Highness..."

His voice was deep and steady.

The moment the words fell, his aura suddenly expanded.

Mana surged through the surrounding space.

The pressure rolled outward like a wave.

In an instant, the aura of the King Realm was revealed.

The atmosphere changed.

It was not merely a sudden increase in pressure. It was the unmistakable presence of someone who had spent countless years walking through life-and-death battles. The Mana surrounding the general was dense and heavy, pressing down upon the street like an invisible mountain.

Dust scattered across the stone pavement.

The nearby banners snapped violently in the wind.

Several ordinary citizens who had not yet escaped immediately felt their legs weaken. Some hurriedly retreated behind the surrounding buildings, while others stared from a safe distance with pale faces.

Everyone’s expressions changed.

"King Realm!"

The words came from somewhere within the crowd.

The moment they heard them, everyone felt their scalps go numb.

A Five-Star King Realm expert!

That was not a figure ordinary cultivators could casually provoke.

Even among the powerful forces of the region, such an expert possessed enough strength to command respect. Now, however, someone like this had personally appeared in Ashford City, standing behind James with an entire army at his back.

The meaning was obvious.

This was no longer a simple dispute between two young men.

This was a confrontation backed by the authority of the Drake Empire.

The spectators instinctively looked toward the center of the street.

Leon was still there.

Surrounded by soldiers.

Beside him stood Selena, her hand resting lightly upon the Amethyst Mist Sword.

Her long silver-white hair drifted behind her, each strand catching the evening light. Her blue eyes were colder than before, and although she had not drawn her sword, the faint pressure around her body had already changed.

She was ready.

The crowd could not help but whisper among themselves.

"Who is that person? He actually dared to offend Lord James. In order to deal with him, he even invited the Grand General?"

Nobody could understand it.

Who exactly was Leon?

What kind of background did he have?

To make James so furious that he would mobilize an entire army?

And why did the young man remain so calm even after facing a Five-Star King Realm expert?

Those questions spread through the crowd like ripples across water.

Yet Leon himself seemed completely uninterested in their speculation.

His purple eyes remained fixed on the general.

There was no panic in them.

No hesitation.

Only a quiet assessment.

The general was strong.

Leon acknowledged that.

But strong did not mean invincible.

More importantly, Leon had not yet seen anything that made him believe this situation was worth taking seriously.

James, however, saw the arrival of the general differently.

The moment he sensed the familiar pressure, the tightness in his chest finally loosened.

A smile slowly appeared on his face.

"General."

His voice carried a hint of relief.

The humiliation he had suffered inside the Whitelist Restaurant seemed to fade from his mind for a moment.

With the general here, he no longer felt like the one being toyed with.

He had the army.

He had the authority of Ashford City.

And now he had a Five-Star King Realm expert standing behind him.

James squeezed out a smile when he saw the general.

"Haha, General, you’re finally here."

The general gave a slight nod.

His expression remained stern, his hands resting calmly near the reins of his unicorn.

James no longer waited.

He slowly walked in front of the group.

His eyes locked onto Leon.

The anger that had been suppressed throughout the auction returned in full force.

He remembered the red spider lily.

Ten million.

He remembered the way Leon had repeatedly provoked him, forcing him to waste enormous amounts of wealth.

He remembered the laughter he imagined coming from the private rooms around him.

Every memory tightened his jaw.

James raised his hand and pointed toward Leon.

"Kid, let’s see how you escape today. Get ready to call your elders to the Prince’s mansion to redeem you."

His tone was full of confidence.

He had already imagined the scene that would follow.

Leon would be captured.

His elders would eventually arrive.

Then they would have to kneel and pay a price to take him away.

At least, that was what James believed.

His eyes narrowed.

Then his arm dropped.

"Attack, take them down."

The command fell like thunder.

For a heartbeat, nothing happened.

Then—

Clang!

Clang!

Clang!

All the soldiers suddenly drew their swords.

Steel flashed beneath the evening sun.

The entire formation moved as one.

Hundreds of footsteps struck the stone road, and the soldiers surged forward like a black tide.

The surrounding citizens cried out and fled.

Windows slammed shut.

Shop doors were hurriedly locked.

The once-busy street became a battlefield in the span of a few breaths.

The soldiers rushed toward Leon and Selena from every direction.

Mana erupted from their bodies.

The sound of weapons tearing through the air filled the street.

Selena’s fingers tightened around the hilt of the Amethyst Mist Sword.

Her expression became completely still.

There was no fear in her eyes.

Only a quiet coldness.

She was just about to draw the sword when—

"Stop!"

A cold snort suddenly rang through the street.

The sound was not loud.

But it carried an unmistakable authority.

The soldiers at the front suddenly slowed.

Several looked toward the entrance of the Whitelist Restaurant.

A figure slowly walked out from inside.

Cavir Walton.

His grey hair moved gently in the wind, while his black eyes were unusually cold.

His face was ashen.

There was no trace of the relaxed smile he had worn earlier.

He had clearly understood what was happening.

And he did not like it.

Cavir Walton’s gaze swept over the soldiers surrounding Leon, then moved toward James and finally settled upon the general.

The soldiers hesitated.

The atmosphere became strangely still.

James frowned.