Chapter 212: Declaration of War and Provocation

Chapter 212: Chapter 212: Declaration of War and Provocation

Seeing his father act so shamelessly, Zerev only found it amusing.

He slightly raised the corners of his lips. "Father, if it were you, would you be willing to hand over such a powerful weapon?

"With this weapon in hand, why would Ophelia need to fear you?"

Having his thoughts read so accurately, the Yilong Family Master’s cheeks flushed slightly.

"AHEM. Then what does she mean by this?"

"Ophelia wants a piece of the pie in the Holy Capital, and she hopes the Winged Dragon Clan won’t stand in her way when the time comes."

The Yilong Family Master sneered. "If she thinks she can shake the status of the Holy Clan noble families with just one weapon like this, she’s simply dreaming."

Zerev twirled the bow and arrow in his hand. "What if it’s not just one? What if it’s thousands, or even tens of thousands?

"The range of this thing is a hundred meters. It can launch an attack before the enemy even gets close, and reloading an arrow only takes a few breaths of time."

"Thousands? She came prepared." The Yilong Family Master had originally thought that Ophelia being able to create such a weapon was already a rare feat. He never expected the other party to be fully prepared for war.

"Yes, even before I returned to the Holy Capital, they were already manufacturing these weapons. Her original intention was self-preservation, but now it has come in handy."

Zerev emphasized the word "self-preservation" heavily.

The Yilong Family Master instantly understood that this weapon was originally meant to deal with him. His body shuddered, a wave of lingering fear washing over him. It was a good thing he hadn’t taken his men to the Fuzu Tribe back then, otherwise they would have likely suffered heavy casualties.

"Those are her terms. What about yours?" The Yilong Family Master didn’t believe his son’s demands would be so simple.

"I want to completely take over the Winged Dragon Clan and stand openly and proudly beside Ophelia."

"That’s impossible!" the Yilong Family Master rejected immediately.

He was only in his forties and nowhere near the age of stepping down. Even if it was his own son, he wouldn’t allow it.

"Father, you probably don’t know this, but half of the Winged Dragon Clan already stands behind me. If you insist on not stepping down, then my only option is to fight.

"Furthermore, with Ophelia’s weapons on my side, I’m afraid you don’t have much of a chance of winning."

"Zerev, you..." The Yilong Family Master never expected his own son to threaten him.

He especially hadn’t expected that half of the Winged Dragon Clan would side with his son. If this trend continued, Zerev would undoubtedly become the new Head of the Winged Dragon Clan.

The Yilong Family Master’s breath caught in his chest. "Even if I agree to let you succeed me, you still need the approval of the other elders."

"Rest assured, Father. Once the other elders witness this new type of weapon, they will definitely agree as well." After all, no one was a fool.

The truth turned out exactly as Zerev had predicted. He simply introduced the power of the new weapon to the elders, and they unanimously voted to let Zerev inherit the position of Family Head.

Seeing this outcome, the Yilong Family Master felt utterly crestfallen, losing all of his spirit and vitality.

"Zerev, you have done well. You will definitely do better than me in the future." The Yilong Family Master patted Zerev’s shoulder, his heart filled with a mixture of resentment and gratification.

"Rest assured, Father. From today onward, Winged Dragon Fall will become the number one noble family in the Holy Capital. No one will ever surpass the Winged Dragon Clan."

Hearing Zerev say this, the resentment in the Yilong Family Master’s heart gradually faded.

Of course, what Zerev didn’t mention was that he intended to merge Ophelia’s Fuzu Tribe with the Winged Dragon Clan. If Ophelia wanted power, he would be her solid backing. If she didn’t want power, he would stand at the forefront and shield her from the wind and rain.

Having settled matters with the Winged Dragon Clan, Zerev went to find Ophelia the very next day.

"I’ll take you to the side gate of the Holy Capital. The Fire Phoenix Clan’s food is transported into the city every morning."

"Alright. Klein, we’ll take the archers to the side gate. Laxus, you stay here and guard the camp."

"Got it," Laxus agreed with a nod.

And so, Ophelia, Zerev, and Klein led fifty archers to the side gate of the Holy Capital. Their timing was perfect, just happening to run into the Fire Phoenix males escorting dozens of prey into the city.

Zerev recognized the leading Fire Phoenix male and said in a deep voice, "That’s the Fire Phoenix Clan’s procession up ahead."

Ophelia’s eyes lit up as she looked at the prey the males were bringing. "Klein, do it."

Klein immediately ordered the fifty archers to fire their arrows simultaneously. The Fire Phoenix males were caught completely off guard, as they only had ten men responsible for escorting the prey.

In just a moment, they were all injured. The leading male recognized that the weapon which had struck his companions belonged to Ophelia. He quickly looked back and saw Zerev and Ophelia standing not far away, causing him to grit his teeth viciously.

"Young Master Zerev, are you planning to make an enemy out of our Fire Phoenix Clan?"

Zerev raised a hand to signal the archers to stop firing. He declared loudly, "Go back and tell the Fire Phoenix Family Master: either he lets go of his hatred and makes peace with us, or he fights us to the bitter end.

"But as for who will ultimately win, you know the answer in your hearts.

"This prey is just the beginning. For every day he doesn’t give us an answer, we will snatch a day’s worth of your prey."

Hearing Zerev’s words, the Fire Phoenix male hurriedly led his companions in a retreat back to the Holy Capital.

Klein led the archers forward to retrieve the prey. Having scored dozens of animals for absolutely nothing, the tribesmen were all thrilled.

When Laxus saw the bounty Klein and the others brought back, he flashed a wide, toothy grin. "That was way too easy."

"As long as we persist in intercepting them for a few days, the Fire Phoenix Family Master definitely won’t be able to hold back from making a move," Klein analyzed calmly.

Ophelia nodded. "Exactly.

"Now it just depends on what the Fire Phoenix Family Master is thinking. Will he be willing to risk the entire future of the Fire Phoenix Clan for the sake of one Brada?"

Zerev’s expression was stern. "It’s hard to say."

Based on his years of interacting with the Fire Phoenix Family Master, the man didn’t seem like someone who would let impulsive anger cloud his judgment. But after all, the one who died was his only son, the future Family Head of the Fire Phoenix Clan. It was entirely possible that he would put everything on the line and fight with his back to the wall.

Back in the Holy Capital, inside the Fire Phoenix Mansion.

The Fire Phoenix Family Master looked at his injured clansmen returning and furiously smashed his jade chopsticks onto the ground.

"Damn that Zerev and Ophelia! Are they declaring war on us?"

The Fire Phoenix male lowered his head. "Family Master, Zerev said this is just the beginning. I’m afraid he will continue to snatch our prey."

The Fire Phoenix Family Master’s face darkened. "How much prey is left in the mansion?"

"We have less than two days’ worth left. To keep the meat fresh, the mansion doesn’t stock up on too much at once."

Filled with rage, the Fire Phoenix Family Master slammed his palm onto the wooden table, splitting it right down the middle.

"Family Master, should we go to the Yilong Family Master and demand an explanation?"

"The leverage we held is gone. Looking at how Zerev is going all out, I’m afraid the Yilong Family Master has already been suppressed by him.

"Even if we seek him out, it’ll be useless."

Now that Kohen had been rescued from his grasp, Zerev and Ophelia had no more reservations.

The Fire Phoenix male felt indignant. "Family Master, are we just going to passively take this beating?"

"Wait a little longer." As long as they waited for his own bows and arrows to be manufactured, those lowly males of Ophelia’s wouldn’t be a match for them at all.