Chapter 236: The Ambush.

The two men blurred through the city, their figures crossing streets and buildings at a speed far beyond what ordinary people could perceive. Morgan led the way while Kael followed several meters behind, neither of them saying a word.

They continued moving farther from the populated areas of the city, the buildings gradually growing sparser, the streets quieter, until eventually even the lights of the city began to disappear behind them.

After traveling for some time, Kael’s brows furrowed slightly.

"How much longer?"

"Just ahead."

Kael glanced at Morgan’s back.

"Is that so?"

His brows remained furrowed, but he didn’t say anything else. He simply continued following.

Several more minutes passed before Morgan finally slowed down.

The scenery around them had changed completely.

They had arrived in a desolate area far from the main city, where abandoned buildings and empty stretches of land surrounded them. There wasn’t a single civilian in sight, and the silence hanging over the area was almost unnatural.

Ahead of them stood a massive warehouse.

Morgan stopped before it and turned around.

"We’ve arrived."

Kael looked toward the warehouse.

"Is that so?"

A faint smile slowly spread across his face.

"Well done, then."

Morgan’s expression immediately changed.

Kael didn’t look at him. Instead, his eyes slowly swept across the surrounding area, taking in the empty streets, the abandoned structures, and the warehouse standing before them.

Then he spoke.

"Since we’re here, why don’t we stop pretending?"

His voice wasn’t particularly loud, yet it carried clearly through the surrounding area.

"All of you can come out now."

Morgan’s face turned sour.

Did he catch on?

For a brief moment, he didn’t move.

Then it happened.

Multiple powerful auras erupted from the surrounding area almost simultaneously.

Boom!

The sudden pressure spread through the desolate surroundings as hundreds of figures began emerging from various corners of the warehouse and the abandoned buildings surrounding it. They were all heavily equipped, dressed in combat gear and carrying various weapons as they rapidly spread out, forming a massive encirclement around Kael and Morgan.

In the span of a few seconds, every possible escape route had been sealed, and leading them was a man with a lean but powerful body.

He wore silver armor that covered most of his body and carried a long blade at his side. His hair and beard were both wild and untamed, and his eyes were especially striking, fierce and sharp, like those of a tiger preparing to tear apart its prey.

Kael’s eyes immediately narrowed as he recognized him, Simon Morrison, the Captain of the Dark Viper Guild.

A man famous throughout the city not only for his strength and merciless nature but also for his cunning. Simon wasn’t the sort of man who relied solely on brute force. He was known for planning several steps ahead of his opponents, which was one of the reasons he had managed to rise to his current position.

The moment Simon appeared, Morgan immediately moved toward him.

Kael didn’t bother stopping him.

Morgan reached Simon’s side and leaned toward him, whispering rapidly into his ear.

Simon listened.

At first, his expression remained calm.

Then his body suddenly stiffened.

His eyes widened slightly before narrowing into slits, and the veins on his forehead became visible as anger began rising within him. He slowly turned his head toward Morgan, his face twisting with disbelief.

This fool.

He had only handed off the Dark Viper Guild’s operations to Morgan for a few weeks while he was occupied with other matters, yet in that short time, Morgan had already managed to stir up trouble with an S-Rank Hunter.

Simon turned his attention toward Kael once again, his expression becoming much more serious.

He hadn’t been paying much attention to what was happening around the world recently. Most of his time had been spent focusing on his own cultivation and increasing his strength, so although he had heard about the appearance of the youngest S-Rank Hunter, he hadn’t bothered learning much about him.

Who would have thought that he would meet such a figure under circumstances like this?

When Morgan sent the signal earlier, Simon had expected the situation to be troublesome, but he hadn’t expected the person standing before him to be an S-Rank Hunter.

If he had known beforehand, he would have preferred for the situation to be handled under much more favorable circumstances for the Dark Viper Guild.

Simon sighed inwardly as he glanced at Morgan.

This troublesome fool.

Still, what was done was done.

Simon stepped forward and looked directly at Kael.

"This friend over there, my name is Sim..."

"There’s no need for pleasantries."

Kael interrupted him before he could finish.

His gaze shifted toward Morgan, then returned to Simon.

"That man over there and his men attacked someone close to me. Are you aware of that?"

Simon’s face turned slightly sour.

He had barely arrived and already been interrupted, but he didn’t allow his irritation to show for long.

"No. I only heard about it just now."

He paused before continuing.

"And for his actions, I apologize on behalf of the Dark Viper Guild. We’re willing to offer you suitable compensation for what happened. I hope you can consider letting this matter end here."

Kael stared at him for several seconds.

"I have no intention of doing that."

Simon sighed.

"That’s unfortunate."

His gaze sharpened.

"You’re young and extremely talented, so don’t allow your anger to blind you. You’re powerful, there’s no denying that, but the Dark Viper Guild isn’t weak either. If you choose to continue pursuing this matter, then you’ll have to face the entire Dark Viper Guild."

His voice became colder.

"Is that something you’re prepared to face?"

"Why not?"

Kael’s response came without the slightest hesitation.

He looked around at the hundreds of men surrounding him before returning his gaze to Simon.

"I don’t like you guys to begin with."

The surrounding men fell silent.

Simon’s eyes darkened.

There was no mistaking the meaning behind Kael’s words.

He was looking down on them.

Simon clenched his fist slightly.

Even though he understood he wasn’t Kael’s match in a direct confrontation, he wasn’t particularly worried.

Kael was still a newly emerged S-Rank Hunter, while Simon had reached A-Rank a while ago and was steadily closing in on that same stage himself. He saw no reason to fear him under these circumstances, especially with hundreds of his men surrounding Kael.

Simon slowly raised his hand.

"Very well."

His expression became completely serious.

"If this is what you wish for, then I’ll gladly grant you your death."

His raised hand suddenly dropped.

"Attack!"