Chapter 217: Three Steps Ahead (2)

"Those sons of bitches..."

Asterion growled upon discovering a large number of red-haired figures surrounding the area from a distance.

"The Council of Elders..." Ethan muttered quietly.

He could see the strongest members of the Heart Clan gathered there.

At first glance, he counted at least seven of them, and there were more beyond those he could immediately identify.

Most were King-rank, including Kevin Heart, the head of the council, and Vanessa, the witch who had taught Luna and Moon.

It was said that those who reached High King rank, like Asterion, were equivalent in strength to ten Kings.

So just how many King-rank fighters were gathered on this battlefield?

That was the question running through Ethan’s mind.

But he had also realized something else.

"There’s at least one member of the royal family somewhere nearby..."

Asterion nodded at Ethan’s words.

The Council of Elders could only have been forced to participate in this siege through the commands of the Blood Curse.

After all, members of the Heart Clan did not turn against their own.

"Cowards... They use us to kill one another! They use us to hold back the curse, to fight other empires, and to crush anyone who dares oppose them!!"

Asterion roared furiously, shaking the ground beneath his feet.

"Do you truly want to serve a family like that, Gass?! Wake up! That family deserves nothing but damnation!"

"..."

Gass remained silent, his face concealed beneath his silver helmet.

Despite every insult Asterion had hurled at the family he served, the silver knight showed no sign of anger.

In truth, deep down, he knew Asterion was right.

But...

"The ruler of this empire is a man to whom I owe a great deal. It doesn’t matter what kind of person he is. I chose him as the man I would serve a long time ago, and I have no intention of changing my allegiance until the day I die."

Gass pointed his sword directly at Asterion’s face, delivering his final warning.

"Enough talk. Come with me peacefully, Asterion, and let’s avoid any unnecessary bloodshed."

The final words carried particular weight, making it unmistakably clear that this was his last warning.

The silver knight’s eyes began glowing with a brilliant blue light that shone through the gaps in his helmet.

His body lowered into a stance of absolute readiness, prepared to launch an attack at any moment.

The atmosphere between him and Asterion had become unbearably tense and oppressive.

One wrong move, and every knight would attack alongside the Heart Clan’s elders, potentially setting off a genuine massacre.

The intervention of the prince or princess stationed nearby would have been enough to prevent any conflict.

However, they had no way of knowing just how much of their humanity Asterion and the others had retained.

For that reason, Gass couldn’t risk bringing a member of the royal family any closer, fearing they might come to harm.

And so, Asterion was left with only two choices.

Fight or surrender.

The Uncrowned Emperor continued exchanging hostile glares with Gass for some time before finally letting out a long sigh, expelling a heavy breath of hot air.

"We’ll do this your way, Gass. I’m not stupid enough to fight a war I can’t win."

Asterion surrendered.

Gass nodded in response.

"You’ve made the right decision."

Gesturing toward his knights, the commander of the Royal Guard issued his orders.

"Restrain all the hunters except Asterion!"

"YES, SIR!!!"

The knights answered in unison before rushing toward Ethan and his companions, shackling them in iron restraints one after another.

As for Asterion, Gass took it upon himself to restrain the old man personally.

"Be gentle with the elderly, you brute."

Asterion grumbled as Gass shackled his remaining hand.

Since he had only one arm left, a special type of restraint was used to secure his wrist behind his back.

"Follow our instructions, and no harm will come to you. We need to confirm that none of you have been affected by the curse. Once we’ve established that you pose no threat, you’ll eventually be released."

Gass explained what would happen from that point onward.

Despite his outwardly hostile attitude, he harbored no ill will toward the hunters.

In fact, he treated Asterion with as much respect as the circumstances allowed.

Ethan noticed this as he silently observed everything unfolding around him.

Meanwhile, Gass had also been watching the hunters for some time.

Although his helmet concealed his expression, he was genuinely surprised.

’These young hunters... They’re remarkable. I never expected them to remain so calm despite the situation they’ve found themselves in...’

Whether it was their commander, Moon, or members like Ethan and Raiden, every one of them remained strangely composed.

He could have understood if one or two had managed to keep their composure.

But all of them?

Especially Alicia and Chai.

The former looked like a timid girl who had yet to fully mature, while the latter was merely a fourteen-year-old hunter.

For them to remain so composed under the pressure exerted by so many King-rank fighters and knights simply didn’t make sense.

’It’s almost as if... they knew we were waiting for them...’

That was the only conclusion the commander of the Royal Guard could reach.

What Gass didn’t realize was that he’d struck upon the truth.

Nor did he notice the pair of eyes watching him from afar.

Concealed among the shadows, keeping a considerable distance from the scene, a massive figure lay flat on his stomach, crawling along the ground in an effort to remain as hidden as possible.

His hair was a deep shade of red, and his eyes resembled those of a serpent.

The veteran hunter Jackson peered out from the shadows, astonishment written across his face.

"Incredible... Everything is happening exactly as the Boss predicted..."

The reason everyone had remained so calm, and why Jackson hadn’t accompanied them outside, despite having been the one carrying Asterion, lay in something that had happened earlier.

To understand it properly, it was necessary to go back a little, to the moment Ethan had stopped his companions one final time.