Ethan and Leon walked down the road until they finally arrived in front of the LionArk headquarters. Ethan's sudden return shocked everyone, especially the members of LionArk.

At first, they thought Ethan and Leon were still inside the Tower, doing raids to earn contribution points. No one expected them to arrive in the city so soon.

"Did you cancel your Tower raid?" one man asked.

Leon nodded quietly. It was refreshing news for LionArk, which was about to face a City Authority Challenge from Silver Star.

"Please, come in, Mr. Leon, Mr. Ethan," one of the men said.

He stepped inside the LionArk compound first. Unlike Ethan, he glanced to the side and saw a group of players from low-ranked guilds in the city.

They were traitors.

The conflict between LionArk members and the rebel guilds continued even with Ethan present. They didn't seem afraid of him at all.

"Ethan?" Leon called.

Ethan turned briefly, eyes sharp, then nodded once. Soon after, he entered the LionArk compound.

Slowly, the noise from outside faded. All that remained was the sound of chaos and panic.

One of the Big Three guilds had just declared a challenge against LionArk, which was now at its weakest.

Leon arrived at the guild's main building. His presence was immediately greeted by many members training hard under the supervision of guild officers.

Some looked hopeless, while others held onto a little optimism.

None of them knew whether they could defeat Silver Star in the upcoming City Authority Challenge.

From time to time, the officers turned and noticed Leon and Ethan, who had just finished their Tower raid.

"Where is Miss Ashley?" Leon asked one of the guild's administrative staff.

"Miss Ashley and Miss Jill went to a meeting in the city. They're holding a discussion with LionArk's supporting guilds," the man replied.

"They're probably discussing a strategy to defeat Silver Star and the rebel guilds," Ethan said.

Leon turned to look at him. Compared to the anxious guild members, Ethan, a newcomer to LionArk, looked much calmer.

"You know about the City Authority Challenge?" Leon asked. Ethan nodded.

"I know that challenge better than anyone," Ethan said with a proud smile.

"I knew it—you've got a strategy for this."

"We should go to the city hall and meet them," Leon said.

Ethan agreed. Both of them turned around and left the LionArk base for the city center.

To him, Leon and the others didn't need to worry too much about the City Authority Challenge. LionArk had Ashley and Ethan—both skilled in strategy and experience.

If the defenders and chosen players from LionArk's alliance followed Ethan's commands, everything would be fine.

They walked for quite some time along the city's main street. Their steps stopped when they reached the gate of the city hall complex.

The guards—players from guilds supporting LionArk—kept tight security.

When Ethan, marked with PK status and a Red Notice, appeared, all of them immediately went on alert.

"Stop!" one of them ordered.

"We're from LionArk. We came to join the strategy meeting," Leon explained.

"Only Guild Leaders and Vice Leaders of the Mavelard Alliance can attend the strategy meeting. You're not one of them," the man said firmly.

"Besides, letting that criminal into the hall would only endanger our guild leaders!" he shouted, pointing at Ethan aggressively.

Ethan's emotions were unstable. He couldn't stay calm—not while LionArk and the city of Mavelard were on the brink of collapse. He couldn't wait any longer.

He stretched out his hand and summoned the Bloodblade Ashura. Ethan gripped the sword tightly, and a notification panel appeared before him.

[Mode Ashura Activated]

Ethan's appearance changed, his power surging instantly. The guards froze, shocked by the crimson aura radiating from him.

The sight alone was enough to crush their morale and make them lose confidence.

Leon watched as Ethan, enraged, used the Bloodblade Ashura to break through the city hall gates.

He couldn't just stand by—he didn't want anyone to get hurt. Leon quickly took out his chat friends to contact Jill.

"Move!" Ethan said coldly.

"W-We can't let you through," one of the players stammered, trembling.

Ethan had no other choice. He swung his sword sideways, unleashing a crimson slash toward the tightly closed gate.

BLAST!

An explosion tore through the gate, sending crimson smoke into the air. The guards panicked and regrouped in front of the hall, blocking Ethan's path.

One of the guards rushed inside, interrupting the guild leaders' meeting. Everyone's attention turned to him immediately.

"What's going on?" one guild leader asked sharply.

"Sorry to interrupt, but there's chaos outside the city hall," the guard said.

"What?!" several people shouted, standing up.

Ashley, who was leading the strategy meeting, looked shocked and confused. She quickly left her seat and headed outside, followed by the other guild leaders.

"AAGH!"

A scream of pain echoed from outside. Some guild leaders assumed the attackers were rebel guild members and drew their weapons, ready to fight.

When Ashley and Jill reached the front courtyard, they froze in disbelief. Many guild leaders reacted the same way. No one expected their guards to be defeated so easily.

"Ethan?" Ashley called.

"What are you—"

"EthanArk! Red Notice fugitive! I knew it—you're with Silver Star!" one of the guild leaders shouted, cutting her off.

Jill narrowed her eyes. Not only was Ethan here, but Leon too. She also noticed the guild logo and abbreviation on Ethan's title.

"Wait!" Jill ordered.

The supporting guild leaders halted just before attacking Ethan. Ashley saw the same thing Jill did, her heart pounding with relief and gratitude for Ethan's choice.

"He's a member of LionArk," Jill said.

"A member of LionArk?"

All the guild leaders turned their attention to Ethan's title. Jill was right—he had joined LionArk.

Still, many of them couldn't accept it. To them, EthanArk was still a criminal who deserved punishment for his past crimes.

Ashley realized this chaos would lead nowhere good. The guild leaders' blind hatred made it impossible to talk sense into them.

Ethan sheathed his sword, deactivating Ashura Mode. His appearance and aura returned to normal, no longer as aggressive as before.

He reached out his hand and summoned twenty Level 2 HP Potions, handing them to the injured guards.

They immediately used them and began recovering.

"What are you doing, Ethan?" Ashley asked, trying to control the situation.

"I came to save my guild and my city," Ethan said.

"How did you know about the City Authority Challenge?" Ashley asked.

She turned her gaze. There was only one person who could have told Ethan—Jill.

"Jill? Was it you?" Ashley asked.

"I'm sorry, Miss Ashley. But we need Ethan's strength for this," Jill replied.

Ashley clenched her fists tightly. The reason she hadn't told Ethan was because she wanted him to focus on earning contribution points from Tower raids.

She believed she and the supporting guilds could handle Silver Star's challenge on their own. She didn't want to burden Ethan with problems she thought she could solve herself.

But now that Ethan already knew, there was no turning back. It was impossible to stop him from joining the challenge.

"I guess there's no helping it," Ashley sighed.

"We'll consider it. I need to discuss with the other guild leaders whether we can let you join or not," she said.

"Can you wait for my message and return to the base for now, Ethan?" Ashley asked.

Ethan was surprised—he hadn't expected Ashley to hesitate. It left him momentarily confused.

"Of course. I'll head back, Miss Guild Leader."

Hearing Ethan call her Miss Guild Leader for the first time left Ashley stunned. To most people, it might sound ordinary—but not to her.

There was meaning behind why Ethan addressed her that way.

Soon after, Ethan turned around and walked away. Leon followed him.

"What a terrifying man. I'm against letting him join the alliance team," one guild leader muttered.

"Set that aside. EthanArk has terrifying potential. He might be our trump card against Silver Star," another replied.

Ashley exhaled softly, then turned to face the other guild leaders.

"We have to discuss EthanArk carefully."

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