"Who?"
Everyone turned to look behind Amelia. There they saw two men making their way here. One was at the front in a black dragon robe while the other was following him in a regular suit.
"It's you," Theodore exclaimed, trembling a bit. The same went for all the guests who were alerted by the military beforehand.
They recognized him instantly since they had received his photos. He was supposedly a newborn S-ranked warrior, and they were told to pay special attention to him, making sure not to offend him in any way.
When they first received this news, they were shocked. They couldn't believe even the military was wary of this guy. So, when they investigated him immediately, they learned of his incredible feats.
He was a true underground boss, not afraid of the police force. Defeating Igor and plundering the commercial center in broad daylight, shook them to the core. Yet, he wasn't arrested.
This proved how terrible he was. Calling themselves underground forces was a shame when compared to him. After all, although they were capable of doing so, nobody had the guts to clean up the commercial center.
Anyways, there would always be someone doubting this credibility. Indeed, a couple of them were present here. However, that soon changed when he got nearby and with what happened next.
Foremostly, his presence was intimidating. His eyes were devoid of life as he overlooked everyone. The strange thing was that the more they peered at them, the more their hearts beat faster and their eyes hurt, forcing them to gaze away.
This proved at least he had considerable strength. Secondly, the Commander-in-Chief Maverick finally stood up and approached him.
"You are here." He spoke, bowing his head a little, showcasing his respect.
"What? How can it be?" The crowd, including his subordinates, cried out in disbelief.
How can a person in such a high position lower his head to anybody? Was it true that the man ahead was a genuine S-ranked warrior?
"You know me?" Cayden narrowed his eyes, his voice cold as ever.
"How dare you…" Maverick's subordinates were furious as a result. How can he speak to their superior like that? Even the heroes spoke respectfully with him.
"Shut up!" Maverick raised his hand, indicating for them to keep their mouths closed.
Then he returned to the conversation. "Of course. How could your excellency's name not be famous? Your deeds as the leader of the Skull Gang are all over the place."
"I see." Cayden nodded, feeling the hint of mockery in his words.
"So, what do you want?" He asked.
"Let me introduce myself first. I am the Commander-in-Chief of the military and don't have any ulterior purposes currently. I am just here for an answer." Maverick replied.
"Oh! What might it be?" Cayden was surprised while Bryan was panicking from behind.
"Don't tell me it's for that?" Guessing something, Bryan frowned, and as he had expected, Maverick questioned.
"I want to know whether Sir Luther and Richard met you a week ago?" His voice was loud and clear. He wanted everyone to hear and know the truth.
"What? Is he talking about the two heroes?" Theodore, who had been trying to compose himself since the beginning, could no longer maintain his calm demeanor.
The way he discerned Cayden changed. The others too had the same reaction. Was the military trying to poach him? That's why he must have been left alive after those incidents.
Nonetheless, they were all wrong. The matter was way beyond their wildest dreams that they could have never imagined.
"Who?" Cayden raised his eyebrow, catching everyone off-guard.
"What did you say?" Maverick's expression became ugly.
"How dare you lie with such a straight face?" He thought, clenching his fists in anger. But he controlled it within.
"Perhaps, he is lying to save himself from further troubles. Is he scared of us?" He comforted himself.
While he was in his own world, Bryan neared Cayden and whispered some words.
"My Lord! Is this one of your plans? Were you trying to provoke him to fight?"
"Nah! How could I be that cruel?" Cayden shook his head.
Bryan could only give a wry smile. Maybe the Lord truly didn't put their names into his mind. It did make sense as they were nothing more than ants in front of him.
Thus, he had no choice but to remind him.
"Eh! Those guys? I remember." Cayden suddenly said, bringing back Maverick's attention.
"Then where are they? They have been missing since that day." When Maverick revealed this information, the crowd gasped in disbelief.
"How could it be?"
"Did they fall?"
"No! I refuse to believe it. Do you know how strong they were?"
Noticing their bewilderment, Bryan sighed, "Ignorant fools!"
"What if I said they are no more?" Cayden's lip curved slightly upward.
"It's true then." Maverick blew mouthfuls of cold air in sadness while the crowd turned silent.
"He's that powerful?" Amelia muttered with beads of sweat on her forehead. She too had received his info. Plus, she had learned that two men wearing similar clothes were having a talk with her sister during the flight.
"Is it them?" She couldn't confirm it. Even more so when Bela had fallen and Ava had yet to recover.
"They are a dangerous bunch. I have to know what they conversed about and should advise her to be careful." She made up her mind.
"Besides, I am grateful to him. If not, things would have turned bad. I owe him one." She put down her whip and thought, glimpsing at Theodore from time to time.
Who knew if he would sneak attack her later on? It was better to be careful. There was Kenneth and his gang as well, who were treating Desmond on the sides.
Perceiving her gaze, they snorted displeasingly. They would definitely teach her a lesson one day.
Meanwhile, Maverick took off his coat and threw it to the ground. Staring daggers at Cayden, he spoke sternly, "It's hard to accept this. I want to see their bodies. Where are they?"
A part of him hoped that it was false. But the probability was very thin. In the worst-case scenario, he at least hoped to fetch back their dead bodies and perform a funeral. His friends didn't deserve such a death.
"Bodies? I am sorry to tell you that I don't remember leaving their bodies behind." There was no change in Cayden's voice when he answered, giving chills to everyone present.
"You beast!" Maverick finally snapped. He couldn't take his bullshit any longer.
"I challenge you to a duel. Prove me your strength. I want to witness how you took down our heroes yourselves." He declared deafeningly.
"Let's go, commander." His subordinates cheered.
"Bring him down! Commander!"
"He must be lying."
"Find out the truth."
Some of the guests chimed in as well and applauded with varying emotions.
"Hah!" Maverick shouted a war cry, releasing his golden aura.
Whoosh!
Raging mana burst from him, spreading in all directions and affecting the surroundings. In addition, he felt a new inborn power bubbling inside of him.
"Celestial Knight"
A magical phantom in ancient armor reaching hundreds of meters tall manifested above him, turning night into day with how bright it was.
"Holy! He became an S-ranked warrior."
The crowd uttered in astonishment. They were witnessing the birth of a hero right before their eyes. It was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
"Damn! How did he do it?" Theodore gritted his teeth in jealousy. Despite achieving the peak experience points, he couldn't break through further.
Hence, there was a saying that only those blessed with the divine light could achieve S-rank. Nevertheless, this notion was getting crushed ahead of him.
"Is this the so-called talent?" He murmured dejectedly.
"Interesting. The power of anger and faith fueled him to reach a new level. It's comparable to an early-stage Nascent Soul expert." Cayden's eyes lit up.
Watching how carefree the opponent still was, Maverick ordered, "Men! Pass me my weapon."
One of the helicopters instantly opened its door and threw a gigantic hammer, and he gripped it with his right hand.
"Merge"
The phantom coalesced on top of him, creating a virtual armor with his hammer supported on his shoulder.
"Pull out your weapon. Don't blame me if I crush you afterward." He was brimming with confidence.
"Naïve! Do you think I need a weapon for the likes of you? I will squash you like I smashed your friends." Cayden scoffed, releasing a portion of his chaotic aura.
Boom!
Cayden's horrible coercion rammed on Maverick's aura, bringing him insane pressure and dimming his armor's luster.
"What a power! But don't underestimate me." Maverick dashed at an unimaginable speed and appeared right above Cayden, launching his ultimate skill.
"War God's Wrath"
He channeled his inner fury, combining it with his enormous mana and unleashing a devastating series of hammer strikes one after another.
In response, Cayden merely lifted his right index finger and took those attacks head-on.
Bang!Bang!Bang!