After a long silence, Selene’s expression grew even more unsettled.
Her face shifted between shades of pale and flushed, a mix of frustration, helplessness, and guilt flickering in her eyes.
"I’m sorry. I had no idea they’d pull something behind the scenes," she said, standing up and apologizing to Ethan.
"You don’t need to apologize to me." Ethan shook his head, his voice calm but firm. "The one responsible should pay the price. Whoever did this should be the one to face the consequences."
"But if you push this any further, the higher-ups in Scarlet Legion won’t stand for it," Selene warned, shaking her head. "Let’s just end it here. If I take this recording back, it should be enough to shut them up..."
"They won’t stand for it?" Ethan cut her off with a chuckle, his tone laced with amusement.
"You’re misunderstanding something," he said, looking at her with an unreadable expression.
Selene frowned. "What do you mean?"
Ethan’s voice remained indifferent. "To me, Scarlet Legion isn’t as untouchable as you think. I’m not afraid of them. If anything, it’s the other way around—they should be afraid of me."
The moment those words left his mouth, both Selene and Emily froze. The source of this content ɪs NoveI[F]ire.net
They stared at Ethan, their expressions a mix of shock and disbelief, as if they had misheard him.
After a long pause, Selene finally spoke, her face unreadable. "Are you serious?"
Ethan raised an eyebrow. "Do I look like I’m joking?"
Selene was momentarily stunned, then fell into silence again.
Logically speaking, what Ethan just said was beyond absurd. Anyone else saying something like that would be laughed out of the room.
Not afraid of Scarlet Legion?
And even claiming that Scarlet Legion should be afraid of him?
Scarlet Legion was one of the top ten guilds in North America, a powerhouse that stood at the pinnacle of the gaming world.
His so-called "Draconic Pact"—Selene had never even heard of it.
The two weren’t even on the same level. There was no comparison.
For some reason, an inexplicable feeling crept into her heart.
Something about Ethan’s words struck a chord, as if a voice in the back of her mind was whispering to her.
Maybe... just maybe... he wasn’t joking.
Maybe he really wasn’t afraid of Scarlet Legion.
Maybe he truly believed that Scarlet Legion should be afraid of him.
Selene found herself at a loss for words, a strange sense of confusion washing over her.
She didn’t know why she felt this way, but the thought refused to leave her mind.
And the more she tried to dismiss it, the stronger it became.
"This is just too weird..." Selene muttered under her breath.
Beep beep. Beep beep beep...
Suddenly, her communicator lit up, emitting a series of beeping sounds. Instinctively, Selene glanced at the flashing notification, but the moment she saw the caller ID, her pupils shrank in shock.
"Leader...?" she murmured.
"Leader?" Emily blinked in surprise before cautiously asking, "Selene, is it Sylva? Sylva Frostbane?"
The Sylva she was referring to was none other than Sylva Frostbane, the commander of Scarlet Legion’s Sixth Division—one of their direct superiors.
But Selene shook her head, her expression growing even more complicated as she turned to look at Ethan. Her voice was hesitant, almost disbelieving.
"No... It’s... it’s Scarlet Queen."
"Scarlet Queen?!" Emily gasped, sucking in a sharp breath.
Without wasting another second, Selene immediately accepted the call.
A brief conversation followed, during which Selene’s expression shifted multiple times—shock, doubt, disbelief. And when she finally ended the call, she just stood there, staring at Ethan as if she had seen a ghost.
"You... you..." She opened her mouth, but for a long moment, no words came out.
She looked utterly shaken, as if her entire understanding of reality had just been flipped upside down.
"Selene, what did Scarlet Queen say?" Emily asked cautiously.
Selene remained silent for a few seconds before finally speaking, her voice filled with disbelief.
"Scarlet Queen said... she wants me to bring you to Icelight City and wait for her. She’s coming in person... to apologize to your brother. And she hopes you can help smooth things over between them."
"A-Apologize?!" Emily practically shrieked, her entire body freezing in shock.
The leader of Scarlet Legion—one of the top ten guilds in North America.
A powerhouse ranked in the top ten of the Monarch Leaderboard, one of the strongest female players in the entire region.
Even the most influential figures in the country could, at best, stand on equal footing with her.
After Scarlet Legion’s high-ranking members had been forcefully PK’d and lost levels...
She was coming in person to apologize?
What kind of situation was this?!
How was this even possible?!
"This... this..." Emily felt like her entire worldview had just been shattered.
Her face turned bright red, her mind struggling to process what she had just heard.
Meanwhile, Selene stared at Ethan for a long moment before finally letting out a bitter chuckle. She shook her head and turned to Emily.
"Emmie, you really had me fooled," she said, sighing. "With a brother like yours, why would he ever need someone like me to help him?"
By the time she finished speaking, there was even a hint of grievance in her tone.
Her cheeks flushed slightly, and she looked genuinely embarrassed.
It was that feeling—like when you think you’re the strong one, stepping in to help someone weaker, only to realize that the person you were trying to help was actually a damn apex predator in disguise.
And not just for her—Emily was just as dumbfounded.
She stared blankly at Ethan, her voice filled with disbelief.
"I swear, Selene, I... I really didn’t know!"
As she spoke, she couldn’t help but shoot Ethan a fierce glare.
Ethan let out a silent sigh, but on the surface, he just shrugged, playing along.
"Not my fault," he said, feigning innocence. "There were strict orders before—no exposure allowed. Can’t blame me for that!"