Chapter 391: Surrender
With EAD Matthews’ backing her, Sonia dared to fight the entire security detail arranged at the McSuile family’s Treasure Lake resort alone, and she was holding her own against them all until the high-tiers showed up. Even though she only did that to impress her new boss, someone like that would not be afraid to fight a newly awakened curse master to death.
However, it was a different story if one were to factor in Sonia’s pride. Unless it was absolutely necessary, she didn’t want to take that step because she only started this to show Ace that she, too, could hurt him if she chose to and had no intention of actually killing Lyra, as that would be akin to awakening the sleeping beast.
Yes, many of her guildmates had died, but there were still many alive, along with her father. She knew better than to achieve revenge for the fallen at the expense of the living.
Sonia’s pride wouldn’t allow her to go all out against a newly awakened curse master because she stood to gain nothing if she won, but if she lost, she stood to lose a lot. She couldn’t imagine who she could face EAD Matthews after losing to Lyra. Not only did she act on her own, breaking the proper chain of command, but she also lost. Now that was not a good light on her.
As for why she believed she wouldn’t gain anything even if she won was because Lyra had already shown that she was just as capable as having just awakened as a curse master. So, even if she beat Lyra to the inch of life, she wouldn’t be sending the message she wanted to send across, not only would her win not be satisfying, but she would just be making another powerful mortal enemy. However, it would be a different story if she could kill Lyra.
Though she hated the fact that she couldn’t vent her dissatisfaction with Ace by bullying his sister. After thinking things through, Sonia began to feel that Lyra was correct. She really should retreat for now and come back more prepared next time. Also, her boss’s daughter, Ava, seemed to be in trouble. If anything happened to her, then her plan to borrow EAD Matthew’s background would fail even before it started.
“Fine,” Sonia said to Lyra, rushing towards Ava, who was currently lying on her stomach with her face pressed against the asphalt as Ace sat on her back, one hand holding her innate curse tool, Frozlight, and the other pressing her head into the asphalt, yelling, “Apologzie and promise you will not bother me or my family again. Then maybe I can consider returning your Frozlight to you?”
“Let go of her!” Sonia shouted, arriving before Ace. She did not dare to attack him, fearing he could use Ava as a shield against her attacks. She wouldn’t put something like that past him. He was not only strong but crafty. She gave the great EAD Matthews a run around, let alone her.
“Sonia, just attack him—” Ava strugglingly scream in rage out of humiliation, but before she could finish, Ace pressed her head back into the asphalt, making sure she got a good taste of it. Not only did Ace steal her innate curse tool and cut her connection to her curse core, but he was also forcing her to eat dirt. She has never felt so helpless and humiliated in her life.
Except, of course, when Ace rejected her in front of the entire new school student body and staff, along with their families, right after she just stood up for him against the county sheriff. Recalling all the humiliation Ace had put her through, she felt like the rage bubbling in her boosted her innate strength, and she tried to struggle free by shoving Ace off her back. However, she soon realized it was just her imagination. Ace did not budge. He sat on her back like an immovable boulder.
“Ace, aren’t you going too far?” Sonia asked, trying to reason with Ace and persuade him into letting Ava go, as for getting her innate curse tool back, Sonia knew Ace wouldn’t just hand it back without an appropriate price.
“I’m going too far,” Ace said, arching his right eyebrow before continuing, “Reporting her to the curse council for turning her innate curse tool into a curse anchor, now that would be going too far.”
“Curse Anchor?” Sonia repeated, genuinely surprised by the revelation. It seems this was the first she was hearing of this. Not the term, but Ava turning her innate curse tool into a curse anchor.
“Go ahead, you jerk. I didn’t do it on purpose. It’s part of my innate curse art,” Ava dared Ace to tell on her to the Curse Council. Meanwhile, Lyra stood guard next to her brother. If it were regular circumstances, she would have lectured her baby bro on how to treat a lady, but they weren’t.
Listening to Ava, Ace brooded because if what Ava said was true, then the Curse Council would send the Curse enforcers after her, but not to punish her, but to recruit her.
“That’s enough,” a majestic voice sounded throughout the artificial domain. EAD Matthews had finally chosen to reveal herself. Otherwise, she was afraid her stupid daughter would reveal her innate curse abilities to the world despite her repeatedly warning her against that. It was as if nothing she said ever got through to her daughter.
“Now you show up,” Ace complained as he got off Ava, regretting not being faster in interrogating Ava about the innate curse abilities she had awakened.
Ava hurriedly got back on her feet and sucker punched Ace on his gut only to find that she hurt her fist yet Ace didn’t flinch. She was astonished. After awakening as a curse master with her innate strength, she could crack a concrete wall with her punch and demolish it with a few more. Yet, Ace took it head-on and didn’t even react.
With Ace’s physical prowess, it was obvious to Matthews that Ace let Ava sucker punch him so before he could give an ending to his little conspiracy, she slapped Ava’s back of head so hard that she feel to ground, head first, giving it a different ending.