Chapter 978: How much is it, huh? |
After the attack, Jian was knocked back by the companions of the man he had struck. In an instant, chaos erupted throughout the building. Asher, Nine, Bia, Sinon, Kelvin, and Regius rushed to Jian’s side, joining him to clash with the group of Celestials who had been spouting such nonsense. Even Carcel and Alec were unable to stop them. What else could James and the others do? The situation quickly spiraled out of control as loud curses rang out and powerful natural laws were unleashed, shaking the building.
Nox shouted as he struggled to drag the Phoenix out of the fray, but she refused to budge. Her eyes burned with a murderous aura as she glared at him, finally dragging him into the battle as well. When suddenly a powerful natural law was hurled his way, he accepted his fate and stopped trying to restrain her. Rolling up his sleeves, his eyes blazing with fury, he threw himself into the fight, landing a few punches and kicks.
To hell with being civilized!
These people deserved it! Even Bia’s cold image, the one she had always maintained, shattered, and she didn’t seem to care—so why should he hold back? He might as well let his own fury run free too. After all, even if Kyle, that guy, had once wanted to cook him, he still mattered to him in some way.
The chaos drove all the other Celestials in the building away as they gathered outside the establishment to watch the spectacle.
The matter wasn’t resolved until finally the restaurant’s owner, who had been away—a powerful 5th-stage Celestial—was alerted and returned to forcibly restrain everyone.
The owner stared at the wrecked remains of the building—half of it reduced to rubble, with all the furniture broken as if a natural disaster had passed through. He roared in disbelief and fury at the sheer destruction.
"You dared to destroy my establishment? No one involved today is allowed to leave until every bit of damage is fully paid for!"
That was how everyone involved ended up dropping to their knees. Before a 5th-stage Celestial, they couldn’t even move a finger—after all, even the strongest among them was only at the 3rd stage. Sweat streamed down their foreheads as an overwhelming pressure pressed down on their shoulders, making each breath feel heavy and forced.
It was Hubert who attempted to calm the furious owner. Looking at the destruction, even he felt he would have been furious if the place was his. Hubert wiped his face and spoke politely to the floating figure.
"Sir... how about we talk this out?"
James, Susan, and Odiak also spoke up, maintaining their composure even under pressure as they attempted to defuse the situation. As the elders, the responsibility naturally fell to them. Although they had failed to stop the fight and had ultimately ended up joining Jian and the others, they knew the situation needed to be resolved before it escalated further than it already had. The person who had forced them to their knees was clearly a powerful figure. Getting entangled with someone like that, when they understood nothing about the Celestial Realm, was hardly a wise action.
The owner of the building, a middle-aged man, finally seemed to be calming down.
But a certain someone had other plans.
Jian suddenly laughed, spitting out the blood that had gathered in his mouth. He forced himself up, resisting the pressure weighing down on him, locking eyes with the floating figure that had stopped him.
"How much is it, huh? I will pay in full now! Just let me beat those guys a little more!"
The eyes of the middle-aged man, already furious enough to kill after seeing the state of his property, flared with renewed anger as he increased the pressure on everyone.
"Good! Good! Very good! You still don’t understand your mistake!"
Jian immediately took out a storage ring filled with treasures from his mind space, a sneer on his face as he prepared to hurl the storage ring at the man and end it then and there—but at that moment, Amon, who had been observing everything from a distance alongside Leon and Caria, finally spoke up.
"Stop it, Uncle Jian. That’s enough."
Hearing the voice, everyone paused. All eyes turned to the one who had spoken.
Even the owner of the damaged building was surprised to feel such overwhelming, natural power from such a young voice.
At that moment, Amon was standing in a barrier alongside Caria and Leon. After all, after the fight had begun, Odiak had made sure the kids were at a safe distance. The dwarf had even left a shield around them, even though he knew they were powerful.
Similarly, throughout it all, Yue had stayed rooted in her spot. It was Mia and Elli who had taken her to a safe distance. Elli gently patted her back, but she gave no response. The words that Kyle was dead kept echoing in her mind. She knew it was impossible.
With his luck, how could he fall? Yet she hadn’t seen him in so long that hearing it still left a powerful fear—what if... what if something bad had really happened to him?
Amon’s voice finally jolted her awake.
Only when she caught sight of his familiar face did Yue feel she could breathe again.
But... why had his expression turned so indifferent—so... distant?
Even with so many eyes locked on him, Amon did not flinch. He met them with a calm, unruffled gaze. It would be a lie if he said that after suddenly hearing the news of his father’s death he felt nothing. There had been a flicker of sorrow, indeed. After all, although he had never met him, he had heard many stories about him from others.
But once that initial sting passed and his thoughts settled, he realized that he didn’t really feel too deep of an attachment to a father he had never met. So when he spoke again, his voice carried an unfeeling edge.
"Uncle, you all overreacted. You shouldn’t have paid attention to rumors. Also, in the end, that man you all so frequently talk of was just an irresponsible person who left everyone behind, not even caring how the damaged universe would be mended in his absence. After he vanished, it was you all who worked so hard to rebuild our universe. Not him. Do you really need to go this far for someone like him who left..."
His words were interrupted by Yue.
"Amon!"
Hearing his mother call his name so sharply, Amon clenched his fists.
He bit his tongue in frustration, silently scolding himself for how foolish he had been. He had told himself he didn’t care whether his father lived or died. However, here he was, venting as though trying to prove that very point. Suddenly, he turned around and stepped out of the barrier.
"I’m going to roam the realm. I’m old enough. There’s no need to follow me."
With those words, he walked away. Caria and Leon cast a look at their parents before following after him. Leon’s voice rang out.
"Wait for me and Caria!"
"How can you leave even us behind!"