The main hall of the Goblin Guild turned into a graveyard in an instant.
James’s head was still rolling on the ground, blood spraying from the neck like a fountain.
His headless body stood for a few seconds before collapsing like a rag doll.
Silence. Absolute silence.
Sara pressed her hand over her mouth, her eyes wide with horror.
Joe’s face turned pale as chalk and he stepped back, as if he couldn’t believe what he was seeing was real.
It was true that he hated James, but death? This wasn’t something he wanted—not even something he wanted to think about—and that was because of the consequences.
No matter how much of a bastard James was, he was the treasure of the Goblin Guild, the most powerful guild in the country. Killing him could cause massive waves across the nation.
And now Daniel had killed James in front of all these people? Had he gone insane?
Varnos furrowed his brows. His face had turned completely serious. Even he was frozen for a moment. He had no problem humiliating these bastards like this.
But not killing him in front of all these people. Doing something like that was political suicide, with consequences that could shake the foundations of the Everlight Moon Guild and even lead to their political isolation.
Why had he done this?
Daniel himself frowned heavily. He knew exactly that his strike was only supposed to knock James out or injure him—not kill him.
"I... didn’t kill him," he muttered to himself. He was certain he hadn’t wanted to kill him. He hadn’t even used enough power to cause something like this.
What the hell was going on here? What had happened?
Alaric stood like a statue. His eyes were locked on his successor’s body.
"James...?"
His lips trembled. The color on his face shifted from red to purple.
Jason stood beside him. His fists were clenched, and the veins on his forehead were bulging. James had been like a little brother to him.
And now his little brother had been killed right in front of his eyes. He hadn’t been able to do anything to save him!
For a few seconds, none of them could even say a single word.
Their shock was so deep that their brains hadn’t yet given their bodies the command to move.
Then...
"Murderer..."
Alaric’s voice came out like the roar of a wounded animal. He stepped over to James’s body in one stride.
"Execute the murderer of the Goblin Guild’s successor right here!"
In an instant, the entire hall exploded.
Dozens of senior officials from the Goblin Guild, Rank A and even Half-Step Rank S members who had served in the shadows of the guild for years, rushed toward Daniel and Varnos like a black wave.
[Chains of Holy Blood]
One of them waved his hand, and red chains of blood appeared from the air and shot toward Varnos.
[Devouring Shadows]
Two others released their shadows like living creatures and attacked Daniel.
[Earth-Shattering Fist]
A large-built official slammed his giant fist into the ground, sending deep cracks racing toward Daniel.
[Deadly Poison Mist]
The woman at peak Rank A behind them spread a green, poisonous mist that made breathing difficult.
[Wrathful Thunder Cage]
Another one created a cage of lightning around Daniel to stop him from moving.
[Soul Slash]
One of their swords struck directly at the soul, sending horrific pain straight to the brain.
[Wall of Despair]
The last one created a black wall around the arena so no one could escape.
They attacked with full force. They knew their enemies were extremely powerful and didn’t dare show even the slightest weakness.
Daniel spun around immediately and used mental communication to tell his friends to leave.
"Sara! Joe! Escape separately! Right now!"
Sara and Joe were still in shock, but Daniel’s voice hit them like a slap. Without a word, the two ran toward the side exits.
"We have to hold them here," Daniel said, looking at Varnos.
Varnos nodded, but his face was grim. His Moon Law was still sealed. His physical power had dropped drastically.
In that very first moment, he took three deep wounds from the blood chains and jumped back.
"Burn your life force! Just a little, to weaken the poison!" Daniel quickly told him.
Varnos didn’t hesitate for a second. He ignited his life force.
His power returned a little, but it was still very weak.
He attacked two of the officials with bare fists, but one of them used [Soul Slash] and forced him to his knees.
Daniel was also in trouble. His power hadn’t returned to its peak yet.
He swung The Heavens Honor a few times, but every time one of the officials pushed him back with their skills.
He activated [Demonic Twilight Shield] to deflect the attacks, but even his shield was starting to crack.
He used [Bloody Shadow Dance] and moved through the shadows, but his speed was much slower than normal.
Meanwhile, the other guests, Rank S from other countries, scattered in panic.
Some ran away, some just watched, and some even started helping the Goblin Guild.
The war had fully erupted.
Daniel gritted his teeth.
There was no other choice.
He raised his hand and shouted in a cold voice:
"Come... my Fallen!"
In an instant, the surrounding space filled with dozens of the strongest Fallen he had ever summoned.
All of them appeared with red eyes and deadly auras.
The guests screamed in terror.
"This... this..."
"The Fallen... it really is him!"
Daniel’s identity was exposed in that very moment.
All the people present who witnessed this scene were thrown into shock beyond imagination. The Fallen was known to everyone there, how could they possibly not have recognized him?
These days, he was a figure whose fame had spread far beyond the borders of this country. Almost every neighboring country and the entire region knew him and was hunting for him, trying to recruit him.
Even though he rarely appeared in public, every single time he showed up, he created massive impacts and drew all the attention to himself.
And now, for the first time, they were finally able to see The Fallen with their own eyes. They were looking at the man himself, and at last his identity was revealed.
But why was he so young? How could he possibly be this young? How on earth could someone at this age be so overwhelmingly powerful?
Rivon was in absolute shock as well. Varnos had already told him before that Daniel was The Fallen, but Rivon hadn’t believed it, he had taken it as a joke.
Now his mouth was hanging open in complete disbelief...
Alaric, standing over James’s body, let out a furious roar that shook the entire hall.
"THE FALLEN!!!"
He charged straight toward Daniel and Varnos along with Jason.
The senior officials of the Goblin Guild immediately changed targets and attacked the Fallen.
Of course, they had no other choice, because the Fallen were already charging straight at them. They thought they could crush these monsters quickly and be done with it.
However, the power of these Fallen shocked them to their core. Not only were they not weaker, but they were far beyond what anyone had imagined. The senior officials could barely hold their ground, and it even looked like they were on the verge of being defeated...?
The successor ceremony had now turned into a full-scale war.