Chapter 758: Why didn't you tell me earlier?
James closed his eyes as guilt washed over him. He let out a heavy sigh before landing in front of the group of people.
Han, the oldest among them, stepped forward to greet the man who seemed to be quite famous, as every guard in the vicinity looked at James with respect.
"Hello, we are..."
Han couldn't finish his words because James raised his hand to stop him.
"I know. You are from the blue planet. It's nice to see that my planet is still thriving."
James's eyes traveled to Haylee, who had lowered his head. He spoke in a soft voice. "Come here."
Jian snickered, his eyes glowing as he prepared to fight the man who seemed to be trying to steal his future bonded beast. However, he gasped with a hurt expression when Haylee actually left his shoulder. He sat down on James's right arm and lifted his head with a hint of joy when James raised his other hand to caress him.
Haylee was a rather reserved and never approached anyone willingly. That's why, when the white boar went to the dark-haired man so easily, the scene was so shocking that even Regius had to double-check to ensure he wasn't imagining things.
Jian muttered a curse under his breath. A bit annoyed, but seeing Haylee's obedient behavior, he had a hunch that the person before him was none other than the boar bonded companion. He stepped forward and took in James's appearance. A tall figure with a strong concealed aura. "Who are you? Hello, I am Jian, and the people behind me are with me. We were planning to join the war, but you appear to be quite powerful here. Can you contact the powerful supreme elders? We just want to know about Alec and our friends' location. The last we heard from them, they were on their way to join the war."
James finally took in Jian's features: crimson hair and eyes. He blinked when he sensed his bone age, which was similar to those powerful young monsters residing on the floating islands, along with his peak transcendent rank strength. Truthfully, he was encountering far too many people who had reached the transcendent rank at such a young age as if it were nothing, which caused him to doubt his own potential.
"You know Alec?"
Hearing the name, every guard in the area perked up their ears, their eyes flashing with excitement. And why would not they? In the past month, Alec had become quite popular in the Forsaken Land. He was only second to the powerful Ice Monarch, who was also known as nature's favorite by everyone.
Jian thumped his chest with a grin.
"Of course! We are childhood friends who grew up together-"
His lying self received a slap on the head from Kelvin, who was standing behind him. The former prince rolled his eyes hard at his friend, who had become so skilled at lying.
Jian hissed, unsure whether to cry or laugh. He had grown so strong, but Kelvin still held the upper hand. He was more like a brother, reminding his little brother not to lie.
James's eyes flickered with amusement at the scene as he directly gazed at Haylee to know if the youth was telling the truth. The boar nodded at him with a serious look.
"Master, he is not lying. He knows Alec."
With a hum, James glanced at the people behind Jian. They were not powerful; aside from Jian and the elf at the end, the others were all in the mortal ranks.
His expression grew serious. The joy that had lit up his face upon seeing his bonded beast after such a long time vanished. Jian and everyone behind him regarded him with eager anticipation, but they were met with disappointment by his next words.
"It doesn't matter if you know Alec or not. Rules are same for everyone. You all need to participate in the war and earn enough credits; only then can you meet him. Those are the rules, and I won't change them."
His expression was completely emotionless as a formidable aura radiated from his body, not to harm but to signal the guards-who had frozen upon his arrival-to resume their duties, give this new group of people the blue rings, and send them to war.
Jian wanted to argue with this man and unleash his own aura to prove he wasn't weak, especially if the latter was seeking a good fight! But Regius and Kelvin stopped him just in time. They were unaware of this man's identity, so they knew they could not risk provoking a powerful individual in this unfamiliar and dangerous place.
Han quickly stepped forward and hid the angry red-haired young man behind him before politely nodding at James.
"We will join the war. We are not here to break rules and do not wish to be treated any differently than anyone else."
James hummed at the older man, who appeared to be a powerful array master, noting the strong symbols carved on his robes and the brooch he wore.
He gently caressed Haylee's wings and prepared to leave as the guards began their duties, leading Jian and his group toward the array at the edge of the platform that would transport them to the war.
Lily watched James holding the white, winged boar with great interest in her calm eyes. However, since she was in company, she maintained her facade.
She silently decided to learn about the strongest person in this place and charm him to make her path easier.
At that moment, Neon suddenly called out to James, hesitation evident in his eyes.
James, who had turned to tear the space before him, paused when he sensed the hesitant voice behind him. He turned around with a calm expression.
"Is there anything else you want to say? Regardless, you have to join the war..."
Oh, how he regretted his words when he heard Neon's next statement. He almost wished he could turn back time and hit his past self for uttering those cold words and for not behaving more politely toward this group of individuals from his home planet.
Neon straightened his clothes.
"I want to know about my younger brother. He might be here, but I am not certain. Have you heard his name around?"
He paused for a second.
"His name is Kyle. Kyle Ohan. He has green eyes and is nearly as tall as I am. No, he might actually be taller than me now."
James's eyes widened slightly as he stared at the man before him, like a hawk, trying to peel away every layer of deception to find out the truth behind his words.
However, his expression turned awkward and panicked when Haylee informed him that Neon
was telling the truth.
"You... are Kyle's brother?"
Before Neon could respond, James chuckled, his demeanor taking a sudden 180-degree turn
that left everyone around him dumbfounded.
"Why didn't you tell me earlier? Hah!"
James waved at the guards around them with a distressed expression.
"How the hell are you all doing your jobs? Why didn't you inform me that these people are
important guests?"
Jian and Regius's jaws dropped at the turn of events. They couldn't believe that all they needed to do was mention Kyle's name for their treatment to change so drastically!
James patted Neon on the shoulder.
"Come with me. There's no need for any of you to join the war. Kyle has earned a lot of credits in the past month; they are enough for all of you to train under the elders."
He turned around hurriedly and tore open the space before him. A rift formed in front of everyone, and the group dazedly stepped through it behind James.
Even Haylee was surprised to see his master acting so strangely upon hearing Kyle's name. What he didn't realize was that Kyle was currently very important not only to James but also
to all the elders.
Kyle had defeated two powerful shadow generals and destroyed three of Ceano's fake bodies. Thus, the idea of Kyle's family joining the war unsettled James. No matter, he just could not afford to let the enemies exploit any of Kyle's weaknesses.
Before long, they all found themselves standing on one of the floating islands. James extended his senses, and two powerful old elves emerged from the surrounding islands to
greet him.
They hadn't seen him in a while, so they were surprised to see him with a group of weak people and a beast on his arm.
James instructed them to lead the group behind him to a living quarter near where Alec and his friends lived. It was quite late; even without a sun or moon in the sky, the area had darkened significantly. James was certain that everyone would have returned to their living
quarters by now.
But how wrong he was. Suddenly, a thunderous explosive noise echoed in the dark sky, followed by an icy chill in the air that bit at their skin.
All eyes turned toward the sky, just in time to see a sea of icy blue flames engulfing it in a cold embrace. Then, from the heart of the flames, a muscular man with a scar under his eyes was
hurled out.
Kurt cursed for the umpteenth time as he tried to regain his balance. His entire body ached
with pain, but he chuckled and wiped the blood from the corners of his mouth as Alec, Carcel, and Sinon were hurled after him, their bodies battered by the cruel human they called friend.
"Good to know that I am not the only one suffering this time. Haha!"
He choked on his laughter as the pain crawling on his skin became worse. Kurt had just swapped places with Elder Jane to return and fight Kyle again, despite having
lost the previous two battles to the lad very, very badly. This time, the three kids joined him to take on Kyle, but who would have thought that even though they were successful in landing a few punches, the moment he unleashed his icy flames, they would suffer terribly?
Alec spat out the blood that had pooled in his mouth. Kyle wasn't merciful at all! To make matters worse, his punches were heavy and packed with explosive power! Sinon, who was in even worse condition than him, just wanted to end this battle! He regretted his decision to join Alec and Carcel to overpower Kyle for once! Carcel simply straightened his wrinkled clothes. He was the calmest of them all. Kyle stepped out of the flames with amusement dancing in his eyes. The flames vanished with a flick of his fingers, and he rubbed his bruised chin where Alec had successfully landed a solid
strike.
"Really? You just had to attack my face? Don't you know I'm a married man now?"
Alec nearly coughed up blood. Yue, who was floating and watching the battle from a distance with Lara, Elli, and Mia, rolled her eyes at Kyle's shameless words.
Below on the island, unlike Han, Neon, and the others who were watching the battle in shock,
Jian and Regius exchanged glances.
The two smirked, and with a tacit understanding, they vanished and reappeared behind Alec,
Carcel, and Sinon. Jian's mischievous voice echoed in the air.
"Need a hand to beat him up?"