"Step forward, one by one."
The moment I spoke those words, I braced myself.
Honestly, I expected chaos to erupt.
A storm of energy bursting outâswords drawn and attacks flying my way.
Butâ
"Tsk."
"That bastardâ!"
Surprisingly, none of the leaders rushed at me.
Their killing intent was obvious.
The energy emanating from them made it clear they wanted nothing more than to cut me down.
And yet⦠no one moved.
âHuh. This is unexpected.â
I swallowed my surprise.
These guysâ¦
âTheyâre smarter than I thought.â
Despite my provocations, they didnât lose their heads and attack.
Ordinarily, this situation shouldâve already erupted into violence.
Yet, they hesitated.
Why?
âThey canât predict the outcome.â
Martial artists might act on instinct, but they still had eyes and ears.
Theyâd seen things. Heard things.
And right now, they were replaying certain stories in their heads.
The time I crushed the Blade King.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om
That fight at the martial arts tournamentâwhere I left him in shambles.
Theyâd heard about it.
And if they had half a brain, they wouldâve investigated me the moment they learned I was appointed as a Division Leader.
Now, they were calculating.
âIs this fight worth it?â
If they rushed at me and failedâ
Would they survive the aftermath?
They were weighing the risks.
âSo theyâre still leaders after all.â
Hot-headed fools wouldâve already drawn their swords.
But the social weight of their positions forced them to think.
Stillâ
âI can see right through them.â