Chapter 221  

Bednyur quickly scanned the scene. He realized that the man with the violet hair standing in front of him was the key player in this incident. Moreover, he knew that those sent by the Moses family had all fallen victim to this man.

‘Ugh… I can see that the situation has become quite troublesome.’

The man lying at his feet was an 8th-level Superhuman named Malak. One did not need to be a genius to know that the Moses family would not have sent just one individual for an important mission like this. They would have sent at least a few more skilled individuals at level 7 or higher. Yet, the man with violet hair was unscathed.

‘Is this man with violet hair really at level 9 proficiency or something?’

There were only three individuals who were at the 9th-level in all the Five Great Families, and they were mostly inactive, because they were wizards of the previous generation.

‘No matter how I look at him, the man with violet hair doesn't seem to be from the previous generation of wizards... That means he is a rising star... or wait a second, I can't be certain that he's a 9th-level.’

Bednyur's mind was in turmoil. He had not stopped thinking for even a moment since the arrival of this mysterious man named Lee Shin, who had Malak at his feet.

"What do you think you’re doing right now!” Bednyur, with furrowed eyebrows, showed his annoyance.

"I want to ask you the same," Lee Shin replied.

Lee Shin approached Bednyur slowly.

"If you come any closer, you'll regret it." Bednyur’s assistant, who was standing near Bednyur said, looking at him and pointing his sword.

Lee Shin took a glance at the sword and used his psychokinesis skill to lift Malak off the ground.

"This guy attacked me. Do you recognize this face?" Lee Shin asked.

"...No, I don't know him," Bednyur replied with cold sweat.

“Oh yeah? Is that so?” Lee Shin replied.

Lee Shin chuckled and turned Malak's body to show it to Derrick this time.

"What about you? Do you recognize this guy?” Lee Shin asked Derrick.

"...He’s from the Moses family,” Derrick replied.

"Moses... Yes, the ones who will attack me can only be them," Lee Shin muttered.

Lee Shin grabbed a seat at the table where Derrick had been sitting. Then, without even a glance, Lee Shin brought the tea cup and poured himself some tea using his psychokinesis.

"But, do you know something interesting? Coincidentally, the moment they attacked me, you entered the building. And the key figures, including Derrick, were busy paying attention to you, so they could not even notice what was going on," Lee Shin explained.

Ting!

Bednyur's eyes narrowed as he watched Lee Shin take a sip of tea. He thought Lee Shin seemed excessively calm, as if he knew everything and was inviting Bednyur to speak freely and try defending himself. After realizing that, Bednyur began to feel a growing sense of danger, the greatest it had been since the start of this operation.

"I think you went too far there," Bednyur said, looking at Lee Shin.

/p>

To maintain his composure, Bednyur took a seat opposite to Lee Shin.

"You’re accusing me because Moses attacked you at the same time I entered the building? But why don't you ever consider that Moses did that deliberately to frame me?" Bednyur asked Lee Shin.

"But you know… Moses acted too swiftly for me to consider that possibility. With their head and key figures all caught up with Moore, would anyone believe they could act this quickly without getting any help from somewhere? Do you really think the remaining people of Moses are that competent?" Lee Shin brought up a great point and Bednyur was unable to respond.

A faint smirk appeared on Lee Shin’s face. Derrick, who had been listening, nodded as if he also believed in Lee Shin’s words.

"Yes, that’s right. Talprin is not that exceptional to come up with that on her own. The more I listen to you, the more I think it’s right. Unlike Talprin, who has a cautious personality, this attack seemed a bit hasty. Don't you think so, Mr. Bednyur?" Derrick asked Bednyur.

After saying that, Derrick’s gaze shifted to Bednyur, but Bednyur still remained composed.

"Okay, that’s a good point, but I think Talprin is capable of coming up with that herself. As a group leader, you should be able to shift your attitude at any time. If this was what Talprin had been intending, then we are getting fooled by her right now,” Bednyur explained.

As soon as Bednyur said this, Lee Shin realized that Bednyur was more cunning than he had initially thought. He was skillfully creating opportunities for himself to escape. While Bednyur might not be directly related to this incident, after hearing about the relationship between Bednyur and Derrick from Moore's employees, Lee Shin thought this could be an opportunity for Lex.

"Don't try to switch the topic to Talprin. It is mine and Derrick’s job to confirm Talprin's intention, but regardless of the outcome, it does not change the fact that you’re one of the suspects,” Lee Shin retorted at Bednyur. “Derrick.”

“Yes, Mr. Lee Shin,” Derrick replied.

"Find out if Lex has had any contact with Moses since the incident. You have the ability to get this much information right?” Lee Shin asked.

"Of course. It will just be 5 minutes," Derrick replied.

The next moment, Derrick called one of the employees standing at the back. Derrick said something, and the employee rushed outside.

"How arrogant! Are you guys trying to just keep me, the owner of Lex, here?" Bednyur stood up from his seat, hitting the table.

"Let’s get going,” Bednyur’s assistant said.

As the assistant tried to walk him out and past Lee Shin, the door slammed forcefully shut.

Baaamm—!

The two men stopped in their tracks and turned around in shock. Bednyur looked at Lee Shin.

"What do you think you’re doing!” Bednyur shouted.

"Hey Derrick, is this all Moore can do? How come one of the Five Greatest Families is treated this way by such a small arms dealer?” Lee Shin asked Derrick.

Crunch—

Derrick gritted his teeth. Then, with a swift motion, he blocked the door.

"Please go back to your seat," Derrick said, looking at Bednyur.

"...Are you trying to go against Lex, Derrick?” Bednyur asked, glaring at Derrick.

"Well, why can’t I? Besides, if we defeat and absorb Moses, do you think Lex will be a problem to us?" Derrick’s tone of voice was stern.

That was because Derrick was pretty certain that Lex had indeed joined forces with Moses to attack them.

“Do you think other Families would just stand by and watch? If you go against Lex, it will make it more challenging for you to absorb Moses,” Bednyur said.

"Huh, you've changed quite a bit from your usual self. Do you realize that?" Derrick commented.

"...What do you mean by that?" Bednyur asked.

"You seem a bit different from your usual self, Chairman Bednyur. Because you are trying to convince me even in the face of this level of insult," Derrick replied.

It was at this moment when Derrick’s suspicions were confirmed; his eyes burned with an intense, fiery conviction.

"If we capture you here Mr. Bednyur, Lex won't be able to make any moves easily either," Derrick added.

"Please step back. I'll handle this," the assistant said, looking at Bednyur.

The next moment, the assistant pointed his sword at Derrick. Seeing that, Bednyur frowned.

“Stop!” Bednyur shouted all of a sudden.

The assistant, who was about to attack, stopped and turned around to see what was going on. Bednyur, gritting his teeth, approached the table where Lee Shin had been seated.

"Mr. Chairman?" The assistant called Bednyur, because he could not understand what Bednyur was trying to do.

"Have a seat too. I guess I’ll sit here and wait as you wished," Bednyur replied.

For a moment, Derrick stood there, surprised, watching Bednyur obediently step aside. Then he stared at the two, thinking they could be having some tricks up their sleeves.

‘Well... there is no need to worry about Mr. Lee Shin, right?'

Derrick thought that he just had to keep an eye on those two and stood by the door. A moment later, an employee entered the room and reported to him that Lex had visited Moses' recently.

"...Ugh, Bednyur." Derrick, hearing of their conspiracy, no longer showed any sign of respect to Bednyur.

Now, Lex was just another enemy, like Moses.

"Tsk. I can’t believe it turned out this way,” Bednyur sighed and clicked his tongue.

The assistant refilled Bednyur’s empty teacup, and Bednyur took a sip.

"I don’t think you have time for that right now. Don’t you think so?” Derrick asked, glaring at Bednyur.

"Do you really think I came here without any preparation?” Bednyur replied in a cold voice.

"...What did you just say?" Derrick asked, frowning.

Baaam—!

All of a sudden, there was a loud explosion and the building shook. Derrick, eyes now opened wide, sent an employee to check what was going on outside.

"Did you bring soldiers from Lex?” Derrick asked, looking tense.

"Of course I did," Bednyur replied with a smirk.

"Ha, did you guys team up with Moses or something? Do you think that will give you guys a chance to win?” Derrick said, provoking Bednyur.

"Do you really think that I didn't calculate that far?" Bednyur laughed at Derrick.

Looking at Bednyur’s nonchalant demeanor, Derrick could sense that something was about to go wrong. At the same time, he could hear screams coming from the corridor outside. He clenched his teeth.

Thud.

"Keugh!" An employee gasped.

Engulfed in flames, an employee who had been pinned to the wall screamed and collapsed. Then, an elderly man with white hair showed up. He wore a big red robe and held a gnarled staff as he casually made his way across the reception room.

"Hehe, the situation doesn't look so good, does it?" the elderly man muttered.

"I've been waiting for you, Roderick," Bednyur said with a big smile.

As soon as Derrick saw Roderick, he glared and clenched his fist in anger.

'Damn it... Was Roderick the source of Bednyur’s confidence?'

Roderick Pride was one of the few 9th-level wizards still active in this world.

'I thought he had disappeared for a while, but was he relying on Lex?'

Derrick thought that a 9th-level wizard was too much of a wildcard. Now that Roderick had appeared, the entire family's combat power had to be deployed in this battle. However, it was not just Roderick. There were also Moses and Lex's soldiers on standby outside to fight.

'Ha… I think it’s too late to call my father, who is retired…’ Derrick was aware that only a 9th-level wizard could deal with another 9th-level wizard. His gaze naturally shifted toward Lee Shin.

'He definitely does not have a Circle, but he was able to beat up Dristan, who was an 8th-level wizard.'

He still could not figure out how Lex managed to get Roderick on their side, but he knew that Lee Shin was the only one who could turn the situation around at the moment.

"Mr. Lee Shin! This man is Roderick Pride, a 9th-level wizard. Please help us. We need your help,” Derrick asked Lee Shin with a desperate look.

Derrick was well aware that this wizard named Lee Shin was quick-witted. He knew that even in this kind of a situation, Lee Shin would have quickly assessed the situation. Therefore, he thought that conveying sincerity instead of using flattery or deceit would be more effective in moving him.

Squeak—

Did Derrick’s request get through? The next moment, Lee Shin pushed his chair back and got up from his seat.

"Moore, Moses, and Lex... It won't be hard for you to find one woman when you three join forces, right?" Lee Shin asked.

"Yes, of course," Derrick replied.

"Ha! Are you trying to make a peace agreement or something right now? That should have been done before the situation turned around," Bednyur replied, sneering at Lee Shin’s words.

Lee Shin chuckled at his words and slowly gathered his mana into his hands.

"You seem to be misunderstanding but…” Lee Shin muttered.

A swirling blue mana began to flow through his fingers and splashed onto the floor.

"There's no such thing as a peace agreement," Lee Shin said, glaring at Bednyur.

As the waves of water spread and covered the entire floor, this time, blue currents started to form in the opposite hand of Lee Shin.

"Besides... I don’t know what you’re talking about, because there hasn't been an instance where the situation was reversed in the first place!” Lee Shin said to Bednyur as if he was talking nonsense.

While he spoke, Lee Shin thrust the electrical currents into the ground, causing electricity to scatter in all directions.

"Hmm… A combination of two elements… That’s quite impressive." Roderick commented on Lee Shin’s skill.

The next moment, Roderick's Circle began to resonate. The enormous amount of mana that started flowing from the rapidly spinning Circle generated a massive flame in the air, instantly evaporating the water.

Swoosh—!

Derrick, looking at the flames spreading in all directions, turned to look at Bednyur. Bednyur was smiling the whole time, because he thought there was not even a slight chance that Roderick would lose.

"You seem quite relaxed there, Bednyur. But, if I catch you, Roderick won't have a reason to fight in this battle," Derrick muttered.

After saying that, Derrick approached Bednyur, creating wind above his hand.

“I'm sorry, but that won't be happening," said the assistant.

Bednyur’s assistant blocked Derrick, raising his sword.

"You think someone like you can stop me?" Derrick glared at Bednyur’s assistant.

Derrick did not waste any time. He was determined to end the fight as quickly as possible, as he could not predict how long Lee Shin could hold Roderick at bay.

'Once I capture Bednyur, this whole thing will be over.'

The next moment, the wind gathered and covered his entire body.

Derrick, whose movements became a lot faster, engaged in a series of rapid attacks with Bednyur’s assistant. He actually thought that the assistant’s skill was much better than he had expected. Derrick had somewhat predicted seeing how Bednyur had come with just one assistant, but he did not expect the assistant to be at a similar level of combat power to him.

Derrick’s movements became increasingly frantic while his opponent remained composed. He believed that time was not on his side, but the assistant seemed to think otherwise. Besides, Derrick’s rushed movements only made the situation worse.

"Tsk, I don’t think I can—” Derrick muttered, but could not finish his sentence.

Baaam—!

Suddenly, a loud explosion came from behind. Derrick was so focused on the fight that he had not been aware of the situation behind them, but it seemed like the battle had ended. Due to Roderick's flame spell and Lee Shin’s water spell colliding, there was a huge cloud of steam which made it hard for him to see.

"Hehe, it's over, Derrick," Bednyur taunted Derrick with a triumphant expression.

The assistant, catching his breath, brushed his disheveled hair and adjusted his glasses.

"If you surrender now, there may be negotiations in the future," the assistant said.

"That’s right Derrick, you're too—" Bednyur could not finish his sentence because of what he was seeing.

Wooong— Thud!

"Keugh…!" the elderly man was groaning on the floor.

It turned out that the elderly man was sent flying out of the cloud of mist. He collapsed to the ground and started to tremble.

"Roderick...!" Bednyur shouted with his eyes wide open.

He started to panic after seeing Roderick on the floor. It was similarly shocking for Derrick and the assistant. They had never expected to witness a 9th-level wizard rolling on the ground like this with his entire body burnt. The situation seemed surreal.

The next moment, heavy footsteps echoed, and the three of them turned around to see what was coming. It was Lee Shin. After looking at the three, he grabbed a seat in the chair next to him and leaned back.

"If you’re going to fight me, then let’s do that. But if not, just take a seat here,” Lee Shin said.

“Yes sir,” Derrick, having quickly assessed the situation, replied promptly and took his seat.

"..."

Bednyur, who had been watching for an opening, reluctantly sat down across from Lee Shin with his face distorted with frustration.