CHAPTER 261: GROUP OF ABBOTS

The officers hesitated, unsure how to handle the scene.

Both sides were valuable to the military—the abbot was a trusted long-time ally, while the Paradise staff supplied crucial resources.

Offending either would only bring trouble to the sector.

Still, they couldn’t just stand by.

If the beating continued, the abbot might not survive, and explaining his death to their superiors would be an absolute nightmare.

"Uhmm... sir, can you stop now," one officer called out cautiously. "I think the abbot is already on the brink of death."

Rather than stopping, Ethan pressed on, completely unbothered by the officers’ presence.

Though he respected the military—having once been a soldier himself— but the memory of the abbot’s attempt to burn his wife alive only deepened his fury.

Seeing the masked man utterly unbothered, the abbot finally grasped the depth of his predicament—and in that moment, desperation swallowed him whole.

"I was wrong... Pl...Please.... let me go... stopp... Urghhh," the abbot begged, his voice breaking with fear.

Tears, snot, and blood mingled with sweat, streaking down his face and leaving him utterly pitiful.

His once neat and spotless robes now clung to him in disarray, making him look more like a wretch than a dignified abbot.

But Ethan didn’t relent.

His shadows held firm until the heavy footsteps of military high officials echoed through the corridor, accompanied by the leader of the abbots himself.

"Enough... What are you doing?"

Brother Jay’s voice echoed with authority as his eyes landed on the battered abbot.

His frown deepened as he tried to stop the masked man from attacking him.

He had indeed sent the battered abbot to quietly observe the masked pair, but this outcome was far from what he expected.

The abbot’s miserable state spoke volumes about his failure.

What he wanted to know now was how things had escalated to this point.

He raised his hand, attempting to intervene diplomatically. "I said enough. Don’t push your luck, comrade."

Ethan didn’t even flinch. His grip remained as merciless as before, deaf to every word.

If they gave in to their command, it would only make them arrogantly believe they were feared.

’Hmph... they must understand—they are not people one can simply offend.’

Elena rolled her eyes, looking at the group of abbot with a sneer, feeling the atmosphere turning against them, as if they were suddenly the villains.

Her creed was simple: ’If you don’t offend me, we can be friends built on mutual interests.’

But when people struck first, she would never back down.

"Tsk." She clicked her tongue softly.

"Sir, you should discipline your members better. Attacking someone without cause only breeds disaster. And don’t scold us—be thankful we only taught him a lesson. If we had meant to kill him, he would already be dead."

Brother Jay exhaled slowly, his gaze narrowing on the strange woman swathed in heavy clothing despite the oppressive heat of the corridor.

Her calmness was unsettling, as the same with her cutting words.

He opened his mouth to mediate between them, but before he could speak, another voice rang out.

"So we should be thankful you beat one of us half to death? And why resort to violence when matters can be discussed?" Brother Terry’s voice dripped with outrage as he stepped forward.

In his mind, their side was clearly in the right.

To him, this masked stranger was the real culprit, the one who had provoked the battered abbot into attacking in the first place.

’They must have said something that offended Brother Egi. That’s all there is to it... Hmph, we shouldn’t compromise here.’

Hearing his laughable stance, Elena’s sharp gaze pierced through him. Her voice was calm yet edged with steel as she replied.

"And by your logic, we should simply stand still and let him attack us without reason? Tell me, Brother Abbot—if you were in our place, would you not fight back? Enough with the hypocrisy. It’s... frankly disgusting."

Her words stunned everyone in the corridor, plunging them into tense silence

Though she wanted to befriend them, Elena was not someone who tolerated being pushed around without consequences.

Friendship, to her, was built on respect, not indulgence.

She did not back down; normally, she wouldn’t bother explaining herself, but for now, she still needed the military forces and could not afford to be passive.

What she wanted was to gauge their stance on this matter.

If they showed clear bias toward the abbot, then she would have to reconsider—was working with them worth her time, or nothing more than a useless gamble?

Ethan finally stopped his so-called lesson and looked the abbot with a piercing, unyielding gaze.

His tone was sharp as his patience was thinning.

"I think you need to explain why one of your abbots attacked us. I hope it’s a valid reason; otherwise..."

"Are you threatening us?" Brother Terry interrupted, matching Ethan’s gaze without a hint of fear.

Now that the restraints on spiritual energy had lifted, confidence surged in his chest, fueling his arrogance.

With his talisman in hand, he subtly displayed his readiness to fight, declaring he wasn’t afraid of him.

The tension thickened, and just as sparks threatened to ignite into fire, Brother Elias quickly stepped forward to defuse the situation.

Unlike Terry, he had maintained a close relationship with the Paradise staff, and as a representative of the monastery, he was the best one to mediate.

"Stop, Brother Terry. Why are you so hot-headed today? We need to talk calmly," he said firmly, giving the abbot’s shoulder a steadying tap.

Brother Elias knew all too well that their true enemy was not the Paradise staff, but the strange forces looming in the future, as the staff had warned them.

Turning against each other now would only weaken them all.

Besides, he knew well how powerful the Paradise staff was. It would be unwise to turn them into enemies.

"Tsk... You guys are so lucky," Brother Terry clicked his tongue, irritation evident on his face.

The truth was, aside from his desire to retaliate, he also wanted to test his newfound strength against the masked individual.

Yet with so many eyes watching, he forced himself to swallow the urge.

A reckless fight now would only damage his facade.

With a scowl, he backed down, allowing Brother Elias to take charge of the matter.