Date: Unspecified

Time: Unspecified

Location: Myriad Realms, Card World, Western Region, Berg District, Scarlet Berg, Guild Association Mall

"Bullshit. You guys don’t run or dominate all the high school gangs in the Berg District. You’re just frontmen for Ex-Prince Abel Chase and Ada Davis, both wanted for Prince Chris Chase’s murder," Jonas shouted after listening to the bullshit Nory was feeding Jaya.

"I..."

Slap!

Jaya didn’t give Nory a chance to defend himself. She kept slapping him again and again, each strike harder than the last. Despite the passive defense cards protecting his body, his cheeks split open under the barrage, blood spraying from the corners of his mouth with every hit. Combined with the blood already pouring from his nose and other orifices earlier, his face was now completely dyed red.

Reeling from the relentless slaps, Nory struggled just to breathe, his head snapping from side to side before he finally forced the words out between pained gasps.

"P-Please... stop... I’ll tell you everything y-you want to know."

Jaya didn’t stop despite hearing Nory’s desperate and sincere pleas. She continued slapping him for another full minute before finally pausing and saying, "Tell me everything I need to know, or next I start breaking bones."

"Allow me."

One of the people Nory had pointed out earlier spoke up as she arrived in front of Jaya on a hoverboard. The moment she saw Nory’s bloodied face, she swallowed hard.

Jaya looked the girl up and down as she introduced herself.

"I am Zora Ali, one of the Seven Knights in Red overseeing the Berg District on behalf of Ex-Prince Abel Chase and the wanted criminal Ada Davis."

"Seven Knights in Red? Is that what you guys call yourselves?" Jaya scoffed before asking, "How did you people end up working for fugitives wanted for the murder of a prince?"

"The same way we turned the Guild Association Mall into our base," Zora said with a hint of sass. But the moment she saw Jaya’s left eyebrow rise, she quickly dropped the attitude and got to the point. "Ex-Prince Abel Chase and the wanted criminal Ada Davis basically own the entire southern stretch of the Western Region."

Hearing that, Jaya frowned and glanced at Aurelia, the two silently exchanging looks as they realized someone else had already laid claim to the southern stretch of the Western Region their lord wanted to occupy.

Jaya then glanced around, sweeping her gaze across the crowd before saying, "Show’s over. Everyone except the Seven Knights in Red, go home to your families and reflect on your life choices. If you still want to continue down this path, apply to join the Bright Lions Security Agency. Mind you, there’ll be exams and interviews. We’re a legitimate business, after all.

"And don’t even think about starting another gang or some other useless crap unless you’re prepared to make enemies of us."

The crowd began to disperse at Jaya’s command. No one protested or argued after witnessing Nory’s pathetic display.

Most of them had never truly liked their leaders, but they had believed they were strong, fearless, and worth following. Now, they knew better than to place their trust in a bunch of self-serving trash calling themselves the Seven Knights in Red.

When trouble came knocking, the so-called knights folded without hesitation, turning into nothing more than seven bitches in red.

Meanwhile, Aurelia headed toward the rest of the Seven Knights in Red with Jonas and the gang, making sure none of them slipped away with the crowd, especially Nory’s brother. While at it, she poured a blood potion into the latter’s bodyguard’s gaping hole of a chest wound. The boy seemed resilient to hold on so long with mere low level potions.

Pretty soon, the mall was empty except for Aurelia, Jaya, Jonas, and the others, while the Seven Knights in Red knelt before them in shame and fear. Their fear was genuine. All of them had been counting on their demigod chauffeurs to come rescue them, yet not a single one showed up. It was clear the worst had happened.

At this point, cooperating was in their best interest, just as Zora had done earlier.

However, there was one other person still lingering nearby, standing off to the side like a lost kitten, but with his buff build it was hard to miss him.

He ignored the strange looks people threw his way. Whenever Jaya’s gaze landed on him, he would puff out his chest as if ready for another fight. But the moment Aurelia looked his way, he instantly turned flustered, like a high school girl secretly watching her crush play football from afar.

"Looks like you made another fan," Jaya commented, not even trying to hide her envy.

Despite her muscular build, Aurelia was far more popular than her, even with Jaya’s slim waist and busty figure. She genuinely didn’t understand what she was doing wrong.

Aurelia ignored Jaya and signaled for the boy to come over. He hesitated for a moment before rushing toward them and immediately introducing himself.

"Ma’am, I’m Ezekiel Cross, and I want to join the Bright Lions Security Agency."

Seeing his enthusiasm, Aurelia chuckled and asked, "Why? She almost killed you."

"The same reason why you saved me, when the person I almost died trying to protect left me to die and hide in the crowd," Ezekiel declared with an honest and unguarded smile. He understood how valuable the elixir Aurelia had used on him was. The fact that she hadn’t hesitated to use it on a dying enemy told him everything he needed to know about the kind of leader she was. "I trust you, my life is yours"

"That’s good enough for me. You’re hired. Go stand lookout. Knowing those kids, some of them are bound to bring trouble," Aurelia decided on the spot, even giving him his first task immediately.

Meanwhile, Jaya just shook her head. This had happened far too many times to even surprise her anymore. At this point, she couldn’t even be bothered to roll her eyes at it.