As soon as the overwhelming authoritative voice boomed
throughout the mansion's garden like a strike of thunder, an eerie silence enveloped the area.
All eyes turned to search the source of this commanding voice as everyone craned their heads upward to the sky.
Descending from above was a crimson blur that hurtled down and landed on the ground just a few steps before Lucas, carving yet another crater into the earth.
A dull shockwave rolled through the surroundings before the rising dust finally settled and the figure of the man who had plummeted like a meteoroid became visible.
He was a tall man with a lean build and broad shoulders. He wore a snug plain black t-shirt that did little to conceal the sculpted muscles rolling like steel wires beneath his skin, and black jeans.
A long red military trench coat, adorned with black fur, was casually draped over his shoulders.
And clasped at his waist was a slender katana resting in its sheath, adding an aura of restrained lethality to the man.
A mane of long crimson hair cascaded down to his neck and a pair of matching, deep scarlet eyes adorned his chiseled face, which looked as if it was sculpted by the gods themselves.
A long scar was running down his left cheek â a minor imperfection that, instead of hindering his appearance, only seemed to magnify his captivating charm.
However, the most riveting and terrifying thing about this man was that he had sent some of the guards present here trembling uncontrollably just from a mere glance.
But they weren't just trembling out of fear. No, it was as if they had seen a deity in the flesh.
Fear and reverence both were present in their eyes, as they looked at this man they believed they had no right to lay their eyes upon.
Even Yelena calmed herself and wiped her tears before she cast a confused gaze at the newly arrived guest.
Only poor Adel remained unable to lift himself from the ground and look around.
Right then, the first one to break the palpable silence was Lucas.
"Master! You... cut your hair!"
Leo's lips twitched until a slight smile graced his face. He turned to face his silver-haired disciple and said, "You ruined the cool dialogue I was going to follow up with."
"....." Lucas shook his head with a smile. "Yeah, my bad."
Leo sighed. "Indeed, I've cut my hair. It was about time for a new look."
"True, true," Lucas nodded in affirmation.
But before they could exchange further banter, one of the ignorant guards present there drew a sword from his dimensional ring and barked, "Hey! Hands in the air where I can see them! You are trespassing into a private noble property! I don't care if you are a soldierâ"
Before the foolish guard could finish his futile warning, Leo placed a hand on his katana's hilt and released a crushing bloodlust that instantly suffocated everyone present.
Only Lucas, Adel, and Yelena were spared.
"Arghh!" An older guard quickly smacked the back of the head of the foolish guard who had spoken earlier and bowed deeply in front of Leo as if he were worshiping a god.
Seeing this, Leo finally removed his hand from his katana and retracted the crushing bloodlust, allowing the older guard to speak.
"Please forgive him, Sir! He's a new young recruit and doesn't know about you! I beg you, please don't draw your katana and spare our lives!" The older guard spoke in an apologetic tone.
The other guard who had spoken earlier scowled and looked at his superior. "What are you saying?! He's an intruder, and we should not back down from our dutyâ"
Once again, a slap landed on the back of his head before he could finish speaking whatever nonsense he was about to spout.
The older guard yelled at the youngster, "Are you an idiot?! How could you not recognize the God of War himself?! He's Leo Kurogami!"
The color instantly drained from the faces of the young guard and all the other guards who seemed clueless until now. Silence.
Absolute silence filled the air until the young guard widened his eyes and began speaking in a whispering tone through his trembling lips.
"I- I- I... I didn't... I didn't know... I've only seen him in pictures... I didn't know he would look so different..." the guard quivered and staggered.
The poor guard couldn't be blamed. Leo often wore his traditional dress, a kimono, and tied his waist-long hair into a braid whenever he had to pose for a picture.
Right now, in modern attire and with neck-length hair, Leo indeed looked very different from his usual appearance.
If not for the fact that some of the guards here had once served under him when Leo worked with the Morningstars, even they would've had trouble recognizing him instantly.
Leo, unaffected by the fearful and reverent looks he was receiving, turned his gaze to the older guard and said in a calm voice that held a dangerous undertone:
"You all pointed your weapons at my disciple, whether knowingly or not, thus challenging my pride and reputation. How should I deal with you all?"
"S-Sir Leo, we were merely carrying out our duties! Cadet Lucas appeared as if he was about to kill them!"
Leo raised an eyebrow, an erratic grin crossing his lips.
"Surely you're not accusing my disciple of intending to commit a crime, are you? I'm at a loss for words here. Do you think the person I put my utmost trust in would ever do such a thing? Are you also challenging my trust?"
The guard gulped and darted his eyes around as if begging someone to help him, on the verge of tears.
He tried to mumble an answer, but his words soon became
incomprehensible under Leo's fierce glare. "I-I- No... Yes... I have a little wife and one daughter... Little daughter and one wife..."
Sweating profusely, the guard was just seconds away from falling to his knees and crying like a toddler, when a booming voice echoed through the area.
"Leo!"
Instantly, all moved toward the gates only to find a muscular man with silver hair and crimson eyes heading in their direction.
Behind him followed an alluring woman of elven heritage with long flowing silver hair and eyes as cold and frigid as ice.
