Chapter 161: Compulsory Summons
A few minutes later, Ethan emerged completely unbothered.
Steam still clung faintly to his skin as he stepped out, towel slung lazily over his shoulder, already fishing a cigarette from the pack in his pocket. He lit it mid-step, the small flame briefly illuminating his face before he took a slow drag, exhaling as he climbed the stairs like this was just another ordinary morning.
Then, he stopped, seeing a dozen black suits standing in Mark’s closed bar.
"...Huh."
He took another drag, slower this time, his eyes moving across them with mild curiosity rather than concern.
’I guess I’m fucked.’
The thought came naturally, without panic or denial.
It was just a simple conclusion.
’I mean... I did decapitate someone in front of thousands of people.’
Sure, the underground arena didn’t exactly follow rules. If anything, it thrived on the absence of them. And sure, the man running it, the Cyclops, hadn’t shown any hostility toward him yet.
But Kaela and Elara’s A Rank fight, that wasn’t something you could sweep under the rug. And the destruction they caused brought attention, some of which, inevitably, fell on him.
’Yeah... that’ll do it.’
Ethan leaned casually against the wall, smoking indoors without a hint of hesitation. The faint curl of smoke drifted upward, lingering in the air.
Mark’s eye twitched.
"You’re seriously smoking right now?" he snapped.
Ethan ignored him completely, shifting his thoughts instead.
’Alright... worst-case scenario?’
Prison or some sort of facility designed to hold Titled was likely.
He took another slow drag, his expression growing more thoughtful as he ran through possibilities with surprising calm.
’Honestly, doesn’t sound too bad.’
If he survived in Monster Manor, he could handle himself anywhere, even if it was full of other Titled. And a place where distractions were minimal and gave him plenty of time alone sounded weirdly nice.
’I would just grind in the Tower.’
His lips curled faintly.
’And once I got strong enough... like that S Rank... Titan...’
His eyes darkened, something cold flickering behind them.
’Who’s stopping me from breaking out?’
He doubted there was any facility that could contain an existence like Titan, so the idea seemed very plausible. But he was about to find out that what awaited him was very different from a cell...
-
"Ethan Crowe. Elara Veyne."
The voice cut through his thoughts, firm and practised, repeating what had already been said earlier.
"You have received a compulsory summons to the Association Headquarters."
Ethan flicked ash onto the floor, completely unfazed by the formal phrasing.
"Compulsory summons," he muttered under his breath. "That’s a fancy way of saying ’get in the car.’"
No one reacted since Mark and Elara weren’t exactly in a predicament to be amused, and the black suits were tense around a fearsome A Rank.
He just shrugged.
"Yeah, yeah. Let me finish this first."
Mark looked like he was about to explode.
"Finish? Are you serious right now?" he snapped. "You’ve got a bunch of association members in here, and you’re acting like they’re delivery guys?"
They were like the CIA or FBI for everything Titled, so it was understandable that Mark was so shaken.
Ethan didn’t even glance at him.
Instead, he turned his head slightly.
"Elara?"
She hesitated for a moment.
Her fingers curled faintly at her sides, her gaze flickering between Ethan and the black suits.
Then she nodded and stepped toward him.
The black suits shifted, making space and allowing them through. There was no need for restraints or threats, nor would they particularly work either.
Mark followed them to the door, his expression tight and conflicted.
"This feels wrong," he said, lowering his voice. "You sure about this?"
Ethan paused and smirked faintly.
"Not like I’ve got a choice."
"Still..."
There was something in Mark’s tone, something heavier than concern. He’d already lost Ethan once, and as much as he sometimes felt like beating him to a pulp, he couldn’t bear to see him in trouble again.
Ethan glanced at him.
For a split second, his relaxed and jovial exterior faded.
"Relax," he said. "I’ll be back."
Mark didn’t believe him, at least not at first.
Yet Ethan was so confident that he couldn’t help but bring himself to as he watched them enter one of the blacked-out cars outside.
The ride was silent.
Just the low hum of the engine and the faint shift of motion as they cut through the city. Ethan leaned back into the seat, arms folded, posture loose, completely at ease.
After a minute, he closed his eyes.
’Fuck it. Might as well get some real sleep before getting locked up.’
Beside him, Elara stared at him.
’How is he sleeping right now?’
Her fingers tightened slightly in her lap, her breathing shallow and uneven.
Elara couldn’t relax, not after everything that had happened. She could still feel that crimson energy lingering and surging around her body. And worse, she had yet to process everything that had happened.
What it had done after hijacking her body.
It was like she had been ripped out of herself and forced to watch as something else took control.
Her jaw tightened slightly.
’I... couldn’t do anything.’
She wanted to talk to someone and get it out, but Ethan didn’t seem like the right person, especially not after what she had seen him do. The way he had killed so casually and never seemed bothered by anything, at least not externally, made him seem heartless.
But deep down, she knew that wasn’t the case.
’And who am I to judge when I am responsible for that whole mess?’
Even if it was the demon inside her, it was still her body and her Title that had caused all those deaths. She had seen all the headlines about a supposed gate break and constantly replayed the news.
The casualties, the broken homes, the innocent injured - it was all her fault.
Well, as much as she hadn’t initiated the fight or actually been in control, she was still riddled with guilt and didn’t want to give herself excuses.
’How does he do it?’ she wondered.
After hearing and observing snippets of Ethan’s past and life, and seeing him wake up in cold sweats, she was sure he had his fair share of troubles and more. Yet he never once uttered a complaint aloud or seemed to let it get to him.
’Maybe I should try smoking too,’ she joked to herself.
But instead, she closed her eyes and focused inward.
’If I can understand and control this energy, maybe I won’t be helpless or need to call upon that monster. And if it wants to force its way out, I might be able to suppress it.’
It felt like wishful thinking, but it was better than wallowing in her sorrow.
’Hahahaha! You’ll never be able to control me, child, but I welcome my host getting stronger,’ she heard that hoarse voice from within, as more crimson energy surged inside her body.
The more she was accustomed to it, the more power the demon could wield comfortably, and maybe next time it would be able to hold its own against Titan. But Elara planned on using that energy against it and welcomed it all...
-
Eventually, the car stopped.
Ethan’s eyes opened slowly, like he had just woken up from a nap rather than being transported under guard.
"We here?"
There was no answer, but the door was opened.
He stepped out, and they were right outside the Association Headquarters.
It was a tall, imposing structure that seemed to exist above everything else, not just physically, but symbolically.
Ethan stared at it for a moment, another cigarette between his fingers, making the most of the fact that it hadn’t been confiscated.
’Full circle, huh.’
The first time he came here, they told him he didn’t have a Title.
The second, they evaluated him and labelled him as a mere E Rank.
And now?
"Let’s see what happens this time."
-
They weren’t dragged inside.
There were no cuffs or urgency, and they were escorted respectfully.
Ethan immediately noticed the subtle shift in how people looked at them, from the staff to even other Titled. Their gazes lingered, and whispers spread, but he wasn’t the centre of it all.
’Yeah... that’s not for me.’
Elara had become somewhat of a celebrity, and it seemed as though rumours of what had really happened last night had spread amongst Titled. But she wasn’t as bothered by it as she had been previously, starting to break out of her shell.
They then entered an elevator, one of the secured ones, and it shot upward rapidly.
Ethan glanced at the panel.
’Second highest floor... That can’t be good.’
The doors opened and revealed a quiet hallway that was spotless and heavily guarded. Every step echoed faintly as they were led forward, the atmosphere growing heavier the deeper they went.
Until they stopped at a large, reinforced door.
When it opened, it revealed a massive conference room.
There was a long table stretched across the centre, sleek and imposing. Floor-to-ceiling windows revealed the city below, one that felt alive: chaotic and changing, beautiful and broken.
It was everything at once.
But Ethan barely spared it a glance because his attention locked onto the people sat around the table.
They were all Titled, powerful ones at that.
The air itself felt different, heavier and sharper, as all eyes were on the two new entrants. And Ethan’s immediate thought was...
’What the fuck is this?’
