Chapter 267: Establishing My Status 2
Mayor Harrison let the tension hang in the air for a moment before raising a hand, signaling everyone to stand down.
"Enough," he said calmly. "Let’s not turn my home into a battlefield just yet."
He gestured toward the soaked man who had just climbed back inside, water dripping onto the polished floor.
"This," Harrison continued, "is Rajid."
I let out a low chuckle, leaning back in my chair as I looked him up and down.
"That guy is one of the strongest?" I said, voice dripping with sarcasm.
The room shifted immediately.
Every person present stiffened. Some frowned. Others narrowed their eyes. A few looked outright offended, like I had just insulted their mothers.
Rajid’s grip tightened around his daggers. His jaw clenched so hard it looked like it might crack.
"You—" he started, but Harrison cut him off again.
Still, the damage was done. The air turned heavy and hostile.
I waved a hand dismissively.
"Relax. I don’t care about your feelings," I said bluntly. "I’m not here to make friends."
That didn’t help.
If anything, it made things worse.
A tall man from the corner—likely one of the so-called elites—stepped forward, cracking his neck.
"Then why are you here?" he asked coldly.
I leaned forward, resting my elbows on my knees, a grin slowly forming on my face.
"Isn’t it obvious? We’re all gathered here, right? The so-called strongest in this place."
A few of them straightened, sensing where this was going.
"Good," I continued. "Saves me time."
I stood up.
"Let’s make it simple. We fight. Whoever wins..."
I paused, letting my gaze sweep across them all.
"...gets to be the leader."
That did it.
Chairs scraped. Several of them stood up at once.
Even Rajid stepped forward again, eyes burning with rage.
One of them—likely the biggest man there—rolled his shoulders and stepped into the center.
"Fine," he said. "I’ll—"
"Whoa, whoa."
I raised a hand, stopping him mid-step.
"You misunderstood me."
They all froze.
I smiled wider. "I’m not fighting one of you...I’m fighting all of you."
For a split second, no one reacted.
Then the room exploded with protest.
"You’ve got to be kidding."
"Arrogant bastard."
"Does he have a death wish?"
Even Mayor Harrison’s composed expression cracked slightly, his brows knitting together.
I tilted my head, cracking my neck casually.
"Come on," I added, almost lazily. "If I fight you one by one..."
I glanced around the room, unimpressed.
"...it would be boring."
The room erupted into overlapping voices—anger, disbelief, resentment.
Killing intent pressed in from every direction, thick enough to suffocate a normal person.
Then—
"ENOUGH."
Mayor Harrison’s voice echoed.
Silence fell instantly.
Even the most hot-headed among them froze, their instincts recognizing authority.
Harrison stood slowly from his seat, his gaze sweeping across the room before settling on me.
"If you all intend to fight, then you will not do it here."
He gestured around the shattered window, the soaked floors, and the cracked furniture.
"My home has suffered enough."
Harrison continued, "There’s an open training ground on the east side of Diamond Rest. Reinforced structures. Wide space. Built specifically for people like you."
He paused, letting that sink in.
"If you want to tear each other apart..." his eyes narrowed slightly, "...do it there."
Rajid scoffed, twirling one of his daggers as he stepped forward.
"Fine by me," he muttered, glaring at me. "Gives me more room to carve him up."
Another man—broad and muscular—spoke next.
"Yeah... I like that idea."
One by one, they started agreeing.
I let out a small yawn, stretching my arms like this was nothing more than a minor inconvenience.
Mayor Harrison’s eyes lingered on me for a moment longer, as if trying to measure something deeper.
However, he couldn’t see through me. I was practically a bottomless abyss compared to everyone else in this place.
Soon, our group headed toward the location. It was indeed large, about the size of a basketball court.
The training ground lights flickered on one by one as we stepped in.
Metal railings surrounded the wide open space. The ground itself looked worn down from past fights, cracked in some places and patched in others.
People were already filling the upper stands. Some leaned forward with interest. Others crossed their arms like they had seen this kind of thing too many times before.
A few even smiled. Not friendly ones. More like they were waiting for blood.
It looked like the mayor was trying to turn this into something like a gladiator-style event.
Fine by me. The more people who watched me bulldoze the others, the more renowned I would get in this place.
Harrison probably thought he just gained a powerful pawn, not knowing I was the type to devour everything around me—status, wealth, power, even wives, daughters and granddaughters.
I walked into the center without slowing down.
Behind me, footsteps followed. Heavy. Light. Uneven. All closing in from different sides.
Rajid landed on the left side of the field. He rolled his shoulders once and kept his daggers low. His eyes never left me
The tall man from earlier took position on the right. Another stepped behind me. Then another.
They were spreading out. Cutting off space.
Smart.
But futile.
I stopped at the center mark and tilted my head slightly.
"Don’t look so ashamed. This is the smartest choice you’ve got. When you’re outmatched, numbers are all you can cling to... even if it still won’t save you. Right? Or do you need more of you just to feel safe?"
Rajid’s jaw tightened. His grip on the daggers stiffened.
The tall man let out a short laugh, but there was no humor in it. His shoulders tensed as he took a step forward.
"Safe?" he repeated. "You think we’re scared of you?"
A few others started muttering behind him. The balance they tried to keep was gone now. Replaced with irritation, pride, and ego.
One of the men spat to the side. "He’s just buying time. Don’t let him keep talking."
Another cracked his neck, eyes locked on me. "I’ll shut his mouth first."
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