An Understated Dominance by Marina Vittori

Brian's face darkened at Fenley's words. He hadn't anticipated Fenley's ruthlessness, which lacked respect for Brian's seniority within the guild.

"Fenley, you've crossed the line!" Brian's expression turned grim. “I hold the seniority in this guild, so watch your tone!" "I've extended enough courtesy to you. You better not putin a tight spot," Fenley said icily.

"Putting you in a tight spot? You're just out for revenge!" Brian's tone turned hostile.

"Brian, there's no use in dragging this out. You need to make a decision today.

"Fenley remained unfazed.

"What if I refuse to go with the enforcement team? What will you do, huh?" Brian narrowed his eyes.

"Then, I will have to take action against you," Fenley retorted coldly.

"You dare?" Brian's anger flared instantly. "Just because you're strong doesn't mean you can throw your weight around. If we really fought, I might not lose to you!" "You're welcto try," Fenley said impassively.

"You're going too far!" Brian gritted his teeth.

"Alright, that's it from both of you." Alicia immediately positioned herself between them. She wanted to diffuse the escalating tension.

She continued, "We're all from the ssect. There's no need for things to escalate into violence. Fenley, doa favor, and let's call it off today. I'll speak to my dad later and ask him to revoke the order." "Alicia, it's not that I lack sympathy, but Brian's crimes are unforgivable. Master Alloy has ordered that Brian must be apprehended and brought back for trial," Fenley said sternly.

He added, "If he refuses, he can be executed on the spot to uphold the rules of our guild!" "What?" Upon hearing that, Alicia and Aurora's expressions instantly changed. The prospect of instant execution, as per the Celestial Alliance's rules, changed their perspective on the entire situation.

Generally, only disciples who committed heinous crimes would receive such severe punishment. The issue at hand was Brian's negligence in protecting Alicia.

Even if the Celestial Alliance decided to enforce punishment, the repercussions would likely be no more than a verbal reprimand or a few lashes, considering Brian's status.

Nevertheless, the sisters were shocked to discover that Alloy would impose such a strict order and treat Brian like a criminal.

As the central figure involved, Brian was flooded with emotions. If he had nothing to hide, he wouldn't be panicking. But he did, and that left him feeling anxious.

Upon hearing Fenley's words, Brian's mind raced, and he wondered if Alloy had discovered something. Had his collusion with the Hall of Gods and betrayal of the guild been completely exposed? Then, he realized it seemed unlikely since he had always been cautious. He had met Hank only once and communicated through encrypted calls.

It wasn't likely that he had been exposed. Yet, Brian couldn't grasp the reason for his punishment.

"Fenley, are you serious? Why would my dad give such a strict order?" Alicia frowned in disbelief.

"Yeah, Fenley. Even if Brian neglected his duty to protect Alicia, it should warrant only a minor punishment. Why is he being punished so severely?" Aurora voiced her confusion.

The sisters had initially assumed Fenley brought the enforcement team to ensure their safety. Now they realize the team's presence was solely to apprehend Brian.

Still, they wondered why Brian faced severe punishment when he hadn't committed any wrongdoing.

"Master Alloy issued this order for a purpose. As for the reason behind it, you should ask Brian about the merits of his actions." Fenley glared at him coldly.

"Brian..." Alicia and Aurora looked at him with confusion and disbelief written all over their faces.

"No... I haven't done anything." Brian shook his head.

Then, he pointed accusingly at Fenley." It's you! You're the one who is creating a conflict and deliberately slanderedin front of Master Alloy. You're a despicable hypocrite!" "Brian, are you seriously still going to talk your way out of this?" Fenley asked coldly.

He went on, "If you confess now and repent, I can plead for leniency with Master Alloy because of our shared brotherhood within the guild. But if you insist, don't expectto go easy on you." "Nonsense! What crcould I have committed? I've lived honestly and uprightly. Stop spouting nonsense!" Brian snapped, though his confidence appeared to waver at that moment.

"I wanted to spare you sdignity in front of Alicia and Aurora. But since you insist on being so stubborn, today I'm going to expose your true colors!" Fenley pulled out his phone and played the auclip.

Soon, Brian and Hank's voice echoed from the device.

"Hey! What's going on? I gave you the address, dispatched selites away, and even played dumb to give you the opportunity.

"And what do I get? You can't even manage to kidnap one person. I'm disappointed with how the Hall of Gods planned things."

Hank replied, "Mr. Stern, today's event was unexpected. We made a mistake in choosing the wrong people which led to the plan's failure. But rest assured, we'll find a way to fix this and ensure it doesn't happen again."

"Fix it? How? After what happened today, the Marshall sisters will only becmore cautious. They've already called for reinforcement, and more skilled elites will arrive tomorrow to protect them.

Kidnapping them will be nearly impossible!"

"Please calm down. We already have a plan in place. You just focus on participating in the Combat om Tournament as usual. On the days of the finals, we'll stir up a storm at Sacred Wrymm Summit. Then, we can go ahead with the kidnapping plan." "What do you mean by stirring up a storm?" "I'm sorry. It's confidential information, and I can't tell you. I hope you understand." "Fine. I'm not interested in your confidential stuff anyway. But don't forget our collaboration." "Mr. Stern, rest assured. Once this plan succeeds, we will fully support you in ascending to the position of guildmaster."