<h4>Chapter 135: After Midnight</h4>


    Lunargarde, Lauterbrunnen Valley, Bernese Obend, Swiss Alps.


    In the coliseum, under the watchful eye of a Graventhal n elder acting as referee, the long-anticipated fight between Ethan Raynor and Lucian Greymoore finally began.


    Lucian didn’t waste a second on formalities. The moment the referee dered the start of the match, heunched his attack without hesitation.


    He stomped on the ground with such force that the audience heard a resounding boom. The arena floor cracked beneath his feet like shattered ss, the fractures racing outward toward Ethan. Suddenly, a cluster of stone spikes erupted beneath Ethan’s position.


    The crowd gasped.


    "Such an attack right at the start! Lucian is dead serious."


    "Earth spike attacks aremon, but look... he forged them from solid stone! That’s much harder to defend against."


    "Look at his speed! I bet Ethan’s going to be dead meat by the end of this."


    "Don’t talk... look! Ethan dodged it!"


    Ethan sidestepped with surgical elegance at thest possible moment. He weaved back and forth, evading the iing assault. Lucian had alreadyunched a barrage of broken concrete shards, hurling them at super speed.


    They came so fast and in such overwhelming numbers that, despite his evasive maneuvers, Ethan had to take a few of the smaller shards head-on. When dodging became nearly impossible, he leapt into the air with such grace it looked as though he were floating.


    But it worked. He sessfully dodged all the shards as they whooshed past beneath his feet. However, in the process, his hood was lifted, revealing an astonishingly beautiful face.


    The girls in the galleries erupted in cheers... some even whistled. In stark contrast to Lucian’s arrogant expression, Ethan looked like an angel descended into battle.


    He stared at Lucian, his eyes calm and distant, as though he wasn’t a participant in the fight but an observer watching from a bird’s-eye view.


    Lucian, frustrated by theck of reaction, shouted in annoyance, "Fight me, coward!"


    Lucian waved his hands aggressively and formed a hand sign. This time, a wave of earth arrows shot out in a wide arc. They erupted in chaotic patterns, designed to break rhythm and confuse the senses. The arrows surged toward Ethan, who was still descending from his earlier jump.


    Ethan didn’t flinch. His eyes narrowed, quickly triangting each point of threat. In the span of a breath, he weaved through the iing barrage... his movements clean, fluid, and almostzy, as if he were simply strolling through falling raindrops.


    The audience was stunned by Ethan’s disy of precise movement. A wave of murmurs spread through the stands.


    "What is Ethan’s ability?"


    "I’m not sure, but I heard the Raynor n has business-rted abilities."


    "Business-rted? How does that qualify them as one of the Ten Great ns?"


    "Oh, you must not know about their bloodline. I’ve heard that those who awaken it be monsters... capable of defeating an army of a thousand soldiers alone."


    "But Ethan hasn’t awakened the bloodline, right?"


    "Yeah, that’s what I heard too. It’s rare. Only the n Head and the Young Miss have managed to awaken it."


    "So Ethan isn’t awakened, but Lucian is... and he’s using his n’s earth ability?"


    "Seems like it."


    "Then how is Ethan dodging all of Lucian’s attacks and still unharmed?"


    "He must have some kind of ability. Maybe super speed... or future vision? Otherwise, dodging Lucian’s attacks would be impossible. Just look at the speed of those earth bullets!"


    The others turned their attention back to the fight below. Lucian had lifted arge mass of stone from the ground and was now firing earth bullets at Ethan in rapid session. Ethan stayed in constant motion, gracefully dodging the barrage.


    Lucian cursed loudly and ramped up the intensity of his attack. But Ethan ignored the taunts, his focus unwavering as he continued weaving through the onught.


    Still, even with his precise calctions and abnormal speed, he couldn’t dodge everything. A few of the bullets found their mark. His robe was riddled with holes, but thanks to his strong Alpha physique, the damage was minimal.


    ***


    The entire upper echelon of the Kingdom’s opposition party was thrown into turmoil. Just minutes earlier, Baron John Constantine of Notting Hill, Chairman of the Opposition Party Board, had called an emergency online meeting for the party’s leadership.


    A meeting at thiste hour was unusual, but after two co-chairmen sent urgent messages in the group chat urging everyone to attend, the members quickly grew alert and logged in. Eventually, more than thirty members joined the session.


    But after hearing the party chairman’s introductory speech, their blood ran cold.


    ording to him, Oliver Brown, MP of Stockport, had been investigated by government agencies, and it was concluded that he was involved in a robbery at the National Museum as well as connected to a drug cartel.


    One of the party supporters, who was also a rtive of Baron John Constantine, had been investigating the robbery of several art pieces from the National Museum. The investigation eventually led to Oliver Brown. To locate the stolen items, they nted a spy in Oliver’s house and discovered that the art pieces were indeed stored there. However, during the investigation, they also uncovered his involvement with a drug cartel. Tomorrow, the authorities are expected to submit their report and issue a search and arrest warrant for Oliver Brown.


    Because of the sensitive nature of the case... and the fact that Oliver is a member of their party... this scandal would undoubtedly damage their reputation. The ruling party would surely use it against them in the uing election. Toplicate matters, the investigating officer offered the party a choice: toe forward as whistleblowers and potentially benefit from the situation. The officer informed the chairman about the location of the stolen art pieces, as well as several hidden ounts tied to Oliver Brown and the drug cartel. Now, the chairman wants to discuss the matter with party members before making a decision.


    While everyone absorbed the news in silence, and some connected to Oliver Brown began to panic, Baroness Ang Dodson of Kesteven, Co-Chairman of the Opposition Party, spoke up.


    "We have no choice in this matter. We’ve been in opposition for ten years. If one of our MPs is arrested for these crimes, we could be stuck in opposition for another decade. But if we y our cards right, we can turn this situation to our advantage. We must inform the authorities about Oliver Brown and show that we put the interests of the Kingdom and its people above party loyalty."


    "I agree with that. It might be our best chance to gain power in the next election if we y our cards right," said Baron Ernest Prentice of Hampton, Chairman of the National Convention of the Opposition Party.


    He continued, "This time, we have an advantage. We can inform the authorities first, then send our supporter journalists to Oliver’s home to report on the situation. That way, the nation will see our involvement in a positive light. But before that, we need to remove Oliver Brown from all party positions temporarily. This will allow us to publicly show our zero tolerance on the matter during the report. Once the police find concrete evidence against him, we can make the ban permanent in a follow-up meeting. Meanwhile, we should send our MPs and intellectuals to appear on TV and radio while the police conduct their search. We must control the media narrative."


    "I agree with that," one member said.


    "Me too," added another.


    Soon, nearly all members present agreed to inform the police and other relevant authorities.


    During this time, those connected to Oliver Brown tried repeatedly to call him about the situation but to no avail... his phone was switched off. They even contacted his secretary, but met the same silence. Panic set in, and they decided to send their men to Oliver’s house as soon as the meeting ended, hoping to reach him before the police did.


    The Party Chairman took responsibility for informing the authorities, while the others divided up the remaining tasks among themselves. They also agreed to hold another meeting once the police hadpleted their operation.


    After the meeting ended, Baron John Constantine acted quickly. He had already prepared a formal document to be sent to the relevant authorities. He began emailing the document along with Oliver Brown’s expulsion letter from all party positions. Both documents were signed and stamped by him.


    Soon, the National Crime Agency (NCA), the Chief Constable of Greater Manchester Police (GMP), the Serious Fraud Office (SFO), and the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards received emails from the official party domain. After reading the contents, they were shocked and immediatelyunched actions against Oliver Brown.


    Within half an hour, police cordoned off the area around Oliver’s home to prevent any attempt to escape, while a search team entered the premises to look for evidence. Thanks to precise information about an underground vault, they discovered it filled with stolen antiques and valuable art pieces.


    While the police carried out their duties, other authorities acted swiftly as well. All bank ounts linked to Oliver were frozen and ced under investigation. Businesses owned by the Brown family were raided by relevant agencies, uncovering a range of vitions including tax evasion, environmental damage, and unsafe working conditions. Nearly all of their businesses were sealed until further notice, and the most powerful family in Stockport was brought to its knees in a single night.