The Lost God of War Returned

Chapter 4

Darius narrowed his eyes when he saw that most of Janson’s teeth were gone. Blood still poured heavily.

“This brat…” Darius muttered under his breath. “Does he ever get tired of stirring up trouble everywhere he goes?”

His gaze then shifted coldly toward Curtis.

He knew full well that the one who started this mess was his own son.

In fact, he knew his son was having an affair with Curtis’ wife.

But he didn’t really care.

They were the second most powerful family in Seraine, they free to do as they pleased.

Anyone who dared lay a hand on a Matthew was, in essence, declaring war on him.

“Mind telling me who you are?” Darius asked flatly.

“I’m no one,” Curtis replied dryly.

Darius exhaled. “So, Mr. No One, do you care to explain this mess?”

Curtis shrugged. “A little advice, old man, keep your spoiled brat in line. He stuck his nose into another man’s marriage.”

Darius’s jaw tightened.

To him, Curtis looked like a puppy yapping at a dragon high in the ninth heaven.

“You should know, the Matthew family doesn’t tolerate things like this. We’re not the kind of people you can mess with,” Darius warned.

Curtis lifted his chin, answering with cool indifference. “The Matthew family has no military background worth fearing. I could wipe you out with a snap of my fingers. So… apologize before it’s too late.”

Darius had had enough of the insult.

“We’re might not have military power now, but we soon will. Tomorrow morning, we’ll be signing a partnership with the Nine Dragon Alliance. That means we’ll also be under the protection of the infamous Fox Company,” Darius declared in a thunderous voice.

This was explosive news, like something that would thrill every citizen of Seraine.

“Finally, someone from Seraine has won the favor of the Nine Dragon Alliance. No one’s ever pulled that off before!”

“More than that. The Nine Dragon Alliance is still fiercely loyal to the King Fox—chairman of Fox Company. It’s the largest military corporation in the world, feared even by presidents. Being affiliated with them is basically a lifetime guarantee of safety.”

“Once Seraine is under the protection of the Nine Dragon Alliance and Fox Company, the threat from those cold eastern giant nations will fade for good. Peace will be ours.”

Meanwhile, Lynn’s anxiety only deepened. She could see that Darius’s rage was now completely beyond control.

With the Matthews under the Nine Dragon Alliance and Fox Company’s wing, there’s no reason for me to care about Curtis’s feelings anymore, she thought uneasily. I need to wash my hands of his stupidity.

Without hesitation, she jumped off the stage and ran toward Curtis.

SLAP!

A sharp blow landed across his cheek, leaving a vivid red mark in its wake. It was the second slap he had endured that day.

“You selfish bastard!” Lynn screamed, fury in every word. “I’ve kept quiet while you humiliated me in public, but insulting Mr. Matthew?! I won’t stand for it!”

SLAP!

A third slap, twice as hard.

The wedding ring on her finger split his skin, a thin line of blood trailing down.

Curtis was left stunned. It was the first wound on his face not earned in battle, one he knew he would never forget.

“You’ll pay for this,” Lynn growled, glaring at her husband with icy disdain. “Kneel before Mr. Matthew. Beg for your life!”

Curtis’s lips curled into a faint grin, but it trembled before twisting into something sharp.

The sound that escaped him scraped the air—low, cracked, and empty—like a man laughing at his own funeral.

“I’m King Fox. I kneel for no one,” he said.

“Have you gone insane?” Lynn snapped, her voice cracking between fear and fury. “Now you called yourself King Fox?! You’re digging your own grave!”

She clutched at his arm as if she could drag him back from the cliff he was so eager to leap off, but Curtis only leaned forward, his gaze locked on her face.

“Why don’t you and Mr. Matthew get on your knees and beg?” His tone was calm, almost casual.  “Maybe I’ll spare you.”

Lynn’s eyes widened in horror, she had to cut ties with Curtis and washing her hands of that idiot was as crucial as survival itself.

“Enough of your stupidity,” she said.

Lynn had been planning this for a long time. Every detail had been set in place. This was the perfect moment to put her plan into motion. She snapped her fingers.

Her assistant stepped forward, handing her a large brown envelope.

Curtis chuckled, rough and rasping. One glance at the title page and he knew his story with Lynn Feather would end here.

“Don’t look so surprised, Curtis. We were never meant to be,” Lynn said, her smile full of triumph. “Sign the divorce papers and stop being a parasite in my life. That’s my last request.”

At the word parasite, Curtis closed his eyes, forcing back the tears. He’d always hated that word. Ever since the days he was exiled in Drovinsk, it never left him.

“As a token of appreciation for your… service,” Lynn continued, “you’ll receive a luxury villa, a sports car, and twenty million dollars in compensation. How does that sound?”

Curtis opened his eyes and stared blankly at Lynn, hopelessly. Then, he shook his head. Refused.

Lynn scoffed. “You may be uneducated, but don’t be a fool about your pride. Twenty million isn’t pocket change. You could live like a king ‘till your last breath. Take it, and stay the hell away from me. We deserve happiness, just not with each other.”

“I served you as a good husband and I never asked for anything in return. That compensation… spits on everything I gave you.” Curtis smirked and snatched the divorce papers from Lynn’s hand.  “But fine. I'll give you what you’ve been wanting, one last time.”

Then, in a clear, strong voice, he said, “You all heard her. Lynn Feather is ending our marriage of her own will. That means my debt to Mr. Feather is done. From this moment on, I owe the Feather family nothing.”

He pulled a pen from his pocket and signed the papers with steady hands.

“Happy now?” He returned the documents to Lynn.

Lynn’s eyes narrowed.

Why so fast?

Before she could think further, Janson pulled her hand.

“We need to stay away from that idiot,” he whispered. “My father’s going to finish him off.”

Lynn could only nod, but her eyes never left Curtis.

Suddenly, the hall’s doors burst open. A dozen burly men dressed in all black pushed through the crowd. Spinning batons in their hands and exuding an aura of menace, they glared at the guests like hungry tigers. Everyone lowered their heads the moment they saw the golden dragon emblem on their chests.

“The Nine Dragon Alliance!”

The real reason for their arrival walked in behind them. A young man in a crisp white suit, moving with deliberate ease.

“Hm? Looks like I missed all the fun.” He chuckled. “Ah, Darius. You’re here.”

Darius immediately rushed to greet him. “Young Master Wilson, I’m honored by your presence!”

Jack Wilson laughed, slapping Darius’s shoulder with a fake smile. Darius froze. That wasn’t a friendly gesture. Not from a Wilson.

“If my father hears that you let some moron disrupt his affiliated event… I wonder how he'll react,” Jack whispered; Darius turned pale.

“Please don’t tell your father. Everything’s under control, I swear.” He bowed repeatedly, like a child begging forgiveness. “By the way… your face looks bruised. Should I call my doctor for you?”

SMACK!

Jack moved without warning. His knuckles crashed into the man’s face. Bone meeting bone with a sickening crack that echoed through the hall and made the crowd flinch.

“Too much to ask,” Jack muttered, touching the bruise on his cheek. “You wanna know how I got this bruise? It’s from an idiot soldier at Feather Hospital. He got away before I could skin him alive. But…”

He grinned wickedly.

“I remember his face. Every single detail. That’s why I dragged myself to this dump place. Maybe he’s here, hiding from me.”

Darius mumbled, “A soldier at Ms. Feather’s hospital? Could it be… him?”

Jack’s eyes flashed. He grabbed Darius’s collar, yanking him in until their faces were inches apart. “Who is he? You protecting that bastard?!”

“No! I’m not protecting anyone!” Darius gasped, waving his hands quick. “Young Master, the man you’re looking for… might be here.”

With trembling fingers, Darius pointed to Curtis, standing in the middle of the crowd.

“That’s the one. He’s also the one who knocked out my son and ruining this event. His name is Curtis Fox.”

Jack turned to look fast. Then, his grin widened and widened.

“Well, well…” Jack’s voice dripped with glee. “We meet again.”

Curtis showed no reaction, but he knew damn well this wasn’t a good position to be in.

The man before him was the same bastard who had attacked Serena just hours ago.

Somehow, after a brutal hit to the head, he was still standing. Still breathing. Still spewing bullshit.

Jack sneered again, “Thought you won, huh? That was just bad prep’ on my part. This time, I came ready and I promise you’re not getting out of here alive.”

Jack slipped a hand into his jacket pocket and pulled out something gleaming.

A Desert Eagle pistol.

The cold metal was pressed right against Curtis’s temple.

“You might be a martial arts expert, but how will you handle this? An unarmed soldier is nothing!” Jack laughed loudly.

Curtis’s expression changed for the first time.

No matter how fast he moved, a gun was still a gun.

The .44 Magnum caliber alone promised death.

One slight pressure on the trigger, and that hot bullet would tear through his skull.

He started calculating ways to survive the shot, but Jack’s finger was already on the trigger.

“Totally worth ending,” Curtis murmured.

BANG!

A loud bang echoed.

However, it came not from Jack’s pistol; it came from another gun. An older man strode forward with twenty burly guards behind him.

“I warned you, Jack,” the old man bellowed. “No weapons in Seraine!”

Jack froze the moment he recognized the old man’s voice, but his finger still resting on the trigger.

“Lorenzo Swan, you’re protecting this clown?” Jack asked coldly.

“And who’s the real clown here if not you?!” Lorenzo snapped. “For God’s sake, I’m sick of you! First, you try to kidnap my daughter, and now you’re messing around at a neutral city? What do you think your father will say when he finds out? His spoiled son nearly started another war?!”

Jack flinched at the words spoiled son, they struck deeper than the barrel he was holding.

The sting in his pride twisted into something hotter, darker… pure rage.

“Old bastard, watch your mouth,” Jack snarled, swinging the gun toward him.

Lorenzo blinked, but just like Curtis, he didn’t move an inch. He just looked at the girl behind him—his daughter, and said, “Serena, if something happened to me, take yourself and Curtis to the eastern land. Our troops will take cover of you two.”