Chapter 107: Fierce Conflict

Arthur was clearly feeling the effects of the wine. His eyes were bloodshot, and his fair skin was flushed a deep red; he was evidently quite intoxicated. He had been moving through the crowd with a few of his trusted subordinates, intentionally or otherwise trying to curry favor with the rising generation of youths carefully groomed by the Black Tiger family, when he suddenly caught sight of Lin Qi.

Seeing Lin Qi was one thing, but Arthur was certainly not foolish enough to start a conflict with him at a New Year's banquet.

Anyone able to appear at the ancestral estate of the Black Tiger family to attend this banquet was undoubtedly a core member—a loyalist among loyalists. More than half of those present had followed the Black Tiger family since before the start of the Recovery Era; their history of allegiance could even be traced back to the legendary Destruction Era.

The Black Tiger family had once been a sprawling clan, and even Blackbeard himself had once had seven brothers. The century-long Continental Island War had cost Blackbeard his seven brothers, and the brutal conflict had claimed the lives of all his nephews and nieces. Even Blackbeard himself had nearly perished in the war, and it was not until more than a decade after it ended that he found a woman he favored and fathered Lin Qi, his only heir.

A massive family, loyal subordinates, and a sole heir!

Arthur was not so stupid as to spark a conflict with Lin Qi at the New Year's banquet.

However, as he watched Lin Qi smiling and walking toward Maria, and as he caught sight of her delicate, serene face, a sharp, stabbing pain suddenly tore through Arthur’s only remaining eye. It felt as if he had been transported back to that bloody day; he could almost feel a cold finger swirling in his eye socket, feeling his eyeball being mercilessly gouged out by a finger like an iron hook.

That beautiful, violet-hued eyeball!

Arthur’s body trembled violently. A year after Lin Qi had left Dunkirk, Arthur had snuck into his bedroom and stolen the preserved specimen of that eye. Even then, floating in that crystalline liquid, it had remained so dazzlingly bright.

It should have remained perfectly intact in his own socket, radiating its bewitching light!

Confusion swirled in Arthur’s mind. Emboldened by the alcohol, he suddenly lunged out from the crowd and blocked Lin Qi’s path with a sinister sneer. He wanted to say something to Lin Qi—not just because Lin Qi had gouged out his eye years ago, but also because, over the past few days, Lin Qi had caused him heavy losses.

Elham had taken his men and left Dunkirk, and to cover their escape, Arthur’s core confidants had paid a steep price. The departure of those Ancestral Spirit warriors from the Black Spirit Continent had caused Arthur even deeper agony. All of this was Lin Qi’s doing. Arthur wanted to talk to him; in the Western Continent, one could not recklessly resort to violence during the New Year, so Arthur wanted to have a friendly, peaceful chat.

What was there to talk about? The bonds of brotherhood? As Arthur stood in Lin Qi’s way, this ridiculous thought even crossed his mind.

But Lin Qi did not even spare him a second glance; he swung a foot and kicked Arthur squarely in the crotch. Lin Qi had also consumed quite a bit of wine, his face was flushed red, and the alcohol was churning in his mind. When Arthur’s loathsome face suddenly appeared, Lin Qi instinctively struck back.

It was a clean, decisive kick. Ever since he had undergone the marrow-cleansing process with a mysterious tonic from the East, Lin Qi’s battle aura had reached the threshold of an Earth Knight. Combined with the potent effects of Master Kecha’s Demon Tiger potion, Lin Qi’s true strength was now enough to rival a mid-level Earth Knight.

It was a sudden, unexpected kick—one that Arthur could never have dreamed of.

At the New Year's banquet, in front of so many people, Lin Qi had delivered such a shameless kick to his nominal brother. His heel struck the soft mass between Arthur’s legs with precision, and with a slight twist, he forced the sensitive anatomy to rotate forty-five degrees. It was a spot where even the toughest warrior would wail in agony at the slightest touch, and Lin Qi’s kick was far from light.

Arthur’s face turned deathly pale, then rapidly flushed deep red, as if smeared with ox blood. He opened his mouth to shout, but he could only gasp for air, unable to emit a single sound. He stared at Lin Qi, trembling, his single eye nearly popping from its socket. Large beads of sweat erupted on his face, streaming down like tiny rivulets.

"I don't know why, but every time I see you, I just want to kill you!" Lin Qi laughed wildly. "Know how strong I am now? Will you dare to appear before me again? Huh? Arthur, you damned bastard! Was it you who sent those two women to cause me trouble?"

Arthur kept his mouth wide open, so wide that Lin Qi could even see the uvula deep in his throat. Suddenly, Arthur let out a shrill, piercing scream that drowned out the loud music in the ballroom. The hundreds of young men and women who had been dancing wildly stopped in their tracks, turning in unison to look at the scene in horror.

"Damn you!" Standing behind Arthur were four burly middle-aged men. Seeing Lin Qi deliver such a vicious kick to their young master, the four men drew daggers from their sleeves and charged at Lin Qi, cursing.

Four gleaming daggers struck out like vipers, aiming for Lin Qi’s vitals—his heart, throat, ribs, and abdomen. A thick, orange glow shimmered around the four men, with faint flickers of yellow within the light.

Lin Qi ignored the men radiating killing intent; he simply punched Arthur to the ground and stomped heavily on his face.

"Bastard, you want to cause me trouble at the New Year's banquet?" Lin Qi roared, his eyes bloodshot as he trampled on Arthur’s handsome face. "Are you looking for death? Fine, I'll grant you your wish!" Arthur’s nose bridge collapsed, and his single eye was nearly crushed under Lin Qi’s boot. Lin Qi continued to stomp on his body in a rage, drawing agonizing shrieks from Arthur.

Enzo, standing behind Lin Qi, dropped his wine jar. He drew his sword and charged to meet the four men without hesitation.

Lin Qi’s attention was entirely focused on Arthur, leaving him completely undefended. Facing four enemies who had already stepped into the realm of Earth Knights, Enzo chose to meet them head-on with his blade.

Standing in the corner of the hall, less than ten meters away, Leao suddenly widened his eyes.

Like a rampaging bull, Leao charged forward, knocking everyone in his path flying.

"Damn you all! How dare you lay a hand on the young master?"

No one knew where Leao had hidden his weapon, but with a flick of his wrist, a foot-long battle axe whistled through the air as he swung it out.