Sebastian stood tall with his fists clenched, ready to fight to death. Joseph and Zia stood beside him, equally prepared for a desperate battle.
“Stop it!” A stern voice rang out just as Francis was about to strike.
Everyone turned to see a group of people approaching swiftly. A stern-looking middle-aged man led them, flanked by Lana and her brother, Harvey Sanders.
“Greetings, Mr. Bruce!” Jake and the others immediately bowed.
The man was Bruce, the head of the Sanders family, one of the four great families of Phaedra Island, and a top-tier grandmaster.
“Sebastian, are you alright?” Lana rushed to Sebastian urgently.
The crowd was stunned. They hadn’t expected Lana to know Sebastian, and her tone was surprisingly intimate.
“Greetings, Mr. Bruce,” Francis said, bowing slightly. Despite being Bruce’s elder cousin, he was the sixth in line, so he had to show respect.
“What are you doing?” Bruce demanded.
“This guy injured Jake and showed me no respect. I was about to kill him. Why are you stopping me?” Francis retorted.
Bruce turned to Sebastian. “Sebastian, explain what happened.”
“Mr. Bruce, I dueled with Maverick and injured him. But then Mr. Francis had attacked me out of nowhere,” Sebastian explained.
Bruce addressed Francis, “Francis, injuries are inevitable if it was a fair duel. Blame Maverick for not being skilled enough. As an elder, how can you bully a younger one?”
“Mr. Bruce, Maverick is your nephew. How can you side with an outsider instead of standing up for him?” Francis fumed.
“Sebastian is not an outsider. He’s my fiancé!” Lana declared joyfully while holding onto Sebastian’s arm.
“What! He’s Larry’s disciple?” Francis was stunned.
The crowd, including Joseph and Zia, was equally shocked. No one had expected Sebastian to be Lana’s fiancé, making him Bruce’s future son-in-law.
Sebastian’s eyes showed a trace of sorrow at the mention of Larry Sanders, his deceased mentor.
“Yes, he is my future son-in-law. Anyone who dares to harm him will answer to me!” Bruce’s presence grew even more intimidating, and everyone felt the immense pressure.
“Where is your mentor?” Francis asked Sebastian.
“He’s living in seclusion in the mountains,” Sebastian lied, instinctively wary of Francis’ interest in Larry.
Without another word, Francis took Maverick and left after giving Sebastian a murderous glare.
Bruce approached Sebastian warmly. “Sebastian, why didn’t you come to see me when you arrived? Come, let’s have a drink and catch up.”
“Count me in too!” Harvey exclaimed. He was filled with admiration. “Sebastian, the way you handled Maverick was amazing. Let’s go have a drink.”
Lana and Harvey each took one of Sebastian’s arms, leaving him no choice but to go with them.
Of course, he also wanted to inform Bruce about Larry’s passing.
“Francis, why did you summon me in such a hurry?” a masked man in a black robe asked, his voice hoarse and slightly irritated.
“Larry might still be alive,” Francis said anxiously.
“What?!” The masked man was shocked but quickly shook his head. “Impossible. He was poisoned with the Reaper’s Grasp. No matter how strong he was, he couldn’t have survived.”
