"Discuss things? I don't believe we have anything to discuss. Besides, I know you're a lord from the Alrose Family, but so what? It's your own damn fault for offending someone you shouldn't have. Hah." The man holding the gun to Freud's head was a handsome, blond youth, but his eyes were a sinister, blood-red, and his words were chilling to the bone.

"No, no… someone I shouldn't have offended? I-I'm sorry, I truly don't understand what you mean… I'm a member of the British Alrose Family. I have a lot of money, so let's make a deal, shall we? I'll give you all my money, just please, please spare me. I'm serious. I'm willing to give you everything I own, I swear to God," Freud stammered in response.

He wasn't a fool; on the contrary, he was quite clever. He could clearly sense the man's murderous intent. This wasn't a joke—it was real. The realization made him tremble uncontrollably, consumed by pure terror… even though he still had no idea what was happening.

Why do these people want to kill me? When did I, Freud, ever offend someone I shouldn't have?

But none of that mattered now. All he wanted was to survive.

"Money? Hah… hahaha, I must say, you have a twisted sense of humor. Pfft… Do you really think I need or want for money?" Just then, the handsome blond youth's lips curled into a smirk, and he burst into exaggerated laughter. As he did, an oppressive, metallic scent of blood mysteriously filled the villa, causing the already-trembling Freud to grow even more horrified, his pupils constricting in fear.

WHOOSH! In the darkness of the villa, a pair of somewhat 'immature' purple wings erupted from the blond youth's back. They unfurled to their full span, shimmering radiantly in the dim light. A powerful aura, one belonging to a high-ranking member of the Blood Clan—a Marquis—gushed forth.

HISS!

"You-you… you are a respected Lord Marquis!?"

The Alrose Family was merely a Third Tier bloodline among the Blood Clans of the United Kingdom. As an official member, Freud naturally had the blood of the great clan flowing through his veins, but it was impure. His Cultivation Level was that of a mere Baron, making him only slightly stronger than a normal human.

And yet, what was he seeing now? A great and noble Lord Marquis had appeared right before his eyes! And he was here to kill him!

The power of the Blood Clan is ranked by noble titles: Baron, Viscount, Earl, Marquis. There is a gap of three full Great Realms between us, a chasm that cannot be crossed. And now, such a great and noble lord has personally come to 'find' me… Oh God, am I having a nightmare? What the hell is going on? Why!?

"Respected Lord, I… I simply don't understand. Did I inadvertently offend you?" The thought alone made Freud's mind go blank. He prostrated himself on the floor, his face a mask of terror as he trembled.

"Offend me?" The blond man with the Cultivation Level of a Marquis scoffed, a playful look immediately appearing on his face. He then said in a meaningful tone, "If an ant like you had merely offended me, you might have been casually crushed under my thumb, and that would be the end of it. No one else would have been involved. But now… I regret to inform you that because of your stupidity and ignorance, the Alrose Family that backs you will also be implicated. They will be erased!"

"…because of your stupidity and ignorance, the Alrose Family that backs you will also be implicated. They will be erased!"

When the blond youth uttered these mocking, disdainful words, Freud was completely dumbfounded. He trembled so violently he couldn't control it as a profound fear surged through him. If anyone else had said such a thing, he would have scoffed and dismissed them as a madman, an idiot. But these words were coming from a great and noble Lord Marquis himself. How could he remain indifferent? After all, even the most powerful elder in his Alrose Family was *'only'* a Marquis! And this man before him was so young!

He was utterly stupefied. He couldn't accept that the powerful family he had always taken pride in, the backer he had always relied on, was now being implicated because of some mistake he'd made. To be erased! More importantly, what about him? If his enemy wouldn't even spare his family, how could they possibly spare him, the 'culprit'?

But he just couldn't figure it out! What had he, Freud, possibly done without knowing that could trigger such devastating consequences? To provoke a great Blood Clan Marquis to come and kill him personally, not to mention drag his entire family down with him? He wants to destroy the Alrose Family?

In the end, Freud fell into despair. He knew that with a Blood Clan Marquis here in person, there was no possibility of escape. Even so, he had to know why.

"Respected Lord Marquis, before I die, could you let me know the truth? What did I do to cause such severe consequences?" he asked, his voice quivering.

"You want to know? It's actually very simple…" A faint, cold smile touched the blond youth's lips. Perhaps explaining would make the kill less boring. He spoke plainly, "Do you remember yesterday? When you and some Englishman paid our Blood Blade to assassinate someone?"

At those words, Freud's eyes widened.

"You-you… you're from Blood Blade? Does that Easterner have some connection to your organization? Is that why…" Hearing this, Freud was utterly stunned, muttering to himself in a daze. He never imagined this would be the truth. That Easterner wasn't some nobody he could bully at will, but someone connected to a massive assassin organization like Blood Blade. No wonder…

But in the next moment, the blond Blood Clan Marquis let out a mocking laugh and spoke again, his words sending a chill down Freud's spine and draining the color from his face. "You're only half right. I'm not from Blood Blade. Rather, Blood Blade has a minor connection to the family behind me… Oh, look at me, I forgot to introduce myself. My name is Brakench, from the Brad Family of Italy."

"The… the… the Brad Family!? You… you… HISS!" Freud's eyes nearly bulged from their sockets. In an instant, his entire face was a portrait of trembling horror. As a member of the Blood Clan world, how could he not have heard of the infamous Brad Family? They were the terrifying family ranked second among Europe's eleven dark seats. Even on a global scale, they were undoubtedly a top-tier power! But now… but now…

Why would a mere Easterner alarm such a terrifying family! Even the powerful Mafia Family that the Alrose Family depends on is nothing compared to them, not even close. This…

"It seems you've heard of our Brad Family's reputation. That makes things easier." As Brakench spoke, his expression suddenly twisted into a fierce, terrifying mask. With a flick of his right hand, his five fingers shot forward like lightning, piercing straight into Freud's chest. "That Mr. Chen is a great personage that even our Brad Family wouldn't dare to slight in the least. A minor character like you actually dared to hire assassins to kill him? You were truly courting death!"

SQUELCH! His claws clenched, crushing the heart within.

"Ah!" After hearing the final words, Freud's eyes were wide with utter terror as he stared at Brakench, so shocked he couldn't even register the pain of his heart being destroyed. The truth of the matter was far, far beyond his imagination. That Easterner's background… it's that horrifying? Even the great Brad Family… they…

THUD!

He no longer had the strength or the life force to think about it anymore. His heart was completely obliterated. His eyes dimmed, and his stiffening body slowly pitched backward, hitting the floor with a dull sound.

Witnessing this, Brakench gave a vicious grin and retracted his hand. He glanced at the blood covering his fingers with a look of disgust and gave a twisted smile. Taking out a handkerchief, he wiped his hand clean while speaking casually to his subordinates, "Clean this up. I'm leaving."

"Yes, sir!" the Blood Blade members beside him responded loudly.

While Marquis Brakench was dealing with Luo Bin and Freud, the Brad Family began its move against the Alrose Family in the United Kingdom.

True, as an affiliate of one of the United Kingdom's three great Mafia Families, the Alrose Family did wield some influence within the country. But compared to the Brad Family—ranked second among Europe's eleven dark seats and hailed as the uncrowned kings of Italy—they were utterly insignificant.

The Brad Family didn't even need to mobilize one-fifth of its strength. No, not even one-tenth of its power was needed to bring a terrifying catastrophe down upon a Third Tier Blood Clan family like the Alrose.

In the span of a single morning, news of scandals involving the Alrose Family saturated every media channel—television, newspapers, and the internet—across the United Kingdom and even all of Europe. The stocks of their publicly listed companies plummeted like a rock falling off a cliff. They were attacked by financial consortiums from all sides. Even the British Royal Family and the government made the rare move of joining forces, launching frenzied investigations and arresting their members.

This spectacle stunned the Alrose Family and the whole of the United Kingdom. Just what kind of terrifying power had the Alrose Family provoked? Moreover, the targeted nature of the attack was blatantly obvious.

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