Lily tried a bite and smiled as well.

The shop was dim, its furniture worn, but the food was comforting beyond words. Beef, broth, rice, and simple vegetables filled both stomach and heart.

"Uncle Raph, ten more sets!" Raziel Phoenix waved casually, already aware of a certain someone's appetite.

Ray scratched his head awkwardly. "Thank you."

"Hm?" Raziel Phoenix looked up.

Ray sighed helplessly. "Your name makes it confusing. I was just saying thanks."

Raziel Phoenix smiled faintly, his eyes turning red. "My mother gave me that name. She said it came from something she was grateful for. The best thing in her life was meeting my father, but…" His face paled slightly, fingers tightening around his chopsticks.

"Your mother?" Ray asked softly.

Raziel Phoenix swallowed. "Father's always busy. Even when Mother was seriously ill, he didn't come home. In her final moments, she only wanted to see him once more. But he came too late." His voice trembled. "I'll never forget that night. Her tears… the regret in her eyes… I hate him. I hate him! I even hate my name. If not for that chance meeting, Mother wouldn't have—"

His words broke apart as he slumped forward onto the table.

At that moment, Uncle Raph arrived with more jars. As he placed them down, he sighed deeply. "This child… his mother used to bring him here often. After she passed, he came alone, carrying only memories. You can't blame him. Seeing him here with friends today… it makes me happy." He shook his head. "Such a heavy heart for someone so young."

Ray gently patted Raziel Phoenix's back. Lily remained silent, staring ahead, something unreadable flickering in her eyes.

"Hey," Lily said suddenly, kicking his leg lightly. "Stop crying. I'll take back what I said. You can treat me today."

Raziel Phoenix lifted his head, wiping his eyes with his sleeve. "Don't I reek of the stench of money?"

Lily curled her lips. "So this brat holds grudges."

Raziel Phoenix snapped back, "We're the same age, and you're even a few months younger. If I'm a brat, what are you? A bratty girl?"

Lily opened a fresh jar and lowered her head to eat. "I don't argue with someone who just cried."

As they left the shop, Uncle Raph watched them go and sighed. "Kids these days really have big appetites."

That simple meal didn't just fill their stomachs. Without realizing it, it wove a stronger bond between the three of them.

Next came salt-grilled giant prawns, skewered and roasted over charcoal, sprinkled lightly with salt. Ray fully displayed the might of a glutton god as they walked from one end of the food street to the other, laughter filling the night.

"I'm full," Lily said at last, leaning against Ray for support. Raziel Phoenix did the same from the other side.

Ray grinned. "If you can't eat much, don't try to match a glutton god."

Raziel Phoenix rolled his eyes. "You're not a glutton god. You're just a foodie. That's what I thought the first time I saw you eat."

Ray snorted. "Then let's keep going. You're paying, after all."

Raziel Phoenix exclaimed, "You still have room?"

Ray replied proudly, "Yes."

"Hey!" Lily suddenly pointed ahead. "What's happening over there?"

They followed her gaze. A crowd had gathered near the entrance of the food street.

The location… was the stewed beef shop.

"Let's go take a look." Raziel Phoenix was in no mood to keep bickering. He broke into a run, Ray and Lily right on his heels.

Before they even pushed through the crowd, Uncle Raph's desperate voice reached them.

"You can't do this! Not like this! This is how I make my living!"

Raziel Phoenix was the fastest. He forced his way through the onlookers and froze on the spot.

The cooking table at the entrance of the stewed beef shop had been overturned. Shattered earthen jars littered the ground, golden broth flowing everywhere. Steam still rose from the broken pots, the rich fragrance now clashing painfully with the scene of destruction.

Uncle Raph lay collapsed in the doorway. Blood trickled from the corner of his mouth, one eye already swollen shut. Grief, anger, and helplessness twisted across his face.

Standing over him were three burly men.

The one in the lead was bald, bare-chested despite the cold, thick dragon tattoos coiling along his arms. The two behind him were equally tall, their vicious expressions making it clear they weren't here for discussion.

"Raph," the bald man said coldly, his voice dripping with menace, "a smart man knows when to bow. Everyone on this street pays protection fees. You're the only one who keeps making excuses. Do I, Sebastian, need to beg you? Should I personally come collect money every day?"

He sneered. "If it weren't for your stewed beef tasting decent, I'd have driven you off long ago. Hand over the money today. If you don't, forget about opening your shop here ever again."

The crowd stood silent. No one dared step forward.

"Big Brother Sebastian," Uncle Raph pleaded hoarsely, "it's not that I don't want to pay. My wife is seriously ill. Every coin I earn goes to her medicine. But you've smashed my shop! Now she…" His voice cracked. "She won't last much longer. When she goes, I won't live either."

Sebastian burst out laughing. "Threatening me with your life?" His eyes turned icy. "Do you think I care about cheap lives like yours? If you die, I'll just put someone else here and still get paid. If you can't pay, then get lost!"

He stepped forward and kicked the cooking table again. What little remained was sent flying.

Uncle Raph cried out in despair. "Sebastian! I'll fight you with my life!"

He struggled to his feet and charged forward.

Sebastian laughed viciously and lifted his leg, kicking Uncle Raph squarely in the chest. Uncle Raph was sent tumbling across the ground.

"Fight with your life?" Sebastian sneered. "You're not even qualified. Don't forget, I'm a Soul Master."

"So being a Soul Master gives you the right to bully people?"

The voice cut through the street like a blade.

Ray stepped out of the crowd, eyes blazing. Raziel Phoenix rushed to Uncle Raph's side and helped him up, his hands shaking with fury.

Sebastian stared at Ray for a moment, then laughed loudly. "What a joke. This street's really gone to trash. Even a brat dares stand in my way." He waved dismissively. "Scram. I don't like hitting kids."

Ray clenched his fists. He had grown up poor. Watching the strong trample the weak was something he could never accept.

"How can you treat Uncle Raph like this?" he demanded, stepping forward. "Are you even human?"

Sebastian snorted. "Can kindness be eaten? He needs money for his wife. Don't I need money for my mother? Cut the nonsense. Get lost and stop delaying my business."

He raised his hand and shoved toward Ray's shoulder.

Ray's eyes flashed. His fist shot out like lightning.

Bang!

Sebastian staggered backward.

Ray was just as shocked. He was caught off guard, yet he didn't fall. This guy's strength is no joke.

"Well then," Sebastian growled, cracking his neck. "You've got some strength, brat."

He lunged again, grabbing for Ray's shoulders. The dragon tattoos on his arms bulged, veins standing out.

Ray met him head-on and threw another punch.

Bang!

This time, Ray was forced back two steps. It felt like punching solid metal.

Sebastian's eyes flickered with surprise. He had used real strength just now, yet the child's punch still made his arm tremble.

"Careful!" Ray suddenly shouted.

A strand of Silverfalls Vine shot from his hand, wrapping around Sebastian in an instant.

Bind!

The ground beneath Sebastian softened as if turning to mud. His body sank slightly, his strength momentarily disrupted.

At the same time, a figure flashed through the air.

Raziel Phoenix landed lightly behind Sebastian, a dagger already pressed against his neck.

The three had trained together for months. Their coordination was instinctive.

The Silverfalls Vine withdrew. Raziel Phoenix didn't hesitate.

"Apologize to Uncle Raph," he said coldly, voice trembling with rage, "and pay for everything. Medical fees included. Otherwise, I'll kill you."

The two burly men froze, panic finally showing on their faces.

"Little brother, don't be rash," one of them said quickly. "Let's talk this out."

Raziel Phoenix's eyes were ice-cold. "There's nothing to talk about with scum like you."

Sebastian suddenly laughed. "Kill me?" His tone was mocking. "You're just a one-ring Soul Master. You think I've controlled this street for years without strength?"

He leaned slightly into the blade. "Go on. I want to see if you dare."

Raziel Phoenix stiffened.

At his age, the concept of killing was still terrifying. When he'd threatened Rachel before, she'd folded immediately. This time was different.

He pressed the Light Dragon Dagger down—

And felt resistance.

Sebastian's neck was hard. Too hard.

The blade wouldn't cut.

"Watch out!" Ray shouted.

A fireball slammed into Sebastian's arm. The explosion forced him backward, breaking Raziel Phoenix's hold.

Two brilliant soul rings flared beneath Sebastian's feet.

One white.

One yellow.

His skin shimmered with a metallic sheen as scales emerged along his neck.

A two-ring Soul Grandmaster.

The street fell deathly silent.

Raziel Phoenix flipped backward, narrowly avoiding Sebastian's punch. The moment his feet touched the ground, a violent aura erupted from Sebastian's body, surging outward like a shockwave.

"Two soul rings… a Soul Grandmaster!" Raziel Phoenix's pupils shrank. "This guy's already past Rank 20!"

Two small spirit souls appeared on Sebastian's shoulders. One was an earth-yellow lizard, the other a slightly larger metal-gray lizard, its scales glinting coldly under the streetlights.

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