Chapter 5: Jenton's Top Fighter

Words : 2401 Updated : Oct 30th, 2025

A low, furious roar rolled through the grand hall. A crushing force surged in an instant and bore down until the Black Dragon Gang's men were jittery and wide-eyed. The newcomer was Michelle's father, Trey Jauncy, founder of ThunderShield Security Corp. He had once served as an operations captain in the Westguard Legion, one of Aryn's Four Border Legions. The Westguard Legion guarded the western border, famed among the border forces as masters of ground combat. Trey had seen blood on the battlefield and had personally captured and killed mercenaries who crossed illegally, along with battle-hardened enemy border soldiers. Even in retirement, he still had that hard, lethal edge. Among martial practitioners, ranks were organized in tiers; the most widely recognized were the six martial ranks: First-Rank Grandmaster, Second-Rank Grandmaster, Third-Rank Martial King, Fourth-Rank Martial Master, Fifth-Rank Martial Warrior, and, at the sixth, Martial Apprentice. Within every rank, fighters were grouped into three categories: lower, middle, and upper. Trey was a Fifth-Rank Martial Warrior and a standout among warriors. More crucially, he came from the border legions, seasoned by real war. In all of Jenton, you could count the fighters stronger than Trey on two hands. Even Fourth-Rank Martial Masters wouldn't pick a fight with him unless they had to. Seeing Trey storm in, radiating murderous intent, Luca felt his heart jolt. Luca was also a Fifth-Rank Martial Warrior, and an upper one at that. Even so, facing Trey, his odds were poor. From what he knew, Trey had once been a Fourth-Rank Martial Master, only to drop to the warrior rank after a severe injury that compromised his body. Luca might be notorious, but he rarely picked a fight with Trey. First, Trey's personal combat prowess was daunting. Second, the commander of the Jenton Defense Corps was Trey's old comrade-in-arms. No matter how one looked at it, crossing Trey promised no upside. But today was different. Even if Trey was trouble, Luca meant to grit his teeth and fight on. With a smile that never reached his eyes, Luca said, "Trey, what's that supposed to mean? You and the Black Dragon Gang have always kept out of each other's way. Now, you force your way in here. are you looking to start something?" He flipped the blame around as easily as breathing. Trey had a square face with deep-set eyes under thick brows. His gaze turned savage. "Luca Warth, you dare lay hands on my daughter? Looks to me like you've got a death wish." He started toward Michelle and the others, taking each step slowly. Black Dragon Gang members ahead of him dared not block him; they peeled away to both sides. The bodyguards exhaled in relief. Michelle, face chalk-pale, walked up to Trey. Tears pooled and trembled in her eyes. She lowered her head and whispered, "Dad." Bringing bodyguards into the Black Dragon Gang's den to drag people out had been Michelle's own decision; she had not sought Trey's consent. Trey shot her a glare and reprimanded in a low voice, "We'll settle this at home." Michelle pressed her lips together and, guilty, kept silent. "Trey," Luca called across the hall, "we're on the same turf, so since you've come personally, I'll let it slide this time. If there's a next time, don't blame me for being ruthless." Trey saw that his daughter was unhurt, and the bodyguards, though bloodied, were in no mortal danger. He did not want to tangle further. After all, Michelle had been the one to force her way into the Black Dragon Gang's base. He hesitated, then made up his mind. At last, he set his jaw and said, "Let's go." He turned and started for the exit. "Dad!" Michelle clutched Trey's hand tight. Her tear-brimmed gaze pleaded as her voice trembled. "Dad, Amelia and Jane are still in their hands. Please, save them." Trey's body went rigid. He knew. He wanted to save them. But... He had a wife, a daughter, a family. If he stepped into this fight, his wife and child might not survive it. He was up against people he couldn't afford to cross. Michelle had quietly given Amelia $10,000, and Trey had pretended not to know; that had been his compromise. "Go home," he said, his voice cold, brooking no argument. Seeing that hard, unyielding face, Michelle's tears broke loose. She had once believed her father was the strongest person in the world, a bright and upright man who could do anything. She let his hand go without a word and began to sob under her breath, wiping at her cheeks again and again, but the tears fell like a snapped string of pearls, one bead after another. She cried for Amelia and Jane, trapped. She cried for the brutal truth that her father was not the all-powerful hero she had believed him to be. Watching his daughter cry, Trey's heart seized; emotions stormed through him. In his youth, he had been the sort to cut down evil wherever it reared its head and set wrongs right. But the years had smoothed his edges. Seeing her grief left him helpless. He hesitated for a moment. Then Trey turned his head and looked toward Luca, not far away. "How much does Amelia still owe you? I'll pay it." Luca's smile cooled. "Trey, don't stick your nose in. I hear ThunderShield's had trouble lately, tight on cashflow. You still can't take a hint?" Trey stood silent for a beat, then asked again, "How much?" At those three words, Luca's eyes narrowed. It meant Trey intended to force the issue. Luca went livid. "One hundred grand." "I'll pay. Release them," Trey said. Luca slapped his forehead, then chuckled. "Sorry, got mixed up. I forgot a zero. It's one million." A shard of cold light flashed in Trey's eyes. Debt was a pretext. Luca had no intention of letting them go. If he held back, the mother and daughter might not survive this. Trey gripped Michelle's hand and pushed her toward the door. He lowered his voice. "Get them out. Take your mother and leave Jenton as fast as you can. Once I get the two of them out, I'll come find you." Seeing the grim set of his mouth, Michelle's nerves frayed. She realized that because of her, her father might be about to bring down a catastrophe. "Dad!" "Go!" Trey barked and shoved her aside without another word. The bodyguards hustled the pale-faced Michelle toward the exit. Watching this, Luca's smile turned frostbitten. "What, going to use force?" Trey's body trembled; his bones crackled. Facing Black Dragon Gang members gripping batons and clubs, his blood boiled. His presence climbed, notch after notch, as if he stood once more on a battlefield facing the enemy. "I've put up with you bastards long enough!" He roared and plunged into the crowd. "Ahhh!" "Crack!" "Don't kill me!" "Boss, help!" Trey fought like a tiger dropped into a pack of wolves, mowing men down. He shook with exhilaration, as if ten thousand pounds of force had been waiting to explode. Luca knew he was outmatched, but he had no choice except to step in. He steeled himself and jumped in, but Trey, riding a crest of battle heat, was beyond anything Luca could stop. Boom! After only three exchanges, Luca was blasted backward by a single punch. He spat a mouthful of blood. Seeing Trey's eyes go cold as he charged straight at him, Luca panicked. Where were his reinforcements? Trey's whip-like kick sent Luca flying. He slammed into the wall so hard his ribs felt ready to crack. Just then, a savage pressure flared behind Trey. His hair stood on end. Shock stabbed through him. He spun on reflex, forearm lifting to block, and a simple knife-hand strike drove him back seven steps. At each step, the floor tile crumbled into powder beneath his heel. Trey's heart skipped. He stared, incredulous. An elderly man in a jacket stood there, face gaunt, a pointed slip of goatee on his chin. He was the idol of countless fighters in Jenton, the city's top fighter: Samson Warth. Samson belonged to the Warth family, first among Jenton's four great families. Trey's face burned with anger. "So the Warth family is colluding with the Black Dragon Gang." The Warth family had a solid public reputation in Jenton, being active in charity and often leading good works. Who would have thought they were entangled with the Black Dragon Gang, whose questionable actions everyone knew? Samson met the accusation without a ripple. He spoke as if remarking on the weather. "Any family that wants to grow has to play both sides, aboveboard and under the table. Now that you see me here, we can't let you walk out of here. Don't pin your hopes on your old comrade. The commander of the Jenton Defense Corps isn't coming." Trey's eyes dimmed. Had he dragged his old friend into this? Then his battle heat surged again. He bared his teeth. "Even if it kills me, I'm going to see how tough you really are." Samson's tone stayed mild. "All these years retired, and you've still got that barracks-punk vibe. You're bringing a knife to a gunfight. There's only one way this ends." His aura surged; his eyes went cold and vicious. Feeling that raging pressure, Trey's heart sank. It seemed he would have to leave his life here. Then something strange happened. Samson's aura blew out like a candle. His elderly frame trembled. He stood there quaking, stepping as if the floor might break beneath him. Startled, Trey snapped a look toward the entrance. At the doors, two strangers had appeared at some point, one in front of the other, standing in the threshold. The man in front, handsome and battle-hardened, watched everyone with a cold, flat gaze that sent a chill down everyone's spine. It was Bruce. Behind him stood Grayson.

Chapter 5: Jenton's Top Fighter

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