Chapter 559
Leander had no idea that the tides were shifting once more. So, he was currently relaxing in the central pool at Yelem Hotel. It had taken him three days to recover his strength. However, it was worth it as his spiritual strength had become stronger after his battle. He could tell that he was a step away from reaching his peak.
Since he was relaxing in the pool, he only had a pair of shorts on. So, Celia, who had come from the garden, couldn’t help but flush at the sight of his well-defined muscles on display.
Nevertheless, she quickly snapped herself out of it and said, “Master Leander, you have a guest p>
Leander didn’t even budge as he replied lazily, “Nathan and the others have already returned to Astria. Maeve has gone on tour. So, who is it p>
Celia sat by the pool, scooped a handful of water, and poured it down his shoulder. “It’s someone from the government. She’s very insistent on seeing you, saying that it’s important. Oh, and she said she’s General Leon’s daughter p>
“General Leon’s daughter, you say?” Leander’s eyes fluttered open as he slowly straightened himself out of his lazy slouch.
He quite liked Darrow. After all, he had defended him multiple times in the past.
Although Leander didn’t exactly need the help and could easily resolve those annoyances, it would definitely result in a few… or more than a few deaths. All in all, it would be way too troublesome. So, he rather respected a man like Darrow.
Therefore, he didn’t turn this government official away now that he knew that she was Darrow’s daughter. Instead, he immediately left the pool. A second later, the water droplets on his body evaporated, steaming off his skin.
“Let’s go and see what she wants p>
It must be something important. After all, she had come all the way to Sahar Wastes from Astria. He casually threw on a bathrobe, uncaring that it had left a wide expanse of his chest for the world to see as he strode out the door.
A woman was standing outside the Yelem Hotel’s presidential suite. Her posture
was as straight as an arrow, and every move she made screamed military discipline. All it took was one look, and anyone could tell that she came from a well-to-do family.
However, it was the military edge to her actions that proved that she was definitely Darrow’s daughter, Dahlia Leon.
As she stood by the door, she couldn’t help but look down at her watch with a frown. She’d been waiting at the door for 30 minutes, which was definitely out of the norm. With her status, she could count on one hand the people who would dare to keep her waiting this long.
Then again, the person she was waiting for was no ordinary man. Although she was somewhat annoyed, she still continued to wait patiently out of duty and curiosity.
Suddenly, she heard the sound of footsteps. Her head snapped toward the sound. Only to find a young man in a bathrobe approaching her.
The young man standing before her was undoubtedly handsome with his deep eyes and sculpted figure. However, his bathrobe and his bare feet screamed, “Improper!” Dahlia, who hailed from a military family, could barely keep a grimace off her face at the sight.
Could he be General Ashcroft? she wondered, somewhat in disbelief.
Leander’s voice brought her back to the present as he said, “I’m sorry for the wait, Ms. Leon p>
He sounded nothing as he looked at the moment. His voice was impassive, catching Dahlia off guard.
Although Dahlia found Leander’s choice in clothing a little… off-putting, she quickly rallied herself and nodded respectfully in greeting. “Good day, General Ashcroft. I’m Dahlia Leon, a special investigator stationed at Mornwick p>
Leander nodded in understanding and opened the door with a flick of his wrist. “Come with me p>
Then, he walked to the floor-to-ceiling window and looked over Yelem’s skyline. He seemed like a proper King Phase just then as he looked at the scenery with the arrogance of a king.
He now had a proper gauge of his strength after sending 10 supersonic fighter jets crashing down the Sahar Wastes all by himself.
Dahlia followed him into the suite.
Leander turned to look at her and gestured to the couch. “Have a seat p>
Dahlia nodded and sat across from
him. Even though he was in his bathrobe, he didn’t feel discomfited at his lack of proper clothing. His
eyes remained as in
remained as impassive as ever despite being in the same room with someone as influential as Dahlia.
Cóntent
Celia busied herself with making them tea.
“Ms. Leon, why did you come all this way to Yelem?” Leander leaned against his couch as he asked with a slight smile.
Dahlia was ready for that question. She turned her laptop on as she explained, “General Ashcroft, I’m sure you’ve heard about what happened online recently p>
Leander replied calmly, “Are you talking about that video that’s been trending recently p>
Dahlia nodded in in affirmation as she continued, “The video first appeared on the International Martial Network. That isn’t the issue. The problem is that it was later spread across the web two hours later. We still couldn’t find the source.
“Now, it’s not just being reported by all major newsletters in Astria, but has also been shared to every major news company and social platform worldwide. In fact, it’s now trending everywhere, and I mean everywhere.
“You’re one of the strongest generals we have. So, we’ve used all our resources to keep things
hush-hush. The government haonet”
already made a public
overnet
announcement informing the that the video was
masses
generated by Al. hope you can understand why we’ve done this p>
Leander waved her concerns away. “I’m fine with letting the government take the lead when it comes to this. I’m fine with any of their decisions p>
He knew that martial artists would be thrust into the spotlight if the government admitted that the video was real. This knowledge would only cause unwanted panic in the masses.
Anyone who was taught since childhood that superpowers and superheroes were just fiction would find this insane. After all, what else could they call martial artists who could shrug off military-grade attacks without breaking a sweat?
Just then, Celia served Dahlia and Leander tea. He took a sip of the premium brew and asked, “This isn’t the only reason why you’re here, right p>
“That’s right.” Dahlia clicked on a few things on her computer, logged into a particular website, and turned the screen toward him. “Take a look at this, General Ashcroft p>
He took a cursory gaze at the screen and saw that she had logged on to the International Martial Network. However, it was the crimson banner right at the top of the website that caught his attention.
His eyes narrowed as he muttered, “The King? What is that p>
Dahlia tensed as she looked at him solemnly. “This banner suddenly appeared on the International Martial Network two days ago. The government has pooled our resources into digging up any relevant information on this banner. “Fortunately, the Shadow Division King shared some of his information with us yesterday.
“The King refers to the King Phase Rankings. It’s a global ranking specifically for King Phase martial artists. It far surpasses that of the International Combat Units. The last time it appeared was 120 years ago p>
King Phase Rankings… Leander fell into deep thought.
“I’m here because of the King Phase Rankings,” she added as she clicked on the
banner.
The page loaded to a gladiator-arena style scoreboard. It was the King Phase Rankings page.
However, it was surprisingly empty. Instead, there were only a few words in Astrian
script on the page.
‘Iron Sovereign, Jeff Ashcroft p>
Leander’s name was the only name on the King Phase Rankings!