Chapter 462
Seth and the rest lifted their eyes to the heavens. The so-called big shots from the International Combat Units-guys who normally strutted around like kings were all wearing that same shaken, ghosted stare.
Even Halia, proud to a fault, retreated on instinct. She pressed herself to the cliff face and kept her mouth shut.
A crushing force smothered the entire valley. Twelve silhouettes stood suspended in midair, like they owned both sky and earth.
Twelve Chief Arbitrators.
Just seeing them together was enough to make your scalp go cold.
The Arbitration Office had twenty-four Chief Arbitrators in total. With Reefus and Orianna already taken out by Leander, and Jeframon having burned away his own soul, that number dropped to twenty-one.
And now, more than half of what was left had appeared in a single sweep.
Twelve Chief Arbitrators like this could make any powerhouse nation tense up. Showing up as a group, it felt like the Arbitration Office had unleashed its second line of monsters.
With a whoosh, a spear of fire cut through first, clearly the vanguard. It ballooned into a roaring sun of flame, so hot the air warped and wailed. In the heart of it stood a woman’s curvy outline, relaxed as if she were strolling through a garden.
Her blaze was tighter, brighter, far heavier than Halia’s. The heat she gave off rolled over the valley like a runaway kiln.
One lazy glance from her felt like it could snag your soul. Even those iron-willed ranked elites felt their hearts stutter, nearly slipping the second she showed herself.
“Wait… that’s the Flame Witch p>
Halia gaped at the alluring figure, all the color draining from her face.
Flame Witch—that was the title people truly feared. They called Halia the Flame Goddess, which sounded grander on paper, but she wasn’t fooling herself.
Ten of her stacked together still wouldn’t touch the Flame Witch.
They were both fire-element metahumans, sure, but the distance between them was a canyon.
The Flame Witch’s fire was born from an ancient source hidden in the western mountains-The Blaze. Its strength and eerie nature were on a level Halia couldn’t even compare to.
The Flame Witch lifted her gaze and fixed it on Leander. Her voice was smooth as honey, yet cold enough to cut. “So, you killed Reefus… and the others p>
Leander didn’t blink. His eyes stayed flat and frosty.
He didn’t bother replying.
He only curved his lips. “So, Jeframon burned his soul to pin a portal down and drag you here quicker. To take me out, he really emptied his whole chest, huh p>
The corners of his mouth still held that easy smile. Staring down Twelve Chief Arbitrators, he looked bored, not scared.
“What?” The Flame Witch’s eyes narrowed to slits. “You’re… Jeff Ashcroft p>
The instant her words landed, the other eleven Chief Arbitrators went still as well. Every gaze snapped to Leander. Murderous intent gathered, thick and suffocating, like a storm rolling in.
“So what if I am p>
Leander replied like it was nothing, hands folded behind him as he faced all twelve without blinking.
“You really took down Reefus and the other two p>
The Flame Witch’s gaze sharpened, faint surprise flickering in her eyes.
Leander’s name carried just as much weight in the Arbitration Office as any of theirs. Almost every top-ranked fighter there had heard of him.
Not only because he was their number-one execution target, but because his strength was terrifying.
The Arbitration Office had stood for centuries, watching kingdoms rise and collapse. Every major conflict in history had their shadow behind it.
The once-mighty Church of Europa ruled half a continent and commanded multiple states, but even they were forced into extinction by the Arbitration Office.
Their final High Priest had been cut down before three thousand believers by one of The 16 Supreme Arbiters.
Ever since then, the Arbitration Office remained the world’s highest authority, strong enough to challenge entire nations.
And in all those long years, not a single person they marked for death had ever escaped intact.
Even the Dragon Emperor of Astria-who once walked the battlefield like a one-man army-was cornered and driven into hiding by a Supreme Arbiter.
But these past ten years, Leander had been their biggest headache.
They’d sent three or four full operations to kill him.
He wiped them all out.
He was still alive, while their elite ranks kept bleeding.
Even the Son of Judgment had died under his hand, so yes—Leander was officially
branded a heretic. Kill on sight. No exceptions.
Every Chief Arbitrator treated him like a walking disaster.
What they didn’t expect… was that he could kill Chief Arbitrators.
And not one, but three.
“Jeff… we really did underestimate you p>
The man standing beside the Flame Witch lifted a white blade. Tall, carved like
marble, his gaze was icy as it locked onto Leander.
“Back then, we thought you were just a promising kid,” he said, voice steady. “So we didn’t go all out. Let the fight drag on… let you grow into this. Reefus and the others dying all at once abgace under you? Even the Dragon
Emperor back then might’ve
struggled with that.
“You really are Astria’s brightest fighter in the last century. But don’t worry we won’t hold back again p>
He raised the sword, his aura thickening until it felt almost physical, killing intent curling like a gathering storm.
“The Sword of Light… That’s Dholous Igen, the former Son of Europa,” Seth whispered, throat tight.
“Jeff, Jeframon burned his own soul
to force open a portal and summon all twelve of us You should know exactly how badly she wanted you gone. Today, unless the heavens personally intervene, you’re dead p>
Another figure stepped out behind Dholous—a long coat brushing the ground, an easy grin showing sharp canine teeth, pupils deep and vertical like a beast’s.
“Edis Utas… from the Fable Court p>
At once, several high-ranked fighters sucked in a breath.
The Fable Court had once been a world-level powerhouse, raised high under the
Church’s protection. Even nations like Atland gave way to them.
When the Arbitration Office destroyed the Church, the Fable Court vanished
overnight. Decades passed without a single sign.
Most assumed the Office had wiped them out too-but clearly not.
Their Master was standing here, alive and smiling.
“So, the Fable Court didn’t disappear… They joined the Arbitration Office. And Edis
is a Chief Arbitrator now p>
Keith and Kenneth both swallowed hard, their expressions frozen.
Twelve Chief Arbitrators—with Dholous and Edis, two old monsters who once ruled
Europa-this setup was practically a sealed execution ground.
“Jeff, your final choice. Seal your cultivation, come with us to the Arbitration Office, take the Doomlight baptism, and become the new Son of Judgment. That is the only path left for you. The only way you walk out alive p>
The Flame Witch crossed her arms, her flames swelling outward, closing in for the
kill.