An Understated Dominance - Chapter 2481

Axel felt a lump in his throat as he stared in disbelief. He had always known the Draken Guardians were strong, but he never imagined they could be this deadly.

He had pushed himself to the limit just to hold his ground against Connor and Dave, and now he was seriously hurt. But when the Draken Guardians showed up, they quickly defeated Connor, Dave, and many Red Legion soldiers without losing a single member of their team.

If Axel hadn’t witnessed it himself, he wouldn’t have believed that the Red Legion, known for its elite fighters, could be taken down so easily. Maybe it wasn’t that the Red Legion was weak; maybe the Draken Guardians were much stronger than anyone realized.

Even the least skilled members of the Draken Guardians could rise to the rank of a mighty general. Those who were captains were far stronger than Axel. Together, this team of experts had become an unstoppable force.

“Mr. Cruz, please get some people to clean up this area. I need to find Warrick,” Jaxon said, stepping forward to give quick orders.

After finishing, he led the Draken Guardians away, leaving behind a shocking scene of bodies and a stunned enforcement team.

The enforcement team was made up of elite warriors chosen from hundreds of candidates. Each of them had impressive combat skills and had won many battles against tough opponents. But after seeing the Draken Guardians in action, they realized there was a significant difference even among the best. If they were one in a hundred, the Draken Guardians were one in ten thousand.

“Mr. Cruz, is this what the Draken Guardians are like? They are on a whole different level, aren’t they?” one team member exclaimed, staring at the fallen Red Legion soldiers. Just moments before, they had been fighting fiercely against the Red Legion, but now…

The Guardians finished their task in seconds. The difference in strength was clear.

“Only a few hundred were chosen from thousands of Black Dragon Army soldiers. Of course, they’re strong,” Axel said, taking a deep breath and looking away. “Stop staring. There’s nothing more for us to do here. Let’s clean up the mess.”

With the Draken Guardians gone, Axel no longer had to worry about capturing Warrick. However, the enforcement team had failed their mission.

The search continued into the night. By dawn, all the Red Legion squads that had scattered during the chaos were caught. Not a single one escaped.

As the morning light filled the castle courtyard, Austin sat under a magnolia tree, playing chess by himself. Two maids stood nearby, holding lanterns to light the board. Occasionally, a fragrant magnolia blossom fell, adding to the peaceful scene.

Then, they heard hurried footsteps.

The maids looked up to see Axel and a group of enforcement team members entering the courtyard, escorting three captured Red Legion rebels.

“Your Highness,” Axel said as he knelt and placed his fist on his chest. “We’ve eliminated the resisting Red Legion forces, and captured these three assistant generals. What is your decision on them?”

Austin didn’t look up from the chessboard. He asked calmly, “Where’s Warrick?”

“Sir Prescott and some of his soldiers are still out there. General Steele is currently tracking them down,” Axel replied, lowering his head. “Tonight’s operation was a complete failure, Your Highness. I take full responsibility and await your punishment.”

“He escaped even after being given Tranqurin. He’s more capable than I expected,” Austin said.

“It’s not your fault. Get up,” Austin said, placing a white piece on the chessboard with a neutral expression.

“I cannot, Your Highness. I have failed my duty,” Axel replied, still kneeling and keeping his head down.

Every family has its own way of doing things, and the military has its own rules. Failing to capture Warrick was Axel’s mistake, and he knew he had to face the consequences.

“If you enjoy punishment so much, go receive 50 lashes,” Austin said calmly.

“Thank you, Your Highness.” Axel let out a small sigh of relief. Without punishment, he wouldn’t feel right. Now he could move on from this failure.

Austin continued, “There’s something else I need you to do after your punishment.”

Axel bowed his head again. “I await your command.”

“I’ve heard the Prescott estate is very rich, filled with treasures. Take the troops and raid it. Arrest anyone guilty, lock up the criminals, and enforce the law strictly. Everything must be handled fairly,” Austin ordered.

“I understand, Your Highness.” Axel stood up and left.

Austin finally placed his chess piece down and looked at the three traitorous assistant generals tied up in front of him. “How long have you served under Warrick?” he asked coldly.

The three men kept their heads down, silent.

“I’m giving you a chance to live. The first one who answers my questions will be spared.” Austin’s face showed no emotion.

The assistant generals exchanged nervous looks, their faces showing a mix of hope and doubt.

“Your Highness… Do you really mean that?” asked Auron Repa, the assistant general on the left, cautiously.

“Be quiet! Are you planning to betray Sir Prescott?” Viggo Bloom, the assistant general in the middle, snapped back.

Before he could say anything else, a sudden silence fell over the room.

One of the enforcement team members stepped forward and gave him a hard slap across the face.

“The choice is yours. You can decide whether to believe it,” Austin said as he took a sip from his teacup. “But my patience is running out. You have 30 seconds to think about it. After that, even if you want to talk, I won’t be interested in listening.”