You might come from a big family, you might be powerful, you might be the instructor at the headquarters but that didn't give you the right to trample over our pride!
Before Titan and Noah could stop them, a lanky teen among the new Apostles started the first attack. An ebony dagger came flying at Paki's lower abdomen. At the same time, the two surviving lackeys from Carlos' entourage were targeted as well.
Paki who was still reeling from the loss of his family's Hallowed Artefact didn't saw the assault coming. When he realized what had happened, it was already too late.
Around 20 Apostles activated their power—flames, tornadoes, icicles, thunders and other manifestation of power exploded in the hall. Paki was swallowed by the different attacks instantly! It was not that he was weak, after all, he was the instructor at the headquarters, his prowess couldn't be questioned but, as the Chinese say, a hive of ants could bring down a whole elephant!
Furthermore, these Apostles weren't ants!
When Titan and Noah stopped the assault and pulled Paki as well as the two lackeys out, the trio only had a breath in them. Ye Qi who noticed this sighed under his breath with regret.
After Titan left with Paki and the two lackeys to seek the healers, Noah's cold gaze swept the crowd and he said coldly, "Assaulting the instructor is a huge violation of the rules! All of you don't want to become a real Apostle anymore?"
There was a palpable shudder that streamed through the crowd. The group of Demon Hunters who was riding on the high of bloodlust was given a figurative splash of cold water to the face. They looked at each other with worry.
"You mean we should have allowed him to search us? You want us to give up our dignity, all for the sake of becoming an Apostle? If the headquarters refuse to let us become Apostles, then so be it because we would never swallow our pride for the sake of a flimsy title!" Ye Qi announced.
Even though he wasn't shouting, his voice registered in everyone's mind. The worried gaze of the gathered Apostles burned with resoluteness once more! The few excitable among them started yelling, "That's right! So be it! We value our pride more!"
"That's right! At most we will strike out on our own without the Apostle title!"
"We would rather give up the Apostle title than cower in shame!"
Different voices and languages rang out in the hall. The group of Apostles who were cautious of each other united under a same flag. The eyes that looked at Ye Qi had lost its earlier condescension but it was now filled with admiration and kindness, because he was the one who stood up to fight for the cause!
"Fine, I will report this to the headquarters and they will decide what to do!" Noah scanned the rowdy crowd before his gaze fell on Ye Qi. He seemed to be talking to the young Demon Hunter when he said, "But before I return, there better be no more accidents or else there will be hell to pay!"
After Noah left, the door of the hall was locked up from the outside. Ye Qi and the roomful of new Apostles looked at each other before sitting back down with a shrug, waiting for the answer from the headquarters to arrive. The young Demon Hunter closed his eyes once more but this time it was not for the purpose of taking a rest but he was looking for information.
Jade Leaf (Star): Hallowed Artefact blessed with the power of nature. Effect: Healing light injury 3 times per day. Transformation into Briars Whip.
Briars Whip: Transform the Jade Lead into a long barbed whip to attack the enemies. The sting barbs on the whip can cause slightly paralysis.
Reading the system message about the Jade Leaf, the young Demon Hunter's lips curved into a smile. When Carlos took out this Hallowed Artefact earlier, there was a desire that rose up within Ye Qi's heart. He was reminded of the information given by the weird wolf, each Hallowed Artefact needed to be awakened to his wielder.
Therefore, when Ye Qi crushed Carlos with the fireball, the young Demon Hunter who was ready used the Mage's Reach to snatch the Hallowed Artefact away. The assault on Paki was a surprise reward.
The fact that he wouldn't need to suffer Carlos in his life anymore and he didn't need the weird wolf's help to awaken the Jade Leaf greatly improved the young Demon Hunter's mood.
"Hey, nice to meet you!"
Suddenly an eloquent sounding voice appeared beside the young Demon Hunter's ear. Ye Qi who snuck the Jade Leaf out of view glanced towards the source of the voice. It was the lanky man who attacked Paki first, "I am Tatum from Autumn Forest, nice to make your acquaintance!"
"The name's Ye Qi, nice to meet you too!"
The young Demon Hunter nodded slightly and extended his hand for a handshake—this guy is from Autumn Forest, the state where Dirk family is from. Based on the viciousness of his attack earlier, it seemed like he has some history with Dirk family. While the enemy of my enemy might not be my friend, there's no reason to make any more enemy if they could be a friend.
"Ye Qi, what you said just now was extremely right! Also thanks for dealing with that creep, Carlos!" The slight figure had a way of speaking that sounded like he was plotting something heinous, but he seemed to have a passionate personality that was contradictory to that, "I don't have much on me but if you don't mind can I treat you to a round later? Of course, it won't be at anywhere upscale."
"I don't mind of course!" The young Demon Hunter accepted the invitation with a smile. The man reminded Ye Qi of Old Walter back home and he felt weirdly close to the young man.
"Do you mind counting me in if you're going for a drink?"
The interaction between Ye Qi and Tatum was practically broadcasted over the hall since the place so quiet. They were the only one talking after all. Even though some of them showed signs of walking over, the only one who really did was a large-bodied individual.
The physical state of the man gave people around him a sense of stability or threat depending on which side of the fence you land on. However, upon closer inspection, the man still had a youngish-looking face. He looked like he had not even left puberty yet.
"I am a Summer Crinkle local, so I'm familiar with all the watering holes here!" The large boy introduced himself shyly and added, "By the way, my name is Darien, nice to meet you!"
"Ye Qi from Tarlin, nice to meet you."
"Tatum from Autumn Forest. In that case, Darien, is it, then you'll have to find us a cheap bar because I don't think I have enough coins on me to treat three people!"
The shy and honest big bloke ingratiated himself into the small group easily.
"I know the perfect place! Plus, I have some cash on me so it'll be fine!" The guy pulled out his wallet to count the money inside before he realized the roomful of Apostles were looking their way. He smiled and said loudly, "How about all of us go together? Money is not an issue!"
"Count me in then!"
"Me too!"
"I can chip in if there's not enough money!"
The new Apostles reacted quickly after they heard Darien's invitation. They rushed to accept the invitation, a few of them even threw some money into the big bloke's hands—it was the time-honoured tradition for Demon Hunters to spend lavishly on recreation after a long mission. Therefore, even though the reward of a mission might be lucrative, the savings of most Demon Hunters would be near zero. It was the same for the Apostles as well! The exception being those who came from wealthy families or those rare specimens of frugal Demon Hunters…
After first introductions were made, they surrounded the big bloke to ask him about the famous vacation spots at Summer Crinkle and the famous ladies at the local pubs and bars. Suddenly the large front door was pushed open—Noah finally returned.
Instantly, he garnered everyone's attention.
"This is the final decision by the headquarters: Since both sides are equally punishable in this instance so we will let it slide but do not think this is a precedent to be set!" The moment the cold-faced guy finished the announcement, the hall exploded in cheers. The young Demon Hunter smiled with a shrug—he expected as much when Noah went to inform and ask the headquarters, after all, the law does not punish numerous offenders.
The Apostles gathered there were all hand-picked by the headquarters, they would be main fighting and driving force of the Demon Hunter headquarters in the future! The headquarters had more to lose if this bunch of people revolted against them—after all, most Demon Hunter families, the Church and the Secret Service were all hungry for the loyalty and service of new Apostles. They would not skimp to attract these new Apostles to their causes! Unless the headquarters had gone crazy, they wouldn't allow this fresh batch of talents to enrich other people's coffers!
However, the young Demon Hunter noticed Noah glance towards him. In that moment, Ye Qi swore he saw a smirk on the man's face…
Instantly, a bad feeling rose in the young Demon Hunter's stomach.
"But…" Noah said slowly and it was at this point that the young Demon Hunter confirmed his earlier feeling. The cold-faced man continued, "Since this incident started with the bout for life between Ye Qi and Carlos, they will have to answer for this infraction of peace. Carlos is dead and that is punishment enough. Even though Ye Qi is the passive party in this match, he is found to be equally at fault, therefore the headquarters decide that Demon Hunter Ye Qi will be put into confinement for a week! There is no plea and the punishment is effective immediately!"
The cheering stopped immediately. The big bloke was the first to protest while the lanky guy narrowed his eyes as his hand reached for the dagger at his waist.