Peter had never experienced such repeated embarrassment. William had escaped from a Perfect Array Master and killed his subordinates in the same day. Even worse, he did it in front of an entire city!
This was humiliating, but what could Peter do? They were about the same age, but Peter was only a Core Formation Realm Cultivator, not nearly strong enough to fight with William in the Arena. He had many weapons and various defensive treasures that could keep him alive, but they cost a fortune and Peter wasn't willing to part with them so soon.
He turned to the pair of hooded bodyguards by his side. "You two, capture him for me."
The bodyguards were both clad in purple robes with the Rhio crest, but they emitted an aura much stronger than the average Golden Core Cultivator. They quietly nodded in response to Peter's order, as their only purpose was to serve their young master.
The two were bound to Peter by a series of powerful spells that the Family Head had placed on them many years ago. They couldn't disobey any of Peter's orders, even if he asked them to cut off their own arms.
The duo jumped into the Arena and faced William without exchanging words.
William immediately knew that this would be much different from the other Cultivators he fought earlier. He tried to weave together a Perfect Barrier Array, but one of the bodyguards reacted instantly and dashed forward and slashed with his sword.
William frantically turned to the side to avoid the sword, but he was a bit too slow. His right arm fell to the ground with a thud while William screamed in pain. The feeling of losing an arm was even more agonizing than being burnt by the Fire Element during his upgrades.
'I need to focus!' William gritted his teeth while activating the Life Element to heal his wound, but he was only able to restore a portion of the arm up to his elbow. After all, C Rank Life Magic could only do so much for a lost limb.
He gave up on healing his arm further and focused on dodging the attacks of the two bodyguards. The duo danced around William like ice skaters, perfectly syncing their attacks with one another. Even with his enhanced stats, William was unable to retaliate to any of their moves and was constantly on the back-foot.
A few seconds later, William made another mistake. The bodyguards noticed the opening and took the chance to cut off his other arm. Another few attacks and William's body was rendered completely useless. The bodyguards stood motionlessly on the other side of the Arena while he slowly bled out.
During the fight, the Perfect Array Master had restored the original functions of the Array, which allowed William to respawn once he died. Although his body was good as new, the mental damage caused by the fight meant he wouldn't recover consciousness for at least a few hours.
Up on the balcony of the Arena, Peter had a satisfied look on his face. "Well done you two, bring him to me."
With another nod, the bodyguards tied up William and dropped off his unconscious body to Peter, who entrusted it to the nearby Array Master.
Peter returned to his previous aloof attitude now that the issue was resolved. He turned towards the entrance of the Guild Hall. "We have what we came for, it's time to leave."
"Hold on for a moment." A rough voice came from behind.
Peter turned around with a bit of annoyance, and was about to give the other party a piece of his mind when he was stopped by the old Array Master. The Array Master got down on on knee and bowed slightly, "It's an honor to be in your presence, Supreme Guild Master."
Peter stopped his rude thoughts and took a close look at the man who just arrived. He appeared to be in his mid thirties, with a large build and long black hair. On his face were dozens of long scars of different shapes and sizes that made one wonder what kind of battles he had gone through. The man had bright green eyes and a long nose with a refined jawline.
His clothes didn't appear luxurious, being a simple green robe, but there was a vibrant blue symbol of fire that proved his status as a senior member of the Guild across the continent.
Peter knew this was an individual that even their family could not afford to offend easily. He knelt down and asked with respect, "What can we do for you, Supreme Guild Master?"
The Supreme Guild Master revealed a smirk. "I have an interest in that young lad over there, do you mind if I take him?" He pointed to William.
Peter's respectful face froze.
We went through all this trouble to capture him, and now you want to take him away for free? He lamented at his bad luck, but how could he refuse the request of the Supreme Guild Master?
"Of course, Sir. He's all yours." Peter responded with some strain in his voice. He ordered the bodyguards to take William over to the Supreme Guild Master, who also complied with some difficulty. They all felt the situation was completely unfair.
The Guild Master accepted William with a smile, "I appreciate your gesture. If the Rhio Family needs anything, feel free to contact the Guild at any time. I'll be on my way now." With his last sentence, the Guild Master turned into a cloud of smoke and vanished from sight.
The Rhio Family all turned to look at each other with slight confusion in their eyes. So they traveled all this way for nothing?
Peter wasn't willing to give up just yet. "Uncle." ᴛʜɪs ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ ɪs ᴜᴘᴅᴀᴛᴇ ʙʏ novelFɪre.net
The Array Master replied quickly, "Yes Young Master?"
"Understood." the old man retrieved a disk-shaped communicator with many buttons from his Space Ring, then adjusted some things before making a call.
"What is it this time? Did Peter fail again?" an annoyed voice sounded from the other end.
"Yes my lord. The boy was taken by a Supreme Guild Master who happened to show interest. What should we do?"
"A Supreme Guild Master? From where?" the Rhio Family Head was a bit surprised.
"His emblem suggests he's the one from Frostfire City."
"I see...there isn't much you can do then. Call Peter back, I will retrieve the Space Ring myself."
Peter heard the entire conversation and was a bit frustrated. As the young master of the Rhio Family, Peter should be renowned for his status across the continent. Unfortunately, he continued to fail every mission given to him by his family. At this rate, the position of family head would be given to his brother Lyre who was three years younger.
Peter looked at the Array Master, then at his group of bodyguards. A decision was made. "You two, continue to track the boy and give details of his whereabouts to me. We will capture him at the first opportunity."
The two bodyguards that previously fought with William acknowledged the order. They both exited the Guild Hall, then activated their stealth techniques before following a mark they had placed on William earlier.