His Lordship Alexander Kane

J Chapter 0656 Quinto leaned against the railing of the seaside walkway on Coconut Wind Island, the salty breeze playing across his face.

He checked his watch.

His plan should have been in full swing, Alexander would be six feet under, and Amber and Coral in the clutches of his crew. Soon, his name would be on everyone's lips, outshining the island's top dog, Cloud Tiger. Before long, he would be the one calling the shots.

Cloud Tiger might have been a big shot once, but age had dulled his edge. He was no more intimidating than a tiger with no teeth.

"Quinto!" A man in black bolted toward him, looking terrified. He hit the deck with one knee, stammering, "Boss, I've got urgent news. Your guys... They've all bailed!

+ "They were all doubled over, bleeding...

\ They snagged a couple of speedboats and took off into the night. They wouldn't turn back, no matter how much we yelled!" Quinto's heart skipped a beat. He lunged forward, grabbing the messenger by his shirt, his breath catching in his throat. © © "Run that by me again? That can't be right! "Three Grandmasters, a whole bunch of vital energy-wielding hotshots, and a crew loyal to the bone—vanishing without a peep? They were supposed to § take Alexander by surprise. How could this happen..." The silence was suddenly profound.

A young man, tall and poised, made his way toward me along the moonlit “boardwalk, his steps silent in the heavy night air. He seemed like a shadowy )- specter, a figure of death itself, moving through the darkness.

Even from 20 meters away, the force of his presence was unmistakable, a ¢ palpable energy that they could feel without seeing. } "Kane, Alexander?!" In an instant, Quinto spun around to face the approaching figure, a shiver running down his spine. "It's you, it has to be you! "What did you do to my men? What's happened to them? You... You've taken their power and banished them from Coconut Wind Island?! "How did you manage it? What kind of strength do you possess?! I sent so many against you, and even if you were at the peak of your powers, they should have overwhelmed you, you..." Enough talk.

Alexander's face was a mask of I indifference as he regarded Quinto, his "~ voice detached and aloof. "I don't owe

you any explanations. Just understand this—we're not from the same world." 4 q He was right.

Quinto was just another face in the crowd, his martial skills placing him among the elite. He was still only a mortal, albeit a notable one. l However, Alexander was something else entirely. Human in form, yes, but his strength eclipsed that of the greatest ) warriors. He stood on the threshold of the mythical realm of the divine.

Once someone stepped into the celestial 4 sphere, they were on a whole other level —beyond ordinary, beyond comparison.

It was a gap too wide to cross, a realm too lofty for mere mortals to grasp.

"We're worlds apart..." Quinto stood frozen, the weight of those words hitting him hard. He swayed, his ’ = face a mask of utter despair.

It all clicked.

y Ever since he crossed Alexander, that bitter end was inevitable. Alexander was not holding back out of fear; he simply could not be bothered. If he had wanted to, Quinto would not have lasted that long.

"I'm such an idiot, a complete idiot..." By then, Quinto had given up on any stroke of luck. He looked at Alexander } with a grim smile. "Mister Kane, I wronged you first. If you want vengeance, I won't argue.

"Just make it quick, Mister Kane. Give me a clean break. I... Twon't put up a fight." With those words, he bowed his head, the grimace on his face deepening.

Not fighting back... It was not about wanting to, it was about not daring to.

y In the face of Alexander's immeasurable power, Quinto could not find the will to

+ resist. A crushing sense of helplessness and defeat surged through him, overpowering his very instinct to survive. Nôvel(D)ra/ma.Org exclusive © material.

Like a rabbit staring down a tiger, an ant before a lion, a sparrow facing a dragon— his spirit was under siege, his will nearly shattered.

"You think you deserve to die by my hand? You think you're worthy?" Alexander's laugh was soft, almost mocking. "Everything has its purpose, even the most withered plant, the driest leaf, or a scrap of paper.

"Tell me, what's your worth? What makes you think a man with no value deserves my attention, let alone my wrath?" Quinto's heart skipped a beat, and he was overcome with shame.

Value... I "= In Alexander's presence, Quinto felt less

«than nothing—not fit to die, less than a dry blade of grass, a fallen leaf, or a scrap Y of paper.

"I remember you trying to get me on your side, to take down the Cloud Tiger, to make you the kingpin of Coconut Wind Island." Alexander's gaze was calm and detached, his voice floating down like it was from another world, sending shockwaves through Quinto's soul. "Thinking you could get me on your side was a fantasy.

"However, if you can take out the Cloud Tiger on your own, prove your worth to Coconut Wind Island and its visitors, then you'll have redeemed yourself.

"This is your last shot to make things right." With that, Alexander dismissed Quinto with a turn of his heel and walked away.

"Quinto?"

* Only when Alexander's silhouette had \ vanished did the kneeling henchman dare ¢ to look up. He saw Quinto, looking like a ghost of his former self, and ventured, I "Boss, Alexander didn't seem keen on killing us, and now he's gone. So, what do I we do now?" I Quinto managed a wry smile and slowly shook his head.

After a moment, he rallied, took a deep breath, and commanded, "We've lost I over a hundred and twenty of our members. We've got about thirty left who can still fight. Get them all here! "If we can't beat Alexander, we'll throw everything we've got at the Cloud Tiger.

We'll either rule Coconut Wind Island or...

If we go down, we'll go down with our heads held high!" The henchman's body tensed, and he bit down hard on his resolve.

"Understood!"