Noah who came with Alicia and Xanali took the seat beside his mother and father. Gaya clenched her fist as the smile on her face disappeared instantly when she saw Xanali. Under the table, Michael squeezed Gaya's hand to calm her down and remind her where they were. Alicia was wearing a sparkling golden gown while Xanali wore a ruby red gown with loose full sleeves. Their beauty caught everyone's attention. In the middle of the two beauties, Noah remained calm as serene water. He looked contrary to Michael wearing pure white robes.
Diana's heart warmed seeing her two sons at the same place despite both Noah and Michael not wanting each other's company. Before they were born, Skyhall told her that the twins were destined to battle each other for the fate of the world. One would fight for blood and chaos while the other would fight for peace.
Still, Diana invited Noah to the party just to start building the bridge between them and Ghost. Deep down, Noah and Michael didn't hate each other. Unlike Noah, Michael knew about Noah's secret. As far as Michael was concerned, Noah and the rest of the world were being manipulated by a higher power; the Guardians.
"Have you two met each other before?" Ethan asked, looking at them.
Gaya's eyes were locked onto Xanali. For Xanali on the other hand, a commoner girl no matter who she dates didn't earn her attention. Hence, Xanali did not even take a second glance at Gaya.
Noah and Michael remained silent for a few moments. Diana was afraid that Noah would be mad at Michael for nearly killing Andrews during the tournament.
"Not like this" Noah calmly answered,
Just like Michael, Noah too squeezed Alicia's hand under the table to calm her down. Ghost spared Peter his life but made his life a living hell by revealing Peter's vigilante life. In addition to that, he literally wiped the floor with Peter. The mental trauma Peter suffered affected Alicia's entire family.
The Guardians started investigating Peter and with the evidence Ghost provided, it was only a matter of time before Peter received a sentence from the Guild.
Compared to Michael, Noah was a good guy as he did not reveal Gaya's identity even though Ghost almost destroyed Alicia's family and killed his cousin.
"You know, unfortunate things happen in life. We should forget, forgive and move on" Ethan quickly said to ease things up. However, to everyone's surprise, Noah smiled,
"If you're talking about what happened to Andrews, I don't blame Ghost"
Even Michael was surprised to hear Noah. He knew Noah was a guy who could be branded as a righteous goody two shoes. Still, he didn't expect this answer from Noah.
"Andrews knew what he was getting into. I am glad everything worked out for everyone"
Noah signaled one of the waitresses to fill their cups. The waitress came running to them with an expensive bottle of wine. She filled all their cups except for Michael and Gaya
Everyone at the table looked at the two of them with a bewildered face,
"We don't drink"
Diana nodded approvingly while Ethan looked just stunned.
"Me too," Michael nodded at Noah with a smile. Noah really seemed like he didn't hold any grudge against Michael for beating the crap out of Andrews or destroying Peter. Of course, Noah still hated Ghost for using his talents to get richer instead of helping people. In Noah's mind, Ghost was a first-class self-centered person who would lift a finger if there is no profit for him.
Diana was glad to hear Noah and felt quite proud of her son. Everything was going better than they expected. The aroma from the kitchen started to kindle their appetite. Noah and Michael could even hear some stomachs growling. They couldn't blame them as whatever Raylene was making smelled so good.
Soon the waitresses and waiters arrived carrying plates from the kitchen. Gloria and two other waiters came to Michael's table with so many delicious dishes. They neatly lined the dishes on the round table for everyone to easily reach them.
Creamy squash risotto with toasted pepitas, Chilled-marinated pork with brussels sprouts, Clam toast with pancetta, Filipino-style meatloaf, Grilled garlic, and black pepper shrimp, Grilled kingfish with creamed corn, Olive Oil confit chicken with cipollini onions, Pork chops With celery and almond salad were just a few dishes Gloria and the two waiters could carry at once. The rest of the dishes were still on the kitchen table waiting to be picked up.
"My lords and my ladies, please enjoy your meals' ' After serving Michael, Gloria tapped the glass in her hands and announced with a gentle smile.
Soon after she announced, everyone dug into the dishes in front of them.
The hall was filled with the sound of forks and knives hitting the dishes and chewing.
The feast continued without any problems. The desserts arrived right after everyone finished their main courses. At Michael's table, everyone was enjoying their meals in silence. Occasionally Diana tried to start a conversation that would involve both Noah and Ghost. However, when one answered, the other remained silent. So there was no conversation between Noah and Ghost as Diana wanted it to be.
The desserts disappeared faster than the main courses. When everyone licked the plates and cups clean, they all looked at Ghost for the reason for his invitation.
"The floor is yours Ghost" Ethan patted Michael on the shoulder as he stood up to talk,
"Who else still has some space in the stomach for more desserts?" Michael joked. All the guests let out a chuckle.
"I have two announcements to make. Two life changing announcements" Michael looked at Gaya and smiled before continuing,
"Ladies and gentlemen, I was invited to join Mazeroth" the entire hall went silent after he announced. Gaya expected a few more sentences from his mouth but he suddenly announced the thing without beating around the bush.
The people were stunned, especially Diana. She felt a chill running through her spine. Her shock was not the good kind, it was utter fear and dread. Everyone's eyes were one Ghost so they failed to notice the gloomy look on Diana's face.
"So I-"
Just as when Noah was about to turn to look at his mother, all of a sudden, Ghost stopped talking. The very next moment, the smile on Noah and Ghost's faces vanished. The two of them had sensed the danger before anyone else.
Chill!
Chill!
Two arrows pierced through the glass walls out of nowhere. In a blink of an eye, Michael and Noah both reached out to their parents. Noah caught the arrow that was aimed at his mother and Ghost grabbed the arrow that was aimed at Ethan.
Chill!
Chill!
Chill!
Chill!
Chill!
Chill!
Chill!
Chill!
It took a few moments for everyone to realize what just happened. Thanks to Michael and Noah's reflex, they grabbed the arrow mid-air before they could hit Diana and Ethan.
"Get down!" Peyton screamed as loud as she could after seeing the arrows.
Chill!
Chill!
Chill!
Chill!
Chill!
Chill!
Chill!
Chill!
The glass walls around them shattered before anyone could react to Peyton's shout. Gaya immediately kicked the table before them and used the table as a cover.
"Sunlight shield"
"Earth protection!"
"Metal bubble!"
Many quickly cast defense spells while the arrows were continuously getting forest at them from all directions. Noah waved his hand as a white translucent bubble covered everyone hiding behind the table.
"Mom, dad, stay here!" Noah shouted,
Pulch!
Pulch!
"Argh"
"Grr"
"Argh"
The blood splashed across Michael's table from the waiters who just got riddled by arrows.
"Lightning Dash!" He immediately cast the spell to save Gloria before she loses her life. The arrows were extremely fast. Even when he was using lightning dash, the arrows seemed to move relatively faster. He was too late but not too late. An arrow stuck Gloria in the arm but he was able to grab her and run into the kitchen area where they had no glass walls.
When he entered the kitchen, he saw Raylene and Cindy backed into a corner by several figures in ninja robes. Under different circumstances, Michael would have thought of earth when he saw the ninjas.
"Master Ghost!"
"Brother!"
Raylene was holding Cindy tight. Her face was pale of the terror around her. The kitchen floor was red with blood. All the helpers were slaughtered by the two ninjas. On the floor near Cindy, Daniel was holding his stomach as blood was spraying out of the wound. He looked pale with blood loss.
Michael's killing intent exploded through the roof when he saw this. The ninjas were only at Body Strengthening stage level 10. It seemed like Daniel who was a Core Formation level 1 cultivator saved Cindy and Raylene and brought enough time. The ninjas were extremely quick. A few minutes ago, Michael did not sense any danger around him. In a split second, they appeared on his Environmental scanning map. They slaughtered the helpers in a few blinks.
"Ring of Fire '' Michael only had to think as streams of fire rushed out of his hands as though his hands were flamethrowers. It was not a ring of fire but a straight line of lava flame aimed at the two ninjas near Raylene and Cindy.
"Lightning Dash" Michael felt losing control to the third persona. It was like something screaming inside his head to let it out. This time, Michael had the upper hand thanks to the meditation and control over his anger.
The ninjas were fast but not as fast as Michael. Before they could leap at him, he reached Raylene and Cindy,
"Go!" Michael shouted as he willed the system to buy a teleportation scroll and teleport the three of them to his room in the dark forest mansion.
In addition to the teleportation scroll, he also willed the system to knock them out unconscious.
The bright light flashed across the kitchen and in the next second, Cindy, Raylene, and Daniel disappeared from their sight. The kitchen then became darker as he turned back. His eyes flickered in red. The ninjas who were surrounding him had no idea they just punched the ticket to hell. Fifteen Body Strengthening stage level 10 ninjas were about to face one pissed off Core Strengthening stage warrior. Ghost was too mad to think about the reason for the ambush or who sent the ninjas.