In the past, this had been Alvin's usual tactic.
But now that their positions had been reversed, Alvin fell into thought.
Tap, tap, tap.
The low sound of fingertips tapping against the Spirit Bone chair echoed across the platform within the Void Corridor.
"Interesting." The corner of Alvin's lips lifted slightly as he uttered the cold word.
He raised his eyes toward the ruler of the Iron Thorn Conspiracy Group. Not a trace of panic showed on his face; instead, there was a cold scrutiny in his gaze.
"You think I wouldn't dare to gamble?" Alvin suddenly laughed. His laughter echoed through the empty Void Corridor, carrying a reckless note of mockery. "Rather than being taken hostage by you and left at your mercy, gambling Viktor's life with you seems more in line with my style."
Unless he was insane, there was no way he would agree to Hernandez's terms.
Handing himself over to Hernandez was tantamount to placing the freedom of his life in the other man's hands.
"So you refuse, then?" Hernandez lowered his eyelids, his skeletal hands slowly clenching into fists. "In that case, there's nothing left to discuss... Go ahead and see whether you capture my fortress first, or I throw Viktor into the void first."
"Try it."
Alvin's smile vanished as well. He watched him expressionlessly.
The two stared at each other, as though some invisible force and aura were grinding against one another, colliding.
The air seemed to freeze solid at that moment. Under the suffocatingly oppressive atmosphere, Zephlin's entire back was soaked in cold sweat.
From the beginning, he had been watching the clash between the two men.
From Hernandez's step-by-step probing, to using the rebels as a threat, to finally revealing his true intentions, Alvin had seen through all of the other