Qin Ran stepped out of the shadows, and Maxim and Selty immediately rose to their feet.
"Sir."
The two bowed deeply.
The weak were not necessarily humble, but the strong were bound to be respected. This was especially true for Maxim and Selty, who had repeatedly witnessed Qin Ran's strength shatter the limits of their imagination. Their respect for him was far from ordinary.
Qin Ran did not respond to them directly. He simply walked to the sofa in the small tea room and sat down steadily.
His gaze swept over the two of them.
Sweat immediately began seeping from their foreheads.
Just as they had said during their conversation, both Maxim and Selty understood Qin Ran's character very clearly.
He was quite tolerant toward friends.
But when facing enemies?
He was utterly merciless.
At this life-or-death moment, even Maxim, who was always hesitant, hesitated no longer.
He first drew a deep breath. After collecting his thoughts, he said, "Please forgive Selty and me for our earlier disrespect."
"Because Sage King's Doctrine clearly states that under the Sage King's leadership, cowards will become warriors, warriors will become heroes, and heroes will become holy spirits—holy spirits. We were blinded by the 'result' that was about to arrive, so..."
"Please forgive us."
As he spoke, Maxim dropped to one knee.
Selty beside him was not slow to follow.
"We truly had no other intentions!"
"We merely developed resentment we should not have felt because of the disparity before us."
"This kind of resentment..."
"Was utterly laughable!"
Selty gave a bitter smile.
Qin Ran still did not answer. He merely watched the two of them as traces of demonic aura slowly enveloped them.
Chaotic and scorching.
Yet filled with the smell of sulfur.
The cold sweat on their bodies was nearly evaporated in