The atmosphere in the room instantly froze.
The nobles looked at one another, their eyes full of hesitation.
They had never imagined that Toji would suddenly turn on them, much less make such an overbearing demand.
"Th-this is going too far, isn't it?" one noble said, mustering his courage, his voice trembling slightly.
Toji gave him a cold look and raised the broadsword in his hand slightly, pointing its tip at the noble:
"Too far? You made so many Gold Soul Coins off me. Is it going too far to make you cough them up now?"
The noble's face turned pale, and he hurriedly lowered his head, not daring to speak again.
Seeing this, another noble spoke cautiously:
"We're willing to return the share you're owed, but all our assets, that's really..."
"Crack!"
Toji swung his broadsword, splitting the table in front of the noble in two.
"I'm not discussing this with you. I'm informing you. Either hand over your assets or go into the Soul Fighting Arena and fight a Soul Beast in a match. Take your pick."
The noble had clearly lost his head in anger. "This is intolerable! Who do you think you are? I object!"
"Smack!"
The moment he finished speaking, a sharp slap rang through the room.
It was followed by the unmistakable sound of a window breaking.
Before everyone's eyes, Toji slapped him, sending him flying. The instant his body smashed through the window, shards of glass sprayed out like a torrential downpour.
His scream cut off in midair, replaced by a muffled impact from the street below and startled cries from the crowd.
The commotion downstairs drifted faintly up to them, but none of the nobles in the VIP room dared move.
Toji slowly withdrew his hand, a few splattered droplets of blood still clinging to his fingertips.
He flicked his hand, sending the droplets onto the carpet, where they spread into dark red stains.
"Now," he said, turning to the others, his lips curving into an almost gentle smile, "does anyone else object?"
The teacup in one noble's hand cracked with a snap. Trembling, he carefully set it back on the table, oblivious to the tea soaking through his silk glove.
A dark wet patch suddenly spread across the crotch of a potbellied merchant's trousers, but no one had the attention to spare to laugh at him.
At this moment, they were all in the same predicament.
Toji was a ferocious tiger, and they were a flock of sheep.
A tiger had entered the flock, and the buffet was open.
When Liang Wu pushed the door open and entered with the newly arrived nobles, he found the atmosphere inside so strange it was suffocating.
Toji lounged against a leather sofa, playing with a wineglass, the faintest hint of a smile on his lips.
Around him, the nobles who normally strutted about so arrogantly were huddled together like a flock of quails, wearing smiles uglier than tears.
"My lord, look, this wine was freshly made this year..." A noble cautiously offered him a bottle, his hand shaking so badly he could barely hold it steady.
Toji didn't so much as lift an eyelid, his gaze fixed on the Soul Fighting Arena outside the window.
There, several nobles who had refused Toji's demands and had their Soul Power crippled by his own hand were fleeing in disarray, a ferocious Hundred-Year Soul Beast in hot pursuit.
"Help! Help us!"
The entire Soul Fighting Arena had been cleared out, leaving only Liang Wu's men to guard the place. But not one of them dared laugh; they watched the nobles struggling on the stage with awe on their faces.
Piercing screams came from the stage without end, making the nobles in the room tremble all the harder.
"Tch, they're running so slowly. It's not exciting enough, either. It can't catch my interest at all." Toji took a sip of red wine, sounding somewhat disappointed. He picked up the Amplifying Soul Tool and shouted, "Why aren't you fighting the Soul Beast for your lives? I remember your task was to entertain me, so why is every one of you doing nothing but running for your life?"
At Toji's words, the nobles on the stage wailed for their parents in despair.
The arena was only so big, and a tiger-type Soul Beast had been let loose in it.
Without their Soul Power, how could they possibly defeat the Soul Beast?
"Good, go fight the Soul Beast for your lives. If you make me happy, I'll reward you with a Gold Soul Coin," Toji continued.
"Don't you love watching ordinary people fight Soul Beasts hand to hand?"
"This time I'll personally give you what you want. Come on, just like when you usually watch matches."
With that, Toji looked at the nobles in the room again. "Oh, right. Remember to place your bets, all of you. Just like usual, bet on whether they survive or die in the Soul Beast's jaws."
"P-place bets?" the others stammered, looking as reluctant as could be.
"Of course." Toji set down his wineglass. "Don't you love watching this kind of show? What's wrong? Now that it's your own turn to bet, you don't dare?"
The nobles all lowered their heads, not daring to meet Toji's gaze.
"What's going on?"
The newly arrived nobles looked at Liang Wu in utter confusion at the sight.
Liang Wu was feeling somewhat alarmed himself.
Toji's earlier arrangements had already made him realize something, but he truly hadn't expected Toji to actually dare do this.
Every one of these people had connections, and some were even in league with the imperial family. Without someone protecting you, how could you make big money in this gray area?
"I almost forgot. There are new guests I haven't greeted."
Toji swept his smiling gaze over the newly arrived nobles, the smile on his lips growing wider, like a fierce beast that had set its sights on its prey.
"Welcome, everyone. Since you're here, why not join this game?"
The newly arrived nobles looked at one another, clearly still unsure what was happening.
A middle-aged man in a magnificent robe frowned and looked at Liang Wu, a hint of displeasure in his voice:
"Give us an explanation. We didn't come here to watch him throw his weight around."
The moment he finished speaking, Toji hurled his wineglass straight into the man's face. It shattered with a sharp crack.
Shards of glass flew everywhere, instantly cutting several bloody lines across the man's face. Blood ran down his cheeks, and his screams rang out incessantly.
"You people have thrown your weight around and lorded it over others all this time. Today, it's finally your turn to get a taste of being bullied."
Seeing this, the nobles around them activated their Martial Souls, preparing to strike back.
Toji sneered, his figure vanishing from where he stood.
The next moment, he appeared behind the middle-aged man, seized him, and all but dragged him over to the window.
As for the ordinary nobles, their strength posed no threat to him at all, so naturally he paid them no mind.
"Come, see for yourself what happens to those who defy me."
With his other hand, Toji forced the man's eyes open, intent on showing him the nobles dying horribly in the arena below.
The screams below continued as the tiger-type Soul Beast began devouring the fleeing noble Soul Masters.
Under normal circumstances, the sight of it eating living people would have been enough to thrill these nobles.
But when they themselves became the ones being eaten, it was a different matter entirely. Their faces turned pale, and some vomited uncontrollably.
"Look! Every one of you, open your eyes wide and look!" Toji shouted angrily in a cold voice. "Isn't this what you love watching most?"
If he hadn't been strong enough back then, he would probably have died in a Soul Beast's jaws long ago.
Before he could take his next step, everyone present heard a "Boom!" that drew all their attention.
The door to the room suddenly exploded into fragments, and a golden torrent of Soul Power swept inside.
A middle-aged man stood suspended in the air, eight Soul Rings behind him like blazing suns. Their terrifying configuration of yellow, yellow, purple, purple, black, black, black, and black made the entire building tremble.
And the person beside him looked very familiar to Toji.
It was the Poison Soul Master who had dealt with Toji several times before.
"My lord, that's him," the Poison Soul Master said hurriedly, his eyes lighting up as soon as he saw Toji.
The Soul Douluo fixed his icy gaze on Toji.
"Was it you who stole my Soul Bone?"