Just hearing the name Shield Hero, Yatri began to tremble all over, his face turning pale.
Ordinary people might not be very clear, but Yatri, as a lord, naturally knew much more than the average person.
After the second wave of disaster, at the celebration banquet, Jason alone overwhelmed hundreds of elite soldiers, even slapped the king several times, knocking him down and making him vomit blood, and later dragged the king around the palace like a dead dog.
Even so, Jason remained untouchable.
Although Yatri didn't know why the king let Jason go, from the information he had, it was clear that Jason was someone not to be provoked.
After all, if even the king had no means against him, how could a minor lord like him stand a chance?
"Quick... let them go!"
Yatri hastily shouted, afraid that Jason would arrive at the scene right now.
If Jason knew that he had put a knife to the neck of his subordinates, Yatri feared his end would be extremely miserable.
However, the soldiers who didn't know much about Jason's deeds looked at each other, not understanding why Yatri was so afraid—he was just a hero, after all.
Moreover, it was the hero's followers who took the lead. Many of Yatri's men had already been killed; letting them go seemed unreasonable.
This wasn't Yatri's usual style; typically, he would torture and kill Jack and the others.
"A bunch of idiots, don't you understand what I'm saying? Put down your weapons!"
Seeing the puzzled faces of the soldiers, Yatri yelled anxiously.
The soldiers were taken aback. Even if they didn't understand, they slowly put their weapons away.
At this moment, Jack suddenly grabbed the long sword from one of the soldiers and placed it against his own neck again: "No, we still have to show Lord Shield Hero how you treat us."
"My friends, this is all a misunderstanding, a complete misunderstanding. You see..."
Yatri tried his best to put on a warm smile, rubbing his hands together as he spoke slowly.
"Misunderstanding? There are whip marks on my back. How could it be a misunderstanding? Open your eyes and see for yourself; there's still blood."
Jack turned his head away, completely ignoring Yatri's words.
It must be said that such an upright young man had changed his ways since following Jason.
"This…."
Although Yatri appeared embarrassed, he was inwardly cursing: "It was just a whip, apply some medicine, and it'll heal. How many of my men have you killed?"
"What happened?"
Just then, a calm, questioning voice echoed from a distance.
Yatri raised his head and saw two carriages appearing on the distant street.
"Master Shield Hero, we are here!"
Seeing the carriage, Jack was overjoyed and shouted loudly.
There was no doubt that this was Jason's carriage.
Yatri felt dizzy with fear; what he dreaded had indeed happened.
The two carriages were still a hundred meters away when a figure sprang out, moving so quickly it seemed like teleportation, and appeared at the castle gate.
"So fast!"
Seeing the figure, Yatri's pupils shrank; his eyes couldn't track the movements of the approaching person.
With such strength, Yatri immediately deduced that the person was indeed the Shield Hero: Jason.
"Jack, what happened?"
Jason ignored Yatri and asked Jack directly.
"I saw some cowards bullying a subhuman father and daughter."
Jack quickly recounted the events, without any embellishment.
"That... Lord Shield Hero..."
Yatri didn't know Jason's attitude, so he tried to explain, but before he could finish, he saw a slap coming closer.
"Crack~~~"
A sharp slap echoed through the air. Jason's strength was so immense that Yatri spun several times in mid-air before flying several meters away and crashing to the ground.
"I was talking to my subordinates. Why did you interrupt? What do you think you are?"
Jason's cold voice followed immediately.
Lying on the ground, Yatri spat out a mouthful of blood mixed with teeth. He struggled several times before finally getting up, forcing an extremely ugly smile: "Y-Yes... I apologize."
The soldiers around were completely dumbfounded. A dignified lord, slapped in the face, apologizing? Was the world truly this insane?
Though they had their doubts, the soldiers dared not question or move. They glanced down at their weapons, which were still resting on Jack and the others' necks.
Now they somewhat understood why Yatri had ordered them to lower their weapons earlier; their master's fear was justified.
But it was too late to retract their weapons now—Jason had already seen everything.
"I will accept your apology for now. But explain why your soldiers had their weapons at my subordinates' necks, and why Jack seems to have been injured. You'd better provide me with a reasonable explanation."
Jason's eyes scanned the soldiers as he continued.
Explanation? What explanation could there be?
Your subordinates charged first; I merely defended myself.
Of course, Yatri couldn't say that. He knew if he explained it that way, his life would be forfeit.
After all, the man in front of him was someone even the king wouldn't dare to cross, a terrifying powerhouse.
"Um... I-I said it was a misunderstanding. Would you accept that?"
Yatri cautiously watched for any changes in Jason's expression as he spoke.
"What do you think?"
Jason slowly approached him, placing his right hand on Yatri's shoulder, narrowing his eyes.
In the next moment, there was a gut-wrenching scream, accompanied by the sound of bones cracking.
That's right, Jason had crushed Yatri's shoulder.
"You whipped Jack, so I'm taking your arm. Fair enough, isn't it?"
"Y-Yes... fair."
Under the immense pain, sweat as large as beans poured down Yatri's face, mixing with the blood at the corner of his mouth. Still, he nodded frantically.
After all, losing an arm was better than losing his life.
"Well... you are a lord, indeed. You're smart and know when to endure. But I have one more issue—after the first wave of disaster, you ordered your soldiers to disguise themselves as mercenaries and hunt subhumans to sell as slaves, didn't you?"
Hearing Jason's words, Yatri's eyes widened in shock. His entire body seemed to turn to stone, as if he couldn't even feel the pain anymore.