Landlord World - Start with SSS talent-Chapter 345: Maisy and Ravic - Meet Zeka again

"Captain..."

"You can't surrender!"

"That's right, we can still fight..."

Maisy glanced around at everyone present, offering a gentle smile that felt cold to the bone.

"If you want to fight, then go ahead. But whatever you choose to do has nothing to do with me—or with the others."

"That..." The young man who had objected earlier immediately stammered, unsure of what to say.

Silence fell over the group. The atmosphere grew heavy and oppressive.

The young man clenched his teeth, wanting to speak, but realized he had no words.

Just then, someone suddenly stood up, let out a long sigh, and said,

"Captain, I think we should at least give it a try. If it doesn't work, then let it be considered the sacrifice of a few so the rest of us can reach our goal."

"What do you mean?" Maisy frowned.

"It's simple," the young man continued: "Ekko wants to fight, doesn't he?"

As he spoke, he turned to look at the young man who had just opposed Maisy's decision.

"That's right… You… What are you getting at?" Ekko stammered.

"Simple," the young man grinned.

"Let Ekko take everyone who still wants to resist to the event area and let them fight."

"If they manage to hold out, we can take advantage of that to launch a full-scale attack on the event area."

"If they can't, then we'll make our decision based on how the situation unfolds. Of course, their actions will have nothing to do with us."

His voice was full of mockery and threat, causing Ekko to grit his teeth so hard his face flushed red, his anger making him forget about the freezing cold outside.

"You..." Ekko roared in fury: "You bastard, don't think I don't know what you're trying to do. You're trying to push me to my death, aren't you?"

The other young man chuckled: "Hahaha... You can't say that. You want to fight, and I'm not stopping you. How is that pushing you to your death?"

"Ravic! Wipe that smug look off your damn face..." Ekko snapped.

"You're using this situation to get rid of me, aren't you? I'll—"

"That's enough!" Maisy finally raised her voice. She took a deep breath, her beautiful face marked with contemplation.

"Ravic is right. Ekko, if you want to resist, if you want to fight, then you're free to do so."

"Everyone should remember, from this moment on, any decisions made by Ekko have nothing to do with us. If anyone wants to follow him, now is the time to decide."

"Captain, you..." Ekko growled through gritted teeth, glaring at Maisy. If looks could kill, both she and Ravic would have died a hundred times over.

Unfortunately for him, no matter how much hatred and rage he poured into that stare, it couldn't kill them.

"I... I..." Ekko stammered.

"I've changed my mind. I won't fight. I agree with the Captain's decision."

"No, no no..." Ravic suddenly spoke up: "Ekko, do you think this place is some kind of playground for children? That you can just change your mind whenever you please?"

"You... Ravic, are you really cutting off my only path to survival?" Ekko growled through clenched teeth.

"Hahaha..." Ravic laughed loudly: "Ekko, you should feel honored that your mere sacrifice will give everyone else a better chance to survive."

"You bastard, I'll—Ack!" Ekko tried to fight back, but suddenly, he realized he couldn't move his body.

Something sharp had pierced into the back of his neck, rendering him completely paralyzed.

Startled, Ekko slowly turned his head to look behind him—only to see a massive butterfly, twice his size, plunging its proboscis into the back of his neck, sucking something out of him.

"You... you..." Ekko immediately recognized it—it was Maisy's Hero.

He couldn't speak any further. His mind slowly descended into darkness, and then—

Thud!

He collapsed to the ground, his body shriveled up like a dried branch. 𝕗𝐫𝐞𝕖𝕨𝐞𝗯𝚗𝕠𝘃𝐞𝚕.𝐜𝗼𝚖

Silence...

No one dared say a word. The atmosphere fell into a terrifyingly heavy stillness.

Maisy and Ravic could tell... everyone was trembling. That's right, aside from Garek, no one could stand against Maisy now.

Before, when Garek was around, people could freely object to Maisy's decisions if they felt they were unreasonable.

But now that Garek was gone, all authority had concentrated in Maisy's hands—turning her into a true monarch.

Maisy sighed and said: "I didn't want to do this either, but... I won't allow traitors to exist among the leadership."

"Garek, Violette, and now Ekko are the clearest proof of that. Now, I give this order—gather all your troops and prepare to attack the event zone. Understood?"

Her words only deepened the fear among the others.

One person mustered the courage to speak,

"Captain, we've already agreed to surrender. Why shed more blood and pointlessly sacrifice more Lords?"

"Hahaha..." Maisy covered her mouth with a graceful laugh. She was beautiful—but in this moment, no one could admire her beauty.

"You're all mistaken. The last person who survives will be me. And all of you..." Her smile twisted into something sinister, her gaze sharp as two blades: "You're the offerings that will ensure my survival."

"What?!"

"Captain, you can't be serious!"

"You..."

"AGH!"

At that moment, a swarm of massive butterflies surged into the room, engulfing the entire space. Their sharp proboscises pierced directly into the heads of those inside, turning them into nutrients.

Maisy and Ravic stepped out, closing the door behind them, leaving the butterflies to enjoy their feast in peace.

"Captain, do you really intend to go up against that man?"

Maisy glanced at Ravic and replied calmly, "Tell me your thoughts."

Ravic took a deep breath. Despite being wrapped in multiple layers of clothing, he still shivered from the cold.

In contrast, Maisy seemed much better off. The massive butterfly spread its wings and wrapped around her body, keeping her warm.

Ravic paused to gather his words before speaking: "I have a feeling that army belongs to one of the two individuals who ranked at the top of the recent announcement we received."

"One is a rank F Lord who managed to clear the 10th floor of the Trial Tower. The other is a rank E Lord who took first place in the 'Zombie Wave' event."

"Though I can't confirm exactly who it is yet, I'm certain that the Skeleton army belongs to one of them."

Maisy frowned and said: "You're right. Those Skeletons are too strong. They far surpass even my rank C Hero."

"If we were to fight them directly, I fear that even one of those two could wipe us all out."

Ravic nodded: "Exactly. That's why... Captain, you must make the right decision."

Maisy nodded lightly: "I understand. Back when I lived in the Safe Zone, my family tried to turn me into a puppet too."

"It's no different here. But at least now, I don't have to listen to the garbage from my clan."

Ravic chuckled: "Captain, you'd better prepare yourself mentally. If that person turns out to be a man, you might have some options. But if it's a woman..."

Maisy sighed: "Still no word on Violette?"

Ravic shook his head: "Nothing. It's like she vanished off the face of the world."

Maisy scowled: "She's probably dead. There's no need to waste resources looking for her. As for those other Lords... ignore them."

"Understood. Captain, should I—" Ravic began, then paused with a mischievous smile, as if something interesting had crossed his mind.

"No need." Maisy said flatly: "Let them live. At the very least... I need a gift for my first meeting with that person."

"Understood, Captain."

...

Noan stared at Violette, who sat shivering in the snow. Her body was turning purple from the cold, her heartbeat weak and faint—nearly stopping. His gaze turned cold.

He considered leaving her behind. But in the end, he only sighed, raised his hand, and released a surge of purple energy into her body.

"AGH!!!" Violette, barely clinging to life, suddenly screamed as her body convulsed violently.

Noan said calmly: "If you survive and learn to use Void energy, I'll give you a new future. If not, then... I'm sorry."

With that, he vanished into thin air, leaving without another glance.

The next moment, he reappeared inside a large cavern where a young man was sitting—clearly waiting for someone.

"We meet again, Zeka." Noan said quietly.

Zeka jumped to his feet, glaring at Noan with fury.

"You... you're the one who took Violette's first time, aren't you?!"

"Bingo!" Noan replied with a smirk, his voice laced with contempt.

"Looks like now that you've recovered to this state, you think the world should kneel at your feet, huh, Zeka…"