Level 1 to Infinity: My Bloodline Is the Ultimate Cheat - Chapter 104

Chapter 104: No Way Out
Ethan was still deep in thought when Celeste glanced around the car.

“If no one has anything else to handle, we’re heading back to Ember city now. If you need to deal with something, you can meet me there in three days.”

No one objected. Only Leo made a quick phone call to check in with his family. As the car rolled forward, Ethan turned to Celeste.

“That sniper, did you take him out?”

“No. He got away. Sniping isn’t my specialty,” Celeste replied casually.

Victor nearly facepalmed. Not her specialty?

‘If that insane reload speed isn’t specialized, then what the hell am I?’

Does she even realize how much of a confidence-crusher that statement is for an actual sniper?

Victor kept those thoughts to himself, his military discipline told him to follow orders without question. If the Ninth Division had approved his recruitment, there had to be a reason.

Leo, on the other hand, had no such restraint. His mind worked in unpredictable ways, and during his time in the military, he had caused his fair share of trouble, including openly arguing with his commanding officers.

So naturally, he spoke his mind.

“What exactly are we doing in this Ninth Division, anyway? I already retired from the military. I barely got a few years of peace, and now they’re throwing me back into some special ops nonsense?”

“I’m telling you right now, if this means spending weeks camping out in some godforsaken forest again, I’m out. I nearly lost my mind living out there.”

Before he could continue ranting, Celeste slammed the brakes.

The car, which had been cruising at nearly eighty miles per hour, came to an abrupt halt.

Everyone nearly flew out of their seats.

Leo barely had time to process what happened before Celeste snapped at him.

“You think you get to decide?” Her voice was sharp, cold. “If you don’t want in, get out. But don’t think for a second that this recruitment was the higher-ups’ decision.”

She sneered.

“If I wasn’t planning to cut off Ethan’s other options, do you really think you three would even qualify?”

“If I had confirmed earlier that he was a Soul-Wielder, I wouldn’t have wasted my time with this. I’d already be halfway to the beach with some cute girls, enjoying life.”

Williams raised a brow. “Cute girls?”

Victor blinked. “Beach trip?”

Ethan narrowed his eyes. “Cut off my options?”

Leo, on the other hand, blurted out the worst possible reaction…

“What, you into chicks or something? That explains a lot.”

Victor quickly wrapped an arm around Leo’s neck, clamping a hand over his mouth before he could dig himself into an even deeper hole.

The tension in the car was suffocating.

Celeste radiated a chilling aura, the temperature seemingly dropping to freezing levels.

The only one unfazed was Ethan. He locked eyes with her.

“Explain. What do you mean by ‘cutting off my options’? What do you mean my friends ‘don’t qualify’?”

Celeste kept staring at Leo for a few more seconds, as if memorizing his face for later punishment, before finally turning away.

She started the car again and answered nonchalantly.

“You’ve been running that little guild in Ethereal, haven’t you? Renegade Alliance, or whatever you call it.”

“Living the good life, gaming all day, avoiding responsibility. So, I decided to bring these three in.”

“Then, I planned to drop them off in some isolated mountain where even a satellite connection wouldn’t work.”

“No guild management. No reinforcements. Eventually, Renegade Alliance would collapse, and with all the enemies you’ve made, your time in Ethereal would be over.”

“And once Lyla left, you’d have no choice but to follow me into the Ninth Division.”

Ethan stared at her, then burst out—

“That’s it? That’s your master plan? You really think taking them out of the game means I can’t find new people?”

“And what do you mean Lyla’s leaving? You better explain that right now.”

Celeste didn’t even blink.

“Go ahead. Recruit more. I’ll just make them disappear, too.”

Ethan’s frustration boiled over.

“The hell is your problem?! Before you even knew I was a Soul-Wielder, why were you so hellbent on dragging me into this?”

Celeste scoffed, but didn’t answer.

Instead, she glanced at the rearview mirror, right at Lyla. That split-second look said more than words ever could.

And Ethan saw it. His mind connected the dots instantly.

Lyla. Leaving.

His vision blurred for a moment, his blood surging. Without thinking, his hands gripped the seat.

Then, his legs shot forward.

BANG!

Celeste had never expected him to attack her directly. His foot smashed into the side of her face.

Her head jerked from the impact, slamming against the car window with a loud thud.

Ethan yanked the gear shift into neutral. He lunged forward, throwing a punch straight at Celeste’s face.

Each hit landed with a furious rhythm. “You think you can just do whatever you want? Huh? Huh!?”

“Damn shame, too. You’re actually pretty, but you just love making enemies, don’t you? Acting all high and mighty. Pretending you don’t like guys.”

“I’m telling you right now, Lyla is mine. Stay the hell away from her.”

Celeste fought back, but she was at a disadvantage.

Pinned in the driver’s seat, she had no space to move. All her combat skills were useless in such a tight spot.

And Ethan? He felt like he was made of steel.

She landed a few hits on him, but her hands went numb from the impact. He didn’t even flinch.

With no way to dodge or block, her flawless face was soon bruised and bloody.

Ethan kept hitting, voice sharp with rage.

“You think just because you’re a woman, I won’t hit you? If you were normal, I might hold back. But no, you had to pull this shit. Trying to mess with my life. Trying to ruin my friends. Who the hell do you think you are?”

“You’re just a pretty face with a rotten heart.”

No one had expected Ethan to snap like this.

Not even Lyla.

She had seen the way Celeste looked at her, but never imagined Ethan would react so violently over one glance.

This was a complete reversal.

Celeste had been the top-ranked fighter in school, while Ethan was the guy everyone wrote off as useless.

Yet here he was, pinning her down and beating the hell out of her.

For a moment, everyone forgot to intervene. Half a minute passed before Lyla finally snapped out of it.

“Ethan!” She rushed forward, trying to pull him off.

But then she realized something, Ethan was too strong. There had been a time when she could easily kick him across a room.

Now? She couldn’t even budge him.

“Help me!” she shouted at the others.

That snapped them out of their shock. It took all four of them to finally pry Ethan away.

As they held him back, Celeste took the opportunity to throw one last punch—

Crack.

Blood gushed from Ethan’s nose. Then, she followed up with a brutal kick to his gut, stopping just shy of full force.

Celeste wiped the blood from her mouth and glared at him.

“You actually hit a woman, you bastard!”

She turned to Lyla. “You see this? This is your dear boyfriend. No class, no control. He actually hit a woman.”

“You call yourself a woman?” Ethan snarled. He struggled against the three guys holding him back.

“Let go of me! Get your hands off Lyla! You don’t get to touch her!”

Even with three people restraining him, it felt like he might break free at any moment.

Ethan’s voice was hoarse with rage.

“I don’t care who else you mess with, but you stay the hell away from Lyla.”

“If you ever try to get near her again, don’t think I won’t go out and find the nastiest bunch of lowlifes to—”

“Ethan!”

Lyla cut him off. His words were going too far.

As soon as he stopped talking, Celeste’s eyes widened, she suddenly slumped in her seat, curled up, and…

Started sobbing.

Lyla quickly sat beside her, trying to comfort her.

Ethan, meanwhile, was sitting in the back, still fuming, until he caught something out of the corner of his eye.

Celeste, head lowered, arms wrapped around her knees… Turned slightly and shot him a smirk.

Then, just as quickly, she buried her face again. It was only for a split second. But Ethan saw it. And he realized—

‘Shit. I got played.’