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*****
"It's them—I've seen their portraits!"
At that moment, the male enforcer caught sight of Powder and Vi standing at the back of the crowd and shouted loudly.
Vi knew that being caught would drag Vander down with them, so she grabbed Powder's hand and bolted toward the back door.
Grayson and the male enforcer immediately tried to give chase, but the burly men in the tavern formed a wall to block their way.
"You're all looking for death—I'll arrest every last one of you!"
The male enforcer raised his pistol, but Grayson quickly pushed his arm down.
"Marcus, stand down."
Not only would starting a fight here disrupt the bigger picture, but even if one did break out, they were only two people. Against so many, they didn't stand a chance.
But strangely, Marcus didn't obey his superior this time. He raised his arm and fired a shot, striking one of the men in the thigh.
The moment Marcus opened fire, the tavern toughs lost all restraint and swarmed forward in a counterattack. No matter how loudly the store owner shouted for calm, it was useless.
And sitting across from Vander, George's lips curled into a faint smile.
That shot Marcus fired? It hadn't been his choice. George had meddled.
And Vander still lying unconscious after hours? That too was George's doing.
Marcus was arrogant, but he wasn't a fool. He wouldn't truly open fire when so outnumbered—he'd only intended to intimidate them. But George had used his ability to make the gun discharge.
As for Vander, he wasn't the kind of man to drink himself into complete unconsciousness. George had slipped him a spell of slumber.
The purpose of all this was simple: to ensure a clash erupted while Vander was unable to lead, so that the situation would spiral out of control.
With only two enforcers, trapped in a cramped tavern, firearms were nearly useless. Forced into close combat, they were quickly overwhelmed, beaten, and tied up.
If not for the store owner's desperate intervention, the two might already have been hacked to pieces.
"This is bad!"
Looking at Grayson and Marcus—unconscious, bloodied, and swollen—and then at Vander still snoring on the table, the store owner rubbed his temples in despair.
In this situation, even he had no idea what to do.
"I've had enough! To hell with it—we'll fight them!"
The tavern men cracked their knuckles, showing no fear.
But the store owner's face hardened.
"Fight? Have you all forgotten how many of us died six years ago?"
"What else can we do? The fight's already started! And there's no way we'll let them drag those kids away!"
The tavern men were Vander's loyal brothers. They all knew Vi and Powder personally and treated them like their own children.
To hand them over in order to appease the Upper City's fury? Impossible.
The shouting went back and forth, with no resolution. The store owner tried to shake Vander awake, but whether from too much drink—or George's interference—he couldn't rouse him no matter what.
"Give me up instead. Tell them I did it all. This was my mess to begin with."
Vi, having returned to the tavern with the younger kids, stepped forward.
Vander had taught her: a leader takes responsibility. Now that things had escalated beyond control, she couldn't bear the thought of him and their uncles dying because of her.
"No! I won't allow it!"
The men objected at once. Even the store owner refused, knowing Vander would never hand Vi over.
Just then, the tavern doors burst open again.
"Bad news! The enforcers are mobilizing in force—they've crossed the Piltover Bridge and are heading straight for the Lanes!"
"As expected."
George wasn't surprised at all.
The Lower City rebellion had only been six years ago. No matter how much Grayson trusted Vander, the Upper City wouldn't risk leaving themselves unprepared.
And besides—Vander wasn't the only power in the undercity. There was also Silco—cunning, ruthless, and merciless in his methods.
"Then we fight!"
At this point, there was nothing left to say. The tavern men dragged the bound Grayson and Marcus with them, rallying allies and preparing for a decisive battle against the enforcers.
"Vi, Powder—take care of Vander. If he wakes, bring him to us immediately."
The store owner gave the children hurried instructions before joining the fighters.
Watching him go, Vi clenched her teeth.
"Stay here, don't wander. I'm going to help them!"
This was her mess, and everyone was fighting because of her. She couldn't just hide in safety while others bled.
"Let's go together—time to show them!"
At that moment, George staggered to his feet.
Vi shook her head quickly.
"Thank you, George, but this has nothing to do with you. The Lower City is about to erupt into chaos. You should leave while you still can."
Powder had told her George had some skill—he'd flattened a thug with a single slap. But that was just a street punk. Against the disciplined enforcers of Piltover, he wouldn't stand a chance.
And besides, he was drunk. How could he possibly fight?
George raised his voice proudly:
"When I travel the world, I repay friends with loyalty, and I'd gladly take a blade for them!
When injustice appears, I raise my voice—
and when it's time to act, I act!"
With a roar, he smashed his fist into the tavern wall, blasting a gaping hole through solid stone. Then he stepped through it, heading straight after the men charging into battle.
"Hisss!"
Everyone around gasped in shock.
Drunken brawls were common in the tavern, and Vander had reinforced the walls with solid stone to avoid constant repairs. Those walls were built from rock taken from the undercity itself—they were tough as iron.
Even Vander couldn't punch a hole that size with a single blow.
"I'll go after him. Take Vander to the cellar and don't come out."
Vi hurriedly slipped through the hole, sprinting after George.
At the entrance to the Lanes, three forces stood in a tense standoff.
On one side, Piltover's enforcers in blue uniforms, rifles gleaming in hand.
On the other, the store owner leading Vander's men, armed with an assortment of blades and makeshift weapons.
And finally, Silco himself, arriving with his forces after hearing the news.
He had assumed Vander, true to his nature, would ultimately shoulder the blame for the children. Silco had even bribed Marcus in advance, intending to have Grayson assassinated and Vander captured in the chaos.
If Vander admitted fault for past betrayals, Silco would forgive him, and together they could rise against the Upper City once more.
But if Vander refused, Silco would kill him and slowly take control of the entire undercity, eventually overturning Piltover itself.
What he hadn't expected was this—word arriving that Vander's men had already captured both Marcus and Grayson and were preparing for war with the Upper City.
So he had rallied all his forces, wondering if Vander had finally come to his senses.
But when he arrived—Vander was nowhere to be seen.
(End of Chapter)