As it turned out, the four brothers had simply been concealing their true potential the whole time as they put up with Sideburns' insults.
“Retreat! Retreat!” Juliana shouted when she realized that Sideburns was on the losing end.
The family members then left Sideburns and his men behind as they ran frantically through the tunnel.
Sawyer and his brothers grew anxious when they saw their targets escaping, so they increased their offense at the cost of a lowered defense.
It was a near-suicidal approach, but it was effective as they were able to crush the opposition completely.
Sideburns lost both of his arms, while his men were either dead or wounded.
Sawyer and his brothers then gave chase and quickly caught up to the fleeing family members.
“Come with us right now, or we will kill you!”
“Please let us go, Sawyer! In return, we'll give you half of my husband's wealth! I'll even let you marry my daughter! An opportunity like this only comes once in a lifetime, Sawyer! Don't let it go to waste!” Juliana pleaded desperately.
Unfazed by her offer, Sawyer simply repeated himself, “Come see our master right now, or we will kill you!”
Juliana and the other family members were in complete despair as they had never once thought they would die at the hands of Sawyer.
On the way back, the family members had hoped for Sideburns to somehow keep Sawyer busy again so they could make a last-ditch attempt at escaping.
However, that last bit of hope was crushed the moment they saw Sideburns sitting there pathetically with his arms severed.
Sideburns stared wide-eyed at Sawyer when he saw him again. “You... You used the Merciless Dragon Sword! Only the Great Marshal's men from the North are capable of using it! You really are the Great Marshal's men!”
Sawyer and his brothers had inherited their swordsmanship from Samuel, but the latter had warned them not to use it unless they were in danger or had already met their master.
They never understood the reasoning behind his instructions, but their encounter with Zeke earlier made it all clear.
Samuel was simply worried that people would realize they were the Great Marshal's men and uncover their identities as spies.
The four brothers nodded proudly. “That's right!”
Pfft!
Sideburns coughed up a mouthful of blood from the shock.
He had never expected the Great Marshal to come after him like this, let alone the four brothers whom he deemed weak to be the Great Marshal's disciples.
“Run! Hurry! You will all suffer fates worse than death if you fall into the Great Marshal's hands!” Sideburns shouted desperately at the family members, but there was simply no way ordinary people like them could escape from Sawyer and his brothers.
“We have brought them to you as requested, Master,” Sawyer and his brothers said in unison as they lined the family members up before Zeke.
“You did well,” Zeke said with a nod.
Sawyer mustered up the courage and asked, “Master, are you... are you really the legendary Great Marshal?”
Zeke simply nodded in response.
Sawyer and his brothers shed tears of joy upon seeing that. “It is a great honor for us to serve you, Great Marshal!”
Zeke patted them on the shoulder and said, “Your father was a great man. I am proud of you guys for living up to his reputation.”
The four brothers felt as though they could die with no regrets after receiving such praise from the Great Marshal.
Zeke glanced at the family members before him and said coldly, “Behead those that are of age and put the underaged into labor camps for reformation.”
The family members were all dumbfounded.
What? He's going to behead us like this? Isn't this a little too inhumane?
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