Reborn: Apocalypse Ready. War Goddess by My Side novel Chapter 554

Chapter 554 Ask It

Steven let out a cold laugh. “You never did anything to me?

“Talk!”

Tristan’s eyes darted around, confusion written across his battered face. Has Steven actually found out?

“Talk about what?”

“Playing dumb, huh?” Steven arched an eyebrow.

The slap cracked across his cheek before he could answer.

Blood sprayed from his mouth.

Tristan doubled over, hacking up another mouthful of blood.

“I said talk!”

Grief and fury twisted across Tristan’s swollen face.

“What do you want me to say?! You’re attacking me without any warning, and you’re not even scared my family will come after you for this?”

Steven snorted. “Come after me?”

Another slap cracked across his face.

More blood sprayed from his mouth.

His teeth were nearly gone at this point, and his words came out slurred and wet.

“I said talk!”

The slap landed again.

“Stop playing dumb!”

Another slap.

“Let’s see how long you can keep up that attitude.”

One more slap landed, sharp and merciless.

Tears of pain and humiliation finally broke loose from the corners of Tristan’s eyes.

He sobbed openly now, unable to hold it back.

“Talk about what? Just tell me what you want me to say!”

Steven grabbed a fistful of his hair and yanked his head up.

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His face had swollen into something barely recognizable as human.

Out in the stands, the Gordon family’s fury had reached a boiling point.

“That little brat! We’ll make you pay!”

Kenneth’s expression had gone dark as a storm cloud.

He was going to collect on this debt. That much he swore to himself.

The rest of the Gordons couldn’t sit still any longer.

“Mr. Lane, is nobody going to step in? At this rate, that lunatic is going to beat him to death!”

Robby’s voice came back flat and detached. “Everything happening right now falls within the rules. What exactly would you like me to do? If Tristan wants out, he’s welcome to forfeit the match.

“There’s no other option. And if Tristan does end up dead, the academy and the Inspectorate will absolutely hold Steven accountable.”

That cold, procedural answer left the Gordon family with nothing to say.

Every last one of them seethed with rage.

Shock and fury warred across their faces.

“You little brat, you’d better hope we never get our hands on you.

“My family will make you pay for this a hundred times over, a thousand times over!”

Down in the crowd, plenty of onlookers felt a chill crawl up their spines.

Steven had guts, going after a Gordon without a shred of hesitation, without a single ounce of respect for the family name.

And the real question everyone kept asking was simple. What exactly did he even want Tristan to say?

This had officially become the best show of the whole tournament.

Lola had dissolved into a fit of giggles, practically bouncing in her seat as she watched the chaos unfold.

The longer she watched, the more she liked this Steven.

Robby stared at the screen, at a complete loss for words. Could the kid not have shown a little restraint?

This was getting harder to explain by the second.

Over in the section reserved for the Kingston family. Cyrus kept his expression calm on the surface. though

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Chapter 554 Ask It

his thoughts churned underneath.

A Grade-A, Tier-0 talent like this couldn’t be allowed to live.

He’d only cause endless trouble down the road.

Hudson, seated in a position of considerable authority, shared that exact same thought.

His eyes had stayed locked on Steven the entire time.

Even now, even as a Divine Lord, he still couldn’t get a clear read on this kid’s true limits.

He’d already thought Alan was troublesome enough. Now here was another monster just like him, seemingly out of nowhere.

Faser

With someone like Alan, there were always ways to manipulate him, to bend him into a weapon they coul wield.

But when someone crossed into truly dangerous territory, someone who couldn’t be controlled or turned their side, the answer had always been simple. Eliminate them.

And this kid had clearly crossed that line.

Barely four months since his Awakening, and he’d already reached a level where he could cut down a Divin General at the peak of their power.

That thought only cemented the decision forming in Hudson’s mind.

He has to die.

No formalities, no reports up the chain. Just a clean, quiet execution.

Qn the broadcast, the feed had shrunk Steven’s portion of the screen/down, since letting it run at full size -the entire time didn’t sit well with the producers.

Still, nobody could miss what was happening.

Tristan’s face had swollen into something unrecognizable, blood and drool leaking freely down his chin.

Steven barked out, “I’ll give you one more chance. Talk!”

Tristan’s eyes had swollen nearly shut, but even through those narrow slits, the raw terror in them was impossible to miss.

He was genuinely, thoroughly terrified now.

This guy was a monster, completely unreasonable, demanding he talk without ever once asking him a real question.

This had to be deliberate. This was humiliation, plain and simple.

“Comic on, man, just tell me what you want me to say

Steven’s hand rose again, ready to deliver another slap.

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Chapter 554 Ask It

Tristan’s eyes went wide with desperation, and he screamed with everything he had left.

“Ask me something! You haven’t asked me anything!”

Steven’s hand froze in midair. He rubbed the bridge of his nose.

An awkward little laugh escaped him. “Huh. Guess I haven’t.”

Tristan let out a broken, furious roar. “That’s what I’ve been saying! You jumped straight to hitting me and just kept telling me to talk! Talk about what? You never asked me a single question!

“You could’ve just asked, you absolute lunatic! This is so unfair!”

Tristan broke down completely, sobbing, his composure shattered beyond repair.

Here he was, a celebrated prodigy of the Gordon family, reduced to this humiliating mess.

And he knew exactly what this would look like to everyone watching. The whole world would be laughing! him after this.

Back in the stands, the rest of the Gordon family watched the scene unfoid on the screen, disgust mixing with their fury at how pathetic he looked.

Then, a split second later, another slap cracked across his face.

Tristan just stared, completely stunned.

“Wait, are you serious right now? Why did you hit me again?”

Steven let out an irritated grunt. “Who told you that you could yell at me?”

Tristan just stared at him, utterly speechless.

Was Steven even listening to himself right now?

Down among the spectators, people were biting back laughter with everything they had, terrified of drawing attention to themselves.

Only someone like Lola felt free enough to laugh without holding back at all.

Steven had a flair for theater, and underneath it all, he was clearly a lot more calculating than he let on.

Tristan finally broke completely, screaming at the top of his lungs. “Just kill me already! Kill me! You’ve humiliated me beyond anything I can live with! My family will never let this go, not as long as they live!”