Chapter 4
1239 Words
Night.
Bern East District, Azure Snake Court.
A young man in his early twenties sat before Bei Xiao.
He was one of the street court guardians Bei Xiao had chosen.
Raphael was also among them.
"Boss! You're not leaving again after this trip back, right?"
"Yeah! You've been gone for a year! Even though you kept in touch, we still lacked confidence without you here! Look at Raphael! He's lost the most games this past year!"
"Damn it, Mestu! Like you've never lost!"
"Still fewer than you!"
"Bastard! I dare you to a match later!"
"You're on! Half a month's court earnings! You dare?"
"I..."
As Raphael and Mestu, the guardian of Crazy Bull Court, began to argue, Bei Xiao spoke calmly, "If you enjoy fighting, you're free to leave."
The two instantly shut their mouths, though their glares still crackled with animosity.
The other five people present didn't seem to mind at all. After all, while Raphael and Mestu appeared to despise each other, this was simply how they had interacted since they met.
Seeing that the two had calmed down, Bei Xiao swept his gaze over everyone present and spoke again. "In the year I've been gone, you've all done an incredible job!"
"Just by renting out the courts, organizing match bets, and offering tennis coaching, you've managed to generate a substantial monthly income!"
"You've moved out of the slums and even saved up some money!"
"Raphael even mentioned that you're thinking of opening your own indoor tennis club!"
Hearing Bei Xiao's praise, everyone's lips curved into smiles. After all, this was his acknowledgment of their hard work over the past year.
"So... I'm leaving Switzerland for good!"
"I only came back this time to see if you guys could actually make it on your own!"
"From now on, whether it's the street courts of Bern... or the club you want to open... or even if you decide to expand beyond Bern... you'll have to rely on yourselves!"
Upon hearing that Bei Xiao was leaving Switzerland permanently, Raphael and the others widened their eyes in shock.
"What?!"
"Boss, you're leaving Switzerland?! For good?!"
"How can you do that!! If you still need to be away, we'll just keep managing the courts for you!"
"Yeah, Boss! Stop joking around!"
In an instant, Raphael and the others all stood up.
They were the earliest "thugs" to follow Bei Xiao. While not all of them could be considered good people, their loyalty to him was beyond question.
Now that Bei Xiao was about to leave, they were naturally one hundred percent unwilling.
He was, after all, the backbone of the entire Holy Lord Society!!
Bei Chuan was about to say something when—
Clang—
The chain-link gate of the tennis court was pushed open from the outside.
Bei Xiao glanced sideways and saw two figures appear in his line of sight.
One was James Nobel IV, whom he had easily dealt with earlier that day!
The other...
Seeing that person's face and the orange headband he wore, Bei Xiao immediately recognized him.
He was a player who had garnered significant attention in the Swiss Tennis Scene during this era.
A professional player... Alexander Amadeus!
Raphael and the others naturally recognized Amadeus as well. After all, although they mainly hung around street courts, Amadeus's photos had appeared in Swiss tennis magazines of all sizes and in various tennis tournament reports.
When Raphael saw James Nobel IV, the cold sneer on the other man's face made him feel that things were about to take a turn for the worse.
Could it be...
Amadeus is here to avenge this middle schooler?!
But regardless of the guesses swirling in Raphael and the others' minds, Amadeus swept his gaze over everyone present. Then, ignoring the rest, he locked his eyes directly onto Bei Xiao.
"So, you're the Holy Lord?"
"Think carefully before you answer! You only have one chance!"
Tatapatap—
Seeing Amadeus target Bei Xiao right off the bat, Raphael and the others immediately moved to stand behind him.
They glared menacingly at Amadeus and the smug James Nobel IV beside him.
"What? You got beaten so badly by our boss this afternoon you couldn't even return a shot, and now you're back with a professional player to get revenge?"
"Middle schooler! Do you really think our Holy Lord is some pushover?"
"Get out! The Azure Snake Court isn't welcoming you!"
As they spoke, they even pulled their rackets from their tennis bags.
The atmosphere instantly grew tense, as if swords were drawn.
Seeing this, Henry instinctively recalled the treatment he'd received earlier that afternoon. With Raphael and the others outnumbering him, he couldn't help but take a step back.
"A bunch of savage, low-class street thugs! I lost to your boss, but didn't six of you still get crushed by me?!"
"And besides! It's an honor for you to even have Senior Amadeus here at your street court!!"
Though he was inwardly terrified, his words remained utterly arrogant.
It was obvious he had always looked down on Raphael and the others who played on street courts.
"You bastard!! Say that again?!"
Before the hot-tempered Raphael could even open his mouth, Mestu was the first to lose his patience.
He immediately raised his tennis racket and charged toward Henry.
It had been a long time since they'd resolved a conflict using anything other than tennis.
But that didn't mean they'd forgotten their "old trade" of roughing it in the streets.
Amadeus frowned deeply.
While he didn't personally despise these street "thugs," it was only because his tennis had never crossed paths with them before.
This was the last thing he wanted to see.
He had no intention of risking his tennis career in a brawl with these "thugs."
Just as Mestu was about to reach them, Amadeus braced himself to restrain the "madman" first.
Right then—
"Mestu... stop!"
Mestu, who had already raised his racket, froze instantly at Bei Xiao's words.
Amadeus narrowed his eyes.
He knew that the man he was looking for—the true leader—still possessed reason.
If a fight were to break out, his own status as a professional player and the Swiss tennis scene's intense scrutiny would mean that, regardless of who won, the "Holy Lord Society" would face complete ostracization from the Swiss tennis world.
"Hmph—"
Though his eyes burned with resentment, Mestu turned and stomped back toward Raphael and the others.
He had to obey Bei Xiao.
But Henry, who had been terrified by Mestu's ferocious display just moments ago, suddenly snapped out of it.
Whether it was the lingering resentment from the afternoon or the confidence of having Amadeus backing him up, he didn't hesitate.
He swung his foot and kicked Mestu squarely in the lower back.
THUD!!
"AAAAHHH!!!"
The kick was anything but light. In an instant, Mestu let out a blood-curdling scream and collapsed heavily to the ground.
His face scraped across the court, leaving a trail of blood.
Yet even that was nothing compared to the agonizing pain in his lower back.
His entire body trembled, but he couldn't even move.
"Mestu!!!"
"You bastard!!! Attacking from behind!!!"
"You middle schooler! Don't think you're safe just because a pro player is backing you up! You injured our brother, and you're going to answer for it today!"
"Revenge!!! You won't leave the Azure Snake Court on your feet today!"
- Writer
