The Ashen Knight didn't bark insults. He didn't snap at nobodies. He didn't care what people thought of him, especially not enough to get visibly worked up over a man he had never met before failing to recognize him.
So why now?
Why did he care so much?
If Ash truly had no respect for him, then Kaiden's ignorance shouldn't have mattered at all. It should've been dismissed with indifference, not this thin-skinned flare-up that felt personal.
Kaiden's gaze sharpened slightly as he studied the man again, no longer just looking at his aura or posture, but at the oddities in his behavior.
Something was wrong.
"Dude… bruh…" Luna spoke up at last, disbelief bleeding straight into her voice.
Heads turned toward the purple-haired Valkyrie. Unlike the others, she wasn't squared up or bristling with mana. Her brows were knitted together, eyes flicking rapidly as she swiped through her interface with the frantic precision of someone who had just stumbled onto something cursed.
