Chapter 354: Are we are on the same team.

Ava and her team were finally back to their hiding place in the capital. To everyone that was a part of their team, everything was moving smoothly according to plan_ well, to everyone except Leif.

The moment they settled inside the living room of the house, Leif kicked the front door shut so hard the hinges groaned in agony, almost shaking the ceiling dust right onto their heads. He was practically screaming for attention without saying a single word.

He sat in silence; shoulders squared like stone pillars. His jaw was locked, lips pressed tight, but his body betrayed him. His fists flexed and released, while the air around him seemed to him with restrained fury.

Yuda rubbed her ringing ears, her forehead creasing into deep wrinkles as she stared at the hulking man. She nudged Ava with her elbow. "What’s his problem this time? He’s extra gloomy today. Every day, it’s something with him. He must be the angriest man in the world."

Ava sighed, she was tired and did not want to deal with Leif. In her opinion, he was a giant baby that was eager to show off that he could be the best commander. But Leif didn’t realize that results were not all about who flexed the biggest muscles, but the one that made the enemy panic.

Like the way Trinity was panicking. The woman had killed many people recently, just to keep the Somnivore gospel from spreading. The more ruthless Trinity was the better for them.

She turned to the muscle-bound giant. "Alright, Leif, spit it out. What is your problem now? What have I done wrong? You always have a problem with everything that I do. So, what is it this time?"

Leif let out a low, terrifying growl. His heavy chest heaved up and down like a giant pair of blacksmith’s bellows, and the veins around his temples bulged so hard they looked like mad blue worms wriggling under his skin.

He glared daggers at Ava, his jaw clenched tight. "Why didn’t you activate the Veyrot gas back there? That was the plan which we all agreed to. I agreed to your silly plan and stood by. Why are you veering of course now?"

A wave of awkward silence hit the room. Eyebrows shot up left and right, and everyone traded baffled looks.

Tyrese scratched his chin, squinting at the towering brute. "Wait, is the big guy actually serious right now?"

Leif let out a thunderous roar that rattled the windows. He whipped around and pointed a beefy, tree-trunk finger straight at Tyrese’s nose. "Shut your mouth! I am NOT talking to you, tiny man!"

Winnie stepped forward immediately, placing her hands on her hips and glaring up at him. "Hey! Tone it down, Mr. muscles. Don’t you dare speak to our leader like that!"

Leif absolutely hated her bossy tone. He leaped over, bared his teeth and stretched his thick neck forward, leaning down as if he was about to clamp his jaws right around her neck like a rabid pit bull.

The dangerous move instantly triggered everyone’s survival instincts. Half the team yanked out their guns and knives, pointing them directly at Leif’s muscular chest.

"Everyone, calm down!" Ava shouted, her voice cutting through the tension like a whip.

She turned her sharp, deadly glare toward the teammates holding weapons, her eyes silently screaming, put those away before I break your arms!

Reluctantly, the team slowly lowered their guns.

Ava pinched the bridge of her nose. "Can we please remember we’re on the same team for five minutes? Just five!"

She turned back to Leif, who was still hissing and muttering colorful curse words under his breath like a broken teapot. "Leif, listen to me. The plan was to observe first. We don’t just throw gas around like confetti, otherwise, we risk killing our allies too."

"Observe what?! There’s no need to wait, that arena was packed to the maximum today. The people were like sitting ducks with nowhere to run." Leif stomped his foot, nearly putting a hole through the wooden floorboards. "Why are we sitting around twiddling our thumbs!?"

Yuda crossed her arms, raising an eyebrow at him. "Why are you in such a huge rush to blow things up? Did you leave your brain at Wisteria?" She looked around the room, her voice turning dead serious. "If we had released the gas, the low-born civilians are the ones who were going to pay the heaviest price. Have you thought about that?"

Leif threw his head back and let out a harsh, sarcastic laugh. "You consider them low-borns? Who cares about their death?"

"I care!" Yuda shot back, her temper flaring. "It is the only reason I joined this cause_ to fight for justice and equality for all and the return of sanity in the Mystic Sanctum. The return of proper order and respect for Soul maidens."

Around the room, identical expressions of disgust broke out on the rest of the team’s faces, aimed at Leif. Nobody liked a brainless bully.

Ava stepped right into Leif’s space, looking up at his still furious face. "What is the point of attacking the privileged class right now when their top leaders aren’t even there, huh? What does that achieve?! Leif, I am begging you, try using that big brain of yours just once in your life! And remember that Ivar put me in charge for a reason."

Leif’s bloodshot eyes bulged so far out they looked like they might pop right out of their sockets. He looked at Ava, then scanned the rest of the team, his gaze making it clear he viewed every single one of them like noisy bugs he wanted to squish into warm jelly.

He let out one last, furious growl turned on his heel and slammed the front door behind him on his way out. A frame hung on the wall finally gave up and clattered to the floor.

Silence fell over the living room. Yuda slowly turned her head to look at Ava, pointing a finger at the door Leif had nearly obliterated.

"Ava_ be honest with me," Yuda asked, her eyes twitching slightly. "Are we really on the same mission as that psychopath, or did we enter something that we did not understand? Because it looks to me like he doesn’t care how many or which humans die, as long as his cause is fulfilled."

Ava buried her face in her hands, letting out a long, exhausted groan. She was not blind to Leif’s shortcomings, but she had her own goals. Like Leif, she really didn’t care if low-borns died, but she didn’t want them to die alone. For a new world order to emerge, the old-world leaders and Trinity, all needed to be wiped out.

They had come so close today! Just what had caused the world leaders not to show up? How could this problem be remedied?