2025-12-08 20:57:57Thom's words felt like a hard slap to Madam Lena. Her face turned red with anger, and her voice rose without caring about the guests watching.
"How dare you talk like that!"
"No, you are not part of this family!"
"You are a bastard child! This is not your house. Leave right now!"
Rachel swallowed hard, her body tense.
Madam Yosie covered her mouth, afraid that even a small sound would make things worse.
Edmund lowered his head, trying to distance himself so he would not get dragged into Madam Lena's anger.
But before Madam Lena could continue her outburst, Frank quickly grabbed her arm.
"Mother, stop!" he whispered urgently. "We have to act polite. Do not make a scene."
Madam Lena glared at him. "You are defending him? He even dared to come here without an invitation!"
"We cannot fight right now," Frank whispered even more quietly while glancing at the gate. "General Darlene is here."
Madam Lena froze.
General Darlene?
The third richest person in the entire state?
He had never once agreed to attend any of their family banquets. The Lanster name was not even big enough to attract someone of his level.
But now, in the distance, a strong man in a special military uniform walked toward them. Dozens of elite soldiers surrounded him in a perfectly disciplined formation.
The atmosphere changed instantly.
Guests straightened their posture. Phone cameras slowly lifted. Soft murmurs of amazement spread through the crowd.
Madam Lena took a deep breath and quickly put on her best smile. Frank and his relatives stood taller, trying to look elegant and dignified.
When General Darlene reached them, Madam Lena greeted him with a very polite and formal gesture.
"Welcome to our family banquet, General Darlene. Your presence is very unexpected. We are honored."
General Darlene replied with a small but polite nod. "Hm."
For a moment, his eyes moved. He saw Thom standing a few steps behind the Lanster family.
It was only a brief glance, but all the elite soldiers around them held their breath at once.
General Darlene actually wanted to salute him. How could he not? Thom was their King of War. One of the most dangerous and most respected men in the country.
But General Darlene knew very well that Thom did not like to be honored in public.
The King of War was a humble man. He did not like his identity to be exposed. He ordered all his subordinates to act as if he was an ordinary person, as long as they were not in a military operation.
So General Darlene held himself back. He lowered his gaze and looked at Madam Lena again.
"I just came to look around," he said calmly.
Madam Lena smiled proudly, as if General Darlene's arrival was the highest form of respect for her family.
She had no idea that the elite soldiers were still watching Thom...and watching how Thom showed no reaction at all to the presence of a high-ranking general.
As if to Thom, General Darlene was just an ordinary man.
The Lanster family noticed it too, shocked by how disrespectful Thom was for not saluting or showing manners to General Darlene.
They held their breath, certain that Thom would be punished for standing so close to General Darlene without giving even the slightest greeting.
Benny and Frank exchanged a panicked look, then slowly moved closer to Thom.
Frank whispered sharply from the side. "Are you crazy? Give a salute now! That is General Darlene. If he gets offended, your small career will be destroyed. You could even be kicked out of the military!"
Benny added with a mocking tone. "Do not forget your status. You are a low-ranked soldier. One small mistake and you will end up homeless. Stop acting arrogant and salute!"
Behind them, Rachel also tried to help, though her voice was full of frustration.
"Please, Thom," she whispered, her face burning with embarrassment. "At least show some respect. Do not be stubborn like this. You are making us look bad."
Madam Yosie bowed her head in shame. Edmund covered his face with his hand, afraid of attracting the attention of the important guests.
Everyone knew the rumors about General Darlene.
A ruthless general.
A man who hated even the smallest act of disrespect.
A figure who, if offended, would not hesitate to ruin someone's career with a single sentence.
Some guests even held their breath while waiting for his reaction.
But Thom stayed silent. He did not even show the slightest intention to salute. He stood tall, holding Shenina in his arms, looking straight ahead without fear.
General Darlene looked at Thom again.
The air grew even quieter.
Every second felt painfully long.
Rachel bit her lip.
Frank held his breath.
Madam Lena was ready to see Thom humiliated in public.
Many guests whispered, guessing what punishment General Darlene would give.
But what happened shocked everyone.
General Darlene spoke. "It is fine."
Only two words, yet the entire mansion courtyard fell into stunned silence.
He did not punish Thom for not saluting him?
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Latest Chapter
EPILOGUE—THE END
Months passed since the great victory in the ruins of the Ashfall Foundation, and Valemoor had completely returned to the peaceful rhythm of everyday life. Pear gave birth to a healthy baby boy in the middle of a star-filled night. Red Dragon, who had waited outside the delivery room with a pale, anxious face, nearly collapsed from relief when he was finally allowed inside and saw his son's tiny face for the first time. "We named him Freyan," Pear said softly, cradling her tiny baby with love, tears of happiness still glistening in her eyes. "To honor someone who taught us the true meaning of sacrifice." Thom, standing in the doorway with Jasmine, felt his eyes grow misty when he heard the name. "Freya would be proud," he murmured softly, remembering the brave woman who had sacrificed her life years ago to save him. As promised, Iris spent her final months with complete dedication, helping the Golden Circle research team perfect the replacement system that would continue her
Chapter 455
After dinner ended, Thom headed to his office, wanting to finish a few final reports before finally getting some rest. There, he found Iris standing near the window, staring out at Valemoor as darkness slowly consumed the kingdom. Her figure, usually surrounded by countless screens and streams of data, now appeared calm, almost contemplative."Iris," Thom greeted, slightly surprised to find her alone. "I thought you were already asleep.""I wanted to talk to you, King," Iris replied. Her voice was calm, but there was something different about it, something Thom had never heard from her throughout all their years of working together.Thom sat down in his office chair, studying Iris carefully."What is it? You seem different tonight."Iris turned to face him, a faint but sincere smile appearing on her face."I want to thank you, King. For the opportunity you've given me all these years, and for the trust you've placed in me with every major decision we've had to make together.""You sou
Chapter 454
The helicopter landed slowly on the runway of Valemoor Palace just as the morning sun had fully risen, its golden rays sweeping across the royal complex that had witnessed so many departures and homecomings over the past several years. But this homecoming felt different. It carried the news that the long shadow that had haunted two generations of the royal family had finally been extinguished.The helicopter door opened, and Thom stepped out first. His body was still covered in bandages, and many of his wounds had not completely healed, but his posture remained steady, and his eyes held a calmness that had been absent since the war against the Obsidian Circle began."Hubby!" Jasmine ran toward him, ignoring the royal protocols that usually restrained her movements in public. She wrapped her arms tightly around her husband, tears of relief streaming down her face. "We heard the whole story from Iris. I couldn't stop worrying all night.""I'm home," Thom replied softly, kissing his wife
Chapter 453
Red Dragon tightened the restraints around Eron's wrists, the special device designed to suppress any remaining flow of energy. But before he could pull the old man to his feet, Eron let out a hoarse, bitter laugh that echoed throughout the ruined hall."You still don't understand, do you?" Eron said, lifting his head to meet Thom's eyes. Blood dripped from the corner of his mouth, but his gaze remained sharp, without a trace of regret. "This was never just about revenge for me. That was only the beginning."Thom stared at him intently. "Then tell me. What was your real goal?""The world," Eron answered simply, as though the answer were obvious. "I built the Obsidian Circle to become something far greater than a network of grieving soldiers and forgotten veterans. I wanted to reshape this world. Every government that abandoned people like us, every institution that allowed the weak to rot while the powerful feasted, I wanted to destroy them all and rebuild everything under my own rule
Chapter 452
Beneath the completely dark layers of rubble, Thom slowly opened his eyes. His body was covered in wounds, but his consciousness was gradually returning. He could still feel the golden energy inside him burning, though weakly, like an ember refusing to die even beneath the weight of the rubble.Not far from him, he heard a groan. Eron was still alive too, trapped beneath a different section of rubble, his breathing heavy and ragged.Thom tried to move, but intense pain spread throughout his entire body. Most of his energy had been drained by their final collision. He realized one important thing. In his current condition, he would not be able to defeat Eron with his full strength again, at least not for the time being.He needed a strategy, not just raw power.Slowly, Thom crawled out from the gap in the rubble that had trapped him. He deliberately made his movements look much weaker than they actually were, allowing his body to stagger and his breathing to sound desperate, as though
Chapter 451
The dark energy swirling around Eron surged violently. Massive cracks spread faster across the entire hall, while dust and debris rained down more heavily from the ceiling, which had begun to partially collapse.Thom did not waste any more time arguing. He could feel the golden energy inside him surging, flowing rapidly through every muscle in his body as his natural response to the very real threat of death standing before him."If that's what you want," Thom replied, his voice cold and firm, "then I'll make sure you fail to take anyone with you."He lunged forward first, refusing to wait for Eron to attack. His golden fist slammed toward Eron's chest, but the figure vanished just before impact, reappearing on the other side with a speed impossible for ordinary eyes to follow."You think your newfound power can match thirty-five years of complete mastery over Shadow Qi?" Eron snarled, his dark energy claws striking from behind.Thom spun around quickly, blocking the attack with an ar
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