2025-07-18 19:55:38Even Lucien’s expression shifted.
The list was far larger than he had imagined.
“What? You cut the bond and now hesitate to return what came with it?” Ronan’s tone sharpened. “Or does House Sable intend to break its honor?”
The words hit like stones.
Before Benedric could speak, Calista stepped forward, arms crossed.
“Don’t be ridiculous, you fool! It was a relationship, not a business contract. No woman would ever return gifts after ten years of engagement.”
Lucien followed immediately, “Calista’s right. No real man would ask for those things back. It’s petty and disgraceful.”
Even imagining returning that much was painful, even if it wasn’t his.
And he still hadn’t received the B-grade weapon Benedric had promised him.
How could he just watch Ronan take everything?
Ronan’s eyes darkened.
“So you really plan to keep what was never yours?”
Benedric’s composure finally snapped.
“That’s enough!” he barked.
“You’ve said your piece. Now leave. You won’t be getting anything back. And consider yourself lucky I’m letting you walk after you humiliated my daughter and me.”
“Be gone, Ronan Crowne. Before I lose my temper!”
Return all that wealth?
Impossible!
He had taken everything as theirs the moment they received it.
He had no intention of giving anything back.
And what could Ronan possibly do, force him?
Surely not, he wouldn’t dare, right?
Benedric truly believed the timid boy who once cowered at Calista’s feet would obey.
But he was dead wrong.
Ronan laughed.
Softly at first, then louder, slicing through the tension like thunder.
The Sable elders frowned, uncomfortable and confused.
What was so funny?
Calista looked startled. Lucien narrowed his eyes.
Benedric slammed his fist on the chair arm.
“Enough! Silence, you insolent brat!”
Ronan simply raised a hand.
In a flash, a chair of shadow-forged energy materialized beside him.
He sat with effortless elegance, crossing one leg over the other, as if he were in his own estate, not a hostile clan’s hall.
Resting his arm casually on the chair, he tilted his head.
“You speak to the heir of House Crowne like a tavern drunk lecturing a merchant’s apprentice,” he said softly.
“So tell me again, Benedric Sable, who gives you the right to speak to me this way?”
The insult hung like smoke.
Gasps echoed through the hall.
Benedric sprang to his feet, rage surging.
“You insolent fool! You forget your place!”
“I don’t,” Ronan replied evenly. “But I wonder if you’ve forgotten yours.”
Benedric’s aura exploded.
Red and gold spiritual energy crackled around him like lightning ready to strike.
“I’ll drag you back to your father myself!” he roared. “Let’s see what he has to say about the son he raised!”
And with that, he vanished.
Then, a shockwave.
The air howled.
The floor cracked.
Benedric’s figure burst forward, Rank 7 might blazing.
The younger members of House Sable couldn’t even track his movement.
The elders braced.
But Ronan?
He didn’t move.
Nor did he blink.
He merely whispered, “Slap.”
From thin air, a ghostly hand appeared, translucent yet radiant with terrifying power.
It descended with divine speed and unrelenting force.
SMACK!
A violent crack echoed through the chamber.
Benedric slammed into the floor with bone-shaking force.
The marble beneath him shattered in a spiderweb of cracks.
Blood splattered across his robes.
A set of teeth clattered across the floor.
A bright red handprint burned across his cheek.
Gasps. Silence. Then utter disbelief.
Ronan remained seated. Unmoved.
And then, above them all, a glowing figure slowly descended, shrouded in golden energy.
A true Rank 8 Gold Master had arrived!
Ancient, overwhelming power radiated from him.
Even the air seemed to bow.
Everyone stared, frozen in awe.
Ronan merely smiled.
In an instant, chaos erupted across the main hall of House Sable.
Calista staggered backward, her eyes wide in disbelief.
Lucien clenched his fists, staring in shock at the towering figure beside Ronan, radiating the aura of a true Rank 8 Gold Master.
A Master of such caliber, appearing here?
How come?!
Panic rippled through the room.
Benedric, still reeling from the blow, groaned and struggled to rise.
His once-imposing form looked pitiful as he struggled to claw his way out of the cracked floor.
Finally, he lifted his head, dread heavy in his eyes as he addressed the elder.
“Who... who are you? Why are you interfering in Sable family matters?”
Previous Chapter
Latest Chapter
A Place Reclaimed
The advance continued without interruption. Arken fleets moved deeper beyond Astra Divide Relay, tightening their formations as they entered Velmora-controlled space. Strategic points fell in sequence, not through overwhelming force, but through precision that felt increasingly unnatural.On the command deck, projections updated continuously.“Forward node secured.”“Enemy resistance minimal.”“Intercept successful. No losses.”The pattern repeated too cleanly.Tristan watched the display, his expression sharpening with confidence. “We’re ahead of them. Every move.”Selene did not answer. Her gaze remained fixed on the shifting routes, tracing the paths Arken had taken.Ronan stood slightly apart, silent.Because the pattern was not reactive.It was guided.A new signal cut through the flow.“Emergency alert from Sector Twelve.”The tone shifted instantly.“They’re surrounded. Multiple Velmora signatures converging.”The projection isolated the sector. A small Arken fleet appeared at
Shift in Fate
The expansion began without hesitation.Across multiple sectors beyond Astra Divide Relay, Arken fleets advanced in coordinated formation. Strike units moved along newly identified corridors, exploiting gaps that had not existed before. Supply routes extended forward, stabilizing positions deeper inside Velmora territory.On every projection, the pattern looked the same.Progress.“Forward sectors secured.”“Resistance minimal.”“Velmora forces are pulling back.”Reports layered across the command deck, each one reinforcing the same conclusion. The momentum had shifted, and Arken was pressing it without delay.Tristan watched the projections, his expression sharpening with satisfaction. “They’re collapsing,” he said. “We’re pushing them faster than expected.”Selene did not respond immediately.Ronan stood a short distance away, his gaze fixed on the same data. The movement patterns were clean. Too clean. Velmora’s presence was not gone. It had simply thinned in the exact places Arken
Beyond the War
The command chamber was already filled before the projection activated. This was not a room meant for ordinary briefings. The scale, the positioning, and the presence of those inside made that clear. Generals stood across the chamber in composed silence, each representing a different sector of Arken’s military command. No one spoke. No one moved unnecessarily.They were waiting.Lucas Crowne stood among them, his posture steady, his gaze fixed on the central projection space. His expression remained unreadable, but his attention was absolute. A direct summons from the throne was not something that came lightly.The projection activated. Light gathered at the center of the chamber and formed into a clear figure.King Aurex.The moment he appeared, the room settled into a deeper stillness. Every general straightened slightly. When he spoke, his voice was calm and controlled.“Report the current state.”One of the senior generals stepped forward. “Velmora’s primary core ship within Astra
Controlled Access
The room remained silent after Lucien’s last words.No one spoke immediately. The weight of what he had implied still lingered, unresolved, pressing against the edges of the conversation.Lucien did not rush to fill it.He watched them instead.Measured. Patient.Then, as if deciding the timing himself, he spoke again.“You want something you can verify,” he said calmly. “Fine.”The officers exchanged brief glances.Lucien continued without waiting.“Sector nine. Outer relay chain. There’s a supply corridor Velmora still relies on. It’s not protected the way you think it is.”One of the officers immediately began inputting the coordinates.Lucien’s gaze did not shift.“There’s a delay in their rotation cycle,” he added. “Twelve-minute gap. That’s your window.”Silence tightened slightly.The general did not interrupt.Lucien went on.“Secondary node in that sector is already unstable. If you apply pressure there, it won’t hold.”The officer looked up from the console. “We’re verifying
A Different Truth
The silence in the room lingered.Lucien’s last words still hung in the air, calm and certain, as if they had already settled into place long before anyone else could react.Ronan stood where he was, his gaze fixed on Lucien.He did not respond immediately.Then he spoke.“I don’t believe you.”The words were flat. Direct. Without hesitation.Lucien didn’t react.Ronan took one step closer, just enough to make the distance between them feel intentional.“You didn’t come here to surrender,” he continued. “And you didn’t come here to help us.”Lucien’s eyes remained steady.Ronan’s voice did not change.“But that doesn’t matter.”A brief pause.“Because if you’re going to lie,” he said, “you should at least make it useful.”That was the shift.Not acceptance.Not rejection.A direction.Lucien’s gaze sharpened slightly, the faintest sign of interest appearing.Ronan held his gaze.“You want to be treated as one of us,” he said. “Then start talking like one.”Another pause.“Give us some
Inside the Cage
The corridor leading to the containment sector was silent, but not empty. Armed personnel stood along both sides, their posture rigid, their attention fixed on the reinforced door at the end.Lucien was inside.Ronan stopped a few steps before the entrance. Selene stood to his right, Tristan to his left. A senior officer remained slightly behind them, reviewing data from a handheld interface.“He’s stable,” the officer said. “No resistance.”Tristan let out a quiet breath. “Of course he’s not resisting. This is exactly what he wants.”Selene didn’t look away from the door. “That’s what makes it dangerous.”A brief pause followed before the general’s voice came through the comm, clear and controlled.“This is not a standard interrogation.”All of them straightened slightly.“He is not an external prisoner. He is trained in Thalara. He knows our structures, our methods.”The implication was immediate. Any standard approach would fail.“If we send an interrogator, he will control the con
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