Lord Harley could no longer afford to keep his usual jubilant mood. With his plans ruined, he sighed and looked over in the sky.
Kiba and Constance have entered the clouds and almost disappeared from sight. He thought of punishing him but finally decided to let it go.
While he could stop and punish Kiba, he would have to pay the price, something the other families would benefit from. Then there was the risk of Kiba escaping and joining forces with others in the World Council. That scenario, too, would put the family at a disadvantage—something he couldn’t allow as the head of the family.
"Harley, I asked you a question."
Rebecca’s voice brought him back from his thoughts.
Lord Harley turned to her. She was mad, and he could see that.
"Yes, Dracon worked for me," Lord Harley knew he couldn’t lie, so he replied with the truth. "But before you lash out, recall if he really wanted to kill your son, Zed wouldn’t have survived even with the interference of Heather and Katherine."
"Like that justifies your actions."
Rebecca’s figure burst forward, and she instantly appeared before him. Winds of fire danced around her, making her hair float as her body charged with energy.
"Sighs~ You are strong, but your powers are inconsequential before mine."
"And before you attack, understand I did everything for your sake."
"For my sake?" Rebecca snorted and released her aura. Layer after layer of fire rose up from her and turned into a curtain of fire.
"Yes," Lord Harley replied nonchalantly. His aura flashed out, taking the form of a gigantic wave of molten lava.
BOOM
With a loud explosive sound, his aura collided into her curtain of blue fire. Flame and lava raged in and out of each other, trying to suppress the other. Massive shockwaves rolled out from the clash, wiping out everything in the surroundings.
The family members quickly channeled their strength and summoned shields of their element. But before the shockwaves, their shields were like butter under a hot knife. The shields broke, and they were sent flying backward, blood gushing out.
"Destroying Zed’s house would have him understand the dangers of the world and force him to seek shelter where he could be protected."
Lord Harley patiently explained amidst the clash of the auras. His lava aura cut through her curtain of fire, forcing her to step back. She rooted her feet onto the ground, and her aura turned stronger, once again fighting the lava, trying to force a way in.
"It would have served as a bridge to fix your broken relationship."
"A broken relationship can’t be fixed, just like a broken mirror can’t be glued together, definitely not forcefully."
Rebecca said as an illusory phoenix rose from her.
"And let’s not joke with me. Even if you wanted Zed here, it would have been for your sake and not mine. Most likely either to take advantage of his knowledge in genetic technology or the secrets he holds."
"That’s one way of looking at it," Lord Harley agreed while eyeing the phoenix with surprise. "You are serious, aren’t you?"
She nodded, and the phoenix let out a cry while spreading its wings. It merged with her body, and her powers exploded, causing the fire to jump to the sky.
The clouds disappeared, replaced with the crown of the phoenix as it eyed the frightened masses below.
"Sighs~" Lord Harley sighed again. The surroundings and the estate has taken damage from her earlier clashes. If this went on, the family members would die.
He snapped his fingers and said, "You have already done enough damage here."
The surroundings blurred, and they shifted to the Valley of Fire.
Rebecca didn’t care. She made a commanding motion, and the claws of the phoenix snapped into the wave of lava.
The lava crushed apart, and Lord Harley’s face turned somber. A droplet of blood escaped the corner of his lips.
"You are overreaching yourself," Lord Harley warned. "Stop while you still can."
Th1s chapter is updated by n)ovel/\bin/\
"If I don’t, what will you do?" Rebecca asked coldly. "Imprison me with authority you wield, or remind me that my daughter’s life hangs on your support?"
"No," Lord Harley shook his head. "The rules support you, but they also give me the power to do what I must for the good of the family. And protecting a descendant of Soverigness Hestia is my duty."
Rebecca snorted, obviously tired of his talk. She charged at him in her phoenix form.
"It seems I need to prove I’m still the head of the family."
Lord Harley waved his emaciated hand, and the dark cavities which formed his eyes glowed. Simultaneously, an inferno of hell opened underneath his feet, and a monstrous tail snapped out.
An epic battle was on the horizon.
❅❅❅❅
Meanwhile, in the City of Arcadia, Kiba arrived on the clouds above his residential tower.
"Nothing like home!"
Kiba remarked as he flew towards the terrace with Constance. The latter was still half-n.a.k.e.d, but the rush of adrenaline has stopped her from being embarrassed long ago.
Kiba landed on the terrace and stretched his hands. It was a long day, and he needed a good sleep.
~step~
"Hmm?" Kiba turned to the side as the sound of steps echoed. "Ashlyn?"
Ashlyn nodded silently before bringing her eyes to Constance. She saw the pieces of bride gown still clinging to her skin and then looked back at Kiba in confusion.
"She’s Constance from House of Eleanor," Kiba explained with a gentle smile. "I rescued her from her wedding."
"??" Ashlyn was bewildered.
Are marriages so dangerous that Kiba needs to rescue the bride?
If so, the fairy tales she recently read were really wrong!
"Don’t believe him, Lady Ashlyn."
The space before Ashlyn distorted, and Claudia emerged in her loli form.
"For master, stealing and borrowing are one and the same. So you can imagine what his definition of rescue would be."
"Ah!"
Ashlyn gasped and nodded in understanding.
"No wonder Sophia said he’s a shameless scoundrel!"
Kiba: "......."
❅❅❅❅
On the next day, in the State of Avalon. The battle between Lord Harley and Rebecca seems to not have concluded; at least, that was the impression to Steve.
His mom hasn’t returned from the Valley of Fire, nor did Lord Harley.
"Why do things have to be like this?"
Steve wondered while looking at the high-tech treatment tank. His father was lying unconscious there, tubes attached to his broken body.
"Don’t worry, brother," Kirstie took her brother’s hand. "He would be fine."
Steve nodded and pretended to be strong. He couldn’t afford to break down, not in front of his sister.
"You should go out and have some drink!" Kirstie said with a smile. "The magazines I read claim drinking allows you to drain all your sorrows!"
Steve forced a smile and nodded. He rubbed her head and left the room.
A few minutes later, he stepped out of the estate.
"Steve!"
Just as he stepped out, a few familiar voices called him out. Startled, he looked in the distance and saw a hovercar rapidly approaching him.
The one at the driving seat was surprisingly Alistair1 – a scion of Eleanor Family.
Given what Constance did, it was shocking that he would have the face to come here.
He wasn’t alone. In fact, he was accompanied by many, and that too from different families and some independent powers.
One of them was even a mercenary named Kala1, about whom Steve has read somewhere, perhaps in the list of those who explored the core region of Desolate Blood Forest.
"Where are you going?!" Someone asked Steve as the hovercar stopped.
"We were coming for you!" The same person added.
"We heard what happened and couldn’t wait to meet you!" Another man said excitedly.
Steve flinched and felt heat rising on his face.
So the subject of his embarrassment has already spread!
He clenched his fists with anger and resentment.
Damn you, Dr. NTR!
If not for him, none of this would have happened.
Now he was left in a state where he couldn’t step out without being ridiculed.
As thoughts wracked his brain, Alistair startled him by giving him a bear hug.
"There’s no reason for you to be sad!" Alistair consoled him while tightening the hug.
"What?!" Steve was shocked.
Before he could enquire, Kala hugged him from behind and said, "Everything happens for a reason, and we are here to support you."
More people joined the hug, turning Steve into the target of all sorts of messages. If this was their idea of raising spirit, it wasn’t working as all they did was confuse him.
Just what the hell is going on here?!
I want to be out of here from this group of weirdos and drink!
"What you need isn’t a drink but counseling!" A psychic mutant among them said, surprising Steve. "And we can help you with that!"
Before he could react, Alistair and others dragged him to the hovercar with all sorts of encouraging words.
The hovercar started with explosive speed and turned into a beam of light.
❅❅❅❅
In the span of half an hour, the hovercar arrived in a surrounding that could only be described as gothic.
Steve was startled as he looked out of the car.
They were still in the State of Avalon, but he hasn’t heard of an area with such a gothic vibe.
"Maybe it is newly built?"
Steve reasoned.
He soon saw the source of this vibe – three towers connected together with what seemed to be a dome.
"Cathedral?!"
Steve exclaimed as he saw the design of the tower and the sign of the cross.
"Are we going to a church or something?! I’m not religious, so stop!"
Steve said, but none listened.
The hovercar stopped after a few seconds, and everyone except for Steve turned poise. Their expressions were filled with devotion and reverence as they stepped out of the car.
They all bowed towards the entrance to the central tower and forced Steve to do the same.
"Steve, rejoice!"
Alistar started with an excited expression.
"On your first visit, you will get the audience of the Holy Pope!"
RUMBLE~
As the name of Holy Pope was spoken, the sky reverberated with thunder, and lightning flashed. The door opened, and the glow from the lightning splashed radiance on the path inside.
Steve was stunned. There were two rows of people there, kneeling with complete submission as a man in white clothing walked between them.
"W-what’s going on here?!" Steve asked. He noticed many familiar people in the rows of people. Some of them were a.d.u.l.ts from a famous background with extraordinary powers.
Yet they were kneeling to a man!
Just why?!
"Could he be the Holy Pope?!"
Steve wondered as another bolt of lightning flashed and splashed radiance on the pope. In Chapters 411-412, Alistair experienced "Happy Moments," the ability created Kiba created using his reality-warping powers.In Chapter 330, Kala became the first person to experience Happy Moments.