CHAPTER 26: EX 26. LUNATICS

Elizabeth’s eyes widened, her breath caught in her throat as she stared at the scene unfolding before her.

Leon—her Leon—had just moved like lightning, his sword nothing more than a blur, had defeated a D-rank Taker in seconds. Her lips parted in disbelief as the silence of the training ground stretched on.

"What was that speed?" she whispered, barely hearing her own voice over the racing of her heart.

She wasn’t shocked that he had won. No—she knew even if Leon could be hotheaded or reckless sometimes he was not stupid. When it came to those he cared about, Leon could go too far, but he never picked fights he couldn’t win. It wasn’t because of cowardice no far from it, Leon was just being smart.

But this victory—this—left her stunned.

’How was it so easy?’ she thought, brows furrowing as she glanced at Dayton’s crumpled, blood-soaked body.

’No matter how strong Leon is, he should have struggled a little. That’s just normal.’ ’Don’t tell me... Dayton was a fake D-rank Taker?’

Her fingers clenched tightly at her side.

She had always thought she knew him—Leon Kael, the boy who made her laugh, who held her hand when the world felt too heavy.

But now... watching him walk away from Dayton like the duel was nothing more than a morning stretch, Elizabeth felt a strange distance form in her heart.

’Was there more to him than he let on?’

But even as that thought twisted within her, she took a steady breath and pushed it down.

’If he’s ready to tell me... he will,’ she thought. ’And when he does... I won’t love him any less.’

By her side, her mother Diana stood frozen in place, stunned by what she’d just seen. A storm of thoughts swirled in her sharp mind, eyes narrowing as she looked at Leon’s retreating back.

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At the Kael family’s section, Selena Kael had a wide, tooth-baring grin on her face.

"That’s my boy."

The pride in her eyes glinted like a blade unsheathed. Darian and Valeria, seated beside her, gave small nods of satisfaction.

Neither had taken kindly to Dayton’s arrogant insults before the duel. Watching Leon shut him up with style and power—it was justice served cold and swift.

None of the Kaels were truly surprised. After all, no one in the world understood Leon’s strength better than they did.

And yet... even they didn’t know the limit.

Back on the field, Leon turned, walking away from Dayton’s unconscious, bloodied form. His pace was calm, almost casual, like the fight hadn’t even scratched the surface of his strength.

Then—

A furious voice cut through the silence like a blade.

"How dare you do such a thing to my son!"

A woman landed heavily in front of Leon, the ground cracking slightly beneath her boots. Her crimson-red hair flowed like fire, and her blood-red eyes burned with rage—the unmistakable mark of the Feran family.

She stood tall, her gaze filled with fury.

"You’re not going anywhere."

The tension in the air spiked.

As Leon stopped and looked up at her. There was no fear or hesitation in his eyes. Just a calm, narrowed gaze.

"And who’s going to make me?" he asked coldly.

For a heartbeat, silence.

Then—pressure.

S-Rank aura erupted from the woman—Rebecca Feran, Dayton’s mother—crashing down like a tidal wave.

Dust kicked up around them as the ground groaned beneath her feet. The pressure aimed to crush Leon, to make him kneel—

But it didn’t.

Instead, a greater pressure surged in response, swallowing hers like a stone in the sea.

A heartbeat later, Selena Kael stepped forward, her heels tapping against the stone as she placed herself directly in front of Leon.

Her voice was velvet and venom.

"Rebecca, who do you think you are... threatening my son?"

Selena’s own pressure flared—dense, refined, devastating—and Rebecca gasped as her knees buckled, her body trembling under the weight.

As she fell to one knee, sweat beginning to form on her forehead, lips twitching in shock.

****

Selena Kael’s eyes narrowed as she stepped forward, her gaze locked on Rebecca Feran with chilling precision. Her presence didn’t just fill the training ground—it crushed it.

The pressure she was unleashing didn’t come in one brutal wave. No. It was gradual, methodical, cruel in its precision. Like a knife slowly being pushed deeper, inch by inch.

Rebecca’s second knee hit the ground with a hard crack.

She let out a ragged breath, her arms trembling as she threw them out to support herself. Sweat pooled at her brow.

Her crimson hair clung to her pale face. Her body was now bowed under the weight of a power she had no hope of resisting.

Yes—Selena’s talent might have been healing-based, but that meant nothing in the face of her raw, oppressive might as an SS-Rank Taker.

A mere S-Rank like Rebecca? She wasn’t even in the same league.

Leon watched from behind his mother, arms crossed, eyes calm. Not a flicker of emotion passed his face.

He didn’t need to lift a finger. Selena was handling it just fine—bit by bit, making Rebecca suffer more with each passing breath.

Then—

A voice boomed out, sharp and indignant.

"That is enough!"

Luke Feran’s voice thundered across the courtyard as he stepped out, his SS-rank aura beginning to stir. "Won’t you show my family respect in our own home?!"

Selena didn’t even turn her head. Her voice, smooth as silk and twice as cutting, answered:

"Did your family show mine respect," she said coldly, "when your drunkard of a son dared to insult us publicly? Or when your concubine attacked my son after a fair duel?"

With those words, her pressure surged again—a final crushing weight.

As Rebecca’s arms buckled, her elbows hitting the stone as her body was forced flat against the ground, cheek pressing into the bloodied earth. Her breathing became erratic, her pride trampled beneath Selena’s might.

"One good turn deserves another," Selena whispered icily.

Across the field, Luke gritted his teeth, his face twitching with barely contained fury.

He turned to Diana, voice sharp and manipulative.

"Can you see how these lunatics are behaving, Diana?" he snapped. "Attacking someone’s wife in their own home—is this the kind of people you want to be allied with? You don’t know when they’ll turn on you, too."

Diana remained silent for a moment. The tension in the air was suffocating. Even the nobles watching dared not speak.

Then—

"You’re right," Diana finally said.

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A/N: Please send power stones and leave reviews.

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