Jade—The Capital City.
In the courtyard of the Armand Family's grand estate, several children watched anxiously as Elder Armand finished a call with Aurora Morwyn. His face looked weary, the heaviness in his expression enough to unsettle everyone present.
The moment he set the phone down, a middle-aged man quickly stepped forward.
"Father, what did the Song family say?"
Elder Armand merely shook his head, saying nothing. But that silence alone was answer enough.
The faces around him darkened.
"Father, the girl from the Song family isn't willing to help us?" the middle-aged man pressed.
The old man raised his hand dismissively.
"Don't blame the Song family. It's that boy who refuses to relent."
A younger man, proud and brash, immediately scoffed.
"A country brat dares behave so arrogantly? He truly doesn't know his place."
This youth, now the designated third-generation successor of the Armand Family, spoke with the entitlement of his position. Originally, that seat had belonged to Solis Armand. But Solis had perished on the first floor of the Samsara Tower after provoking Shura's attention, leaving the role open for this young man.
Ironically, he owed his current position to Fenric. Yet, despite Fenric's current status and unrivaled strength, the youth looked down on him with disdain—solely because of Fenric's humble origins.
For families in Jade Capital, lineage meant everything. To them, noble birth was the ticket to power and recognition; commoners were no better than slaves. The young successor naturally inherited this mindset.
Elder Armand frowned at his words. The youth's father, the second son, noticed the old man's displeasure and quickly barked,
"What nonsense are you spouting? Shut your mouth!"
Though resentment simmered in the young man's eyes, he dared not speak further.
The eldest son, however, ground his teeth.
"Father, Solis died at that boy's hands. We haven't even avenged him yet, and now he dares come after us? Does he mean to wipe us out entirely?"
The third son interjected with a heavy tone.
"Elder Brother, I don't mean to undermine us, but with Shura's current strength, if he truly intends to target our family, the only one who could possibly stop him is the Song family's daughter."
"..."
Their faces grew darker still.
Especially the third son—nicknamed One Leaf Knows Autumn. His expression is grim. None of them had expected that a mere youth could rise so swiftly, to the point of threatening the Armand Family's very survival.
"Father," the eldest son asked, "what is the Song family's stance? Are they willing to intervene?"
The old man shook his head with a sigh.
"I'm afraid the Song family wishes to stay out of this. They don't intend to get involved."
"Then what should we do now?" The eldest son's composure cracked, his voice tinged with panic.
"Uncle, why worry so much?" the young successor spoke up again, arrogantly. "He's just a bastard with no name. Now that his identity is exposed, why don't we just kill him and be done with it?"
Everyone turned to him as though he were a fool.
The third son sneered.
"And how do you plan to kill him?"
Only then did the youth falter, suddenly recalling that Shura—Fenric—was ranked among the top five on the Global Master List, a true super-monster. Ordinary weapons like guns were meaningless before such a man.
"M-Maybe we could… ambush him with explosives? Blow him up?"
The eldest son chuckled coldly.
"Then I'll entrust that task to you. Do you accept?"
The second son immediately roared at his own child.
"Idiot! How many times have I told you—don't speak when you don't understand! Stop embarrassing yourself!"
Turning back to his elder brother, he bowed slightly.
"Brother, the boy is still immature. I'll discipline him properly in the future."
The eldest son replied flatly,
"See that you do. If he continues like this, the Armand Family will perish in his hands."
Elder Armand's disappointed gaze fell on the youth, and he let out a deep sigh.
The second son felt both anger and shame under his father's look. The young man himself, however, refused to yield.
"Even if we can't kill him, there's another way. His identity is exposed, isn't it? We can capture his relatives and use them as leverage—"
"Silence!!"
This time, it was Elder Armand himself who thundered, his eyes blazing as he glared at the boy.
"I have tolerated your foolishness long enough. But if you dare voice such thoughts again, I will personally expel you from the Armand Family!"
"!!!"
The youth went pale, disbelief written across his face. The others couldn't help but sneer at his misfortune.
The second son dropped to his knees, pleading,
"Father, Sander is still ignorant. It is my failure for not teaching him well. Please, give me a chance—I will correct him."
"Beast! Kneel!"
The second son lashed out, striking his son's knees and forcing him to collapse to the ground.
"Kneel outside and reflect! You have no place to speak here."
This time, the youth understood. His father's harshness was actually a form of protection. He obediently crawled out, though confusion clouded his heart. Why had his words provoked such fury?
After all, whenever he pursued women, he had often resorted to such methods without consequence.
What he didn't know was that the state itself extended great protection to the families of Samsaras, hoping to win their loyalty. Anyone who dared threaten their loved ones would be annihilated without mercy.
Elder Armand was already aware that the highest authority had secretly dispatched guards to protect Shura's family. This was one of the reasons why the Armand Family had chosen to release goodwill toward Fenric.
If they were foolish enough to try kidnapping Shura's relatives, their destruction would be swift and absolute—even before Shura himself had to act.
The courtyard sank into heavy silence, brows furrowed in tension, until the third son, One Leaf Knows Autumn, suddenly spoke.
"Perhaps… Shura won't live much longer. Neither will the Song family's girl."
"Oh?"
Everyone turned sharply toward him. Elder Armand's eyes gleamed.
"Third, speak clearly."
One Leaf Knows Autumn leaned forward, his tone measured.
"Father, Adam of the Cindralock Dominion has already gathered a team to deal with the situation on the Thousand Lanterns Island. You're aware of this, yes? From what I've heard, the higher-ups don't want Adam to succeed. Which means… the Song family's daughter will be sent as a sniper—alongside Shura."
The eldest son's eyes lit with realization.
"Third brother, are you saying…?"
"Yes, elder brother. This might be our chance!"