Suddenly, a roar erupted in the center of the banquet hall.

  Duke Lucius stood trembling with rage, his eyes locked onto Baron Lewis. The guests looked on in confusion, their whispers hushed by the sheer intensity of the Duke’s fury. Everyone knew Lewis Industries had been behind the assassination attempt on Lorraine, but no one expected the Baron to have the audacity to show up here, let alone act so brazenly.

  At that moment, Baron Lewis stood arrogantly beside a man in a crisp white formal suit.

  The old man was the Patriarch of House Roth, one of the most powerful factions in Silvermoon City. He was a Silver Tier, Rank 2 powerhouse, ranked among the top ten masters in the city.

  "Lucius, there’s no need for such a temper," Patriarch Roth said with a faint, condescending smile. His voice carried a heavy weight of spiritual pressure. "Whatever misunderstandings we have, we can sit down and talk them out."

  Baron Lewis was his nephew; naturally, he was here to provide backup. But his presence wasn't just about settling a grudge—he wanted to place Lorraine under House Roth’s control before her talent could fully bloom.

  "Father!"

  Seeing the tension, Lorraine gripped Lucius’s sleeve, trying to de-escalate the situation.

  Lucius’s face turned ashen. He looked at the two men, forcing his voice to remain steady through his rage. "Elder Roth, I respect your seniority, so I won't make this ugly. Have your nephew leave immediately. House Roth is not welcome at the Lorraine Manor! As for our past grievances... we will settle them another time."

  Lucius cursed his own lack of strength. He knew the mastermind was standing right in front of him, yet he was powerless to strike. Against the might of House Roth, he had to swallow his pride. But he would never bow.

  "Hah! Lucius, don't throw away the face we’re giving you!"

  Baron Lewis sneered, emboldened by his uncle’s presence. "My uncle coming here to reconcile in person is an honor! To tell you the truth, we aren't just here for an apology. we’re here for a marriage alliance! The groom will be my uncle’s grandson, Rohan! He’s a genius at the provincial academy—more than enough for your daughter!"

  The hall erupted into an uproar.

  A marriage alliance? House Roth was being utterly shameless. It was clear they intended to forcibly bind a future genius to their chariot before she could gain her own wings.

  Lorraine’s face went white. House Roth was notorious for "recruiting" talents by force. A cold desperation rose in her chest; if they truly tried to take her, she would rather detonate her own mana and die.

  "Bullshit! Initiate Tier-2 Extermination Protocol! Wipe him out!"

  The insult was the final straw. Lucius snapped, his sanity giving way to pure, unadulterated rage.

  The faces of the guests drained of color.

  "Lucius! You wouldn't dare!" Patriarch Roth’s expression shifted.

  The firepower of a Tier-2 Extermination Protocol was enough to level the entire hall. Even a Silver Rank wouldn't necessarily walk away in one piece.

  But Lucius was past caring about the consequences.

  “Protocol confirmed. Extermination Mode: Active.”

  With the cold, synthesized voice of the manor's AI, dozens of gaps opened in the vaulted ceiling. Row after row of automated defense turrets slid into position.

  Hum—

  The sound of energy charging filled the room, the barrels glowing with a lethal red light. Panic seized the crowd as guests scrambled to activate their Personal Energy Shields.

  "Duke! Think about this! We’re innocent!"

  "Settle your debt with him, don't take us with you!"

  "Lady Lorraine is still in the room! If you fire, she’ll die too!"

  The representatives of the various families were on the verge of tears. The Lorraine Consortium might be a second-tier power, but their defensive hardware was the real deal.

  Lucius wavered, his finger hovering over the final command. He stared at the Roths, then looked at his pale daughter. The fire in his heart hit a wall of reality. He couldn't kill his own child.

  "Now!"

  Patriarch Roth saw the hesitation and seized the opening.

  BOOM!

  The floor shattered. The Patriarch turned into a blur, lunging toward Lucius with terrifying speed.

  As a Silver Rank master, his speed was far beyond anything Lucius—a mere Bronze Tier, Rank 6—could track.

  "Die, you piece of trash!"

  The Patriarch’s fist was inches from Lucius’s face before the Duke even realized what was happening. It was too late. He couldn't reboot the defense system in time, and he couldn't bring himself to rain fire down on his daughter.

  I'm sorry, Lorraine... Lucius closed his eyes.

  CRACK-BOOM!!!

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  An ear-splitting explosion rocked the hall.

  When the smoke cleared, the guests were left speechless.

  The once-arrogant Patriarch Roth was now smeared into the alloy floor, his body embedded in a crater, unconscious or worse. Standing on top of him was a boy in a tactical jacket.

  Lance.

  The lower-ranked guests didn't even see him move, but the high-tier Bronze Rank warriors in the room felt their blood run cold.

  "God... that speed..."

  "The Roth Patriarch was... one-shotted? How is that possible?!"

  "A total kill? What kind of monster is that kid?!"

  All they had seen was a black shadow. A second later, a Silver Rank powerhouse had been stomped into the earth.

  "Lan... Lance? It's you?!" Lucius stared at the boy, unable to find his voice.

  Lance turned and offered a casual smile. "Duke. Lorraine. Are you guys okay?"

  Lorraine covered her mouth, her eyes shimmering with tears. It was happening again. In her darkest moment, Lance had stepped in front of her. The memory of a year ago flashed through her mind—the image of a boy with a hole in his chest from a laser bolt, smiling and asking if she was hurt.

  A strange, deep emotion finally took root in her heart.

  "I'm fine, I'm fine... I had no idea you were this strong! Is this because of your Supernatural Trait awakening?" Lucius stuttered, his excitement overriding his shock.

  He immediately recalled the legends of "The Awakened." Sometimes, energy would lie dormant for years, and once the "Evolutionary Compensation" kicked in, the user would experience a massive, explosive surge in power.

  "I guess so. I'm not entirely sure myself, but my strength just shot up over the last few days," Lance explained. It wasn't technically a lie; his power did come from the awakening of his Undying God-Body.

  "Lance... thank you," Lorraine whispered, her face flushing a deep crimson.

  "Don't mention it. We're friends, aren't we?" Lance gave a bright, easy grin.

  Lorraine’s blush deepened, but a small part of her felt a sting of disappointment. Just friends? She didn't even realize why the word bothered her so much.

  The surrounding guests looked at Lucius with pure, unadulterated envy.

  "The Lorraines hit the jackpot!"

  "House Roth really kicked a steel plate this time."

  "That strength at fifteen? He’s a top-tier genius for the whole planet. The Lorraine Consortium is going to skyrocket!"

  These socialites were nothing if not pragmatic. In their eyes, the relationship between Lance and Lorraine was clearly more than just employer and sparring partner.

  "You... you killed my uncle! You’re dead! House Roth will never let you live!"

  In the crowd, Baron Lewis finally snapped out of his trance, screaming hysterically. But as Lance’s gaze shifted toward him, the Baron realized his situation and paled. He wanted to slap himself—why was he making threats instead of running?

  "Uh, I... I misspoke! I’m leaving! Right now!" Lewis forced a smile that looked more like a sob and tried to slip away.

  "Stay."

  Lance’s voice was like ice.

  Instantly, a tangible wave of Psionic Pressure slammed into Baron Lewis. The fat man’s legs turned to jelly, and he collapsed onto the floor.

  Panic surged through him. To manifest killing intent into physical pressure was a technique even some Grandmasters struggled to master. What kind of freak had he offended?

  "Chairman of Lewis Industries, right? Do you remember a boy who got hit by a laser bolt last year while you were trying to assassinate Lorraine?"

  Lance walked toward him slowly.

  The room went still. Everyone remembered the assassination attempt, but rumors said the savior was just some insignificant sparring partner. No one expected that "nobody" to be the monster standing before them.

  "It was you! How... how is that possible?!" Baron Lewis shrieked. He remembered.

  "Good. Since you remember, let’s settle the score today."

  Lance smiled, lifting a single finger and pointing it at the air in front of the Baron.

  Pfft!

  A beam of high-intensity red heat condensed at his fingertip and erupted.

  Before anyone could react, a thumb-sized, charred hole appeared in the center of the Baron’s forehead. He didn't even have time to change his expression before he toppled over, stone dead.

  "Flame Affinity! He’s a fire-type too!"

  "Two fire-type geniuses in one house?!"

  "He’s dead... fifteen years old, Silver Rank combat power, and a High-Rank Trait at least at C-Rank!"

  "What kind of demon is he?!"

  The hall fell into a deathly silence. Even Lorraine and Lucius stared at Lance in shock.

  "I actually awakened two traits that day, but the scanner only caught one," Lance shrugged, making up a convenient excuse. He hadn't used the full power of his Solar Stellar Flame, merely simulating a standard C-Rank fire ability to avoid causing a total meltdown of their common sense.

  "Good! This is wonderful! You little brat, I knew I liked you! With talent like this, I can finally feel safe leaving Lorraine in your hands!" Lucius roared with laughter.

  Both Lance and Lorraine froze.

  "Father! What are you saying?!" Lorraine’s face was beet-red as she glared at him.

  "Hahaha! Lucius, you’re in a good mood today! What, are you marrying off my niece Lorraine without letting her uncle have a look?"

  A booming, hearty laugh echoed from the entrance of the hall.

  The crowd stiffened as a burly man in a black tactical uniform strode in. He radiated an aura of authority so thick it was almost suffocating.

  "Director Raymond?!"

  "The Director Raymond from the Profession Guild!"

  "He’s here in person? And he’s friends with Lucius?!"

  The guests were floored once again. If the late Patriarch Roth had known Lucius had backing like this, he wouldn't have dared to lift a finger. Raymond didn't just outclass Roth in power; he was in his prime and rumored to be the next in line for the position of President of the Silvermoon branch.

  "Nonsense. I don't need your permission to marry off my daughter," Lucius laughed, walking up to greet him. The two were clearly close.

  "Uncle Raymond!" Lorraine bowed. Her early trait testing had been possible only because of Raymond’s connections.

  "Whoa, Lorraine, you look beautiful today! Come on, let me see which lucky kid gets to marry my favorite niece!" Raymond teased loudly.

  "Cough... Big Bro Raymond, we meet again," Lance said, his voice laced with awkwardness.

  Though he had been to the manor for three years, he always left immediately after training. He’d never run into Raymond in a social setting like this.

  The room went silent. The guests were staring, their brains short-circuiting.

  "Holy shit, Brother Lance? It really is you!"

  Raymond turned and yelped in surprise. Having seen Lance’s classified file, he knew Lance was a classmate of Lorraine’s, but he hadn't put two and two together regarding the "fiancé" talk.

  "Wait, you two know each other?" Lucius asked, completely lost.

  How did the hierarchy work here? Lance called Raymond "Big Bro," Lucius and Raymond were brothers of the same generation, but Lance called Lucius "Uncle"... the family tree was becoming a knot.

  "Hahaha! Lucius, you idiot, do you even know how powerful your son-in-law is?"

  Raymond slapped Lucius on the shoulder. "Lance is an officially certified A+ Rank Elite! It’s going to be announced to the whole city tomorrow! Even Chief Inspector Silas Stuart personally granted him an audience! President Alistair himself predicted that Brother Lance has a ninety percent chance of reaching Grandmaster status!"

  "Old friend, you’ve struck gold. You found yourself a god-tier son-in-law!"

  BOOM!

  The revelation hit the room like a thermal detonator.

  A+ Rank Elite? That was a tier seen once every few decades in Silvermoon!

  Personally received by Chief Inspector Silas Stuart? That was a man so high up they didn't even have the right to look at him!

  A ninety percent chance of becoming a Grandmaster?

  At this point, the guests were just numb.

  "Hahaha! Brother Lance, take good care of my niece! But listen, we’ll just keep our own titles—you call me Big Brother, and I’ll call your father-in-law my Brother!"

  Raymond ignored the shock of the crowd, busy working out the social math with Lance.

  Everyone else was speechless. Who would have thought that the terrifyingly serious Director Raymond was like this in private?

  Lance scratched his head awkwardly. "Uh, Big Bro Raymond... you’ve got it wrong. Lorraine and I aren't actually engaged..."