Chapter 1339: Peak
To this very day, people across the Middle belt remain perplexed—some even fascinated—by the bizarre, almost unnatural dynamic between the head of the Distra family, Helmor, and his enigmatic firstborn son. It’s a relationship cloaked in silence, distance, and speculation.
Some of the more insightful sages and historians believe that Helmor carries a deep, unresolved guilt toward his son—guilt born of something buried, something long past but never forgotten. Because of this, they say, he allows Hedrick to live as he pleases, without interference or oversight. On the other hand, a different school of thought claims that Hedrick, the first son, is far too dangerous, too powerful, and perhaps too ambitious. These scholars assert that Hedrick is the most likely heir to rise as the next Behemoth of the Mid-belt, and that Helmor’s hands-off approach is not out of mercy—but necessity.
Then, after a cataclysmic event that shook the family’s fate, came the birth of Helen—the current fifth and final child. Helen was born with an innate brilliance, a frightening talent that outshone even the legends of her older brothers and sisters, whether dead or alive. Whispers say she followed in her eldest brother’s footsteps, choosing to sever all dependency on their father entirely. Yet, paradoxically, she still attends the mandatory family assemblies alongside her remaining three siblings, paying the required "life tax"—a term cloaked in mystery and burden. Her presence remains an enigma, her intentions unreadable.
All in all, the Distra bloodline is a tangled web of contradiction and secrecy—a family that is just as strange as they are powerful.
"Hedrick... the next Behemoth..." Rinara whispered, her voice taut with unease. "Thankfully, he doesn’t walk directly in his father’s path. If he did, the Distra family would have long since consumed another sector, and the balance between the ruling Behemoths would’ve collapsed completely."
Her heart stirred with anxiety. The idea that Zavaros the Savage had become entangled in a hostile standoff with the monstrous Distra family due to the recklessness of his second son was a chilling thought.
"I truly hope Lord Zaryon reconsiders. If he keeps pushing, this won’t end in anything but calamity."
Zavaros the Savage was no ordinary figure. He was an ancient titan in the cosmic landscape, a legendary being whose direct support led to the founding of the Nine Paths Empire over seven million years ago. His name alone echoed across star systems like a thunderclap of authority and reverence.
If a war broke out between Zavaros’s galaxy and the vast empire of House Distra, the Nine Paths Empire itself would be pulled into the fray, unable to stand idle.
And not just them. Every power, sect, and system that had ever once received the support, patronage, or favor of Zavaros’s galaxy would be compelled to choose a side. Likewise, all the forces under the Distra family’s dominion—including the five children and their terrifying retinues—would be called to war. It wouldn’t be a mere skirmish or border clash. No, this would be a war of cataclysmic scale, a brutal, endless campaign that would not only tear the Midbelt apart, but reach deep into the young belt itself!
"Why in the cosmos would Lord Zaryon back down for anyone?" Elinor said coldly, her tone sharp with frustration as she shot a glowing glance toward Zaryon, her eyes gleaming like twin stars.