Chapter 91: Hypocrisy of the Elite
".....?!!"
Everyone stared at Eren, who some minutes ago, was all high and mighty, in shock, disbelief, and confusion. The sheer impossibility of an SSS-RANK being swatted down by his own reflected attack broke their understanding of combat physics. Even Juliana was dumbfounded, her eyes wide as she stared at the smoking crater where the "Destroyer" now lay paralyzed.
Almost simultaneously, everyone turned their heads to Asher, staring at him with an unbelievable expression. The man hadn’t moved a single inch, yet he commanded the battlefield with the absolute authority of a god.
"Attacking my wife in my presence, where do you get those guts from?"
Asher stretched his hand towards the unconscious Eren. The energy in the air stopped flowing, entirely subjugated by his will.
"Anyone who has hostility towards any of my wives..."
BOOOOM!!
Everyone raised their heads to the sky, watching as a golden runic circle appeared, cracking with Lightning. The clouds parted violently as divine energy gathered, forming a localized tribulation that threatened to erase the entire block from the map.
"You will only die."
He dropped his hand; from the runic circle above, lightning dropped, but smashed right into an energy shield. The blinding flash forced everyone to look away as the earth shook, but the lethal strike was mitigated just meters above Eren’s body.
Asher raised an eyebrow, stopping his attack, as nine figures descended from the sky, standing right in front of Eren, their gazes fixed on him. The pressure they exuded was suffocating, instantly transforming the ruined courtyard into a standoff between apex predators.
’These guys must be the ones Sara warned me about, each and every last one of them has a very powerful Physique... From the books I read about the other noble families, this Blue hair girl from the Wyrmrest family is very strong.’ He thought, stopping his attack. The world’s harsh reality dictated that fighting nine max-rank SSS-RANK simultaneously was tactical suicide. Offending these ten wasn’t wise; even with his strength, he won’t be able to protect his family, but still... That doesn’t mean he will easily back down and listen. To bow now would completely undo the fearsome reputation the Aetheldawn name needed.
"Tell me, what’s the meaning of this? Are all of you so poor, you rushed over like flies because of my treasures?" He asked coldly.
His words were calm, but the insult behind it was pure. The rulers of Silverspire were not used to being spoken to like common street scavengers. They did come here because of his treasures; they won’t lie to themselves saying they were curious, each one of them will gladly take the equipment if given a chance. But they still couldn’t refute his words, because the greed written plainly in their eyes was undeniable.
So the best reply to give now is:
"Killing an innocent Awakened is against the rule... All Awakened, no matter their ranks, are valuable to humankind. In other words, I saved you from problems by stopping you." The old man said, his arms folded behind his back, projecting an aura of righteous benevolence.
’I stopped that attack, but who would have thought it will crack my defense... Luckily he stopped.’ He thought inwardly. The old man’s palms were sweating; the sheer density of Asher’s lightning had nearly shattered his SSS-Rank defense.
"Do you know... Everything you just said is trash, nothing but pure trash." Asher said coldly.
All Awakened are equal? Who the fuck will open their mouth and utter such words...? In their current society, anyone D-Rank below is considered useless waste, looked down upon, bullied, and given the lowest resources, and here this old pig was, saying all Awakened are equal.
’Killing innocent Awakened is truly against the law, but when those spoilt brats from Noble families kill normal people, or even Awakened, they always get away with it after throwing in some money and resources... I feel like punching this old man.’ Asher thought, as Juliana reached his side, standing on his right. Her presence was a silent vow that whatever war started here, she would fight it beside him.
"You!" The old man was stunned, not expecting the young man to insult him, but the old woman on his side stopped him before he could summon his weapon.
’For this kid to anger someone even in our presence, why is he so confident?’ She thought, and said aloud:
"I think you have mistaken, we Nine aren’t here for your treasures; we came here because we were curious." She said, attempting to defuse the volatile atmosphere with cheap diplomacy.
Katherine narrowed her eyes at the old man, and turned to Asher: "Hey, don’t count me among yourselves!! What curiosity?! I came here for those equipment!!" She snapped, her white flames flaring with pure, unapologetic greed.
"Then it seems we eight came, out of curiosity." Danica said with a nervous laugh.
"Please mind how you count people, I am here for the equipment, and I am sure they will all belong to me today." Luna said coldly.
".....?!!"
The old woman gritted her teeth inwardly, placing a small smile on her face; these two young girls seem to hate her. Even if you’re after the weapon, couldn’t they keep it in, and give her face? The sheer disrespect of the younger generation was maddening.
"These guys aren’t even united; they will turn against one another with a little push." Juliana whispered in Asher’s ear, causing him to nod his head calmly. A fractured enemy was an exploitable enemy.
"I won’t say anything about the equipment, I am mainly here to extend my invitation personally."
A middle-aged man stepped forward, and continued: "I am Owen Lebreton... The head of the Lebreton family, I know you received an invitation, but I want to personally invite you over... I hope you can make it." He said, staring straight at Asher.
’This man’s energy is so dense, even Luna is far below him... I will say, he’s as strong as the Head of Starfire Family.’ He thought, and nodded his head:
"I already decided, I will be there."
"That is all I want to hear. I will be expecting you."
With that said, the space beneath him glowed brightly, and he vanished completely, without uttering a single chant.
’Showing off in front of me? Do you think I am intimidated?’ Asher thought, raising his head to the remaining people before him; he knew most of them, but knew nothing about their personalities. This will be a long day.