Chapter 107: Disowned
"...?!"
"Huh?"
"What?"
A collective gasp rippled through the grand hall. Everyone was stunned, their eyes completely fixed on the three ladies walking gracefully behind Asher. Before them, he was like a phantom—his charm was undeniably sharp, and he was far beyond average in looks—but standing before the otherworldly beauty of his wives, he was like an unnoticed shadow cast by a brilliant sun.
"Whoa, they are so beautiful." Frederick whispered, instantly forgetting his own sour mood. Then he froze, finally processing the face of the young man walking in front of the three women.
"Wait, isn’t that...?" He was completely stunned, staring at Asher in sheer disbelief.
Every single eye in the party watched in shock, especially Eren and Gavin. They stared at the four who walked inside, flanked by imposing, pitch-black Knights trailing silently behind them like harbingers of death.
"Are those Awakened?" Someone asked in confusion, shivering at the cold energy radiating from the armored figures.
"They have the Aura of S-Rank Awakened, are they truly S-Rank?"
"How would I know that? But three... and they’re all heavily armed."
"I can’t sense any life force from them, are those things truly summons? How can a summon be so powerful?" The young man sitting at Elizabeth’s table muttered in absolute shock, turning to her.
"Your strongest summon is half the height of those knights, and it’s only B-Rank, highest A-Rank."
Elizabeth glared at him, her pride stinging as she turned her fierce gaze back to Asher. ’How did he summon Humanoids? They are the most difficult to create.’ She thought, her fingernails digging into her palms.
"Hey, don’t compare yourselves to him. That guy over there is someone you can never reach, so just grow at your own pace." Katherine said, looking up briefly from her phone. She turned her head toward the VIP tables where her father was sitting, catching him staring pointedly at her.
’Gosh, don’t tell me he wants me to go up there and network? Nah, I am busy with my game, maybe after.’ She casually ignored her father’s political signaling and continued tapping on her phone, utterly detached from the high-society drama.
"Can you defeat him, Katherine?" Britney asked, turning to the older girl with wide, naive eyes.
"Nope, he is a lot stronger than me... I don’t even think Tyson, or even the Head of the Lebreton family can defeat him. We all might be at the same stage of age, but we aren’t his opponent," she said, not even bothering to look up from her screen. The idea of matching a monster like Asher was completely out of her mind; she would much rather focus on her own steady cultivation than ruin her life chasing an impossible peak.
"I don’t believe it!! I will challenge him to a duel and see the winner!" Elizabeth declared with a clenched fist, aggressively getting to her feet.
"You can’t even defeat one of his summons, and you want to fight him? Just let me play my game." Katherine muttered, remaining seated and quiet.
"You! We won’t know unless we try," Elizabeth snapped with clenched fists, her fiery aura flickering as she glared at the four newcomers.
"Look, the Patriarch of the Lebreton family actually came down," Britney said in surprise, pointing at Owen, who was walking down the crystal staircase with measured, heavy steps.
"Welcome Lord Asher, I am very grateful you could make it," Owen said with a small, perfectly calculated polite bow, offering the respect due to a reigning monarch rather than a mere guest.
Asher stared at him for a quiet, suffocating moment, then slowly nodded his head. "Our seats?" He asked, his voice cutting through the hall’s tension like a blade.
"Right here, at the head table." Owen said with a tight smile, stepping aside and watching as Asher and his wives moved past him to sit down.
Juliana and Sara maintained icy, blank expressions on their faces as they took their seats, completely unfazed by the hundreds of high-ranking Awakened staring at them. But Kelly was different; she was taking in every inch of the extravagant Hall, her eyes sparkling with innocent wonder at the floating lights and towering ice sculptures.
Owen carefully studied them, ultimately moving his gaze to Juliana. He could feel the lethal killing intent emanating from her, although she tried her best to hide it. It was so dense that he could practically taste the bloodlust twenty feet away, and he was absolutely sure any strong soul present could feel the chilling pressure.
He had hosted this massive party for three specific reasons, and fighting a war in his own living room wasn’t part of it—well, violence was inevitable, just not here in the hall. Trying desperately to defuse the ticking time bomb sitting at the table, he stepped forward and coughed lightly. The sound echoed all over the place, instantly drawing everyone’s undivided attention toward him.
"Please listen up everyone, I have three announcements to make today!" He raised his fingers into the air, the heavy weight of his authority settling over the crowd, then slowly bent one down.
"First, I want to announce that my first son, Aaron Lebreton, is no longer part of the Lebreton family. He is now a complete stranger, and all his actions should never be tied with my Lebreton family, or you’ll face my anger!" He yelled, his booming words stunning everyone in place.
Why would Owen publicly disown his own heir, a prodigious SSS-RANK Awakened with a terrifyingly good physique?
The nobles murmured frantically amongst themselves, the political implications staggering, but absolutely none dared open their mouths to ask for the reason behind such a brutal decree.
Asher, on the other hand, merely turned to Juliana, whose cold gaze was fixed unblinkingly on Owen. He perfectly understood what the Patriarch was doing. Owen was washing his hands of the blood to come—granting his son’s suicidal wish for revenge while simultaneously keeping the rest of his clan safe from extermination.
’His son’s wish? It must be Juliana.’
Asher chuckled darkly to himself. Juliana had already explained everything that happened that day on the ride over. After getting kidnapped by those corrupt families, Aaron had almost forced himself on her, which rightfully resulted in him losing an eye. If that fool came crawling out of the shadows again, Asher would make sure he lost his life.
’This Owen is very sharp and smart. He knows exactly when to cut off a rotting limb to save the body. I should keep an eye on him.’ Asher thought, leaning back in his velvet chair as Owen seamlessly moved to the second reason for the grand Banquet.