Boom! A wave of intense energy crashed into Ox, slamming his bloated body hard into the wall.
"Jeros, how dare you hit me! I'm your father! How could you treat me this way?" Ox shouted in fury, completely unprepared for his "average" son to lash out at him.
Muria stood up, ignoring the terrified secretary cowering nearby. He calmly floated over to Ox, who was struggling to free himself from the wall, and fixed his gaze on him with eyes glowing pure white.
"I'll give you ten seconds to put on your star armor."
"What are you planning? Jeros, I'm warning you! I'm your father, and if you treat me like this, what will the family think of you? Don't you care about your place in the Douglas family?"
Ox's bravado meant nothing to Muria, who kept his expression impassive. In truth, had it not been for the family's influence, he might have killed this so-called father on the spot for his shamelessness.
Being part of an orderly faction meant abiding by certain rules. Ox's actions had been vile enough that Muria could vent some of his anger. But if he killed him, it would be a different matter entirely; patricide would shatter his reputation within the family.
"You should consider yourself lucky," Muria said, and with those final words, he drew his fist back, white energy visibly gathering around it, radiating a cold, shimmering light.
"You..." Feeling the terrifying force building in Muria's fist, Ox's face turned pale. He quickly activated his portable star armor, a privilege he held only because of Desilee's status.
Boom!
Seeing Ox armored in a suit of heavy star armor, Muria didn't hesitate. He drove his fist into Ox's stomach, and the impact spider-webbed cracks across the armor. White light flooded out from the cracks, spreading rapidly across the entire suit, ripping it to shreds.
At the same time, the force of Muria's punch erupted fully, bending Ox's body into a V-shape as he was launched backward, smashing through several walls before crashing to the ground outside.
Gazing through the holes in the wall at the sky beyond, Muria felt a wave of satisfaction and clarity wash over him, his mood significantly lightened.
He turned to the quivering secretary who had come with Ox. "What are you still doing here?"
"Right away, Master Jeros! I'll leave now," she stammered, relief flooding her face as she fled the room in a hurry.
...
"Miss Desilee, it's confirmed. When your father went to see Master Jeros, for some reason, Master Jeros threw him out of his residence. He's now in the hospital's intensive care unit, barely clinging to life."
"I see," Desilee murmured, her eyes flashing as she understood what Ox's plan had been. "How bad are his injuries?"
"Very severe. Not a single bone in his body is intact, and his organs are damaged to varying degrees. Strangely, he's still alive, though he's barely hanging on. He should recover, though."
"A pity," Desilee sighed with mild regret upon hearing this.
...
"Have you heard about what happened just now? A son beating up his father—quite a rare sight."
"Are you talking about Jeros and Ox? I can't say I'm too surprised to hear that Ox got himself beaten."
"He asked for it. I've heard he tried to use his estranged son Jeros as a stepping stone for his daughter Desilee, planning a fight in three days where Jeros would deliberately lose to raise Desilee's status."
"As if we'd fall for that trick! Does he think we're blind, that we old folks wouldn't see right through it?" one of the senior family stewards sneered.
"The family council also received a formal complaint from Desilee, accusing him of deliberately sowing discord and damaging family unity."
"Is that true?"
"Why would I make this up?"
"Then it seems Ox really has a talent for trouble. His son beats him up, and his daughter files complaints against him. Not a single good relationship to his name."
"His greed ruined him. In his mind, only he mattered, and everyone else was a tool."
"Good thing Desilee was brought here right after she was born. If Ox had raised her himself, who knows what she would have become."
"Enough chatter. Let's discuss how to handle this."
"So, we're handling it? Seems the family doesn't want to punish Jeros and Desilee, despite them being half-siblings."
"Why should they be punished? They did nothing wrong; the one at fault here is Ox, who's driven solely by self-interest," said Steward Paes.
Within the Douglas family, any member with an astral talent below 60% was deemed unworthy. These family members were mere vessels for spreading the bloodline, and had no role beyond eating and procreating. Thus, they were managed by stewards like Paes, who served the family.
"His relationships with his children are so abysmal he's a nuisance to keep around. Send him to a remote city."
"Fine. He may take his household with him."
"But also keep tabs on his relationships. After all, he did produce Jeros, a powerful warrior, and Desilee, a prodigy. He may not be much himself, but his offspring contribute to the family."
"Ahem, you all seem to be getting ahead of yourselves. Ox might never wake up," a steward said after checking his communicator.
"How come? Last I heard, he was alive when they got him to the hospital."
"True, he's stabilized, but he hasn't opened his eyes. According to the doctors, he may be bedridden for life."
"A vegetable? Honestly, it would've been better if Jeros had killed him with that punch."
"Dead or not, it's different. This outcome is actually quite fitting."
"Hold on, aren't we missing something here? Is it possible Jeros planned for this result? If so, that's impressive."
"Analyzing the evidence, there's an 87% chance he did this intentionally."
"What a temper..."
"Understandable, given they have no bond beyond blood. He's actually showing a lot of restraint by not killing him."
"Then let's keep things as they are. Limit the news on this."
"Agreed."
...
"Sir, the staff around the estate are saying you'll be fighting your sister in three days."
"Mm." Muria gave a simple acknowledgment, indicating he was aware.
"It's outrageous, sir! This is clearly your father's doing. He deserved to be beaten into bed rest," grumbled the young male servant angrily, clearly holding the most contempt for Ox.
"It might not be just him. It could also be certain people in the family stirring things up." Muria shook his head. He'd expected complications when he agreed to come to the capital with Susannah.
In a way, Muria was like a wild beast in an unfamiliar jungle. Now, he needed to establish his standing.
There were predators and prey in this place, none of whom had ever encountered anyone like him. They would keep testing him in one battle after another until his place in the hierarchy was clear.
Once his status was set, they would understand who could provoke him and who could not. Some might even seek alliances with him.
"Sir, do you want to make a public statement and clarify this misunderstanding?" asked the young maid worriedly.
"There's no point. Go tell Desilee that I accept the fight in three days. Tell her I'll even give her one hand."
"Understood." The young male servant's wings fluttered in excitement as he dashed off.
"Oh, and while you're at it, get me a list of everyone on the estate with an astral talent above 80%. Deliver a challenge letter to each of them."
"Sir, are you...?"
"I'm not interested in wasting time with petty games. I'll challenge them all, take them down, and secure my place in this estate. That should put an end to all the nonsense," Muria said casually, his siblings looking on with awe.
"But won't people think you're arrogant?" the young maid asked.
"Let them. Once I've fought my way through, any negative opinion will turn into praise. In the end, the world has always belonged to the victor."
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