Brother

They locked eyes, the intensity of Will's hatred unmistakable. If if he had knew his brother was going to be the leader of the group, he never would have ventured here.

The mistake had already been made; now, he just had to emerge unharmed.

Kyle's voice interrupted his thoughts, pulling him back to the present as he kept his expression stoic. "I never expected to see you here," Kyle remarked, a hint of surprise in his voice. "To think even with your helpless condition you would be accepted into the military. Quite unexpected, honestly," he added with a brief chuckle.

Observing the distinctive dark uniform adorned with two stars, it was clear he was a second-year student. "His level of strength that I don't know. Let me give it a try, analyze," he commanded with authority. "This system had been acting up for a while now, just hope it works."

[ Name: Kyle Sonoma ]

[ Realm: Advanced realm ( peak stage ) ]

Damn it! His strength surpasses mine by a significant margin. But that doesn't mean I'll back down."

"I'm not interested in joining your group, if that's what you're offering. I prefer to work alone."

"Who said you get a choice here? You don't speak unless I say so," he warned sternly.

"F*cking pig! Who does he think he is?" His hand was clenched tightly, his veins bulging at his temple. "I can't afford to make a mistake now. Just stay calm."

"You can leave," Kyle said, gesturing towards the others. Dan and his group slowly exited the room, but Kyle's intense gaze remained fixed on the two who remained. "Didn't you hear me? Leave us alone."

"I'm sorry, but we're not going anywhere. We came here together and we'll leave together," Belle stepped forward, her voice firm.

"Such loyal friends you have," he sneered. He ordered the two beside him, who immediately charged towards them. "Crush their fingers one at a time until I order you to stop,"

They weren't also lacking in strength and are also second years with experience. Just as the atmosphere was charged with tension, Wills voice echoed across the open space, "Stop! What do you want, uhn? Why can't you guys just let me be?"

"What do I want? What can you offer me," he asked looking at him with amused eyes.

'Acting all tough now, just wait till I become stronger.' He walked over to Dren and whispered to his ears. A short instance the crystals which they had discovered was handed over to him and he stepped forward.

He threw the bag containing the crystals without a word, his arms folded across his chest. Being weak, he didn't attempt to show cowardice. 'Just know that whatsoever you collected from me, I'll collect twice when the time comes.'

"Hmmm, you're buying your way out, huh? That's not bad, but that won't be enough. That would only get the both of them free-"

"That's all we have, we only began searching for crystals before coming here," Will said, cutting him off with a shrewd reply.

"Is that so? Hehehe... You know, that's why you'll always be my favorite bro. I'll let you off this time, but let's not cross paths again. Else, I'll cut off those puny legs of yours. You can go," he said, waving his hand.

"Come on, let's get out of here," he said, leading the way.

"Hmm, quite peculiar," he remarked, eyeing the spot where a drop of blood lay. "Lucky for you, I wasn't in the mood for a fight. Send some of the underlings to keep an eye on him."

As Will and his group walked out into the open space, they were met by Dwaine. With a remorseful expression, he said, "I'm sorry, I never expected it to end like this." Dwaine had witnessed everything that had transpired. He handed a bag containing energy crystals and ability shards to Will.

"I don't need these," Will said with a frown as he continued on without stopping. "Thanks for the 'help'," he added sarcastically.

"He's just upset, give him some time," Belle whispered with an apologetic smile.

"This guy," Dwaine muttered, shaking his head wryly. "My attempt to make things right went awry. But mark my words, I'll repay you one day."

Will couldn't help but recall a certain incident from their youth. He shook his head trying hard not to think about the past. Kyle wasn't his brother, just a cousin, but their grandfather had insisted they live as one, regardless of their blood ties.

"I can't afford to lose focus," Will thought, shaking his head. "You guys can head back to base, I'll catch up later," he said before activating his [ Dash skill ] and disappearing into the dense forest.

"Let him be," Belle advised Dren, holding him back as he was about running after him. "You won't catch up with him if you chase. Let's head back and let him cool off."

"I wonder what happened for him to resent his siblings so much," Dren sighed, following Belle.

~~~~

Back on Earth, the conference had concluded, and the family heads emerged from the building.

"Has Garan grown even stronger?" one remarked. "His efforts are truly paying off. Perhaps a human will soon break through to the Heavenly realm."

"Thank goodness I was informed quickly about the Supreme Commander's presence. I rushed here just in time," a family head from the northern world said.

"Indeed," another agreed, having hurried to the conference upon hearing of the Supreme Commander's attendance.

"The western region seems to be acting tough," a head noted. "None of their leaders bothered to show up, even after being informed by their representatives."

"Not all the family heads from the southern region made an appearance either. Ash Sonoma, the head of the Sonoma family, was notably absent," remarked one of the leaders from the northern region. "One of these days, I'll have to teach some of them some manners," he added with a hint of frustration.

As they made their way to their transports, the family heads pondered the swift pace of events. They realized that if they weren't careful, they could be caught off guard.

"With the Supreme Commander back, things should become more manageable," Mason Corbett, head of the Shadow Family, thought to himself