In the grand meeting hall of the Li family estate, the atmosphere was thick with tension, a palpable weight that filled the expansive room. The moonlight streaming through the high arched windows did little to soften the darkness that clung to the space like an unsettling presence.
Lord Han Li sat at the head of the mahogany table, his eyes distant but simmering with fury. Across from him, his son Jian Li stood rigid, while Liang sat with a cold, emotionless expression, as if the tension in the room didn’t even reach him.
The heavy silence was shattered by the sound of Lord Han slamming his fist onto the table.
“Kai… dead,” he growled, the words barely escaping through gritted teeth. “My grandson, gone, because of some random bastard summoner?”
“You must be joking!”
“How dare that mere summoner go against my family!”
“It must have been one of his dragons. That’s the only explanation. He’s insulted me. Devouring a member of my bloodline.”
Jian Li stepped forward, eyes filled with sorrow but with a touch of suspicion. “Father, it’s not just the filthy summoner we should blame. We need to look within our own ranks.”
His gaze flickered to Liang, a trace of accusation sharp in his tone. “Liang. You hated your brother. You’ve always hated him. So you must have set him up to fail! I refuse to believe that Kai’s death wasn’t somehow orchestrated by someone close. His own flesh and blood.”
Liang didn’t flinch under his father’s glare. Instead, he folded his arms and leaned back in his chair, his expression calm but defiant.
“I hated Kai?”
He scoffed, a bitter laugh escaping his lips. “Yes, we didn’t get along. But don’t you dare accuse me of something so vile. Father, you insult me.”
“The plan that led to this mission was indeed mine, but it was reviewed by Grandfather himself. It was flawless. We both approved it.”
Lord Han’s eyes narrowed dangerously at the reminder. His own grandson, Kai, had been lost in the Wasteland Display event to a plan he approved. A carefully calculated plan, designed to single out Alister and get rid of him.
The old man’s fist clenched tighter, the veins in his hand bulging as he recalled the details.
“Yes… the plan was supposed to work. That summoner wasn’t supposed to pose any real threat on his own. The raid team had the upper hand!”
His voice began to rise again, a storm of emotions brewing inside him. “It was foolproof!”
Lord Han suddenly stood, grabbing a delicate glass cup in front of him and hurling it against the nearest wall.
The glass shattered into a thousand glittering shards, scattering across the marble floor. The violent sound echoed through the hall, the tension in the room reaching a boiling point.
“But no!” Lord Han spat, pacing back and forth, barely able to contain his wrath.
“Not only did that summoner somehow fight back, but he ended their lives. My grandson’s life!”
Liang gritted his teeth slightly at his grandfather’s words.
Lord Han then turned sharply, his eyes blazing as he fixed his gaze on Jian and Liang. “That summoner must pay, he must be dealt with immediately. We must use all the power our family can muster and make that child realize the sin he has committed.”
Liang remained unmoved, though his eyes now held a touch of irritation.
“Grandfather,” Liang began softly. “Perhaps this summoner, Alister…”
“He may possess more summons than he displayed during the event, and perhaps he doesn’t have the limitations or physical weaknesses regular summoners possess.”
“He is the third SSS-ranked Awakened ever recorded in history. He may be a summoner, but I believe we should start taking him more seriously. We should look at the worst but most likely scenario.”
“His summons may continue to be mythical dragons, he may not have a limit on the number of summons he can possess, and his physical capabilities could also be SSS-ranked. Who knows, he may one day become the right hand of the Union President.”
“If our attempts to subdue him all fail, he may one day come to seek revenge, and on that day the Li family will be eradicated.”
“Although it is understandable that his actions have been a slap to our faces and a stomp on our pride, we should consider the future of our family if we decide to act out of anger.”
Liang was no fool. He was an ambitious, proud, and cunning young man, but he would never let emotion cloud his reason—well, unless it came to Kai. He’d always known there were thin lines that divided confidence, arrogance, and outright madness.
Although Alister had clearly not become some sort of unstoppable force, Liang had decided it would be best if they avoided him.
This was not a calculated decision but more of a gut feeling he usually got, like a sixth sense of his that had never been wrong before. What caused this were all the unknowns surrounding Alister. He carried out extensive digging in hopes of better understanding the boy.
But the more he found, the more questions he had.
Found in the wastelands, absurd mana capacity, his talent rank, surviving an A-ranked dungeon without a single wound as a summoner with no summons, leaping from his balcony to meet the guild masters before he joined the White Comets, his sparring at the guild, his strange summoning of his dragon knight without buying any equipment, his actual number of summons, and so on.
Nothing about the boy made complete sense, and it seemed there was far more to him than he could assume.
Silence fell again, but this time it was filled with unspoken words as Lord Han and Jian silently processed Liang’s statement.
Lord Han stood still, his chest rising and falling with deep breaths as he forced himself to calm down.
He clenched his fists, his nails digging into his palms as he fought the urge to lash out again.
“It doesn’t matter, SSS-ranked or not, the fact is he isn’t a threat yet. If he will be, all the more reason he must be dealt with,” he finally said through gritted teeth, his voice low but
filled with rage.
“The boy must pay for this. He will regret the day he made an enemy of the Li family. So you mustn’t fail this time.”-his eyes locked onto Liang.
“Rid us of this thorn. No more mistakes. No more failures. My grandson’s death will be avenged, and the summoner’s dragons will be cut down and used to make equipment, one
way or another.”
Liang narrowed his eyes. It was obvious his grandfather had heard what he said, but he didn’t care. He wanted to avenge his favorite grandson, and it was clear he wouldn’t be convinced otherwise, but he expected things to go this way.
“Grandfather, making him suffer may not be on the table. If he perceives a threat and decides to act, our efforts may be thwarted.”
“So what do you propose?”
“An assassination. In a few days, he will be attending the massive celebration event where the Union will split the resources brought back from the wastelands among the guilds.”
“In the moment that he is left alone, a professional mercenary sniper will take him out.”
“She is notorious in the underworld, they call her ‘The Annihilator.””
“She possesses an A+ talent, but has taken out numerous S ranked targets.”
“Wasn’t a member of the raid team that got wiped out an SS ranked sniper? What difference
will this A+ rank make?” Lord Han asked.
Liang smiled. “True, but the bullets this sniper will use will be made of animantium. Very expensive, but it will ensure the job is done. And due to the talent of the shooter, even if the bullet is stopped, a massive explosion will occur right after.”
“So even if it comes to it and she is forced to fire multiple shots, Alister will certainly be
caught in the blast.”
“And even if that fails, I’ll organize for the assassin to go undercover and join the guild. While they work there, they will be sure to get close to him. One way or another, they will find a way
to deal with him.”
Lord Han paused for a moment. He seemed unwilling, not wanting to give Alister such an easy death, but he didn’t want to fail in avenging his grandson, so he reluctantly agreed.
“Alright, get it done.”
“Understood.” Liang, then gave a slight bow. “I will not disappoint you, Grandfather.”
Without further exchange, Liang turned and made his way to the grand doors of the hall, his footsteps echoing in the silence as he stepped out into the corridor.
As the heavy doors closed behind him, Lord Han turned to his son, Jian, whose face still held traces of frustration and grief.
“We will cut off all ties with the White Comets,” Lord Han stated firmly, his eyes hardening. “All business deals, every connection we have with them-sever them immediately. Make it obvious why. We must send a clear message. They will know this is not just business but
revenge.”
Jian nodded, his jaw clenched. “Understood. I’ll see to it that they feel the full weight of this
decision.”
Lord Han gave a slow nod of approval, the fire in his eyes flickering for a brief moment. “Good. The time for diplomacy is over. They will understand what it means to cross the Li
family.”