Chapter 221: We Are Coming Little Brother

“Seven days… there is genuinely nothing productive to do in these seven days of waiting.” Asher muttered quietly, shifting his gaze over his shoulder to look at Juliana:

”Well, it seems we will be accelerating your training regimens immediately.”

{DING!}

{Congratulations Master for Investing in your first wife Kelly, and third wife Juliana.}

{Investment Asset: Fifteen Divine-Tier Skill Books.}

{Congratulations!! Master Successfully Triggered the 80,000x Returns.}

{Gained One Supreme-Tier Skill Book. [Can’t Be Invested]!!}

{Gained Ten Divine-Tier Skill Books.}

{Gained One Supreme Mythic-Tier Health Bracelet. [Can’t Be Invested]!!}

{All acquired items have been safely deposited into systemic storage.}

’A Supreme-Tier skill book?! Excellent!’ Asher thought, a sharp smirk crossing his features as he mentally inspected the prize resting in the system storage before shifting his focus to the Supreme Mythic-Tier bracelet:

’I have a single question for the System.’

{Proceed, Master.}

’I intellectually grasp why Juliana can safely equip gear and deploy skill tiers that vastly outscale her current cultivation rank… But how on earth is it physically possible for Kelly to process and absorb such high-tier books right now? I thought only SSS-Rank entities possessed the skill to use Divine-Tier skills.’

{If your cognitive processing is already aware of that baseline rule, why did you deliberately distribute those books to her in the first place?}

’Eh? I was merely asking out of genuine curiosity regarding her unique physique; it clearly implies there are rare exceptions among humans who can completely bypass rank restrictions.’

Asher pivoted his body completely around to observe his three wives. Juliana was currently staring up at Tempest’s crystalline cocoon with a look of intense fascination; Kelly was deeply absorbed in integrating her fifth consecutive skill book; while Sara remained completely detached, turning the pages of her book in total silence.

’My wives are indisputable prodigies, yet I wouldn’t dare flatter myself by assuming they stand as the absolute pinnacle of power—not when we measure against the Chosen Stars of the Starfire family…’ A dark, solemn shadow crossed his expression:

’Especially when weighed against Maverick, the Fifth Chosen Star. I would argue that only a handful of living beings across the country possess the raw capability to suppress that monster… He wields enough destructive powers to level a sprawling metropolis entirely on a whim. Because of that looming threat, I must help my wives to grow immeasurably stronger so they can reliably defend themselves whenever I am absent from their side.’ He cast a final, lingering look toward Tempest’s glowing cocoon:

’Soon, we will ascend to tower above every established power… Exactly two weeks from tonight, I must fulfill my absolute promise.’

____

[CrownFall City.]

[Nighttime — 11:00 PM.]

[The Starfire Family Estate Grounds.]

”What on earth are you brooding over in the dark, sixth little brother?” Marcus asked, striding casually toward the silver-haired young man. Walking right beside his shoulder was a massive, pitch-black saber-toothed tiger radiating an oppressive predatory aura.

Maverick glanced back over his shoulder at his eldest brother, offering a faint, dismissive shake of his head: “It is nothing of consequence.”

”If you insist on playing the mystic… Regardless, the rest of us are fully prepared to depart for the front lines,” Marcus replied, casually patting the flank of his SS-Rank Tiger mount to intentionally display his status.

Maverick simply offered a curt nod, turning his eyes back toward the grand estate gates.

’What an insufferably arrogant little brat.’ Marcus thought to himself, a sharp, irritated frown momentarily flashing across his features before he masked it with a polite smile.

”We are fully assembled and ready to move out, Elder Brother!”

Two synchronized voices called out from behind. Trisha and Trish stepped forward in tandem, each gracefully mounting a massive, pristine white wolf—both formidable S-Rank beasts.

”Good. We have zero time to waste lingering around this courtyard; our official orders grants us one full month to complete this mission, but we must wrap this up entirely within fifteen days.” Marcus ascended into the air with practiced, effortless elegance, landing squarely upon the back of his tiger mount with a cool, composed expression.

”Our eldest brother always looks so effortlessly cool!”

The cluster of younger siblings watching from the mansion’s illuminated entrance cheered in undisguised admiration.

”Naturally—did you expect anything less from your elder brother?” Marcus replied, a smug, satisfied grin curving his lips.

”Let us move out immediately.”

”…?!”

Every head in the courtyard snapped upward in unison as a magnificent, winged golden lion materialized from the upper atmosphere, hovering silently in the night sky. Seated cross-legged between its massive back was Luna.

”Understood, Big Sister Luna,” Marcus acknowledged smoothly, shifting his gaze downward to point an armored gauntlet toward the iron gates:

”Chosen Stars—advance…”

Luna raised a single hand. Her colossal SSS-Rank lion smoothly descended from the clouds, its heavy paws landing with muffled thunder right in front of Maverick:

”Where is your beast mount?” She inquired, her gaze looking down at him from her elevated perch.

”My personal mount is simply too massive to comfortably deploy within these estate boundaries; I had no desire to accidentally flatten our ancestral courtyard.” Maverick replied with absolute, deadpan honesty.

”Can your mount not actively compress its physical body down like mine?” Luna pressed back.

”It lacks that specific morphic capability… Primarily because it isn’t actually a living entity,” Maverick added with a light, indifferent shrug.

”True enough; little brother Maverick’s primary Mount is absurdly colossal by nature—not to mention the sheer logistics of the fact that he commands well over a hundred of them simultaneously.” Trish pointed out helpfully to the group.

”We cannot afford to waste another second debating logistics. Climb up here and ride with me,” Luna commanded, extending a hand downward and gesturing for him to ascend.

Before the eyes of the gathered siblings, Luna’s lion began to rapidly expand its mass, swelling outward until it covered nearly a third of the massive estate grounds—easily eclipsing the surface area of a standard football pitch.

”Isn’t this entirely ridiculous?! That beast is so absurdly oversized it could comfortably ferry all five of us at once—why on earth are we expected to maintain individual mounts?” Trisha complained loudly, staring up in disbelief at the floating island of golden fur above them.

”Well, Big Sister has always openly doted on Little Brother Maverick… What can the rest of us do aside from stand here and watch?” Trish sighed dramatically.

Maverick offered a quiet, knowing smirk, leaped effortlessly into the air, and settled comfortably onto the lion’s back directly behind Luna.

”Are you securely positioned?” Luna asked over her shoulder, receiving a brief nod in response:

”Thank you for the lift, Big Sister.”

”Think nothing of it.” Luna swept her cold eyes down toward the three siblings waiting below:

”Move out immediately!!! And don’t even entertaining the notion of attempting to trail behind King!” she snapped harshly. Even the colossal golden lion turned its fierce, predatory gaze down toward Marcus and the twins, letting out a low, warning growl that vibrated through the stone.

”We are all children of the same bloodline, yet somehow we always fall so terribly short,” Trish murmured with an exaggeratedly mournful expression.

”Well, to be fair, the two of us don’t possess even a tenth of Little Brother Maverick’s raw strength; he may be SSS-Rank like us, but his actual combat ceiling could easily contend with an Ex-Rank…” Trisha noted grimly.

With a deafening beat of its golden wings, the giant lion rocketed out through the estate gates into the night sky, the twins’ wolf mounts trailing closely behind like streaks of white lightning.

’He may possess terrifying martial strength, but he will never inherit the position of Patriarch—primarily because he is fundamentally ruthless, utterly devoid of empathy, and understands nothing about corporate governance or trade networks.’ Marcus thought to himself with a cold, superior smirk, urging his tiger forward to chase after the Chosen Stars.

’My dear little brother… Your eldest brother is finally heading your way.’ Maverick thought quietly to himself, closing his eyes against the rushing wind as the cold night air whipped past his silver hair:

‘I sincerely pray you’ve grown strong enough to offer me a real challenge.’