FAMILY ABOVE ALL: BATTLING AGAINST GODS

Since there was still sometime before the second-year ranking war, Stefan took the small group to one of his favorite spots within the northern area of the academy.

A tea shop.

This was not the first time Arlo had tasted this substance as his mother often brewed it for their family at home. However, Arlo had to admit that this particular tea had a certain appeal. It calmed his mind and soothed his nerves. For the past couple of days, the group had been in constant danger. Not to mention Arlo who had to bore through an excruciating pain just to achieve a breakthrough. The destructive nature of Aether further made things worse for him. Even though he had Ki fruits, Arlo didn't have any intention of breaking through, at least for months. Going through such inhuman pain would only take a toll on his mind.

The tea almost had the effect of washing the painful experience away. Even Joe seemed more relaxed.

"So, what has been disturbing you?" As they sat around the table, Stefan suddenly asked Joe. Normally, he wouldn't have had any interest in a beast like Joe, however, Joe wasn't a stranger to him anymore. He was now one of the few friends his younger sister had. Thus, seeing someone important to his sister look worried, Stefan felt obliged to ask the reason why.

Joe didn't reply, a look of hesitation showing on his face.

Seeing this, Stefan raised a brow before waving his hand in dismissal, "If it is something you are uncomfortable sharing, then don't worry. Just imagine I never asked."

Joe looked at Arlo, as he silently asked for what to do. But seeing the latter shake his head, he released a sigh.

Scarlett had clearly warned them not to reveal what had happened outside the gate, and while Stefan was her grandson, they were still obliged to obey her words.

In the end, Joe could only reply succinctly, "My sister is in danger."

"Oh!..." Seeing that Joe had no intention to elaborate, Stefan merely brushed it off.

'Way to go genius!' Arlo complained inwardly. He had been feeling grateful to Stefan for bringing them to this place. Not only did it calm him, but it also seemed to have worked on Joe. However, Stefan just had to ask what he had been trying to make Joe temporarily forget.

Intending to alleviate the awkward silence, and shift Joe's mind from his sister, Arlo quickly changed the topic.

Looking at Arianne, he asked, "Arianne, what about your life beast? I haven't seen it in a long time!"

Arianne wore a confused expression for a moment before a look of realization dawned on her.

"Oh, Batty is with grandmother. She is undergoing her evolution."

Arlo's lips suddenly trembled. Even Stefan couldn't stop the sides of his mouth from twitching.

Arlo hesitated before looking at Arianne uncertainly, "Do you mean Betty?"

Arianne frowned, "No! Batty is Batty!"

Seeing the strange look on not only Arlo's face, but even Joe and her brother, a look of displeasure appeared on Arianne's face.

"Humph, what is it?"

'What bad naming sense.' Arlo thought but didn't dare to reveal. Instead, he squeezed out a small smile and wisely replied, "Ah-its nothing."

*****

Within a room in the auditorium where the second-year ranking war was being held...

Arlo sat cross-legged on the ground, a blue slime resting on his head, and a little three-tailed black fox lying comfortably on his lap.

On the way to the auditorium, Stefan had informed them that the ranking war this time was a little special, and after he had learned that it would take some time before he could fight with Jude, Arlo asked if there was some quiet place where he could meditate in before the fight.

Thinking that he wanted to bring himself to his maximum condition, Stefan had brought him to this particular room. But what he didn't know was that Arlo didn't put his fight with Jude in his eyes and only wanted to have some private time with Kira and his other summon and get to know their abilities.

Shifting his head down, Arlo looked at his second summon and marveled at how beautiful she was. He had always found Anita, or rather her attitude and behaviors to be cute, but he couldn't deny that she couldn't compare to Kira in this aspect. Of course, to him, Anita would always remain his most trusted partner and no other summon could ever occupy her position.

As if sensing his gaze, the little fox opened her eyes and returned his gaze. Like this, the two silently locked eyes for several moments.

After some time, Arlo smiled and spoke in the gentlest voice he could muster:

"We haven't had some time to ourselves. I am very happy to have you as my summon."

Kira's purple eyes sparkled joyfully, and instead of replying, she snuggled closer and rubbed her head on Arlo's palm, to the latter's satisfaction.

After a while, Arlo voiced the question that had been plaguing his mind, ever since he set eyes on Kira.

"So Kira, do you have your memories?"

Unlike Anita who he had named himself, Kira had told him her name. This meant she still retained some of her past life's memories.

"Yes..."

Excited, Arlo was about to ask about her experience in the realm of the god. Though he knew that place was far too distant from him, he still couldn't help but wonder what such a legendary domain would look like.

However, before the words could leave his mouth, Kira's voice resounded within his mind once again:

"But I don't remember much."

Disappointed, but trying not to show it, Arlo asked:

"So what do you remember?"

"Only my name and some of my powers. Every other thing appears fuzzy."

Arlo unconsciously released a sigh, 'It seems she doesn't remember much either. But according to Old Bro, the more she grows and becomes stronger, the faster her memory will return.'

"So what can you do?" Arlo asked after some thoughts.

"My powers are Shadow territory and Shadow clones. But you inherited those two from me, so I can't use them."

Arlo silently nodded prompting the black fox to continue:

"However, I still have many other abilities aside from those two..."

"Oh!" Arlo's eyes sparkled, momentarily forgetting the matter about the realm of the gods.

Not keeping him waiting, Kira spoke in a mild voice:

"Not only can I instantly move through shadows, I can also manipulate the shadows around me using my affinity with shadow laws."

Arlo's eyes widened slightly.

It seemed that just like him, Kira could also teleport instantly by moving through shadows. However, her ability was even better as he had to deploy Shadow territory before he could teleport or summon his shadow clones and swap positions with them.

Just when Arlo was marveling at how insane his new summon's battle prowess was, Kira's pleasant voice drifted into his ears.

"...I can also create a shadow army."

Arlo became petrified on the spot, his mind going blank.

It wasn't until after several breaths that he came to, and looked at Kira like he was looking at a monster.

His mouth dry, Arlo whispered:

"Crazy..."

However unlike Anita, his new summon didn't care about how strong Arlo perceived her to be and simply brushed his words aside. Looking at Arlo who was still gazing stupidly at her, Kira spoke:

"You know you still have one more summon, right? That stupid monkey must be enjoying himself right now."

Pulled back by Kira's words, Arlo smacked himself on the head. He had planned not only to talk with Kira but also his third summon, as even though he didn't plan on revealing him to anyone any time soon, he still wanted to get to know him.

Quickly connecting with the third clear seal on his arm which resembled a monkey wearing a hat, Arlo spoke in his mind:

"Come out!"

There was no response for several breaths, and just when Arlo was about to speak again...

With a puff of smoke, a new figure appeared before him, stunning him for the second time in less than five minutes.

A small monkey with resplendent yellow fur and piercing yellow eyes sat before him, exuding an aura of divine majesty. His presence commanded reverence as if he were a deity incarnate in simian form.

Adorning his limbs and tail were golden rings, each bearing intricate patterns that seemed to pulse with an ancient energy. Three rings adorned his tail, each gleaming with a brilliance that hinted at their divine significance, while a single ring graced each of his wrists and ankles, symbolizing his connection to the sacred. With every movement, the rings emitted a faint glow, casting a soft golden light that illuminated the room. Their presence spoke of untold wisdom and power as if they were relics from a time long past, imbued with the essence of ancient gods.

In his hand, the yellow monkey held a small rod, seemingly unremarkable at first glance. However, upon closer inspection, one could sense the archaic ambiance that emanated from it, swirling with the echoes of long-forgotten legends and mythic tales.

As it sat, the yellow monkey surveyed Arlo with serene confidence, his gaze holding the wisdom of ages past. In his presence, Arlo could not help but feel the weight of history and the reverence reserved for beings of divine lineage.

Arlo's mouth slowly parted, the words barely squeezed out:

"Kong..."

Unlike Kira, Arlo had known the name of his third summon since he was in the secret realm. After all, he had used the power he inherited from him to rain down massive structures from the sky prompting Zara to surrender. Since then, he had suspected that his new summons had some memories of their past, unlike Anita. Among his three summons powers, the one that truly impacted him the most was Kong. He already subconsciously knew that Kong would be nothing short of strong or impressive, but this?

Arlo was stumped and didn't know how to react.

The summon before him was simply too majestic. He even wondered how he was able to connect with such a powerful being.

Just when he started feeling uncomfortable under the monkey's stare, Kira who was resting on his lap suddenly lashed out:

"Stupid monkey, you even dare to deceive your own master?"

Under Arlo's confused eyes, the shadows of the object within the room suddenly moved before turning into sharp spikes that lunged at Kong and tore his figure apart instantly.

"NOOO..." Arlo screamed in horror, only for his voice to gradually die down.

The image of the majestic monkey before him suddenly became foggy, before dissipating like smoke.

In the place of the glorious monkey was a similarly yellow monkey, who despite looking alike like the former seemed unrelated to it. There was no aura of majesty...

No piercing eyes that shone with the wisdom of ages...

And most importantly, the monkey was sleeping, with a dark hat that resembled a magician's covering its face.

"An illusion!?" Arlo's face instantly turned ugly.

As if sharing in his displeasure, Kira commanded one of the thorns made from shadow to poke the small monkey in the rear.

A painful cry pierced the walls of the room...

*****

After almost two hours of communicating and learning more about his summon, Arlo left the room with a satisfied look.

He had wanted to quietly enter the auditorium, but soon found out he didn't need to. Because even after entering, no one spared him a glance. All their attention was focused on the ring. Arlo quickly located Stefan, Arianne, and Joe and found them sitting in a conspicuous place. Grumbling under his breath, he silently blended with the second-year students.

Curious, he gazed at the center of the ring, interested to see what was so captivating that even Arianne and Joe had not noticed his presence.

However, what he saw made him frown...

There, at the center of the ring was the person he had condemned to death, raining punches and kicks on another boy, with a manic grin on his face. Arlo soon recognized the boy who was being beaten badly. He had seen him challenge Jude last week and fail miserably, yet it seemed he had still rechallenged him today.

The boy's painful cry slowly died down, and soon low whimpers took its place. He could see Jude using his dark essence to boost his attacks and magnify the pain he was inflicting. Even yet, the boy refused to succumb to the pain and lose consciousness. Instead, he glared at Jude hatefully, his eyes shining with unbending stubbornness. However, his unyielding attitude only seemed to fuel Jude's madness, as the boy raised his leg and stomped his chest several times with barely any rest.

The unyielding light within the boy's eyes slowly died down. With the clear vision granted to him by his dragon eyes, Arlo vividly saw the boy throwing a desperate look in Arianne's direction, before shifting towards where the Counts sat, and finally in his direction, where the second years were staying, as if searching for someone...or something.

It seemed he didn't find what he was looking for as the light in the boy's eyes slowly turned to despair and soon after...two lines of tears streaked down his face.

Suddenly, Jude cackled loudly, before yanking the boy towards him, an evil grin plastered on his face. He spoke some words and then clenched his other hand, not before covering it in thick darkness.

The boy closed his eyes as if submitting to his fate.

Arlo took in all this with a calm gaze, the frown already long gone. Finally, he closed his eyes...

Somewhere deep within his heart, he felt a bit of disappointment towards Stefan...and Arianne. However, he couldn't blame them either. To them, Jude and the boy were just another person, a stranger they had no relation to. Not to mention that their status was worlds apart, so it was normal for them not to put the duo in their eyes.

In fact, Arlo wondered if Arianne would have even spared him a glance if he wasn't somehow related to Scarlett. However, he quickly killed this thought and shook his head.

All these thoughts passed through his mind in a split second. Opening his eyes, Arlo simultaneously released his two new domains. The floor of the whole auditorium instantly turned into darkness, however, before the darkness materialized completely, it was masked by the illusion domain, making the ground appear no different from normal. Only a few beings within the hall felt the changes but before they could react, and as Jude's fist was still hurtling towards the boy's face, Arlo suddenly disappeared from where he was sitting and appeared behind Jude. Raising his hand, he tried to stop Jude's fist from colliding with the boy's face, only for his expression to change.

It seemed he wasn't the only one who was displeased with Jude's action, as another person acted, not intending to stop but kill him. Well...rather than saying another person...it was more apt to say another...part of him.

His tail suddenly swung forward with a deadly might, and even Arlo couldn't help but think he didn't ever want to be at the receiving end of such an attack.

Before the tail could achieve its aim though, Arlo swiftly pulled Jude from its path, saving the Idiot's life without his knowledge. But because he didn't control his strength, Jude was thrown back by his pull, his body spinning several times in the air before rolling on the ground.

'Oops!'

Arlo glared at his tail which was swaying left and right in his face as if asking him why he had done that.

Just when Arlo was about to chastise his new mate, a low voice suddenly pulled his attention.

"...Why?"

Looking down, the mangled body of the boy who had been torturously beaten by Jude entered his vision. The boy was currently looking at him in confusion, his eyes struggling to stay open.

Not even hesitating for a moment, Arlo simply shrugged, "I just wanted to..."

The boy seemed to be stunned by his reply before two trickles of tears fell once more down his face. Straining to speak, he choked out:

"...Thank you."

And then he fainted.

*****

AN: Thanks to all those who are following the novel, <3.