FAMILY ABOVE ALL: BATTLING AGAINST GODS

Arlo held the blue slime in his hand gently. If it were a day before, he would have been happy to see Anita awaken and excited to know how strong she had become. But after today's events, his mind became too clouded to entertain such thoughts.

Kira who was on his lap watched the duo, her purple shining brightly.

A few more moments passed before Anita stopped shaking. After ten more breaths, Arlo heard that childish and cute voice his heart had longed for...

"H-huh? Where are we?"

A light smile graced Arlo's face before he took his time to explain what happened since she went unconscious. It took him almost an entire thirty minutes to explain the situation.

In the end, even the always playful Anita became despondent as she spoke in a hushed voice:

"I-I am sorry I wasn't there with you."

"It's all right."

"No, it isn't. Y-you..." She raised her voice only for her to become silent. She didn't know what to say.

Trying to change the mood, Arlo turned to Kira.

"Say hello to Kira. She is the second summon I awakened. Oh, and there is one more but I can't summon him now."

Anita struggled a bit in his embrace, before shifting in Kira's direction.

'W-What? What is this cute thing?' Even Anita had to acknowledge the black fox was simply lovely. But a moment later, she harrumphed, before speaking, her voice tinted with a bit of displeasure:

"Hello. I am Anita, a great Universal Devouring Slime. As your senior, I have to show you the ropes of how to become a dependable summon." Despite trying to sound serious and dignified, her young cute voice only made her seem adorable.

"My name is Kira. It is nice to meet you, Anita." Unlike Anita, Kira's voice sounded soft and soothing. She simply greeted her and didn't state her race to flaunt her status making Anita feel uncomfortable.

"Hmph...why aren't you calling me senior?"

"Surely, you jest. It is obvious you are but a mere child."

"W-What did you say? I am no child! Besides, I came before you and that makes me higher in seniority..."

"That doesn't matter."

"No, it does to me. I demand you call me senior."

"I refuse."

The two summon bantered back and forth giving Arlo no small headache. Left with no choice, Arlo intervened.

.....

"So Anita, did you become stronger?"

Despite knowing that Anita's ability was nothing short of exceptional, Arlo couldn't help but feel that she was a bit lackluster compared to his two new summons.

Sure Anita could theoretically acquire the abilities of any creature she devours, but the fact remained that the creature must first be killed or at least restrained. Not to mention that devouring took longer the more powerful the creature was.

"Of course. I have become stronger. Far stronger than you can imagine." Anita who had been saddened because Kira refused to call her senior started bobbing up and down in excitement when Arlo asked her about her new abilities.

Now filled with a bit of excitement, Arlo asked:

"So, what can you do?"

Arlo who had been feeling down couldn't stop his heart from beating faster after hearing what Anita said.

"Not only has the time needed to devour and digest creatures decreased, but I can also transfer any ability you want permanently to you."

"W-What?" Even Kira sounded shocked, "Are you certain of what you are saying?"

"Of course..." Anita stammered slightly.

Seeing this, Arlo's rising excitement slowly died down.

"Anita?"

"I am not lying. It is just that..."

"That what?"

"I can only transfer one ability to you."

"Oh..." he sounded a bit disappointed.

Surprisingly, Kira was the one who backed Anita up.

"Even with that restriction, being able to acquire any ability you want is still a cheat."

Arlo couldn't help but agree with her. While Anita could acquire new abilities, he couldn't share them with her. Instead, he inherited all her innate abilities from her past life which Anita similarly couldn't use them.

Thinking about this, Arlo thought of something causing his eyes to shine.

While Anita was wallowing in bitterness because the person she was displeased with had defended her, Arlo quickly tested out his suspicions.

Gathering his Ki, he sent them into the slime seal on his upper arm. Soon after, blue Ki left the seal before congregating at his hand.

Zing! Zing! Zing! Zing! Zing! Zing! Zing! Zing!

Fifty spinning orbs the size of a basketball spun around him like moons around the sun.

"What'?" Joe who had been sitting a short distance was surprised by the grand display.

Seeing the great enhancement to his techniques, Arlo was satisfied. He felt he could even summon up to a hundred even if he put his mind to it, not to mention that he could feel the range of Ruler's Authority had also increased greatly.

Dispelling the orbs, Arlo pulled Anita to his face and rubbed against her gently.

"Hehe....hehehe!"

Anita's pleased giggles resounded within the hall.

Suddenly, the door swung open.

Turning to the direction of the door, Arlo's eyes widened, " It's you." He was surprised to see who entered the center, "How are you here?"

The dark-haired boy, with matching eyes, spoke with a look of gratitude.

"Sorry to disturb you. I want to thank you for swooping in earlier to help me." Bowing till his upper body became parallel to the ground, Roy spoke, his voice choked with emotion:

"Thank you for saving me!" Even though Arlo didn't know him, he didn't hesitate to jump in and save his life when his friends and mates just watched from afar. He knew Jude wouldn't have killed him, still, he didn't know what he would do if Arlo hadn't appeared.

Seeing the boy who was almost the same height as him but was older than him by almost five years, Arlo couldn't help but smile, this time his smile appearing genuine.

The lives of the students he had taken had been weighing down on him but that burden lessened slightly when he saw Roy alive and well.

"It's okay. Please, stand up."

Roy maintained his posture for a few moments before straightening his body.

"It's just..." Arlo paused as he gazed at him with a look of confusion, "How come you are already healed?" He knew Roy's injuries more than anyone else, after all, he had appeared right before him and saw his condition. It was because he saw him that he knew that Roy should be bedridden for at least a month even if he was a vampire, yet...

"Haha!" Roy chuckled dryly as he rubbed the back of his head, "I might not be strong, but I have always had a sturdy body."

Vrrrr!

Vrrrr!

'Huh?' Arlo was stunned when he felt his dragon sense tingle slightly as if warning him of something.

"So...I am surprised you are so powerful despite being so young. Is it because of the secret realm?"

Roy seemed to want to change the topic quickly, and Arlo also didn't put much thought into why his sixth sense was warning him.

Not knowing what to say, he could only reply with a "yes".

"Wow!" Roy exclaimed in amazement, "Can you tell me how you became so strong?"

Arlo hesitated, "I am sorry but I can't."

"Oh, I understand. " Despite saying that, he couldn't hide the disappointment that flashed on his face.

Trying to clear the awkward silence, he quickly changed the topic once again.

"So what are you doing here at this time?" It was already past midnight, yet Arlo was still at the training center.

Arlo pondered for a moment. Stefan had gone to check on Khan, after all, Evangeline was no longer with him, and now that the vampires were not in their right mind, staying alone would be very dangerous.

With his thoughts up to here, Arlo couldn't help but realize something important he had missed.

'Something happened to Scarlett, yet he seems unaffected.' All the vampires were riled up because of Scarlett's unknown situation, yet Roy seemed perfectly fine as if he wasn't bothered by the situation in the slightest.

Vrrr! His dragon sense warned him once again.

"A-Arlo?" Of course, Roy needed no introduction to know the name of the human who had become so popular after returning from the secret realm.

"Oh!" Arlo shook the unnecessary thoughts away. "I came to train."

'And clear my mind.' he added in his mind. That was the same reason why Joe had also followed him.

Roy's eyes widened slightly before looking at him in admiration.

'He is so strong for his age yet he is still diligently training at this time?'

Placed under Roy's heated gaze, Arlo shifted slightly.

"C-can I train with you?"

Arlo was a bit surprised by the unexpected request. Still after thinking about it for a moment, he couldn't find any reason to refuse.

Instead, it was to his advantage that he could find someone strong to spar with. He just acquired many abilities from his new summons which he had yet to adapt and train with, not to mention the new improvement in the techniques he acquired from Anita.

"Okay."

Both of them went to the middle of the hall before they started sparring. Of course, Arlo restrained himself to match Roy and only focused on using his new abilities.

Surprisingly, Joe, who was despondent and silent Joe seemed to have been riled up after seeing Arlo training.

'To save sister, I need to be strong!'

Now that he had undergone a complete transformation after the secret realm, Joe couldn't be underestimated any longer. In fact, among his team, he might not be the strongest but he was definitely the fastest.

'But it is not enough.' Clenching his hands into fists, Joe's unseen white eyes flashed with determination.

Gritting his teeth, his body slowly morphed into a 40m long black snake.

"Ah!" his painful cries resounded within the hall, halting Arlo and Roy in place.

"What is he doing?" Roy asked.

Seeing Joe turn into his beast form before reverting to his human form and repeating the process, as his painful cries continued without pausing for a moment, Arlo's eyes flashed with a complicated light that soon turned into resolve.

"He is training. Let us also continue."

"Y-yes."

The three boys trained through the night. While they trained, Anita and Kira slowly approached the pitch-black snake which had been resting in a corner and watching Joe.