Grand Return System-Chapter 45: One Sword to Silence Arrogance

One Sword to Silence Arrogance

"Gasp... master of the Amethyst Summit Division?"

Harry Taylor sucked in a sharp breath, his pupils trembling.

For a fleeting moment, his heart lurched.

Then—

A twisted delight bloomed in his chest.

Fortunately... it isn’t me standing there.

He lowered his gaze at once, hiding the grin that nearly betrayed him. His fingers curled behind his back, nails digging into his palm to steady himself. Around him, whispers rippled through the air like wind through dry leaves.

"The Amethyst Summit Division..."

"One of the Seven Divisions..."

"Second only to the Headmaster..."

The words carried weight. Reverence. Fear.

Harry tilted his head just enough to glance sideways, eyes landing on Freddy Lavahound. Freddy still wore that arrogant posture, chin raised as if the world owed him something. For a split second, Harry almost laughed.

Freddy Lavahound... you’re finished this time.

He clicked his tongue softly, masking it as a nervous swallow.

Acting all mighty in front of me? Showing off your family name like it means something? The Division Leader of one of the Seven Division of Celestis Academy... that’s second only to the Headmaster himself.

Provoking him is provoking the entire Academy.

He could already imagine the consequences. Disciplinary measures. Public humiliation. Perhaps even expulsion if the master felt insulted enough.

You’re just a Lavahound household from Ashford City. You’re not even worth the dust beneath their feet.

Harry’s lips twitched again. He leaned slightly toward a classmate beside him and whispered, just loud enough to sound concerned.

"Freddy went too far this time... don’t you think?"

The boy beside him swallowed. "That’s not someone you challenge. Not him."

Harry nodded solemnly, playing his role to perfection. "Some people just don’t understand their place."

Inside, however, he was savoring it.

Let the Academy deal with you. Let them crush that pride.

But the sweetness didn’t last long.

As joy flickered in his heart, dread crept alongside it.

Because this wasn’t just about Freddy.

The stronger Leon’s background, the more careful Harry had to be.

His throat tightened.

Filial.

Obedient.

Humble.

That was the image he had carefully crafted. The good son. The respectful junior. The polite young master who knew when to bow and when to speak.

If Leon ever visited the Taylor household...

The thought struck him like ice water down his spine.

Harry felt cold sweat form at the thought.

He could almost see it—Leon stepping into their estate, golden gaze calm and unreadable. That faint, knowing smile curving his lips.

He still hadn’t forgotten that smile.

That sentence.

He remembered it too clearly.

Leon had looked at him that day, not angry, not impressed—just amused.

"One day, I’ll visit and see how filial you truly are."

His spine shivered.

Behind Freddy, the two elders stiffened.

"Young Master!" one barked urgently.

The moment they heard Leon was the Division Leader of the Amethyst Summit Division, they stepped forward and pulled Freddy back.

An elderly man with a long beard cupped his fists, expression grave.

"Fellow cultivator," he said carefully, voice respectful, "my young master is young and ignorant. He has offended you. I ask that you show mercy and forgive his mistake."

Leon tilted his head slightly.

A faint smile played at the corner of his lips.

"Oh?" he said lightly. "That’s strange. Shouldn’t I be the one saying that?"

He looked at Freddy lazily.

"I was just thinking about how to beg Eldest Young Master Freddy to forgive me. Why is it the other way around now?"

The elder’s face stiffened.

He understood perfectly.

This was humiliation.

But he had no room to refute.

The second elder’s temper flared.

"Sir," he said sharply, stepping forward, "do not go too far. We have already apologized. Our Lavahound household is not without dignity. Do not push your luck."

Leon chuckled softly.

The sound was calm.

Too calm.

He spread his hand slightly and gestured for Selena to step back.

Her long silver-white hair fluttered in the hot wind. She obeyed silently, eyes clear and unwavering.

"So," Leon said, voice dropping colder, "there’s no room for discussion?"

His purple eyes sharpened.

"Very good."

A breath.

"You have a temper."

A pause.

"I like it."

The next instant—

His aura exploded.

King Realm pressure burst outward like a tidal wave.

The sky darkened.

Air trembled.

Freddy stumbled back, his legs weakening as invisible weight pressed against him.

The two elders’ expressions changed drastically.

"Protect the young master!"

They shoved Freddy behind them and stood shoulder to shoulder.

Leon floated alone in the air, midnight robes billowing. His long black hair whipped around him, amethyst embroidery glinting like starlight.

He raised his right hand slowly.

One finger.

Just one.

The vegetation across the Hundred Mile Wasteland responded.

Grass blades trembled.

Trees groaned.

Leaves ripped free from branches.

Wind howled.

Every strand of grass became a sword.

Every leaf a blade.

"Hiss..."

Maya, watching from the side, narrowed her eyes.

"What terrifying sword intent..."

Even she felt her skin prickle beneath that cutting aura.

This wasn’t mere Mana pressure.

This was Sword Dao comprehension bordering on instinct.

The wind itself sharpened.

Nearby cultivators noticed immediately.

"Who’s fighting?"

"It’s the Lavahound elders!"

"That young man... who is he?"

"No idea—but that sword energy... terrifying!"

The grass beneath their feet quivered dangerously. Even breathing felt risky.

Below—

The Inferno Kong roared.

The Ancient bloodline beast sensed the surging power above.

Its eyes burned crimson.

The concept of an Ancient bloodline was not mere heritage—it was dominance written into flesh and bone.

Such beasts carried fragments of primordial power in their blood. Their bodies were forged by heaven and earth itself. At the same star level, human cultivators stood at a natural disadvantage.

This Inferno Kong—descendant of an Ancient infernal lineage—wielded flames like breathing.

When Leon’s sword intent spread—

It answered with fury.

"ROAR!"

The beast began slaughtering the cultivators around it in a frenzy.

Leon’s gaze flicked downward briefly.

He had been watching it the entire time.

The beast was trying to break the encirclement.

He had no time to waste here.

"My time is limited," Leon murmured calmly.

His finger traced lightly through the air.

"I’ll see if I can kill all of you with a single strike."

A faint smirk.

"If I can’t... then forget it."

The sky split.

A colossal phantom sword formed above them.

It descended.

Not fast.

But inevitable.

Like judgment.

Wind became a hurricane.

Grass shot upward like spears.

The world seemed carved by invisible blades.

The two elders paled.

"This is insane..."

"Together!"

They gritted their teeth.

If they retreated—

Freddy would die.

They could not retreat.

They exchanged one glance.

Resolve hardened.

"Go!"

Two torrents of power erupted from their bodies. Treasured artifacts burst from their Storage Space. A massive radiant disc rose before them, spinning rapidly, radiating defensive light.

The phantom sword fell.

The sky screamed.

BOOM—

The impact shattered the air.

Shockwaves tore across the wasteland.

Flames from the Inferno Kong flickered violently as dust and debris engulfed the battlefield.

And for a heartbeat—

All sound vanished.