Chapter 38: Devil’s Bargain
"Do you want to still compete?" Asher asked with a smile, his calm demeanor practically suffocating the remaining air out of the room.
’Shit!! What should I do now?’ Caleb thought with a slight frown, the cold sweat of absolute humiliation beading on his forehead. He couldn’t do anything; his allowance is now ten million, and his brother’s is only 17 million. If they join them together, it won’t even reach 30 million. They had been completely and utterly outclassed by a man they thought was a street beggar.
He turned to Joshua, whose previous arrogance had completely shattered, then at Asher. He could call for help from his friends or even his guild, but that is below his status; but if he loses here, he will lose his father’s five hundred billion.
["Alright, But if I win, both of you will apologize to my wife, and also give her all the money you plan to get the Villa with, do you dare?"]
He remembered Asher’s words, the absolute trap he had willingly walked into, and his fist clenched tightly. He was at a loss. The Warsaw name was about to be dragged through the mud.
Everyone stared at him, still waiting for his words. The silence in the luxury dealership was deafening. Joshua was dead silent, his gaze facing the ground; they were totally trapped here, pinned under the weight of Asher’s bottomless black card.
"What an impressive show."
"...?!"
Asher was stunned, hearing that very familiar voice. The playful yet lethally cold tone sent an involuntary chill down his spine. He raised his head to the second floor of the dealership, seeing a beautiful woman, with long silver hair, and red eyes, smiling down at them:
’Damn! Luna... Luna Starfire. The first child of the Starfire family, and my elder sister.’ Asher’s heart skipped a beat, memories of a dark, blood-soaked childhood flashing through his mind.
"Lady Luna?!!!"
Joshua and Caleb were stunned, instantly dropping their heads in submission. The Warsaw family was strong, but before the Starfire family, they were simple ants. Everyone thought Asher was the dark horse of this city, but a true dragon had just appeared, effortlessly commanding the room without lifting a finger.
WHOOSH!!
Everyone only saw a flash of wind, a violent distortion in the air, and the next moment, Luna appeared before Asher, standing two feet from him. The sheer speed defied the laws of physics.
Juliana blinked, stunned like everyone else, instinctively shrinking back from the overwhelming, predatory pressure rolling off the silver-haired woman.
’Luna Starfire, SSS-RANK Wind Assassin, the most ruthless child of the Starfire family, and my worst enemy.’ Asher clenched his fists, forcing his breathing to remain steady. His current wealth could now rival the Starfire treasury, but his strength is greatly lacking. Wealth meant nothing if an assassin could sever your head before you could swipe a card.
’Starfire family focused on both Business world, and Awakened world, having more than one hundred SSS-RANK Awakened as slaves; I need to grow stronger before matching them. For now, I am still too weak... Not to mention the second son has a very rare physique, I am no match.’ He thought, gritting his teeth inwardly, rapidly calculating his odds of survival if she decided to strike.
"How did you reach B-Rank, and where did you get all your money from, Baby brother?"
Hearing Luna’s words, everyone froze in shock, their blood turning cold in fear. The revelation dropped like a live grenade. Luna’s words were very clear; the handsome young man before them is a Starfire, but his strength and wealth wasn’t from the Starfire family, then where??
"You must be mistaken, I am not your brother." Asher answered with a flat tone, refusing to yield an inch of ground.
From the moment the Starfire family threw him away with his wives, tossing them to the wolves of society, he already cut off ties with them. From then onwards, he wasn’t the same Asher. He was the master of his own destiny.
Luna tilted her head to the side, staring at him with a small, condescending smile, a predator observing a rebellious pet. Then she raised her hand, moving faster than the eye could track, and tapped his cheek lightly:
"Seems you have forgotten something very important." She said, treating him with the ultimate form of disrespect.
Asher narrowed his eyes, and his killing intent instantly burst out. The air around him warped, a violent manifestation of his newly acquired B-Rank strength and his protective instincts.
".....?!"
Luna vanished again, and the wind moved towards ten meters away, and she appeared on that exact spot, floating down gracefully:
"Oh, your aura could actually attack someone?" She asked, staring at her ripped black jacket sleeve, her smile widening into genuine, psychotic amusement. A mere B-Rank had actually managed to graze an SSS-Rank assassin.
"You said you are no longer my baby brother, right? So let me ask you, do you know what happens to those who disrespect a child from Starfire? Let alone a chosen star?" She asked, her smile still on her face, though her red eyes glowed with lethal intent.
’Chosen Star was the term used to address the kids who passed the Starfire family’s test, and become true Awakened. Out of the eleven children, including me, only five have succeeded becoming chosen stars, Luna was the first.’
He narrowed his eyes at her, fully aware of the monster wearing his sister’s face:
’To become a Chosen Star, you must kill a hundred people, and a thousand monsters. Also complete all missions given to you by the family, including assassination, dungeon raids, and more... In short, Luna is very dangerous, even to SSS-RANK Awakened... Disrespecting any child from Starfire is the same as seeking death.’
He clenched his fists, his spiritual energy pooling in his core, ready to Defense: "You want to fight here?" He asked, his tone frighteningly flat. If she pushed, he would not hesitate.
Luna narrowed her eyes, intrigued. Her brother wasn’t acting like the brother she knew. In the past, he would be scared the moment he saw her, or even recoil in terror, a broken toy begging for mercy. But she got so close, and he didn’t even take a step back, but attacked her.
’Does he think because he is out of the family, he could go against me? What a cute brother I have.’ She thought, deciding to play a different game. She snapped her fingers, and the next moment, an ancient, glowing key appeared before her, hovering above her palm.
"I want you to drop this bid you have with Warsaw Twins. Of course, I never leave loose ends." She waved the key in her hand, fully aware of exactly what Asher desperately needed.
"This key can open Mental Destruction Dungeon. What do you say?" She asked, her smile turning into a smirk, laying down the ultimate bait.
"...??"
Asher was dumbfounded, staring at the key in shock. The Mental Destruction Dungeon—the only known source of the Everlasting Mind Pill. The exact cure needed to fix Sara and Juliana was suddenly dangling right in front of him.