Chapter 203: A Divided Family

Vivian ordered the Heaven-Awakened Hare to use its Supreme State Defense, and it raised a powerful barrier, with silver light as far as the battlefield can be seen.

Nevertheless, it couldn’t withstand Cedric’s attack, and the first ice fire shattered it, and the remaining two flames had nothing to stop them.

With nothing to stop them, one of the flames struck Vivian, knocking her to the ground, while the other hit Peaches, forcing it to roll helplessly on the ground, leaving both of them very injured.

Meanwhile, Roselyn stared in disbelief at what she was seeing.

Some moments before now, she almost lost the Crucible, and her life may have ended at the hands of her niece.

Yet, in the blink of an eye, Vivian is currently on the ground, forced out of Supreme State.

Supreme State requires high level concentration, therefore, a strong blow could shatter that concentration.

As Vivian lost her focus, the Heaven-Awakened Hare turned back to the Seraph Leaper.

Roselyn was amazed by her husband’s power.

The Silver Storm Wolf and the Great Azure Wyrm, very powerful individually, and when they combined through beast union, their power was a planet threat!

Even Roselyn’s Ancient-grade Herculean Octopus must maintain a sense of awe towards such an opponent!

However, Roselyn’s surprise was replaced by another realization: Cedric Kingsley shouldn’t be here.

A Crucible is a sacred contest that must remain unbroken once both parties assent to its terms, and her husband of a sudden barge, attacked one of the participants.

Roslyn struggled to stand up, pondering what had just happened, as the situation had become complicated. She muttered to herself,

"There are no winners... and no losers," she muttered to herself. "Cedric interrupted the Crucible; since he is fighting for me, people might even accuse me of breaking the rules. However, Vivian was defeated by external interference, not me. This is no victor no vanquish. If nobody won, then nobody lost, so what does this match even mean? What a frustrating predicament!"

Then, she groaned and fell to her knees, clutching her stomach, and cried out, "Ah!"

The pain surged through her abdomen, spreading to the place where her unborn twins were forming.

Her face turned pale as she struggled to endure it.

Cedric noticed his wife’s condition and he became angrier.

At first, he intended to spare Vivian, but seeing Roselyn kneeling on the ground changed his mind.

Vivian weakly whispered, "Father, no..."

However, the fused beast opened its mouth, gathering immense energy to launch another attack, its wolf-like head fixed on her.

The power of the Silver Storm Wolf and the Great Azure Wyrm converged in its mouth, ready to blast Cedric’s own daughter into the void.

"No, Father! I won’t let you do this!" Raven’s voice echoed as she ran into the battlefield too.

Then she shouted, "Summon!" And a burst of red light appeared not far from her, and the Crimson Hellhound appeared, displaying its fangs at Cedric’s Union.

After summoning her beast, Raven also said, "Supreme state! Vermillion Cerebus!"

FWOOOM!

The body of the crimson hellhound was devoured by hellish flames, therefore began to change in those hellish flames, growing bigger every second.

The elders were taken aback, and one of them said, "Another interruption? Have the Kingsleys lost their minds?"

Adrian stood up from his seat with a conflicted expression, as his father had already broken the Crucible, and now Raven was doing the same.

He contemplated whether he should also join the chaos, but the elders’ authority made him halt.

The situation is beyond anyone’s control, so another participant may turn the situation into a greater disaster.

Cedric stopped his attack upon hearing Raven’s voice and feeling the aura of her Supreme State, then slightly widening his eyes and turning around.

Standing behind Raven was a beast sixty feet tall, burning with red and black flames, and three heads on one neck, each head seemingly from the depths of hell.

However, Raven stood unwaveringly in front of this beast and said, "Whatever you do to my sister, I will repay it tenfold to Roselyn!"

Cedric disliked it, for considering Roselyn’s current state, Raven’s threat was no empty boast.

The girl was very close to attacking his wife, and she had an unparalleled beast at her command, which could lead to very serious consequences.

He couldn’t bear the cost of losing Roselyn, so he said, "Enough!" and instructed his Union not to attack.

Then, he rushed to his wife, while Raven hurried to Vivian’s side, kneeling next to her sister.

"Vivian! Are you okay?" Raven said as she hurriedly checked her sister’s injuries, her voice trembling with anxiety.

"I... I’m fine..." Vivian replied painfully. She struggled to move, unable to suppress a frown.

Raven’s eyes were red from tears, and because her sister was still alive, she held Vivian tightly in her arms, as if afraid she would disappear if she let go.

Meanwhile, the elders were discussing the severity of what had happened.

One elder said, "This cannot just be let go. The crucible was smashed twice. There must be some kind of punishment!"

Another elder said, "Since the duke intervened on behalf of the Matriarch, shouldn’t the Matriarch bear the punishment?"

The third elder said, "That is absurd! Anyone can intervene and send someone. This doesn’t mean the person being helped orchestrated the intervention!"

"And then what? Do we punish the duke himself?"

As soon as he made that suggestion, he fell silent immediately.

Another elder sighed and said, "So what do you plan to do? The Duke just needs to issue a challenge to anyone who tries to punish him! And kill them in the process."

The elders exchanged uneasy glances, because Cedric Kingsley could turn the punishment into a death sentence for anyone daring to carry it out.

With Cedric’s help, Roslyn stood up, though she still clutched her stomach in pain, and spoke to the elders.

"Elders of the Silver Order, please do not worry about this matter any further. The Kingsley family acknowledges that the Crucible has been interrupted, and we will take remedial measures to demonstrate our continued commitment to upholding and respecting the traditions of our great order.

She needed a moment to catch her breath, and once she composed herself, she outlined the remedial measures the family would take: "We will engage in a period of spiritual retreat, pray for the prosperity of the community, and organize charitable activities throughout the city. The Kingsley family will also make the necessary contributions to restore the holy site.

I believe these measures will demonstrate our sincerity and assure other families that the Kingsley family remains committed to the principles of the Silver Order."

"Since the Duchess has proposed such a remedy, we will set this matter aside."

However, Lord Robinson...

"The Duchess has proposed a punishment for the Kingsley family, but what about Vivian Kingsley? Shouldn’t she also propose her own remedy?"

Raven was at a loss for words because she thought it was despicable for these people to continue pursuing this matter.

Meanwhile, Cedric frowned because he believed his daughters should pay some price for their actions.

Just as he was about to agree, Roselym stopped him.

"We are family, Cedric," she said. "The measures I proposed include them."

Cedric looked at his wife, trying to understand where she stands.

"How can you have mercy on her after Vivian almost killed you?"

Roselyn shook her head and replied, "Do you know what mercy is? If restoring our family’s order is considered mercy, then so be it. Once everything is resolved, Vivian and Raven will be punished, provided they are Kingsleys."

Provided that they are Kingsleys...

So this is what puts Raven and Vivian in this situation?

Everything Roselyn says is based on the premise that they are members of the Kingsley family, which means that punishments, orders, and family rules are all based on that.

So what happens when they give up this factor?

If the name disappears, then the rules may no longer apply to them, and all sovereignty over them would vanish.

"What if we are no longer part of the Kingsley family?" Raven said as she helped Vivian up.

"If things continue like this, making us live like second-class citizens in our own home, then why should we continue to be part of the Kingsley family?

"If being part of the Kingsley family means endlessly enduring humiliation, then maybe it’s time we leave the Kingsley family..."

Lord Whitmore reprimanded Raven.

"Don’t bite the hand that feeds you, my lady. You shouldn’t be shouting about leaving the family just because you’ve had a bit of hardship."

"I’m not crying wolf," Raven replied, looking at everyone, especially Cedric and Roselyn. "My sister and I are leaving the Kingsley family. We won’t be coming back, and we don’t want anything from this family anymore. Our titles, privileges, heritage... you can keep them all."

She turned to Vivian and said, "Let’s go."

Supporting her injured sister, Raven began to walk away through the shadows of the distant mountains, leaving the numerous onlookers in stunned silence.

Roselyn, Adrian, and the elders were left speechless because they did not expect that these young women would take things this far.

Cedric was the most shocked of all, as abandoning his daughters was the last children he had with his first wife, Penelope, whom he once loved.

Yet they willingly abandoned their own bloodline, making him momentarily wish to call them back.

However, his pride and anger prevailed.

After all, he has Roselyn and Adrian and didn’t need those daughters who dared to defy him.

"Then leave! Never come back! Disrespectful!" He roared.

Vivian’s steps trembled, and tears gathered in her eyes after hearing her father’s words.

"Raven..."

Raven tightened her grip around her sister’s waist and whispered, "From now on, everything will be OK. I promise."

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A/N: thanks for reading