Chapter 29: The Rythundeir Family Arrives

The training arena had barely recovered from the shocking string of defeats when the academy’s emergency entrance suddenly opened.

A dark military transport descended directly onto the designated landing platform outside the Combat Department, its heavy thrusters kicking up violent gusts of wind.

The engines had barely powered down before the pressurized doors violently hissed open. Three tall, imposing men stepped out onto the landing platform in synchronized motion.

The atmosphere around the platform immediately changed. The heavy, suffocating pressure of elite warriors settled over the immediate vicinity.

The eldest brother walked at the very front of the group. His dark military uniform bore the crisp, gleaming insignia of a high-ranking Imperial Fleet officer.

His expression was cold enough to freeze the surrounding air solid, his dark eyes scanning the academy grounds with the sharp, ruthless efficiency of someone long accustomed to commanding soldiers in bloody star warfare.

Behind him came the second brother, moving with broad, heavy strides. He carried an intimidating physical pressure that rolled off his massive shoulders, causing several nearby junior cadets to instinctively step backward into the shadows.

The youngest brother followed close behind their heels. His expression was even more furious than the others, his jaw clenched so tightly that his facial muscles twitched.

All three had received the exact same high-priority report sent directly to the Rythundeir Ducal House. Their youngest sister, Rhaevia, had been involved in yet another dangerous combat incident on academy grounds. And that single piece of news was more than enough to mobilize them.

They entered the high-tech training facility like an impending storm, completely ignoring the security protocols.

"Where is our sister?" The eldest brother’s sharp, icy voice cut cleanly through the noisy corridor, instantly silencing the surrounding staff.

A frightened academy officer immediately pointed a trembling finger toward the primary combat arena.

"Inside... she is inside, Young Master Rythundeir," the officer stammered, bowing his head in pure panic.

The three brothers didn’t bother waiting for an official academy escort. They marched directly inside, their heavy boots echoing against the polished metallic floor.

The second their figures appeared at the main entrance, thousands of watching students recognized the famous Rythundeir family. Whispers instantly erupted throughout the packed observation tiers like wildfire.

"Look over there! That’s the eldest Rythundeir brother!"

"The high-ranking Imperial Fleet officer?"

"And the second brother right behind him... look at his pressure!"

"Why on earth are all three of them here at the same time?"

Rhaevia, who had been standing near the center of the arena floor, slowly turned around at the commotion. Her usual impassive, unbothered expression immediately changed into one of mild dread.

Oh, no, she thought, her lips twitching slightly. Her three overprotective brothers had actually arrived in person. And judging entirely from their dark, furious expressions, someone was about to suffer immensely.

The youngest brother spotted her slender figure standing in the open ring first. "Rhaevia!"

He immediately broke formation and rushed onto the central combat platform, his eyes frantically scanning her for injuries.

"Are you injured?" he demanded, stopping right in front of her.

"No," Rhaevia replied smoothly, her voice entirely flat.

"Are you absolutely certain?"

"I’m fine," she insisted calmly.

"Did anyone attack you?"

Rhaevia glanced casually toward the five defeated elite cadets lying or sitting painfully around the arena floor. Her lips twitched faintly.

"Not successfully," she noted.

Her youngest brother’s expression became even darker as he looked at the fallen opponents. "Who challenged you?"

Rhaevia let out a soft sigh, rubbing the bridge of her nose. "Does it really matter at this point?"

"Yes!" All three brothers answered simultaneously, their voices echoing in unison across the platform.

Rhaevia closed her eyes for a brief moment, suppressing another heavy sigh. This was going to be utterly exhausting.

The eldest brother turned away from her and immediately fixed his razor-sharp, cold gaze directly on the elevated executive box. Major General Raevor Veyr was still standing tall behind the reinforced observation glass, looking down at the arena floor.

The eldest brother’s dark eyes narrowed into thin, dangerous slits. "You."

Raevor looked back at him calmly, his stoic expression showing zero agitation. Within seconds, all three Rythundeir brothers had surrounded the Major General, their collective pressure making the air in the suite suffocatingly dense.

"You are Major General Raevor Veyr," the eldest brother stated. It was an absolute statement, not a question.

"Yes," Raevor acknowledged flatly.

"You were the commander responsible for the rescue operation on Planet V-17," the eldest pressed, stepping closer.

"Yes," Raevor answered without hesitation.

"You knew my little sister was being deliberately placed in highly dangerous circumstances during that trial," the brother declared, his voice dropping an octave.

Raevor’s expression remained completely unchanged beneath the interrogation. "The circumstances were deliberately engineered by an external faction."

"Then why was she exposed to them in the first place?"

"Because someone within the high-level Imperial military actively wanted her eliminated," Raevor revealed coldly.

The second brother’s broad fists tightened so hard his knuckles popped loudly. The youngest brother aggressively stepped forward into Raevor’s space.

"Then why is she still being placed in situations where she can be targeted by these people?" the youngest demanded furiously.

Raevor’s dark eyes hardened into pure steel. "Because keeping her completely hidden will not eliminate the people hunting her."

A heavy, suffocating silence descended over the room. The three brothers stared intensely at the towering commander, their postures rigid.

Raevor continued in his deep, calm voice. "I have already officially classified her case as a Level One strategic secret. Her personal protection detail has been increased, and the formal investigation into the corrupt military personnel responsible is actively underway."

The eldest brother’s strict expression remained thoroughly cold. "You had better be serious about her safety, General."

"I am," Raevor replied.

"And if something happens to her despite your assurances?"

Raevor didn’t hesitate for even a fraction of a second. "It won’t."

The second brother’s intimidating physical pressure suddenly surged outward in a violent wave. Rhaevia immediately stepped directly between her brothers and the Major General, her hands raised.

"Enough," she commanded flatly.

All four towering men stopped instantly and looked down at her.

Rhaevia folded her arms over her chest, looking back and forth between them. "I am standing right here, you know."

Her youngest brother immediately pointed a finger toward the arena floor below. "You were just attacked by six people!"

"Five," Rhaevia corrected smoothly.

"That makes it even worse!" he shouted back, waving his arms.

Rhaevia stared back at him in deadpan silence. "I defeated them easily."

"That is completely not the point!" he yelled, throwing his hands up in frustration.

She gently rubbed her forehead, feeling a headache coming on. Her brothers had always been like this toward her.

When she had been younger and weak, they had constantly treated her as though she were made of fragile glass. Now that she had awakened as a transcendent 3S Guide, apparently they had simply decided she was made of extremely expensive, fragile glass.

"I am more than capable of protecting myself," Rhaevia said, her tone firm.

Her eldest brother’s cold expression softened just a fraction as he looked at her. "We know you are."

"Then stop interrogating every single officer in sight," she instructed.

"We’ll consider it," he replied evasively.

"You aren’t considering anything," Rhaevia pointed out flatly.

The youngest brother immediately reached out to grab her shoulder in comfort. Rhaevia smoothly took a step away from his hand, dodging the contact.

He instantly looked deeply wounded by her dodge. "You won’t even let me check whether you’re injured!"

"Because I’m completely fine," she insisted.

"You could have been killed during that trial!"

"I wasn’t killed," she reasoned.

"But--"

"Enough," Rhaevia cut him off, her clear voice ringing with absolute authority.

All three formidable brothers reluctantly fell silent, shutting their mouths despite their clear dissatisfaction.

Then, a quiet, rhythmic sound echoed from the far entrance of the facility. It was the distinct sound of steady footsteps. Rhaevia turned her head toward the noise. The dense crowd of students surrounding the entrance gradually parted, bowing their heads as a path was opened.

A woman slowly entered the arena grounds. She wore an elegant, dark uniform beneath a sweeping long military coat, her physical posture remarkably straight, commanding, and regal.

It was the legendary Duchess Rythundeir, Rhaevia’s mother.

The entire Rythundeir family seemed to freeze in place, falling completely still. Her mother had rushed across half the capital star sector the exact microsecond she received news of Rhaevia’s official 3S awakening.

The Duchess didn’t look at the defeated elite cadets scattered on the floor. She didn’t look at the instructors. She didn’t even acknowledge the presence of Major General Raevor. Her eyes searched for only one specific person in the entire facility, Rhaevia.

Their gazes met across the open space. For a single, breathless heartbeat, the powerful Duchess remained completely motionless, her commanding aura wavering slightly.

Then, her eyes caught sight of a faint, purple bruise near Rhaevia’s right wrist. Her regal expression changed instantly. Her sharp eyes immediately filled with brilliant, rising tears.

Rhaevia’s breath caught slightly in her throat as she watched her mother.

The Duchess took one trembling step forward. Then she took another. And suddenly, without a single word of warning, the formidable 3S Duchess began softly crying in front of the entire academy.