Bastards Ascension: A Playground of Gods
Chapter 73: Scuffle within factions and families

Chapter 73: Scuffle within factions and families

Outside the tower.

All the Captains and Vice-Captains stood in tense silence, grim expressions etched onto their faces.

They stared at the now-empty gateway—its swirling spatial energy had completely vanished, leaving behind a void.

It was the first time something like this had ever happened.

"We can’t just stand here while those kids are trapped inside! We have to act," a voice called out from the side.

The speaker wore the traditional white attire of the renowned Ravenspare family. It was their Vice-Captain—a figure held in high regard, second only to Kim among the gathered leaders.

"There’s nothing to worry about," the Nelkon family Captain said with a scoff. "I mean, the only ones who’d struggle with the realms in that tower are those weaklings from the lesser factions."

Kim’s brow twitched. He clenched his fist, resisting the growing urge to snap back.

But before he could say anything, the Ravenspare Vice-Captain stepped forward.

"The Nelkon family is far too calm for a situation like this," Kim began, "If anything goes wrong—"

"The Ravenspare family will wipe your bloodline from the face of the Nebulas."

The interruption was sharp and cold.

The voice belonged to none other than Vesha Ravenspare, her piercing white eyes locked onto the Nelkon Captain. At a glance, one might think she was blind—but the longer she stared, the clearer it became that her vision extended far beyond the ordinary.

The Nelkon Captain’s face paled instantly, a cold sweat forming on his back. The arrogance drained from his posture like a punctured balloon.

He recognized her now.

The Blind Wizard.

A legend among the Ravenspare family.

And standing beside her was a figure that only amplified the pressure—Galand Ravenspare, the team’s Captain. Towering at 7.5 feet, his frame was like a walking fortress. Muscular and silent, his presence alone was enough to make enemies tremble.

The Ravenspare family only ever sent one team for realm clearances—and they never changed their Captain and Vice-Captain. Vesha and Galand had held those roles for years.

That in itself was a terrifying testament to their strength.

They had never once failed in a realm, always returning victorious. Though not always unscathed, they were revered, feared, and respected by all.

Together, they stood as the public image of the mysterious Ravenspare family. While the rest of the clan remained hidden in their ancestral lands, doing things the world had no knowledge of, these two were the face of the family.

And from the growing tension in the air, it was clear:

Something had gone very, very wrong.

Dealing with the AFO was never much of a problem.

But the Ravenspare family... they were a completely different matter.

They were far from ordinary.

Even the Nelkon family—despite their pride—knew their only hope of standing a chance against the Ravenspare clan was if their ancestor personally stepped in. And even then, rumors circulated that the Ravenspare family had ten or more SSS-ranked talent holders within their ranks.

No one wanted to test the truth of that claim.

They were too hidden, too secretive, and far too powerful to provoke.

Even the arrogant Nelkon family wouldn’t dare to challenge them directly.

"You’re misunderstanding," the Nelkon Captain said, now clearly nervous. "What I meant is that our families won’t have any problems—our descendants are surely stronger than whatever they might face inside the tower."

Even his Vice-Captain shifted uncomfortably beside him, tense.

They both knew—of all things—the Nelkon family could survive failure, humiliation, and even exile. But being responsible for the total annihilation of their bloodline? That was unforgivable.

"Arrogant fools," Vesha snapped coldly, cutting him off. "This is a completely unknown phenomenon. Doesn’t that tell you something could go wrong inside the tower?"

The Nelkon Captain shrank back, offering only a weak, forced smile.

"I wouldn’t be surprised if the very factions you’re looking down on end up surviving longer than your people in there," Vesha added sharply. Her words landed like a slap—blunt and deliberate.

Around them, the faction Captains struggled to hide their smiles.

Even Kim let a smirk slip onto his face.

He was usually displeased by how the Nelkon family gave more regard to the Ravenspare family than they did the AFO itself.

But right now? He was thoroughly enjoying the moment.

After a long breath, Vesha turned toward Kim, her tone softening with respect.

"You mentioned that the only way out is to clear all the realms inside the tower, right?" she asked.

Most of the others didn’t catch the subtle gesture in her words—but Kim did.

He met her gaze and gave a knowing smile.

That moment said it all.

The AFO had the silent backing of the Ravenspare family.

The Nelkon Captain saw it too. His expression darkened.

’Enjoy it while you can, Ravenspare. Once our ancestral elder completes his breakthrough... this balance will shift.’

He clenched his jaw, silently enduring the insult—not just to himself, but to his entire bloodline.

And there was nothing he could do about it.

His fists tightened at his sides as he lowered his gaze, swallowing the humiliation.

Kim then turned back to Vesha, answering her with equal respect.

"Yes, that’s what I believe. Unless... there’s a way we can tear open the gateway from out here."

He motioned toward the now-silent void door.

Vesha stood in silence, cupping her chin as she thought for a moment.

"To reopen the gateway... it’s not impossible," she muttered.

Every gaze instantly snapped to her in anticipation.

"Can you really do that?" Kim asked, both shocked and curious.

Vesha didn’t answer right away. Instead, she turned to the silent giant beside her.

"Galand. Do I have your permission?"

He hadn’t moved once since they’d arrived—eyes closed, arms crossed, a massive sword wrapped in white cloth strapped to his back. Only the hilt was visible, but even that hinted at its terrifying size.

He seemed completely indifferent to everything happening.

Until Vesha spoke.

His eyes opened slowly. He looked once at the dark, empty doorway, then finally replied.

"Not yet," Galand said calmly. His voice was deep and steady. "We’ll wait. Nothing bad has happened to her yet. Don’t worry."

With that, he closed his eyes again—unbothered, unmoved, and utterly in control.

Vesha looked back at the others with a complicated expression.

"I can’t do anything," she said simply, folding her arms across her chest.

The others, who had been following her conversation with Galand, stood in stunned silence for a moment—until realization dawned on them.

"What do you mean you can’t help?! You just said you could a moment ago!" one of the Captains snapped.

"So, just because you can tell your own team is doing fine, you’re not going to help the rest of us?" another chimed in angrily.

"You want those kids to die in there? If you can do something, then do it! Stop wasting our time!" Jacob finally exploded, unable to hold back his frustration.

It was infuriating.

They had practically confirmed that opening the gateway was possible. Now, just because their people were fine, they didn’t care about the others?

It felt cold. Selfish.

And dangerous.

They were likely to lose valuable assets if things went wrong—six SSS-ranked talent holders had entered that tower. If any of them died, it would deal a massive blow to humanity’s strength.

The complaints kept rolling in, but Vesha remained unmoved.

And Galand?

He hadn’t even opened his eyes. He stood still, arms crossed, expression unchanged—completely unfazed.

"You all need to calm down," Kim said, stepping forward to deescalate.

His voice held authority, and gradually, the shouting died down—though the tension still lingered in the air.

"They should help if they can!" one of the captains grumbled under his breath.

Kim let out a slow, steady breath.

"I understand your frustrations. But we have no authority over the Ravenspare family. We can’t force them to act—and even if we tried, there’s no guarantee they would cooperate." He turned his gaze to Galand, speaking with measured respect. "But please, Sir Galand... would you be willing to explain your reason for declining to help?"

A deep, low chuckle rumbled from Galand’s chest.

"At least one of you has a working mind," he said, his voice calm but resonant. "As expected from the Vice Chair of the AFO. You’ve earned my respect. I’m glad you didn’t bark like a dog... unlike the rest of this pack."

"Huh?! What did you just say?" one of the Captains roared.

"Enough of this arrogance from you Origin family bastards!"

In a flash, he blurred from sight, appearing mid-air with his blade raised—swinging straight at Galand with killing intent.

But he never reached him.

Instead, a massive blade appeared out of nowhere—descending like a mountain crashing from the sky.

The Captain’s eyes widened in horror as the colossal weapon bore down on him.

’What?!’

His instincts screamed.

There was no time to dodge.

He clenched his eyes shut, bracing himself for impact.

BOOM!

A thunderous explosion tore through the air. The ground quaked violently as the shockwave spread like a blast from a nuclear detonation.

Dust erupted. Rocks splintered. The very tower behind them trembled.

Several people stumbled, unable to remain standing in the force of the quake.

When the dust settled, the attacking Captain slowly opened his eyes—blinking in disbelief.

He was still alive.

A thick, translucent blue shield stood between him and death. And in front of him, a man dressed in a flawless black suit stood calmly, arm extended.

"We didn’t come here to fight," the man said evenly, his voice firm but composed.

"Please... can everyone calm down?"