From Ruin to Reign Leander's Unbreakable Will novel Chapter 234

Chapter 234 The Confrontation of Martial Sovereigns

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Leander stood with his arms crossed, surrounded by a ring of Jeff Enterprises guards. His gaze swept across the night, a glint of amusement in his eyes.

The scene at Maplebrook Manor was far livelier than he’d expected. And the true heavyweights in attendance weren’t limited to Thaddeus.

Standing at the center, Thaddeus hadn’t noticed Leander, who was surrounded by guards–his focus locked on the Twelve Talons.

“The Twelve Talons? Shouldn’t there be twelve of you? Why only eleven?”

He raised his voice, taunting. “Bring out the last one, too. It’s been a while since I’ve had a proper warm–up, and I’m curious just how formidable the Umbral Court’s top assassins really

are.”

Thaddeus stood tall with one hand behind his back, emanating the calm intensity of a grandmaster. His tone was casual, but his eyes were sharp as blades.

Marrow narrowed his eyes. Emdalf had been gone for nearly ten minutes with no word–odd, but not yet alarming. He replied coldly, “Mr. Levington, it seems this girl means a great deal to your family. Even a top–tier Martial Sovereign like yourself has been stirred.”

“Of course she does!” Thaddeus said without hesitation. “My son Troy is engaged to Maeve- she’s the future daughter–in–law of the Levington family. I don’t care how strong the Umbral Court is. If you threaten her, you threaten us.”

“No more talk,” he added. “Let’s begin.”

Marrow and the others exchanged brief glances, then nodded.

In the next moment, the eleven figures shifted positions in an instant, shadows flashing across the field as they surrounded Thaddeus at the center.

Each stood at a different angle, targeting a vital point on Thaddeus‘ body. Their movements were unified, each playing their part in a deadly formation—a complete killing machine, with synchronized steps and perfectly matched breathing.

“Is this… an Attack Arc?”

Thaddeus frowned slightly, already recognizing the subtle coordination among them. Although the eleven appeared to remain in place, each was shifting their steps ever so slightly, forming a hidden formation that locked him in.

“A formation? I didn’t expect the Twelve Talons to be capable of this.”

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Chapter 234 The Confrontation of Martial Sovereignis

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On the sidelines, Troy’s expression darkened. He had heard of many coordinated Attack Arcs, such as the Seven–Segment Array of the Wanda Sect, the Seven–Star Arc of the Unity Sect, the Six Realms Arc of the Azure Sect, and the Goldflare Array of the Twinfang Sect.

Each of those was legendary in the martial world of Astria. When executed, every member became a living part of the formation–breathing, striking, and moving as one. Their strength didn’t just add up–it multiplied.

Troy had only heard of such formations in stories. He never imagined the Twelve Talons had mastered one.

“Emma, is Mr. Levington going to be fine?”

Although Maeve didn’t particularly like Thaddeus, he had come to help her. Now, seeing him surrounded by eleven people, she couldn’t help but feel anxious.

“Don’t worry. Mr. Levington isn’t someone who can be trapped by a simple formation. He’s ranked fifteenth on the Astria Power Index!”

Emma smiled sweetly at Maeve, feeling completely reassured by Thaddeus‘ presence.

“The Astria Power Index?” Maeve murmured. Although she wasn’t part of the martial world, Emma had mentioned the index many times. Maeve didn’t fully grasp how it worked, but she knew anyone listed on it was among the most powerful martial practitioners in Astria.

Boom!

A loud explosion echoed through the field, drawing everyone’s gaze. Thaddeus had already collided head–on with Marrow, their palms clashing in mid–air.

Marrow alone was only at the Elite Grandmaster level and wouldn’t normally dare to face a Martial Sovereign like Thaddeus. But the Five Elements Earth Array they practiced allowed the combined power of all eleven to be channeled into one person.

At that moment, Marrow was bolstered by the internal energy of his ten companions–enough to meet Thaddeus head–on.

As their forces collided, Marrow’s palm, dark with black energy, was shattered by Thaddeus‘ overwhelming force. The ground beneath them cracked from the impact. Marrow stumbled back with a grunt, and the others looked pale, clearly shaken by the blow.

“Do you think you can trap me with a half–baked formation? What a joke!”

Ever since witnessing Leander’s battle on Glidewing Mountain, Thaddeus had been pushed to his limits. Returning to Glenwick, he had thrown himself fully into training.

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Chapter 234 The Confrontation of Martial Sovereigns

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At this moment, his strength was undoubtedly greater than it had been nine months ago, and if the Astria Power Index were updated, there was no doubt that he’d rank among the top ten.

“Cloudveil Palm!”

A sharp glint flashed in his eyes as he thrust his palm forward.

Mist rose from his strike, swirling through the air like ink on dark silk. The vapor coiled and condensed, gradually forming a massive hand wreathed in clouds. With crushing force, it slammed toward the eleven people.

“Five Elements Earth Array, condense!”

Marrow, serving as the core of the formation, shouted the command. The other ten widened their eyes and roared in unison, channeling their inner strength into Marrow’s body immediately.

“Severing Palm!”

Black smoke surged from Marrow’s palm, laced with a sinister aura, as he struck toward the descending giant palm.

Boom!

The Large Cloudveil Palm collided with Marrow’s strike. In an instant, all eleven figures were sent flying, tumbling back dozens of feet, their faces even paler than before.

They couldn’t even take one palm.

“Is this Thaddeus‘ true strength?” Marrow gritted his teeth, now fully aware of the gulf between himself and a true martial arts master.

The residual force of the Large Cloudveil Palm continued to push them back. With a flick of his sleeve, Thaddeus sent another wave of energy toward them.

At that moment, the eleven had yet to regroup or recover their strength. All they could do was watch as the next strike bore down on them.

Boom!

Suddenly, a dark palm print shot in from the side, intercepting the Cloudveil Palm just in time.

Black and white palm forces clashed midair, lighting up the scene in a swirl of opposing energies before canceling each other out and fading away.

The sudden shift stunned Emma, Elias, Trevor, and the others–but Thaddeus remained still, his eyes narrowed.

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Chapter 234 The Confrontation of Martial Sovereigns

“Hmm?” He looked ahead. As the smoke cleared, a tall figure gradually emerged.

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The newcomer wore a flowing black robe. His long hair cascaded down his back. Though appearing in his forties or fifties, his slender face was tinged with healthy color, exuding a sense of vitality.

His hands were unusually large, and a skull–shaped iron ring gleamed on his left thumb.

He looked straight at Thaddeus and gave a slight nod, his eyes flashing with anticipation.

“You’re indeed the Martial Sovereign ranked on the Astria Power Index. Impressive! Thaddeus. It’s an honor to finally meet you. Let me introduce myself first.”

As he gently tapped the skull ring, his voice turned cold. He introduced himself, “I’m Norman Ziegler, acting head of the Umbral Court.”

Thaddeus‘ eyes flickered, and for the first time, a ripple of emotion crossed his usually composed face.

“Norman Ziegler? One of the Six Wraiths?”

Emma, Elias, and Trevor–the top talents of the Astria martial world—all showed a drastic change in expression.

None of them had expected that pursuing Maeve would draw out so many high–level experts from the Umbral Court, let alone its acting head—one of the infamous Six Wraiths.

Sensing Norman’s overwhelming presence, Emma narrowed her eyes slightly. Even with Thaddeus here, the pressure was suffocating.

Elias and Troy also tensed, eyes locked on the twelve figures across from them. It was clear that tonight’s battle would be unlike any they’d faced before.

The air grew thick with tension, as if the whole room had frozen. Maeve found herself struggling to breathe.

She turned to Yvette, intending to apologize–but to her surprise, Yvette seemed entirely unbothered. She even glanced down now and then to quietly chat with Leander.

Meanwhile, Leander looked completely indifferent. His expression never shifted. He’d even pulled out his phone, casually playing with it off to the side–completely ignoring the chaos unfolding around them.