From Ruin to Reign Leander's Unbreakable Will novel Chapter 353

The sea roared as the waves surged skyward and crashed toward the shore. Out of the rolling tide emerged four figures, each one walking on air, suspended above the raging sea as though gravity itself dared not touch them.

"They're walking on air… Transcendent Realm?" Wesley, Teion, and Jack all cried out in disbelief, while Gareth's eyes hardened, his expression darkening with caution.

The towering waves rushed closer, their spray catching the light like shattered glass. The young martial elites on the beach could only stare, frozen in awe, before instinctively retreating several steps. Their cultivation was strong, but nowhere near enough to withstand the overwhelming power of nature—or of those who could command it.

Just as the waves were about to crash down upon the shore, Gareth flashed forward. With a single palm strike, he pressed his hand down toward the sea.

A colossal handprint of energy appeared before the cresting waves, and in an instant, the torrent split apart. Water surged to both sides, scattering sand and pebbles across the beach—but not a single person was harmed.

With one effortless move, Gareth had cleaved the waves in two, shielding everyone behind him. He drew back his hand and stood tall, his outfit billowing in the sea breeze as he faced the four approaching figures across the water.

Even with his calm temperament and years of cultivation, Gareth felt a deep unease. The pressure radiating from these four was suffocating.

The other three patriarchs—Teion, Jack, and Wesley—descended from the viewing platform to stand at Gareth's side. Behind them, Ethan, Daphne, and Claire followed, their eyes fixed on the sea as the four mysterious figures drew closer, their presence growing heavier with each step.

At last, the newcomers reached the shore. One of them—a man wielding a long spear—stepped forward and swept his gaze across the crowd before locking eyes with Gareth.

"So, you must be Gareth Ashcroft," the man said with a faint, mocking smile. "The rising star of the Ashcroft family, the one everyone's been talking about lately?"

Gareth's shirt billowed as he straightened, meeting the man's gaze head-on. "That's right. I'm Gareth Ashcroft. I don't know who you four are, or what brings you here across the sea—but I would like to know your purpose."

He had seen enough battles to recognize hostility when it was standing in front of him. These four had not come as guests. Even for someone of his strength, the pressure they exuded was immense.

"Purpose?" the man with metal gauntlets sneered, his tone dripping with mockery as he bared a row of sharp white teeth. "Let's just say our elders had some… 'connections' with the ancestors of your four families.

"They've long since passed, but we wanted to see for ourselves how their descendants have turned out. Whether the heirs of the four major elite families have lived up to their legacy."

Gareth's eyes narrowed. He didn't recognize their affiliations, but the tension in the air was palpable. Before he could speak again, a deep, resonant voice rolled from the treeline at the edge of the beach.

"Well, well… I never thought anyone from the War God Sanctum would still be alive after being wiped out 50 years ago—and you even dare to show your faces at our martial assembly. I must say, I am… quite surprised."

A sharp whistle of displaced air followed the words. When the crowd turned, they saw that an elderly man had appeared beside Gareth, standing with his hands clasped behind his back, calm and composed as though he had been there all along.

"Grandfather!" Eira cried in delight.

Realization rippled through the crowd—it was Anton Valence, the patriarch of the Valence family and father to Jack.

As Anton appeared, three more bursts of light streaked across the sky, descending in dazzling arcs. The air crackled with power as three figures materialized beside him, each exuding the aura of a storm contained within human form.

"Reginald Ashcroft, Raphael Florian, Corwin O'Brien!"

The names tore through the murmuring crowd like thunder. Those who knew the legends of Astria's martial world could hardly believe their eyes.

These were the old pillars of the four major elite families—their might once unmatched across the land. And now, they too stood revealed as masters of the Transcendent Realm, walking the very air as if it were solid ground.

The realization struck the crowd like lightning.

The four major elite families of Highcliffe—the most powerful clans in all Astria—had endured for more than a century without decline. Their heirs were already celebrated throughout the martial world, but no one had imagined that each family still had a living Transcendent guarding its lineage.

With that kind of strength, even a single family could sweep through every sect and faction in Astria. No wonder the four families had reigned unshaken in Highcliffe for a hundred years.

Reginald's walking stick had vanished; in its place stood a man brimming with vigor and power, his presence towering like a mountain. The energy around him pulsed like thunder beneath his skin.

The blond man on the far left let out a low chuckle, his smile cutting and cruel. He raised a hand dismissively. "No need to get so tense, my friends of Astria. We come without malice. It's just that our predecessors fell to your four families' alliance, and as their successors, we're simply curious. We'd like to see whether your bloodlines still deserve the glory they claim."

He flicked his wrist, and a pulse of sound rippled across the sea. In the distance, a column of water erupted upward as something sliced through it at astonishing speed. Within seconds, a figure came sprinting across the ocean's surface, moving so fast he seemed to skim the waves like a motorboat.

Before anyone could react, the newcomer had landed neatly beside the four Transcendents, bowing respectfully.

The blond man gestured toward him with an easy smile. "Allow me to introduce my disciple—Elkins. He has been trained under me since the age of five. It's been 20 years now. And since today is the grand martial assembly of the four major elite families, with all your young elites gathered here… I wonder if you dare to let your so-called prodigies face him?"

Elkins took a step forward. The sand beneath his feet erupted outward as a burst of energy surged from him, sending waves ten yards high crashing into the air. His presence alone was enough to shake the shoreline.

"I've heard the four major elite families boast many young masters," Elkins said in a deep, confident voice, his words laced with inner strength. "Among them, Ethan Ashcroft and Daphne Florian—the Twin Stars of Highcliffe—are said to be the brightest of Astria's martial world. I, Elkins, have come today to see if the legends hold true."

The raw power behind his voice made several of the young cultivators flinch, their expressions tightening.

Reginald and the other elders frowned. The War God Sanctum had arrived in full force, yet none of their Transcendent masters had moved to fight. Instead, they were sending a disciple to challenge Astria's youth. It was both an insult and a trap. But tradition demanded that juniors settle matters among themselves—so they had little choice.

Tycen, ever hot-tempered, couldn't stand it any longer. "You've got guts, I'll give you that! Fine—I, Tycen O'Brien, will take you on!"

He stepped forward, ready to leap onto the platform. But Elkins barely spared him a glance before shaking his head. "You're too weak to be my opponent."

Tycen froze, his fury surging. Before he could retort, Elkins raised a finger and pointed—first at Eira, then Daphne, and finally Ethan.

"You three," he said coolly, "fight me together."

The entire beach fell silent once more. Elkins—the unassuming young man from the West—was challenging not one, but three of Highcliffe's most gifted heirs at once.