From Ruin to Reign Leander's Unbreakable Will novel Chapter 419

Leander's voice interrupted her thoughts, and Margot snapped out of her daze as if waking from a dream.

Her bright eyes darted toward him, wide with disbelief, and her heart pounded fiercely in her chest.

The moment Bastian knelt before Leander, she knew she had lost—completely, utterly lost.

"Leander, why is Bastian so terrified of you?"

Despite her admiration, she couldn't hold the question back.

She couldn't comprehend it—Leander must have possessed some hidden identity that had reduced Bastian to near terror.

Considering Bastian's status, not even Frankie or Gumus could have forced him to kneel and beg on the spot, which meant that Leander's power was far beyond anything they had.

Stella shared her curiosity, sneaking glances while speculating about Leander's true identity. At that moment, Linus, chairman of Linuscar Enterprises, hurried over to Leander and bowed a full ninety degrees.

"Greetings, Mr. Ashcroft! I'm Linus Lavette."

Hudson and the others were still catching up, but a businessman like Linus would never miss the significance of the moment.

Bastian's terror left no doubt that Leander was none other than Mornwick's Legend, the man who had overshadowed all of Mornwick.

"Mr. Ashcroft?"

Hudson's eyes narrowed, and his jaw dropped as if it could swallow his own fist.

Margot and Stella froze, then gasped in shock.

"How is this possible?"

The sisters exchanged stunned glances, struggling to trust what they saw and heard.

Within Mornwick's upper echelons, the title of Mr. Ashcroft had become legendary—a pinnacle none could surpass. Margot and Stella had not yet reached that circle, but the name had resonated like thunder in their ears. They had longed to meet him.

He was the true legend of Mornwick, its ultimate authority. Even a state governor could at best stand beside him.

Although his fame shook the city, very few had actually seen him. Most people didn't even know what the legend looked like.

And at the moment, the boy who had grown up playing alongside them had become that legend.

"No need for formalities. You're Stella's father-in-law, which makes you my elder as well," Leander said, waving lightly with a faint smile.

He didn't care much for Linus, but for Stella's sake, he showed a little courtesy.

Behind them, Hudson had gone completely stiff. He was likely the most devastated of all.

He had approached Leander as a rival in love, ready to assert himself, only to discover that this casually dressed young man was the overlord of Mornwick—a peak he could never reach in his entire life.

Status, influence, wealth, power—the gap was astronomical. And he had tried to provoke Leander. What a joke.

"Leander, you're the Mornwick Legend?" Stella whispered, still struggling to process it.

"Yes," Leander admitted, his voice carrying an apologetic tone. "Sorry, Stella. I never meant to keep it from you."

Stella's gaze froze, and words failed her. Beside her, Margot's eyes gleamed sharply.

She remembered what she had said to Leander the previous night and let out a self-mocking laugh. She had asked why he deserved her respect. Thinking back, she realized she had been ridiculous.

Her so-called standards—unfathomable wealth, dominion over a region, the ability to fight alone—were trivial to him.

Meanwhile, in the president's office at Highcliffe University, Christopher was practicing calligraphy when the door abruptly swung open.

A woman stepped in, clad in a sharp leather jacket and fitted pants. Her long hair cascaded over her shoulders, and her features were strikingly refined—Anastasia, a rising star in the Shadow Division.

"Mr. Gardner," she greeted, bowing her head slightly before extending a file toward him.

Christopher took it and scanned a few lines. His expression stiffened instantly.

"A phenomenon has appeared in Edgemontale?" he asked.

The attached photographs depicted a brilliant beam of light shooting into the sky. Ordinary people might have seen it as a celestial sign, but Christopher was no ordinary observer. As a practitioner of the Transcendent Realm, he recognized it for what it truly was—a relic was about to surface.

The last time something like this had occurred was 60 years ago.

"I understand. You may leave for now," he said, dismissing her with a wave. Anastasia departed without another word. Once the office was quiet, his expression darkened further.

"The emergence of a relic will attract every powerhouse in existence. 60 years ago, 18 Transcendent Realm practitioners clashed over one. Four of them were in the Infernal Crown Transcendent class alone. The sky nearly shattered under their battle," he muttered.

"What kind of bloodstorm will it trigger this time?"

He paused, thinking, then picked up the phone and dialed the Shadow Division's main line.

"Dispatch Sky Mantis and the Armored Duo to Edgemontale. Ensure no foreign Transcendent Realm practitioners disrupt Astria's territory."

After hanging up, worry still shadowed his face. "Sky Mantis" and the "Armored Duo" were the Division's top operatives, nearly reaching the Infernal Crown Transcendent realm. Yet he knew that when a relic surfaced, even their combined strength might not suffice against the flood of powerful contenders.

As he wrestled with the implications, a sudden spark of realization ignited in his mind. A figure flashed before his eyes.