FAMILY ABOVE ALL: BATTLING AGAINST GODS

A complicated light flashed within Arlo's eyes. He wasn't particularly overwhelmed by all he just learned but for some reason, he felt like it was all too much to take in. Many of his doubts were now made clear.

Arlo and Old Bro remained silent for a long time. Each to his own thought.

Suddenly the scene before Arlo moved at a great speed almost as if it was fast-forward.

Many sights flashed before him but Arlo wasn't able to follow them. After some time, the flashing scenes came to a stop. What Arlo saw shook him to the core and made him momentarily forget about the current matters.

"Is that father?" he whispered in disbelief.

Before him was a silver-haired young boy with matching eyes in his mid-teens. The young boy singlehandedly dominated all his mates who entered the secret realm with him and was even able to enter and exit the secret realm after he entered once at his will.

However, what truly shocked Arlo wasn't his father's terrifying talent nor his monstrous combat prowess, but the complete change in his character. There was a qualitative difference in the aura around him.

Arlo could still remember the few scenes Old Bro had shown him before and how he was inwardly disappointed. Arlo could surmise his father in his childhood in one sentence, 'A childish and unruly boy who acted simply on impulse.'

However, his longing for him didn't make him dwell too much on it.

Now, it seemed that after that incident, his father had changed completely.

The air around him was now dignified and it was clear that he thought of his actions before carrying them out. Even though the gap in strength between him and the other contestants was insurmountable, he still dealt them a weak hand.

A wave of emotion suddenly hit Arlo out of nowhere.

The excitement rushing through his veins made him clutch his chest to calm his fast-beating heart. At the same time, a voice rang out around him, seemingly from every direction.

"So, he is your father..."

Arlo's eyes widened, 'That voice...Seraphina?' even though the voice didn't seem to belong to a child, Arlo would never mistake it for someone else.

"I was so happy to find such a talented person here." the sweet and otherworldly voice continued, "Unfortunately he wasn't the one."

Another wave of emotion hit Arlo and before he knew it, his eyes became wet.

'I am crying?' Arlo touched his face. Seeing his hand get wet, he finally knew where all these emotions were coming from. He could feel the deep disappointment and the piercing sadness that soon followed. Most importantly, he could feel the loneliness weighing down on him.

"Are these your emotions?" Arlo voiced out, as he continued to fix his eyes on his hand.

"I am sorry..." the sweet voice sounded soft, and Arlo could feel her sincerity, "I just wanted to share my experience with you."

"Why?" Arlo asked in confusion.

As if replying to his question, Arlo saw the scene around him change once again.

This time he saw two beasts streaking past big trees at great speed.

"That snake..." Arlo identified that snake as the pitch-black snake currently resting around Joe's neck.

Shifting his eyes to the other beast that was chasing the snake, Arlo became surprised once again but he didn't show any great change this time. He was starting to feel numb to the sudden surprises.

The beast chasing the pitch-black snake swung his two-meter axe, which Arlo identified as what saved him and his team, around effortlessly as if it only weighed a branch. With every swing, tens of huge trees were uprooted before being sent flying. At the same time, several ditches hundreds of meters long appeared on the ground. The more surprising thing was that the huge trees moved at the beast's behest as if they were controlled by invisible hands.

The beautiful voice returned, "About two months ago, I suddenly felt my control of Aether shake for a moment. It was almost as if someone was trying to wring the reins out of my hands.

<< It must have been when you had broken through. >> Old bro sent directly to his mind.

Arlo inwardly nodded his head. He could still remember when he had broken through and summoned Anita. Later that day, he had tried to connect with his law outside Tibu's castle, and while he felt a connection for a moment, it soon disappeared thereafter. Afterward, no matter how he tried to connect to them, he failed woefully.

As his thoughts arrived at this point, Arlo finally remembered one crucial fact.

'My birthday is in less than a week.' His heart beat faster at the thought of his approaching birthday and the greatly announced transformation that he would experience on that day. Now that Arlo had experienced the outside world, or at least a part of it, he realized that the people who had forewarned him of his upcoming awakening were great people with unrivaled talents

His father, Scarlett, the Werewolve's Queen, Old Bro, and his mum. While Arlo didn't know why his mother refused to use her powers and hadn't seen her action, he didn't believe for one second that his mother was any less special than his father.

"Imagine my surprise when I felt the person I had been looking for appear in the world I was in. I had already used my remaining Essence of reality, with my mental world as the foundation, to create this small world. Left with no choice, I had to make a great sacrifice to awaken the bloodline of two beasts to send outside in search of you. I needed them to be strong and capable of overcoming any obstacle to complete the mission I would assign to them. However, my plan didn't go as I thought."

Arlo was pulled out of his thoughts and as he looked at the fierce concentration between the house-sized Torkun and the insect-sized snake, his fast-beating heart slowly calmed down.

The voice continued:

"In the end, I had no choice but to send only the snake outside. Thankfully it didn't disappoint me."

Arlo nodded. He didn't need to be filled on what happened thereafter. And while he wondered how the snake had infiltrated the small world the Darkblood Academy was located in, he didn't give much thought to it.

With a strange light flashing within the silver eyes he inherited from his father, Arlo spoke, "You still haven't told me why you are showing me these things."

There was a brief silence before the voice echoed from everywhere but this time, it sounded more like a whisper:

"It is because I am afraid."

"Afraid?" Arlo brow's furrowed, his eyes flashing with confusion.

There was another short pause. The scene around him had already disappeared so Arlo was back in the space devoid of light. But he wasn't afraid.

The voice finally returned, "Initially, I planned to forcefully wipe off your consciousness and wring control of your body."

Arlo narrowed his eyes, as his face flashed with caution.

"But I can't anymore..." the voice trailed off.

Swallowing his saliva, Arlo asked in a slightly shaky voice, "What changed?"

"I can feel a presence in you...one that I felt the first time I awakened my consciousness."

Arlo's eyes widened, 'Is she referring to Old Bro?'

Without waiting for Arlo to confirm her words, the female voice pleaded:

"Please, help me. You are my only hope."

While Arlo appreciated the fact that she had opened up to him in sincerity and revealed her plan, a part of him now felt wary of her existence.

<< Boy, you don't have a choice. Don't you wish to be able to use your laws? >>

A look of hesitation appeared on Arlo's face. Of course, he wished to connect to his laws, especially after finding out that it was unique among the myriad laws. Alas, his fear won over his desire.

"But..."

Before Arlo could complete his words and as if he read his thoughts, Old Bro interrupted him.

<< Don't worry, I have a plan.>>

.....

After several hours, Arlo opened his eyes.

Without wiping his wet face, he walked out of the misty lake.

A brief look of shock flashed on his face when he stepped into the fourth and last accessible zone.

A lush and vibrant biome, teeming with an array of magical plants that possessed the power to enhance the body in myriad ways. Tall, slender stalks swayed gently in the breeze, their leaves shimmering with hues of emerald and gold. Vines twisted and coiled around ancient trees, weaving intricate patterns that seemed to pulse with life. Each plant exuded an aura of enchantment, a promise of untapped potential and boundless possibilities.

At the heart of this enchanted oasis stood a magnificent tree, its branches reaching toward the heavens with a sense of majestic grandeur. The tree was adorned with clusters of blue fruits, each one containing the purest essence of mana—one of the two life forces that coursed through the universe. These fruits were coveted by all who sought to harness the power of magic, for they held the key to unlocking untold potential without any adverse effects on one's cultivation.

Untold potential, because not only do these fruits allow the user to advance far above their equals, but it also leaves more room for their talent to improve their cultivation. In order words, It was indirectly raising a person's talent, something that was supposed to be naturally impossible. A person's talent was already decided from their birth and their fates were further sealed after their awakening.

"The Tree of Infinite Resources..." Arlo couldn't help but marvel at the grand sight of the massive tree. Together with the colorful light cascading down from the sky, the entire sight seemed so unreal and felt more like a drawing pulled out from fantasy.

"You..."

Arlo's expression changed. According to Seraphina, he should be the only one to have finished the trial. Yet what was this?

Shifting his eyes, Arlo's eyes met the eyes of the stout and burly Theodore.

"It is you.' he voiced out as he recognized Theodore. He was hard to forget, after all, he was the leader of the human team from their world and was also Rose's senior.

Not wanting to deal with any unnecessary trouble, Arlo willed all his Ki at his feet in nearly an instant causing them to be covered by a vibrant white light.

Like a breeze, Arlo vanished from Theodore's sight.

However he still greatly underestimated the latter, as after barely crossing two hundred meters with a single step, Theodore flashed before him with his eyes filled with murderous intent.

Arlo frowned and a look of displeasure crossed his face. Knowing why the other party was blocking his path, he voiced out in a slightly grumpy voice:

"I have no interest in the TIR. I just want to enter that barrier at the back."

A glint of surprise appeared in Theodore's eyes as his murderous intent diminished greatly. Shifting his head to the side, he looked back from the side of his eye and saw the multicolored barrier resting at the opposite end of their current position. The multicolored barrier was circular and barely covered a diameter of two meters. Within the fourth zone which had a radius of over five hundred meters, it appeared small. However, this multicolored barrier still appeared conspicuous even with the presence of the magnificent Tree of Infinite Resources not far from it.

The reason was simple. The barrier rose high into the sky as it connected directly to the bottom of the mountain floating high up and piercing through the aurora sky.

"Are you crazy?" Theodore looked at Arlo like there was something wrong with his head.

Every person who dared to enter this realm was already warned of the last and final zone.

Unlike the previous zone,s, anyone who dared to touch the multicolored barrier was erased from existence in a split second. This was a widely known fact and there had never been any exception. All who dared to do so in the past either because of their confidence in their power and talent or because they were in the possession of a great treasure that could protect their lives, were wiped off before they could know after coming in contact with the barrier.

A look of frustration appeared on Arlo's face. Of course, he knew why Theodore had such a reaction, after all, he was also warned by Principal Stanley before leaving the Academy.

However, he now knew the source of the barrier and that it couldn't harm him. It was just that he couldn't share it with Theodore. It wasn't like he would believe him in the first place.

Theodore's expression changed once again, this time more intense than the last. He looked past Arlo, and into the misty lake. Under his disbelieving eyes, an impeccably looking girl with pointed ears who he believed to be an elf and one with high status at that, walked out of the lake with graceful steps.

*Fwoosh!*

Theodore felt a great burst of wind whooshing towards him.

In a flash, Arlo appeared before him, and as his eyes slowly widened at the blue light shining from the neck of the boy who appeared younger than his little princess whom he cherished greatly, a childish yet deep voice rang in his ears.

"Freeze!" Theodore felt an overbearing force locking him down and not permitting him to move.

Subconsciously, he willed his mana and prepared to release his law essence to break out of his restraint, however, his action slowly came to a stop when he didn't sense his life was in any form of danger. Sure enough, Arlo passed by him, and under his and Eleanor's slowly widening eyes, he also ignored the tree of infinite resources and approached the multicolored barrier.

Before his hand touched the barrier, his young voice filled with expectation drifted into the ears of the frozen duo.

"It is time for my first metamorphosis!"

Contrary to what they had learned and were expecting, the colorful light wove around Arlo's body before engulfing his entire figure. A split second later, the infamous multicolored barrier rose into the sky and disappeared completely from their sight.

With eyes almost bulging out of their sockets, the Elven princess who didn't even flinch after seeing the terrifying power of Zara, an Asura, cursed with a stunned voice, and seemingly to no one:

"What the F*ck just happened?"

*****

AN: Sorry if there were mistakes in this chapter. I have been so busy lately and couldn't take my time to edit it. Thanks to all those who are following the novel. I hope we can all keep it up, <3.