Supreme Paragon Reborn: Humanity's Rise To Galactic Supremacy-Chapter 332: Little Menace

Michael, his family, and everybody in the faction had gathered in the lounge, all staring at a message he had recently received.

[Exalted Michael, leader of the Indomitable Alliance. I hope this message finds you well. I, Dominic, leader of Twilight Hell, must admit that I have been deeply impressed by your performance in battle. As such, I wish to extend an offer, one that would spare our troops from a nightmarish clash that would surely scar them for life. Instead, let us settle the outcome of the tournament’s fourth round with a formal duel between the two of us.]

A few silent seconds passed before Richard spoke.

"If I have to be entirely honest..." He cleared his throat.

"This is horseshit! No fucking way this isn’t some kind of a trap!"

Ava nodded eagerly.

"I agree. From what we have read on Dominic and his faction, he is a sadistic bastard that is addicted to pain. This must be a ploy!"

Victoria crossed one leg over the other.

"They must have been intimidated by our synergy. All the more reason not to accept."

Claire glanced at Michael.

"It’s not that we don’t have faith in you winning. But this is supposed to be a faction war. Wouldn’t it be unreasonable if only the leaders were the ones fighting?"

Michael stared at them blankly for a few moments, a faint smile slowly tugging at his lips.

’They’re still bitter from the last battle and eager to prove themselves.’ He guessed. ’But it would be wiser to let them recover. They deserve it after all.’

"I have a feeling you want me to refuse, just because you’re itching for a fight." He chuckled warmly.

"..."

They looked ready to retort, only to halt, mouths agape. To disagree, they would have to lie... and it clearly didn’t sit well with them.

At that moment, Scarlett spoke out loud.

"If Dominic wants a duel, why don’t we send one of these two?" She exclaimed, pointing at Robert and Cayson while curling her brother protectively.

Robert scratched the back of his head awkwardly.

"To be entirely honest, I would have agreed if I were stronger than Michael..." His violet eyes shone brighter. "However, I don’t believe I can beat him in a fair confrontation."

Cayson nodded.

"Sorry, young miss. But just the idea of facing your brother terrifies me. I’m not sure what your mother has been feeding him since a young age, but he’s one of the last people I’d want to fight... Even considering the differences between our realms."

The decision was unanimous. Michael was the strongest among them, and if a duel were truly to take place, he would be the one participating.

Scarlett pouted cutely.

"And here I thought I might get to spend more time with him..."

"I appreciate the sentiment." Michael grinned, patting her softly on the head. "But don’t worry about your brother. This offer will spare us trouble, so I’m planning to accept it."

Knowing she couldn’t change her brother’s mind, Scarlett gave up with a sigh.

Getting up, she lightly bumped his shoulder.

Then she remembered just how ridiculously powerful her brother was. Taking a step back, she struck him in the same spot with every ounce of strength she could muster... Only to wince and recoil as if she had hit solid metal.

"I—If that’s the case, you better demolish that guy for challenging you!" Scarlett stuttered, barely suppressing tears.

"Naturally." Michael tilted his head in amusement. The blow from his sister had briefly tickled him.

Scarlett took a few seconds to recover before turning to the rest of the faction, a dangerous glint in her eyes.

"As for all of you!" She bellowed.

Though she was still a teenager, her presence had recently begun to shift. Starting to emit an authority strikingly similar to her brother’s, seemingly out of nowhere. It was one of the few side effects of being Devil’s pupil.

"Isn’t it time you all started taking your roles seriously?! Spare me excuses! If my brother picked you, that means you can achieve more than you ever imagined... so start acting like it!" She declared.

Nevertheless, even though the crew didn’t know the reason behind the change in her demeanor, they still felt respect when gazing at her. It wasn’t the same awe they felt toward Michael, but it was acknowledgment nonetheless.

"Your brother has twisted your idea of what’s normal, naive girl." Richard scoffed. "Don’t expect us to achieve the same feats. No Grandmaster could face a Lord the way he does."

The man was still bitter. His off-hand comment had been meant as nothing more than a vent. That was why he was so taken aback when Scarlett suddenly stepped forward, standing before him and pointing a finger at his face.

"I double dare you to call me that again!" Shockingly, Scarlett didn’t seem fazed by his aura.

"The way I see it, you’re all weaklings! Constantly relying on my brother! When will the time come for you to save him, instead of the other way around? Are you all mindless soldiers or people capable of thought and action?!"

Michael’s overprotectiveness had, in turn, made Scarlett overprotective as well.

She couldn’t fathom why, every time they were in a tight spot, her brother was always the one taking the biggest risks and coming up with the plans. They were a team, so they should all share the burden equally!

It was one of the reasons she was determined to grow stronger and stand by his side.

Seeing her brother so eager to shoulder responsibility once again was the last straw. Scarlett’s teenage hormones build up to the point of combustion. She might as well confront the entire faction head-on, Masters, Lords, and all be damned!

The Devil would have rubbed his hands together if he weren’t in his sword form.

’Excellent! She’s finally starting to act like a true protégé of mine! Give everyone a piece of your mind, and if anyone dares show disrespect, don’t stand for that shit and retaliate with everything you have got!’

The fallout that followed was immense. It took both Isabella and Michael to barely calm Scarlett down. By the end of her scolding, the faction had grown even gloomier. If they didn’t already have enough motivation to get stronger, being mercilessly scolded by a teenager was bound to achieve it.

That day, everyone learned just how much of a menace Michael’s sister could be when her fuse ran out, leaving them to shudder at the thought of what she might become in the future.

One thing was certain. The similarity of their shared bloodline seemed only to grow more and more apparent.

After Michael accepted the duel, the days passed in a flash.

It didn’t take long before he found himself alone in the arena, facing Dominic, the leader of Twilight Hell.

"Settling things with a duel? That’s certainly... creative." The Emperor muttered in surprise. Before transporting the two men to the designated battle area.

The first thing Michael saw when his eyes sprang open was searing lava flowing in every direction. He himself stood on a slab of dark rock, suspended above the boiling liquid.

It appeared that the duel to decide who would win the fourth round of the tournament was set to take place at the top of an active volcano.