Luna smirked, tilting her head slightly. "You''ve got a powerful aura, I''ll give you that... but still, it''s not enough."


    Cassius'' eyes narrowed. He didn''t know what Luna meant. "What do you—"


    Before he finished, Liora smirked. "Allow me to correct your misunderstanding."


    Without warning, Liora turned up the pressure. She unleashed her full S-Rank Aura.


    Cassius staggered back and his entire body tensed as he was pressured under her aura. He was pretty much in shock. "Impossible—!"


    His breathing hitched as he struggled to stand up. "You''re... S-Rank?!"


    Luna chuckled, her arms crossed. "Oh? Surprised?"


    Cassius clenched his jaw, but he couldn''t stop sweating because of the pressure.


    Luna smirked. "You''re just a frog in the well, Cassius. You thought you were at the top, but you never even realized there was a whole world beyond you."


    Cassius ground his teeth, his pride taking a direct hit.


    Luna turned to the manager and became cold. "So, what now? Still want to choose him?"


    The manager, who had been trying to hold himself together, completely lost it.


    As Liora concentrated her aura on him, his knees gave out.


    He fell to the ground, panting heavily, his hands trembling as he raised them in surrender. "P-Please! I understand! I''ll hand it over! Just stop!"


    Luna smiled in satisfaction. "Good choice."


    Without wasting another second, the manager rushed to open Argentis''s cage, his hands barely steady as he fumbled with the locks.


    The metal door swung open, and he quickly stepped back, looking at Loreia with desperate eyes. "It''s yours. Please—just take it!"


    Argentis, still inside, hesitated for a moment, its silver eyes flickering between Cassius and Loreia''s group.


    It had sensed Liora''s overwhelming presence. It was far more powerful than anything it had encountered before.


    In the wild, power was everything. And in that moment, Argentis knew who the true monster was.


    With no resistance, it stepped forward, moving toward Loreia.


    Loreia smirked, placing a hand on its head. "Looks like you made the right choice, buddy."


    Cassius''s fists clenched at his sides, his entire face twisted in frustration.


    He had lost.


    And the worst part? He couldn''t do a damn thing about it.


    Cassius then took a deep breath, forcing himself to regain composure.


    "You think this is over?" Cassius muttered in barely contained rage.


    Loreia raised her eyebrow, completely unfazed. "I don''t think. I know."


    Luna laughed. "Oh, Cassius. If you''re about to start some petty revenge plot, let me stop you right there—it won''t end well for you."


    Cassius narrowed his eyes. "Do you really believe you can walk away from this without consequences?"


    Liora took a step forward and became cold. "If you want to turn this into a real fight, then stop wasting time and do it."


    Cassius''s jaw tightened. He wasn''t stupid. An S-Rank Beast Warrior wasn''t someone he could take on directly.


    A deep, arrogant chuckle, as if Cassius had just told him a particularly amusing joke.


    "So let me get this straight. You, my son—an A-Rank Beast Fighter—were humiliated in front of commoners?"


    Cassius''s fists clenched even tighter. "I wouldn''t say humiliated—"


    Hadrian cut him off with a dismissive wave. "No, no. Let''s be precise. You were crushed."


    Cassius''s jaw locked, but he didn''t dare speak.


    Hadrian leaned back in his chair, his smirk returning. "Interesting. I had thought no one of true worth resided in this city outside our family. And yet, here comes an unknown force, strong enough to embarrass my own blood."


    Cassius exhaled. "They knew who we were, Father. And they still didn''t care."


    Hadrian''s smirk disappeared. "Is that so?"


    Cassius nodded. "They mocked us. Treated our name as if it meant nothing. As if we were beneath them."


    Hadrian was silent for a long moment, his fingers tapping against his desk.


    Then, with a slow inhale, he spoke again.


    "You disappoint me, Cassius."


    Cassius flinched slightly but quickly controlled his reaction.


    Hadrian stayed calm. "You come to me, not with victory, but with excuses."


    He leaned forward again. "Tell me, what exactly do you expect me to do? Shall I scold them? Demand an apology?"


    Cassius swallowed hard. "No, Father. But they''re a threat."


    Hadrian smiled—but it wasn''t a pleasant one. "Finally, something worth listening to."


    He exhaled, then straightened in his seat.


    "An S-Rank, you say? That is... troublesome. But not unbeatable."


    Hadrian''s fingers tapping against the desk, calculating.


    Then, his eyes flickered back to Cassius.


    "Find out everything about them. Names, backgrounds, affiliations. If they believe they can cross the Aurelius Family without consequence..."


    His smirk returned, but this time it was cold. Dangerous.


    "Then we shall educate them otherwise."


    Cassius nodded, his posture straightening. "Understood, Father. I won''t fail."


    Hadrian''s gaze lingered on him for a moment before looking away, already dismissing him. "Good. Now go. I expect results."


    Cassius bowed slightly, then turned around, leaving the chamber.


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    As the doors closed behind him, Hadrian sighed, leaning back into his chair.


    "An S-Rank Beast Fighter, hm? How intriguing..."


    For the first time in years, he was genuinely curious.


    And that was very bad news for the three women who had just made an enemy of the Aurelius family.