Chapter 238: Chapter 238: Last Straw Chapter 238 – Last Straw "I am sorry." That sorry meant many things. It was sorry for not being there when she needed someone to lean on emotionally. Sorry for the inadequacy of not thinking that kind of possibility could happen—and not preparing for it. It was a sorry... For everything. Sari understood. All of them did. But none of them blamed him for anything. They knew how much, ever since the incident with Laeh, Noah had been doing his absolute best to ensure that the same disaster never happened again. To make sure his people stayed safe. To make sure nothing harmed them. But once more... ’I failed,’ Noah thought inwardly, as he held the mother-daughter duo in his arms. He had failed to protect one of his own. And now, all of them were affected. It was driving him mad. ’What did I miss?’ ’I thought giving them one talent to protect their lives was enough... but I never took into account that something other than their life could be threatened.’ ’Why didn’t I?’ Noah kept questioning himself. Why didn’t he consider all this? And as those questions echoed within him... the world itself stopped. Time froze. As if the world was giving him the time to think. As if to say: Take your time. Think again. And Noah did exactly that. His thoughts spiraled in every direction, searching, searching—until they all led to one thing. Arrogance. Yes... arrogance. ’Because I was arrogant enough to think nothing besides their lives could be threatened.’ ’Because I was arrogant enough to believe that one damn talent—not even at Ex-Unique rank—could protect them in the Shadow Realm... where divine beings walk among mortals.’ Did I not learn anything from Laeh’s incident? Or even before that... when Elijah died in my hands? Didn’t I learn that arrogance makes you unable to open your mind to different kinds of possibilities? That arrogance narrow your vision? Noah kept questioning himself. And he realized again... The problem wasn’t arrogance itself—it was letting arrogance into his mind so much that it started to dictate recklessness. Recklessness without the force to back it up. That was the issue. If Noah had the strength to back up that arrogance, then it wouldn’t matter. But ever since Laeh... Noah was no longer the strongest. ’So in the end... it all comes down to this.’ Strength. ’I thought my World Dominator rank and my variety of talents were enough to survive the Shadow Realm.’ But I let arrogance cloud my judgment. You can never be too prepared. And if I continue to let arrogance rule me... I’ll lose more people. And in the end—I’ll lose everything. And I’ll stagnate. Because when arrogance is in your mind... growth stops. 𝕗𝐫𝚎𝗲𝘄𝐞𝕓𝐧𝕠𝘃𝕖𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝚖 You start believing you’re already strong enough. You are already special enough... And that’s when you fall. All these realizations settled deeply inside him. Noah sighed quietly and looked up at the shattered sky. He heard the prayers of all living beings within Laeh, pleading with him to calm down. He did. He inhaled. Exhaled. Then slowly closed his eyes. ’Strength... I need more.’ ’I need to share more. I need to evolve my bloodline further. I need to evolve my talents. I need... more.’ As those thoughts solidified in his mind, time resumed inside Laeh. He gently pulled away from the women and looked at them, one by one, before smiling softly. It was a smile that carried a quiet sadness. "I need some power-ups, my dears. So I’m going." "You can prepare in the meantime, because once I’m back..." "...we’ll strike." Noah said with a bright tone, trying to lighten the heavy atmosphere before disappearing. Leaving behind a group of women whose expressions still held tight, simmering anger. "He’s trying to shoulder all this alone again..." ElizaBeth muttered, leaning back in her chair, her white, blank eyes narrowed with irritation. "Yes, he is," Sophie nodded. "But we don’t need to wait for him to ask for help in order to give it," Sophie added, her voice suddenly turning sharp, commanding. "We don’t need that. We can see how much our husband is hurting—how angry he is over all this, just like us. And how he’s trying to ensure it never happens again." "A noble thing, but..." "He is not alone." All the women said it at once, in perfect sync. "He is not alone..." Selene repeated quietly. "We are all here for him. We’re all here to help him carry this weight," Elira said as she looked at each of the girls. "And if he doesn’t want to give us some of those burdens because he sees himself as the one who must protect us..." "Then we’ll take some of them ourselves." Her words made everyone nod, their expressions turning serious. They were talented women. They were powerful women. They loved Noah—no, they were obsessed with him. And seeing him sad over something that wasn’t even fully his fault? It pained them deeply. And so... they were ready to act. This time—even more ruthlessly. This time... the Shadow Realm would bleed. Shadeva stood off to the side, watching all of it silently as she shook her head. She had nothing to say in favor of the Shadows. Because even she... Was angry. She had been with this family for years. She had lived with them, suffered with them, celebrated with them. She had seen the love that bound them together. And she... she was part of this family too, even if she wasn’t Elysiari. That’s why—she, too, wanted to make whoever was responsible pay. ’Ah... it seems like you were the last straw.’ ’The last thing that shattered his patience... and restraint.’ And for that? You will bear his wrath. ... In his training ground, Noah sat cross-legged, floating calmly in the air. ’System, what’s the affection level of Sari, Noelle, and Shadeva?’ [Sari – 80%] [Noelle – 70%] [Shadeva – 70%] Noah nodded without expression. That meant he could now share all they had. But first... "Let’s upgrade Copycat’s talent." "I can’t keep going with only a thousand-time quality," Noah decided. "Records... I need a higher-grade affinity of Records." He then slowly raised his gaze toward the now-healed sky. "Care to give it to me, dear Akashic?" —End of Chapter 238—