Ex-Rank Awakening: My Attacks Make Me Stronger

Chapter 428: EX 428. Father and Son In-Law

Ignatius chose not to dwell on the stranger or the unsettling smile that lingered on the boy’s face.

He turned instead to the governor, straightening as his authority settled back into place.

"Akira," he said calmly, "would you like to explain what is happening here?"

Under normal circumstances, an unsanctioned arrival like this would have been met with drawn weapons and immediate restraint. But this was not a normal day.

Too many familiar faces stood in the circle. The governor. Selena. Darian. Members of Unit Alpha. Ignatius held his hand up, signaling restraint, and waited.

Akira didn’t waste the opportunity. He explained everything, starting with the demon base and Gordon, then the "seven minutes," before finally recounting their return. Ignatius listened in silence as the details grew increasingly unbelievable. When the governor finally revealed the boy’s identity as Leon, Ignatius let out a loud, sharp bark of surprise.

"What?"

The word echoed through the bastion.

He no longer looked at Akira. His gaze snapped back to the boy with the smile. And really looked at him this time. The posture. The calm. The pressure in the air around him.

Leon.

The last time Ignatius had seen him, it had been through a fragment, an apparition left behind in his daughter’s soul. Never the full presence. Never this.

His throat tightened. He swallowed.

"Lower your weapons," Ignatius ordered.

The guards hesitated, confusion flashing across their faces.

Protocol screamed otherwise. Rules demanded action.

Ignatius did not repeat himself.

They lowered them.

What justice were they meant to enforce here? Against someone who had erased a lord’s base in under seven minutes. Against someone who had appeared inside Zion without triggering a single alarm.

Mount Tai stood before them, vast and immovable. Charging it with spears would not make them heroes. It would only make them dead.

Ignatius exhaled slowly, eyes still fixed on Leon.

If anyone wished to test that truth, they were welcome to try.

But not under his command.

Leon waited until the weapons lowered before he finally spoke.

"Long time no see."

The words were directed at Ignatius, but Selena stiffened. Darian blinked. Luke and the Governor exchanged quick looks. All these reactions stemmed from a single greeting.

From what they knew Leon had never met Ignatius in person. Not before the shutdown. Not after. There should have been no opportunity.

Selena was the first to voice it.

"Leon... you’ve met him before?"

Ignatius’s eyes flicked to Leon, sharp and warning, a silent plea to leave certain things buried. Leon caught it. His lips curved faintly, not cruel, not kind. It was a look that said you owe me one.

"Oh. What I meant was..." he paused, deliberately, then corrected himself, "...it’s nice to meet you, Mr. Tarhim. I’m Lizzie’s da..."

He stopped, coughed once, and fixed it smoothly.

"I mean. I’m your daughter’s boyfriend."

Silence crashed down.

Ignatius stared at him. Really stared this time. Not at his power. Not at the impossible way he had entered Zion. But at the boy himself.

’Is this really him?’

The smile Leon wore did not help.

Everyone present felt the weight of the moment settle into something awkward and tight.

It was obvious Leon and Ignatius had met before. It was just as obvious neither intended to explain how. No one pushed. But curiosity lingered anyway, quiet and sharp.

Selena watched the exchange, eyes narrowing slightly.

’When this is over,’ she thought, ’I’m making him talk.’

Leon broke the silence at last. His voice was calm, steady.

"I’d like to speak with the higher-ups of Zion."

Ignatius stiffened. For a heartbeat, surprise flashed across his face. Then it vanished, replaced by something closer to resolve. He didn’t question the request. He didn’t need to.

The boy standing before him wasn’t just powerful. He was hope. Ignatius had felt it before, even through an apparition. That pressure, presence and power on the level of a lord, perhaps more.

When Ignis fell and the dragons fled to the Blue Planet, it wasn’t just desperation that drove them. It was the knowledge that a monster like Leon existed here, someone who could tilt the scales.

Then the rumors had come. Leon was dead. The resistance had fought on anyway, time bleeding away.

But now he stood here. Alive and stronger than ever.

If he wanted an audience, he would have it.

"That won’t be a problem," Ignatius said at last.

He turned and motioned for them to follow, leading the group deeper into the heart of Zion.

Zion’s guards were dismissed soon after, their weapons lowered and their tension slowly bleeding away. Unit Alpha was sent to rest. They needed it. Today had been too much. A demon lord. Near death. Then Leon arriving like a force of nature, making a nightmare they had been trapped in for far too long seem as if it were nothing more than an inconvenience.

Their minds needed time to catch up with reality.

Only the highest remained. The Silver Marshals. Darian, Selena, Luke, The Governor and Ignatius.

They escorted Leon deeper into Zion, through streets shaped by living magic and quiet resilience. As they walked, Ignatius broke the silence.

"What of the girl?" he asked, carefully.

Leon turned his head, eyes calm. "Girl?"

Ignatius hesitated.

Leon knew exactly who Ignatius meant. The question had been hanging there, unfinished, like a test.

He chose not to answer it directly. Instead, he let the silence stretch just long enough to make his point.

He had already introduced himself as the man standing beside Ignatius’s daughter, not some passing acquaintance.

If Ignatius wanted to speak of her, then he should do so properly. As his daughter. That was how respect was shown.

That was how a real bond, strained as it already was, could begin to take shape. Leon’s gaze stayed forward, calm and unyielding, but the message was clear. Titles mattered. Family mattered. And he would not let either be treated lightly.

****

-Author’s Note-

Thank you for reading, please send power stones!