From Outcast to Overlord The Unyielding Heir (Leander Ashcroft) novel Chapter 334

Chapter 334 Nightclub Mixer

Of course, Leander wouldn’t know what was running through his brother’s head, but even if he had, he would have brushed it off with a laugh. The so–called title of “Highcliffe’s number one” no longer meant anything to him. His sights were set on all of Astria–on the entire world itself.

The brothers dined together at an upscale restaurant at the foot of Westvale Peak, then found a small bar where they drank lightly and reminisced about childhood days.

Leander lifted his glass with a faint smile. Once, they had been nothing but scrappy children. Nine years later, one of them now stood over all of Astria, while the other ruled Highcliffe. The changes were nothing short of staggering.

“Leander, you may not be practicing martial arts anymore, but you must know something of the current state of Astria’s martial world, right?” Ethan asked once the wine had gone around a few times.

“Yes, I know a bit.” Leander nodded slightly.

Ethan downed a glass of strong liquor without using his inner strength to suppress the burn. His face flushed red.

“Leander, there are things I’ve never been able to say to anyone. But now that you’re back, I finally have the chance to get it all out.” He let out a laugh that sounded half–mad.

“These nine years, with you gone, I poured everything into martial training. Step by step, I climbed from Martial Practitioner all the way to half–Sovereign. I’m just a step away from Martial Sovereign, hailed as the foremost of Astria’s Nine Geniuses!” He spoke with drunken abandon, no longer holding anything back.

“Leander, you can call me arrogant if you want, but with your martial power inside me, my progress has been unmatched. Among Astria’s younger generation, I was without question the strongest. For eight years, that’s what I believed. And for eight years, it was true—no one could surpass me. But then, a year ago, a monster appeared.”

Leander’s eyes flickered, but he only took a quiet sip of red wine, saying nothing.

“You must have heard of Jeff Ashcroft.” Ethan’s fists clenched, flames dancing in his gaze. “Before he appeared, I was Astria’s undisputed number one genius. But his arrival stole my name completely.

“I am the Ashcroft heir, Gareth Ashcroft’s son. I bear two martial power sources. By every measure, I should have been the most exceptional talent, the first in Astria’s history to reach Martial Sovereign. But all of that changed because of Jeff Ashcroft!”

He let out a bitter laugh, then slammed his hand against a nearby table, shattering it into

splinters. The bar owner didn’t dare utter a word.

“Leander, I hate it. Why? Why did another Jeff Ashcroft have to exist? With me here, why does there need to be a Jeff as well?

“Before, when people spoke of Astria’s number one genius, they all thought of me–Ethan Ashcroft. But now, the first name on everyone’s lips is Jeff Ashcroft. Even Father’s old title of Astria’s Grandmaster has been claimed by him! Tell me, brother–why am I still not his equal? Why?”

With drink loosening his tongue, Ethan spilled all the bitterness he had bottled up.

Sitting beside him, Leander’s eyes glinted, surprise flickering across his heart. He had underestimated how deeply his reappearance as Jeff Ashcroft had shaken Ethan.

Ethan’s pride had always been towering. He had believed himself the rightful first among Astria’s younger generation. Yet in the past year, Jeff Ashcroft had burst onto the scene, dominating the martial world and stealing away all the glory Ethan thought was his. No wonder he was so furious, so full of resentment.

He hesitated for a moment, debating whether to tell Ethan the truth–that he was Jeff Ashcroft -when his phone suddenly rang.

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