Investing In My Four Crippled Yandere Wives Get 1000x Returns
Chapter 30| Little Brother, Big Mistake

Chapter 30: 30| Little Brother, Big Mistake

The arena had been upgraded considerably since the oversight committee’s private demonstration weeks earlier — a full public stadium on the outskirts of the city, packed with spectators and lined with enough drone cameras to guarantee millions of simultaneous viewers across every livestream platform in the country. Association officials monitored strictly regulated barrier wards along the perimeter, ensuring no outside interference could touch the outcome this time.

Allen stood at one end of the arena floor, Ashfall Talons secured along his forearms, the weight of four months’ transformation settling into something steady and certain beneath his skin. Across the arena, Edward waited in gleaming golden armor, crowd noise swelling around him with the practiced adoration of a man who’d spent his entire career performing for exactly this kind of audience.

"Ladies and gentlemen," the arena announcer’s voice boomed overhead, "a historic duel between siblings of the Veton guild — A-rank Edward Veton, versus the rapidly rising B-rank anomaly, Allen Veton, leader of Party Fallen Crown!"

The crowd’s reaction split unevenly — enthusiastic cheers for Edward’s established reputation, mixed with a growing undercurrent of curious anticipation for the man who’d defied every expectation the Association had set for him.

Edward’s voice carried easily across the arena, amplified for the cameras, dripping with performative confidence. "Still time to forfeit gracefully, little brother. Save yourself the embarrassment."

"I’ll pass," Allen said simply, voice carrying with quiet, unshakeable certainty.

The referee’s signal cut through the crowd’s anticipation, and the duel began.

Edward moved first, enhanced strength bloodline flaring to golden life as he closed the distance with explosive speed, exactly the kind of flashy, powerful opening strike designed to end lesser opponents within seconds. Allen watched the telegraphed shoulder rotation Myria had identified during hours of footage analysis, and rather than meeting the strike head-on, sidestepped at the last possible moment, Guardian’s Instinct flaring with quiet, practiced precision.

Edward’s fist connected with empty air where Allen had stood a heartbeat earlier, and before he could fully recover his balance, three fire-infused darts struck in rapid succession — shoulder, thigh, ribs, each landing with the calculated precision of two months’ relentless training.

The crowd’s murmur shifted, surprise rippling through the stadium as Edward stumbled back, more startled than genuinely hurt, golden armor absorbing most of the impact but clearly unprepared for the speed of the counter.

"Lucky shot," Edward snarled, expression tightening as some of his performative confidence cracked at the edges.

"We’ll see," Allen said, settling into the ready stance Vivian had spent a week drilling into muscle memory.

Edward attacked again, faster this time, chaining enhanced strikes together with genuine skill beneath the flashy presentation — and for several tense exchanges, Allen found himself purely on the defensive, dodging and deflecting with narrow margins, Guardian’s Instinct working overtime to track the increasingly aggressive assault.

A strike finally connected, glancing across Allen’s ribs with bruising force, sending him skidding backward across the arena floor. The crowd roared, Edward’s confidence visibly resurging as he pressed the advantage, golden armor gleaming under the stadium lights.

"This is where it ends," Edward said, voice carrying clearly for the cameras, already anticipating the satisfying conclusion to his carefully constructed narrative.

Allen rose slowly, breathing hard, ribs aching fiercely — and felt something shift beneath his skin, warmth surging through his chest as adrenaline and genuine danger combined to trigger something the system had clearly been building toward.

[Investment Threshold Reached: Combat Resilience Milestone]

[Reward Manifestation: Ability Evolution]

[Precision Throw (Rare, Fire-Infused) → Precision Throw (Mythic, Dragonfire-Infused)]

[Effect: Significantly enhanced force amplification, expanded elemental range, passive combat regeneration unlocked.]

The pain in his ribs dulled almost immediately, replaced by a fierce, steady warmth spreading through his chest, and when Allen straightened fully, something in his expression had shifted enough that Edward’s earlier confidence flickered visibly.

"Round two," Allen said quietly, drawing a fresh set of darts, orange-gold flame now curling far more intensely along his fingertips than before.

He moved first this time.

The throws that followed carried devastating, controlled force, Edward forced onto the defensive for the first time since the duel began, golden armor cracking audibly under the sustained assault as Allen closed the distance with fluid, precise footwork that bore no resemblance to the untrained F-rank he’d been just two months earlier.

Edward attempted one final, desperate enhanced strike, telegraphed shoulder rotation obvious now even to the watching crowd, and Allen sidestepped cleanly, driving a fire-wreathed palm strike into his brother’s exposed chest plate with enough force to send him crashing to the arena floor, armor smoking faintly from the impact.

Silence fell over the stadium.

Edward lay stunned for a long moment before struggling upright, golden hair disheveled, armor cracked and scorched, staring up at Allen with an expression that had finally, entirely abandoned its practiced confidence.

"Yield," the referee called, "or continue?"

Edward’s jaw worked silently for a long moment, humiliation and fury warring plainly across his face, before he finally, grudgingly raised a hand in surrender, unable to meet Allen’s gaze as the crowd’s stunned silence gradually erupted into astonished, disbelieving applause.

Allen extended a hand toward his brother, offering to help him rise, the gesture entirely unplanned but genuine.

Edward stared at the offered hand for a long moment, something complicated flickering behind his golden eyes, before slowly, reluctantly accepting it.

"This isn’t over," Edward muttered, voice low enough that only Allen could hear, pride still fighting against the undeniable reality of what had just happened in front of millions of viewers.

"I know," Allen said quietly, without malice. "But maybe it’s time you figured out what you’re actually fighting for, Edward. Because I don’t think it’s ever really been about me."

Something in Edward’s expression cracked further at that, uncertainty briefly replacing the familiar mask of golden confidence, before he pulled his hand free and turned away, retreating from the arena floor amid a crowd’s roaring, disbelieving applause that, for the first time in either of their lives, belonged entirely to Allen.

[Investment Detected: Milestone — "Decisive victory achieved through growth, restraint, and unified strategy rather than cruelty."]

[Sincerity: Extreme. Emotional Impact: Extreme.]

[Reward Generated: +1,500 Investment Points.]

[Total Investment Points: 35,620]

From the stands, Allen caught sight of his wives on their feet, cheering amid the roaring crowd — Irene’s fierce, delighted shout easily audible even over the stadium noise, Myria’s rare, unrestrained smile, Everlyn’s silent, joyful applause, Vivian’s satisfied, knowing grin.

’They called us outcasts,’ he thought, exhaustion and triumph warring pleasantly in his chest as he made his way toward them. ’I don’t think anyone’s going to make that mistake again.’