"I'm sorry." Taggart helped Fick Nilas up and gently whispered into his ear, his voice firm and ruthless.

Fick Nilas hadn't yet recovered his senses when he felt an intense pain in his chest. He lowered his head in disbelief, staring at the dagger plunged into his heart.

"Why!" Feeling his life slipping away, Fick Nilas grabbed Taggart Nilas's collar, his voice filled with both confusion and agitation as he exclaimed, "Big Brother, did you really kill me for that bastard child?"

Taggart Nilas's expression remained indifferent. "Fick, you're my younger brother. You should have known that the only woman I've ever loved is Yina! In truth, since the day you harmed Yina years ago, you should have known this day would come."

"No, I won't accept this!" Fick bellowed, his eyes wide with rage. "Yina is but a maidservant! As the Clan Leader of the Nilas Family, how could you devote your feelings to a mere servant? Big Brother, I know you've always thought I acted against Yina because of Sister-in-law, but let me tell you—I didn't! I did it for you, I did it for our Nilas Family!"

In his heightened agitation, Fick Nilas coughed up more blood. His body trembled, and his consciousness began to fade. Even a master in the Demi-God Domain is not truly undying; a pierced heart is fatal all the same. Moreover, Fick's powers had already been sealed by Aiven.

"Your indulgence toward that maidservant incited Sister-in-law's jealousy!" Fick Nilas said in a deep voice. "If Yina's child turned out to be a boy, it would inevitably affect the selection of the next Clan Leader. For the stability of the family, I couldn't allow such a disruptive factor to appear! That's why I took action to eliminate Yina! Only with her gone could you focus on family affairs. Only with her gone could the Nilas Family be stable. She had to die!"

Fick was increasingly agitated. He believed he was not in the wrong. A mere maidservant—being noticed by the Family Head was her fortune. But her existence had disrupted the family's stability, which became her unforgivable sin. So, when Sister-in-law approached him, he agreed without hesitation: Yina had to die, and the child in her womb had to die too!

Ironically, had Taggart not been so doting toward Yina, she might have lived a peaceful life within the Nilas Family. Instead, it was Taggart's indulgence combined with his neglect that led to this tragic chain of events.

"I understand you acted for the family," Taggart said as he gazed at the furious Fick Nilas, his tone steady. "That's the only reason I spared your life back then. But all of you overlooked one thing: apart from being the Nilas Clan Leader, I am also a person—a man! Yina was the woman I loved the most. You all cruelly poisoned my beloved, slaughtered my unborn child in pursuit of so-called stability. Do you think, as a man, I could accept any of this?"

Taggart's words were delivered calmly—so calm that Fick felt a chill and an unfamiliar sense of terror. Yet he also realized how absurd their actions had been back then.

Taggart had never forgotten that hate; he had merely buried it deeply in his heart. He had devoted himself entirely to family affairs, trying to distract himself from the agony, striving to ensure such humiliation would never befall him again.

But everything erupted when he saw Aiven—his child with Yina. Back then, he couldn't protect Yina, nor his child. Now, he decided to remain silent no longer. As long as there was even a slim chance to make amends, Taggart would never give up!

Thus, Taggart thrust the dagger into Fick's chest.

Aiven watched coldly, though a flicker of emotion flashed deep in his eyes. He didn't fully understand the details of what had happened back then; he only knew that his mother had been poisoned by the Nilas Family and had miraculously given birth to him through sheer willpower and conviction.

However, through their conversation, Aiven began piecing together the motives behind his mother's murder. But that didn't mean he could forgive Taggart Nilas; on the contrary, he despised the Nilas Family even more.

A family that could poison an innocent woman and attempt to kill her unborn child in the name of so-called stability—how cold-blooded must a clan be to commit such a heinous act?

"Nilas Family, truly despicable," Aiven muttered under his breath.

With a dull thud, Fick Nilas fell to the ground, his eyes widened as he stared helplessly at the sky, as if reluctant to part with the beauty of the world. But his vitality had already drained away; in the end, he died at Taggart's hand.

Taggart stood stained with blood. He raised his head to look at Aiven. "Child, I've killed Fick. Come home with me. I now have enough power to protect you."

Aiven clapped his hands mockingly and said with sarcasm, "Bravo, truly a ruthless Clan Leader—killing your own brother without hesitation! Impressive, truly befitting of the Iron Tiger Taggart! Protect me? In this world, only two people have ever protected me—my mother and my older brother! You say you want to protect me? Do you think I need your protection?"

Taggart's face showed a hint of sorrow.

Aiven glanced at Fick's corpse and remarked lightly, "Every grievance has its perpetrator, every debt its debtor. I, Aiven, am not a bloodthirsty man. Fick is dead, but the true villain remains. I will use my strength to eliminate the true culprit."

With that, Aiven gave Taggart a meaningful look, observing his desolate expression. A faint sense of pity rose in his heart. "You don't need to feel guilty. Once this matter is resolved, we'll be even."

Saying this, Aiven turned and descended from Fengyun Platform. Ling Feng, standing nearby, gave Taggart a faint smirk before turning to disappear as well. Only Taggart was left standing motionless on the platform.

The events at Fengyun Platform had enthralled the onlookers. What had started as a confrontation between the Nilas Family and Ling Feng had, unexpectedly, revealed a horrific incident that had occurred in the family two decades ago.

"So it's true, after all," Rick Johnson said, sighing as he looked at the forlorn figure of Taggart.

Jenny asked curiously, "Father, what exactly happened?"

"Back when Taggart took over the Nilas Family, he was a high-spirited young prodigy," Leck Nilas said. "But overnight, Taggart's personality completely changed—he became colder and more ruthless, and his actions grew increasingly erratic. Rumors swirled that his beloved had died, but those rumors were dismissed as nonsense. No one believed that such a promising young nobleman would change over a mere woman. But now, it turns out... the rumors were true."

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