"This is impossible!" The Moltenfang family head also saw the articles posted, and his face twisted into horror.

"Nothing is impossible if you have the strength to do anything." Grey said with a laugh. "You guys threatened me, so it is only natural for me to pay you back."

"How is this possible? How did the Buzzbeat Media release this article?" the Sunstride family head said in panic as he knelt on the ground under Grey's mind pressure.

The Buzzbeat Media was effectively controlled by the Frostpetal family. It was simply impossible for them to publish something like this unless they had chosen to side with the city lord.

But even that was not possible, because the staff were specially trained members from the Frostpetal family.

"You must be wondering how the media company you painfully built suddenly decided to betray you." Grey saw through their thoughts at a glance.

He swept his gaze across the table. The other family heads were curious as well.

"Well, you can rest easy, because they never betrayed you. In fact, they do not even know that the article has been published." Grey said with a laugh. "It was me who published it."

"You did?" The head of the Langford family could not keep silent and spoke up in shock.

"That is correct." Grey replied with a subtle nod, not turning to meet his gaze.

But his affirmation only caused more confusion among them.

If he was sitting here talking to them, how did he make use of the Buzzbeat Media to publish the article?

No, forget that. How did he even gain access to the official channels of the Buzzbeat Media?

They all began to sweat inwardly.

First it was the documents they had hidden and erased all traces of, and now this.

It did not take long for people to connect the dots.

"I'm sure you people must have already connected the dots. But let me make it clear once more."

Grey's fingers tapped lightly again, and his gaze sharpened.

"Not just the media companies or your so-called criminal files. Every technological system you believed you monopolized... I own it."

He leaned back and crossed his legs with casual confidence.

"The city-wide biometric scanners? Mine. The satellite-linked surveillance grids? Mine. Every drone flying above your heads? Mine. The encrypted databases you thought were untouchable? Also mine. That is where I took all your information from, by the way."

There was no arrogance in his voice, only calm and undeniable truth.

"Even the algorithms that shape public opinion, the automated factories producing your weapons, the data centers storing your family's dirty secrets... they all operate because I allow them to."

Grey's gaze swept across the room, and several family heads shivered without realizing it.

"In this city, every spark of electricity, every signal transmitted through the air, every byte of information passing through your devices belongs to me."

The entire room fell into suffocating silence.

His words had been long, yet no one dared to interrupt him.

They listened from beginning to end. Once they processed it, none of them could find their voices.

If he had said this earlier, they might have dismissed it as boasting. But after witnessing his capabilities, every family head in the room believed him completely.

Grey wanted them to know. He wanted them to see his true capabilities and understand that he could eliminate them from existence if he desired.

This showcase of strength would forever be imprinted in their hearts.

Then Grey glanced at the terror-stricken heads of the Moltenfang, Sunstride, and Frostpetal families.

"And from today onwards, there will be no Moltenfang family, Sunstride family, or Frostpetal family." As he said that, a terrifying fluctuation erupted from him.

Immediately, the light in the three family heads' eyes dimmed as they fell to the ground with a heavy thud.

"..." Everyone took a deep breath seeing this scene.

No one dared to speak, nor did they try to voice their opinion.

From a logical standpoint, scums like them deserved to die. Two were inhuman figures who trafficked people for profit, and the other killed and scammed ordinary citizens to make a living.

For the first time, the other families were relieved that they had not done anything as outrageous as the three families. Although they too had committed crimes, it was not to that extent.

Grey snapped his fingers, and immediately Heavenly Fire shone with powerful light as the three corpses were burned into nothingness.

Valeria, who had been observing, had a flicker of emotion on her face when she saw the flames.

A stunned expression briefly appeared, but she quickly hid it and kept a neutral face.

Afterward, Grey turned to the remaining family heads.

"Their fates were already sealed the instant they stepped in here. And likewise, the same could be said for you people. If you had done something as outrageous as those three, then you would have suffered the same fate."

"I am not afraid of losing prominent families. That is the least of my concerns. If one falls, another rises, and if none rise, I will make sure one does with all my capabilities."

"So, how about it?" Grey leaned back in his chair. "Starting today, I, Grey Lockhart, will be the sole ruler of the Ascension Province. No one else has the authority to make decisions on my behalf. Is that clear?"

A brief silence followed, and immediately afterward, the family heads voiced their thoughts.

"We agree!" The Langford family head spoke steadfastly. "We agree to your terms. The Langford family is willing to follow the rules of the Ascension Province."

The Langford family head was a huge shark in the ocean. Who in the southern region did not know the Langford family?

They were known to be domineering and very high-profile, yet right now, they were willing to submit to Grey.

The reason was simple.

His powers.

Today's display of strength had struck terror deep into the family head.

He was already aware of what the young-looking city lord in front of him was capable of, and now, seeing his powers up close only made him more afraid.

The family head was certain.

It would not end with the Ascension Province.

If this young city lord could conquer four cities in one day, what would happen in a year?

At that point, would the small internal strife in the Ascension Province matter anymore?

He believed in this city lord, and he believed that staying close to him was the best decision he could make.

Soon, seeing the head of the Langford family agree, the other family heads agreed to his terms one by one. No one dared voice their opinion anymore.

And with that, the meeting came to an end.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.