Getting spoiled in a woman dominating world Chapter 598: The present [3]

"...Big Sister."

The voice was calm and heartbreakingly familiar.

H-Huh?

Charlotte froze mid-strike, and the murderous intent in her eyes shattered in an instant.

Her entire body went rigid as that single word cut through the red haze of her rage.

She slowly turned her head toward the source of the voice.

High above the ruined mountain estate, a figure descended gracefully from the sky.

Brandon landed softly on a large, intact piece of stone near the edge of the destroyed hot spring.

Dust gently rose around his boots as he straightened up.

For a moment, the entire mountain seemed to fall silent.

Charlotte’s raised fist trembled in shock as she looked at him.

The anger that has been consuming her for the past week, the grief, and the guilt... all of it cracked and crumbled the moment she saw him.

"Kael...?"

Tears welled up in her eyes instantly, and the hand she had raised to beat Katrin fell limply to her side.

Brandon looked at her with a soft, gentle smile "I’m here. I’m okay, Big Sister."

The words broke her completely.

"KAEL!" Charlotte let out a choked sob and rushed toward him.

She crashed into his arms with desperate strength, wrapping herself around him as tightly as she could.

"Kael... Kael...!" she cried, her voice muffled against his skin.

Her face was buried deep in the crook of his neck, tears flowing freely as she sobbed uncontrollably.

"I thought I lost you... I searched for days... I couldn’t find you anywhere... I thought you were gone forever..."

Her arms tightened around him with desperate strength, as if afraid that if she loosened her grip even slightly, he would vanish like an illusion.

Her entire body trembled violently against him as weeks of grief, guilt, rage, and sleepless nights finally crashed down on her all at once.

Tears soaked into his shirt, mixing with the blood and dirt that still covered her.

She held him so tightly that her nails dug into his back, but Brandon didn’t flinch.

He simply wrapped his arms around her and gently stroked her messy, bloodied hair.

"I’m sorry for worrying you," he whispered softly against her ear. "But I’m here now. I’m safe."

Charlotte hugged him even tighter.

The strongest Empyrean in the world, the woman who tore through an entire tower in a week-long rampage, was crying like a child in his arms.

"I kept calling for you... I thought the storm took you away from me forever..." she choked out between sobs.

"I failed you... I was supposed to protect you..."

Brandon continued holding her close, "You didn’t fail," he murmured softly.

"You fought harder than anyone could have. I’m so proud of you. And I’m right here."

Charlotte’s body shook with another wave of heavy sobs.

She pressed her face harder into his neck, inhaling his scent as if trying to convince herself he was real.

"Haa... Haa..." Her exhaustion, hunger, and mental strain finally caught up to her in full force.

For several long minutes, she simply cried in his arms as the fear, self-blame, and the unbearable pain she had carried alone poured out of her.

Brandon held her through every sob, whispering soft reassurances, stroking her hair, and rubbing her back.

He could feel how weak she was... her body was running on nothing but pure willpower and ether for the past week.

Eventually, her sobs began to quiet.

Her grip on him remained tight, but her body started to grow heavier against him.

"Big Sister..." Brandon whispered gently.

Charlotte didn’t respond.

Her breathing became slow and shallow.

The combination of a full week without sleep, no food, constant fighting, and the overwhelming emotional release finally pushed her beyond her limits.

It might have been a week in the outside world; inside that tower, time is complex, who knows how long she was fighting, searching for her little brother...

She fell unconscious in his arms.

Her body went limp, head resting heavily on his shoulder as all tension left her.

Brandon quickly adjusted his hold, supporting her weight fully as he cradled her against his chest.

"Rest now," he whispered softly, pressing a gentle kiss to the top of her head. "I’ve got you."

Brandon glanced sideways at the naked woman still lying on the ground a short distance away.

Katrin was slowly trying to heal herself as golden ether flickered weakly around her broken body.

Her arms were twisted at unnatural angles with shattered ribs, and her face was a swollen, bloody mess.

She was barely conscious, gasping for air as she struggled to regenerate.

SWOOSH-!

An enormous, suffocating pressure suddenly slammed down on her.

Katrin’s eyes shrank in absolute horror as an invisible force crushed her body into the ground.

The rubble beneath her cracked and sank, forming a deep crater as the overwhelming gravity pressed her flat against the stone.

"Ghh-!!"

She let out a choked scream as her already broken bones were compressed even further.

Her skin tore in several places, muscles ripping under the immense pressure.

Blood seeped out from fresh wounds as her body was smashed harder into the earth.

’W-What is this pressure...?’ she thought in terror. ’Even Empyreans don’t have this level of strength...!’

Her eyes shook violently as she struggled to lift her head, blood dripping from her lips.

Through the crushing weight, she barely managed to look up at the man holding Charlotte.

Brandon stood there calmly with one arm still cradling the unconscious Charlotte protectively against his chest.

His other hand was slightly raised, fingers curled as he exerted the gravity skill with casual ease.

Looking down at the naked woman, he uttered coldly:

"And... who might you be?"

She let out a muffled, gurgling scream as more bones creaked and cracked under the force.

Brandon’s gaze remained cold and indifferent as he looked at her.

"Were you hurting my Big Sister?"

The pressure intensified again and the crater deepened as Katrin’s body was ground harder into the stone.

"ARGHHHHH!"

Charlotte stirred slightly in his arms, murmuring something incoherent in her sleep.

Brandon gently adjusted his hold on her, stroking her hair soothingly with his free hand while keeping the gravity field locked on Katrin.

"Don’t worry," he whispered to the unconscious Charlotte. "I’ve got this."

He looked back down at Katrin, "You can start explaining."

"Or I can keep pressing until there’s nothing left of you to explain."