CHAPTER 390: DAUGHTER LIKE HER, NOT A SON LIKE HIM

Adam couldn’t handle it anymore and walked over to Penny’s who face had begun to contort as if she was trying to think really hard. She didn’t even notice the hand being raised and failed to respond in time to avoid the karate chop that was delivered to her head.

*Smack!*

Steam started to rise from Penny’s forehead as she stared at Adam with utter shock and looked at him as if he had betrayed her.

"You.....You hit me?" She asked, her brain failing to catching up with the behaviour that Adam had just shown.

"Of course I am gonna smack an idiot if she is going to act like an idiot!" Adam proclaimed back immediately before he pointed at Arachne.

"That person is my mother and she needs to be shown the respect she deserves!" He said with a serious expression look on his face which caused Arachne to be cut slightly off guard. She hadn’t expected Adam to care about respect, especially given how they had acted with each other before Adam knew the truth...

"That is precisely why you should be calling her Grandma Arachne!"

Arachne’s body went completely rigid as the soft smile that had began to creep up on her face froze. It then slowly twisted into something more malevolant. She glanced over at Luna who was nearby and waved her over.

Somehow a little nervous, Luna approached Arachne with a hesitant look on her face. She noticed a dark stormlike aura surrounding the former Goddess and knew it was not a good idea to trifle with her.

However, despite her concerns, Arachne’s smile was somewhat gentle as she asked Luna to lean in a bit.

"I have a favor to ask of you. You do me this one little favour and I will teach you something good~!"

Luna hesitated for a moment, her instincts screaming at her that whatever Arachne was about to say probably wasn’t going to be good for Adam’s health. Still, curiosity won out. She leaned in close enough for Arachne to whisper.

Arachne’s smile never wavered as she spoke softly so only Luna could hear. "I want you to hit him. Right on the head. Hard. Make it sting."

Luna blinked in surprise, glancing over at Adam who was standing there with his arms crossed like he had just delivered some divine proclamation. Penny was still rubbing her forehead, looking at him like she wasn’t sure whether to be angry or impressed.

Luna’s hesitation lasted only a second before her expression shifted. Whatever doubts she had were quickly smothered by a sudden spark of excitement as she turned back to Arachne.

"Teach me," she said simply, her voice firm.

Arachne smiled in a way that made Penny inch backward. "Oh, I like your spirit," the former goddess whispered, and with a wave of her hand, a strange warmth spread through Luna’s arms. A pulse of dark violet light sank into her knuckles, followed by a whisper of words directly into her mind. It was not complicated, but the technique carried the weight of divine malice. Arachne had given her a way to break through whatever defenses Adam might try to throw up, if he even had time to react at all.

Luna flexed her hands experimentally. They felt heavier, sharper, like they were suddenly carved from something far stronger than flesh and bone. She looked down at them with wide eyes before a slow grin spread across her face.

Adam, completely unaware of the disaster about to crash down on him, was still standing with his arms crossed. He looked utterly self-righteous, like he had delivered some great lesson to the group.

"All of you should be respecting my mother properly," Adam began, his tone dripping with authority he didn’t actually have. "She is—"

He never got to finish.

Luna’s fist shot forward so fast it cracked the air.

Wham!

Adam’s head snapped back as the first blow landed clean on his temple. His eyes went wide, his mouth falling open in a soundless gasp of shock before the pain even registered.

"The hell, Luna?!" he shouted, staggering back a step.

She did not answer.

Wham! Wham! Wham!

Three more blows landed in rapid succession, one to the ribs, one to his gut, and another straight across his jaw. Each one carried that strange violet pulse Arachne had infused into her, the power sinking through Adam’s natural defenses like they were nothing but wet paper.

"Ow!? Luna?!, what the hell is wrong with you?!" Adam tried to retreat, throwing his arms up to shield himself, but it was useless. The technique Arachne had granted Luna twisted through his guard like it wasn’t even there.

She slammed a fist into his shoulder, followed by another to his stomach. He folded over with a grunt of pain, only to have her bring a knee up into his side with a crack that made even Penny flinch.

Adam hit the ground, but Luna was not even close to done. She grabbed him by the collar, yanking him halfway up before introducing his face to her fist again.

"You said... Penny should respect your mother?" Luna growled between hits, her voice surprisingly calm as she spoke.

Another punch.

"Yet...you tell her to call her Grandma! You have absolutely zero tact!"

Adam barely had time to process before Luna’s fist drove into his gut again, knocking the air out of him with a pathetic wheeze. He tried to scramble backward, legs flailing, but Luna moved with predatory grace, fists a blur as she tore through his defenses.

Wham! Wham! Wham!

Adam’s cries became incoherent yelps as Luna twisted his arm behind his back and slammed him to the ground. He hit the ground face first, rolling once before she yanked him upright again and punched him squarely in the ribs.

Penny gawked, hands pressed to her mouth, frozen in disbelief. "I... I don’t even..."

Crystal’s jaw dropped, then she shook her head. "He... really had this coming."

Leo swallowed hard, shifting uneasily. "Yeah... probably better not to get involved." His eyes flicked nervously to Arachne, still smiling faintly.

Rachel leaned forward, chin on her hands, eyes sparkling with delight. "Ohhh, this is fantastic," she whispered.

Lily, ever cheerful, clapped her hands and laughed lightly. "Wow! He really brought that on himself! Look at him go! Poor guy, but... wow, what a show!"

Morgan and Greg silently watched with arms folded as they observed silently Their expressions unreadable but clearly intrigued by Luna’s technique.

Ethan’s face went pale. Sweat beaded at his temple as his eyes narrowed, taking in Luna’s furious assault. "No... no way... that’s... that’s just like Sis, but... smaller..." His teeth clenched, realization dawning. Another woman with the same intensity and fighting style as his sister existed right here, and she was wrecking Adam.

Vivian’s laughter rang out, loud and unrestrained. "Ohhh, now this is perfect! Someone on the same wavelength as me!"

Ethan flinched violently as Luna’s head snapped in his direction. Her gaze pierced him like she could see right into his mind. He took a step back, frozen in place, suddenly unsure if he was more terrified of her or the truth he had just realized.

Meanwhile, Adam tried again, dragging himself halfway up, hair falling into his dirt-streaked eyes. "Luna... I... was just... telling her to..."

Wham!

Another fist connected with his shoulder, sending him sprawling flat. His legs twitched helplessly, face smushed into the cold hard ground.

"Respect," Luna said calmly, brushing dust off her knuckles. "That’s the lesson here."

Adam let out a strangled sound, part plea, part wheeze. He rolled to his stomach, tried crawling backward like a dying insect, only to have Luna grab him by the collar and slam him upright again.

"You tell Penny to call your mother Grandma like it’s a joke?" she asked, voice flat. "Do you even realize how ridiculous that is?"

He tried to defend himself. "I... I was... showing... respect..."

Wham!

Luna’s punch cut him off.

"You were being idiotic," she said, spinning him around and tossing him back onto the ground. Adam groaned, chest heaving.

Rachel’s grin widened, her eyes glinting with wicked delight. "Ohhh, this is even better than I imagined."

Lily waved her hand cheerfully. "Honestly, I think he deserved that, but wow, Luna, you’re amazing!"

Morgan remained quiet, observing, a faint smirk forming as they appreciated the technique Luna had learned.

Ethan gulped again, sweat dripping down his temple. He kept his hands raised in mock surrender, wishing he could melt into the ground. "Nope... absolutely fine... I have nothing to say..."

Vivian clapped her hands together in delight. "I am loving every second of this! Finally someone giving him what he deserves!"

Adam, face pressed to the dirt, arms flailing weakly, could only let out muffled gasps. Luna’s glare swept across the group, and even Leo flinched slightly under her watchful eyes, careful not to breathe too loudly.

"Anyone else want to call her Grandma?" Luna asked, cracking her knuckles again.

Silence filled the clearing. No one volunteered.

Even Adam did not respond, lying flat on the ground, broken, twitching, and clearly reconsidering every decision he had ever made.

Arachne’s small, satisfied smile stretched as she watched the chaos she had orchestrated. Everything was going exactly as she wanted.

She had only asked for Luna to smack him once. She had taken the initiative to beat the snot out of him. If only she had a daughter like her instead of son like Adam.