"It''s a pity that the Lane Family offended someone they shouldn''t have," I said, still holding Aidan''s massive golden fist in my palm.


    ze Lane''s face contorted with rage and fear. "What are you waiting for, Aidan? Kill him! KILL HIM NOW!"


    The titan before me narrowed his eyes, muscles straining as he tried to free his trapped fist. I could feel the raw power coursing through his body—the result of decades of relentless training and cultivation. In any normal circumstance, he would be considered invincible.


    But this was no normal circumstance.


    I released his fist suddenly and stepped back. "Your technique is impressive. The merging of body refinement and spirit enhancement creates a formidable defense."


    Aidan rolled his shoulder, studying me with newfound wariness. "You shouldn''t have been able to stop that punch."


    "Many things that shouldn''t be possible happen every day," I replied.


    Without warning, I struck. My fist connected with his chest in a thunderous impact that echoed throughout the room. For the first time, I saw genuine surprise register on Aidan''s face as the force drove him back several steps. His golden skin had held against my blow, but the shock in his eyes told me he''d felt the power behind it.


    "Interesting," he murmured, touching his chest where I''d struck him. "Very few have ever made me feel a punch through my Golden Colossus form."


    "Enough talking!" ze shouted from behind arge desk he''d retreated behind. "Aidan, Imand you to end this man''s life immediately!"


    Aidan''s expression hardened. Heunched forward with surprising speed for a man his size, his massive frame bing a blur of golden light. His fist crashed into my jaw with enough force to shatter concrete.


    The impact sent me flying across the room. I crashed through the wall, debris and dust exploding around me as Inded in what appeared to be an adjacent study. Books and papers scattered everywhere as I rolled to a stop.


    For a moment, silence fell over both rooms.


    Then ze Lane''sughter erupted. "Is that all? Is that the great Liam Knight? One punch and he''s finished!"


    I rose from the rubble, dusting off my clothes. The blow had been powerful—perhaps one of the strongest I''d ever received. But as I stepped back through the hole in the wall, I felt my body humming with energy, my blood rushing with excitement. This was a worthy challenge.


    "Impossible," Asher Lane whispered from where he stilly injured.


    I locked eyes with Aidan, whose expression had shifted from confidence to uncertainty. The golden glow around his body intensified as he poured more energy into his defensive technique.


    "You should have stayed down," he said. "It would have been easier."


    "I appreciate your concern," I replied, a faint blue light beginning to emanate from my skin. "But I rarely choose the easy path."


    "Kill him already!" ze Lane screamed, his earlierposurepletely shattered. "What are you waiting for?"


    Aidan gave me a long, measuring look. "You''vee for revenge against the Lane family. I understand your motivation, but this isn''t my fight. Walk away now, and I won''t pursue you." This chapter is from the collection at *.</abbr>


    His offer surprised me. It was rare to find honor in those who served corrupt masters.


    "Your consideration is noted," I said. "In return, I''ll make you the same offer. Step aside, and you won''t be harmed."


    ze Lane''s face turned purple with rage. "How dare you negotiate with this vermin, Aidan! I order you to kill him now, or our arrangement is finished!"


    Aidan closed his eyes briefly, his jaw tightening. When he looked at me again, there was resignation in his gaze. "I''m sorry. A debt must be paid."


    "I understand obligation," I replied. "But remember—I offered you mercy."


    He nodded once. "So you did."


    What happened next unfolded in mere seconds. Aidan drew back his right arm, his entire body glowing brighter as he concentrated his energy into his fist. The air around us crackled with power, and even the floor beneath his feet began to crack under the pressure of his gathering strength.


    "Titan''s Hammer," he announced, his voice dropping to a whisper as light swirled and condensed around his fist.


    I didn''t move. Instead, I focused inward, drawing on the energy flowing through my meridians. The faint blue light surrounding my body intensified, concentrating at the point where I knew his blow wouldnd.


    He struck with devastating force—a punch that could level a building. I met it head-on, matching his power with my own.


    The collision unleashed a shockwave that ripped through the room. The remaining walls cracked and crumbled, furniture splintered, and windows shattered outward in a spray of ss. ze Lane, Asher, and Caspian Miller were thrown backward by the concussion, disappearing under a cloud of debris and dust.


    For several long moments, nothing could be seen through the thick cloud filling the room. Gradually, as the dust began to settle, a figure emerged from the wreckage.


    It was Aidan Ortega, stumbling forward with one arm hanging limp at his side. His golden glow had faded, revealing bruised and battered skin beneath. Blood trickled from the corner of his mouth as he stared at me with wide, disbelieving eyes.


    I stood before him, unmoved from my position. My clothes were torn and dusty, but my body showed no sign of injury.


    "How?" Aidan gasped, clutching his damaged arm. "How is this possible? How can your body be stronger than mine?!"


    The shock in his voice echoed through the destroyed room. Even ze Lane, who had emerged from behind an overturned desk, stood frozen in disbelief.


    "Thirty years," Aidan continued, his voice trembling with a mixture of pain and awe. "Thirty years I''ve devoted to perfecting my physical form. No one has ever withstood my Titan''s Hammer—let alone broken through it."


    I took a step toward him, and he instinctively backed away.


    "Your technique is impressive," I said. "But you''ve reached the limit of conventional methods. What I possess goes beyond technique."


    "What are you?" he asked, genuine fear creeping into his voice.


    I paused, considering the question. The truth was, I wasn''t entirely sure myself. The power flowing through me felt ancient, primal—something awakened rather than learned.


    "I am what I need to be," I finally answered. "To protect what matters to me."


    Aidan Ortega, the legendary Colossus, the undefeated titan of Veridia City, sank to one knee before me. Not in submission, but in inability to stand any longer.


    "Impossible," he whispered again, staring at his trembling hands. "Your body... it''s unbreakable."