Dashiell ckthorne''s face contorted with pain as I increased the pressure on his trapped fist. Fear reced the arrogance in his eyes as he realized hisplete powerlessness.


    "Let go of me!" he snarled, trying to mask his terror with rage.


    I tightened my grip further, feeling the bones in his hand begin to shift under the pressure. "I asked you a question, ckthorne. Isn''t it my turn now?"


    A palpable tension fell over the crowd as they witnessed the unthinkable—a nobody holding a ckthorne scion at his mercy. Behind Dashiell, I noticed movement as another figure pushed through the stunned onlookers.


    "Release my brother at once!" The neer''s voice rang with authority.


    I recognized him instantly—Melvin ckthorne, Dashiell''s older brother and a far more dangerous opponent. Unlike his younger sibling, Melvin had the cold, calcting eyes of someone who had actually killed before.


    "Your brother challenged me," I replied calmly, still holding Dashiell''s fist. "He lost."


    Melvin''s eyes narrowed. "You''re going to regret this insolence, Knight."


    With a casual flick of my wrist, I released Dashiell, sending him stumbling backward into his brother''s arms. Dashiell clutched his hand, his face pale with pain and humiliation.


    "He broke my hand!" he spat, ring at me with naked hatred. "Kill him, Melvin!"


    Melvin steadied his brother before stepping forward. Unlike Dashiell''s shy disy, Melvin moved with the practiced economy of a true fighter. His spiritual energy unfurled around him like a coiling serpent—dense and controlled.


    "I''ve heard rumors about you, Knight," he said, his voice dropping to a dangerous whisper. "But whatever tricks you used on my foolish brother won''t work on me."


    I felt the air grow heavy as Melvin began channeling his power. He was different from Dashiell—more disciplined, more focused. The Heaven Swallowing Skill stirred within me, sensing a genuine threat.


    "Strange," I remarked, watching him carefully. "I feel your power fading, not growing."


    Confusion shed across Melvin''s face, quickly reced by rm as he realized I was right. The spiritual energy he''d been gathering was mysteriously dissipating, being pulled away from him toward... me.


    "What are you doing?" he demanded, his voice tinged with the first traces of fear.


    I smiled coldly. "Nothing. Just standing here."


    Panic flickered in his eyes as his carefully cultivated spiritual power continued to drain away. Unable to maintain hisposure, Melvin abandoned his technique and lunged at me with a desperate strike.


    His fist hurtled toward my face with impressive speed, but I didn''t bother dodging. Instead, I raised my hand and pped his fist aside with insulting ease. The impact made a sound like a thunderp, causing many in the crowd to flinch.


    Before Melvin could recover, I sent a wave of concentrated spiritual power directly into his chest. The force lifted him off his feet and sent him flying backward through the air. He crashed into three onlookers before hitting the ground, blood spraying from his mouth.


    The silence that followed was absolute. No one in the crowd had expected such a one-sided exchange.


    Melvin struggled to his feet, wiping blood from his chin. His eyes burned with murderous intent as he red at me.


    "You''re dead," he spat, blood staining his teeth. "Do you know how many people here would kill just to gain favor with my family? All I need to do is give the order, and they''ll tear you to pieces."


    I scanned the crowd slowly. Many of them were indeed looking at me with naked hostility, eager to prove their loyalty to the ckthornes.


    "Is that how you fight your battles?" I asked, my voice carrying across the gathered crowd. "Hiding behind others because you''re too weak to face me yourself?"


    Melvin''s face darkened with rage. "Look around you, Knight. There are over a hundred cultivators here. Even if you''ve somehow reached the Late Inner Strength realm, you can''t defeat all of them."


    I shrugged. "Perhaps. But I''ll start with you."


    "Enough!" Melvin barked, addressing the crowd. "This man has insulted and attacked two sons of the ckthorne family! Who stands with us? Who will teach this upstart his ce?"


    For a moment, no one moved. Then Dirk Beaumont stepped forward, a sycophantic smile on his face.


    "The Beaumont family has always been loyal to the ckthornes," he dered loudly. "I, Dirk Beaumont, stand with you, Young Master Melvin!"


    Next came Burton Griffin, an ambitious young master from another minor family. "The Griffin family stands with the ckthornes! This insult cannot go unpunished!"


    One after another, they came forward—cultivators eager to curry favor with one of Veridia City''s most powerful families. Each deration emboldened others until a sizable group had aligned themselves with the ckthorne brothers against me.


    I counted silently. Seventy, eighty people at least. All staring at me with undisguised hostility.


    Conrad Thornton pushed through the crowd, his face taut with concern. "Knight," he called out, "this is madness. You need to leave now!"


    From the corner of my eye, I saw Evelyn Norton quietly slipping away, clearly wanting no part in what was about to happen. <cite ss="frag-9a6b71">Text<i ss="node-sep"></i>acquired<i ss="node-sep"></i>from<i ss="node-sep"></i>M|V|LEMP&YR.</cite>


    "Look at that," Dirk Beaumont sneered, gesturing toward Conrad. "Your only ally is another nobody."


    I ignored him, keeping my eyes fixed on Melvin ckthorne. "Are you truly so insignificant within your own family that you need this many people to handle a single man?"


    My words struck a nerve. Melvin''s face contorted with fury.


    "What did you say?" he hissed.


    "I said," I continued calmly, "that I understand why you''d need help. After all, you''re what—the fourth son? Fifth? Hardly important enough for anyone to remember. I''m surprised you even carry the ckthorne name instead of being relegated to some branch family."


    The crowd gasped at my audacity. To insult a ckthorne so directly was unheard of.


    Melvin''s eyes bulged with rage. "Kill him!" he roared. "Whoever brings me his head will receive a personal favor from the ckthorne family!"


    The crowd tensed, preparing to attack. I stood my ground, my expression unchanging as I looked from face to face.


    "So this is how it is," I said, my voice cutting through the tension. "All of you, willing to be murderers just to please a family that wouldn''t remember your names if you died tomorrow."


    No one responded, but I saw uncertainty flicker across a few faces.


    "I''ll ask once," I continued, my voice hardening. "Will all of you truly attack me on this man''smand?"


    For a heartbeat, there was silence. Then Dirk Beaumontughed. "Of course we will! The ckthornes rule this city, and we know which side our bread is buttered on!"


    Murmurs of agreement rippled through the crowd. I nodded slowly, absorbing this confirmation.


    "Fine," I replied, my voice dropping to a dangerous whisper as my spiritual energy began to surge around me. "Then I will kill you all."


    The temperature seemed to drop as my deration hung in the air. The crowd, so confident in their numbers just moments before, suddenly seemed less certain as they felt the cold, murderous intent radiating from me.


    But there was no turning back now. They had made their choice.


    And I had made mine.