My body burned with golden fire as I stood to face Mr. Snyder. The fifthyer of my Saintly Body Skill transformed me - my skin now a dark, burnished gold that shimmered with raw power. I could feel myself healing rapidly, bones knitting back together, wounds closing.


    But it wasn''t enough.


    "Impressive parlor trick," Snyder sneered, regaining hisposure. "But this changes nothing."


    He motioned to his twopanions. They spread out, creating a triangle formation around me. The forest suddenly felt too small, too confined. I needed space to maneuver, to use my newfound power effectively.


    "Keep the old man contained," Snyder ordered one of his men, who immediately moved toward the taxi where Michael Ashworth remained.


    I couldn''t let them reach him. I had promised Isabelle. Her words echoed in my mind: "Please, Liam. If you find my grandfather, keep him safe."


    With a guttural roar, Iunched myself at the assassin approaching the taxi. My movement was so explosive that I left a crater in the forest floor. The assassin turned, eyes widening as I collided with him. The impact sent him flying into a thick oak tree, the trunk splintering from the force.


    But my victory was short-lived.


    Pain exploded across my back as Snyder struck me with his "Heaven-Splitting Palm" technique. Even through my enhanced defenses, the blow drove me to my knees.


    "Did you forget about me?" Snyder taunted. "Fatal mistake."


    I spun around,shing out with a golden-infused kick that Snyder barely dodged. His expression shifted from mockery to caution. Good. He should be afraid.


    The third assassin struck from my blind spot, driving a dagger toward my kidney. My enhanced reflexes allowed me to twist away, but the de still scored across my ribs, drawing blood despite my golden armor.


    "You can''t fight all of us, Knight," Snyder called out. "You''re powerful, but you''re not invincible."


    He was right. Even with the fifthyer active, I was outnumbered. And worse, the power coursing through me felt unstable, like trying to contain a raging river within a paper cup. My body wasn''t ustomed to channeling this much energy.


    I needed to end this quickly.


    Gathering my strength, I unleashed the "Nine Secrets Palm Strike" - the most devastating technique Jackson Harding had taught me. Golden energy coalesced around my hand, forming a spectral palm ten timesrger than my own.


    The forest filled with blinding light as I drove the massive palm forward. Trees in its path disintegrated, turned to splinters by the raw force. Snyder''s eyes widened in rm. He crossed his arms in a defensive posture, but the impact still sent him hurtling backward through the forest, carving a trench in the earth.


    One of the remaining assassins attempted to flee. I caught him by the throat, lifting him off the ground.


    "Where is Isabelle Ashworth being held?" I demanded, my voice distorted by power.


    The man wed desperately at my grip, face purpling. "The... old... headquarters," he gasped. "Beneath... the martial... guild..."


    I released him, letting him copse to the ground. One piece of the puzzle, at least.


    A slow p interrupted my thoughts.


    Snyder emerged from the forest, his clothes torn and bloody, but still very much alive. His aura had darkened, more menacing than before.


    "Impressive," he admitted. "But did you really think I came unprepared?"


    He pulled something from his pocket - a small, jade-colored pill.


    "Grandmaster''s Elixir," he exined with a cruel smile. "Triples my power for thirty minutes. More than enough time to finish you."


    Before I could stop him, he swallowed the pill. His body convulsed, veins bulging as the elixir took effect. His aura exploded outward, dwarfing even my enhanced state.


    "Now," he growled, voice deeper and more guttural, "let''s finish this."


    He moved so fast I barely saw him. One moment he stood twenty feet away, the next his fist was buried in my stomach. The impact drove me into the ground, creating a crater beneath me. Blood sprayed from my mouth as my internal organs ruptured despite my golden armor.


    I tried to rise, but Snyder was relentless. Each blow fell like a meteor, cracking my golden skin, driving me deeper into the earth. My body screamed in agony as the fifthyer began to fail, flickering like a dying me.


    "Where''s your confidence now, Knight?" Snyder taunted, grabbing me by the throat and lifting me from the crater. "You''re nothing special. Just another obstacle to be removed."


    Through swollen eyes, I saw Michael watching from the taxi, horror etched on his face. I had failed him. Failed Isabelle.


    With a final burst of defiance, I gathered what little energy I had left and drove my fist toward Snyder''s face. He caught it effortlessly, then twisted. The sickening crack of my wrist breaking echoed through the forest.


    "Pathetic," he spat, throwing me to the ground.


    Iy there, golden light fading from my skin, returning to my normal state. Each breath felt like swallowing ss. Most of my ribs were broken. Internal bleeding. Punctured lung. The damage was catastrophic.


    Snyder stood over me, producing a ceremonial dagger from his belt. "Anyst words, Liam Knight?"


    I tried to speak, but only blood bubbled from my lips. My vision darkened at the edges. This was it. The end of my journey.


    "Actually," a voice called out from behind us, "I have something to say."


    Snyder whirled around, dagger still poised to strike.


    A young man stepped from the shadows of the trees. He couldn''t have been more than thirty, with jet-ck hair and piercing blue eyes. Something about him seemed familiar, though I had never seen him before.


    "Who the hell are you?" Snyder demanded.


    The stranger smiled, a gentle expression that contrasted sharply with the violence surrounding us.


    "I''m Michael Ashworth," he said calmly.


    Silence fell over the forest. Even in my pain-addled state, I understood the impossibility of his im. Michael Ashworth was the old man in the taxi, not this young stranger.


    Snyderughed harshly. "You expect me to believe that? Michael Ashworth is an old man."


    "I was," the stranger confirmed, approaching slowly. "Until Liam Knight gave me a new body."


    My eyes widened as understanding dawned. The body transfer technique. The secret method I had used to save Michael''s life when his original body was failing. I had ced his consciousness into a specially prepared vessel - a younger, healthier body. This- c*o.pyes f#ro$m^ con+t+e&n!t on *..&</abbr>


    "Impossible," Snyder whispered, but doubt had crept into his voice.


    The young Michael knelt beside me, cing a gentle hand on my shoulder. "You''ve fought valiantly, Liam. Rest now."


    He stood to face Snyder, his posture straight and dignified despite having no martial power of his own.


    "Call Corbin," Michaelmanded. "Tell him his father has returned."


    Snyder hesitated, then pulled out amunication device. After a brief exchange, he handed it to Michael.


    "Father?" Corbin''s voice crackled through the speaker,ced with disbelief.


    "Hello, son," Michael replied calmly. "It''s been a while."


    A long silence followed.


    "How do I know this isn''t some trick?" Corbin finally demanded.


    Michael smiled sadly. "When you were seven years old, you fell from the old oak tree behind our summer house. You broke your arm, but you made me promise not to tell your mother because you were climbing when you weren''t supposed to. We told her you fell down the stairs instead."


    Another pause, longer this time.


    "What do you want?" Corbin asked, his voice noticeably shaken.


    "I want peace," Michael answered. "Let Liam Knight live. He saved my life. In return, I''ll step aside. The Ashworth Family is yours to lead as you see fit."


    I wanted to protest, to tell Michael that Corbin couldn''t be trusted, but my body refused to respond. All I could do was watch and listen as Michael attempted to bargain for my life.


    The silence from themunicator stretched on, tension building with each passing second. Finally, Corbin spoke again, his voice cold and calcted.


    "Mr. Snyder," he said clearly, "the man you''re speaking with is an imposter. Kill him and Liam Knight immediately."


    Michael''s face fell, a look of profound disappointment washing over him. He handed themunicator back to Snyder, who smiled cruelly.


    "It seems your son has made his decision," Snyder said, tucking away the device. "Any actualst words?"


    Michael knelt beside me again, ignoring Snyderpletely. "I''m sorry, Liam. I truly thought he might listen."


    I wanted to tell him it wasn''t his fault, that Corbin''s ambition and cruelty had always outweighed any familial bond. But my body was failing, consciousness slipping away.


    "Our Mr. Ashworth has ordered you and Liam Knight to die together!" Snyder announced with cruel satisfaction, raising his dagger once more.


    As darkness imed my vision, myst thought was of Isabelle. I had failed her. Failed to save her grandfather. Failed to return to her as I promised.


    I had failed.