The shattered fragments of Mr. Snyder''s golden tower rained down around us like broken ss, dissolving into particles of light before they hit the ground. The silence that followed was deafening—broken only by Mr. Snyder''s ragged breathing.


    I stepped forward, and he stumbled back.


    "How?" he gasped, his voice barely above a whisper. "That technique... it''s unbreakable."


    "Apparently not," I replied, continuing my advance.


    The taller Grandmaster suddenly snapped out of his stupor and lunged at me with desperate speed. "Die, you monster!" he screamed, his hands formingplex seals mid-air.


    A cascade of razor-sharp energy des materialized around him, each one humming with deadly intent. With a thrust of his palm, he sent them flying toward me in a lethal storm.


    I didn''t bother dodging. Instead, I activated the "Heavy Falling Space" once more, this time focusing its full intensity on him alone.


    The effect was immediate and devastating. The invisible weight crashed down upon him like a mountain, forcing him to his knees. His attack faltered mid-air, the energy des slowing to a crawl before dissipating entirely.


    "What... is... happening?" he choked out, his body trembling under the immense pressure.


    I walked calmly toward him as he struggled futilely against my technique. "You''re experiencing just a fraction of the weight I''ve carried these past years."


    His eyes widened in terror as I reached him. "Please... mercy..."


    "Did you offer mercy to those weaker than you?" I asked quietly.


    When he didn''t answer, I ced my palm against his chest and activated the "Heaven Swallowing Skill." Golden light flowed from my hand, seeping into his body. For a moment, nothing happened.


    Then he screamed—a sound of pure agony that echoed across the courtyard.


    His body began to crumble from within, copsing in on itself as my technique devoured his life force. Within seconds, what remained of the once-powerful Grandmaster was nothing but dust scattering in the breeze.


    Sofia gasped behind me, while Mr. Snyder''s face contorted in horror. The other Grandmaster, still partially paralyzed on the ground, began dragging himself away in panic.


    "You''re not a cultivator," Mr. Snyder whispered, his earlier confidence shattered. "You''re a demon."


    I turned to him, feeling neither pleasure nor remorse at what I''d just done. "I am what your kind made me."


    Mr. Snyder''s eyes darted to his remainingpanion, who was frantically trying to escape. With surprising agility for his injured state, Mr. Snyder leapt toward the man, yanking him up.


    "Use the spatial shift! Now!" hemanded.


    The Grandmaster''s hands trembled as he formed a series ofplicated seals. The air around them began to ripple and distort.


    I recognized the technique—a spatial escape spell that would transport them miles away within seconds. I couldn''t allow that.


    I moved with blinding speed, my body practically blurring as I closed the distance between us. My hand shot out, grabbing the Grandmaster''s wrist just as the spell was about toplete.


    "Going somewhere?" I asked coldly.


    The man''s eyes widened in terror. "Impossible! No one can move that fast!"


    His iplete spell backfired violently, creating a spatial vortex that threatened to consume all three of us. Mr. Snyder managed to break free, stumbling backward just in time.


    Hispanion wasn''t so lucky.


    The Grandmaster screamed as the distorted space tore at his body, pulling him in multiple directions at once. I released his wrist and stepped back, watching dispassionately as the spatial energies ripped him apart.


    When the vortex finally copsed, nothing remained of him but scattered ashes.


    Mr. Snyder stared at me with naked fear, then turned and ran. His movements were clumsy, his injuries clearly hampering his escape. I followed at a leisurely pace, knowing he had nowhere to go.


    "Liam!" Sofia called after me. "Should wee?"


    "Stay with Eamon," I replied without turning. "This won''t take long."


    I tracked Mr. Snyder to an abandoned storehouse at the edge of the property. He''d barricaded himself inside, but the flimsy wooden door posed no obstacle. I pushed it open with a gentle touch, splintering it into pieces.


    He''d backed himself into a corner, clutching his side where blood seeped through his robe. His once-immacte appearance was now disheveled, his face smeared with dirt and blood.


    "There''s nowhere left to run," I said, stepping into the dusty room.


    Mr. Snyder''s shoulders sagged in defeat, but his eyes remained calcting. "You''ve certainly grown powerful, Liam Knight. More powerful than anyone could have anticipated."


    I remained silent, watching him carefully.


    "Think about what you''re doing," he continued, his voice taking on a persuasive tone. "You''ve eliminated two Peak Grandmasters without breaking a sweat. Such power... the Ashworth family could use someone like you."


    I couldn''t help butugh. "You''re offering me a position? After trying to kill me?"


    His expression turned earnest. "Business is business. The Ashworths respect power above all else. Join us, and you''ll have wealth, status, women—anything you desire."


    "Including Isabelle?" I asked coldly.


    His eyes flickered. "That''s...plicated. But arrangements could be made, certainly."


    I stepped closer, my patience wearing thin. "You still don''t understand, do you? I don''t want what the Ashworths offer. I want them broken."


    Fear shed across his face again. "You''re making a terrible mistake! No one opposes the Ashworth family and survives!"


    "I''m still here," I pointed out.


    Mr. Snyder''s breathing grew morebored as he clutched his injured side. "Please... listen to reason. In this world, you''re either at the top crushing others beneath your heel, or you''re at the bottom being crushed. The Ashworths are at the top. That''s just how things are."


    I studied him for a moment. Despite everything, I felt a flicker of pity. He was trapped in a mindset I once shared—believing that the hierarchical structure of our world was immutable, divinew.


    "It doesn''t have to be that way," I said quietly. "That''s what I''m fighting for."


    For a brief moment, something like doubt crossed his features. Then it hardened into resignation.


    "You''re going to kill me, aren''t you?" he asked.


    I considered him thoughtfully. "That depends on you. Abandon the Ashworths. Disappear. Start over somewhere far from here. Do that, and you can live."


    Hope flickered in his eyes. "You''d... let me go?" <em ss="ref-722a4d">Content presented by *.</em>


    I nodded once. "Everyone deserves a chance to change."


    Mr. Snyder''s posture rxed slightly. "Perhaps... perhaps you''re right."


    He extended his hand as if in agreement, and I stepped forward to ept it. But as our hands were about to meet, I caught a glint of metal in his sleeve.


    With lightning reflexes, I sidestepped as a dagger shed toward my chest. The de whistled past me, missing by inches.


    Mr. Snyder''s face contorted with desperate fury as he lunged again, but his movements were sluggishpared to mine. I caught his wrist easily, twisting until the dagger ttered to the floor.


    "I offered you mercy," I said softly.


    His eyes zed with defiance. "I''d rather die than betray the Ashworths! They are everything! Without them, I am nothing!"


    I released his wrist and stepped back. "Then you''ve made your choice."


    He made one final, futile lunge at me, his hands curved like ws. I didn''t even need to use a technique. A single, open-handed p to the side of his head was enough.


    The impact made a sickening sound. Mr. Snyder''s body crumpled instantly, his eyes wide and unseeing as he hit the floor.


    I stood over him for a moment, feeling neither satisfaction nor regret—only a grim certainty that this was just one small battle in the war toe.


    "You were wrong," I said to his lifeless form. "You could have been more than their tool."


    I turned and walked away, leaving the storehouse and its grim contents behind. Outside, the sun was setting, casting long shadows across the courtyard where Sofia and Eamon waited anxiously.


    "It''s done," I said simply when I reached them.


    Sofia nodded, her eyes searching mine. "Are you okay?"


    I looked toward the horizon, where the sprawling estate of the Ashworth family was just visible in the distance.


    "I will be," I answered, "when this is all over."