Liam''s Perspective


    "You seem surprised, Mr. Knight." Dudley Lowell''s refined ent had vanished, reced by something colder and more calcting. "Did you really think I brought you all this way for a friendly treasure hunt?"


    I stood in the clearing, muscles tensed as I processed what was happening. Evelyny unconscious at my feet, struck down by Dudley''s spell seconds ago. The same spell that should have incapacitated me but somehow hadn''t.


    "The Dragon Spirit summoning requires two vessels who''ve ingested Spirit Cores," Dudley continued, circling me like a predator. "You and Ms. Norton were perfect candidates."


    "You knew about the elixirs." It wasn''t a question.


    Dudley''s lips curved into a cruel smile. "I''ve been watching you for months, Knight. Your little adventure at the Celestial Auction House didn''t go unnoticed."


    The pieces fell into ce with sickening rity. This entire trip—the invitation, the stories about Dragon Spirits—had been an borate trap.


    "And the other passengers?" I asked, my eyes darting toward the beach where dozens of wealthy individuals had been enjoying their excursion.


    "Witnesses. Funding. Future sacrifices," Dudley shrugged. "Whatever I need them to be."


    I lunged forward, golden energy surging through my veins. "You''re not touching anyone else!"


    Dudley didn''t flinch. He simply raised his hand and muttered words in an ancientnguage. The air around him distorted, and his cultivation aura exploded outward. This wasn''t the aura of an ordinary businessman—this was the power of a seasoned warrior.


    "Martial Lord level," I muttered in disbelief. "You''ve been hiding your true strength."


    "Among other things," Dudley smirked.


    He moved with blinding speed, his palm strike connecting with my chest before I could react. Pain exploded through my body as I crashed against a nearby tree.


    "I expected more from the famous Liam Knight," he taunted.


    I pushed myself up, spitting blood. "Don''t worry. You''ll get it."


    My golden energy red as I activated my Saintly Body Skill. The familiar warmth spread through my limbs, and Iunched myself at Dudley again.


    This time, I was ready for his speed. We exchanged a flurry of blows, each impact sending shockwaves through the clearing. Trees shuddered, leaves fell like rain around us.


    "Not bad," Dudley acknowledged, blocking my roundhouse kick. "But nowhere near good enough."


    He made a shing motion with his right hand. "Azure me Dragon Axe!"


    The air between us crystallized into ice—not normal ice, but something infused with spiritual energy. It took the form of a massive axe before mming into me.


    The cold was unlike anything I''d ever felt. It didn''t just freeze my skin; it prated deeper, reaching for my core, seeking to extinguish my very life force.


    I tried to move, to break free, but the ice spread rapidly, encasing mepletely. Within seconds, I was frozen solid, a human sculpture in a grotesque fighting pose.


    Through the distorted view of my icy prison, I watched Dudley approach. He studied me with clinical detachment, then turned away.


    "Axel," he called. "They''re ready."


    A massive figure emerged from the treeline—a man nearly seven feet tall with shoulders like a bull and arms corded with muscle. His face was half-hidden behind a metal mask that covered his nose and mouth.


    "The guests are secured," the giant rumbled. "Some tried to resist."


    "And?"


    "They didn''t resist for long."


    Dudley nodded in approval. "Excellent. Now, bring Ms. Norton to the ritual site. Her life force will be instrumental in opening the gateway."


    "What about this one?" Axel gestured toward me, frozen in ice.


    Dudley studied me through my crystalline prison. "Destroy him. He''s served his purpose by bringing us here, but he''s too dangerous to keep alive."


    Axel approached, drawing a massive hammer from his back. The weapon hummed with dark energy, promising destruction.


    "With pleasure," Axel growled.


    He raised the hammer high, aiming for my frozen head. I struggled frantically against my icy prison, but nothing moved—not my fingers, not my toes, nothing.


    Think, Liam! I screamed internally. You can''t die here! Isabelle is waiting for you!


    Something stirred within me at the thought of her—not just determination, but power. Raw, primal power that had been sleeping inside me since I''d consumed those Chaotic Elixirs.


    The hammer began its deadly arc toward my head.


    Cracks appeared across the surface of the ice.


    Axel hesitated, his eyes widening behind his mask.


    More cracks spread, radiating outward like lightning bolts.


    And then—


    BOOM!


    The ice exploded outward in a thousand glittering shards. I stood at the epicenter, my body radiating golden light so intense it cast long shadows across the clearing.


    "Impossible!" Dudley hissed, shielding his eyes.


    I rolled my shoulders, feeling power coursing through every vein. The cold that had nearly killed me moments ago had somehow awakened something dormant within me.


    "Sorry to disappoint," I said, my voice steady despite the rage building inside me. "But I''m not that easy to kill."


    Axel recovered from his shock quickly. "Boss?"


    Dudley''s face contorted with fury. "Kill him! Kill him now!" <mark ss="ref-749ec8">Enjoying the story? Find more at *.</mark>


    The giant swung his hammer again, but this time I was ready. I sidestepped the blow and drove my fist into his armored midsection. The impact sent him sliding backward, boots digging furrows in the soil.


    "You''re stronger than before," Axel observed, his voice betraying a hint of concern.


    I didn''t answer. Instead, I nced at Evelyn''s unconscious form, confirming she was still breathing. Then I turned my attention back to my opponents.


    "Last chance," I said calmly. "Walk away now. Take your rich friends and leave this ind."


    Dudleyughed—a hollow, angry sound. "After all the preparation? After years of research?" He shook his head. "The Dragon Spirit will be mine, Knight. Even if I have to step over your corpse to im it."


    He made another gesture, and dark energy swirled around his hands. "Axel, I won''t repeat myself. End him!"


    The giant charged, hammer raised high. But something had changed in me. The world seemed to move more slowly. I could track every muscle movement, anticipate every attack.


    "Fine," I said, gold light zing around my fists. "Let''s finish this."