## Liam''s Perspective


    My fingers tightened around the assassin''s wrist. His eyes widened in terror.


    "Please," he whispered. "Mercy."


    His plea fell on deaf ears. I had no mercy left to give. Not today.


    I snapped his arm like a twig. His scream pierced the night. The other assassins froze, paralyzed by fear.


    "Who''s next?" I asked, my voice deceptively calm.


    They exchanged nces. No one moved.


    "Cowards," I spat.


    I unleashed my full power. Golden light erupted from my body. The ground beneath my feet cracked. The air grew heavy with pressure.


    An assassin tried to flee. I appeared in front of him in an instant.


    "Going somewhere?" I asked.


    His face drained of color. He fumbled for a smoke bomb. Too slow.


    My palm struck his chest. Not hard enough to kill. Just enough to shatter his cultivation base.


    He copsed, gasping. "My power... what did you do?"


    I didn''t answer. Instead, I activated the Heaven Swallowing Skill. Dark tendrils emerged from my palm,tching onto his spiritual core.


    His energy flowed into me. Sweet. Intoxicating. His screams grew weaker as I drained him dry.


    When I finished, he was nothing but an empty husk.


    The remaining assassins broke formation. They scattered like terrified rabbits.


    I didn''t let them escape. I hunted them down one by one.


    Some begged. Some fought. Some tried to bargain. It made no difference.


    I consumed them all, their power fueling my own. With each kill, the Heaven Swallowing Skill grew stronger. Darker. More insatiable.


    Only Hawk remained, still unconscious from my earlier blow. I stood over him, contemting.


    He stirred, groaning. His eyes fluttered open. When he saw me, terror filled his face.


    "The others?" he croaked.


    "Dead," I replied. "All except you."


    He tried to move. Failed. His body was broken beyond repair.


    "Why?" he asked. "Why spare me?"


    I knelt beside him. "Because you''re going to deliver a message."


    His breathing quickened. "To the Covenant Master?"


    I nodded. "Tell him what happened here. Tell him what I did to his elite assassins."


    Hawk swallowed hard. "And what else?"


    I leaned closer. "Tell him I''ming for him next. After I''m done with the Ascendant Saints Order."


    Fear gave way to confusion. "The Saints? You''re attacking them?"


    "They took something that belongs to me," I said, thinking of Mariana. "I''m taking it back."


    I stood, looking down at the broken man. "Can you remember the message?"


    He nodded weakly.


    "Good." I turned away. "Don''t make me look for you, Hawk."


    The genuine article resides on M|V|L&EMPYR.


    I left him there, surrounded by the empty shells of hispanions. I had more important matters to attend to.


    The path to the Ascendant Saints Order was well-known. Finding a guide was easy enough.


    Kendrick Langley was a local merchant who regrly supplied the Order. He didn''t want to help me. Not until I showed him what happened to those who refused.


    "Just one day," he pleaded as we traveled. "I just need one day to deliver my goods, then I''ll guide you."


    "We go now," I said tly.


    He didn''t argue further.


    The journey took less time than expected. Kendrick knew shortcuts through the mountain passes. By nightfall, we stood before the massive gates of the Ascendant Saints Order.


    "There," Kendrick said, pointing. "Those gates haven''t opened to outsiders in decades."


    I studied the fortress-like monastery perched on the mountainside. High walls. Watchtowers. Guards patrolling the ramparts.


    "How do merchants enter?" I asked.


    "Side entrance," Kendrick replied. "But it''s heavily guarded too."


    I considered my options. Stealth would be difficult. Force, then.


    "Show me this side entrance."


    Kendrick led me around the perimeter. As we approached, he tensed.


    "Something wrong?" I asked.


    "Nothing." His voice was too high. His eyes darted nervously.


    I grabbed his shoulder. "What are you nning, Kendrick?"


    "I—I''m not—"


    "Don''t lie to me." My grip tightened.


    He broke instantly. "They''ll kill me if I help you! I have to alert them!"


    I sighed. Another betrayal. I should have expected it.


    "I understand," I said.


    Relief flooded his face. "You do?"


    "Yes. Self-preservation. It''s natural."


    His shoulders rxed. "So you''ll let me go?"


    I smiled coldly. "No."


    We reached the side entrance. Four guards stood at attention. They recognized Kendrick immediately.


    "Back so soon?" one called.


    Kendrick pushed away from me. "Help! This man is—"


    His words died in his throat. Literally. My hand shot out, crushing his windpipe before he could finish his warning.


    The guards reached for their weapons. Toote.


    I moved at full speed, closing the distance in the blink of an eye. The first guard died before he could draw his sword. The second managed to raise an rm bell before I silenced him.


    The remaining two attacked together. Coordinated. Disciplined. Ultimately futile.


    I broke through their defenses easily. Their bodies hit the ground with dull thuds.


    The rm continued to ring. Lights flickered on throughout thepound. Shouts echoed across the courtyard.


    Subtlety was no longer an option. Fine by me.


    I strode through the gateway. Ahead stood a massive stone tablet, inscribed with the history and principles of the Ascendant Saints Order.


    I paused before it. This monument represented everything the Order stood for. Their pride. Their heritage.


    Perfect.


    I struck the tablet with my palm. The stone cracked, then shattered into a thousand pieces.


    Disciples poured into the courtyard, weapons drawn. Their faces showed shock at the destruction of their sacred monument.


    "Who dares?" a senior disciple shouted.


    I didn''t answer. Instead, I channeled my energy into my palm. A massive golden light formed, growingrger by the second.


    The disciples backed away, sensing the overwhelming power.


    I released the energy. The golden palm shot forward, colliding with the main hall. The building exploded in a shower of debris and dust.


    More explosions followed as my attack triggered the defensive formations hidden throughout thepound.


    Chaos erupted. Disciples ran in all directions. Some tried to organize a defense. Others sought to protect their treasures and elders.


    Through the pandemonium, I projected my voice using a technique Jackson had taught me.


    "ASCENDANT SAINTS ORDER," my voice boomed across the entirepound, "YOU WERE LOOKING FOR ME, WEREN''T YOU? I, LIAM KNIGHT, HAVE COME!"


    The deration hung in the air. For a moment, everything went silent.


    Then all hell broke loose.