## Liam''s Perspective
I stood in the doorway of the Great Hall, my body radiating golden light mixed with tendrils of darkness. Every breath I took wasced with rage. The massive chamber echoed with my footsteps as I advanced toward Elder Foster.
"So this is where you''re hiding." My voice was quiet but carried throughout the hall.
Elder Foster stood behind a formation of ancient weapons arranged in a semicircle. His wrinkled face contorted in a sneer, but I caught the flicker of fear in his eyes.
"Hiding? I''m simply preparing your execution, boy," he replied, hands positioned to activate the artifacts.
I continued my advance, each step deliberate. "Where is the Pavilion Master?"
"Mariana Valerius?" Heughed, a hollow sound. "I told you she''s dead."
"You''re lying."
The certainty in my voice made his facade slip. A bead of sweat ran down his temple.
"Am I? The Ascendant Saints Order doesn''t tolerate interference. She made her choice when she defended you."
I stopped ten paces from him. "Last chance. Where is she?"
Elder Foster''s expression hardened. "In our detention cells beneath thepound. But you''ll never reach her."
Without warning, I lunged. Foster barely had time to react before my fist connected with his chest. The impact sent him flying backward into the wall. Stone cracked around his body.
"Impossible," he gasped, blood trickling from his mouth. "Your speed..."
I grabbed him by the throat and lifted him off the ground. "Take me to her. Now."
Terror shed in his eyes. "You... you''re making a terrible mistake. The Order has existed for thousands of years. We have allies everywhere."
"I don''t care." I tightened my grip.
His face turned purple. As his oxygen dwindled, panic took over. He wed at my arm.
"The weapons!" he choked out. "They''ll destroy you!"
I threw him aside like garbage. He copsed in a heap, coughing and wheezing.
"Then use them."
Elder Foster scrambled to his feet and rushed to the center of the weapon formation. His hands moved inplex patterns, channeling spiritual energy into the artifacts.
"The Martial Marquis Weapon hasn''t been awakened in fifty years," he spat. "Consider it an honor to die by its power."
The centerpiece of the formation—a massive bronze bell inscribed with ancient characters—began to glow. The air grew heavy with pressure. My skin tingled as immense spiritual energy gathered around the artifact.
Foster''s face twisted with malicious joy. "Anyst words, Liam Knight?"
"Just three." I nted my feet firmly. "You chose wrong."
The bell pulsed. A wave of destructive energy erupted from it, aimed directly at me. The force was overwhelming—like facing a tsunami of pure spiritual power.
It hit me head-on. Pain exploded through every cell in my body. I felt myself lifted off the ground and thrown backward. My back crashed through a stone pir. The impact rattled my bones.
"Hahaha!" Elder Foster''sughter echoed through the hall. "See the power of the Ascendant Saints Order! Not even a Martial Marquis could withstand that!"
I rose from the rubble slowly. Blood dripped from numerous wounds. My clothes were in tatters. But I stood.
Foster''sughter died in his throat. "Impossible..." <dfn ss="frag-293eb1">Chapter<i ss="node-sep"></i>provided<i ss="node-sep"></i>via<i ss="node-sep"></i>*.</dfn>
"Is that all?" I wiped blood from my mouth.
"You should be dead!" Foster stumbled backward in disbelief.
I took a step forward. Then another. Each movement sent fresh waves of pain through me, but I didn''t stop.
"That weapon was designed to kill Martial Marquises," Foster babbled, retreating further. "How are you still standing?"
"Because I made a promise." Another step. "I promised to protect her."
The bell began to glow again as Foster frantically poured more energy into it. Sweat poured down his face from the effort.
"Stay back!" he screamed. "I''ll destroy you and this entire hall if I must!"
I stopped and closed my eyes. Within me, I felt a familiar power stirring—the Divine Dragon bloodline that Jackson had helped me awaken. Its dormant potential had been building, waiting for this moment of desperate need.
"You want to see real power, Foster?" I opened my eyes. "Let me show you."
I roared, unleashing the Divine Dragon Power that had been slumbering within me. Golden scales materialized across my skin. My muscles bulged with newfound strength. The air around me crackled with energy.
Foster''s eyes widened in horror. "What are you?"
"Your judgment."
The bell''s glow intensified to blinding levels. Foster poured everything he had into the weapon, his face contorted with desperate fury.
"Die!" he screamed.
The Martial Marquis Weapon unleashed its second attack—more powerful than the first. The wave of energy distorted the very air as it rushed toward me.
I didn''t dodge. I didn''t retreat. I drew back my fist, channeling every ounce of my Dragon Power into it. The golden light around my arm intensified until it took the shape of a dragon''s head.
Foster''s attack closed the distance. I threw my punch directly into the heart of the energy wave.
"DRAGON''S ROAR!"
The collision created a thunderous boom that shook the entire building. Light exploded from the point of impact, so bright it turned day into night.
For a moment, everything hung in perfect bnce—the ancient power of the Martial Marquis Weapon against my Dragon-infused strike.
Then my fist pushed forward, inch by inch, oveing the resistance.
Elder Foster''s face transformed from confidence to disbelief to terror.
"No," he whispered. "NO!"
The bnce tipped. My power surged forward, shattering the energy wave.
The shock wave from our sh expanded outward, cracking walls and shattering windows. The hall''s ceiling began to crumble.
Through the dust and debris, Foster saw what wasing. There was nowhere to run.
My fist, trailing golden dragon fire, continued its unstoppable path straight toward him.