## Liam''s Perspective


    The massive red sword descended from the sky like divine judgment. Each second it fell, the air around me grew heavier. My lungs struggled for breath under the oppressive weight of Dashiell''s killing intent.


    "Run, Liam!" ise shouted from somewhere behind me.


    I couldn''t run. Not with Isabelle''s freedom on the line. Not with so many lives at stake.


    The de elerated in its final approach, its crimson edge promising oblivion. The ground beneath my feet cracked from the pressure alone. Spectators scrambled back in panic, abandoning their earlier eagerness to see blood spilled.


    I nted my feet firmly and raised both arms above my head.


    "He''s insane!" someone cried out. "No one can block the Demon de directly!"


    The massive sword crashed into my outstretched hands. The impact drove me knee-deep into the earth. Pain seared through every nerve ending. My muscles screamed in protest as the full weight of the weapon pressed down.


    Blood trickled from my nose, my ears. The pressure was crushing my internal organs.


    "Where''s your confidence now?" Dashiell''s voice boomed across the courtyard. His eyes were stillpletely ck, his face twisted in a sadistic grin. "Even with your mysterious power, you''re nothing against the ckthorne legacy!"


    The red de pushed harder. I sank deeper into the ground, now up to my waist in pulverized stone. My arms trembled violently under the strain.


    "Just die already," Dashiell snarled, pouring more energy into his attack.


    I closed my eyes. Not in surrender, but in concentration.


    Deep within me, a reservoir of power waited. The Divine Dragon technique I''d been developing had granted me ess to ancient energies, but I''d always held back. Afraid of what might happen if I fully embraced it.


    Now, I had no choice.


    "Cosmic Form," I whispered, activating the technique I''d discovered in the most guarded section of my inherited memories.


    My body erupted with golden light, shot through with streaks of deep blue. The courtyard fell silent as my form began to change.


    I grewrger. Taller. My muscles expanded impossibly. Seven feet. Eight feet. Nine feet tall and still growing.


    The pressure from the de remained immense, but I was no longer sinking. Instead, I began to push back.


    "Impossible!" Dashiell roared.


    I opened my eyes. The world looked different now. Colors were sharper. Time seemed to flow more slowly. I could see the individual particles of energy swirling around Dashiell''s massive weapon.


    "My turn," I said. My voice had changed too, deeper and resonating with power.


    With a roar that shook the entire estate, I pushed upward with everything I had. The giant red sword halted its descent, then began to move back.


    Dashiell''s expression changed from confidence to disbelief. "What are you?!"


    I didn''t answer. Every ounce of my concentration was focused on the battle of wills between us. My erged form continued to push against the de, forcing it higher inch by painful inch.


    "The Cosmic Form," ise breathed in awe. "A technique said to rival the gods themselves. I thought it was just a legend."


    My muscles bulged with effort. Golden-blue energy crackled across my skin. With one final surge of power, I pushed the de upward, breaking Dashiell''s momentum.


    Then I struck.


    My fist, now the size of a watermelon, mmed into the center of the red sword. A shockwave rippled outward from the impact point. Cracks appeared along the de''s surface, spreading like spider webs.


    "No!" Dashiell screamed. "The Demon de cannot be broken!"


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    I struck again. And again. Each blow more powerful than thest. The cracks widened, deepened.


    With a sound like thunder, the legendary weapon shattered into a thousand fragments. Red energy dispersed into the air like bloody mist.


    I stood tall in the crater my struggle had created, my erged form radiating power. The spectators stared in stunned silence.


    The Cosmic Form was draining me rapidly. I needed to end this quickly.


    I fixed my gaze on Dashiell. His ck eyes had returned to normal, now wide with terror. Blood streamed from his nose and ears – the bacsh of his failed technique.


    "Shrinking Ground Into An Inch," I growled, activating another technique.


    The distance between us copsed. One moment I stood thirty feet away from Dashiell, the next I was right in front of him.


    My fist connected with his jaw. Bone cracked beneath my knuckles. He flew backward but hadn''t gone three feet before I was behind him. Another blow to his kidney sent him hurtling in a new direction.


    I appeared in his path again, delivering a palm strike to his chest. Three ribs shattered on impact.


    "This is for threatening Isabelle," I said,nding another devastating blow.


    Dashiell coughed blood. His once-perfect features were now swollen and broken. "How?" he wheezed. "How are you this strong?"


    My Cosmic Form flickered. I couldn''t maintain it much longer. The technique was burning through my energy reserves at an rming rate.


    With thest of my enhanced strength, I seized Dashiell by the throat and lifted him from the ground. "It''s over," I dered. "Yield."


    Suddenly, Dashiell''s lips curved into a bloody smile. "Not quite."


    His body shed with brilliant light. When it faded, he was encased in ornate red armor that seemed to appear from nowhere.


    Before I could react, a surge of Qi Jin erupted from his body, throwing me backward. I crashed through a stone wall, my Cosmic Form finally giving out. My body returned to normal size, muscles screaming in protest from the strain.


    Dashiell stood tall, his injuries seemingly forgotten. The armor gleamed in the sunlight, ancient runes glowing along its surface.


    "Don''t think you''re the only one who can fight close," he called out, his voice resonating through the metal helm. "I tell you, everything you''re proud of is nothing!"