## Liam''s Perspective
"Master Ashworth! Did you hear what I said? Liam Knight has broken through to the Martial Marquis realm!"
Josiah Hale''s voice quivered as he stood in Corbin Ashworth''s opulent study. Sweat poured down his face, staining the cor of his once-immacte robe.
Corbin mmed his fist on the mahogany desk. "You ipetent fool! You had one task—eliminate a single upstart. Now you tell me he''s ascended to Martial Marquis?"
"I... I couldn''t have anticipated this," Josiah stammered. "No one survives direct tribtion lightning. He took eighteen strikes and emerged stronger!"
"Eighteen?" Corbin''s eyes widened momentarily before narrowing to slits. "You''re certain of this number?"
"I counted each bolt myself before fleeing. It was unnatural... demonic even!"
Corbin rose from his chair, his tall frame casting a long shadow across the room. "And now youe crawling to me for protection?"
"The Ashworth family promised support if—"
"If you seeded," Corbin cut him off. "Not if you failed spectacrly and then ran like a coward."
Josiah fell to his knees. "Please, Master Ashworth. Knight wille for me. He''ll destroy everything I''ve built."
Corbin walked to the window, gazing out at Veridia City''s skyline. "Your destruction is of no concern to me. The Ascendant Saints Order has served its purpose as a distraction."
"But what about our arrangement? Twenty years of loyal service!"
Turning slowly, Corbin''s face revealed nothing but cold calction. "Our arrangement is terminated. You''re on your own, Josiah."
I could practically taste Josiah''s fear as Corbin''s words sank in. The man scrambled to his feet and backed toward the door.
"You... you can''t do this! He''ll kill me!"
"Then die with dignity," Corbin replied, returning to his papers. "It''s more than you''ve shown in life."
---
Back at the Ascendant Saints Order, Josiah burst through the doors of the main hall, startling his remaining disciples.
"Seal thepound! Double the guards! Triple them!" he shouted, his voice cracking with panic.
"Master Hale, what''s happening?" asked his chief disciple. <code ss="ref-d1197f">Keep us going by reading on *.</code>
"Knight ising." Josiah''s hands shook as he gathered scrolls from a hiddenpartment. "And the Ashworths have abandoned us."
Whispers spread through the hall like wildfire. Without the Ashworth family''s backing, the Order was exposed.
"Prepare my escape vehicle," Josiahmanded. "I''m leaving for the Northern Retreat."
"But Master, what about us?" another disciple asked.
Josiah didn''t even look up. "Buy me time. That''s your final service to the Order."
---
At Jade Moon Vi, I stood in the training yard, flexing my hand. Golden light pulsed beneath my skin, a visible manifestation of my new power. The transition to Martial Marquis had changed me in ways I was still discovering.
"Master Liam," Phoebe Reeves approached with a formal bow. "The elders have convened. They wish to offer you the position of Sect Master."
I shook my head. "Not now, Phoebe. There''s no time for titles and ceremonies."
Caspiany unconscious on a stretcher nearby, his wounds stabilized but still severe.
"His condition?" I asked, moving to his side.
"Stable, but he needs specialized care," Phoebe replied. "Your initial healing saved his life, but the wound was inflicted with a corrupted de."
I nodded grimly. "I''m taking him to the Celestial Apothecary Guild. The Pavilion Master will know how to treat him."
"And after that?" Phoebe''s question hung in the air.
"After that, I settle scores." My voice was quiet but carried an edge that made several nearby disciples step back.
Within the hour, we arrived at the Celestial Apothecary Guild. Mariana Valerius, the Pavilion Master, met us personally at the entrance.
"I felt your breakthrough from across the city," she said, her knowing eyes examining me. "The heavens themselves acknowledged your ascension."
"Can you help him?" I gestured to Caspian.
She nodded once. "Leave him with me. His treatment will be my personal responsibility."
As Guild members carefully transferred Caspian to their medical wing, Mariana pulled me aside.
"You''re going after him, aren''t you? Josiah Hale."
"He''s first on my list," I confirmed. "Then the Veridia City Martial Guild."
Her eyebrows rose slightly. "Ambitious targets for a newly minted Marquis."
"They have Isabelle," I replied simply.
Understanding crossed her features. "I see. Just remember, Knight—power requires control. A Marquis without restraint is just destruction given form."
"I''m not interested in restraint right now." I turned to leave. "I''m interested in results."
---
The Ascendant Saints Orderpound loomed ahead, its imposing gates reinforced with hastily applied barrier formations. Guards patrolled the walls in triple their usual numbers, their movements betraying their anxiety.
I approached alone, walking straight up the central path. No stealth, no subterfuge. Just raw intent.
When I reached the outer perimeter, I stopped. Dozens of guards stared down at me, weapons drawn but hands trembling.
I took a deep breath and released my full aura, allowing the golden light of my Martial Marquis power to emanate outward. The ground beneath my feet cracked from the pressure.
"JOSIAH HALE!" My voice, amplified by internal energy, boomed across thepound.
The guards flinched, some dropping their weapons.
"COME OUT AND FACE YOUR DEATH!"
No response came from within. I took another step forward.
"One more chance," I said, my voice lower but no less menacing. "Come out and die with dignity, or Ie in and hunt you like the coward you are."
When only silence answered me, I gathered energy in my core. The air around me shimmered with golden light.
Then I roared.
The sound wasn''t merely loud—it was infused with the raw power of a Martial Marquis. The shockwave hit the gates first, shattering the heavy wooden barriers into splinters. Barrier formations flickered and died as the wave rolled through them.
Guards were thrown from the walls,nding in heaps on the ground. Those who remained conscious scrambled to flee.
I walked through the wreckage of the gates, my eyes fixed on the Great Hall ahead.
"JOSIAH!" I roared again, this time directing the energy upward.
The sound wave struck the ornate que above the Great Hall—a symbol of the Order''s prestige and power. The que cracked down the middle, then shattered entirely, raining fragments onto the steps below.
Inside, I could hear panicked shouts and the sound of furniture being overturned.
I smiled grimly, ascending the steps of the Great Hall.
"Time''s up."