A stunned silence filled the hall as the Prajna Ruler connected with the corpses I''d positioned as my final defense. I expected them to be obliterated instantly, their flesh and bones disintegrating under the Martial Saint Weapon''s terrible power.


    But nothing happened.


    The corpses remained intactpletely unharmed by a weapon that had just cleaved the Venerable Fifth Mountain in half.


    Darian Bancroft''s expression shifted from confident triumph to utter disbelief. His eyes widened, and for the first time since our confrontation began, genuine shock registered on his face.


    "Impossible," he whispered, staring at the undamaged corpses before him.


    I was equally stunned. These were bodies I had collected during one of my darkest moments—corpses of cultivators who had tried to kill me. I''d kept them as ast resort, never expecting them to serve as anything more than a momentary distraction.


    Yet here they were, inexplicably withstanding a Martial Saint Weapon''s strike.


    "What manner of corpses are these?" Bancroft demanded, hisposure cracking.


    I didn''t answer—couldn''t answer. I had no idea why they''d survived the attack. All I knew was that I''d been given a precious moment to breathe, to think.


    "Liam!" Isabelle called weakly from the altar, her voice pulling my focus back to what mattered most. "Please... just go... save yourself!"


    Even now, facing unspeakable horrors at the hands of these monsters, her first thought was for my safety. My heart clenched painfully in my chest.


    "I''m not leaving without you," I said, struggling to my feet behind my macabre shield.


    Blood dripped from countless wounds across my body. My legs trembled with exhaustion, threatening to buckle beneath me. But her voice gave me strength, feeding the fire of determination that refused to die.


    Bancroft''s momentary surprise had already faded, reced by cold calction. "An interesting trick, Knight. But ultimately meaningless."


    He raised the Prajna Ruler once more, this time gripping it with both hands. The inscriptions along its length zed with blinding light, far more intense than before.


    "Everyone clear the area," hemanded. "Now!"


    The remaining Guild members scrambled backward, recognizing the danger. Even Dominic Ashworth, who had been watching with sadistic pleasure, paled and retreated rapidly.


    "You think these corpses will save you?" Bancroft''s voice dropped to a dangerous whisper. "Then watch as I unleash the true power of a Martial Saint Weapon."


    The air around him distorted, pressure building as he channeled massive amounts of energy into the ruler. The floor beneath his feet cracked, unable to withstand the force emanating from him.


    I knew I couldn''t survive a direct hit from whatever attack wasing. But those corpses had somehow withstood the first strike. Would they endure a second?


    I needed to gamble everything on that possibility.


    "Hear me, Knight," Bancroft intoned, his voice resonating with power. "With this eighth marking, Imand the heavens to fall!"


    The Prajna Ruler descended in a perfect arc, trailing blinding light. The air screamed, torn apart by the weapon''s passage.


    I positioned one corpse directly in the ruler''s path and dove behind it, bracing for impact.


    The collision shook the entire Academyplex. A deafening explosion of energy sent shock waves radiating outward, copsing what remained of the walls. The floor beneath us cracked and heaved. Blinding light seared my eyes even through closed lids.


    When the chaos subsided, I cautiously opened my eyes, expecting to see nothing but dust and destruction.


    The corpse still stood before me, smoking slightly but intact.


    "What in all the hells..." I whispered, unable toprehend what I was seeing.


    Bancroft''s face contorted with rage and disbelief. "This cannot be! No flesh—living or dead—should withstand the Prajna Ruler''s eighth marking!"


    I didn''t waste time questioning my impossible fortune. With Bancroft momentarily stunned by the failure of his attack, I rushed toward Isabelle''s altar.


    The specialized tube holding her was unlike anything I''d seen before—transparent material reinforced with strange, glowing characters that seemed to shift and move when I focused on them.


    I drew my bronze sword, the only weapon I had left, and struck at the tube. The de sparked against the surface but failed to prate it.


    "You can''t break it," Isabelle said weakly, her eyes meeting mine. "They said it''s... bound with ancient formations... only they can release it."


    "I''ll find a way," I insisted, examining the characters inscribed on the tube''s surface. They weren''t from anynguage I recognized—older than anything I''d studied, pulsing with a power that made my skin crawl.


    "Liam, please," Isabelle urged, her voice barely audible. "They''ll kill you. Go...e back stronger..."


    Her selflessness tore at my heart. Even now, drained and tormented by these monsters, her only concern was for me.


    "I won''t leave you," I said firmly, though I was beginning to realize I might have no choice. <strong ss="story-note-vis">Lоvе this stоry? Shоw suppоrt аt МV2LЕМРYR.</strong>


    Behind me, Bancroft''s fury was reaching dangerous levels. His Qi erupted around him in violent waves, cracking the remaining pirs.


    "ENOUGH!" he roared. "I don''t know what trick you''re employing, Knight, but it ends now!"


    He raised the Prajna Ruler once more, but this time, he didn''t direct it at me. Instead, he pointed it at Isabelle.


    "Step away from the subject," hemanded coldly. "Or I will ensure nothing remains of her for you to rescue."


    Cold dread washed over me. The corpses might protect me, but they couldn''t shield Isabelle.


    I nced at her pale face, then at the enraged Bancroft, and made the hardest decision of my life.


    "I wille back for you," I promised her, my voice breaking. "I swear on my life."


    Her eyes filled with tears, but she nodded weakly. "I know you will."


    I backed away from the altar, mind racing. My body was at its limit. Even if the corpses continued to protect me, I couldn''t defeat Bancroft in my current state.


    Retreat was my only option—but how? The Academy was surrounded by Guild members. Every exit would be watched.


    There was only one technique that might give me a chance: Shrinking Ground Into An Inch. It would allow me to cover vast distances in a single step, potentially escaping before they could react.


    But I needed to distract Bancroft first.


    I summoned the second corpse from my spatial ring, positioning it between myself and Bancroft.


    "You think I fear your parlor tricks?" Bancroft snarled. "Your strange corpses won''t save you forever."


    "They don''t need to," I retorted, gathering what little energy I had left. "They just need to buy me time."


    As Bancroftunched another devastating attack with the Prajna Ruler, I activated Shrinking Ground Into An Inch. The world blurred around me as space itselfpressed, allowing me to cross hundreds of feet in a single step.


    I felt a moment of hope—I was almost at the Academy''s outer wall, almost free—


    Then came the pain.


    Blinding, overwhelming agony erupted across my back as something struck me with devastating force. My flesh seemed to copse inward, bones splintering beneath the impact.


    Bancroft had anticipated my escape. Even as I used Shrinking Ground Into An Inch, he''dunched a final, lightning-fast strike with the Prajna Ruler.


    Blood sprayed from my mouth as my body plummeted from mid-air. The world spun around me, darkness encroaching at the edges of my vision.


    Myst conscious thought was of Isabelle''s face and the promise I''d just made.


    "I wille back for you."


    Then darkness imed me, and I fell into the abyss.