The golden dragon coiled around me pulsed with raw energy. I could feel its power flowing through every cell in my body. With this final surge, Iunched myself at Nigel.


    "Heavy Falling Space!" I roared.


    The technique erupted from my hands, creating a distortion field around Nigel. I''d never managed to use it at this scale before. Within its boundaries, time slowed dramatically for anyone caught inside—except me.


    Nigel''s movements became sluggish, his reflexes dulled. His eyes widened in shock as he tried to counter, but his arms moved like they were wading through thick honey.


    "What... is... this?" His words came out stretched and distorted.


    I didn''t waste time answering. I hammered into him with everything I had left. Each punchnded with devastating force. My fists blurred as I delivered a relentless barrage, driving him back step by painful step.


    Blood sprayed from his mouth as my knuckles connected with his jaw. His purple robe tore under the assault, revealing more wounds than I''d thought possible to inflict on someone of his caliber.


    For the first time since our battle began, I saw real fear in Nigel Reyes'' eyes.


    "Twenty-seven minutes gone," I said,nding another crushing blow to his sternum. "I only need three more to finish you."


    But something was changing. My borrowed power was starting to flicker like a dying me. The golden dragon surrounding me grew translucent. My Heavy Falling Space technique began to waver.


    Nigel noticed it too. His movements gradually elerated as my control weakened.


    "Your time is almost up, Knight." A smile spread across his battered face. "And I''m still standing."


    I pushed harder, desperate to maintain the technique. Blood vessels burst in my eyes, turning my vision red. Painnced through my skull as I forced my borrowed power to sustain itself beyond its limits.


    "Twenty-eight minutes," Nigel counted, his movements bing more fluid with each passing second. "Two left."


    Inded another solid hit to his face, breaking his nose. But it wasn''t enough. I could feel my advantage slipping away like sand through my fingers.


    Nigel spat blood onto the ground. "You almost had me, Knight. Almost."


    His hands suddenly moved with frightening speed, tracing a character in the air that I''d never seen before. "Wind Word Form," he whispered.


    My Heavy Falling Space shatteredpletely. Nigel vanished from in front of me, reappearing three feet to my left.


    "What?" I gasped, spinning to face him.


    "Did you think you were the only one with special techniques?" Nigel mocked. "The purple robes don''t reveal everything in their first encounter."


    I lunged at him, but he wasn''t there when my fist arrived. He appeared behind me, delivering a punishing blow to my kidney.


    I stumbled forward, pain exploding through my lower back. When I turned to counter, he was already gone again, moving at a speed that my eyes could barely track.


    "Twenty-nine minutes," he announced, materializing briefly before disappearing again. "You''re out of time, Knight."


    He was right. The golden dragon had faded to a faint outline. My borrowed power was nearly depleted. Each breath felt like inhaling fire as my overtaxed meridians began to copse.


    I swung wildly, trying to catch him, but it was like fighting a ghost. Nigel appeared just long enough to strike before vanishing again.


    A blow to my liver. Another to my temple. A third to my knee, causing my leg to buckle.


    I crashed to one knee, gasping for breath. The golden light surrounding me flickered onest time and died.


    "Thirty minutes," Nigel said, finally standing still before me. "Right on schedule."


    The full weight of my technique''s aftermath crashed down on me like a mountain. My muscles seized. My meridians felt like they were filled with molten lead. Years of cultivation progress burned away in seconds, leaving me hollow and weak.


    I tried to stand, but my body wouldn''t respond. All I could do was kneel there, trembling from exhaustion and pain.


    Nigel circled me slowly, studying me with clinical detachment. "Fascinating. I''ve heard of such sacrificial techniques but never witnessed one firsthand." He crouched to look me in the eye. "How does it feel, Knight? To have all that power slip away?"


    I couldn''t answer. Blood filled my mouth as internal injuries made themselves known. The room spun around me, reality blurring at the edges.


    "The Celestial Apothecary Guild has such interesting associates," Nigel continued. "First that old woman Mariana, now you. I wonder what other secrets they''re hiding."


    He stood and brushed dust from his torn purple robe. Despite his injuries, he looked remarkablyposed. "You surprised me today. Few can say they''ve made a purple robe bleed." He touched his broken nose gingerly. "For that, you have my respect."


    I wanted to spit in his face, but I couldn''t even summon the strength for that small defiance.


    "Unfortunately, respect won''t save you." Nigel raised his hand, preparing another form. "The Guild has questions about your unusual abilities, and you''re going to provide answers."


    From the corner of my eye, I saw movement in the shadows. Emerson Holmes, watching with undisguised horror. I prayed he would stay hidden. There was nothing he could do for me now except save himself and his daughter.


    "No response?" Nigel asked. "That''s disappointing. I thought you''d have some final words of defiance."


    I raised my head with effort, meeting his gaze. "This... isn''t... over."


    Nigelughed. "I admire your spirit, but yes, it is over. You gambled everything on those thirty minutes, and you lost." He leaned closer. "Did you really think you could defeat me? A purple robe master? With borrowed power?"


    The truth was, I had believed it possible. For a brief moment, when I had him on the defensive, I''d seen a path to victory. Now that path was gone, reced by the cold reality of failure.


    I thought of Isabelle, still captive. Of all my promises to free her. The weight of my failure crushed me more thoroughly than any physical pain.


    "What happens now?" I managed to ask, blood bubbling between my lips.


    "Now?" Nigel''s eyes gleamed with cruel satisfaction. "Now youe with me to the Guild. Our researchers will be very interested in studying your body. Particrly how you managed that power boost." He smiled thinly. "The process won''t be pleasant, but it will advance our understanding."


    My vision darkened at the edges. Consciousness was bing harder to maintain. I knew that if I passed out now, I would wake up in a Guildboratory, strapped to a table.


    "I''ll... die... first," I growled.


    "That''s not your decision to make," Nigel replied calmly.


    He traced another character in the air—"Bind"—and dark energy wrapped around my limbs, securing me despite my weakened state.


    From my peripheral vision, I saw Emerson slowly backing away. He was making the right choice. There was nothing he could do against Nigel. At least he and his daughter might escape.


    Then something changed. Emerson froze, his eyes fixed on something down in the street below. His expression shifted from fear to utter shock.


    Nigel, focused on me, didn''t notice the change. He continued preparing to transport me, muttering forms under his breath to stabilize my condition.


    "The Guild will want you alive for questioning," he said. "After that, well... we''ll see what''s left of you."


    I tried to turn my head to see what had caught Emerson''s attention, but my body wouldn''t cooperate. The binding form held me firmly in ce.


    "Who would have thought," Nigel continued, "that a nobody like you would cause so much trouble? The embarrassment you''ve caused the Guild will be repaid tenfold during your interrogation." Sаmplе frоm Мy Virtuаl Librаry Еmpirе—rеаd mоrе оn М&VLЕМРY&R.


    My consciousness wavered. ckness crept in from all sides, threatening to pull me under. I fought against it, knowing what awaited me if I surrendered.


    "Stay awake, Knight," Nigel ordered, noting my struggle. "I need you conscious for transportation."


    I focused on my hatred for him, using it as an anchor against the encroaching darkness. It wasn''t much, but it was all I had left.


    Emerson''s expression had changed from shock to something else now—a wild, desperate hope. Whatever he saw in the street below had transformed his entire demeanor.


    Nigel finally noticed something was amiss. He paused in his preparations, head tilting slightly as if sensing a disturbance.


    "What is it?" he asked, more to himself than to me.


    He turned, scanning the area. For a moment, his eyes locked onto the shadows where Emerson hid, but then something else caught his attention.


    A strange tension filled the air. The atmosphere itself seemed to change, growing heavier, charged with an unfamiliar energy.


    Nigel''s eyes widened slightly. "Impossible," he whispered.


    I couldn''t see what he was looking at, couldn''t turn my head to follow his gaze. But I felt it—a presence, powerful and ancient, drawing closer.


    Emerson''s face told me everything I needed to know. Whoever had appeared was someone he recognized. Someone significant enough to shock him out of his fear.


    Nigel''s confident posture had changedpletely. His shoulders tensed, his stance widening as if preparing for a new threat.


    "This doesn''t concern you," he called out to whoever approached. "Guild business."


    I strained against my bonds, desperate to see who had arrived. Had Mariana somehow found us? Jackson? Or was it someone else entirely?


    Emerson''s expression held the answer—this was someone he knew, someone he never expected to see here. Someone powerful enough to make even a purple robe master look concerned.


    As consciousness finally began to slip away, one thought burned through the darkness enveloping my mind: This wasn''t over yet. Not by a long shot.