The Pavilion Master of the Celestial Apothecary Guild stood motionless on the balcony, her gaze fixed on the horizon. Sothing was happening in the forest, sothing that made the air itself vibrate with tension. She closed her eyes, sensing the clash of powers miles away.
"So it begins," she whispered to herself.
I gripped the steering wheel tighter as our taxi wound through the dense forest road. Michael Ashworth sat quietly beside , his weathered face betraying no emotion. We'd been traveling for hours, the setting sun casting long shadows through the trees.
"We're close now," I said, breaking the silence. "The Guild's compound should be just beyond this forest."
Michael nodded. "I'm grateful for your protection, Liam. My granddaughter chose well."
A small smile ford on my lips, but it quickly faded as an uneasy feeling crept up my spine. Sothing wasn't right. The forest was too quiet—no birdsong, no rustling leaves despite the breeze.
"Stop the car," I commanded the driver suddenly.
The middle-aged man glanced at through the rearview mirror. "Sir, we're in the middle of nowhere. Is sothing—"
A deafening crack split the air as sothing massive slamd into the road ahead of us. The driver swerved violently, barely avoiding the fallen tree trunk that had appeared out of nowhere. The taxi skidded to a halt, tires screeching against the dirt road.
"What the hell was that?" the driver exclaid, his knuckles white on the steering wheel.
I scanned the forest, my senses heightened. "It's an ambush. Get out of the car, now!"
Before anyone could move, three figures erged from the trees, their movents too swift to be ordinary n. I recognized the one in the center imdiately—Mr. Snyder, the notorious enforcer of the Ashworth family. His cold eyes fixed on with predatory focus.
"Liam Knight," he called out, his voice carrying an unsettling calm. "You've led us on quite the chase."
The driver, panicking, fumbled with his seatbelt. "Look, I don't want any trouble—"
A blur of movent, and Snyder was at the driver's door. With terrifying casualness, he plunged his hand through the window and into the man's chest. The driver's scream died in his throat as he slumped forward, lifeless.
"One ant crushed," Snyder remarked, wiping blood from his hand. "Now for the real targets."
Rage boiled within . This innocent man had simply been doing his job, and now he was dead—another casualty in a war he knew nothing about.
"Michael," I said, my voice tight with controlled fury, "stay in the car. No matter what happens, do not get out."
I stepped out to face our attackers, positioning myself between them and the vehicle. The forest air felt heavy, charged with murderous intent.
"Stand down, Snyder," I warned. "The Ashworth family has no idea what forces they're playing with."
Snyder threw his head back and laughed, a sound devoid of warmth. "Bold words from a man who's about to die. Corbin Ashworth wants your head, and the old man too. Nothing personal—just business."
He moved with shocking speed, crossing the distance between us before I could blink. His fist slamd into my chest like a battering ram, sending flying backward into a massive oak. The impact knocked the breath from my lungs, splinters of bark exploding around .
I struggled to my feet, tasting blood. Snyder was already upon again, his movents a blur. I barely managed to block his next strike, the force of it numbing my arms.
This wasn't like fighting Colt Knightwood. Snyder was in another league entirely—faster, stronger, and utterly rciless. A Peak Form Grandmaster, like , but with clearly superior experience.
"I expected more from the man who humiliated Colt Knightwood," Snyder taunted, landing another devastating blow to my ribs. I felt sothing crack inside .
I needed space. Gathering my energy, I activated "Shrinking Ground Into An Inch," vanishing from Snyder's sight and reappearing twenty feet away.
"Running already?" he mocked, turning to face .
I spat blood onto the forest floor, mind racing through my options. His raw power exceeded mine, but maybe technique could bridge the gap.
"Not running," I answered, centering myself. "Just getting ready."
I channeled my energy into the "Absolute Beginning Sacred Fist," feeling the power build within like a storm. When Snyder charged again, I was ready. I t his attack head-on, my fist connecting with his chest in an explosion of golden light.
The impact sent Snyder flying backward, crashing through several trees before coming to a stop. For the first ti, surprise registered on his face as he rose slowly, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth.
"So the dog has teeth after all," he growled, brushing splinters from his shoulder. "But it won't be enough."
His aura darkened, the air around him distorting with malevolent energy. The other two assassins moved to flank , cutting off any escape route.
"Kill him," Snyder commanded. "I'll deal with the old man myself."
As the assassins lunged, I activated the Third Layer of my Saintly Body Skill. Golden light erupted from my skin, forming a protective shell around . Their attacks bounced off harmlessly, their expressions shifting from confidence to confusion.
But my triumph was short-lived. Snyder appeared behind , his hand glowing with dark energy.
"Heaven-Splitting Palm," he intoned, driving his hand toward my back.
I spun, barely deflecting the blow, but the force of it still sent tumbling across the forest floor. Before I could recover, he was upon again, his attacks coming from multiple angles at once, as if he had multiplied.
"Phantom Strike," he announced, his voice echoing around .
I raised my defenses, but his technique was overwhelming. Blows rained down on from directions that seed impossible, each one more powerful than the last. My Best Thin Armor, normally impenetrable to ordinary attacks, began to crack under the assault.
Pain exploded across my body as several strikes broke through my defenses. I staggered backward, blood flowing freely from multiple wounds. My vision blurred, consciousness threatening to slip away.
"Is this really all the famous Liam Knight has to offer?" Snyder sneered, stalking toward . "How disappointing."
Through the haze of pain, I saw Michael watching helplessly from the car, horror etched on his face. Beyond him, the other assassins were closing in, waiting for Snyder to finish off before they took their prize.
I couldn't fail. Not here, not now. Isabelle was still captive. Michael was depending on . Too many lives hung in the balance.
Drawing on reserves I didn't know I possessed, I forced myself to stand straight. "You haven't seen anything yet."
I activated the Fourth Layer of my Saintly Body Skill, pushing my limits further than I ever had before. Golden light blazed from my body, illuminating the darkening forest. The power surging through my veins was intoxicating, dangerous.
Snyder's eyes narrowed. "Impressive light show. But it changes nothing."
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He gathered his energy for a final attack, the air around his hands distorting with its intensity. "Nine Layers of Hell," he intoned, his voice taking on an otherworldly quality.
The attack hit like a mountain. Despite my enhanced defenses, I felt my ribs shatter, my internal organs rupture. My Best Thin Armor cracked completely, golden fragnts dissolving into the air.
I crashed to the ground, blood pooling beneath . The forest spun around , darkness creeping at the edges of my vision.
"Liam!" Michael's voice seed distant, muffled.
Snyder stood over , contempt written across his face. "Your journey ends here, Liam Knight. After I kill you, I'll take the old man back to Corbin. Perhaps I'll even pay your beloved Isabelle a visit, let her know how pathetically her champion died."
His words cut deeper than any physical wound. Images flashed through my mind: Isabelle's smile, her tears when we were separated, the way she looked at with complete trust and love.
"No," I whispered, fingers digging into the dirt. "Not like this."
Sothing shifted inside , a barrier breaking. Through the pain and desperation, I reached for the Fifth Layer of my Saintly Body Skill—a realm I had never accessed before, had never dared to try.
As Snyder raised his hand for the killing blow, I threw my head back and roared to the heavens, channeling every ounce of rage, love, and determination into breaking through my limitations.
Golden light exploded around , so bright it turned night to day. The forest trembled, trees bending away as if in fear. The very air seed to catch fire, charged with power beyond anything I had ever wielded.
Snyder faltered, taking an involuntary step back, his eyes wide with disbelief.
"What is this?" he breathed, raising an arm to shield his eyes from the blinding light. "What are you?"
I rose slowly to my feet, my broken body knitting itself back together through the power of the Fifth Layer. The pain receded, replaced by a clarity of purpose so intense it bordered on madness.
"I am the man who's going to kill you," I answered, my voice resonating with newfound power.
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