Liam's Perspective
I sprinted toward Dudley, desperate to stop whatever he was doing to Evelyn. Her body trembled violently on the ground, dark energy pulsing around her like venomous snakes.
"Get away from her!" I shouted.
Before I could reach him, a massive shape blurred into my path. Axel. His fist connected with my chest, sending flying backward.
"Focus on ," he growled. "Boss needs concentration."
I recovered quickly, wiping blood from my lip. "Fine. You first, then him."
Golden energy surged through my body as I unleashed the Saintly Body Skill. The familiar warmth spread through my limbs, and I launched myself at the giant.
Our fists collided with thunderous impact. Trees shuddered around us from the shockwave. Axel's eyes widened behind his mask.
"You hit harder than expected," he muttered.
I pressed my advantage, delivering a flurry of strikes. My fists hamred against his body, driving him back step by step. With a powerful kick to his chest, I sent him crashing through a tree.
"Enough playing around," I said, turning toward Dudley. "Now for you."
Dudley smiled calmly. Too calmly. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small jade figurine. "You're quite impressive, Knight. No wonder they talk about you."
The figurine glowed with an eerie blue light.
"What is that?" I demanded.
"Insurance," he replied.
Behind , Axel erged from the splintered remains of the tree. "Boss, I need it now."
Dudley nodded. "Try not to break it. These are rare."
Axel pulled out a blood-red pendant from beneath his armor. The mont he clutched it, crimson light enveloped his body. His muscles bulged unnaturally. Veins protruded across his skin like writhing snakes.
"Artifacts," I whispered. No wonder they were so confident.
Axel moved with impossible speed for his size. One mont he was twenty feet away, the next his fist slamd into my stomach. The impact was devastating.
I coughed blood, doubling over. Before I could recover, his massive hands gripped my shoulders and hurled into the air. As I fell, he leapt up to et , delivering a hamr blow that sent crashing into the ground hard enough to create a small crater.
Pain exploded through every inch of my body. I tried to stand, but Axel pressed his foot against my chest.
"Not so tough now," he sneered.
I grabbed his ankle and twisted with all my strength. He stumbled, giving just enough space to roll away and jump to my feet.
"Nine Absolute Beginning Slashes!" I roared, unleashing my strongest technique.
Golden light erupted from my hands, forming nine crescent-shaped energy blades that scread toward Axel. They should have torn him apart.
Instead, Dudley stepped forward, holding up his jade figurine. "Azure Shield!"
A translucent blue barrier materialized between Axel and my attack. My energy blades hit the shield and simply... vanished. Not deflected, not absorbed—erased from existence.
"Impossible," I gasped.
"Legendary artifacts are quite sothing, aren't they?" Dudley taunted. "Your little cultivation techniques are impressive, but they're nothing compared to ancient magic."
Axel charged again, moving even faster than before. His fist connected with my jaw, sending tumbling across the clearing. Before I could stand, he was on again, delivering a brutal kick to my ribs. I felt several crack under the impact.
I forced myself up, spitting blood. "You'll have to do better than that."
"Happy to oblige," Axel growled, his pendant glowing brighter.
He unleashed a barrage of punches, each one faster and harder than I thought possible. I blocked what I could, but many connected, each impact worse than the last. A particularly vicious blow sent crashing into a boulder, which shattered from the force.
Through blurred vision, I saw Dudley continuing his ritual over Evelyn's body. Dark energy pulsed more intensely around her. She was running out of ti.
I pushed myself up, legs trembling. My body was covered in wounds, blood soaking through my clothes.
"Still standing?" Dudley called out. "Admirable, but futile."
He raised his hand and a bolt of blue energy shot toward . I tried to dodge, but my battered body was too slow. The energy struck in the chest, freezing in place montarily.
In that instant, Axel appeared before and slamd his artifact-enhanced fist directly into my sternum. I heard sothing crack—felt it too—as the blow launched backward into the tree line.
Trees splintered as my body carved a path of destruction through the forest. When I finally stopped, I lay broken and bloodied, gasping for breath.
Footsteps approached. Axel erged from the dust, hamr in hand now.
"Boss says you're taking too long to die," he inford casually. "I'm supposed to finish you quickly so I can help with the ritual."
I tried to move, but my body refused to respond. The damage was too severe, even for my healing abilities to handle quickly.
Axel raised his hamr. "Any last words?" Love this story? Show support at *.
Through the haze of pain, I spotted a familiar figure watching from behind a tree—one of the wealthy tourists we'd brought to the island. The man from the auction who'd been pestering about treasures.
"You," I called out hoarsely. "The artificial mountain you kept asking about. I need it now."
The man hesitated, then quickly hurried forward, dropping a small stone object near my hand.
"Worth a fortune," he whispered before retreating.
Axel laughed. "A toy mountain? That's your final request?"
I didn't answer. Instead, I pressed my palm against the stone, channeling what little energy I had left into it. My blood essence seeped into the object.
Nothing happened.
Axel shook his head. "Pathetic." He swung his hamr downward.
At that mont, the stone in my hand pulsed with ancient power. Light erupted from it, forcing Axel back. The stone's outer layer began to crack and peel away like a shell.
"What's happening?" Dudley shouted from the clearing, his ritual interrupted.
The disguise fell away completely, revealing not an artificial mountain, but a miniature version of sothing I'd only heard about in legends. My eyes widened in shock as I recognized the distinctive five peaks.
"The Venerable Fifth Mountain," I whispered, staring at the legendary artifact now sitting in my palm.
The tide of battle was about to turn.
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