Liam's Perspective
"You won't leave this room alive." My words hung in the air, heavy with promise.
Dudley's face contorted with mocking laughter. "Bold words from a man who was practically begging for rcy in Veridia." He raised his hand, dark energy swirling around his fingers. "I've ascended to half-step Martial Marquis while you were hiding like a coward."
I didn't flinch. "Half-step? Impressive. Too bad I've already killed a full Martial Marquis."
His eyes widened slightly before narrowing again. "Lies won't save you."
"Test and find out."
Conrad's voice broke our standoff. "Liam, Armando needs imdiate attention!"
I glanced at the elderly steward. His breathing was shallow, face ashen. The poison had spread further than I initially thought.
Dudley seized the mont. "How about this? We settle this properly. Tomorrow at dusk, Yago Lake." His lips curled into a cruel smile. "Let all of Eldoria witness your defeat."
"Why wait?" I challenged.
"A true victor deserves an audience." He gestured around the damaged study. "This is too... private for what I have planned for you."
I considered his proposal. A public duel would serve my purposes as well. Ti to end the whispers about my weakness once and for all.
"Yago Lake. Tomorrow at dusk," I agreed. "Don't be late."
"I wouldn't miss it for the world." Dudley backed toward the door, maintaining eye contact. "Oh, and Knight? Bring a coffin."
After he left, I rushed to Armando's side. The old man's pulse was thready, his skin clammy.
Conrad hovered nervously. "Can you save him?"
I nodded, placing both hands on Armando's chest. "Nightshade poison is nasty, but I've dealt with worse."
Golden energy flowed from my palms into his body. The black veins beneath his skin began to recede as I systematically neutralized the toxin.
"Sir..." Armando whispered to Conrad. "I failed to protect you."
"Nonsense," Conrad replied, his voice thick with emotion. "You showed more courage than n half your age."
I focused entirely on my healing technique, drawing on knowledge from the Ancient Herbal Scriptures. After several intense minutes, color returned to Armando's face.
"He'll need rest," I told Conrad, standing up. "But he'll live."
Conrad gripped my arm. "Thank you, Liam. I thought we were finished."
"I should have been here sooner." Guilt gnawed at . "Six families dead because of their connection to ."
"You can't bla yourself for Lowell's madness."
I helped move Armando to a sofa. "I need to see Eamon and Sofia. Can you secure this place?"
Conrad nodded. "Adrian sent reinforcents after the first attack. They should arrive within the hour."
"Good. Lock down after I leave. I'll handle Dudley tomorrow."
---
The hidden basent beneath Eamon's antique shop had beco our de facto headquarters. Sofia and Eamon were hunched over maps when I entered.
"Liam!" Sofia rushed forward, embracing tightly. "Thank God you're back."
Eamon's usually cheerful face was grim. "Conrad?"
"Safe. Armando was poisoned, but I've treated him."
Sofia returned to the table. "Dudley's been systematic. Every family that supported you has been targeted."
I joined them, studying the marked map. "Why not you two?"
Eamon shrugged. "That's the strange part. He's actively avoided us."
"He's playing a ga," Sofia added. "Building fear, forcing people to choose sides."
I paced the room. "Ti to end the charade. We're dueling tomorrow at Yago Lake."
"What?" Eamon's eyes widened. "He's half-step Martial Marquis now! You can't—"
I raised my hand, cutting him off. "There's sothing you both need to know." I paused, choosing my words carefully. "My crippled dantian, my expulsion from the Celestial Apothecary Guild—it was all fabricated."
They stared at in stunned silence.
"Fabricated?" Sofia repeated. "Why?"
"To draw out our enemies. To make them overconfident." I summoned a ball of pure energy to my palm, letting them feel my true power. "I never lost my cultivation."
Eamon collapsed into a chair. "All this ti... you let everyone think you were broken."
"It was necessary." I extinguished the energy. "Mariana suggested it after we discovered traitors within the Guild. We needed to know who would remain loyal when they thought I was powerless."
Sofia's sharp mind quickly connected the dots. "The night raid at the Guild... that was staged?"
I nodded. "Mariana and I planned it all. The only ones who knew the truth were her, Jackson, and a handful of others."
"So tomorrow..." Eamon began.
"Tomorrow," I continued, "I show Eldoria who I really am."
---
By morning, news of my return and the impending duel had spread throughout Eldoria. The Warrior's Scroll published a special edition with the headline: "LIAM KNIGHT RETURNS: DUEL AT DUSK WITH DUDLEY LOWELL." R-ea*de@r s&u-pport* at * m.ad#e th$is t#ran!s lati-on possible#.%
Spectators began gathering at Yago Lake hours before the appointed ti. The natural amphitheater ford by the surrounding hills made it the perfect venue for a public confrontation.
I spent the day in ditation, refining my energy and preparing my mind. This wasn't just about defeating Dudley—it was about reclaiming Eldoria.
As the sun began its descent toward the horizon, I made my way to Yago Lake. The crowd parted before , whispers following in my wake.
"Is that really Knight?"
"They say he's been in hiding..."
"Lowell will destroy him..."
"I heard he killed a Martial Marquis..."
At the edge of the lake, a natural stone platform jutted out over the water. Perfect for our purposes.
Dudley arrived with fanfare—six black-robed disciples walking before him, scattering crimson petals in his path. His cultivation aura pulsed visibly around him, intimidating the crowd.
"Quite the entrance," I comnted as he approached.
"When you're about to make history, style matters." His smile was predatory. "Ready to die, Knight?"
"I was about to ask you the sa question."
The crowd had swelled to thousands, filling every available space around the lake. I spotted Conrad, Ada, and Adrian positioned near the front. Eamon and Sofia were strategically placed on opposite sides, ready to intervene if Dudley's supporters tried anything underhanded.
An elderly man with a long white beard stepped forward from the crowd. "As the most senior cultivator present, I will officiate this duel." He examined us both carefully. "Dudley Lowell, half-step Martial Marquis. Liam Knight..." He paused, his experienced eyes assessing my cultivation. "Peak Form Grandmaster."
Murmurs rippled through the crowd. So laughed at the apparent mismatch.
The old man continued. "This duel will continue until one party surrenders or is incapacitated. Death is not required but..." He shrugged. "It happens."
Dudley stepped onto the stone platform, his aura expanding dramatically. "Last chance to beg for rcy, Knight."
I calmly took my position opposite him. "I'm exactly where I want to be."
The elderly cultivator raised his hand. "The duel at Yago Lake begins at dusk!" He brought his hand down sharply.
In that mont, as Dudley gathered his energy for his first attack, the old man turned to a companion and whispered just loud enough for nearby spectators to hear:
"What if he can win against this half-step Martial Marquis Dudley with just the realm of a Grandmaster?"
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