## Liam's Perspective
Golden light exploded across the courtyard as Josiah Hale barely managed to deflect his own attack. The blast threw him backward, his robes smoldering at the edges. The ground beneath his feet had cracked into a spider web pattern.
"How?" he gasped, staring at Mariana with genuine fear. "You're a re alchemist!"
Mariana smiled coldly. "A re alchemist? Is that what you've been telling yourself all these years?"
She took a single step forward. Purple light began to shimr around her body—not the golden energy of a traditional cultivator, but sothing darker, more ancient.
"You forgot who I was before I beca Pavilion Master." Her voice dropped to a whisper that sohow carried across the entire courtyard. "Or perhaps you deliberately buried the mory?"
Josiah's face turned ashen. "The Purple Witch of the Eastern Vale..."
"So you do rember." Mariana's smile widened.
The purple light intensified, casting eerie shadows across her features. Watching her, I felt a chill run down my spine. This was a side of Mariana I'd never witnessed—primal and terrifying.
"Those scars I left on your back," she continued, "do they still burn on moonless nights?"
Josiah unconsciously reached behind himself, touching his shoulder. "That was forty years ago."
"And yet here we stand," Mariana replied. "You, still fearing . , still holding your leash."
The courtyard had gone completely silent. Every disciple, every elder present was frozen, witnessing sothing they never thought possible—Josiah Hale, the mighty Sect Master, trembling before another.
"I could have killed you then," Mariana said conversationally. "I chose not to."
"Your rcy was—"
"Not rcy," she interrupted. "Calculation. You were more useful alive than dead."
I stepped forward, unable to contain myself. "So you two have history?"
Mariana didn't take her eyes off Josiah. "He was once my student. A promising one, until he betrayed and stole several ancient texts."
"You murdered my brother!" Josiah hissed.
"Your brother tried to rape my apprentice," Mariana replied coldly. "His death was kinder than he deserved."
The tension between them was palpable—decades of hatred compressed into a single mont.
Josiah finally looked away first. "What do you want?"
"You ca to our gates," I interjected. "You tell us what you want."
His eyes fixed on with naked hatred. "I ca for you, Knight. To end your interference."
"And yet," Mariana said, "here you stand, powerless to do so."
Josiah's jaw clenched. "You can't protect him forever, Mariana."
"I don't need to." She gestured toward . "He's quite capable of protecting himself."
I stepped forward. "Since you ca all this way, Sect Master Hale, let's negotiate."
"Negotiate?" He spat the word. "What could you possibly offer ?"
"Your life," I replied simply. "You leave here alive, in exchange for two things."
The courtyard fell silent again. Every eye was fixed on us.
"What two things?" Josiah asked warily.
I pointed at Elder Foster, who shrank back. "Him." Then I shifted my finger to Dudley Lowell. "And him."
"You want my subordinates?" Josiah barked a laugh. "For what purpose?"
"Justice," I said coldly. "They tried to kill . Several tis."
Josiah glanced at Foster and Lowell. A calculating look crossed his face.
"These n are mbers of my sect. Their actions reflect on ."
"Which is why you should have taught them better," I replied. "Your choices are simple—leave them here and walk away, or stay and face Pavilion Master Valerius."
The threat hung in the air. Josiah's gaze shifted between Mariana's purple aura and .
"Fine," he said finally. "Take them."
Elder Foster's jaw dropped. "Sect Master! You can't—"
"Silence!" Josiah snapped. "You failed . Consider this your punishnt."
Foster fell to his knees. "Please! I've served you faithfully for twenty years!"
"And now you'll serve as an example of what happens to those who fail ." Josiah turned away from him without a second glance.
Dudley Lowell stood frozen, his face a mask of disbelief. "Sect Master Hale, you promised protection!"
"I promise nothing to the incompetent," Josiah replied coldly.
He turned back to Mariana and . "Rember this mont, Knight. You've made powerful enemies—the Blackthorne Family, the Ashworth Family, the Veridia City Martial Guild. Sooner or later, they will co for you."
"Let them co," I said. "They'll find exactly what you found today—failure."
Josiah's lips curled into a sneer. "Such arrogance. You have no idea what forces you're challenging."
"Neither do you," I countered. "Now leave, before I change my mind about letting you walk away."
With a final hateful glance, Josiah Hale turned and strode toward the gate. His back was rigid, his steps asured—a man desperately trying to maintain his dignity.
The mont he was gone, Elder Foster threw himself at my feet.
"Master Knight, please!" he sobbed, clutching at my robes. "I was only following orders!"
I looked down at him with icy contempt. "Like when you tried to poison ? Or when you sent assassins to my quarters?"
"That was a misunderstanding!"
"No," I said quietly. "The only misunderstanding was yours—thinking you could harm and live."
Foster scrambled backward, finally realizing his danger. "I'll serve you! I know secrets—valuable information about the Ascendant Saints Order!"
"I don't need your secrets."
In desperation, Foster lunged at , a hidden dagger suddenly appearing in his hand. It was a foolish, hopeless attack.
I caught his wrist easily, squeezing until the bones crunched beneath my fingers. The dagger fell to the ground with a tallic clatter.
"Is this really how you want to die?" I asked. "Whimpering and begging like a dog?" Th^is! tex-t was ac&q%ui%r#ed fro$m^ *$.
"Please," he whispered, tears streaming down his face. "I have a family—"
"So did many of the people you've killed."
I placed my palm on his chest. The Heaven Swallowing Skill activated, dark energy spiraling from my hand into his body. Foster's eyes widened in horror as he felt his life force being drained away.
"What—what are you—" he gasped.
"Taking what's mine," I replied.
His skin began to shrivel, aging decades in seconds. The Heaven Swallowing Skill devoured his energy, transferring his power into my ridians. It was a terrible way to die—feeling yourself being consud from within.
Foster's scream died in his throat as the last of his life force fled his body. He collapsed, a withered husk barely recognizable as human.
A collective gasp rose from the watching disciples. Even Fifth Elder Teng looked unsettled by the display.
Mariana watched impassively. "Efficient," was all she said.
I turned slowly to face Dudley Lowell. He was trembling now, backing away until he hit the courtyard wall.
"Rember what I promised you, Dudley?" I asked, advancing toward him.
"Knight, please—" he stamred.
"I promised that when I reached half-step Martial Marquis, I would kill you within three breaths." I smiled coldly. "How long do you think you can last?"
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