## Liam's Perspective
"Master Ashworth! Did you hear what I said? Liam Knight has broken through to the Martial Marquis realm!"
Josiah Hale's voice quivered as he stood in Corbin Ashworth's opulent study. Sweat poured down his face, staining the collar of his once-immaculate robe.
Corbin slamd his fist on the mahogany desk. "You incompetent fool! You had one task—eliminate a single upstart. Now you tell he's ascended to Martial Marquis?"
"I... I couldn't have anticipated this," Josiah stamred. "No one survives direct tribulation lightning. He took eighteen strikes and erged stronger!"
"Eighteen?" Corbin's eyes widened montarily before narrowing to slits. "You're certain of this number?"
"I counted each bolt myself before fleeing. It was unnatural... demonic even!"
Corbin rose from his chair, his tall fra casting a long shadow across the room. "And now you co crawling to for protection?"
"The Ashworth family promised support if—"
"If you succeeded," Corbin cut him off. "Not if you failed spectacularly and then ran like a coward."
Josiah fell to his knees. "Please, Master Ashworth. Knight will co for . He'll destroy everything I've built."
Corbin walked to the window, gazing out at Veridia City's skyline. "Your destruction is of no concern to . The Ascendant Saints Order has served its purpose as a distraction."
"But what about our arrangent? Twenty years of loyal service!"
Turning slowly, Corbin's face revealed nothing but cold calculation. "Our arrangent is terminated. You're on your own, Josiah."
I could practically taste Josiah's fear as Corbin's words sank in. The man scrambled to his feet and backed toward the door.
"You... you can't do this! He'll kill !"
"Then die with dignity," Corbin replied, returning to his papers. "It's more than you've shown in life."
---
Back at the Ascendant Saints Order, Josiah burst through the doors of the main hall, startling his remaining disciples.
"Seal the compound! Double the guards! Triple them!" he shouted, his voice cracking with panic.
"Master Hale, what's happening?" asked his chief disciple. Keep us going by reading on *.
"Knight is coming." Josiah's hands shook as he gathered scrolls from a hidden compartnt. "And the Ashworths have abandoned us."
Whispers spread through the hall like wildfire. Without the Ashworth family's backing, the Order was exposed.
"Prepare my escape vehicle," Josiah commanded. "I'm leaving for the Northern Retreat."
"But Master, what about us?" another disciple asked.
Josiah didn't even look up. "Buy ti. That's your final service to the Order."
---
At Jade Moon Villa, I stood in the training yard, flexing my hand. Golden light pulsed beneath my skin, a visible manifestation of my new power. The transition to Martial Marquis had changed in ways I was still discovering.
"Master Liam," Phoebe Reeves approached with a formal bow. "The elders have convened. They wish to offer you the position of Sect Master."
I shook my head. "Not now, Phoebe. There's no ti for titles and ceremonies."
Caspian lay unconscious on a stretcher nearby, his wounds stabilized but still severe.
"His condition?" I asked, moving to his side.
"Stable, but he needs specialized care," Phoebe replied. "Your initial healing saved his life, but the wound was inflicted with a corrupted blade."
I nodded grimly. "I'm taking him to the Celestial Apothecary Guild. The Pavilion Master will know how to treat him."
"And after that?" Phoebe's question hung in the air.
"After that, I settle scores." My voice was quiet but carried an edge that made several nearby disciples step back.
Within the hour, we arrived at the Celestial Apothecary Guild. Mariana Valerius, the Pavilion Master, t us personally at the entrance.
"I felt your breakthrough from across the city," she said, her knowing eyes examining . "The heavens themselves acknowledged your ascension."
"Can you help him?" I gestured to Caspian.
She nodded once. "Leave him with . His treatnt will be my personal responsibility."
As Guild mbers carefully transferred Caspian to their dical wing, Mariana pulled aside.
"You're going after him, aren't you? Josiah Hale."
"He's first on my list," I confird. "Then the Veridia City Martial Guild."
Her eyebrows rose slightly. "Ambitious targets for a newly minted Marquis."
"They have Isabelle," I replied simply.
Understanding crossed her features. "I see. Just rember, Knight—power requires control. A Marquis without restraint is just destruction given form."
"I'm not interested in restraint right now." I turned to leave. "I'm interested in results."
---
The Ascendant Saints Order compound lood ahead, its imposing gates reinforced with hastily applied barrier formations. Guards patrolled the walls in triple their usual numbers, their movents betraying their anxiety.
I approached alone, walking straight up the central path. No stealth, no subterfuge. Just raw intent.
When I reached the outer periter, I stopped. Dozens of guards stared down at , weapons drawn but hands trembling.
I took a deep breath and released my full aura, allowing the golden light of my Martial Marquis power to emanate outward. The ground beneath my feet cracked from the pressure.
"JOSIAH HALE!" My voice, amplified by internal energy, bood across the compound.
The guards flinched, so dropping their weapons.
"CO OUT AND FACE YOUR DEATH!"
No response ca from within. I took another step forward.
"One more chance," I said, my voice lower but no less nacing. "Co out and die with dignity, or I co in and hunt you like the coward you are."
When only silence answered , I gathered energy in my core. The air around shimred with golden light.
Then I roared.
The sound wasn't rely loud—it was infused with the raw power of a Martial Marquis. The shockwave hit the gates first, shattering the heavy wooden barriers into splinters. Barrier formations flickered and died as the wave rolled through them.
Guards were thrown from the walls, landing in heaps on the ground. Those who remained conscious scrambled to flee.
I walked through the wreckage of the gates, my eyes fixed on the Great Hall ahead.
"JOSIAH!" I roared again, this ti directing the energy upward.
The sound wave struck the ornate plaque above the Great Hall—a symbol of the Order's prestige and power. The plaque cracked down the middle, then shattered entirely, raining fragnts onto the steps below.
Inside, I could hear panicked shouts and the sound of furniture being overturned.
I smiled grimly, ascending the steps of the Great Hall.
"Ti's up."
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