Adam’s sneer cut through the chaos like a blade. “Too slow,” he murmured.In the same instant, his arm shot up. His hand closed around Maverick’s ankle mid-kick with unholy precision. Before anyone could even gasp, Adam pivoted backward, using Maverick’s momentum against him.Then—boom!He slammed Maverick into the ground with bone-shattering force.The earth cracked. Shockwaves rippled outward, blowing dust and shards of tile into the air. The ground beneath Maverick collapsed into a crater three inches deep, spiderweb cracks spreading like veins of destruction.The crowd stumbled back as the tremors reached their feet.Even for a late-stage grandmaster, the force was monstrous. Any normal man would’ve died instantly, crushed into paste. Maverick’s reinforced body held together—but the pain was savage. Blood rushed up his throat; his ribs screamed under the impact.“Argh!” he bellowed, veins bulging across his temples.For a moment, silence hung in the air. Then Maverick snapped back

Adam’s jaw tightened until the line of it looked like a blade. Francis was no ordinary threat — a divine grandmaster, his presence folded around him like armor. On a field of battle, Francis moved mountains. Adam’s chances were paper-thin; if Francis chose to end him here, there would be nothing left to bargain with.The air in the courtyard felt suddenly thinner, as if the world was holding its breath. Torches guttered, throwing long, jaundiced shadows across cracked stone. Men who had been laughing an hour ago went quiet, their faces threaded with anticipation and fear. Even the dogs at the edge of the compound had pressed their noses to the ground, sensitive to the change.Francis didn’t look like a man about to ask for mercy. He filled the space with a kind of slow, unhurried thunder. “How dare you injure my son on our territory? You’ve got some guts!” His voice rolled over the crowd, a command dressed in contempt. It vibrated through Adam’s ribs and lodged like a warning.Adam’s

Adam’s eyes darkened with sorrow at the mention of Xander Sanders, the man who had been more than just a mentor to him—he had been family. The faint ache that flickered across Adam’s face didn’t go unnoticed by Leah, though she kept silent, sensing the weight behind that look.“Yes,” Bruce declared, his deep voice echoing across the courtyard like a rolling storm. “He is my future son-in-law. And anyone who dares to harm him—” his gaze swept over the crowd like a blade “—will answer to me personally!”A suffocating pressure rippled outward, forcing several onlookers to lower their heads instinctively. Even Francis, a divine grandmaster, felt the invisible force pressing against his chest. Bruce Sanders in full authority was not someone anyone dared to provoke.Francis’s eyes narrowed, his pride smarting, but he didn’t dare challenge Bruce head-on. Instead, he turned to Adam, his tone cold. “Where is your mentor now?”Adam’s expression didn’t waver, though his heart tightened. “He’s li