In the secure control room, Damien Cross stood staring at the wall of monitors—one now shattered and sparking where he'd driven his blade through Alexander's face. His ring pulsed with dark energy, responding to his excitement, his anticipation, his hunger for the confrontation to come."Alexander Howard," Damien said to the empty room. "The God of War hiding behind amnesia and poverty. Clever. Very clever. But not clever enough."He knew now. Knew with absolute certainty that this was the man who'd nearly killed him three years ago. The man who'd fought him to a standstill and almost taken his ring. The man who was the only real threat to his mission.But knowing and being certain were two different things. Damien needed to test him. Needed to fight him again, to see if the movements matched, if the techniques aligned, if this really was the same opponent who'd once been unstoppable."Time to find out," Damien muttered, pulling his hood up. The shadows seemed to deepen around him, hi

Damien watched Alexander's face carefully when he asked about the rings. Watched the micro-expressions that flashed across his features—surprise first, then recognition, then something that might have been fear or might have been determination.There. That reaction. That told him everything he needed to know."You know who I am," Damien said quietly. "Don't you? Your body remembers even if your mind doesn't. You remember our fight. Remember how close you came to dying.""I remember enough," Alexander replied, his stance shifting into something combat-ready. "I remember you killed Anna. I remember you took the third ring. And I remember that you're not getting the other two.""Other two?" Damien's smile was hidden by his hood, but his voice carried satisfaction. "So you admit you have them. Good. That saves us time on pointless denials.""I'm not giving them to you," Alexander said firmly. "Ever. You want them? You'll have to kill me first.""That's the plan," Damien confirmed. "But I

Damien studied the confrontation carefully, his mind calculating. He'd fought Alexander before—before the amnesia, when the God of War had been at full power. Back then, it had been the fight of Damien's life. He'd barely survived. Barely managed to escape with his ring intact.And he'd learned something crucial from that encounter: Alexander was the better fighter. Stronger, faster, more skilled. In a straight-up combat situation, Damien would lose. Again.But assassination wasn't about fair fights. It was about finding weaknesses. Exploiting vulnerabilities. Using every advantage, no matter how dirty.Like using Marcus Stanford as a weapon."You're bluffing," Marcus said, his confidence returning. "There are no rings. Neither of you have them. This is some kind of scam, some kind of—""Is it?" Damien interrupted. He reached slowly into his jacket, making the movement obvious, non-threatening. "Then what do you call this?"His hand emerged holding a ring.It gleamed in the dim corrid

The smoke cleared, and Alexander found himself standing in a different corridor entirely—the ninja's intervention had been so swift and efficient that he'd been half-carried, half-guided away from the fight before Marcus, Damien, or the proxies could react.He turned to find Kenji Miyagi standing there, his expression neutral but his eyes sharp with calculation."Thank you," Alexander said, catching his breath. "For the help. I appreciate it.""Do you?" Kenji asked. "Appreciate it enough to reconsider my earlier offer, perhaps?"Alexander straightened, his wounds from the fight already making themselves known—shallow cuts, bruises, the lingering burn of Damien's energy attacks. "I need to get back to Miss Sterling. Make sure she's safe.""In a moment," Kenji said, positioning himself between Alexander and the corridor exit. "First, we talk. Properly this time. Without interruptions from angry Stanford heirs or mysterious cloaked figures.""I don't have time for—""You'll make time," K

"I'm not worried about the Stanford brother," Alexander said calmly. "Or his proxies. Or the cloaked figure."Kenji stopped walking. Turned slowly to stare at Alexander with complete disbelief. "Excuse me?""You heard me," Alexander repeated. "I'm not worried about them.""Not worried?" Kenji's voice rose slightly, his usual composure cracking. "Do you have ANY idea who the Stanford family is? What they're capable of? They own prison systems across twelve states! They have connections to every major criminal organization in the country! They've destroyed companies, ruined lives, made entire bloodlines disappear!"He stepped closer, his eyes searching Alexander's face. "And you're telling me you're not worried about them? About Marcus Stanford specifically? About the fact that he has eight professional killers who answer only to him? About the fact that legal murder is now permitted and he has infinite resources to hunt you?""That's what I'm telling you," Alexander confirmed."You're