Chapter 31Uther stood over Victor’s broken body, a satisfied smirk on his face. He turned his attention to the Gwendoline family members huddled against the wall — Kris, her parents, her grandmother, all of them staring at Victor's defeat with horror and despair."Pathetic," Uther said, his voice dripping with contempt. He walked slowly toward them, savoring their fear. "Look at you all. The great Gwendoline family. Reduced to cowering behind an outsider."He stopped in front of Kris's grandmother, who sat in her wheelchair with her head held high despite the terror in her eyes."And you, old woman," Uther continued mockingly. "I heard you took this boy in. Raised him. Treated him like family." He laughed. "But what is he really? Nothing more than an orphan Lord Frederick picked up off the street years ago. A charity case. A boy with no name, no lineage, no worth.""Victor earned his place in our family," Kris's grandmother said, her voice shaking but defiant. "He…""He spent all the

Chapter 33Uther had been watching this entire exchange with growing fury and confusion. This nobody—this random fighter—had just humiliated him, defeated his entire team, and was now ignoring him completely. Treating him like he didn't even matter.The disrespect was unbearable."Are you listening to me?" Uther's voice rose, shrill with anger. "I'm talking to you! I'm offering you mercy! The least you could do is…""You talk too much," Adrian said quietly.The dismissal was complete. Total.Uther's face flushed red, then darker, turning almost purple with rage. His hands clenched into fists so tight his knuckles cracked. "I am Uther!" The disciple's voice rose to a shout. "First disciple of Duncan Kardashian! C-Rank body cultivator! I am speaking to you and you will…"Adrian finally glanced over his shoulder, his eyes meeting Uther's with complete indifference. "I recently beat one of the Three Great Masters half to death," he said, his tone as casual as if discussing the weather. "

Chapter 35Duncan Kardashian was still kneeling and frozen, obviously mortified by what his disciple was insinuating.His eyes flicked to Uther, who was very confident in what he was saying about Duncan being drugged by Adrian. The certainty in Uther's voice, the almost righteous conviction with which he'd made his accusations — it turned Duncan's stomach. How could someone so thoroughly trained be so catastrophically wrong?Rage exploded through Duncan.His stupid, arrogant, foolish disciple who'd picked a fight with the most dangerous man in the region. Twenty-eight years. Twenty-eight years of molding that boy from a scrawny, wild-eyed child into a warrior worth fearing — and this was what it had come to. This room. This moment. This humiliation.Duncan crossed the room in three strides. His fist came down on Uther's face.CRACK.The sound was sharp and ugly, like green wood splitting under pressure."Master…" Uther's plea cut off as Duncan hit him again."You idiot!" Duncan's voic

Chapter 37Inside the Gwendoline estate's main hall, an uneasy silence had fallen. Kris's family—her parents Marcus and Elena, her grandmother, and the surviving family members — gathered in a tight group, speaking in hushed voices."Are we sure about this?" Marcus asked quietly, glancing toward where Adrian stood near the window, giving them space to discuss. "Duncan might have caused Father's death. We've suspected it for years. And now we're just... letting it go?""Not letting it go," Elena corrected softly. "Postponing justice. There's a difference."Kris's grandmother wheeled herself closer to the circle. "Duncan is one of the Three Great Masters. Whatever his crimes, his martial prowess is undeniable. If we pursue this now—if we demand his immediate punishment—the Gwendoline family loses a powerful potential ally.""Ally?" Marcus's voice rose slightly. "He tried to kill us tonight!""He followed orders tonight," the grandmother said firmly. "There's a difference between followi

Chapter 39Duncan's fist came down again, striking Bianca across the face. She stumbled, falling to her knees. Gina tried to rush to her mother's aid, but Duncan's backhand sent her sprawling."You think you were preserving the family?" Duncan's voice was filled with disgust. "You were pushing it into the abyss! Everything you did… every scheme, every betrayal, every act of cruelty — you were destroying what Lord Frederick spent his life building!"Bianca coughed blood onto the pristine courtyard stones. "We were... we were protecting our interests... maintaining our position...""You were serving your own greed!" Duncan shouted. "Your own hunger for power! You turned this family into a criminal organization! You made us enemies of people we should never have crossed!"Gina pushed herself up on shaking arms, her face a mask of confusion and pain. "But you helped us! For three years, you've supported everything we did! Why are you suddenly…""Because I was wrong!" Duncan's voice cracke