“Head Commander Lewis Brown has arrived. He seeks an audience with Lady Rose of the Lawrence family.”The moment those words rang out, three men in sharp military uniforms walked into the grand hall. Their boots clicked against the marble floor with each step. Lewis Brown led the way while his two men followed close behind him. Both servants gripped golden boxes in their hands, the metal catching the light from the chandeliers above.Every person in that room couldn't help themselves but turned to look. Heads nodded with respect when they saw the head commander's uniform. Most of them had expected this moment to come. After all, Lady Rose was bringing something special to the table tonight. A woman like her deserved attention from the highest ranks in the military.Lewis walked toward the platform with his chest pushed out and shoulders pulled back. Pride practically rolled off him in waves. Everyone could see he knew exactly how important he was in this room full of people. His unifo

At that moment every person in that room locked their eyes on Rose. The air felt thick with waiting. What was she going to say? The answer seemed so obvious it wasn't even worth thinking about. A King of War stood ready to marry her. Why would anyone pick differently?Before Rose could open her mouth, Alex's voice cut through the silence.“Rose, what we had was real love. You know that. Even Grandfather Lawrence knew it too. He saw something special between us and gave us his blessing to get married. It didn't matter that I had no money or power or fancy title. He looked past all of that because he saw what really mattered between the two of us.”Then Alex paused and took a breath. His eyes never left Rose's face.“I left for years. I just found out we have a daughter together. You have every single right to be angry with me. I understand that. But I need to tell you something true right now. Picking any one of these military men would be the biggest mistake of your life. There is not

Alex's shocking words hit everyone like a thunderbolt. People stared at him with their mouths hanging open. They couldn't believe what they had just heard. Alex wasn't just claiming to be awakened - he was saying he had moved beyond the Warrior Realm completely. That would put him at Grandmaster level, the same rank that most Kings of War held.Lewis felt his patience snap like a broken rope. He couldn't listen to this nonsense for one more second.“How about you stop talking and prove you're not just some regular nobody!”Immediately Lewis raised his hands and released his magic power into the center of the hall. The entire building started shaking like an earthquake was hitting it. People grabbed onto chairs and each other to keep from falling over.A massive golden bell materialized in the middle of the room with a loud crash. The metal gleamed under the chandelier lights. Right in the center of the bell, a number appeared in bold black ink."Eight."At that moment the crowd erupte

Immediately without anyone time Lewis rushed forward on shaking legs to get a closer look at what had just happened. His mind couldn't process what his eyes had seen. There was absolutely no way Alex should have been able to destroy that golden bell with just his bare fist. Especially not after Henry King had secretly made it five times stronger than normal.Lewis tried to calculate in his head what kind of power it would take to completely shatter a bell with that much magical energy flowing through it. And to do it with a single punch using no weapons or spells. The numbers didn't make sense to him. That level of strength was completely off any chart he knew about.“I told you I passed beyond the Warrior Realm a long time ago.”Alex brushed the golden dust off his knuckles and started walking back toward the platform like nothing unusual had happened.Master Lawrence and Mrs. Lawrence stood frozen in place, staring at the scattered pieces of metal on the floor. Their minds struggled

The moment Rose heard the emergency announcement echo through the city hall, she was already sprinting toward the entrance at full speed. Her heart pounded with terror as she shouted over her shoulder that her daughter was somewhere in the Cliff Area - the exact location the voice had mentioned was under demon attack.Everyone in the hall immediately followed behind her. Military officers, awakeners, and civilians all rushed toward the exits in a chaotic stampede. The formal gathering was completely forgotten as people pushed past each other to get outside.However Alex didn't follow the crowd through the main entrance. Instead, he slipped out through a different exit on the opposite side of the building. His face was grim with determination. This wasn't just about Rose's daughter anymore. That little girl was his daughter too, and there was no way he was going to let some demon hurt his own child.Within minutes, everyone who had been at the hall was racing through the city streets t