The Amnesiac Sovereign

Chapter 3: The Sovereign's First Strike

The steel baton came crashing toward Ethan's head.

Fast.

Far faster than any ordinary person could react.

Yet in Ethan's eyes...

It looked slow.

Painfully slow.

The strange voice inside his soul echoed once more.

"An opening."

Without thinking, Ethan tilted his head.

WHOOSH!

The baton sliced through empty air.

The attacker stumbled forward.

His eyes widened.

"What?!"

Before the man could recover, Ethan instinctively stepped sideways and struck the man's wrist.

CRACK!

The sound of breaking bone echoed through the street.

The baton fell.

The attacker screamed.

"Aaaah!"

Everyone froze.

Even Ethan.

He stared at his own hand.

He hadn't used brute strength.

The strike had been simple.

Precise.

Perfect.

As though he had practiced it millions of times.

The leader's expression darkened.

"Don't stand there!"

"Get him!"

The remaining attackers charged together.

Five men.

Six.

Seven.

All rushing forward at once.

Ethan's heartbeat accelerated.

Not from fear.

From excitement.

An unfamiliar excitement.

The feeling of battle.

The feeling of being alive.

Another fragment of memory surfaced.

A battlefield stretching across the stars.

Countless enemies.

Countless victories.

The sensation vanished.

But the instincts remained.

The first attacker threw a punch.

Ethan stepped aside.

The second swung a knife.

Ethan grabbed the attacker's wrist and redirected the blade.

SLASH!

The knife cut across another attacker's arm.

Chaos erupted.

The attackers crashed into one another.

Curses filled the air.

Before they could regain their footing—

Ethan moved.

One strike.

One kick.

One elbow.

Each attack landed exactly where it needed to.

A knee shattered.

A shoulder dislocated.

A jaw cracked.

Within seconds—

Every attacker was lying on the ground.

Groaning.

Bleeding.

Unable to stand.

Silence filled the street.

Rain continued falling.

The leader stared in disbelief.

Impossible.

This was the same Ethan Carter they had investigated.

The useless live-in son-in-law.

The man everyone called trash.

How could he fight like this?

"You..."

The leader took a step back.

Ethan slowly raised his head.

His eyes seemed different now.

Calmer.

Colder.

More dangerous.

For a brief moment, the leader felt as though he wasn't facing a human.

But an ancient predator.

"Who sent you?" Ethan asked.

The leader hesitated.

Ethan took a step forward.

The pressure in the air intensified.

"Who."

Sent.

You."

The leader swallowed nervously.

"Young Master King."

Ethan frowned.

The name meant nothing to him.

Luna spoke quietly from behind.

"Lucas King."

"The heir of the King Corporation."

Ethan glanced at her.

"Why would he target me?"

The leader laughed nervously.

"You really don't know?"

"Know what?"

The leader pointed toward downtown.

"Your ex-wife."

"Olivia Carter."

"She's been seeing Young Master King for almost a year."

Ethan's expression remained unchanged.

The leader blinked.

No anger?

No jealousy?

Nothing?

What kind of reaction was that?

"He planned to marry her after the divorce."

"And he wanted to make sure you disappeared completely."

Ethan nodded.

"I see."

The leader sighed in relief.

Good.

At least the lunatic wasn't angry.

Then Ethan spoke again.

"Take me to him."

The leader's smile disappeared.

"W-What?"

"Take me to Lucas King."

The leader looked horrified.

Was this man insane?

That was Lucas King.

One of the most powerful young men in the city.

His family controlled billions.

His connections stretched everywhere.

Even major officials treated him respectfully.

And this former son-in-law wanted to confront him?

"You should just run," the leader said.

"Far away."

Ethan smiled faintly.

For the first time.

It wasn't a warm smile.

It was the smile of someone who had once stood above the world.

"I've spent five years running."

"I think that's enough."

The leader shivered.

Before he could respond—

Luna suddenly looked toward the sky.

Her expression changed instantly.

Fear.

Urgency.

Shock.

"Ethan."

"What is it?"

"We need to leave."

"Now."

A powerful gust of wind swept through the street.

Dark clouds churned violently overhead.

The temperature dropped.

Every instinct in Ethan's body screamed danger.

Luna's face turned pale.

"They found us."

The moment she spoke—

The sky split apart.

BOOM!

A black lightning bolt crashed down from the heavens.

The road exploded.

Concrete shattered.

Smoke billowed everywhere.

The attackers screamed and scattered.

Ethan shielded his face from the shockwave.

When the smoke cleared—

A figure stood in the center of the crater.

A man dressed in black robes.

His face hidden behind a silver mask.

Black energy twisted around his body like living shadows.

The pressure he released was terrifying.

The surrounding air itself seemed to tremble.

The masked man slowly lifted his head.

His gaze locked onto Ethan.

Then he spoke.

"After five years..."

"We finally found the Sovereign."

Ethan's pupils contracted.

The Sovereign.

That title again.

The masked man raised his hand.

Dark energy gathered around his fingertips.

Luna stepped in front of Ethan immediately.

Her voice trembled.

"Run!"

But the masked man laughed.

A cold, merciless laugh.

"Run?"

"Neither of you are leaving tonight."

Behind him—

Three more masked figures descended from the sky.

Each radiating terrifying power.

And all four of them were staring directly at Ethan.

Like hunters who had finally found their prey.