“ENOUGH!”
I didn’t need to turn to know who it was. Elder Xue. One of the prominent figures of the Cloud Heavens Sect, seated among the spectators as an esteemed guest. Her presence here was no coincidence.
The crowd fell silent as Elder Xue stood, her expression a mask of fury and barely concealed panic. “These are baseless accusations!” she shouted, her voice amplified by a subtle spell. “Lies meant to tarnish the name of our noble sect! This is nothing more than the ramblings of a desperate man trying to discredit his betters.”
I turned my gaze to her, my smirk widening. “Oh, Elder Xue,” I said, my tone light, almost amused. “I was wondering when you’d step in. After all, you’ve got so much at stake here, don’t you?”
Her glare was murderous, her hands clenched into fists. “You will cease this slander at once, or—”
“Or what?” I interrupted, my voice cutting through hers. “You’ll silence me? Right here, in front of everyone? Go ahead. Prove my point.”
Her lips pressed into a thin line, the weight of the crowd’s stares pressing down on her. She couldn’t act—not here, not now, with so many eyes watching.
“And let me remind you,” I continued, my voice sharp and unwavering, “I didn’t name your sect out of thin air. I’ve seen the records. I’ve seen the evidence. And if anyone doubts me…” I gestured to the audience, my smirk turning into a cold grin. “…I’m more than happy to share.”
The murmurs among the crowd grew louder, the seeds of doubt firmly planted. I could see it in their faces—the questions, the unease, the suspicion. The Cloud Heavens Sect’s reputation was crumbling, and there was nothing Elder Xue or Lira could do to stop it.
“Now,” I said, turning my gaze back to Lira, my tone ice-cold. “Do you still want to play this game, or are you ready to admit the truth?”
The tension in the arena was palpable. Lira’s face was pale, her lips pressed together in a tight line as her gaze flickered toward Elder Xue. She wasn’t going to admit it. Of course not. The truth was too damning, too destructive to her image and her sect’s already fragile facade.
I watched her carefully, my senses extending outward, attuned to the slightest change in the air. That’s when I felt it—a faint ripple, subtle yet unmistakable. Mana, raw and unrefined, drifting through the atmosphere. It wasn’t bound to any element, not fire, wind, or earth. Just pure, unadulterated mana.
I tensed, my instincts flaring as I recognized the signature.
‘Sound Transmission,’ I realized, my eyes narrowing. It was the same technique I’d used countless times with Vitaliara. The flow of raw mana, the distinct pattern it formed—it was undeniable. Someone was communicating directly with Lira, bypassing the physical realm entirely.
My gaze flickered to Elder Xue, whose expression remained calm, but I wasn’t fooled. Her fingers twitched ever so slightly, a telltale sign of subtle mana manipulation. She wasn’t speaking, but she didn’t need to. She was transmitting.
‘Heh… so that’s how you want to play it, huh?’ I thought to myself, a dark amusement bubbling within me. Elder Xue couldn’t let this stand. Now that I’d exposed the sect’s secrets—at least enough to plant the seeds of doubt—she had no choice. I had become a liability, one they couldn’t afford to leave alive.
And she was ordering Lira to take care of it.
I chuckled softly under my breath, my hand resting lightly on the hilt of my estoc. ‘Kill me now? Or at least injure me, break my momentum? Desperate times, desperate measures.’
Lira’s posture stiffened, her grip tightening on her sword as she raised her head, her eyes locking onto mine. Her hesitation was gone, replaced by something sharper, colder. A new resolve, though not her own.
‘So that’s how it is.’
The game had shifted, but it wasn’t unexpected. I had been waiting for this moment, knowing that the Cloud Heavens Sect wouldn’t let my accusations go unchallenged. Elder Xue wasn’t going to dirty her own hands—not with so many witnesses—but Lira? Lira was the perfect pawn.
“Trying to find your courage now, Lira?” I asked, my voice calm, taunting. “Or is someone else lending it to you?”
Her eyes widened for a split second, a flicker of recognition crossing her face. She knew I’d caught on. But she said nothing, her lips tightening as she lifted her blade, her mana flaring once more.
The crowd was oblivious to the undercurrent of tension, their cheers and murmurs drowning out the silent exchange taking place between us. But I could feel it—the raw, unspoken intent hanging in the air.
‘You think you can silence me here?’ I thought, my smirk widening. ‘Let me put a good show now.’
*******
The weight of Elder Xue’s command pressed down on Lira like a blade poised at her throat. She stood frozen for a heartbeat, her body trembling under the unrelenting scrutiny of Lucavion’s smirk. His words echoed in her mind, cutting deeper than she cared to admit. freёwebnoѵel.com
He knew too much.
Mistveil. The Twilight Accord. The Thornshroud Gang.
Her mind raced, frantically searching for an explanation. How does he know? The information he revealed wasn’t just damaging—it was damning. Knowledge like that wasn’t something an outsider could stumble upon. It was guarded, buried deep within the sect’s inner workings. And yet, this man, this worm, had laid it all bare.
‘This isn’t possible,’ she thought, her chest tightening. But the cold, calculating voice of Elder Xue rang in her mind once more, cutting through her panic.
“End this. Now. Leave no trace.”
Her heart sank at the unspoken weight of those words. There would be no room for hesitation, no opportunity to redeem her failure. Lucavion wasn’t just an opponent anymore; he was a threat—a threat to the sect, to its legacy, to her.
Lira’s fingers tightened around the hilt of her blade, her knuckles whitening. Her decision was made. Slowly, she reached into the folds of her robe, her movement subtle, and retrieved a small, dark pill. She bit down on it silently, feeling the bitter powder dissolve in her mouth. The forbidden energy surged through her veins like a wildfire, her core igniting with raw power.
Her breathing steadied, her focus sharpening. She straightened her posture, letting the world believe she had been holding back all along. Her body exuded an almost palpable pressure as her mana flared, crackling around her like a storm unleashed.
‘Fine,’ she thought, her gaze locking onto Lucavion. ‘If that’s what you want, then I’ll give you everything. Even if it costs me.’
Her voice rang out, loud and resolute. “I didn’t want to reveal my full strength,” she said, her tone steady and regal, meant for the crowd as much as for Lucavion. “But it seems you’ve left me no choice.”
The crowd erupted into cheers, their excitement surging at the prospect of witnessing her supposed hidden strength. They didn’t know. They didn’t need to know. All they cared about was the spectacle.
Lucavion’s smirk widened, his sharp eyes narrowing as he studied her. “Oh? Is this the part where the prodigy unveils her trump card? Let me guess—’I was only pretending to struggle’?”
She didn’t respond, channeling her energy into her blade. The forbidden pill was taking effect, enhancing her physical and mana reserves, but at a cost. Her veins burned as the potent concoction forced her body to operate far beyond its natural limits. She would pay for this later, but right now, later didn’t matter.
With a single step, she launched herself forward, her blade cutting through the air with blinding speed. Her strikes came in waves, faster and sharper than before, each infused with the heightened power coursing through her body.
“Tempest Fang!” she roared, her blade shimmering with a whirlwind of mana. The strike was followed by a cascade of techniques—Spiraling Wind’s Edge, Gale Dance Form, and Heavenly Sky Rend—each executed with precision and ferocity.
Lucavion moved.
Effortlessly.
His estoc deflected her strikes with the same maddening efficiency as before, his movements precise and minimal. He didn’t counterattack. He didn’t need to. His stance was steady, his expression calm, as if her newfound strength was nothing more than a breeze against an unyielding wall.
“That all you’ve got?” he taunted, his voice laced with mockery. “What happened to this ‘hidden strength’ of yours? Or is it just more bluster?”
Lira’s fury boiled over, her attacks growing more desperate. The forbidden pill fueled her, pushing her body to its limits, but still, she couldn’t touch him. Her strikes carved through the air, the ground beneath them trembling with the force of her blows, but every attempt was met with that infuriating estoc, deflecting her with effortless grace. Explore stories on freewebnovel
She gritted her teeth, her breath ragged. Her voice rose above the din of the crowd. “You think this is over? You think I’ll fall to someone like you?”
Lucavion’s smirk turned icy, his gaze piercing. “I don’t think you’ll fall,” he said, his voice dropping low. “I know it. Because no matter how much you take, no matter how much you steal, you’ll never understand what it means to earn strength. You’re just a hollow shell, filled with the echoes of others.”
Her vision blurred, her body trembling from the strain of the forbidden pill. She had never faced resistance like this—never faced someone who didn’t crumble before her overwhelming presence.
‘Why won’t he fall?’ she thought, despair creeping into her mind. ‘Why can’t I break through?’
It was never enough.
