Rise of The Abandoned Husband

Bert Mercer studied me with the calculated gaze of a predator sizing up prey. His unremarkable appearance belied the deadly aura he exuded—one I could sense with crystal clarity.

"Bold words from a man without his Martial Saint Weapon," he taunted, his voice carrying just enough for the remaining patrons to hear. "The Guild knows you lost it during your escape. Without it, you're just another pretender."

I leaned against the bar, deliberately casual. "Is that what they told you? That I need a weapon to be dangerous?"

"I've seen the reports. Your power spikes came after acquiring the weapon." He stepped closer, lowering his voice. "But I'm not here to debate. Ms. Hayward wants you brought in—alive preferably, but she'll understand if accidents happen."

"This bar seems like an inappropriate place for our discussion," I said, glancing at the nervous patrons. "Too many innocent bystanders."

Mercer's lips curled into a thin smile. "How considerate. Very well, name the place."

"There's an abandoned factory two blocks east. Plenty of space, no civilians."

"After you," he gestured toward the door.

I turned to Tyler and Daphne, who both wore expressions of stunned disbelief. "I'd advise staying clear of what's about to happen."

"Are you insane?" Daphne hissed. "He's the Unseen Blade!"

"And I'm Liam Knight," I replied simply, before walking toward the exit.

I felt rather than saw Mercer's attack coming—a subtle shift in air pressure as he reached for a concealed blade. Without turning, I sidestepped, the knife whisking past my ear by millimeters.

"Impatient," I commented, finally turning to face him. "I thought we agreed on the factory."

Mercer's eyes widened slightly—the first genuine emotion I'd seen from him. "Interesting reflexes."

"You have no idea," I replied.

We exited the bar, maintaining a careful distance from each other. As we walked, I noticed Tyler and Daphne following discreetly behind us. So much for staying clear.

The abandoned factory loomed ahead, its broken windows like empty eye sockets in the fading light. I pushed through the rusted doors into a vast space filled with obsolete machinery and shadowed corners.

"Far enough," Mercer announced, reaching behind his back to pull out what appeared to be a small crossbow. "Do you know why they call me the Unseen Blade?"

"Because you're unremarkable and forgettable?" I suggested.

His eye twitched. "Because my targets never see the attack that kills them."

The crossbow in his hand suddenly pulsed with power, transforming into an ornate weapon that glowed with eerie blue light. This was his Martial Saint Weapon—not as powerful as Jackson's spear or Broderick's sword, but deadly in the hands of an assassin of his caliber.

"Impressive toy," I commented, making no move to draw a weapon of my own.

"You're unarmed?" He looked genuinely surprised.

"I'm never unarmed," I replied.

Mercer's expression hardened. Without warning, he fired. The bolt that shot from his crossbow wasn't physical but a concentrated beam of energy that moved faster than most eyes could track.

But not faster than mine.

I raised my hand and caught the bolt, the energy sizzling against my palm before I crushed it.

"Impossible," Mercer whispered.

"Is that all you've got?" I asked, enjoying the look of bewilderment on his face.

His response was to fire three more bolts in rapid succession. I dodged the first two with minimal movement and punched through the third, the impact sending a shockwave that rattled the factory windows.

"What are you?" he demanded, backing away.

"The man who's going to dismantle the Guild, piece by piece," I answered calmly.

From the shadows near the entrance, I heard a sharp intake of breath—Daphne or Tyler, witnessing what should have been impossible.

Mercer's face contorted with rage. He leveled his crossbow and channeled a massive amount of energy into it. The weapon hummed dangerously, glowing brighter until it was painful to look at directly.

"Terminus Blast!" he shouted, releasing a beam of concentrated energy that could punch through reinforced steel.

I didn't move. Instead, I waited until the last possible moment and struck the beam with my fist. The collision created a thunderous explosion that blew out every remaining window in the factory and collapsed part of the roof. Dust and debris rained down around us.

When the air cleared, I stood unharmed in a circle of destroyed concrete. Mercer stared, his composure cracking.

"My Terminus Blast has penetrated military bunkers," he said, disbelief evident in his voice.

"I'm not a bunker," I replied.

His eyes narrowed to slits. "Then let's see how you handle this. Hundred-Lighted Slash!"

Mercer's crossbow transformed again, sprouting additional barrels that rotated with blinding speed. From each barrel erupted dozens of small orbs of destructive energy, filling the air around me with hundreds of deadly projectiles.

I stood my ground as the orbs converged on my position. This was a technique designed to overwhelm even the most skilled defenders—there were simply too many attacks coming from too many angles to block or dodge them all.

Unless you were me.

My body began to emit a golden glow as my Saintly Body Skill activated. Each orb that struck me exploded on contact, creating a storm of light and sound that engulfed my form completely.

For thirty seconds, the barrage continued, reducing everything within a twenty-foot radius to rubble. When the attack finally ceased, a cloud of dust and smoke obscured the impact zone.

"No one survives the Hundred-Lighted Slash," Mercer declared, though uncertainty tinged his voice.

"First time for everything," I replied as I stepped out of the smoke, completely unharmed. The golden light around my body pulsed with power.

Behind Mercer, I could see Daphne and Tyler watching from behind a fallen pillar, their faces masks of astonishment.

"What are you?" Mercer demanded again, this time with a hint of fear.

"I told you—I'm the man who's going to take down the Guild." I stretched casually. "You know, for the Guild's premier assassin, you're remarkably ineffective. Do you want to keep trying, or shall we end this farce?"

His face contorted with fury. "You arrogant bastard! You think you're invincible? Let's see how you handle my ultimate technique!"

Mercer slammed his palm against his crossbow, which began to absorb his life essence. His skin paled and veins bulged across his face as he channeled everything he had into one final attack.

The crossbow transformed once more, becoming a pulsating orb of pure destructive energy that grew until it was the size of a car. The air crackled with power, and the remaining structure of the factory groaned under the pressure.

"This will annihilate everything within half a mile!" Mercer screamed, his voice distorted by the strain. "If you're so powerful, try to stop this!"

He launched the massive orb toward me. It moved slower than his previous attacks due to its size, but the destructive potential was undeniable. If it detonated here, it would level several city blocks.

I stood calmly as the orb approached, watching its trajectory with mild interest.

"Liam, run!" I heard Daphne shout from her hiding spot.

Instead of running, I smiled. This was exactly what I'd been waiting for—a chance to demonstrate a fraction of my true power. To send a message not just to Mercer, but to his masters watching through his eyes.

As the massive orb of energy rushed toward me, I raised my hand. "Divine devouring skill!"

The words echoed through the ruined factory with strange resonance. I opened my mouth wider than humanly possible and inhaled sharply. The orb of energy, which had been speeding toward me, suddenly changed course. It spiraled through the air as if caught in an invisible vortex, funneling directly toward my open mouth.

Mercer's eyes bulged in horror. "No! That's impossible!"

The enormous orb of energy, compressed by forces beyond normal understanding, streamed into my mouth in a brilliant display of light. I swallowed it whole, my body momentarily glowing from within as the power was absorbed.

Silence fell over the destroyed factory. Mercer staggered backward, his face drained of all color. Behind him, Daphne and Tyler emerged from their hiding spot, their expressions frozen in stunned disbelief.

"What... what are you?" Mercer whispered for the third time, his voice barely audible.

I wiped my mouth casually and smiled. "Hungry."

The ground beneath my feet had cracked from the pressure of the devouring technique, spreading outward in a spider-web pattern. Small pieces of debris floated momentarily in the air before falling back to earth, as if gravity itself had been briefly suspended.

"Impossible," Daphne breathed from where she stood. "No one can devour pure energy like that. It's..."

"Godlike," Tyler finished, his voice hollow with awe.

Mercer fell to his knees, his crossbow clattering to the ground beside him. The weapon had reverted to its mundane form, drained of all power. "The reports... they were wrong. You're not human."

I walked toward him slowly, deliberately, the golden glow still emanating from my skin. With each step, the concrete beneath my feet cracked a little more, unable to withstand the pressure of my aura.

"Tell Hayward something for me," I said, towering over his kneeling form. "Tell her that her Guild has taken something precious from me. And I'm coming to take it back."

I reached down and picked up his crossbow, examining it briefly before crushing it in my hand. The metal and wood splintered like dry twigs.

"This is just the beginning," I continued, letting the fragments fall to the ground. "Every weapon they send, every assassin they dispatch, will only make me stronger. And when I finally come for them, there won't be enough left of the Guild to fill a thimble."

Mercer's face had gone from pale to ashen. "The Guild Masters... they need to know..."

"They'll know soon enough," I replied, turning my back on him dismissively. "Now go. You've delivered your message, and I've delivered mine."

As I walked away, I could feel three pairs of eyes boring into my back—Mercer's filled with terror, Daphne's with fascination, and Tyler's with calculation. Each would carry tales of what they'd witnessed here today, spreading my legend further than any official challenge could.

By tomorrow, everyone in Veridia City would know that Liam Knight had devoured an attack that could level city blocks. They would know that the Guild's feared assassin had been rendered powerless before me.

And most importantly, the Guild Masters would know that I was coming for them.

One step closer to Isabelle. One step closer to tearing down the heavens.