"I agree! How uncivilized he is, to resort to violence as a solution to every problem! We're all respectable civilians, and should not be behaving like barbarians!""Couldn't have said it better myself! Absolutely vile! I don't understand how Celena could've fallen for such a brute! Isn't she at all afraid he would lay hands on her someday?""Mr. Hyde is such a gentleman! Look at the way he's gazing at Celena! How soft and tender! I don't know what's gotten into Celena. Any sane person would know who to choose!"These murmurs and chatters revolved around the pair of men, but they were all unequivocally rooting for Kendrick. The women, in particular, seemed exceptionally impressed by Kendrick's display of courtesy and kept gazing at him, awestruck.Celena, on the other hand, did not know what to make of this situation. Nevertheless, Kendrick's plan had worked, for his gracious attitude had made Liam look absolutely barbaric in comparison, and this infuriated Celena greatly.She tur
The plane took off and soared through the sky, making its way to the Pendragon War Zone. Three hours passed when Liam finally touched down at the war zone. The moment the plane landed, Liam's phone rang. He frowned when he saw the long chain of numbers—an encrypted burner phone—but picked up without hesitation. A robotic voice said from the other end of the line, "Your Majesty, the King Pendragon! You're finally back at the Pendragon War Zone! What a long time it's been, my friend!"Liam frowned at this and asked curtly, "Who are you?"The voice sneered, "I won't blame you for forgetting, sir. After all, you are a busy, busy man with many things on your mind! I would be truly shocked if you had managed to remember a nobody like me. However, I'm fairly certain that you have not forgotten about your trusty aide, Calum Chanter?"Liam snarled, "I don't care who you are, but I'm warning you, if you dare to harm so much as a hair on Calum's head, I will follow you to the four corners of
Dressed in her sharp dark green uniform, the golden star on her shoulder gleamed brilliantly in the light.The young female officer, full of vigor and poise, was one of Liam's trusted subordinates, and she had risen to the rank of major general."Major Black Rose, reporting for duty, sir!" she announced.Then, the twenty-plus officers lined up behind her snapped to attention and saluted, their voices in unison, "Sir, welcome back!"Black Rose could not hide her excitement at Liam's return. "Sir, it's so good to have you back. We've all missed you."She thought to herself, with a hint of longing, 'I've missed you too.' However, those were words she would never dare to speak aloud.Black Rose was no ordinary soldier, despite being a woman, she was as formidable as a legendary warrior. She was Liam's right hand, not counting the Chanter brothers.While the Chanters took charge of the battlefield, Black Rose was the mastermind behind the logistics of the Pendragon War Zone.In esse
Black Rose's plea set off a wave of concern among the Pendragon War Zone's top brass standing behind her. "She's right, sir. It's a trap, plain and simple. If you walk into it solo, you're playing right into their hands.""Take a squad with you, sir!""They're vile, sir, baiting you to Nexus Town so they can snatch you and twist Biskeland's arm!""Sir, think it through. Major Black Rose has a point. Bring a team to Nexus Town. It's the only way.""Absolutely, sir! Nexus Town is a tangled web of factions. As a neutral haven, it's way too risky for you to head there solo!" The room erupted with voices, each face etched with worry.Black Rose's eyes mirrored her growing concern as she absorbed the flurry of suggestions. She implored, "Sir, venturing to Nexus Town alone is a perilous gamble! If Calum found out, he'd never stand for it!"Liam offered a reassuring smile to his anxious comrades and shook his head. "No need for alarm, my friends. With Calum in their clutches, I can't jus
Henceforth, the name King Pendragon resonated through every corner of Nexus Town.Meanwhile, a mere ten miles to the south of Nexus Town, nestled in the heart of Grand Pendragon Hill, lay a hidden military bastion. Tucked away in a valley and shrouded by towering woods, the base's complex terrain rendered it invisible from above.A squad of fully armed guards stood watch at the stronghold's gates, which concealed a formidable prison within its walls.Within that prison laid a man, battered and bruised, languished in chains. His limbs were shackled with iron so heavy, each link weighed more than a hundred pounds.Surrounding the prison, a hundred more soldiers with weapons at the ready stood vigilant, all to keep a single man, Calum, under lock and key.Calum sat on the cold ground, gasping for air, his blood staining the floor, his uniform in tatters.Despite the relentless torture at the hands of his captors, they had spared his life—for reasons Calum understood all too well.W
Another general piped up, "Exactly! What's the commander-in-chief of Pendragon against us? Our combined armies, a formidable force of one hundred and fifty thousand, have been battle-ready for ages!""And with us three marshals and eight God of War titans, even if he had the prowess of a mythical creature, he's not walking away from this one!"Their laughter boomed, filling the hollows of the hill with chilling echoes.Meanwhile, Liam, on his way to Grand Pendragon Hill, was blissfully unaware of the storm brewing ahead. He had no clue that the nations nestled within Grand Pendragon Hill's borders had already crafted a deadly welcome just for him.The three border nations had never before united like that–three top generals, eight warriors of legendary might, and a massive army of 150,000 soldiers – all to take down one man: Liam.It was unprecedented, that massive mobilization against a single elite fighter. However, Liam was not just any fighter, he was a force of nature, a thre
Liam noticed the two officers before him, their eyes red with emotion. Smiling, he stepped forward, gave each of them a reassuring pat on the shoulder, and smiled again without saying a word.An officer inhaled deeply, steadying his racing pulse, and cast a puzzled look at Liam's travel-worn figure. "Sir, what's going on? It's late, and you seem in a rush. Where are you headed?"Liam's gaze shifted toward Nexus Town, shrouded in the night's embrace. The trace of a smile vanished from his face, replaced by a sharp glint in his eyes."I'm off to Grand Pendragon Hill in Nexus Town!"The words hung in the air, leaving everyone around him momentarily speechless.The officer in charge, his face etched with concern, pressed, "Sir, are you planning to go alone?""Yes," Liam answered.The officer's worry deepened at the response. "Sir, Nexus Town is a dangerous place right now. Spies from the five neighboring nations have been crawling all over the town. It's far too risky for you to go
Another officer, his face etched with concern, stared in the direction of Liam's vanishing car. "We've got to trust him. It's just Nexus Town we're talking about. He's come back from far more dangerous places without a scratch!""Exactly! Now, let's get back to our stations and keep watch. Sir made it clear—we've got to secure the fort!"With that, the officers exchanged a knowing look and snapped back to their stern expressions."Yes, sir!"The soldiers saluted sharply and hurried back to their posts.Meanwhile, Liam's car had cleared the border checkpoint. Normally, it would be a twenty-minute drive to Nexus Town from the Pendragon border. However, Liam veered off about five miles down the road, taking a rough, winding path at a fork. His car darted along the forested mountain trails, and in under ten minutes, he reached a secluded valley just outside Nexus Town.Nestled about a mile from Nexus Town, the valley lay shrouded in thick woods, alive with the symphony of wildlife an
Meanwhile, Celena and the group were taken out of the hotel and shoved forcefully into a couple of jeeps waiting at the entrance. They were whisked away to a nearby military base. Before they could even get their bearings straight, they found themselves being tossed into holding cells. Celena, on the other hand, was taken separately to a small, dark room, illuminated only by the barest sliver of light that peeped in through a tiny window. The room was entirely empty, save for a metal bed frame. A sour stench hung in the air, and it was clear this room had been abandoned for a very long time. A soldier shoved Celena roughly into the room, and before she could realize what was happening, the soldier slammed the door shut.The soldier had pushed Celena so hard that she fell onto the ground, but upon seeing that her captor was about to leave, she leaped to her feet and sprinted over to the door. "Sir, can you tell me what I did wrong? Can you please have mercy on me? Can you at least
Tristan seemed just as baffled as they were. He returned their puzzled gazes with an equally perplexed one of his own. "I… I have no idea…"The general glanced sharply in their direction, then gestured to his soldiers and declared sternly, "Take them away!"His soldiers obliged and stepped forward to restrain the members of the Drunham City Connoisseurs, who all shrieked in alarm, "Why are you taking us away?""General, what did we do wrong? We didn't do anything illegal, so why are you arresting us?""Mr. Xander, save us! They've got this all wrong!""What's going on here? Why are they arresting only us?"Celena's entire body was shaking like a leaf. She eyed the soldiers around her and asked, stammering, "General, what did we do wrong? Why are we being captured? Where are you taking us?"Tristan, stricken with panic, shoved a soldier aside and shouted at the general, "General, I'm the president of the Drunham City Connoisseurs, and I want to know why we're being taken away. Wh
Celena was utterly terrified by the sudden turn of events. She stared pale-faced at the soldiers around her, not daring to move even a muscle. What was going on?All of a sudden, a man in a uniform stepped into the room. The badge on his shoulder indicated to everyone that he was a general. The heavy thumping of his boots echoed through the silent room with every step he took. All eyes were on him as he stepped onto the stage.He carried himself with great authority, and clearly, this man was not one to be messed with. He scanned the room as if searching for someone. Finally, he announced in a deep, resounding voice, "Do not fear, ladies and gentlemen. We are here on a routine check after receiving a tip-off regarding your conference. We will release you all once we have carried out our investigation, and the process will be quicker and smoother if you all cooperate. "Now, I would kindly request you get your documentation ready so that my men may confirm your identity."Everyone
Derek nodded earnestly and replied, "Of course it's true. My sources have never failed me. I wouldn't have trusted you with this information if I didn't think you'd be interested."Celena stared at him for a moment, then turned to glance in the direction of the people he had pointed. She could not help but be tempted by the offer. She considered this for a few moments, then accepted his offer. "Alright then, Mr. Duncan. I'll go with you. Thank you for inviting me."The smile on Derek's face widened. He could hardly believe his luck—Celena had agreed to go with him! Taking that first step was always the hardest, but he had done it!Unbeknownst to Celena, Derek already knew her long before their first meeting at the conference. Her name was known far and wide in Drunham City, not least because of her beauty, but because of her—in the eyes of the public—tragic marriage. Celena had earned herself a reputation as one of the most beautiful women Drunham City had ever seen, and although
The attention they received, however, was large due to Celena and her young, handsome companion, who was a man named Derek Duncan. Their attractive looks, both individually and combined, were easily the topic of discussion that night. Everyone who laid eyes on them admired both their good looks and brains, for certainly only the cream of the crop were allowed to attend this prestigious event. What made this feat even more impressive was the fact that they were both so young!Aside from her beauty, Celena's name was already known far and wide in the business world, not just because of her strong leadership but due to her association with Liam and her company's connections with many international corporations. She had started her business from scratch, but within a few short months, she had single handedly built it up to become one of the top ten grossing companies in Drunham City.There were hundreds of people gathered there tonight, and their seats had been allocated according to t
The moment Clifford left, Kastor turned to Liam with a wide grin, all hint of his hostility now gone. "Mr. Cole, thank God I arrived just in time."He raised his brows as he said this, and Liam took this to mean he was trying to claim credit. Truth be told, he would have been able to handle things on his own even without Kastor's help, but he decided this was a detail Kastor did not need to know. Instead, he returned Kastor's smile graciously. Kastor, like a child, burst into laughter at this. No further words were exchanged, but they understood the message nonetheless.Jeffrey also grinned. "Kastor, what brings you here all of a sudden?"Kastor replied, "Ah, you might not know this, Mr. Stein, but I actually own this very restaurant that you're sitting in right now. One of my employees called me for help, citing that a brawl was about to break out, so I rushed over immediately. I had no idea it would turn out to be you and Mr. Cole!""Ah, what a pleasant surprise, then!" Jeffrey
Clifford scowled upon hearing this. He cracked his knuckles menacingly as he stared at Kastor through narrowed eyes.Kastor did not seem at all intimidated by this. Instead, he brushed past him and approached Liam, smiling. "Mr. Cole, I apologize for the delay. I rushed over as soon as I heard the news, but I was late anyway. I'm so sorry for the wait."Liam's expression eased up slightly. He tugged the corners of his mouth into a strained smile but did not reply. Clifford's expression turned even more sour when he sensed Kastor's tone. He asked sharply, "What is the meaning of this, Kastor? Are you intent on making me your enemy?"Clifford's reputation was known far and wide, and many feared him, but Kastor was not one of them. He shot Clifford a look of utmost disdain and replied, smirking, "Yes, Clifford, that's exactly what I'm going to do. So what if we will be enemies from now on? What are you going to do about it?"He was confident that Clifford would not dare to retaliate
One of the muscle-bound goons stowed his submachine gun and drew a hefty machete, nearly a foot long, from his side. He advanced on Liam with deliberate steps.Calum and Cirocco were poised for a fight, ready to jump in at Liam's command and wipe out the roomful of petty thugs.However, Liam had other plans. He remained seated, an unfazed smirk playing on his lips, watching the approaching thug with the machete.The thug, mistaking Liam's calm for fear, grinned viciously and raised his machete, aiming for Liam's arm.However, in a flash, the scene changed.A figure hurtled through the air, and with a resounding crash, the thug was sent flying into the wine rack. The rack toppled, bottles shattering, their contents spilling and perfuming the air with the scent of alcohol.The thug hit the ground, blood spurting from his mouth, his eyes wide with shock. He lay there, lifeless, staring at Liam, dead before he hit the floor.The room plunged into a deathly hush.Corie clapped a h
Corie was also shaken, her fists clenched tight under the table as she watched Liam with wide, fearful eyes, barely managing to whisper, "Liam!"Liam stood there, steady as ice, without a trace of fear. "Don't worry, I've got this," he assured.Corie, seeing Liam's calm dismissal of the threat and recalling his proven strength, felt her fear ebb away.She could not explain it, but she had an unwavering faith in Liam.Across from them, Clifford lounged back, his legs thrown carelessly over the table, his gaze dripping with disdain. "You don't know who you're messing with, do you?" he sneered. "Karpos works for me, Clifford. And yet, you've got the gall to attack my men in broad daylight? You're in over your head!"Jeffrey was about to chime in, but one look at Liam's icy demeanor and he thought better of it, choosing instead to watch the scene unfold in silence.He was curious to see just how Liam would handle that.Liam chuckled, a sound as cold as the winter wind, and fixed Cli