"It's been in my family for generations. I'm not sure who the original maker was," Liam replied with an easy smile.Prince Faber's skepticism was palpable, but that hardly mattered. His eyes were set on the dagger then, a covetous glint in his gaze.Most folks were oblivious to the fact that weapons were categorized by quality.There were five tiers for bladed arms: green for the common, blue for the superior, purple for the exceptional, orange for the rare, and gold for the legendary.Green-tier weapons were a dime a dozen, available to any commoner. Blue-tier weapons were a notch above the standard output of most forges.The purple-tier, however, was where true power began, crafted only by the hands of select few master smiths, and even then, in limited numbers.Orange-tier weapons were a rarity, crafted only by the most skilled of weapon smiths.Golden weapons, on the other hand, were the weapons of gods, whispered about in hushed tones but never seen by mortal eyes.In Liam
At Black Rose's ecstatic cry, the Pendragon soldiers went wild."Our commander! Our commander has triumphed!""Mighty is our commander!!""Long live King Pendragon!!""King Pendragon!!"In a heartbeat, thousands of Pendragon Warriors were cheering, their hands waving frantically in the air.The followers of Prince Faber, on the other hand, had their faces contorted with dismay.They just could not wrap their heads around it—their fearless leader, defeated by Liam.In the building ahead, Liam was a mess of cuts and bruises, his bloodied quintuple-edged dagger dripping a steady rhythm of red onto the floor.Prince Faber, sprawled among the rubble, was in even worse shape. Blood bubbled from his lips with every breath, his body a canvas of gashes from the unusual dagger.A chill hung around Liam as he approached the fallen Prince Faber, his gaze icy as he looked down on Faber's battered form."You had every right to come after me, Prince Faber," Liam's voice cut through the sil
Prince Faber, with a complicated look in his eyes, gave a bitter laugh and said, "Liam, I've got to hand it to you, you're incredibly strong. To have such might at your age. However, you're a Cole, so it's not that shocking."However, don't get too ahead of yourself, Liam. There are forces in this world that the average person doesn't even know exist. To those entities, what you consider strong is just the starting line."His words were heavy with implication.When Prince Faber brought up the Cole family, a chill swept through Liam's eyes, and he asked icily, "What are you getting at? Or do you know something I don't?"With a smirk, Prince Faber responded, "Liam, you might not yet know the secrets of your own lineage, do you?""Lineage?"Liam's expression tightened as he pressed, "What are you talking about? What lineage?"Prince Faber leaned in with a sly twinkle in his eye. "I've dug up some dirt on where you come from, including the real scoop on why the Cole family got wiped
The Arcane Manuscript.Why was that millennia-old mysterious manuscript connected to the Coles?What was the true nature of the bond between the Cole family and the Four Ancient Families?Questions piled upon questions in Liam's troubled mind.Watching Liam's puzzled expression, Prince Faber chuckled with a trace of mockery. "Liam, it's clear you're in the dark about all this. I've told you what I can. If you're seeking more answers, the Grand Pendragon Department's Four Elders might enlighten you."Hearing that, Liam fixed Prince Faber with an icy stare. Prince Faber's face was etched with a mocking grin. Without another word, Liam turned on his heel and strode out of the war zone's headquarters.He was not naive. Despite what Prince Faber had shared, Liam had not missed the gleam of malice and delight in misfortune that flickered in his eyes.Prince Faber had warned him: he knew far too little about the Cole family's downfall and Liam's ties to the Four Ancient Families. So
"King Pendragon, if you're looking for the Four Elders, why don't you head inside to wait for them."Liam pondered for a moment with a frown. Then, he shook his head and said, "It's alright. I'll just stand here and wait for them."Liam turned around and walked to the Jeep. Leaning against the car door, he grabbed a cigarette from his pocket and lit it before he took a deep puff. Nobody knew what he was looking at through the smoke.He smoked cigarettes after cigarettes as time ticked by. He just kept thinking about the Arcane Manuscript and the things Prince Faber said.About an hour later, the guard suddenly called out, "King Pendragon, the Four Elders are back."Immediately after that, the Four Elders' car stopped right at the entrance of the Grand Pendragon Department. The guard quickly went up to the car, opening the door respectfully.The first person who came out was the first elder, Timothy. He was then followed by the other three elders.Once they saw Liam, they were al
After a while, Timothy looked at Liam with a serious look and asked in a deep voice, "What do you want to ask?""The Arcane Manuscript and the mystery of my identity," Liam replied.Timothy was stunned. He simply looked at Liam in a daze with his eyes filled with shock.The other three elders gasped and looked shocked. Then, the four of them looked at each other and came to a certain kind of consensus.Timothy quickly regained his senses. With a smile, he asked, "What are you talking about?"Geoffrey quickly smiled, but there was a hint of nervousness in his voice as he said, "Why are you talking about all these things that we have no clue about."Before Jim and Michael say anything, Liam beat them to the punch and said, "Like I said, you know my character. Since I've asked, it means I already know something about it. I must get the answer today. I hope you don't lie to me."Liam meant business as he said that, and he looked right at Timothy's eyes.After a while, it was Timoth
"Are you talking about the Great General of the Army?" Liam asked.Timothy nodded and replied, "That's right. He's your grandfather—Archie Cole."Liam was stunned. He was utterly shocked.He never would have thought that his grandfather was the Great General of the Army!Everyone in Biskeland knew the Great General of the Army. He was a big hero who helped found the nation and made countless contributions.He spent his whole life on battlefields and was highly decorated. He was also given the title of the only Great General of the Army of the past decade, one who led a million soldiers.The people only knew his title. They did not know his real name.After that, some major incidents happened. After the commotion, the title of Great General of the Army became taboo in Biskeland. Nobody was allowed to mention it.Someone was given the death penalty because he mentioned the Great General of the Army. Because of that, nobody had the guts to mention the famous hero anymore.What
Timothy seemed to have gotten lost in his thoughts, thinking about the times back then. His tone was filled with rage and pity as he spoke.Confused, Liam asked, "The king back then threw the Great General of the Army into jail without even having an investigation?"Timothy nodded and added, "That's right. Once the order was given, all the government officials in Biskeland came together and pleaded for the Great General of the Army. However, all those people were targeted by the Four Ancient Families."All the government officials who pleaded for mercy at the door of the main hall in the Crystal Elegance Palace were ordered to be shot dead that night. All of that was the Four Ancient Families' doing. All the tiles at the entrance of the main hall were stained with blood at that time. It took a month for the bloodstain to vanish."Meanwhile, the Great General of the Army, who was thrown into jail, disappeared that night. Nobody knew where he went. Nobody knew if he was dead or alive
The new plan was a hit; every assassin in the room was on board.One of them, posing as a bellhop, stood at Liam's door, ready to knock.However, he never saw it coming. Before his knuckles could rap on the door, it burst open from the inside.Wham!The would-be knocker was sent flying, slamming into the corridor wall with a thunderous crash.The others barely had time to register what happened when Liam burst out, a quintuple-edged dagger in hand.He was a shadow among them, his blade a flash of silver that danced across their wrists, disarming them of their scimitars.In moments, the hallway was a cacophony of clattering blades and piercing screams that filled the hotel.The leader, clutching his bleeding wrist, stared at Liam in horror, leaning casually against the doorframe. Liam's dagger dripped crimson. He watched the fallen assassins with an unfeeling smirk."You think you can play assassins, skulking around in the dark?" Liam's voice dripped with scorn. With a casual f
Noel was a name that turned heads in Rasford City, especially since the Noel family ran a successful pharmaceutical business. In any place, those in the medicine game hold sway, and Noel was no stranger to the city's shadowy bigwigs. After all, nobody was immune to getting sick!Noel was quickly taken to the hospital for emergency care. Meanwhile, the assassin he had hired had pinpointed the hotel where Liam and Sunniva were hiding out.Sunniva was still visibly shaken when they reached the hotel. Too frightened to be alone, she could only gaze at Liam with watery eyes, silently pleading to stay in his room.Liam, left with little choice, let Sunniva take his room while he made do with the couch in the living room.After the night's earlier ordeal, combined with the alcohol and the drug slipped into her drink, Sunniva washed up and promptly fell asleep in Liam's bed.Liam, however, remained on the living room sofa, poring over the mysterious Arcane Manuscript.Out of nowhere,
"Thud!"Then, without missing a beat, Liam grabbed Noel by the throat and landed another punch on him. He struck him squarely on the chin, dislocating it and forcing a couple more of his teeth to fly out. "Ahhh!" Noel shrieked. His face was swelling up to twice its usual size, and he could not help letting out a cry of agony. Liam did not stop there, though. His fists rained down all over Noel without ceasing, his every punch striking where it hurt the most. "F*ck! You're going to pay for this!" Noel grunted. He would make this twat pay! What gave him the right to attack him? He was an heir of the great Noel bloodline, and he would make this cocky, self-righteous prat pay!Liam scoffed, then swung his fist and struck Noel squarely in his abdomen.Noel spat out a mouthful of blood, unable to utter another word from the sheer pain, but this did not stop Liam. The next moment, he grabbed Noel by the hair and bashed his head against the wall behind him.A sickening crunch alerted
The words had barely left her mouth when Noel lost his patience, swung Sunniva around and slapped her hard across the cheek. "D*mn it, you f*cking sl*t! What the f*ck are you shouting for? Let me tell you this—no one will come to save you, not even if you cry yourself hoarse!"The slap came so abruptly that Sunniva was momentarily stunned. Her cheek soon swelled up, and a bright red mark in the shape of Noel's palm began to take shape. Noel had hit her so hard that the back of her head struck the wall behind her, and all she could feel was an intense, throbbing pain that reverberated through her skull. Blood seeped out of the cut on the back of her head, and she could feel the warm liquid trickle down her neck. She suddenly felt strangely faint and stopped resisting. Noel seized the opportunity to strip her naked, grinning. "Ms. Bristow, I suggest you stop wasting your energy. You're mine tonight, and there's no running now!"He had long since heard of Sunniva's beauty, and he was
"Mr. Noel? What is the meaning of this?" Sunniva shrieked in alarm. Noel was wiping his face with a towel when she spoke, and upon hearing her voice, he slowly moved toward her. "Ms. Bristow, do I really need to spell this out for you? You're a gorgeous woman, and I admire you very much. There's nothing to be afraid of, darling. We're all adults here, so there's no need to be shy. I promise that I'll make this the most memorable night you've ever had. "Ms. Bristow, do you know how many women would die to be in your position? Women everywhere bend over backwards to keep me happy, and most of them are willing to please me just to get my business. If you still want this partnership, you better be a good girl and keep me satisfied. If not…"Noel trailed off, for at this point, he had already reached the bed and was just inches away from Sunniva. His flesh quivered with his every move, and he was so tall that he loomed over Sunniva's tiny body like a beast eyeing its prey. "You… you
Noel was not used to being rejected so outwardly. Sunniva's indifference infuriated him greatly. He scoffed, then brought his hand up to his nose and took a deep breath as if trying to catch a whiff of any scent that Sunniva had left on his skin. He sneered. "Ms. Bristow, it seems you are intent on challenging me?"Sunniva replied curtly, "So what if I am?""Very well then! You like to do things the hard way, eh? Let me make this clear—the moment you step out the door, the partnership will be called off! I will no longer do business with Bristow Group!"The audacity!With a smug grin, Noel cast Sunniva one last look before returning to his seat. He watched her coolly and made no move to stop her from leaving again, for he knew he had her cornered. Sunniva stood rooted to the spot, her brows furrowed in deep concentration. Noel knew he had Sunniva caught in a dead-end situation. He smirked and raised his glass to his lips. "How about this, Ms. Bristow? Just one last drink with
A glimmer of annoyance flashed through Noel's eyes, but he continued to reach toward Sunniva, grinning. "Ms. Bristow, I really, really admire you…"Sunniva froze. The next moment, she leaped to her feet, still holding her wine glass, and ducked out of Noel's reach. She replied, raising his glass in an attempt to disguise her nervousness, "Mr. Noel, I greatly admire your success as a businessman as well. Cheers to our partnership!"Noel's arm hovered in mid-air, looking awkward and forlorn as it dangled out of reach of its target. A strained silence fell over them. The tension lasted only a few minutes, though, because Noel soon regained his composure and drew his arm back. He clinked his glass against Sunniva's as though nothing out of the ordinary had happened. The two of them had been drinking for quite some time now, and Noel was growing more and more inebriated by the minute. He was a pale man, and so the alcohol gave him an unnatural flush that made him look as though he was
"Thank you, Uncle Leonardo." With that, Liam and Cirocco left the manor. They returned to the hotel to meet up with Calum and Sunniva. Liam and Cirocco were waiting in the hotel's presidential suite, going over their plans for the upcoming days, when Calum burst in, looking flustered. Liam was the first to notice how strangely nervous Calum seemed. "What's wrong? Did something happen?"Calum explained hastily, "Sir, Ms. Bristow was just taken away by a group of locals. She claimed that they were the businessmen we were here to meet. Since you weren't back yet, she decided to go meet them herself. She wants me to inform you that they have gone to the Saint Louisiana Hotel and that you can meet them there."Liam furrowed his brows at this. Calum asked, "Sir, are you going to check on them?"Liam considered this a moment, then grabbed his phone and stood up. "I think I should. You and Cirocco should stay here and go over our plans. I'll pop by the Saint Louisiana Hotel. If Jeffre
"Unfortunately, I cannot reveal to you the identities of the remaining five yet, but don't you worry—when the time comes, you will find out soon enough."Just remember, Liam, you are not alone! No matter what happens, the six of us will be here to help you the best we can!" Leonardo said, squeezing Liam's shoulder in reassurance. His expression was solemn, but there was a spark in his eyes. Liam was even more stunned to hear this. What was going on? Had his grandfather planned this for over twenty years ago? Did he somehow know that Liam would come searching for him?"Uncle Leonardo, what's going on here? Is Grandpa still alive?" Liam asked nervously.Leonardo's face fell, and he shook his head gravely. "Truth be told, I am just as confused as you are. I've been trying to track your grandfather down for years, but the last I heard, he was still being kept on Wraith Island. I haven't heard any news about him since, but I refuse to believe your grandfather would die on Wraith Island