119 Chapter 119- The Broadsword’s Judgment and a Challonger’s Dare
119 Chapter 119 The Broadsword’s Judgment and a Challenger’s Dare
Asher Lane stood before me, sweat beading on his forehead as he held up his glowing energy dagger. His expression was a mixture of smug pride and desperate determination.
“Behold the Light Dagger of Water Severance, he announced, his voice carrying across the hushed crowd. “This technique has been passed down through generations of the Lane Family. Only those with exceptional talent can manifest it.”
The dagger pulsed with unstable energy, casting eerie shadows across his strained face. I studied it carefully, noting how the spiritual energy condensed and shaped itself around his will.
“No outsider has ever witnessed this technique and lived,” Asher continued, clearly enjoying the gasps from the onlookers. “Consider yourself honored to die by it, Liam Knight.”
I remained silent, watching how the energy flowed from his palm into the dagger’s form. The principles became clear to me almost immediately–the compression of inner strength, the externalization through focused intent, the shaping of raw power
into a weapon.
Simple, really.
“Are you so terrified you can’t speak?” Asher taunted, mistaking my concentration for
fear.
I looked directly into his eyes. “I’m not impressed.”
His face contorted with rage. “You dare-”
“If that’s all you’ve got,” I interrupted, raising my own hand, “then this duel is already
over.”
I focused my spiritual energy, drawing it up from my core and channeling it through my meridians. The technique Asher struggled to maintain flowed naturally through me. In seconds, energy gathered in my palm–not as a small dagger, but as a massive broadsword nearly six feet long, blazing with golden light that dwarfed Asher’s
119 Chapter 119–The Broadsword’s Judgment and a Challenger’s Dare
creation.
The crowd gasped collectively. Eamon’s jaw dropped. Even Alistair stepped back in shock.
“That’s… that’s impossible,” Asher whispered, his eyes wide with disbelief. “You can’t have mastered external manifestation just by seeing it once.
I swung the broadsword casually, feeling its perfect balance despite having no physical weight. “Your technique is flawed. You’re wasting energy maintaining the shape
instead of letting your intent guide it naturally.”
The golden light from my weapon cast harsh shadows across Asher’s suddenly pale face. His own dagger flickered, weakening as his concentration faltered.
“This can’t be happening,” he muttered, more to himself than to me.
“It is,” I replied simply. “Yield now.”
Instead of surrendering, panic and rage overtook him. With a guttural cry, Asher lunged forward, thrusting his energy dagger toward my chest.
I didn’t even need to dodge. I simply swung my broadsword, meeting his attack head–on. The weapons collided in a flash of blinding light–and Asher’s dagger shattered like glass, the fragments of energy dissipating into the air.
The backlash sent him stumbling backward, clutching his hand in pain as his technique collapsed completely. Before he could recover, I stepped forward and pressed the tip of my energy broadsword against his throat.
“You’ve lost,” I stated flatly. “Now honor our agreement.”
Asher’s eyes darted wildly around, looking for any escape. Finding none, his face twisted with humiliation.
“I refuse,” he spat. “I won’t debase myself before a commoner.”
I pressed the energy blade closer, not enough to break skin, but enough that he could feel its heat against his throat. “You wagered the Hundred–Year Medicine King and your pride. I’ve won both fairly.”
Asher’s followers shifted nervously behind him. One of them–a broad–shouldered man with a scarred face–stepped forward.
119 Chapter 110–The Broadsword’s Judgment and a Challenger’s Dare
“Young Master Lane doesn’t need to-”
Before he could finish, I flicked my free hand toward him. A wave of spiritual energy knocked him back into the crowd like he weighed nothing.
“This is between Asher and me,” I said calmly. “Anyone regret
se who interferes will
it.”
I turned my attention back to Asher. “Kneel and apologize to Eamon Greene. Now.”
Asher’s face flushed red with humiliation. “I would rather die.
“That can be arranged,” I replied coldly, “but it won’t change the outcome. One way or another, you will honor your word.”
His eyes searched mine, looking for any hint of hesitation or mercy. He found none.
“You… you’re insane,” he whispered.
“I’m a man who keeps his promises,” I corrected him. “Something you should learn.” Eamon stepped closer, looking uncomfortable. “Liam, it’s okay. He doesn’t have to- “Yes, he does,” I interrupted, never taking my eyes off Asher. “Not just for you, but for everyone he’s humiliated and bullied. It ends today.”
Asher still hesitated, his pride visibly warring with his survival instinct. I decided to help him choose.
My hand shot out, gripping his jaw and forcing his head up to look at me. “Kneel.”
With a show of force that left no room for resistance, I pushed him down. His knees hit the dirt hard enough to make him wince.
“Now apologize,” I commanded.
Asher’s eyes burned with hatred, but when he spoke, his voice was barely audible. “I… apologize.”
“Louder,” I said. “So everyone can hear you.”
“I apologize!” he shouted, each word dripping with venom.
“To whom?” I pressed.
119 Chapter 119–The Brondsword’s Judgment and a Challenger’s Daro
Asher gritted his teeth. “To… Eamon Greene”
Eamon looked stunned, clearly never having imagined the day when Asher Lane would kneel before him. The crowd murmured in shock–this public humiliation of a Lane Family member would be gossip for months.
Asher tried to rise, but I placed a firm hand on his shoulder, keeping him down.
“Not yet,” I said. “I believe specifically.”
you also called him a ‘grubby peasant earlier. Address that
“This is too much!” Asher protested.
My response was a sharp, open–handed slap across his face. The crack echoed through the suddenly silent clearing.
“Address it,” I repeated calmly.
Asher’s cheek reddened from the blow. His eyes watered with a mixture of pain and rage. “I… I apologize for calling you a grubby peasant.”
“And?” I prompted.
He looked confused until I slapped him again, harder.
“I apologize for disrespecting you!” he shouted, desperation creeping into his voice.
I nodded, finally satisfied. “You may stand.”
As Asher scrambled to his feet, I dismissed my energy broadsword with a thought, letting the golden light fade away. The demonstration had served its purpose.
“Now,” I said, “about the Hundred–Year Medicine King and the Water Dragon Cave location you promised.”
Asher wiped blood from the corner of his mouth, his eyes burning with hatred but his posture defeated. “You’ve made a powerful enemy today, Liam Knight.”
“I’m terrified,” I replied dryly. “The medicine and the cave location. Now.”
A twisted smile formed on Asher’s bruised face. “The Medicine King is in my house. Do you dare to take it?”
The challenge hung in the air between us–not just a taunt, but a deliberate trap. He
119 Chapter 119- The Broadsword’s Judgment and a Challenger’s Dare
was inviting me into the Lane Family territory, where his father’s protection would neutralize any advantage I’d shown today.
The crowd held their breath, waiting for my response. Eamon looked worried, Alistair calculating, and Violet somewhere between horrified and fascinated.
I met Asher’s gaze directly. The next move would determine whether this ended here or escalated beyond a simple duel.
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