"Look who it is, the chosen one, Crayon V. Wyatt," Liam said aloud with a sneer, showing no regard for basic survival rules.
"How did you find me?" I asked, slowly circling him as he moved forward, so that I maintained the distance between us without appearing as if I were retreating.
With the private survival and combat training Liam had received from renowned tutors since childhood, he would have almost immediately seen through what I was doing. This would only make him approach me more confidently, entering deeper into Aceso's field without suspecting a thing and believing he held the upper hand.
I didn't immediately attack him because, unlike in the greater titanoboa's case, I had no idea what he was capable of. I didn't want to reveal my cards too soon, especially when I had no clue what cards the latter might be holding let alone hiding.
Liam was not some oversized beast acting on instincts, but a killing machine trained since childhood who could work through pain unlike an ignorant beast whose survival instincts were buried by pain. In this situation, anyone watching could tell that Liam was the predator and I was the prey.
"A kid from the Zenith guild informed me that you were struggling against a greater titanoboa over here in exchange for letting him go," Liam said, returning his gaze from the corpse of the headless titanoboa back to me. "You didn't forget our wager did you?"
"No, I didn't. After all, I was the one who proposed it," I said before turning around and running deeper into the rainforest, enhancing my body with true force.
I ran because I noticed that, though Liam appeared nonchalant, his eyes were actually studying our surroundings, as if familiarizing himself with and understanding the battlefield. That, combined with him wasting time babbling instead of attacking me, told me he was preparing.
How could I let things go according to his plan? So I ran with all my might and speed, because when it comes to physical stamina, no one can outmatch me.
As expected, Liam ran after me with all his strength, shouting, "Where are you running, you coward!"
Mid-run, Liam flew. Though only a couple of meters from the ground, he chased me in flight. His speed seemed to be increasing; if not for the trees, he would have caught up to me by now.
"They were right, you are a shameless deadbeat compared to your brother!"
"Had I known this, I wouldn't have bothered wasting time on you."
"I wouldn't have bothered with you now that I know what a loser you are, but you had to push your luck, acting as the bitch's knight in cum-stained armor."
"How dare you punch me! I will show you what true pain is like."
"Then make you get on your knees and apologise to me in front of everyone."
As the chase ensued, I ignored his insults and just focused on running until I observed a patch of open field ahead. It was long enough for Liam to catch me. He also clocked it and taunted me, "Run with all your might, you little rat. I will soon catch you."
Meanwhile, I decided to implement my plan sooner. As I passed by the trees, I imbued their trunks with Aceso's breath, and just as Liam was between them, they all detonated and fell, almost crushing him. However, he managed to survive, as an invisible force exerted by him held the falling trees midair. I immediately knew his Grim Cypher had telekinetic abilities.
Liam used all his might to try to throw those massive trees aside, but just then his skin suddenly felt a refreshing sensation, like being energized, before it exploded. As the telekinetic force holding the trees vanished, they began to fall on Liam, who lay covered in third-degree burns. I didn't use true force to enhance my explosive recovery because he was an opponent, not my enemy. I only wanted to defeat him, not kill him. The soldiers immediately recalled him before the trees crushed him.
"Noooo!!!" Liam shouted as he was forced out of the formation array. While the reserve garrison base's Grimlock medics rushed over to treat him, he broke three healing potions that he carried on him for the exam and bathed his burned skin in them, and in no time, his skin was as good as new. Getting back on his feet, naked, he yelled at the soldiers responsible for the examination, "Why did you recall me? I hadn't lost yet. I had healing and recovery potions. I would have defeated him but you motherfuckers ruined it with your meddling."
The soldiers by the formation array continued with their duty without bothering with Liam. Soon, a few soldiers rushed over and detained him, planning to release him after he calmed down and was prepared to listen to reason.
Meanwhile, next to Deputy Commander Col D. Blade and Mary Lou, Marcell Laos watched as his dear nephew was roughly handled and detained by the soldiers. He never actually left, because if his sister-in-law and mother knew he had left their precious son/grandson alone, they would kill him.
Marcell just sat there without uttering a single word to help his nephew, he simply watched as society taught his nephew the lessons his family and expensive tutors had clearly failed to teach him.
As the soldiers escorted Liam to his cell, his eyes locked with his uncle's, then with Mary's. He then asked the soldiers, "Wait, give me a few seconds!"
Seeing that they showed no signs of stopping, Liam shouted, "I said wait, goddamn it. That's the least you can do for me after screwing me over."
The soldiers stopped, getting a signal from their first lieutenant, Ryan Hart, and let go of Liam for a second. The latter appeared to walk toward his uncle. Marcell had held his breath as soon as he saw this, praying in his heart that his nephew knew better than to try and use the family name to cover his ass. He had been embarrassed enough for one night; any more and it wouldn't be considered embarrassment but plain humiliation.