Kael was just about to speak, when a sharp, violent gust of air sliced toward the back of his neck.
In the blink of an eye, his instincts flared—he twisted his body and dove sideways in a sharp, desperate roll.
Eliot Storm's chopping hand slashed through empty air.
He grinned, lazy and arrogant. "Nice reflexes. Not bad for a college kid."
Kael's eyes turned cold, his jaw tightening.
He knew this man.
Eliot Storm.
The one who had destroyed his family, left him with nothing, in his past life.
In this life, they had never crossed paths.
So why attack him now?
Eliot answered with a smirk, his voice dripping with casual menace.
"Watched you take down those thugs earlier. Got me fired up. Figured I'd test your skills."
He didn't wait for Kael to agree.
In an instant, he lunged forward like a bullet, slamming into Kael with a brutal, full-body charge—raw, explosive power honed by years of elite combat training.
It was a vicious, crushing strike.
Kael barely blocked in time.
The impact felt like being hit by a raging bull.
His feet skidded across the ground, his body flying backward nearly eight meters before he slammed to a halt.
By some miracle, he twisted at the last second and avoided being hurled into the river.
"Kael!" Lila screamed, her face pale with terror.
Kael's gaze sharpened.
He could feel it—this man was no ordinary fighter.
But he didn't run. He didn't back down.
Stabilizing himself, Kael lowered his stance and launched forward like a cannonball.
Eliot watched him charge and smiled coldly.
"Brave. But you're way out of your league."
He had been trained since childhood by the Storm family's most legendary combat masters.
To him, Kael's modern combat skills were nothing but amateurish.
They clashed.
Eliot stood completely still, blocking every punch and kick with effortless ease.
In a heartbeat, he spotted a gap—and lashed out with a heavy kick aimed straight at Kael's stomach.
Kael's lips curled into a faint, cold smile.
You fell for it.
He curled his body, seized Eliot's leg, and drove a sharp kick into his supporting knee.
Eliot's balance shattered instantly.
Gritting his teeth against the brute force, Kael used Eliot's own momentum against him and threw him backward with every ounce of strength he had.
The dark river lay just behind them.
Eliot was moments from being flung into the cold water.
Then something impossible happened.
Eliot's face twisted with rage, his Inferno Bloodline roaring to life.
He had planned to toy with Kael, to humiliate him.
Being thrown into the river by a nobody was unforgivable.
Defying all logic, he twisted mid-air, his fingers snaring the riverside railing at the very last second.
With a violent heave, he launched himself back toward Kael, moving faster than any normal human should.
Kael's eyes widened in shock.
"Impossible!"
"You haven't seen anything yet," Eliot snarled, his bloodline flaring, his aura turning murderous.
He launched a brutal, unstoppable flying kick.
Kael was sent flying, slamming hard into the pavement.
Before he could even stand, Eliot descended on him, his hands glowing with a faint, dangerous heat, his eyes cold with killing intent.
He meant to end this.
To kill him.
"Eliot!"
"Kael!"
The two girls sprinted forward at once.
Zoe leaped in front of Eliot, her stabilizing aura flaring to calm his raging bloodline.
In an instant, Eliot's fury faded—he forced himself to hold back his full power.
Lila threw herself over Kael, shielding him with her body, her eyes wild with fear.
Eliot stepped back, clashing palms lightly with Zoe.
They both pulled away.
Zoe glared at him, her voice sharp. "Eliot! You crossed a line! You know the family rules—no lethal force against unarmed fighters!"
Eliot scratched his head, forcing an innocent smile.
"C'mon, I just got carried away. A little sparring, nothing more."
"Master's rule: never use your bloodline's full power against those who aren't combat clan members!"
"Quiet," Eliot hissed, glancing around. "He's no ordinary guy. Don't tell the old man, okay?"
Zoe stayed silent, her expression dark with anger.
Kael's face was equally cold.
He had felt it.
That last strike was meant to kill.
If Zoe hadn't intervened, he would be dead or crippled for life.
Bastard. He'd tried to murder him.
Eliot tilted his chin, looking down at Kael with open contempt.
"Flashy, useless tricks. Quit wasting your time—you'll never amount to anything."
Kael's fists clenched so tight his knuckles whitened, his whole body trembling with rage.
Then, slowly, he relaxed.
He stood up, a calm, cold smile on his face, and bowed slightly.
"Thanks for the lesson. I've learned a great deal."
Eliot laughed loudly, arrogant and triumphant.
"Hah! I only bother teaching those with potential. Don't thank me. Maybe we'll meet again someday."
Kael lifted his gaze, his eyes dark and unreadable.
"Sure. Fated… goodbye."
They parted ways.
Once they were far enough, Zoe glanced back at Kael, her eyes soft with admiration.
"That guy was impressive. So calm, even after losing."
Eliot's careless smile vanished instantly.
His eyes turned sharp, cautious, deadly serious.
"He didn't lose. I did."
"I can feel it. That man… he will be my greatest enemy."
He was vastly stronger. He should have toyed with Kael like a cat with a mouse.
But he'd nearly been thrown into the river.
The moment he unleashed his bloodline, he had already lost.
That was why he'd snapped, why he'd tried to kill him.
"You lost? That's impossible," Zoe giggled.
"If you hadn't held back, I never could have stopped you. You're stronger than I can even imagine now."
Eliot smiled and stroked her hair, saying nothing.
No one but their family mentor knew his true strength.
And no one in the world knew how powerful that mentor really was.
"Let's go. Time to end that engagement with the Hale family."
"Let's go!"
"Let's go. We're ending our engagement."
"Who's afraid?!"
Lila bit her lip hard, fighting back tears.
The boy who had loved her for years had just turned his back on her completely.
But she refused to yield.
She had been proud, selfish, and ungrateful for too long to bow her head now.
"I'll agree… but we can't tell anyone! The Hart family will never live this down!"
"Then your family announces it first. I'll give you that dignity."
Lila tried to stall, to delay, but Kael gave her no opening.
You want to save face? Fine. You make the announcement.
You can even pretend the Harts rejected the Voss family.
But who would believe that?
The Harts were nothing without the Voss name.
Her tricks failing, Lila resorted to stubbornness.
"No! No one can ever know!"
A secret end to the engagement, so the Harts could keep leeching off the Voss family without any responsibility.
A selfish, cowardly plan.
"I don't care what the Harts want. The Voss family will announce it unilaterally."
Kael turned and walked away, done with her excuses.
Lila stumbled after him, still unsteady, the last of her drunkenness gone.
She rambled about pride, reputation, and shame,
but never once admitted she still cared for him.
They walked in silence, one behind the other.
Suddenly, Kael turned and held a finger to his lips.
He leaned against the shadowed corner of an alley.
Confused, Lila crept closer and peeked inside.
Her eyes went wide.
There stood the crew-cut thug who had attacked her earlier,
talking to the fake tycoon she'd met at the bar.
The fake tycoon shouted in his face, furious.
"Useless trash! I waste money on you! You couldn't even grab one drunk girl? Don't show your face again!"
The thug's arm hung useless at his side.
He scowled, bitter and wronged.
"Boss, we ran into a real fighter!"
"Call me Quinlan."
"Boss Quinlan…" The thug muttered, annoyed by the fake name.
"We're all hurt. That guy was trained, serious. Look at my arm—I can't even move it."
"You want money?" Quinlan exploded.
"That girl was top-tier, A-class quality! I could've used her to rope in millionaires! You ruined everything—and you dare ask for cash?!"
A few short, cruel sentences.
Lila's face drained of color.
A-class quality.
What had they planned to do to her?
She didn't dare imagine.
Furious, she turned to Kael.
"Don't let them leave! We have to stop them!"
Kael said nothing. He simply turned and walked away.
You want to play hero? Go ahead.
Alone, Lila didn't dare stay.
She only talked tough because Kael was there.
Without him, she'd be walking straight back into danger.
She scrambled after him and grabbed his sleeve.
"Let go," Kael said coldly.
Lila clung to him tighter, terrified.
"Aren't they just actors you hired?" Kael said, his voice empty of emotion.
"Why are you so afraid of actors?"
"I…I…"
"We're ending our engagement. Why would I put on a show for you?"
"…"
"I once loved you blindly. But do you even deserve it?"
"…"
"Who do you think you are?"
Lila fell silent.
Who was she, really?
Just a pretty face.
And Kael had no shortage of beautiful women around him.
She had seen that clearly, these past few days.
Desperate, she clung to her last hope.
"But… why did you save me?! You still care about me!"
If you truly didn't care…
why save me at all?
Kael's voice was ice, cold and final.
"Why did I save you? The riverside lights were too dim. I only saw someone being bullied.
If I'd known it was you…
I would have kept walking."
He scoffed, a sharp, bitter sound.
"You think you're worth caring about?"