Chapter 149: Losing Control
The air split as Liam’s hand came down.
Dozens of weapons — sabers, swords, spears, even broken halberds — screamed through the air, each one propelled by invisible force.
They tore across the marketplace like a storm of falling stars, their edges trailing streaks of light.
At the same instant, Liam shot forward, Silverleaf blazing in his grip.
Fang Cheng’s eyes widened. His instincts screamed as his halberd whirled in desperate arcs, smashing aside half a dozen flying blades. Sparks burst like fireworks, metal shrieking against metal.
Xuan Zhi threw up his palms, runes flaring along his skin. A dome of shimmering energy erupted around him, deflecting another dozen weapons with ear-splitting clangs.
But neither man could block them all. A spearhead slashed across Fang Cheng’s arm, slicing through his armor and flesh alike. Blood spattered across the cobblestones. Xuan Zhi’s shield cracked as three swords hammered it in unison, and one shard of steel sliced across his cheek, painting a crimson line down his face.
And then Liam was upon them.
He crashed into Fang Cheng first, Silverleaf carving down in a brutal arc. Fang Cheng braced with both hands, halberd shaft catching the blow.
The impact detonated between them like thunder, cobblestones cracking under their feet.
Fang Cheng grunted, his arms trembling violently, muscles straining to contain the force.
But before he could push back, Liam slammed his head forward.
CRACK!
Their foreheads collided with bone-shattering force. Blood streamed instantly from Liam’s brow — but also from Fang Cheng’s nose, his skull ringing.
"You lunatic!" Fang Cheng roared, stumbling back.
But Liam only grinned through the blood, his eyes gleaming like a savage animal had been unleashed.
Xuan Zhi struck from behind, unleashing a chain of talisman-blades that whistled through the air. They slashed into Liam’s back with sizzling force, carving bloody gouges across his flesh. The smell of scorched blood filled the air.
The hidden crowd gasped. The strike would have left any ordinary man writhing on the ground. But Liam only staggered a step, his teeth clenched, before spinning in place.
Already, his double regenerative traits kicked in and the flesh across his back was knitting itself shut. The cuts bubbled, then sealed in seconds, leaving behind only faint streaks of red — his dried up blood.
"What—?!" Xuan Zhi’s eyes widened in disbelief.
He had seen many strange techniques in his lifetime, but never had he witnessed such monstrous regeneration.
Liam didn’t give him time to think. With a gesture, half a dozen floating swords twisted through the air and speared toward him.
Xuan Zhi cursed, drawing talismans from his sleeve and igniting them. Walls of flame erupted in front of him, trying to burn the weapons to ash.
But Liam’s will was relentless. The swords screamed through the flames, edges glowing red-hot, and pierced into Xuan Zhi’s barrier. One sank deep into his shoulder and he screamed, staggering back as blood poured down his robes.
Meanwhile, Fang Cheng roared and charged again. His halberd blazed with condensed Qi, each swing heavy enough to split a wagon in half. He struck again and again, the weapon slamming against Liam’s blade with earthshaking force.
But Liam didn’t fight defensively, as he didn’t dodge and let the strikes land.
The halberd’s blade cut into his shoulder, carving a deep wound that nearly severed the arm. Liam roared, his voice raw, and used that same arm to slash Silverleaf upward, cleaving into Fang Cheng’s chest. Blood exploded across the cobblestones as Fang Cheng stumbled back, clutching his armor.
And then, before their horrified eyes, Liam’s shoulder wound began to close, as torn muscle knitted and bone aligned. Within seconds, only a faint scar remained and it disappeared the next second.
"You’re... insane..." Fang Cheng gasped, his face pale.
Liam spat blood and grinned, eyes gleaming with manic light. "Insane? No. I’m the monster you created."
With a surge of telekinesis, the broken halberd shards on the ground lifted, spinning around him like a crown of steel. He hurled them outward in a storm, forcing both men to scatter.
Xuan Zhi snarled, his hands flashing through seals. He unleashed a wave of energy that twisted into hundreds of glowing chains, each whipping toward Liam. They coiled around his body, binding his arms, his legs, his chest.
The chains burned against his flesh, searing black marks into his skin. The crowd gasped — perhaps this was it.
But Liam only threw his head back and roared. His telekinesis surged outward like a tidal wave, shattering the chains one by one. He tore through them with sheer force of will, even as his skin blistered and cracked from their power. Blood streamed down his chest, but already the wounds were closing as he broke free.
"You call that binding?" Liam spat. His voice was ragged, but his grin was wide. "Let me show you what it means to be chained!"
With a gesture, the weapons around him shot toward Xuan Zhi, wrapping like serpents. A spear shaft coiled around his arms, pinning them. A sword clamped across his throat, pressing him back against the wall.
Xuan Zhi roared, his aura flaring, but the steel only tightened under Liam’s control, cutting into his skin until blood dripped down his robes.
"Bastard! You think this is enough to hold me?!" Xuan Zhi roared, but his voice cracked with fear.
Meanwhile, Fang Cheng charged again, rage fueling him. His halberd swept low, aiming to take Liam’s legs.
Liam didn’t step back. He jumped, soaring into the air. His telekinesis wrapped around his body, propelling him higher until he hovered above the square.
From the ground, the people stared, wide-eyed. He floated like a war god, weapons orbiting around him, his wounds sealing as fast as they appeared.
"Fly... he can really fly?" Fang Cheng muttered in disbelief.
Then Liam dove.
He streaked down like a meteor, Silverleaf leading the way. His blade carved into Fang Cheng’s halberd, snapping the shaft in two. The broken edge slammed into Fang Cheng’s chest, cracking ribs, driving him to his knees.
Liam landed hard, grabbed the man by the throat, and slammed his skull into the cobblestones. The ground shattered, blood spraying.
Fang Cheng coughed, his eyes rolling, but Liam didn’t stop. He hammered his fist into his face, again and again, bone crunching with every blow and blood splattered across his knuckles.
"Stop... stop!" Fang Cheng gurgled, but Liam’s fist came down one final time, caving his skull into the stones.
The commander of Blackstone’s elites twitched once, then lay still. Dead.
Liam rose slowly, blood dripping from his hands, and turned to Xuan Zhi.
The patriarch was struggling against the weapons pinning him, his face twisted with hatred and fear.
"You killed my sons... I’ll curse you even in death—!"
The words ended in a scream as Liam tightened his grip. The sword across his throat sliced deeper, cutting into flesh. The spear tightened around his arms until bones snapped.
"Mercy..." Xuan Zhi gasped, blood bubbling from his lips. "Mercy!"
Liam’s face was calm, his eyes cold. He stepped closer, lifted Silverleaf, and drove it straight through Xuan Zhi’s chest.
The man convulsed, his scream choking off as blood poured from his mouth. His body sagged against the weapons pinning him.
Liam wrenched the blade free, letting him collapse to the stones in a spreading pool of crimson.
The square fell silent, as Fang Cheng and Xuan Zhi were dead.
Dead They were dead!
Two of Blackstone’s titans lay in ruins, slain by the hands of a man they had once called mortal.
Liam exhaled slowly, wiping the blood from his blade. His body was slick with crimson, cuts still healing across his chest, but his eyes were sharp and cold.
He turned, scanning the crowd that still hid in the shadows. Their faces were pale, their eyes wide with disbelief and fear.
Liam lifted his head to the heaven and laughed mockingly. He slowly lifted up from the ground and flew higher, and higher into the sky, before disappearing from everyone’s view.
That day, the streets of Blackstone ran red, and whispers carried on the wind. A nameless mortal had slain the titans of the city, risen into the sky, and vanished like a phantom. By dusk, one name echoed across taverns, sect halls, and courts alike — a name born in blood. The Demon God