These words stabbed into the young man’s heart like a blade. It caused him much more pain than the marble. His eyes bulged with shock, his face froze in disbelief, and then, as if the life had been snatched away in an instant, his head slumped to the side. A torrent of blood spewed from his mouth before his body crumpled to the ground, lifeless. No struggle, no resistance-he was dead!
For him, perhaps dying at the hands of Kayden was the closest thing to an honor!
Kayden’s cold and indifferent gaze lingered briefly on the corpse as though it were nothing more than a dead dog lying in the dirt. His voice was low and calm, yet carried the weight of absolute authority. “For those who dare threaten me, this is their fate. Even Hellblazer is no exception!”
Without a second glance at the corpse, he turned and strode straight toward Liam.
The sight of the lifeless body sent a ripple of dark satisfaction through Greedy Wolf. This was the Defender of the South he had sworn to follow-a man whose decisiveness and power left no room for doubt! In Kayden’s world, there was no room for mercy or threats.
Staring at Kayden’s back, Greedy Wolf straightened up instinctively, his entire being brimming with pride. To serve a leader like this was an honor he cherished deeply!
Georgia, however, felt nothing of the sort. While others marveled at Kayden’s strength and dominance, her heart grew heavy with conflicting emotions.
She wasn’t the kind of woman who sought glory or adored power. If she had been, she would have been bursting with pride at her husband’s overwhelming display of authority. But instead, she felt a profound ache and a quiet sorrow for the man standing before her. In the eyes of others, Kayden was bold and invincible. But little did they know this strength came at an unfathomable cost. It’s hard to imagine how much pain, sacrifice, and endless struggle Kayden had experienced. The weight he carried was something only she could see, and it tore at her heart.
Step by step, Kayden approached Liam who was expressionless as ever, and didn’t even glance at him.
Instead, Liam’s gaze was fixed on the woman in the red dress. The woman’s hand was pierced by Kayden’s marble, bleeding. She trembled as she clung to Liam. Her voice cracked with anguish as she cried, “Victor, are you okay? Victor!”
Victor?
Kayden was momentarily thrown off. Since when did Liam have a nickname like that? Was this a part of Liam he didn’t know? Or was it just a special nickname this woman had given Liam?
“I’m sorry, Victor,” the woman wept, tears streaming down her face and dripping onto Liam’s cheeks. “This is all my fault. I caused this… I caused you to get hurt.” Her tears seemed to tug at the hearts of anyone who looked.
But then, her sorrow gave way to rage as she noticed Kayden closing in. She slowly turned to face Kayden, her tear-streaked expression twisting into fury. “I’ll kill you!” she screamed, her voice shaking with venom. “I’ll kill you!”
She gently laid Liam down before launching herself at Kayden like a wild beast. A knife materialized in Kayden’s hand. “You’re seeking death!” he muttered, his voice as cold as the edge of his blade.
He didn’t care who this woman was or how she was connected to Liam. Anyone who dared hurt his wife was as good as dead. Without hesitation, his blade slashed down. The strike was swift and merciless, aiming straight for her neck. But just as the blade was about to land, Liam suddenly surged to his feet. With surprising speed, he shoved the woman away and positioned himself in front of her, blocking Kayden’s strike.
The knife paused mid-air, the deadly edge hovering merely an inch from Liam’s neck. If not for Kayden’s unparalleled control, the knife would have sliced through Liam’s throat without mercy.
There was a brief silence. Kayden’s brow creased in confusion. Liam’s sudden action had caught him completely off guard. His voice sharpened with surprise as he demanded, “What are you doing, Liam?”
Bang! Before Kayden could react, Liam’s palm shot forward, slamming into his chest with brutal force. The strike was so swift and unrelenting that it sent Kayden staggering backward several meters before coming to a halt.
Kayden was stunned. He had let his guard down because he was convinced that Liam would never attack him. He believed Liam would never do that even in this twisted state, even if he had been turned into someone else’s weapon. To Kayden, such a betrayal was unimaginable. For years Liam had been his subordinate, his ally, and everything Liam had achieved was thanks to him.
Kayden had always placed absolute faith in his men. He believed wholeheartedly in the loyalty he inspired, in the bonds he had forged.
Three years ago, when Kayden had been gravely injured and disappeared from the Battlefield, the world believed him dead. When the news reached Liam, he had wept bitterly as though it was the end of the world. He had even left the border in a desperate search for Kayden.
All of this made Kayden believe their bond was unbreakable. He had believed he held an unparalleled place in Liam’s heart. Yet now, Liam had just shattered his heart by striking him. It wasn’t just unexpected for Kayden-it was devastating!
The strike landed on Kayden’s chest, but the real damage lay deeper. It crushed his heart into pieces.
“No one can hurt my Sienna. No one!” Those were his first words. Liam’s voice was hoarse yet fierce, like a wounded animal guarding its last shred of hope. Then, he strode toward the woman and gently cradled her in his arms.
Greedy Wolf stepped forward with unrelenting fury. His voice thundered like a battle cry. “Liam John! How dare you lay a hand on the Defender! And to think you are the one he trusts the most!”
As his words echoed through the room, the men of Nine Dragons’ Souls surged forward. Several teams formed into tightly ordered rows: the first crouched low, the second half-squatted, and the remaining stood tall, creating a wall of firepower. Thousands of guns snapped to aim at Liam, their barrels gleaming under the dim light. Even sniper rifles stationed at a distance locked onto Liam’s head and heart with deadly accuracy.
But Liam didn’t flinch. His face remained void of emotion as if the overwhelming threat around him didn’t exist. He just murmured over and over, “No one can hurt my Sienna. No one can hurt my Sienna…”
He kept repeating it like a broken record trapped in a loop.
He was bewitched!
Liam must have fallen under a spell cast by that woman!
It turned out Liam’s life was not bound together with the young man’s but with the life of this woman!
“Liam, take me away. Get me out of here,” the woman whispered. Her hands clutched Liam tightly. Her eyes brimmed with a mixture of fear and dependence as she looked up at him.
Focused entirely on this woman, Liam walked toward the exit with unyielding steps. He didn’t even spare a glance at Kayden.
“Shoot! Kill them both!” Greedy Wolf roared, his voice brimming with fury and authority. Harming the Defender was no different from committing an unforgivable sin. This was the ironclad law of the Battlefield. It didn’t matter who you were or why you did it-there were no exceptions.
Thousands of soldiers kept their finger on the trigger, ready to unleash a torrent of bullets that would obliterate Liam and that woman.
Those bigwigs who had gathered to watch the scene were struck with terror. Panic overtook them as they scrambled to find cover. Their faces turned pale with dread. After all, stray bullets didn’t discriminate.
But just as the tension reached its breaking point, Kayden’s voice cut through the chaos. “Let him go!”
Those three words came out of his mouth in an almost hysterical outburst.
“What?” Greedy Wolf exclaimed in disbelief. “Defender, he hurt you! How can you let him go? Even if Zodiac General Liam is your trusted man, even if he’s been bewitched, none of that justifies him injuring you!”
Greedy Wolf’s voice brimmed with righteous indignation, but Kayden slowly turned his head, his sharp eyes boring into Greedy Wolf’s. “Did you not hear me?” he enunciated each word. “LET HIM GO!”
His command carried an authority that brooked no argument. The armed men then began to lower their weapons, retreating one by one!
“Has the Defender… become sentimental?” they couldn’t help thinking.