Chapter 110 Unfinished Business III

There was silence.

No one said a word.

Not Li, not Boss. Not even Lady Viora.

Lilith leaned back in her chair, arms crossed with a smug look dancing across her lips. Boss’s face twitched in frustration, his fists clenching on his thighs.

He slammed his hand hard against his leg, the echo filling the hall.

They had nothing left. No argument. No evidence. No power.

They’d lost.

And they knew it.

But just as the silence threatened to stretch too long, a deep voice rang out.

"Then let’s do this the old-fashioned way."

Everyone turned.

It was Khan.

He stood up from his seat slowly, his tall frame radiating raw strength and presence. The calm in his voice only added weight to the words that followed.

"Years ago," Khan began, "Lilith challenged Boss to a one-on-one fight... and she won. Took his territory fair and square."

Liam glanced at Lilith. She remained composed, barely blinking.

Khan’s eyes locked on hers.

"Well, we want that territory back."

Lilith smirked, her voice like velvet laced with steel. "Of course. If Boss wants to fight me again for it, we can settle it right here and now."

She knew exactly what this meant. A duel was the cleanest, most honorable way to resolve disputes in front of the council. It avoided unnecessary bloodshed and let the strong claim what was theirs.

Lilith was sure of one thing: she could crush Boss again.

Lady Viora, however, wasn’t so sure. Her brows furrowed as she glanced toward Lilith.

But Lilith met her gaze with a silent message: Let me handle this.

Lady Viora hesitated. Then gave a slight nod. "Approved."

Lilith rose to her feet, brushing her suit with a small smirk.

But just as she began to move forward, Liam grabbed her wrist gently. His brows were pulled together in concern.

"You sure you can beat him again?" he asked quietly.

Lilith turned to him and smiled softly, a bit of her usual pride showing through.

"I already beat him once," she said. "I’ll beat him again."

But before she could take another step, Khan spoke again—this time with words that sent a jolt through the room.

"I’ll be the one fighting."

Silence.

Even Lilith froze.

Liam blinked.

"What...?" he muttered under his breath.

Khan walked forward slowly, towering over everyone else as he stood beside Boss.

"Boss has nothing to prove anymore. I’ll represent him in this fight."

Whispers immediately erupted around the room. Even the elders stirred.

Lilith narrowed her eyes.

She had expected Boss to fight her. She knew she could beat him. But Khan? That was different.

He was the Crimson Hand’s true monster. A warrior with strength and brutality few could match.

And under council rules, if the leader chose not to fight, they were allowed to send their strongest champion instead.

The problem was—Lilith didn’t bring Leo. Her strongest fighter was absent.

But Lilith was never one to back down.

She stepped forward, her posture relaxed but her eyes sharp.

I’ll deal with it, she told herself.

From the side, Liam watched quietly, his gaze fixed on her figure.

As Lilith walked to the cleared center of the room, the elders made space. The tension was so thick it was almost suffocating.

Just before Lady Viora stepped aside to join the other elders at the sideline, she paused by Lilith.

"You sure about this, kid?" she asked softly, her voice tinged with concern.

Lilith flashed a grin, brushing her hair back confidently.

"If it gets too tough," she said playfully, "I’ll just withdraw."

Lady Viora stared at her for a moment longer, then sighed and stepped away.

And so it began.

Lilith versus Khan.

Strength against cunning. Muscle against elegance.

And Liam could only watch as the battle of giants was about to unfold.

The moment Lilith stepped into the center of the cleared area, Khan wasted no time.

He lunged at her with the raw aggression of a beast, his body bursting into action like a missile. His leg shot out in a brutal roundhouse kick aimed straight for her ribs, but Lilith spun aside just in time, her feet gliding across the ground with graceful precision. The wind from the kick brushed past her waist, but she was untouched.

She didn’t hesitate. Pivoting on her heel, she launched a counterattack, her right fist slicing through the air toward Khan’s side. The blow connected, her knuckles driving into his ribcage with sharp accuracy—only for the impact to do nothing.

It was like punching a concrete wall.

Khan didn’t even flinch.

Liam narrowed his eyes from the sidelines. He had fought Khan once before. It hadn’t ended well for him. Khan’s strength was abnormal, monstrous even. But watching Lilith—who was far stronger than he had been back then—struggle to make any sort of dent in Khan’s body made Liam’s gut tighten.

Lilith retreated a step. Khan’s lips curved into a mocking grin as he lifted his arm and casually backhanded in her direction. She ducked just in time, his hand slicing through the air where her head had been just seconds ago. Still, it forced her to move.

He wasn’t taking her seriously. That much was clear.

Lilith’s eyes sharpened. She adjusted her stance, shifting her weight low and attacking again—this time more technical. Her leg shot out with a low sweeping kick aimed at Khan’s knee. But he jumped lightly, dodging it, and immediately countered with a heavy stomp aimed at her stomach. She rolled away, narrowly avoiding the crushing blow.

The ground cracked slightly under his boot.

She popped back up to her feet and darted toward him with blinding speed, her palm thrusting toward his chest. Her strikes came faster now—three quick jabs, followed by a spinning elbow aimed at his jaw.

Khan blocked each one.

His forearms met her blows with solid, immovable power, and then—he struck.

A swift, hammering punch caught her in the side of the abdomen.

Lilith gasped, her breath leaving her body in a sharp burst as she stumbled sideways. The hit wasn’t just powerful—it was painful. She gritted her teeth and spun with the momentum, turning her stumble into another attack, a high kick aimed at his temple.

Khan leaned back. Her leg missed by an inch.

Then he rammed his shoulder into her stomach, lifting her slightly off the ground before tossing her back. She landed on her feet, but barely.

Liam clenched his fists. Lilith was skillful. More than that—she was elegant. Every movement, every strike, was calculated and beautiful. But Khan wasn’t fighting with elegance. He was brute strength. Pure pressure. A mountain that refused to move.

Lilith didn’t give up.

She ducked low and charged again, her foot slamming into the ground for extra momentum as she went for a leg sweep again, trying to get under his balance. It was a good plan. But Khan didn’t even move. He absorbed the strike and answered with a devastating knee straight into her chest.

She flew back, coughing.

Still, she stood.

Again and again she attacked, using every technique she had. Hooks, elbows, feints, reversals, acrobatics—but nothing worked. Nothing could break through his fortress of a body.

Her punches were swallowed by his muscles.

Her kicks were deflected like flies.

And when he hit back—it hurt.

A punch to the ribs. A palm to the shoulder. An uppercut that grazed her jaw. She felt each one, and they chipped away at her strength.

She panted, beads of sweat sliding down her flawless skin. But her eyes never lost their fire.

Until—

Khan’s leg suddenly rose in a blur and connected with her midsection.

Lilith’s body lifted from the ground, spun midair, and flew back like a ragdoll. She thought she was going to hit the ground hard, already bracing herself for the rough impact on her spine—

But it never came.

Something stopped her.

Two arms wrapped tightly around her waist. Warm, strong.

Her body froze in midair as she felt herself being cradled against a firm chest.

She tilted her head slightly, her eyes widening in disbelief.

Liam.

He was holding her. His eyes weren’t on her, though. They were locked on Khan with a dangerous calmness that made even Lilith’s heart race.

"Let me handle it," he said, his voice low but steady.

Lilith blinked, stunned by how composed he sounded, how solid he felt. There was something in his eyes—something reckless. The kind of calm you see before a storm tears everything apart.

She shook her head quickly. "Idiot... he’ll rip you apart."

Liam didn’t flinch. He smiled.

That smile.

The one he always had when he was about to do something crazy.

Lilith’s heart skipped a beat.

Then she gritted her teeth and pushed herself back off his chest. She wasn’t going to get distracted now.

But deep inside... she felt something warm. Something dangerous.

And Liam?

He stepped forward, his blood beginning to boil.

"We have unfinished business"