Chapter 112 Now Die

The air around the courtyard had shifted.

Liam now stood firm before Khan, his body relaxed yet emanating quiet power. He slowly flexed his left hand, the one that had been tightly bandaged until moments ago. The movement was stiff at first, his fingers curling and stretching as the blood surged back into his joints. He rotated his wrist once, then twice, letting the wind kiss skin that hadn’t been exposed since he was injured.

Khan stared at him with a storm of emotions boiling beneath his mask—confusion, frustration, disbelief, and above all, unfiltered rage.

Just minutes ago, he had been dominating Lilith, pushing her back with every move, with confidence that bordered on arrogance. But now the dynamic had shifted. Liam stood in her place, silent, composed... unbothered. His presence alone was enough to ignite unease among the onlookers.

"Don’t stand there like you’ve already won," Khan spat through gritted teeth. "I’m going to rip that smug look off your face."

Liam didn’t respond. He simply gestured with his fingers, beckoning Khan forward with a taunting flick of the wrist.

"Come."

Khan snarled, his patience shattering like glass. "You little bastard!"

He rushed forward with a guttural roar, faster than before—faster than anyone thought possible for someone his size. His leg lashed out in a wide arc toward Liam’s head, a move meant to either knock him unconscious or break his neck if he was too slow to react.

But Liam wasn’t just fast. He was precise.

With a subtle sway of his body, he leaned back just enough for the kick to pass inches from his face. The wind of the strike barely ruffled his hair. His eyes never left Khan’s.

Khan immediately jumped back, not making the same mistake twice. He wasn’t going to give Liam the same opening.

But Liam moved forward like a shadow, not letting up.

With a sharp step and a twist of his hips, Liam delivered a sudden palm strike straight toward Khan’s chest. Khan saw it and brought his hands together defensively, absorbing the impact—but even through the guard, the force drove him back, his boots scraping along the concrete as dust trailed behind him.

When he finally stopped, his arms trembled slightly. He looked down. His hands were still shaking. What the hell is this kid made of?

From the sidelines, Boss was visibly trembling. His fat fingers gripped the arms of his chair so tightly that his knuckles turned white. Sweat beaded on his forehead and dripped down his neck. The thought of losing half his stocks, his money, his empire—it made his stomach churn with anxiety.

Meanwhile, Lilith’s reaction was a stark contrast. She stood at the edge of the arena, her golden eyes gleaming with exhilaration. Her lips parted slightly, her breath soft and fast. She couldn’t tear her eyes away from Liam. Her heart raced with excitement, not fear. He’s really doing it... he’s overpowering Khan.

Khan was already panting, his body slightly hunched from the last blow.

And Liam?

He hadn’t even broken a sweat.

With no warning, Liam spun low on one foot, launching a powerful roundhouse kick. Khan couldn’t react fast enough—he raised one arm too late. Liam’s heel crashed into his chest with brutal force. A loud THWACK echoed through the yard.

Khan flew back several feet, hitting the ground and rolling violently before skidding to a stop. Dust rose around him. His chest heaved, and he coughed loudly, the wind knocked clean out of his lungs.

"Holy shit..." someone muttered from the crowd.

"Did he just—"

"That kick landed like a wrecking ball..."

Liam stepped forward again, calm and measured. His eyes were cold now, like steel. He didn’t let Khan recover. He gave him no room to breathe.

Khan was just trying to get back on his feet when Liam dashed in.

A jab to the face.

A hook to the ribs.

Another palm strike, this one snapping Khan’s head to the side.

The crowd watched in awe as Liam danced around Khan’s slow, lumbering defenses, landing hit after hit with surgical precision. Each blow was a statement. Every strike landed with such brutal grace that people forgot they were watching a gang fight—it looked like an artist performing a masterpiece.

Khan tried to fight back. He launched punches fueled by pure fury, swinging like a wild beast—but Liam was always a second ahead. He weaved, he ducked, he deflected with minimal movement.

Then, with a sudden twist, Liam grabbed Khan by the collar and rammed his knee into his stomach.

Khan doubled over, spitting out saliva and struggling to breathe.

The world was spinning for him.

Liam gave him no reprieve. He leapt into the air and flipped into a spinning heel kick that crashed across Khan’s mask with a metallic clang. The brute collapsed onto one knee, one hand bracing him as he fought to stay upright.

It was over.

Everyone could feel it.

Even the Crimson Hand’s members were pale now. Nobody spoke. Nobody moved. All eyes were fixed on the impossible sight before them—Khan, the monster of the Crimson Hand, was being humiliated in public by the same boy he had effortlessly defeated a week ago.

Lilith could barely keep her mouth closed. Is this really Liam? This is a different beast altogether...

Liam stood over Khan now, who was wheezing and bloody, still on one knee. His body was shaking—not with anger, but with pain. His arms dangled, barely raised.

One more hit, and he was done.

But then he decided to withdraw and turn back, he had his reason.

But something... changed.

Khan’s shoulders tensed.

And in a flash—

He reached beneath his belt, where he had concealed a small dagger.

It glinted in the sunlight for a split second.

"LIAM, BEHIND YOU!" Lilith’s voice rang out like thunder.

But it was too late.

The cold steel of Khan’s dagger sank deep into Liam’s back, right between his shoulder blades. A sharp gasp escaped Liam’s lips as pain exploded through his body like wildfire. His entire frame jerked forward from the impact, and in the same moment, Khan followed up with a vicious kick to Liam’s lower back.

The blow sent Liam crashing to his knees.

Gasps filled the courtyard.

Every pair of eyes—whether belonging to allies or enemies—widened in horror. Some hands flew to mouths. Others gripped their seats or companions. The silence that followed was deafening.

Khan stood behind Liam, a cold smirk hidden under his mask. The blade still dripped with Liam’s blood, dark and vivid under the dim lights.

Lilith’s breath caught in her throat. Her heart slammed violently against her ribs as she rushed forward and dropped beside him. "Liam—!" she gasped, grabbing his arm, her voice trembling, her hands trembling.

She wasn’t even thinking about the battle anymore.

Not about the assets.

Not about the deal.

Just him.

Liam.

The man who just risked everything for her—and might lose his life for it.

The crowd, once buzzing, now held a strange, mournful silence.

"He... he was winning..."

"Why’d he let his guard down...?"

"That dagger—it’s Khan’s signature. That thing’s poisoned."

"Then... Liam’s done for?"

Lady Viora’s palm slammed into the elder’s table, her eyes narrowed with fury. "This is unacceptable! Liam won the duel—Khan using a weapon is against the rules!"

Li only smiled from where he stood. Calm, smug. "Who said the underworld was fair, Lady Viora?"

He glanced at Liam, kneeling in a growing pool of blood, and shrugged. "He should’ve expected it."

Khan stepped around slowly, crouching beside Liam with a low laugh. "You look good down there, Liam. I should’ve done this last week. Look at you now. Strong, proud, heroic—and dying."

He raised the bloody dagger and whispered cruelly, "Show mercy and get killed, boy. That’s the underworld."

Liam didn’t answer.

Not yet.

His body swayed slightly from the pain. He could feel the poison spreading, but... not like he expected.

Lilith, her eyes glimmering with unshed tears, leaned in closer, holding onto his hand tightly. "I’m sorry," she whispered, her voice low and raw. "I should’ve told you. Khan’s dagger—he always dips it in some kind of toxin. I should’ve warned you..."

Liam looked up at her, his vision hazy, but not from weakness. From disbelief.

He’d seen her smirk a hundred times. Seen her give orders with cold precision. He’d watched her charm and terrify people all in the same breath.

But never... never had he seen Lilith look at someone like this.

Not with fear.

Not with genuine sorrow.

Not with her hand desperately pressing against his back, trying to do something—anything—even if she didn’t know what.

He blinked once, then his lips moved.

"You’re crying over me?" His voice was weak, but laced with faint amusement. "Now I’ve seen everything."

Lilith shook her head sharply, brushing a strand of her golden-blonde hair away as her jaw tightened. "Shut up. Don’t say anything. Just... don’t die."

A smile flickered across Liam’s lips as he looked down.

Of course he knew the dagger was poisoned.

But as the familiar system notification echoed in his mind, everything started to make sense:

[Warning: Unidentifiable foreign substance detected.]

[Toxin level: High.]

[Activating emergency purge protocol...]

[Substance expelled from bloodstream.]

The sharp pain in his back faded suddenly, as if ice water had been poured onto burning fire. The dizziness vanished. His body stabilized.

But he didn’t move right away.

Instead, he looked up at Lilith, studying her face.

There was so much emotion in her expression. Worry, regret, fear—emotions she never showed anyone.

She was holding him like he meant everything. Like nothing else mattered.

He almost felt bad about what he was going to do next.

Khan, still crouched beside him, grinned wider. "Ready to die, hero?"

Liam didn’t answer.

Not with words.

Instead, his right hand shot up, lightning fast, and gripped Khan by the throat.

Khan froze.

His eyes widened.

"What—?"

Liam stood up.

Effortlessly.

The blood still trailed down his back, but his face showed no pain. No weakness.

Only fire.

Khan’s boots scraped against the stone as Liam lifted him off the ground by his neck, one arm extended like it weighed nothing.

Lilith’s mouth dropped open slightly.

The crowd gasped again.

Li’s eyes widened for the first time, and even Boss took a step back.

"No way..." someone whispered.

"He... he’s fine?"

"How the hell...?!"

Lady Viora narrowed her eyes in satisfaction. "Looks like your poison didn’t work."

Khan thrashed in Liam’s grip, trying to pull free, but it was useless.

Liam’s strength now felt inhuman. Even Lilith, who’d felt his power before, realized this wasn’t the same man who fought Khan a week ago.

This was something else entirely.

Liam finally spoke, voice cold and clear.

"You broke the rules."

He threw Khan forward, slamming him into the ground.

Then he stepped over him, his foot pressing down on his chest.

"You stabbed me in the back."

He drew his fist back, his knuckles crackling with tension.

"Now die".