Chapter 107: Keep going

The standoff lasted only seconds, but to everyone watching, it felt like hours. Liam and the beast circled each other, both waiting for the perfect moment to strike. The dark energy radiating from the creature’s body grew stronger, while Liam remained perfectly calm, his breathing steady and controlled. Then, without warning, both combatants moved at the same time. The beast lunged forward with incredible speed, its claws extended and wreathed in shadows. Liam met the charge head-on, but instead of dodging or blocking, he did something unexpected—he grabbed the creature’s wrists and used its own momentum against it, spinning and throwing the massive beast over his shoulder. The throw sent the creature flying through the air, but it managed to twist its body and land on its feet, leaving deep gouges in the pavement. Before it could fully recover its balance, Liam was already there, delivering a devastating uppercut to its chin. The impact lifted the beast completely off the ground, sending it several feet into the air. But as it fell, it managed to rake its claws across Liam’s chest, tearing through his shirt and leaving deep scratches that immediately began bleeding. “Liam!” Elaine cried out from the perimeter, taking an involuntary step forward before stopping herself. She knew better than to interfere in a fight of this magnitude, but seeing him hurt made her stomach twist with worry. Liam glanced down at the scratches, then back at the beast, which was already charging again. “Finally,” he said with what might have been satisfaction. “Something that can actually hurt me.” This time, when the beast attacked, Liam didn’t try to counter or redirect its momentum. He planted his feet and met its charge with raw strength, catching its fist in his hand just as it had done to Brian earlier. But unlike Brian’s struggle, Liam held his ground. The two were locked in a contest of pure power, their feet digging trenches in the street as they strained against each other. The beast’s other hand came up, claws reaching for Liam’s face, but he caught that wrist too. Now they were face to face, both straining with everything they had. The beast’s dark energy was washing over Liam in waves, but he seemed completely unaffected by the psychological assault. If anything, he looked more focused than ever. “Brian,” Liam said through gritted teeth, never taking his eyes off the creature. “Now would be good.” Brian had been waiting for exactly this opportunity. With the beast completely focused on its strength contest with Liam, he came in from the side and delivered a massive punch to its ribs. The impact produced an audible crack, and the beast’s grip on Liam faltered for just a moment. That moment was all Liam needed. He twisted the creature’s arms and spun it around, then delivered a devastating kick to the center of its back. The beast went flying forward, crashing through the remnants of a parked car and rolling across the pavement. But when it got back up, everyone could see that the fight was taking its toll. The beast’s armor was cracked in several places, and dark fluid was leaking from the breaks. Its movements were slightly slower, and its breathing was labored. “It’s weakening,” Ayan observed, though she kept her voice low. “Those hits are adding up.” The beast seemed to realize this too, because its next move was different from anything it had done before. Instead of charging or attacking directly, it began to glow with that same dark energy, but this time the power was building to much higher levels. “Everyone get back!” Liam shouted, and his tone made it clear this wasn’t a suggestion. “Further back! Now!” The USOV agents immediately began retreating to a safer distance, while Ayan and her team also pulled back. Even from their new position, they could feel the energy building around the creature like a physical pressure in the air. The beast raised both hands above its head, and a sphere of dark energy began forming between them. The sphere grew larger and darker, and the air around it began to distort and crack. This wasn’t just an attack—it was something catastrophic. “What is that thing doing?” Sarah asked, her voice tight with fear. “Desperation move,” Brian answered, his usual joking demeanor completely gone. “It knows it’s losing, so it’s going all-out. That thing it’s charging up—that’s going to level half the city block.” Liam was standing directly in front of the beast, well within the blast radius of whatever it was preparing. He could have retreated with the others, but instead, he remained where he was, watching the growing sphere of energy with intense concentration. “Liam, get out of there!” Elaine called out, but he either didn’t hear her or chose to ignore the warning. The sphere had grown to the size of a car now, and the energy it contained was making the air itself scream. Windows that had somehow survived the earlier battles were now shattering from the pressure alone. The pavement beneath the beast’s feet was cracking and splintering. Then, just as the beast prepared to release its devastating attack, Liam moved. He didn’t retreat or try to dodge. Instead, he sprinted directly toward the creature, moving faster than anyone had seen him move before. The beast, committed to its attack, couldn’t change course—it had put everything into this final strike. Liam reached the beast just as it began to release the energy sphere. But instead of trying to stop the attack, he did something that made everyone watching gasp in shock and terror. He grabbed the sphere of dark energy with his bare hands. The energy immediately began eating away at his skin, causing smoke to rise from his palms and fingers. The pain must have been incredible, but Liam’s expression never changed. He held onto the sphere, containing its power through sheer force of will. “What is he doing?” one of the White Demons members whispered. “He’s redirecting it,” Ayan realized, her eyes wide with understanding and horror.

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