"When you break through to become a Martial King."

The words echoed in his mind like a great bell.

Elias Lennox’s grip on Dawn Miles’s shoulder tightened, and the look in his eyes grew much deeper. "I’ve waited for you for more than a decade. The wait is finally over..."

Dawn Miles grew increasingly suspicious. She felt that something was off about Elias Lennox.

He suddenly ducked his head, his handsome face drawing closer. 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝕨𝕖𝗯𝚗𝚘𝕧𝕖𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝕞

Dawn’s heart clenched. She shoved him away with all her might and fled in a panic.

"I’m going to do the dishes, Brother."

Elias Lennox’s gaze followed her retreating figure, his amber pupils constricting for a moment.

Like a cheetah that had just spotted its prey, filled with raw anticipation.

Once outside, Dawn Miles let out a sharp sigh of relief.

As she gazed out at the ocean, a blurry face once again surfaced in her mind.

***

「Several hundred kilometers away, in the capital of Luvia.」

A gloomy atmosphere hung over the city.

Luvia had been having a serious run of bad luck.

One after another, their contestants had met with disaster.

The nation’s dark horse, "Knight," and his brother had meticulously planned their escape and vanished.

Their Martial King, Lucas, was beaten so badly during a match that he coughed up blood. He still hadn’t woken up, and it was said his internal injuries were so severe that his cultivation had regressed to the Grandmaster realm.

And now, Veridia, one of the great powers of the Northern Continent, had sent an ambassador demanding custody of a person, claiming the contestant "Knight" bore a strong resemblance to a missing high-ranking member of their Martial Alliance.

As the one who had recommended "Knight," Prince Harmon was now in an impossible position. He had no choice but to brace himself and meet with the envoy from the Veridian embassy.

Ambassador Willow had been stationed here for years and was on good terms with Harmon.

He skipped the pleasantries and got straight to the point.

"Prince Harmon, could you please tell me about the contestant ’Knight’ in detail? Is she injured?"

Harmon glanced at the doctor beside him, who immediately stepped forward to report.

"Contestant Knight is in perfect health, but her head suffered severe trauma. It seems she has amnesia..."

"What?" an aide sitting beside Ambassador Willow suddenly exclaimed.

He cast a worried glance at the man sitting on the ambassador’s other side.

His features were so plain he would be lost in a crowd, but he carried an aura that could not be ignored.

Ambassador Willow glanced at the man and asked softly, "Do you have any questions?"

The man looked calmly at the Martial Healer. "Did they see a psychiatrist?"

The Martial Healer nodded slightly. "I recommended a friend of mine..."

"Please contact him."

***

「Two hours later.」

A Luvian royal helicopter lifted off from the roof of the capital’s tallest skyscraper, heading for the west coast.

Aboard the helicopter, Aiden Morgan glanced worriedly at the man beside him.

The psychiatrist had said that Aurora Sinclair exhibited all the symptoms of amnesia, yet an examination of her brain revealed no signs of external trauma.

Amnesia under these circumstances usually stemmed from one of two things: severe psychological trauma or drug induction.

After watching the video of the psychiatric consultation, his master’s eyes had turned slightly red, and he hadn’t said a word for a long time.

Then, after studying every map of Luvia he could find, his master had coldly ordered them to the west coast.

"Master, Elias Lennox’s motives are impure. Should I have him investigated?"

Just as Aiden finished speaking, he met his master’s pitch-black, bottomless eyes, and his voice died in his throat.

A voice, cold to the absolute extreme, reached his ears. "Capture him!"

「The West Coast of Luvia」

A man and a woman sat on the shore, waiting for a boat.

The weather was perfect, with the sun shining brightly. Elias Lennox sat in his wheelchair, holding an umbrella for the person behind him.

"Brother, want some water?" Dawn Miles pulled a bottle of water from her bag, twisted it open, and handed it to him.

Elias Lennox smiled and shook his head slightly. Pointing to a boat slowly approaching in the distance, he said, "Rory, the boat’s here."

"Mhm..."

Dawn Miles picked up their luggage from the ground and pushed Elias Lennox through the crowd, slowly making her way toward the pier.

The approaching vessel looked rather old and wasn’t very large. It appeared to be a cargo ship.

The crew members looked ferocious and ordered everyone not to bring too much luggage. As a result, Elias Lennox’s wheelchair was left behind on the shore.

Dawn had no choice but to carry Elias onto the boat.

"Pay up! Twenty-five hundred International Coins per person."

A burly man guarding the gangway shouted in a rough voice.

Dawn pulled two wads of cash from her pocket, counted out 5,000, and held it out to him. But he snatched all the money from her hand.

"You—"

"Rory, let him have it."

Elias Lennox smiled and said to the man, "Friend, someone will give you another payment when we arrive. Please, look after me and my brother."

Hearing this, the burly man looked Elias Lennox up and down. He cracked a grin, his dry lips parting to reveal solid Gold front teeth. He said to a lackey beside him, "Take them to the bow. Find them a spot with good airflow."

A deeply tanned man then waved them over, leading them to a relatively comfortable spot at the bow.

Under the crew’s watchful eyes, Dawn took a thick blanket from her bag and spread it on the deck. After helping Elias sit down, she carefully bundled him up in it.

When she finally sat down on the deck, Elias immediately leaned against her. Gazing at the endless ocean before them, he said softly, "Rory, paint a portrait of me when we get home, okay?"

"I know how to paint?" Dawn asked.

Elias tensed for a moment, then replied with an unreadable expression, "You do. You’re an excellent painter."

"I’ll give it a try, then."

The view from the bow was spectacular. As far as the eye could see, the blue sky met the turquoise sea, the two blending into a single line at the horizon.

A gentle sea breeze drifted by, carrying away some of the sweltering heat.

As the small cargo ship finally pulled away from the pier, the tension in Elias Lennox’s heart began to ease.

He reached out from under the blanket, intending to take the girl’s hand, but she pulled away instinctively.

"...Sorry..."

Seeing the light in Elias’s eyes dim, Dawn apologized in a low voice and took his hand again.

Elias watched her for a moment before shaking his head slightly. He reached up to stroke her hair and said gently, "You’ve just forgotten me for now."

"I will remember you," Dawn replied earnestly.

"It’s okay even if you don’t..."

"I will remember you!" Dawn insisted, her lips pressed together as she looked at him, trying to superimpose his features onto the blank face in her mind.

Elias gave a hollow laugh.

His heart felt as if it were being squeezed in a vise, and he found it hard to breathe.

’Kid, no one in this world gives out handouts. If you want something, you have to take it yourself...’

The nightmarish voice echoed in his mind again.

"Brother, what’s wrong?"

Seeing Elias’s face suddenly pale and his brow furrowed in pain, Dawn grew worried. "Are you seasick?"

"Mhm..."

Elias pressed his temples, trying to force the voice from his mind.

"Lie down and close your eyes."

Dawn had Elias rest his head in her lap. Her fingers moved to his head, pressing accurately on his pressure points.

After some time, the pained look on Elias’s face gradually faded, and his breathing grew steady.

Dawn covered him with the blanket and leaned back against the bulkhead. As she gazed at the ocean, she was struck by a sense of déjà vu, as if they had watched the sea from a boat just like this before.

"Get back in the cabin—!"

A sudden shout from a crewman outside startled the sleeping Elias Lennox awake.

His expression was grim, a hidden fury simmering in his eyes.

Dawn clearly felt the fluctuations of his Power intensify.

"Brother, what’s wrong?"

"Junior Sister? What are you doing here?"

A flicker of surprise crossed Elias’s face. He sat up, looked around, and his brow immediately furrowed.

Just then, the ship’s captain emerged from the cabin and roared at them, "What are you dawdling for? Get inside, now—!"

To Dawn’s utter astonishment, Elias slowly got to his feet. He even wrapped the blanket around her shoulders. "It’s cold out here. Don’t catch a chill, Junior Sister."

The small cabin was packed with people, leaving no room for them to sit.

The captain stuck out his leg, kicked two people out of their spot, and gestured for Elias and Dawn to sit down.

Elias sat down beside her. After a curious look around, he leaned close to Dawn and teased, "Junior Sister, did we elope?"