The apricot grove was packed with members of the Beggar Clan, surrounding Logan, Henry, Amelia, Grace, and Sophia.
Logan hadn't expected that Noah—the young master of the Noah family—wouldn't show up. Instead, their group had been cornered by the Beggar Clan, accused of being accomplices in the murder of Matthew, orchestrated by Noah himself. The only way out, they claimed, was if Noah came in person.
Of course, someone as stubborn as Logan would never agree so easily. Words turned to blows, and though Logan was skilled, he was no match for the sheer numbers of the Beggar Clan. Fortunately, the beggars refrained from attacking the women.
But the situation forced Ethan, who had been observing from the sidelines, to step in. Once the fight started, it didn't stop—even Lucas could only watch as they clashed.
Meanwhile, Amelia called out the opponents' moves to Ethan and Logan, barely keeping them in the fight. But it was only a matter of time before they were overwhelmed.
At that moment, Amelia found herself wishing Ella were there. With him around, things would have been different.
Lucas, seeing no end to the brawl, decided to intervene. He glided into the fray with effortless grace, his hand darting toward Ethan's wrist.
"Ethan, watch out—'Dragon Claw Technique'! He's going for your chest, then your ribs, and finally the 'Qihu' acupoint! That's the 'Torrential Rain' stance!"
"Amelia, if you're going to warn me, at least do it faster! How am I supposed to react at this pace?" Ethan was already being overwhelmed, barely able to counter.
Lucas subdued Ethan and handed him off to his men before turning his attention to Logan.
Just then—a sharp shing!
A sword flashed, its blade singing through the air as it aimed straight for Lucas' side.
"Leader, watch out!" Benjamin of the Beggar Clan drew his sword to block, but Ella didn't even spare him a glance. With a single fluid motion—"Sword-Breaking Stance"—he sent Benjamin flying.
By then, Lucas had already seized Logan's shoulder. Ella closed the distance in an instant.
"Ella, Lucas' hand is five inches to your left—he's already got Logan!" Amelia called out.
Ella grabbed Logan's other shoulder and swung his blade toward Lucas' wrist.
"Ella, cut his damn hand off!" Ethan shouted from the sidelines.
The others were stunned—none had expected the Noah estate to have such a formidable fighter, especially since it wasn't even Noah.
Ella's sword moved faster and faster, matching Lucas' shifting grip. But Ella's techniques weren't so simple.
"Palm-Breaking Stance."
The sword hummed faintly, twisting three times in Ella's hand before slashing toward Lucas three times in rapid succession.
Lucas barely pulled back in time as Ella's blade swept past—whoosh!—forcing him to retreat with a single light step.
Amelia watched, fascinated. She had never seen such swordplay before.
Where did Ella learn this?
And Lucas—though he now knew who he was facing—was eager to test Ella's limits.
So the duel continued.
Blade against palm.
Speed against speed.
A battle that would be remembered for ages.