Rufus visibly annoyed, thought to himself 'Another assassin? Childsplay.'
He quickly responded to Liam "Are you blind? I'm alone?"
Liam whispered calmly as he wrapped his hands in cloth "You will die here, all by yourself with no one to witness it."
Rufus, confused, threw up a signal as his Lieutenants attacked.
Shela drew her bow, her forearm muscles trembling as she poured every ounce of strength into the shot. The arrow was about to tear through the air like a fighter jet, but she was too slow.
Before she could release, Liam's hand was already on her face, crushing her skull against his palm.
"A colossal bow in close combat? Bad IQ," he sneered.
"This isn't elden ring. Do better." Liam whispered.
Rage flared in the eyes of the giant warrior nearby. His massive shield shifted, its technology causing it to fold and twist into a greatsword of gleaming metal.
He charged, earth shaking beneath his steps, desperate to stop Liam before he could finish Shela off.
Unable to catch Liam, In a last-ditch effort, he hurled the greatsword like a spear, aiming to sever Liam's arm.
Liam sidestepped effortlessly, releasing Shela, her limp body collapsing to the ground, just as the spinning blade narrowly missed her head.
As Liam dashed towards the Giant he covered so much ground so quickly the large man could not react. Biting down hard, blood trickled from Liam's lip as he twisted his body and drove his fist straight into the man's abdomen. The sound was deafening—like a thunderclap at point-blank range.
A shockwave burst outward, scattering dirt and feathers as startled birds screamed into the night sky.
Liam's fist tore through his midsection, exiting clean through his back.
Liam left a gaping hole even Rufus was disgusted. Liam quickly removed his hand and ran back to Shela jumping on her corpse and crushing her, like a bug until it became one with the soil.
Finally the 1v1 would begin.
Liam turned, his blood-streaked face expressionless as his gaze locked onto Rufus.
Rufus froze, his breath shallow, his pulse hammering in his ears. 'A human weapon. But his description doesn't match Dreyfus. And he's not dark-skinned.'
This must be the project 'L-I-A-M I've heard about. How did Mr. N possibly....'
Rufus was dumbfounded, What he'd just witnessed was beyond brutal, almost unreal… yet somehow still possible.
He steadied himself, whispering under his breath,
"It's horrific… but still within the realm of comprehension.
He exhaled slowly, then tore off his shirt, muscles tightening as he forced calm into his trembling body. His tattoos and body art were a masterpiece, Rufus powered up "I've seen elite guards conquer nations, You're not special, I've seen fighters like this before His mind flashed to Epicurus, Vercingerot and others.
He planted his feet and raised his fists.
His stance solidified, aura flaring, the ground around him seemed to hum as his life force surged. His blood pumped like fire, his resolve spiking to its peak.
"This will be difficult," Rufus muttered, eyes narrowing. "But I can do this."
The air crackled between them.
Then Liam spoke—his tone quiet, almost calm, but cold enough to drain the fight from the air.
"There is no one here to protect you," he said. "You are alone. It's over."
The words hit harder than any punch. Rufus felt his surge of power falter—his heartbeat slowing, his body trembling as the weight of the truth pressed down on him.
Siegfreed was awake, he watched attentively.
Liam rushes Rufus as he grabs his face immediately taking him off his feet as he slams him into the ground.
Rufus tries to go for an armbar but the impact was so harsh it dazed him to the point where he couldn't even see. He had hit his head so hard his vision dissipated into nothing but blurs as his pupils rolled into the back of his head.
Liam's hand still on his neck he put his face beside Rufus's face and whispered into his ear. Unbuckling his pants. "Where I'm from, if you're in a compromised position like this, we're taught to show dominance and humiliate. It taught me to never end up in a position of weakness in battle again."
Siegfreed blushed as their eyes opened wider, even more excited.
But I'm not that monster anymore. As Liam lets go, Rufus pounces like a predator on the opening.
Rufus in an effort to catch Liam off guard spins a fake armbar into a side guard, Liam counters, However Rufus out performs him easily as he counters Liam's counter, Rufus's grappling and juijitsu is too good he effortlessly slithers up his body like a snake holding him into a headlock to cut off his oxygen.
Liam chokes for a quick second however his brain processes the situation at incredible speeds grabbing Rufus's arm and squeezing it so hard that he tears into his muscles with his fingers. Rufus's muscle fibers turn to literal jello as they spring out of his skin.
Dread, filled the air.
As black as death.
Liam mumbled "It is over."
Panic surged through Rufus's veins as instinct took over, and he bolted, desperate to escape.
But Siegfreed wasn't about to let him go. With a sharp command, his voice echoing through the trees, the forest itself seemed to come alive — creatures stirred from the shadows, answering his call as they swarmed toward Rufus.
However, Rufus refused to go down easily. He fends off the beasts, leaping from branch to branch, bouncing off the ground with animal-like agility. He twists and dashes through the chaos, moving so fast that even Siegfreed struggles to track him. "He's fast—far faster than I thought," Siegfreed mutters, irritation flashing across his face.
But before Rufus can escape, Liam bursts forward at full speed, closing the distance in an instant. Rufus lashes out with a flurry of kicks, desperate and wild, his face full of fear, yet Liam simply grabs his leg and crushes. So casually so easily.
Rufus tries to hold it in however he let out a scream so loud the birds in the forest flew away. Even Siegfreed felt a bit uncomfortable. The leg was so deformed it had needed to be amputated. Rufus couldn't move, passing out from the pain.
Siegfreed smiles thinking 'Rufus had no special abilities, making him a good matchup for Liam who's a brute force fighter.'
Liam simply uttered the words "You are-
A sword moving at speed faster than the eye can see, penetrates the right side of Siegfreed's chest, a sword so long that the tip of the blade lodged itself into the ground, all while still inside of Siegfreed. Their eyes dilated they mumbled "Liam…?"
Liam in shock, loses his sense of hearing, time slows down, he's in disbelief of what he's seeing.
'How? I didn't sense anyone else?"
As Presidents Elite Guard Rank 2 sits atop a blade he watches on. "That's his heart by the way. Hello Liam.