Rising from the Ashes (Andrew and Lauren)

As Andrew stepped back, he widened the distance just in time, causing Aidan's furious iron punch to swing through thin air. It felt like punching into a pillow-no resistance, nowhere for the force to go, leaving him frustrated and thrown off.

A strange, muffled crack echoed through the air.

Andrew flicked his fingers lightly against Aidan's face. In an instant, half of Aidan's cheek swelled up, skin split and bleeding. The sheer precision and power of the move left everyone in the Rhodes family gripping their chests in disbelief.

Andrew followed up with a sharp elbow strike, landing squarely between Aidan's shoulder blades.

Aidan roared, his body crackling with strain as he unleashed every ounce of strength he had left, determined to go down fighting.

Andrew just smirked with disdain. With another palm strike heading toward Aidan, he suddenly shifted mid-motion. What had begun as a soft open-hand strike transformed instantly into a straight, vertical knife-hand blow.

"You bastard!" Aidan howled, realizing he was inches from death. He twisted his body at the last second, barely dodging a lethal hit to the heart, but the edge of Andrew's strike still slashed deep into his shoulder blade.

Aidan let out a twisted cry. "You little punk! Since you're so determined to kill me, then I'll make sure you don't walk away whole-say goodbye to that arm!"

He gathered every last bit of strength and hurled a vicious blow straight at Andrew's arm.

Tiana shouted, panicked, "No! Pull your hand back now!"

However, Andrew did not move an inch. Next, almost unnoticed, his fingers spread, revealing a needle pinched between his index and middle finger. With a casual flick, he sent it flying.

The needle shimmered faintly in the air, almost invisible. Just like that, the fifth- ranked name on the Underworld Index, the unbeatable powerhouse Kenny and Sherily relied on to drop dead.

The cause of death was Andrew's needle had pierced directly into Aidan's temple, killing him instantly.

Aidan tried to lift his hand as if to point at Andrew in fear or to beg for his life. Yes, in that final moment, he wanted to surrender-he was terrified to his core.

He finally realized that this man was someone he should never have crossed.

Andrew was a monster, a devil from a higher dimension, tearing down everything he thought he knew Sadly, those were just dying thoughts-nothing more than a flash before the end.

Aidan did not even have the strength left to say a single word. Before everyone's horrified eyes, the martial arts legend who had nearly wiped out the entire Rhodes family collapsed with a loud thud and lay there, completely lifeless.

The hall went completely dead silent.

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Andrew slowly withdrew his hand and began walking toward Tiana. He asked, "Mrs. Rhodes, have you learned your lesson yet?"

Tiana opened her mouth, but no words came out. She stared at Andrew like she was seeing him for the first time, her expression frozen in shock.noveldrama

It finally dawned on her that Andrew was not normal. He was a hidden power, a terrifying force lying in wait. She did not know where he came from.

Nonetheless, just like Aidan had realized before his death, she now understood something crystal clear-Andrew was anything but ordinary.

Andrew was anything but ordinary. She once believed Andrew was just a pawn in Marvin's grand scheme.

It seemed like she had it backward The chances were that Marvin-the billionaire and number one figure in all of Jayrodale-might just be his pawn or not even qualified to be one.

"Andrew, what level are you really at?"

Tiana's voice trembled as she spoke, her words nearly dragging from her throat. She did not even realize that her tone carried a mix of fear, respect, and quiet submission.