Garrick’s mind snapped.
The humiliation, the pain, and the impossibility of a mortal outperforming his elite physique boiled over into a blind rage.
"You cheating rat!" Garrick roared, forcing himself up off the stone.
Completely ignoring the crushing gravity of the stairs, Garrick lunged forward.
He threw a haymaker punch aimed directly at the back of Theo’s skull, fully intending to knock the boy off the side of the mountain.
Great Sage, Theo thought.
As Garrick’s fist closed in, Theo pivoted on his heel. He caught Garrick’s plunging wrist with one hand.
Using his enhanced Minor Purity Water Body and the explosive strength of his merged monster skills, he pulled Garrick forward, adding his own momentum to the Titan’s clumsy charge.
Theo stuck a boot out, hooked Garrick’s ankle, and let go.
Deprived of his balance and already exhausted by the stairs, the teenager tipped forward like a felled tree.
He hit the stone steps with a sickening crunch and began tumbling backward.
The plaza watched in silence as the prized Titan Physique rolled down fifty flights of crackling stone stairs, screaming in agony as the lightning lashed him on every single rotation, before finally crashing in a groaning heap at the very bottom of the mountain.
Theo stood on the seventy-fifth step, dusting off his sleeves.
"Oops," Theo said loudly. "He slipped."
The deacon’s jaw was hanging so low it touched the dirt. Even Elder Silas, the vampire who had claimed Garrick, looked baffled by how effortlessly his prized battery had been discarded.
Theo turned around, slipped his hands back into his pockets, and jogged the rest of the way up.
When he finally stepped onto the hundredth step, the gravity vanished, replaced by the cool mountain air of the summit.
Liana was standing a few feet away, the crown still shimmering faintly above her head.
She turned to look at him. "You kicked him down the mountain," Liana stated.
"He had a bug on his shirt," Theo replied without missing a beat. "I was just helping him dust it off."
Liana actually let out a soft huff of air.
Before Theo could capitalize on the moment and secure another investment, a crack of thunder echoed across the summit.
The air warped, and a man dressed in immaculate white robes adorned with gold lightning bolts materialized between them.
The Sect Master had arrived.
He ignored Theo entirely, his eyes locked onto Liana.
"A Crimson Sovereign," the Sect Master breathed. "The heavens have truly blessed the Silent Thunder Sect. Girl, you shall bypass all outer and inner divisions. You are my direct disciple from this day forward."
Liana met his gaze. "I accept."
The Sect Master smiled, clearly thrilled by her arrogance. He turned, preparing to sweep her away to his private cultivation peak, but then he finally noticed the other person standing on the summit.
He frowned, looking Theo up and down.
"And who are you supposed to be?" the Sect Master demanded.
"Oh, I’m Theo," he grinned cheerfully. "I’m the new janitor."