Rise of The Abandoned Husband (Liam Knight) novel Chapter 60

60 Chapter 60 – The Effortless Victory and a Villain’s Gambit

I stood on the platform, watching Lucas Rhodes struggle to his feet after crashing into the wall. The gymnasium had fallen into a stunned silence, the kind that follows when something impossible unfolds before people’s eyes. Lucas’s chest heaved with labored breaths as he clutched his side, pain etched across his face.

“How…” Lucas gasped, stumbling forward. “That’s not possible. My Inner Strength…

His words trailed off as he coughed, specks of blood dotting his lips. The renowned “Inner Strength Expert” looked pathetically ordinary now, his reputation crumbling before the eyes of everyone present.

I couldn’t help but feel a twist of satisfaction. “Your Inner Strength? Is that what you call it?”

Lucas’s eyes flashed with rage. Despite his obvious pain, he charged at me again, desperation fueling his movements. His fist flew toward my face with what remaining power he could muster.

I didn’t move. Didn’t flinch. Didn’t even raise my hands.

His knuckles connected squarely with my jaw–a hit that should have snapped my head back, possibly knocked me unconscious. Instead, it was like hitting a stone wall. My head didn’t budge an inch.

The crowd gasped collectively.

Lucas stared at his fist, then at my face, horror dawning in his eyes. “What are you?”

I smiled slightly. “Just someone who’s tired of your family’s arrogance.”

With deliberate slowness, I raised my hand and tapped–just tapped–his chest with my index finger.

The effect was immediate and devastating. Lucas flew backward as if shot from a cannon, his body carving a path through the air before crashing down at the edge of the platform. The crack of breaking ribs echoed through the suddenly silent gymnasium.

20:33

1/6

60 Chaptor 60 The Effortless Victory and a Villain’s Gambit

“LUCAS!” Nora Donovan’s scream pierced the quiet as she rushed forward, dropping to her knees beside him. She glared up at me, her face contorted with fury. “You monsteri You could have killed him!”

I raised an eyebrow. “Funny coming from the person who just minutes ago told him to break my legs.”

Her face flushed crimson. “That’s different! He was-

11

“Following your orders?” I finished for her. “Perhaps you should choose your champions more carefully next time, Miss Donovan.”

Declan Donovan pushed through the crowd, his face ashen as he saw his prized student writhing in pain. The master’s eyes darted between Lucas and me, calculation and fear warring in his expression.

Marcus Valerius stepped forward, unable to contain his satisfaction. “Well, Declan, it seems your vaunted Inner Strength Boxing isn’t quite as formidable as you claimed.”

Declan’s neck reddened, humiliation evident in every line of his body. The crowd began whispering, pointing, some even laughing behind their hands. For a man like Declan–proud, arrogant, and used to commanding respect–this public

embarrassment was unbearable.

“Your hired help got lucky,” Declan snarled, desperate to salvage some dignity.

Marcus’s expression hardened. “Hired help? You speak of the man who just demolished your star pupil in seconds?”

Declan’s eyes narrowed, and I recognized the look of a cornered animal. He glanced around at the murmuring crowd, then straightened his shoulders.

“This victory was bought, not earned!” he announced loudly, his voice carrying to every corner of the gymnasium. “There’s no other explanation!”

The accusation hung in the air, absurd yet calculated. I could see what he was doing- attempting to twist his humiliation into a narrative of corruption.

“Are

you suggesting I was bribed to lose?” Lucas croaked from where he lay, clearly confused by his master’s strategy.

Declan shot him a warning look before continuing. “The Valerius Family Schoo as always relied on underhanded tactics rather than true skill. This so–called victory

20:33

2/3

60 Chapter 60- The Effortless Victory and a Villain’s Gambit

proves nothing except their willingness to corrupt the sacred arts of martial combat!”

The crowd, initially stunned by my display of power, now seemed uncertain. Whispers spread like wildfire–exactly as Declan had intended.

“I heard the Valerius School was almost bankrupt…”

“Would they really pay someone to throw a fight?”

“That would explain how a nobody beat an Inner Strength Expert…”

I watched in disbelief as the narrative shifted before my eyes. Marcus sputtered with indignation beside me, his face reddening as he tried to object, but the damage was already done. The seed of doubt had been planted.

Declan, seeing his gambit working, squared his shoulders and gestured for his followers to help Lucas up. “We won’t participate in this farce any longer. The Donovan School withdraws from any further association with the Valerius School and its mercenary fighters.”

He turned, prepared to make his dramatic exit with whatever dignity he could salvage.

“Stop.” My voice cut through the noise, quiet but carrying an undercurrent of power that silenced the room instantly.

Declan paused mid–stride, his back stiffening.

“Before you leave,” I continued, “I have a proposition.”

He turned slowly, wariness in his eyes! “What proposition?”

I stepped forward, the wood of the platform creaking under my feet. “You claim Marcus bribed Lucas to lose. That I’m just some ‘hired help‘ who couldn’t possibly defeat a real Inner Strength Expert fairly.”

“That’s exactly what I’m saying,” Declan replied, lifting his chin defiantly.

I smiled, and several people in the front row visibly shuddered. “Mr. Donovan, since you claimed that Mr. Valerius/bribed Lucas, how about this: you come and have a match with me.”

martial

The crowd erupted in shocked exclamations. Declan Donovan was no ordina artist–he was a master with decades of experience, feared throughout the city for his

3/0

60 Chapter 60- The Effortless Victory and a Villain’s Gambit

ruthlessness and skill. His Inner Strength was said to be three times more powerful than even Lucas’s.

Alarm flashed across Declan’s face before he could mask it. “You dare challenge me? A mere nobody?”

“The same nobody who just defeated your star pupil without breaking a sweat, I replied calmly. “Unless, of course, you’re afraid that your accusations might be proven false,”

Marcus grabbed my arm, his voice urgent in my car. “Liam, you don’t need to do this. Declan Donovan is dangerous-”

I gently removed his hand. “So am I.”

Nora stepped between her father and me, her eyes blazing. “This is ridiculous! My father is a master with thirty years of experience. He’d destroy you!”

“Then he has nothing to worry about,” I replied, never taking my eyes off Declan. “If I’m just some fraud who won through bribery, surely a true master would make quick work

of me.”

The crowd had gone completely silent now, all eyes on Declan. He was trapped by his own accusation–refuse my challenge, and he tacitly admitted to lying about the bribery; accept it, and he risked the same humiliation that had befallen Lucas.

“Well, Master Donovan?” I pressed. “Will you prove your claims in combat, or will you reveal them as the desperate lies of a proud man who cannot accept defeat?” Declan’s face darkened with rage. His hands, I noticed, had begun to tremble slightly- not from fear, but from the effort of restraining his fury

“You will regret this challenge,” he said quietly.

A cold smile spread across my face. “Somehow, I doubt that.”

Marcus stepped forward, formally addressing the crowd. “Ladies and gentlemen, it seems we have an additional match today! Master Declan Donovan has accepted the challenge from Liam Knight!

The spectators erupted in excited chatter. This was unexpected entertainm kind of dramatic confrontation that would be gossiped about for weeks.

-the

4/6

60 Chapter 60- The Effortless Victory and a Villain’s Gambit

Declan removed his outer robe, handing it to a wide–eyed Nora. “Father,” she whispered, “be careful. There’s something not right about him.”

me, Declan I pretended not to hear as I took my position on the platform. Across from assumed a fighting stance, his body radiating the focused energy of a true master. The difference between his presence and Lucas’s was immediately apparent–where Lucas had been merely talented, Declan was formidable.

“Are you certain you wish to continue with this?” he asked, his voice deceptively calm. “I will not hold back simply because you are young and foolish.”

I tilted my head slightly. “Neither will I.”

Verify captcha to read the contentVerify