From Outcast to Overlord The Unyielding Heir (Leander Ashcroft) novel Chapter 531

The four enforcers of the Church showed no sign of wavering at Leander's words. None of them loosened their hold on Maeve. Their combined spiritual strength formed a compact prison around her, enclosing her completely—every inch of her body, every joint, every breath was bound tight by invisible force.

From the far horizon, a dark silhouette cut across the sky. His expression was grim, his aura heavy—it was Faelan, the black-robed man who had earlier intercepted Leander's air blade to protect Neil.

When he saw the enforcers imprisoning Maeve, his gaze flickered briefly, but he said nothing. Turning to Leander, he spoke coldly, "I'll admit, Ashcroft—I don't agree with their methods. But unfortunately, this is how the Church's enforcers operate. Their only duty is to punish heretics. They care nothing for process or morality—only results.

"If you must blame someone, blame yourself for leaving them no room to compromise. Neil may have betrayed the Church, but he was the greatest genius our order has seen in centuries, and my proudest disciple. You killed him, so now you'll taste the same bitterness I feel."

With that, he gestured to the enforcers in a silent signal unique to the Church, then disappeared into the distant sky.

Leander's eyes darkened as he glared at the four elders, his malice almost tangible. "That woman has nothing to do with me," he said coldly. "If you kill her, it changes nothing. But I swear, if you harm her, none of you will leave here alive."

The eldest of the four enforcers let out a derisive laugh. "If she truly means nothing to you, Ashcroft, why do you care so much about her life?"

He turned to Maeve, his expression devoid of empathy. "I don't take pleasure in killing the innocent. But your misfortune is your connection to this heretic. If you wish to live, then convince him to step into the array and save you himself."

Every word he spoke was deliberate. The spiritual formation they had woven was far stronger than ordinary arrays—ten times more potent. It could completely suppress even a grandmaster one realm above them, sealing their spiritual strength and rendering them powerless, before crushing them beneath the combined might of the four.

Capturing Maeve had been a calculated move—she was bait, the perfect snare to draw Leander into their trap and destroy him.

Maeve felt the crushing restraint around her, her very mind clenched tight as if an invisible hand gripped it. The spiritual agony twisted her features, yet she showed no fear. She bit back her cries and forced her eyes open, meeting Leander's gaze with a faint, peaceful smile.

"Blockhead, meeting you was the luckiest thing that ever happened to me.

"You know—you're like a guardian angel to me. When I was blind, when assassins from the Umbral Court hunted me down in Ravenridge—you always appeared when I was at my weakest, saving me every single time. In my heart, you've always been my one and only hero.

"When my parents and sister told me you were dead, do you know how many nights I cried? Do you know how many times you appeared in my dreams?"

Her eyes glistened with emotion. "Maybe I won't live past the next moment. But I don't want to hide my feelings anymore. The happiest time of my life was that month I spent blind and lost in the mountains—because every day, you were there beside me. Every day, I could call you 'blockhead.'"

Tears welled and rolled down her cheeks. "Blockhead, don't risk your life for me. Kill those despicable b*stards. Just remember—there was once a girl named Maeve Reyne who loved you, and will love you forever."

Her final words came out as a shout, full of trembling defiance. Then, with her heart laid bare, she closed her eyes and faced death without fear.

Maeve's eyes flew open, surprise and disbelief flashing across her face. In that moment, she remembered—the days when she had been blind and lost in the wilderness, when Leander had said the same words—"I'm your eyes now."

Leander's lips curved faintly, and in that split second, a burst of divine radiance flashed in his eyes.

His figure blurred—and in the blink of an eye, he was gone from where he stood, reappearing right in the center of the spiritual array. A wave of spiritual energy erupted from him, spreading outward to shield Maeve completely.

The enforcers' faces twisted in shock as their own spiritual power unraveled, violently torn apart by a force far stronger than theirs.

"What?!"

Their expressions turned to disbelief. Their spiritual web had tightly wrapped around Maeve's entire being; a mere thought would have been enough to crush her. Yet now, the entire array was shattering before their eyes.

It was impossible—no one below the Origin Breaking Realm should have been able to break their combined array, let alone overpower it so brutally. But Leander had done it. His raw spiritual strength ripped through theirs, expanding outward, forcing them back with irresistible might.

Within the collapsing formation, Leander looked straight into Maeve's eyes, and for the first time, his expression softened. "I told you—no one can kill you while I'm still breathing."

Then he raised his head and fixed his gaze on the four enforcers surrounding them. His eyes turned icy, his voice cutting through the storm like a blade. "Today, above the skies of Yelem, I'll fight the world for you."